Burn Out on Planet Clifoto
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Burn Out on Planet Clifoto, known as Apprentice Trooper Lucy (見習い隊員ルーシー, Minarai Taiin Rūshī[?]) in Japan, is the third episode of the anime F-Zero: GP Legend.
Plot Synopsis
The episode begins with an unknown pilot at the wheel of an unfamiliar yellow machine, testing its abiility amid the scorching heat of Clifoto. The Elite Mobile Platoon are in the track's pitlane discussing the potential safety risks surrounding tomorrow's race when the unfamiliar pilot arrives alongside them and removes her helmet; it's the woman from the previous episode who showed interest in enlisting. Jody introduces her as Lucy Liberty and assigns her to work under Dr. Clash, much to his chagrin. Despite this, she displays a vast knowledge of F-Zero machines during Rick's test-run, impressing the team. Meanwhile on Clifoto's track, Rick is secretly being tailed and monitored by Dark Million pilot Baba, who reports his findings back to Zoda. Impressed, Zoda encourages him to wait until tomorrow before making a move, to hide any assault under the guise of an "accident".
Back in the Platoon's garage, Rick's body struggles to adjust to Clifoto's challenging conditions. Eager to prove herself, Lucy takes it upon herself to substitute in for Rick during the Dragon Bird's next practice session. Rick's pleas of protest fall on deaf ears as his machine roars to life and takes to the track, a confident Lucy at its wheel. Meanwhile, Jody and Dr. Stewart are summoned by the race officials to further discuss the controversial grand prix, when live footage of the Dragon Bird acting erratically is brought to their attention. Pushing the machine to its limit, Lucy soon comes across a slow-driving Baba, who decides to send a warning for tomorrow by edging her closer to the barrier. Concerned for her safety, Rick takes Jack's maglet and assumes control of the Astro Robin in a bid to save her, but not before she elects to use her boost power to escape the Iron Tiger's clutches. Distracted by Baba's manoeuvres, Lucy loses control and the Dragon Bird flies off of the course, wrecking the machine and knocking her out.
When Lucy comes to, she finds herself in the medical bay with Rick, Jack, Dr. Clash and Mr. EAD. While Rick wastes no time in forgiving the over-enthusiastic Lucy, a hot-tempered Jody enters to deliver a harsh scolding to both drivers. Worse still, Dr. Stewart informs Rick that Zoda has officially registered to partake in tomorrow's grand prix. With his machine ruined however, Rick now stands no chance of defeating his nemesis. Driven into a blind rage, Rick flees into the pitlane and demands Zoda come out to face him, restrained only by a concerned Jack, who condemns his reckless behaviour. A guilt-ridden Lucy watches on.
That evening, Rick fails to show for dinner, having taken refuge high above the circuit, cursing Zoda's name. Dr. Clash and Lucy also skip dinner in hopes of repairing the Dragon Bird before tomorrow's race. Knowing they'll be pressed for time, Rick and the rest of the team resolve to put aside their differences and collaborate together alongside the two mechanics. Elsewhere, Baba gleefully boasts of his victory to Zoda and assures him that the Dragon Bird will not be a threat for tomorrow's race. Even so, Zoda expresses great concern over the rest of the Task Force's pilots and enlists Baba to see to it that none of them will pose a threat for tomorrow's feature event. After several hours of hard work, the Dragon Bird is finally fully repaired and the team applaud Lucy for her determination. With her confidence restored, she assures Rick that he'll have no issue defeating Zoda tomorrow.
The Clifoto grand prix is set to begin as all cars line up on the starting grid. Jody highlights Zoda's car to the rest of the Platoon and reiterates the importance of him not winning today's prize money. The lights go green and the machines sprint away. Zoda wastes no time in eliminating other vehicles that pose a threat to him, with Rick and Jack close behind. Once the Death Anchor begins to boost however, the Dragon Bird begins to fall behind, much to Rick and Jody's concern. Dr. Clash simply smiles and encourages his boss to keep watching. Soon after, the Astro Robin's engine begins to overheat, to which Zoda uses to his advantage and boosts through the car, eliminating him from the race. Rick, on the other hand, finds the Dragon Bird's engine under no such threat. Dr. Clash and Lucy reveal that they had taken the time to modify the Dragon Bird while repairing it by sacrificing its high speeds for more engine reliability, thus allowing it to endure Clifoto's heat far better than before. It isn't long before the Death Anchor begins suffering similar overheating issues, prompting Zoda to slam the brakes. Seeing an opportunity, Rick sends him into a spin and takes both of their vehicles out of the running. A dead heat ensues between the remaining Baba and Dr. Stewart, with the Golden Fox's booster proving its might and providing its pilot a narrow win. Rick jumps from his machine and runs towards the wreckage of the Death Anchor, now a sea of smoke and flames. From the wreckage comes its pilot, taunting the cop, who responds with a sea of punches. Their brawl is cut short by another explosion from the Death Anchor wreckage, providing Zoda a brief window to escape. Rick screams after him from the scene.
Back on Mute City at the Elite Mobile Platoon headquarters, Lucy is offered a permanent position on the team, to which she happily accepts. The team salute her and welcome her onboard.
Eyecatch
- Lucy Liberty - 31 Elegance Liberty
- Zoda - 13 Death Anchor
Characters
These characters appear in this episode, listed by the order of their appearance. Characters debuting in this episode are in bold.
Differences between the Japanese and English versions
- Lucy is alone in the first shot of her test-driving the Elegance Liberty at the beginning of the episode, as opposed to racing alongside four other pilots in the original. The second shot sees her overtaking a vehicle in the stadium section while a different shot is used in the Japanese version, this time with her alone.
- During Lucy's test run, Jack displays confusion over how the machines will be able to handle Clifoto's intense heat. Instead, he mentions how more fans means more betting in the Japanese version. Additionally, Dr. Stewart, Dr. Clash and Mr. EAD have added lines of safety concerns in the dub that weren't present in the original.
- Lucy laughs after reassuring Dr. Clash that she won't be a hindrance to him. No laugh is present in the original.
- Dr. Clash and Lucy warn Rick about excessive speed from the pits in the dub. Their discussion is amongst themselves in the original, instead remarking on Clifoto's unpredictable weather and its potential impact during the race.
- After hearing Lucy's extensive knowledge on F-Zero machines, Jack begins to flirt and invites her out to dinner. The original simply has him ask her if she'd be willing to work on the Astro Robin.
- When offering Rick a cold towel, Lucy begins speaking before the camera cuts to her. This isn't the case in the original.
- Rick is audibly heard demanding Lucy get out of the Dragon Bird while banging his fists on its windshield. In the original, his voice is drowned out by the engine.
- The dialogue following Lucy taking the Dragon Bird is notably different between the two versions. In the dub, Lucy's actions are regarded as reckless by the pit crew and she makes a point of turning her maglet off to prove her ability. Conversely, the team are instead impressed with her guts in the original, with Rick even giving her pointers on the Dragon Bird's limits. This is hindered however by her maglet malfunctioning. Lucy shows surprise over how different the two cars handle.
- A race official demonstrates the track's difficulty by highlighting the Dragon Bird's current erratic behaviour, alerting Jody and Dr. Stewart. The Japanese version has the two noticing this on their own. Furthermore, the original also sees the F-Zero committee explain that the prize money has been increased in a bid to incentivise more drivers to enter, despite the track's intense heat.
- The dub reuses a shot from inside the cockpit as Baba traps Lucy against the barrier. The original instead uses a unique shot from outside of the cockpit.
- Several stationary shots of the Dragon Bird are rendered as 3D models in the dub, as in-keeping with most machines during race sequences. Despite this, they're instead 2D drawings in the original.
- Upon arriving in the medical bay housing Lucy, Jody slaps Rick and scolds him in the Japanese version. Like previous instances, the slap is cut from the dub and the the footage of Rick turning is reversed after she enters.
- Jody threatens to fire Lucy after she stands up for Rick during his scolding. The original simply has her demand she keep quiet.
- Rick's flashback to chasing Zoda in 2051 begins with a flash effect, indicating it taking place in the past, in addition to the retaining its prior audio. In the original, no effect is present and all audio is muted and replaced with an ominous song. The footage is slightly different between the two, also.
- Dr. Stewart has an additional line of dialogue during the dinner scene reflecting on the current state of affairs in the Japanese version. Furthermore, Lucy and Dr. Clash's absence is noted, leading the Task Force to believe they're rebuilding the Dragon Bird. In the original, it's instead implied that Rick's rebuilding it.
- The machines present during Zoda and Baba's discussion differ between versions. The dub features the Deep Claw and Death Anchor while the original instead features the Iron Tiger and an unknown dark blue vehicle.
- After assuring Rick he'll be able to beat Zoda in tomorrow's race, Jack reminds her he'll be racing also. In the dub she promises him she'll cheer for him finishing 2nd while the original simply sees her encouraging him to cheer up.
- On the starting grid, Dr. Stewart warns everyone to stay alert and to not underestimate the track's unpredictability. In the original, he instead expresses doubt over whether his machine will be able to keep up with the others.
- Lucy's warning about cooling the Astro Robin's engine is a general observation in the dub instead of specifically directed at Jack, as is the case in the original.
- When ramming Zoda off the track, Rick deems it payback for taking Jack out earlier. The original also references him ramming Lucy yesterday.
- After passing Baba, Dr. Stewart openly taunts the Iron Tiger's pilot. No such taunting is present in the original, with him simply commenting that he needs to hurry up and win to ensure Jody isn't angered further.
- Rick landing a punch on Zoda during the brawl is omitted from the dub.
Trivia
- Falcon Classroom Topic: F-Zero Machines.
Errors
- Despite Zoda claiming that the warning light is coming from Baba's Iron Tiger, it can be seen in the background of the shot, thus implying the warning light is coming from a different machine. This error was removed in the dub, with the vehicle in the background instead being Ocotoman's Deep Claw.
- Once again, the middle set of starting lights fail to light up before the race in the original. This is fixed in the dub.
| F-Zero: GP Legend anime | ||
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Current episode #3: Burn Out on Planet Clifoto |
Next episode #4: The Samurai's Secret |
