Tatoe arashi ga hukou tomo
Tatoe oonami areru tomo
Kogidasou tatakai no umi he
Tobikomou tatakai no uzu he...
Voltes V! Steve Armstrong, Mark Gordon, Big Bert Armstrong, Little John Armstrong and Jamie Robinson. Yeah still remembered every member of the Voltes Team by heart. I was on my 5th grade and everyone's agog over Voltes V. Voltes V was so intense...I cried and begged my dad to buy me a robot! Every classmate has one, no two, no three! Voltes V, Mazinger Z, Daimos, Danguard Ace, Mekanda Robot, Balatac, Jeeg, Voltron and all the other robots rampantly conquering the world in 1978.
I didn't realize how expensive that was at that time. If the jeepney fare was still 25 cents, you actually know how expensive Voltes V was? A whooping P600.00! Dang! And we just run around smashing the toy like it's bought from Carbon market! Glad my mom freaked out and spanked us and told us not to play with the robot anymore. And I appreciated the gesture, because Voltes V is still alive and well and inside the original one per box package.
For 30 years it was stocked like an old toy. Just sitting under the table at the master's bedroom inside a plastic bag, which was actually open and had dust once in a while. Nobody bothered to keep it sealed. One time when we were cleaning all our things because we migrated to New Zealand, our househelp asked for it. I SAID NO! That was the only memory I had of my dad and mom. You can NEVER lay hands on my Voltes V! EVER! Hahaha!
And so it came to pass, when we came back from NZ for just 6 months, I put my Hotwheels collection inside the liquor cabinet of my mom (which has no bottles anymore) and my Tamiya and my NBA Cards and my Gundams and my Superman and my Kobe Bryant action figure...and wait! I actually forgot about the old toy. Tsk tsk tsk bad bad Stephen!
Looking at the oldest toy EVER, pondering on what to do, and thinking "will IT actually be a part of a grand collection"? YES! I gently took Voltes V one by one, looked at the Japanese specs of the robot (which now turned into yellow), remembered that I lost the string of the spinning top (which I played with a REAL Top-the wooden one with a nail on it) and the rubber wheels which were loosened over the years.
The one I recalled was the laser sword because I had to glue the V chest over and over again because there was no good glue at that time (Pioneer & Bulldog were not born yet). The springs were not functioning and I cannot fire the missiles. 32 years old. Time really hits not only on people but also on robots.
But then it all brings back good memories. Like watching a movie to take us out of reality, playing with Voltes V was escaping from assignments and school work. There were no internets then, no cellphones, PSPs, Nintendo DS, iPads, iPhones, DVDs. Just Voltes V. Yeah and because of New Zealand, I only have my stickers. I lost my coloring books, Questor, bookmarks and all paraphernalia's of Voltes V. But hey! I kept a small Voltes V given to me by my cousin Ahia Jun and was bought in Hong Kong. And still I have to glue Voltes's head because you guessed it, there were no good glues at that time.
I had everything Voltes V in my youth. Posters, coloring books, stickers, bookmarkers, plastic Voltes V robot by Purefoods. Questor's first issue on Voltes V and Mazinger Z.
I could go on and on on how I acquired, kept, traded, played, watched, cried, laughed, angered, loved, shouted, bragged about having Voltes V. But then I have to cut it short. Just like how the former President Marcos banned Voltes V...because students won't study anymore. But as for me, it was disappointing. For my whole Voltes V years I haven't seen a full episode...and then Marcos banned it. That's why we hated him, but that's another story.
Thanks for taking the time to read. And as for 1978 ... I remember the feeling, VOLTES V!
