Tai Kamiya Presents "Gatekeepers"

Episode One- Start the New Show! 

Author’s Notes
This is a little bit off the beaten path for me, but if you stick with it, it should be fun nevertheless. This is a strange combination of a regular "kids save the world" anime, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and a Toastyfrog Thumbnail Theater. The plot is the same as the anime (a few liberties may be taken to keep it more simple), and I hope you do get into it later on, as I believe it would appeal to Digimon fans, especially those in the fanfic community. The humor will be a mix of anime humor, with some light political humor thrown in (Gatekeepers was set in 1969, and had tons of parallels to the Cold War). Each chapter will represent one episode, although I’m definitely not doing all twenty-four. When I decide to skip one, anything important will be covered in the chapter before or after it. The first episode tries to explain everything, so sit back and enjoy, as Tai Kamiya presents "Gatekeepers."

(A dramatic fanfare, as several key structures in Tokyo are shown as photographs. Tai narrates.)
Tai: (VO) The year was 2002. A time when Japanese anime flourished. Among those were several stories where bands of children united to stop a common enemy… most often coming from another world. That way nobody was offended. Among those stories is the one you are about to hear. The story is one for the ages, and the only way to truly capture that story, is for my friends to act it out for you. At least… that was what the guys over at Fox Kids told me. I don’t quite get it either. But nevertheless, a new enemy was arriving… and I guess somebody had to stop them, right?

Episode One- Start the Earth Defense!

(A plane is flying overhead at Haneda Airport, preparing to land. Several people are watching, including Joe Kido. A thankless guy in a suit turns to Joe.)

Guy in Suit: I have a bad feeling about this.

Joe: I always have a bad feeling about this kind of stuff.

Guy in Suit: I know. For all we know, they could attack at this very minute.

Joe: It’s a tense moment to be sure. I won’t sleep a wink until that plane lands safely.

(The plane lands safely. Joe smiles and turns to the guy.)

Joe: Wow, that was rough… I’m going to hit the sack.

Guy in Suit: Hold on! We still have the mystery… of who’s on the plane.

(Joe heads to the plane.)

Joe: Hey there Mimi!

(Mimi is exiting the plane.)

Mimi: Hi Joe!

Guy in Suit: That’s it- we’re doomed! It’s the end of the world, we should all just…

(The guy continues to ramble, as Joe and Mimi turn to the camera.)

Mimi: Tai, could you cut his mike?

(Guy in Suit is suddenly muted.)

Mimi: Thank you!

(Tai walks up to Mimi.)

Tai: You know, Mimi, I don’t know if you’ve ever acted before, but a good rule of thumb… is NOT to address the director while we’re filming.

Joe: Tai, another good rule is to not walk on stage while we’re filming.

(Tai takes a look at the camera.)

Tai: Oh yeah… don’t mind me!

(Tai hustles off.)

Joe: Anyway, Mimi, I’m glad you’re here. It’s only a matter of time before they arrive. When they do get here, you’ll have a task of the utmost importance. That’s why we brought you here from New York- you are the only person in the world that can do this job.

Mimi: And what job would that be?

Joe: My secretary.

(Mimi stares at Joe for a second.)

Joe: Hey… I wanted to make you feel important.

Mimi: I guess that’s alright. I guess I won’t get myself killed if I’m your secretary.

Joe: Well, maybe, maybe not. The kids we will be working with can be extremely temperamental.

Mimi: That’s not a problem- I live in New York, remember?

Joe: Oh yeah. I guess that there’s no problem then. We’ll be ready for them before they arrive. That way they won’t get the jump on us…

(As soon as he finishes the sentence, another plane flying overhead explodes in midair. Joe and Mimi freeze, then turn around to watch the remains of it fall to the ground.)

Joe: …or maybe I spoke too soon.

Mimi: They’re here…

(A small house on the outskirts of town. A television is on, and is showing the news, which is covering that crash.)
Newscaster: (VO) Investigators still have not determined the cause of this explosion. We will keep you updated around the clock on the incident, since there’s nothing else on anyway. For more on exactly what made the plane give off that sound of blowing up, here’s a scientist with nothing better to do.

Scientist: (VO) It’s been two days since the crash, so…

(The channel changes to a kid’s anime, featuring a boy and girl walking through the jungle. The girl stops and eats an entire fern. Laughter is heard. The laughter of TK Takaishi, enjoying the show from the couch. His mother sits nearby and is visibly upset.)

Mrs. Takaishi: TK, I was watching that news program.

TK: That’s all they’ve been showing for the last two days, Mom. This is much more relevant to modern day life.

Mrs. Takaishi: (sad) If you say so.

(TK laughs again.)

TK: Did you see that? She just ate an elephant!

(Mrs. Takaishi breaks down into tears.)

Mrs. Takaishi: I can’t believe he’s gone! Taken away from us in the prime of his life!

TK: Um… you divorced him, Mom.

Mrs. Takaishi: But he didn’t deserve to die!

TK: Great- I have to get to school. See you Mom!

(TK runs off.)

Mrs. Takaishi: And he still owed child support!!

(TK is walking to school. He seems more serious.)

TK: Not like it matters anyway. My dad was never there for me to begin with. In reality… nothing’s changed.

(An older man swears offscreen.)

Mr. Matsuda: (OS) Dammit!

(TK looks over, and sees Mr. Matsuda struggling with his broken-down car.)

TK: Mr. Matsuda! Is something wrong?

Tai: (OS) CUT!!

(Tai walks on the set.)

Tai: Take five everybody, I have to talk to TK.

(Mr. Matsuda remains on the set.)

TK: I have to talk to you, Tai, this is getting really confusing. First off- why am I being called TK? If this is supposed to be a filming of Gatekeepers, shouldn’t I be going as what’s his face… the guy I’m playing?

Tai: Shun Ukiya? Look, TK, you obviously have no clue what I’m going for here. TK, nobody’s heard of Shun Ukiya. But TK Takaishi? Everybody knows TK Takaishi. Everybody loves TK Takaishi! So your name is TK Takaishi. Got that?

TK: Okay… so this guy’s really named Mr. Matsuda?

Mr. Matsuda: Nope. My name’s Phil.

Tai: Yeah. He’s Phil. I found him on the street on the way to the set. He doesn’t have a very important character, so he’ll do fine.

TK: But why is he named Mr. Matsuda instead of Phil?

Tai: Because nobody knows who Phil is. Nobody loves Phil!

Mr. Matsuda: (offended) Hey… I’ll have you know that I’m happily married.

Tai: Shut up Phil.

TK: So nobody knows who Phil is, so we call him Mr. Matsuda, because that’s his name in the original?

Tai: NO!

(Tai paces around angrily)

Tai: No! No! No! No! No! This is the dubbed version!

TK: So what? He’s Mr. Matsuda in the dub, isn’t he?

Tai: I don’t know… I’ve never seen the dub. Do you know how much those DVDs cost?!

TK: So why can’t we use Matsuda?

Tai: Simple! I’m very familiar with how things work at anime companies… so we have to assume that they’re going to change it to Mr. Matsuki. Got it?

TK: I guess…

Tai: Great. Move on to the next scene!

TK: Wait a second… can’t we finish this one?

Tai: Nope, we have to rush this thing, and we used up all our time arguing. This scene isn’t important anyway.

TK: But what about all that stuff with my Dad?

Tai: That’s just standard backstory. It’s a written law that with any group of people saving the world, at least half of them have to have some sort of issue with their parents. In your case, your negligent father has recently passed away, leaving you alone with your mother and sister.

TK: I have a sister?

Tai: Next scene!!

(Joe and Mimi are in an underground headquarters. Another plane explodes on a video monitor.)

Joe: We’ve sent out eight decoy planes. Six have exploded.

Mimi: This is getting serious. Do you think it has anything to do with the passengers?

Joe: They were decoy planes. They didn’t have passengers.

Mimi: The pilots then?

Joe: I think those decoy planes had pilots.

(Joe leans towards an intercom.)

Joe: Guy in Suit? Did those decoy planes have pilots?

Guy in Suit: (VO) Yes they did Commander.

Joe: Hmm… maybe the pilot’s union was fed up with low wages, so they decided to have pilots blow up their planes on purpose.

Mimi: Damn those suicidal madmen.

Joe: No… it can’t be. Mimi, it has to be… them. There’s no other explanation. We have to find some way to stop them before the public finds out about this.

Mimi: Um, Joe, seven planes have blown up in the last week. I think the public’s already a little bit suspicious.

Joe: Either way, we’re running out of time. Mimi- we need… her.

Mimi: What, a new secretary?

Joe: No… the most powerful weapon we currently have to stop… them.

(A tour bus in Tokyo. Joe is innocently driving, while the tour guide is none other than Kari Kamiya. She has a microphone and is addressing the passengers.)

Kari: Thank you for taking a tour with us. I will be your tour guide, Kari Kamiya.

(Applause from half of the passengers- who are normal tourists. The other half are all clean-shaven young men with crew cuts and no-nonsense looks on their faces. In the alley of the bus is a giant metal cover that obstructs the entire alley.)

Kari: (OS) On your right is the Haneda Airport…

(The bus drives along.)

(A kendo club at a high school. TK is facing off against an opponent. While the opponent is using standard kendo techniques, TK is going at it with all the flashy stuff you’re used to seeing on television.)

TK: All right, prepare for this… special technique- fuujin ranbu!!

(TK takes another spectacular swing at his opponent… and misses completely. With TK off guard, the opponent lightly taps TK on the wrist.)

Opponent: I win! You lose! I’m good! You suck!

Kendo Instructor: You are dismissed.

(Everybody walks out except TK and the instructor.)

Instructor: TK, how many times do I have to tell you, you have no concept of the fundamentals. You’ve been watching that Pay-Per-View kendo haven’t you?

TK: At least I didn’t hit anybody with a folding chair.

Instructor: TK, you are very good at kendo. But unless you learn the fundamentals you will never be able to turn it into anything. You should join the club. Learn the basics.

TK: You just want me in because the club plays Furinkan next week and you want my help, right?

Instructor: It’s not just that. I seriously think you could get a scholarship if you practice hard enough. After what happened to your father, I’m sure your family could benefit from it.

TK: Sorry Sensei… but I like being poor. It’s more romantic than being rich.

Instructor: Tell that to Hugh Hefner.

TK: I’ll think about it. Okay?

Instructor: I’ll take that as a no. At least think about it, okay?

TK: Um… right. Bye!

(TK bows to the instructor and heads out.)

(Back at the underground HQ, Mimi is watching the monitor with Guy in Suit. On it, two guys are creating a lot of fuss on the streets, supposedly protesting something.)

Guy in Suit: (paranoid) It could be anybody. Anybody out there could be one of them. Anybody disturbing the peace, causing problems in the world… even everyday annoyances could be because of them. They’re setting us up. They’re going to get us. Look at those two… they’re disrupting society… they’re causing chaos, they’re one of them.

(Guy in Suit screams. Mimi shushes him.)

Mimi: You’re just being paranoid.

Guy in Suit: (normal) No I’m not. Look at those two, they’re marching towards the highway.

(Sure enough, the two protesters are marching away in unison, seemingly possessed. Mimi does become concerned.)

Mimi: What does this mean?

Guy in Suit: They’re about to attack.

Mimi: What are we supposed to do?

(Guy in Suit grabs his hat and runs out the door.)

Guy in Suit: I’m cashing in on my paid vacation time! Have fun!

(Mr. Matsuda, er, uh, Matsuki is still struggling with his car. By now, there’s about a hundred possessed men and women marching down the street in a nice orderly fashion.)

Mr. Matsuki: Hey, could one of you help me with this?

(One of the men stop and kicks the car. It starts running. The man gets back into line.)

Mr. Matsuki: Hey… thanks mister!

(The car immediately takes off and crashes into a lamppost.)

Mr. Matsuki: Hey! Did you do that on purpose? Come back here!

(No such luck. The group continues to march undisturbed. They reach a spot in the street and stop simultaneously. In unison, they each grab a pair of sunglasses and put them on. They transform into their true forms- aliens that resemble men with black suits, hats, and sunglasses. Each has a blank expression.)

(On the bus, an alarm goes off on the dash. Kari turns to Joe.)

Kari: What does that mean?

Joe: They’re preparing to attack. You know what to do.

Kari: Right.

(Kari picks up the mike and addresses the passengers as the bus comes to a stop.)

Kari: (cheery) Attention everybody, this is the end of the tour. If you aren’t a member of a secret government organization, please exit the bus now. Please move forward in an orderly fashion until you reach the nearest exit. Thank you for choosing AEGIS bus tours, please hurry and get off or we’re all going to die.

(Kari puts away the mike and holds up a cup labeled "Tips.")

Joe: They’re all off…

(Kari puts away the cup.)

Kari: And they’re all cheapskates.

(Kari looks back at the seats. All that are left are the clean-shaven men with buzzcuts. The bus takes off, speeding towards the army.)

Kari: Wow, Joe, how did you get all these guys to enlist?

Joe: Simple. I just told them they’d be seeing Kari Kamiya in one of those sailor fukus later on and they signed right up!

Man in Back: When will be that be, anyway?

Joe: Just hold your horses! It’ll be very soon.

Kari: What now?

Joe: A massive transformation sequence.

(Kari and Joe smile.)

Joe/Kari: Tour Bus Digivolve to… Über Tour Bus!!

(Sure enough, it lives up to its name- while still driving down the road, the bus develops metallic armor plating, a few missiles on the roof, a machine gun on both sides, and anything else that looks really cool. The cover inside the bus lowers, to reveal a massive engine. Each of the men in the seats pull out a rifle. The bus stops in front of the army of mysterious men in black.)

Joe: There they are Kari… the Invaders.

Kari: Invaders… I thought they were just going to be called "them" the entire series.

Man in Back: Sir… can we go kill them now?

Joe: Yes. Start attacking. Kari will be up in a minute. And she’ll wear the fuku too.

(The men excitedly head up towards the roof.)

Joe: Kari, remember what to do. Use your abilities wisely, be brave, and make sure not to panic.

Kari: What about you?

Joe: I’ll be a panicking coward down here, but fortunately I don’t have to fight!

Kari: Lucky me.

(On the roof, the good guy army starts to attack the Invaders. The Invaders pull out briefcases that can apparently shoot beams of energy. The Invaders return fire. During this massive fire fight, which does no damage to the Invaders, Kari rises up to the roof, and strips off her tour guide outfit, revealing everybody’s favorite school uniform- the sailor fuku. She reaches under her skirt, pulls out a small object which extends to become a bow. Tied to her other leg way up there is a small holder, which extends to form a quiver of arrows. Kari raises both dramatically as the army stares at Kari, practically drooling.)

Kari: Um… aren’t you guys supposed to be holding off the Invaders?

Joe: (OS) It’s okay Kari. What you just did was technically considered a transformation sequence, so the enemy was forced to stop and watch in amazement. It's a rule.

Kari: Oh. Well I’m done now.

(As soon as she says that, the Invaders resume firing, taking out a couple good guys.)

Joe: (OS) Do it Kari!

Kari: Right.

(Dramatic close-up of Kari’s face. She has a spinning circle in her pupils.)

Kari: GATE OPEN!!

(She pulls out an arrow and fires at the Invaders. It takes out one whole column of suits.)

(Meanwhile, behind the camera, Tai is watching the action. Mimi is standing nearby.)

Mimi: Wow. She takes them out with one shot… who did you get to play the Invaders anyway?

Tai: That’s simple. They’re just regular foot soldiers who lay down and die easily, so I just got a bunch of people who are used to doing that. A bunch of unemployed Stormtroopers, those bad guys who always end up getting punched in the head in Jackie Chan movies, and of course- the Arizona Cardinals.

Mimi: This is all well and good, but where’s TK? He has this completely different plot that has no connection to what Kari and Joe are going through. I’m just dying to know how the two are interrelated!

Tai: You haven’t figured it out yet?

Mimi: Figured what out?

Tai: Never mind. Let’s go see how he’s doing.

(TK has come across Mr. Matsuki, struggling with his car.)

TK: Mr. Matsuda… er Matsuki… oh whoever the hell you are- what happened?

Mr. Matsuki: Some nice young men fixed my car… so that it would drive into a lamppost.

TK: That doesn’t sound very nice.

Mr. Matsuki: It certainly wasn’t.

TK: Where are they now?

Mr. Matsuki: Over there…

(Mr. Matsuki points down the street, TK looks over. About ten feet away, the massive battle is going on.)

TK: Wow. How come I didn’t notice that before?

(Back at the battle, Kari is shooting arrow after arrow, taking out column after column of Invaders.)

Kari: Just a few more…

Joe: Kari! We’re going to run away while we still have a chance.

Kari: Why?

Joe: Because I’m in charge.

Kari: Oh yeah. Come on, everybody!

(Kari and the other good guys head back into the bus.)

Joe: Kari- use your powers to heal them.

Kari: Oh yeah. Light of Life!!

(Kari holds up a hand, and the injured men are miraculously healed.)

Kari: So are we just going to let them get away?

Joe: We aren’t strong enough to defeat them all. You don’t have enough energy. Hopefully we’ve weakened them enough to give us enough time to get the gate engine perfected.

(Kari looks at the engine in the center of the bus.)

Joe: We’ll do good with that… but we have enough stuff to explain this episode so we won’t worry about it.

Kari: Good idea. So is the episode over now?

(Joe looks in his rear-view mirror and frowns.)

Joe: Of course not… just my luck.

(Another invader falls from the sky. This one is red instead of black. He apparently is the leader of this group.)

Kari: What are they going to do?

Joe: My guess is that they go into combat mode.

Kari: Combat mode?! What were they doing before, morning calisthenics?!

(Sure enough, the remaining invaders merge. Led by the red invader, the fuse, forming a giant black ball that takes up the entire street. It starts rolling towards the bus, taking anything out in it’s path.)

Joe: (watching from the rear-view mirror) That’s it- I resign.

Kari: No! We have to stop them!

Joe: Why?

Kari: Because… they’re catching up to us!

(The ball is extremely close to the bus. Kari gets on the roof and fires a few arrows at it. Nothing works. The giant ball o’ invaders shoots miniature black balls at Kari. A few connect, and she goes down. The passengers get Kari down and into safety before any more damage can be done.)

Kari: (hurt) I’m just… not strong enough.

Joe: This is where I usually scream and run away… but I’m already doing that! It’s not helping!

Kari: Hold on… it’s stopping.

(They watch as the giant ball stops. It begins to turn around.)

Kari: Why is it stopping?

Joe: The only reason it would stop… is if it detected a greater threat. Something that has more power than you.

Kari: Thanks for the compliment.

Joe: Don’t take it up with me, talk to the Invaders.

Kari: What could be more powerful?

(As if you didn’t know, a furious TK runs after the giant ball.)

TK: How dare you trash Mr. Matsuki’s car! You best NOT be disrespecting a minor character like that!

(The ball stops right in front of TK.)

TK: Take this!!!

(TK hurls a soda can at the ball, which bounces harmlessly off it. The ball begins firing at TK. TK wisely runs away screaming. The ball chases after him, firing all the while.)

TK: Ha! You can’t catch me! I’m a good guy!

(The ball hits TK, sending him flying off to the side, crashing into some construction site. A few extra shots seem to finish him off.)

(Back in the bus, Kari and Joe watch in amazement.)

Kari: Why did the ball stop now?

Joe: I guess it neutralized the greater power threat.

Kari: Is that good?

Joe: No… that’s not good.

Kari: Why not?

(The ball starts to turn back towards the bus.)

Joe: (panicked) Because now it’s going after us again!!

Man in Back: Hey, Commander?

Joe: Can’t you see we’re busy!?

Man in Back: Take a look at this engine… it’s detecting something.

Joe: What?

(Joe goes in back and takes a look. The engine is glowing madly.)

Joe: A… another one?

Kari: Another Gatekeeper?

Joe: (sarcastic) No Kari, another Eva pilot.

Man in Back: Do you think this has something to do with the greater power source?

Kari: Well, we won’t find out staying in here. I’m going to find this power source!

(Kari rushes out of the bus, and makes a beeline towards TK. He’s down, and he doesn’t look good. She clears away some of the junk surrounding him.)

Kari: You call yourself a Gatekeeper?

(TK groans.)

Kari: I’ll take that as a no.

(Kari bends down and puts both of her hands over both of his. They glow.)

Kari: Listen to me, okay? I’m giving you the last of my power. The fate of the world is up to you. I know you can do this. I have faith in you.

Tai: (VO) Cut!!

(Kari stands up.)

Kari: What was wrong with that?

(Tai walks up. TK’s still down.)

Tai: I dunno… too… um….

TK: (head buried in the ground) Suggestive?

Tai: Yeah. It just cries out romance.

Kari: Is that a bad thing?

Tai: Well… it does when it’s this early in the series. Nobody wants to see the mushy stuff. Later on mushy stuff is okay… and we’ll have more characters to add to the complexity. But right now we have to lay off it.

Kari: But I have to heal him. Why is healing suggestive?

Tai: It just is. Your hands over his. The obvious concern you have. It’s suggestive!

Kari: But I just healed six guys fifteen minutes ago!

Tai: (serious) Kari, I’m your brother. And I know you’re a girl of good morals. I don’t want you playing the field like that. Soon you'll be healing any guy who owns a motorcycle. You don’t want to get a reputation, do you?

(Kari just stands there, confused.)

Tai: Okay then. Cut down on the mushy stuff, and get to the part where TK saves the day.

(Tai heads back to his chair, and walks past the giant ball.)

Giant Ball: What’s my motivation for this scene, anyway?

(Tai thinks for a minute.)

Tai: Pride. You are the giant ball.

(Tai continues back.)

Tai: Places everybody! And action!

(TK is getting better, and rises up. Kari, meanwhile, has used up all her strength and falls.)

Kari: You’re our last hope… the weakness is the red sphere in the center. Good luck.

(Kari falls down. TK stands up.)

TK: Okay, giant ball, it’s just you, me… and my giant bat!

(TK walks out of the site, picks up the fallen lamppost that Mr. Matsuki’s car ran into, and charges after the giant ball. The giant ball shoots at TK, but TK swings the lamppost to dodge everything. Finally, TK prepares for one giant swing at the giant ball with the giant bat. He two has the circles in his pupils.)

TK: GATE OPEN!!!

(TK swings, and connects with the red sphere in the center. With it damaged, the whole thing falls apart, and dissipates. He stops, drops the lamppost, and catches his breath.)

TK: How… how did I just do that?

(Joe exits the bus and approaches TK.)

Joe: Nice work. I’ve never seen that kind of power before. What’s your name?

TK: TK. TK Takaishi.

Joe: TK, it is clear now that you are a Gatekeeper. The second one that we have found. You have the amazing ability to channel energy from a distant location through a gate. And we need that energy in order to defeat the Invaders…

(As Joe continues, TK begins to doze off. Joe finishes his spiel.)

Joe: And we need you to join this team. You and Kari are all that stand in the way of the Invaders. Are you in?

(TK wakes up suddenly.)

TK: Um… I’ll think about it. Okay?

Joe: I’ll take that as a yes. Welcome aboard!

(Joe shakes TK’s hand. Kari approaches and smiles at the two.)

Joe: This looks like the start of a beautiful friendship.

Kari: Or two people that are so different that they completely hate each other.

Joe: Either way… sounds like fun!

Tai: (VO) And cut!

(Joe stops shaking TK’s hand. Joe, TK, and Kari head towards Tai.)

Tai: That’s a wrap everybody! One episode down, God knows how many to go! Now everybody gather round.

(Mimi, Mr. Matsuki, the extras, and the Giant Ball all gather towards Tai.)

Tai: This turned out very well. And things are only going to get better within time. And I think that special recognition needs to be given to the one person who made this episode what it was. He definitely stole the show, and he deserves our applause.

(TK smiles.)

Tai: Good work, Guy in Suit.

(Guy in Suit smiles, and bows. He now speaks with a British accent.)

Guy in Suit: Thank you very much. It’s been an honour. Now if you’ll excuse me, the local Shakespeare company is in need of an Othello, and I just can’t pass the role up! Ta!

(He takes off. Everybody else has a giant sweatdrop except for Tai.)

Tai: See… I hire only the best nameless extras. As for the rest of you, get to the dirt holes whence you came.

(The group disburses, save for Tai, Joe, Mimi, TK, and Kari.)

Mimi: So are the rest of our friends going to show up?

Tai: Sure are. There’s a whole ton of Gatekeepers.

TK: How many?

Tai: Um… well… I’m not entirely sure. You just reminded me that I have to do something though!

(Tai starts to head out.)

Joe: What is it?

Tai: I have to go watch some more episodes… I should probably find out what happens, I only watched the first tape!

(Tai runs out, leaving the other four.)

TK: Oh yeah… we’re in good hands.

End Episode One

Author’s Notes
Like I said, innocent fun. This anime does have a really fun plot, but that doesn’t come until later. Right now, we’re just getting started, so things might come across as a bit predictable. Once the "smart kid gone to the dark side" and the "friends from other countries" show up, things will be a lot more surprising!

After each episode that introduces a new character, I'll list exactly who plays who, in case you feel like looking anything up regarding who these people really are (Here's a hint- http://www.bestanime.com has a bunch of character pics right on the Gatekeepers page). To keep things a surprise, I'll only do this after a character is introduced.
Commander- Joe Kido
Keiko Ochiai- Mimi Tachikawa
Shun Ukiya- TK Takaishi
Ruriko Ikusawa- Kari Kamiya

The anime TK was watching is a real anime, and a hilarious one at that. It’s called "Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu," or "Jungle Guu" for shot. If nothing else, it has most fun theme song ever. Love Love Love T…ro…pi…ca…na!

Next Episode- Play That Funky Music, Sora!
TK gets accustomed to his new life as a Gatekeeper, and has more issues with his late father. Meanwhile, he and Kari are on the prowl for new Gatekeepers, leading them to a strange piano player with the power to create illusions through her music. But can they get to her before the Invaders do?