is a 1984 Japanese science fiction film directed by Sakyo Komatsu and Koji Hashimoto and co-produced and written by Komatsu. An early draft of the film's story was novelized by Komatsu two years prior to its release as Sayonara Jupiter, which won the 1983 Seiun Award. Akihiko Hirata made his final film appearance in the film.
In the year 2125,àEarth's population has swelled to 18 billion, and mankind has achieved the feat of interplanetary colonization, establishing settlements across the Solar System. A project to melt the polar regions of Mars uncovers massive ground designs similar to those at Nazca.àSpace Linguist Millicent âÂÂMillieâ Willem, a member of the Mars project, visits Chief Engineer Eiji Honda aboard the Jupiter-orbiting Minerva Base.àHonda is head of the Jupiter Solarization (JS) project, and Millie brings news from the Solar System Development Department (SSDO) that the Martian discoveries may delay his work.àMillie describes her theory that aliens visited 100,000 years ago, leaving carvings on the Earth, the Moon and Mars.àThe messages hint towards a âÂÂkeyâ in JupiterâÂÂs Great Red Spot, and she requests HondaâÂÂs help with a research trip.
Giving a tour to a delegation from Earth, Honda describes the JS project.àDue to the colony energy crisis, and the expense of nuclear fusion, a new power source is required.àJupiter will be turned into a star, thereby providing solar power to all colonies and solving the crisis.àThe tour is interrupted by protestors from the âÂÂJupiter Churchâ group, a musician-led cult opposed to the JS project.àHonda recognizes one of the protestors as Maria, a former lover.
Honda and Millie take a research craft to the Great Red Spot.àOnce there, they detect a large rapidly moving sensor anomaly that, according to Honda, was discovered on a previous survey.àIt is referred to as the "Jupiter GhostâÂÂ. Moving in for a closer look, it is revealed as a 120-kilometer long derelict spacecraft, likely the alien ship referenced in MillieâÂÂs Nazca research.àIt is also transmitting a message that they canâÂÂt decode.
Meanwhile, Captain Kinn (an old friend of HondaâÂÂs) meets with a scientist named Doctor Inoue.àUsing the spacecraft âÂÂSpace Arrow,â the pair investigate a region beyond Pluto called âÂÂThe CometâÂÂs Nest.âÂÂàIt is a ring of dust and ice particles that releases three comets a year.àThe number of comets is decreasing and they intend to understand why.àForcibly awakened from deep sleep due to a malfunction, they discover a black hole is responsible for the comet reduction, and are killed when their craft is destroyed.àResearch on the black hole reveals it is headed towards the Sun.
The only way to save the Solar System is to use the JS Project to destroy Jupiter, changing the black holeâÂÂs course.àIt is a race against time that draws the attention of Jupiter Church operatives, while the mystery of the âÂÂJupiter Ghostâ looms in the background.
Star Wars was released in Japan in 1978, contributing to that countryâÂÂs science fiction boom.àIts contemporaries included two domestically produced films, TohoâÂÂs The War in Space and ToeiâÂÂs Message from Space.àPrior to production on The War in Space, Toho offered a contract to author Sakyo Komatsu to write a science fiction film.àKomatsu had long desired to make a film comparable to . He took further inspiration from NASAâÂÂs Voyager mission to Jupiter and the outer planets.àThe first draft of âÂÂSayonara JupiterâÂÂsâ script was completed in mid-1979.
Simultaneously, Toho registered copyright in the United States.ÃÂ Toho planned a co-production US partners due to an estimated film length of three hours and the involvement of hundreds of foreign cast members.
In 1980, a novel based on the first screenplay was serialized in âÂÂThe Weekly Sankeiâ and published in two volumes in 1982.àThe shooting script was completed in March 1983.àOriginal director Shiro Moritani, who had previously worked on the Komatsu project Japan Sinks, died in December 1984. He was replaced by assistant director Koji Hashimoto.
Bye Bye Jupiter was released in Japan on 17 March 1984, distributed by Toho. The film was never released theatrically in the United States. It was released on DVD by Discotek Media in both an English-dubbed and Japanese-language format on January 30, 2007.
Critical reception for the film by English language critics has been mixed. DVD Talk gave the film a mixed review, writing "Sayonara Jupiter will intrigue and frustrate fans of Japanese fantasy cinema in equal measure, while mainstream American audiences will find it insufferably dull and unoriginal."