Looks like comments on other people's reviews don't work. This review is a response/counterpoint to ThatAnimeSnob's review.
While I respect your opinion, I have to say that I mostly disagree with the negatives in your review, particularly your criticisms of the plot. For from falling apart after the first 10 episodes, the story really begins at that point as the guerilla war begins in earnest. Here's a quick synopsis of the entire war:
SPOILERS!
Ep 1-6: A coup begins on the oppressed Earth colony of Deloyer. The leader of the coup betrays his forces in return for being installed as the leader of a semi-autonomous puppet state. It is hinted that the entire event was a political move by Earth's leadership. Other revolutionaries refuse to stop fighting and Earth begins an oppressive counterterrorism campaign that sparks further rebellion. The protagonist is the son of Earth's leader and sympathizes with the rebels.
Ep 7-17: The protagonist joins with a band of rebels, they steal an advanced prototype mech and mount a guerilla campaign while being pursued by mercenaries hired by Earth. At this point, Earth is still trying to capture the protagonist and send him home.
Ep 18-29: The revolution spreads and the protagonist's group bands together with other groups to rescue the intellectual leader of the revolution and place him in command of all of them.
Ep 30-37: The protagonist's group travel to a new continent, Palmina, where they battle forces commanded by his brother-in-law, who sees how a heavy-handed counterterrorism campaign will further inflame the populace.
Ep 38-50: Exploiting internal rifts in the Earth government, the rebels take shelter in a mining town run by non-dominant factions of the Earth government. At this point, the rebellion begins to coalesce into a fully realized independence movement with conventional military forces. They recruit a disgraced Earth officer who had previously been a worthy opponent to be their military commander, and develop a military hierarchy.
Ep 51-57: Earth units staffed by Deloyerans begin revolting against their commanders, swelling the ranks of the liberation army. After winning a large conventional battle, the liberation army seizes the capital of Palmina and pronounces a new government. These episodes mark a shift in the balance of power, and from this point on, Earth and the puppet government are engaged in an increasingly losing battle to retain control of Deloyer.
Ep 58-67: The liberation army marches towards the spaceport that connects Deloyer to Earth, intending to seize it and establish full independence. The advance appears unstoppable, crushing the remnant of the puppet state's forces, however, Earth begins courting a leading politician in the independence movement, convincing him that continued hostilities would lead to an overwhelming response from Earth.
Ep 68-75: The peace faction within the independence movement mount a coup of their own, imprisoning their former leader and halting the independence army's advance to negotiate peace with Earth. Earth uses the time to bring in massive reinforcements through the spaceport. The peace faction negotiates an armistice and agrees to disarm in preparation for Earth's recognition of Deloyer's independence, using the movement's former leader as a figurehead. He goes along with it, realizing that at this point a military victory is no longer possible. The peace faction realizes too late that Earth intends them to become a vassal state. Some elements of the independence movement realize they have won a false victory and when the protagonist's group steal their mech, they are forced to fight against former comrades. The series ends with the death of the former leader of the revolution and the primary Earth leader on Deloyer. The peace faction begins to stand up to Earth, and the protagonist's group accept the imperfect peace that they have, destroying the mech and going their separate ways.
As you can see, Dougram contains a complex story and touches on many adult themes, such as morality and how the real world is seldom black and white (Is it OK for the revolution to buy weapons from Earth? Earth forces allow a field hospital to treat rebels, etc.). The story is a slow simmer and you can feel the revolutionary army and independance movement grow as time goes on. The ending where certain victory reverses so quickly into a practical defeat is poignant. Characters such as the principle villain Lecoque are compelling, and rarely pure evil. Professor Samalin is particularly interesting, as he is able to see the bigger picture at the end of the war and accept the imperfect peace as the best possible today, putting aside what could have been in recognition to what came to be. There are lessons here about idealism versus reality and it's probably the most realistic depiction of a guerilla war/independence movement you will ever see in a cartoon. These things do matter, as Voltes V was taken off the air in the Philippines during the Marcos reign for its "subversive themes." Unlike Dougram it wasn't even about a revolution.
Are there flaws? Absolutely. The series drags, particularly between the arrival at Palmina and the capture of Doga. The time from arriving in Palmina and when puppet government units begin defecting to the revolution took 20 episodes. The ending, while very realistic in broad terms seemed rather abrupt. I wanted to know why Crinn returned to Earth, what happened to the rest of his group, what would J. Locke do next, and whether Zaltsev was really going to be left in prison for 30 years by the new Deloyer government. The assassination of Lecoque and the standing up to Earth by Carmel Hesse implied that everything would work out for Deloyer in the long term, but all the characters I had grown to care about just disappeared. This could have been fixed by simply showing them all say goodbye and tell each other what their future plans were. The narrator that had appeared occasionally throughout the series also could have tied things up a bit. Ultimately though, the series transcends being a simple children's cartoon and is still enjoyable over 30 years later by adults.
It's a shame that this show is mostly lost to time. Storywise, I think it's my favorite anime. Just like Macross: Do You Remember Love distilled everything that was good about the original series into a tight, movie length, re-imagining, I think Dougram could greatly benefit from a re-make. An 8-10 hour miniseries could capture almost all of the pertinent plot points and leave room for some very cool mecha action.
