Space Channel 5 - Plot and Characters

Plot and Characters

Set 500 years in the future where space travel is now the norm, it’s apparently still difficult to maintain ratings for a television station. Channel 5, after years of broadcasting, has plummeted in the ratings, and if something isn’t done soon it will be canceled FOREVER! Enter Ulala, who helps station director Fuse (ヒューズ-Hyūzu) revive the nearly dead Channel 5. He sends her out as the final resort to report on the invasion of an alien race called the Morolians (モロ星人-Moro Seijin). This games constist of four fallowing levels, or reports:

Report 1: Introducing...Ulala!: Ulala (うらら-Urara) arrives on scene at Spaceport 9, the first area the Morolians invade, where chaos has broken out. She struts and dances her way through the main lobby, then the Flight Control Tower where the Space Rescue Police's mission to save the workers of the spaceport has gone awry. Things seem to be going well until the rival reporter of Channel 42, Pudding (プリン-Purin), strides in front of Channel 5's camera. She and Ulala quickly have a dance-off to see who is better. Ulala proves to be a formidable opponent, making Pudding and her Henchmen to retreat. With that taken care if, Ulala and the people she rescued head off for the Launch Pad. There, the hypnotized robot Coco Tapioca confronts them in a dancing duel. It isn't long before the mecha is defeated and Ulala's report show wraps up successfully.

Report 2: Spaceship S.O.S.!: On board the Luxury Spacecraft G is where Ulala finds herself next doing her Swingin' Report Show. She heads from the cockpit to teh dining hall with the crew of teh vessel right behind her. It's after she saves the Space Diva that a shadow looms over her and her posse. It's the Rogueship-A-Go-Go and the Space Pirates! Some technical difficulties are brought to the broadcast of the report show, and when the static clears the camera focuses on the infamous Space Pirate Reporter In black, Jaguar (ジャガー-Jagā), He challenges Ulala to a dance-off, though the pink-haired woman proves she can get down. She perks Jaguar's interest before he zooms away with his jetpack. Ulala has no choice but to continue onto the Observation Platform. As Jaguar and the other Space Pirate Broadcasters get away, following after the mothership of the Morolian fleet, Ulala and the rescued victims of awful dancing fce off against Morolina, yet another dancing robot. She uses space children and Morolians alike as shields before using her tongue to attack. Even against such dishonorable tactics, Ulala prevails, shooting up the ratings for Channel 5 even more as she and her posse march away.

Report 3: Catch the Scoop!: Somehow it happened, but no one questions it: the secret base of the Morolians has been discovered within the Asteroid Belt. Ulala rides the Astrobeat Jr. as she races reporters from other channels to get the scoop. Pudding, her bodyguards, Shinichiro Tachibana, and 88MAN are among those whom Ulala shoots at in order to clear the way to the secret base. Jaguar shows up, his ship blasting a large asteroid in front of Ulala soon after he confronts ulala with her space Pirates. He's able to hold her off long enough, incidentally, for Pudding to make it inside of a humongous, modified asteroid. Although, her luck quickly changes as she's hypnotized by the Morolians and in need of saving.

Freeing the former teen idol, Ulala delves deeper into the far-out twists and turns of the base until she reaches the Head Office. A wide-screen television (like as new television example: LCD television) is setup there, with Morolian Monroe, the strongest dancebot of them all, lurking within. It attacks safely from inside the monitor, but soon emerges from it, revealing that it’s a two-in-one robot. Morolian Monroe changes tactics quickly, forcing Ulala to trace the trail it leaves from one side of the bot to the other. Although when it splits up into two robots, one green and one pink, Ulala hops off the Astrobeat Jr., the battle becoming even harder. The bots gang up on Ulala, making it impossible to get a single shot in.

Both Ulala and Fuse are startled when Jaguar finally catches up with them. Instead of taunting or challenging Ulala, however, he extends his help to the Channel 5 reporter and together they are able to defeat Morolian Monroe. Victory doesn't last long as strange images begin appearing on the giant TV. Morolians crowd around Ulala, and she questions if the aliens were brainwashed too. Fuse tells her to "Shoot at the TV", and once she does the screen blows out. The Morolians immediately revert to normal, being free at last.

The secret base shakes and everyone is forced to jet as the place begins to explode. As Ulala is riding out of the large tubing leading outside and pulling double duty in saving the Morolians, Jaguar comes over the comlink between Ulala and Fuse, saying that he "found where the brainwash signal's coming from" then add the frequency "is the same as Channel 5's." In an unbelievable turn of events, the Channel 5 team (now stunned) knows where to head to next.

Report 4: Evil in the Galaxy Revealed!: Ulala, Pudding, and Jaguar strut into Channel 5 Headquarters to find the source of the mastermind at work behind the invasion. It turns out to be none other than Channel 5 CEO Chief Blank. He runs - more like teleports - away from the trio and the chase continues. Space Michael is encountered in the connecting hallway and he's saved from the Morolians, joining Ulala as she heads for the Control Room. Inside of the elevator there, Mr. Blank is seen sitting on a chair. Taunting the pink-haired reporter, he zooms up to the roof while Ulala is left with a mass of Morolians to take care of. Saving Hoorg, the Morolian Leader, completes the group following Ulala up to the final confrontation.

Emerging from the elevator, Ulala and her companions learn a surprising fact about Chief Blank. He doesn't care about truth. In fact, he wants every reporter to share his vision. The "Ultimate Reporter" Evila (イビラ-Ibira) is sent to outdance Ulala, but the robot fails against the groovy moves of the spunky reporter. The puppet is taken care of, it seems that Ulala has won. At least until the roof of the dome opens up and Fuse yelps for help. A humongous robot, Giant Evila, has taken the broadcasting ship and the director inside hostage, leaving it up to Ulala aboard the Astrobeat Jr. along with Jaguar and Pudding on their own crafts to dance-off against the new threat. Ulala must move in the opposite direction of what she hears to keep Fuse safe.

Giant Evila gets bold, knocking away both Pudding and Jaguar before the sound system fails and Ulala loses her rhythm. Ulala is knocked away, let to float in space. An A Capella beat picks up and Jaguar reaches out to grab Ulala, twirling her slightly back onto the Astrobeat Junior. Ulala now has a chant support, giving her a rhythm to groove to. She retaliates and finally Giant Evila's head disconnects from the rest of its body, hovering above everyone. It shifts to the image of Chief Blank, who reveals that ratings are everything to him. If television was all for ratings, then what was the problem with brainwashing the masses?

Chief Blank, now called Blank TV, activates the "Blank Dimension" sucking him and Ulala into a separate space to do battle, yet the chant support is still clearly heard. Through a somewhat confusing game of TV laser tag wherein Ulala must shoot the screens with the correct beam (either "shoot" or "rescue"), the strength of her support increases. People start singing along with Ulala even when Blank's screens act as feet and hands in a way one could only see to believe. The Blank Dimension shatters and Ulala is free. When the energy of the crowd is pumped up, Fuse says for everyone to focus all of their energy on the station's antenna. Ulala, Jaguar, Pudding, and some Morolians each get a line in as the energy builds, becoming tendrils of a brilliant blue against the dark, specled canvas of space. Those tendrils work their way up the antenna just as Blank says his last three commands: "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" Everyone shouts the same right back, fully charging the antenna and blasting Blank, claiming he'll be back, into deep space.

Ulala wraps up her final report and marches off with friends and former foes alike along a glittering trail left by Fuse's ship. They make their way to the end of the galaxy.

Although the report isn't truly over until the results screen pops up.