#Mazinger Z Infinity

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 6: CASTIGATE THE ENEMIES OF THE GODHEAD

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we left off, we witnessed the mecha canon entering the new millennium. While they would hold out for a good portion of the decade, it is here in the 2010's we see the canon reach something of a dark age. A lot of duds will crop up in this decade, though there are also a lot of hits that arise in this era. What we will also begin to see starting in the 2010's is the advent of using CGI to animate giant robots. This stems from two major factors when it comes to animating giant robots:

Animating giant robots in 2D is hard, and thus using CGI helps to ease the load by reducing the amount of work required to animate the giant robot.

The anime industry is starting to churn through new talent due to the increase of anime being released per season now.

As I said at the end of the last post, a lot of mecha shows listed here are generally seen as duds, though a few others also stand out as some of the greats of this new era. And if you think I'm being mean to those series, I've left out two shows that are a part of this decade due to how bad they are (Gen:Lock and Ex-Arm). The shows that I say are duds in this post at least have fans who will go to bat for them when backed into a corner.

So let us partake in some of these works, shall we?

Drink deep, and descend.

Xenoblade/Xenoblade Chronicles (2011)

In 2011, Monolith Soft, now working as a Nintendo studio, would release the third part of the Xeno franchise: Xenoblade Chronicles. Easing up a little bit on the Gnosticism (but only just a little bit), Xenoblade would prove to be a slow-growing success. Finally, Takahashi and company have a series that is relatively free of the executive meddling the last two Xeno games had.

Xenoblade would receive multiple sequels over the years, including:

Xenoblade X (2015), a spiritual successor that focused more on moment-to-moment gameplay and featured giant robots as a major gameplay aspect.

Xenoblade 2 (2017) & Xenoblade 2: Torna, the Golden Country (2018), a sequel that acts as a standalone foil to the original.

Xenoblade 3 (2022) & Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed (2023), a third sequel that ties together Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade 2 while telling its own story.

Valvrave the Liberator (2012)

Valvrave the Liberator is a 2012 mecha series from Sunrise, and the first of our major duds in the 2010's. Valvrave is best known for being an insane ride from the word go, and I think this series really captures a lot of what mecha is going through in the 2010's.

Mobile Suit Gundam AGE (2012)

Even Gundam can have its bad days.

2012 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. Started as a multimedia project in partnership with Level-5, Gundam AGE was supposed to be a 100-episode series that spans multiple generations of characters. Instead, the series was cut down to a 50-episode run.

AGE's legacy is not a good one, as it is often touted as being so bad that it almost killed Gundam. I think, especially as someone who used to think this, this line of thinking is kind of silly. Gundam at this point is damn near ubiquitous, so to say that a dud like AGE would kill it seems a bit extreme. Besides, the Unicorn OVA begins airing around this time as well, and another series would really bring Gundam back into prominence in about a year.

Pacific Rim (2013)

Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, Pacific Rim is a live action sci-fi film about piloting giant robots in order to fight and kill kaiju. Made as an homage to the giant mecha anime of old, namely Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacific Rim would prove to be a great summer action flick that was made with a lot of love and care for both mecha and kaiju films.

The same, however, cannot be said for the sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising.

Gundam Build Fighters (2013)

Gundam Build Fighters, released in 2013, is equal parts loving homage to the Gundam franchise, sports anime parody, and shameless toy commercial. Gundam Build Fighters, despite being loosely a mecha series, is worth mentioning due to the fact that it would bring attention back to the Gundam franchise once more. This is worth noting after the general failure of Gundam AGE especially since a lot of series were trying to dethrone Gundam in order to become the next big thing.

Aldnoah.Zero (2014)

And boy, did that fail spectacularly.

Aldnoah.Zero also released in 2013. Billed as a series that would rival Gundam in terms of popularity, Aldnoah.Zero would start off strong. The problems with the series would arise in season 2, where, if I understand things correctly, things just kind of happen with little to no justification.

I do apologize to the fans of this series if what I have to say is harsh. I think a lot of that stems from the fact that I loathe series that are propped up as being an "X Killer," and I remember Aldnoah was originally advertised as specifically being a Gundam Killer. To me, that line of thinking is, at best, disingenuous and really prevents the series from standing on its own merits due to the comparison.

Gargantia on the Verduous Planet (2014)

Released in 2014, Gargantia on the Verduous Planet is a series where your standard military robot gets placed in a setting where, in comparison to everybody else, it essentially becomes a classic mecha. Gargantia gives us a pretty unique setting where the galactic-scale war has not really affected the cast outside of the main character.

Also this series has Gintoki Sakata Tomokazu Sugita as a giant robot. It's great.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G (2014)

Yoshiyuki Tomino would, once again, return to the directing chair for 2014's Mobile Suit Gundam: Reconguista in G. Created as a part of Gundam's 35th anniversary, Reconguista continues in the trend of post-Victory Tomino works generally having a kind of realistic optimism behind them. Reconguista is also known for being incredibly confusing in its initial TV run, though I am happy to report that the recent film version of Reconguista is, to my understanding, pretty easy to follow.

RWBY (2014, honorary mecha show 4...?)

(I mean... if we're using a broad definition like I do, then it counts. Penny is a major character in the series, but she's not in every volume. The series also has a lot of giant robots as well, though they're not as important to the plot as Penny is. Also, I'd rather talk about RWBY than gen:Lock, so....)

Created by Monty Oum and the now-defunct Roosterteeth, RWBY (pronounced Ruby like Ruby Rose... the character, not the actress) is a web animation series that wears its anime influence on its sleeve. Focusing primarily on flashy action with a fair bit of character dramas in its first seasons, RWBY proved to be a scrappy underdog that eventually would become one of Roosterteeth's primary draws until the company's closure earlier this year.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (2015)

2015 would see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. Set in the much grittier Post Disaster timeline, Iron-Blooded Orphans would, more importantly, be the first non-Build Gundam series to air in the US since 2008's Gundam 00.

Iron-Blooded Orphans is known for, outside of being a rather dark entry in the franchise, controversy. And I'm not just talking about the 2nd season. I mean, "Japanese parents were upset Mika shot a man point blank" upset (to be fair, it was on prime time, and Gundam is considered to be, weirdly enough, a show for younger audiences).

If you want to listen to someone else talk about Iron-Blooded Orphans, I'd highly recommend checking out Taez's video on Iron-Blooded Orphans.

86: Eighty-Six (2017)

Eighty Six, the most recent iteration of the "Not Like the Other Girl" series, begins publication in 2017. Written by Asato Asato, Eighty Six struck a chord with a lot of people due to its stark portrayal of racism, which became extra poignant when the anime adaptation aired in 2020 (in other words, Eighty Six would air the same year George Floyd was murdered).

Darling in the Franxx (2018)

2018 would see the biggest dud of the decade air with Studio Trigger's Darling in the Franxx. The show started off strong, but quickly soured on viewers once the second half rolled in. To really understand why it's arguably the biggest dud of the decade, I'd like to theorize a little bit:

I think, when it comes to the duds of this decade (Valvrave, Gundam AGE, Aldnoah, Franxx), the three non-Gundam series were riding off of a lot of hype. And when I say a lot of hype, I mean like post-Witcher 3 Cyberpunk 2077 levels hype (so when CD Projekt Red went all in on Cyberpunk, but before they went gold). Franxx in particular was hit hard by this, as Trigger at this point had been nothing but hits (pre-Gainax includes Diebuster, Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking; Trigger proper had Kill la Kill, Space Patrol Luluco, and Axe Cop, among other hits). So for Franxx in particular, the expectations were basically "This is going to be the second coming of Evangelion." And given that even Evangelion's Rebuild films can't live up to the expectations of Evangelion, I'd say that fans inadvertently set Franxx up for failure.

That's not to absolve Franxx or the other shows of criticism. Like I said, I haven't watched a lot of these shows, so I can only really speculate. It also helps that Trigger would recover pretty quickly in like a year with their next show.

Mazinger Z Infinity (2018)

The end of the 2010's wouldn't all be duds though. As a celebration of Go Nagai's 50th anniversary in the manga business, his biggest works all got adaptations to celebrate this special achievement. Cutie Honey got Cutie Honey Universe. Devilman got Devilman Crybaby. and Mazinger Z got Mazinger Z Infinity. Set up as a conclusion to the Mazinger saga, Mazinger Z Infinity would prove to be a great conclusion to this series.

SSSS.Gridman (2018)

Coming off of the failure of Darling in the Franxx, Studio Trigger would follow up with their animated adaptation of Gridman the Hyper Agent: SSSS.Gridman. Made as an homage to Gridman and all of its variations, including Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (hence the SSSS in SSSS.Gridman), SSSS.Gridman proved to be a return to form Studio Trigger. SSSS.Gridman's success would eventually lead to a sequel based off of the Dyna Dragon called SSSS.Dynazenon.

Lancer (2019)

(From Massif Press)

“̸̻̖̍̑I̷͔̦̒̽ ̷̩̇̅h̴̻͊͘á̴̙̹v̸͌̈ͅe̷̲͋ ̵͇̅̈n̸͙̹͆̀ë̸͉̎v̵̡̄͆ͅe̴͎̯͝ṟ̶́̄ ̶̙̒͑ͅb̸̻̋̋e̷̝̯͝é̸͕͔n̴̗̑̄ ̶̬̦͑͐h̵̲̒é̶͚́ŗ̴͎̅e̸̖̾ͅ:̶̯̩́̓ ̶̫̖̒͝I̴̯̪͑̍ ̴͚͂̽d̸͈͖̉͌ǫ̷͖͆ ̴͔̑͋n̵̂̆͜o̸̟͉̍t̸̗͇̓̎ ̴̜̠̄̑k̴̻̚͜n̸̰͙̓̊o̶̝̫͛̇ŵ̵̮̬ ̴͍̄w̴̧̢͋͊h̶̼̃̐ͅe̵̼̯͠r̵̹̿è̸͙̀ ̵͇̪̉͘h̷̺͋̇e̷͙͆̓r̴̛̟̒e̷͍͊ ̴͖͒i̷̛͓̾ͅs̵̒͜͝:̵̗̪̎ ̸̥̉Ȉ̵̬̠̓t̸͎͠ ̷͙͝ḧ̸́̚͜a̸̞̗͒s̷̜͈̒ ̵̻̋̐ǹ̵͓̲͘o̸͖̥͗̿ṯ̸̉̌ ̶̻̀̉h̸̙̆a̶̡͙̍p̵̮̭͆p̸͚̘͂̀ẹ̷̮̔̊n̴̳̂͠e̴̦͖͐͠d̶̥̻̿̆ ̶̖̮͋ŷ̸̻͚ȇ̵̩̈́t̵̼̎͘:̸̖̈ ̷̤̒O̵̻̱͑n̶̙͐͐c̶̮͉̉ě̶̫̬,̸̛̬ ̷̻͋̑I̵̙̓͌ ̵̧̮́͝w̴̧͚̽̕a̵̖͆s̷̒̿ͅ:̸̫̰̈ ̴̯̦̅̈́Ḯ̷̤ ̸̛̹̀h̴̤̳͗͑ȧ̸͍̦v̷͔̘͘̚ẽ̶̡ ̶̗̍n̵͇̞̉ę̶͙̏v̵͉̥̍ė̷̝͍͂ṙ̸̗͎ ̶̩͠b̴͈̿̏e̴̤̊̋ḛ̶̙̔n̸̡̔ ̶͚͠h̴͙̀͝é̶̳r̶̙̯͊e̵̢̫̕:̸̩̬͝ ̴̭̩̈́͗Ŷ̵͇͆ò̷͔͚u̶͈̒ ̷̻̌̚͜a̵̢͐̔r̴̰̝̕e̵̼͌̂ ̵̢̓ǎ̵̠͕l̷̮̉̀l̵̝̫̀͘ ̶̣̟̈I̶͍̍ ̶̣̊s̴̡̟͘e̷̼̦̿͝e̴͚̎:̴̦̟̃̇ ̶̬̱̕H̷̰̟̆̉ơ̸̰̐w̸̨͉͛ ̷͍̽̕c̴̡̋͂ͅa̶̡͂̐ṋ̵̫̈́ ̵͎̥͑͐y̷̭͉͛o̵̖͍̕ȗ̶̙͐ ̶̝̯͗b̷͎͍́̀ḙ̷̩̇ ̴͖̝̑ǎ̸̩̼l̸͙̞͌l̴̨̎ ̵̨̍I̵͓̊ ̴͇͒̀ͅs̵̗̽͒e̴̯̊é̶̥:̴̛̥͠ ̵̡̩̓̽W̸̝̦̏̈h̸͎̓̇ê̴̳r̶̻̊͜ȅ̶͓̹ ̸̖͊̕a̵̯͕͒͋m̵̆͜ ̸̙͒I̵̗̘̽:̵̼̳̉͑ ̷͖͒̈́W̵̬͒͒h̵͎͆ë̸̩́͜r̸̦̟͊͗ẻ̸̖ ̴͈͊d̵̩̕i̵̱̰͘d̵̳̗̕͝ ̴̛͖̳͒Ĩ̵̮ ̶̲̩̈́̋g̷̩̏͠o̸̱̓ͅ:̶̬̥͑ ̸̨̥̔͒Í̶̧̻͊ ̶̠̽h̵̩̘̋̓a̶͈͙̓v̸̝̊e̷̟͗̌ ̶͉̽͆͜n̵̮̭̉ḛ̷̜́v̴͓̥͛e̵͈̱̓̏r̵̪̅̌ ̶͉͌b̶̗̤̍e̶͔͘e̷͇̪̕ņ̷͝͠ ̵̥̄h̶̦̬̉̕ë̶̞́r̸̨͚̉̇ĕ̶ͅ…̵̤̘͛͝”̵̞̺͊

And to wrap up the 2010's, Massif Press would release Lancer. Set in a post-scarcity galaxy, Lancer gives enjoyers of pen and paper the chance of a lifetime: to become pilots of giant robots. None of this should be surprising though, as the game was designed by Abbadon, the guy who writes Kill 6 Billion Demons (you can tell because the IPS-N Tortuga and the IPS-N Raleigh look a lot like 10 Vigilant Gaze Purges the Horizon).

Conclusion

And that's a wrap for the 2010's. As we can see, this decade is a bit of a downer. At this point in time, it feels like mecha is dying. That's what an idiot like Gigguk will tell you. In hindsight, it's less dying and more in decline, and it's not surprising as to why.

Mecha, specifically the giant robots of old, are hard to animate, especially if you want a machine that's as intricate as say GaoGaiGar. But next time, we will finally be reaching the end of this journey. We will be diving into now, what's come out in the last four years, and what is set to potentially release in the future. Of particular note is the return of the Holy Trinity, with the 2020's in particular being a big year for Gundam.

[pinkobjectmilkshake]

why are you white

literally the first non-mecha thing I knew about the Mazinger series is that Jun is Blasian and - in the Toei anime - struggles with dealing with antiblack sentiments

also what the fuck did they do to her in Infinity/SRW30? It's not quite as bad as that manga cover, but it's jarring compared to her other animated appearances

[coredrill]

good morning bravern enjoyers

[selketshaula]

『マジンガーZ INFINITY』 by Ohkubo【くンち】

[inkyminx]

01000010 01100101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01000110 01110010 01101001 01100101 01101110 01100100 01110011

And timelapse under the cut.

[3dcinetv]

Mazinger Z - Rocket punch

GoNagai created the very first multi-universe with the Super Robot trends back in the 70′s. Even games like Tekken reference the iconic Mazinger Z.

[eltiempoyloeterno]

PUERIL (i)

 La habitación vacía escucha mis pensamientos mientras armo un modelo de The Great Mazinger Z Infinity. Me desconcierta que haya tantas versiones y no entiendo muy bien de dónde salieron, pero igual se agradecen. Las piececitas se resisten a crear al milagroso robot, son pacíficas o quieren inmolarse ante amenazas de talla cósmica, lo cierto que están mejor en sus tuberías de plástico que…

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

I'm a little shocked that Godzilla Minus One isn't being shown in U.S. theaters with an English dub option. Yeah, Shin Godzilla was the same deal, but that was a much smaller release. Does Toho International know how bad our multiplexes are at masking movies? I'm still haunted by that screening of Mazinger Z: Infinity where the bottom row of subtitles was cropped out and none of the employees on duty knew how to fix it.

Anyway, every previous Godzilla movie has been dubbed into English at least once, so I dearly hope whoever releases Minus One on home video over here gives a shit.

[mini-soul01]

Recently built the HG Mazinger Z, Infinity Version

A very nice modernized version to a classic Super Robot

[paxesoterica]

I have reached the endgame of Super Robot Wars 30.

The Dreikreuz LGBTQ+_Community has defeated nearly all antagonist factions, including Dr. Hell's Kikaiju army[1], the mercenary Kingdom of Zilkhistan[2], the Neo Zeon remnant soldiers[3], the cosmic thralls of Triple Zero[4], the Wulgaru space fleet[5], the interstellar colonists from Pentagona[6], The Claw's cultish organization[7], the magitech forces of Zaloudek[8], the Super A.I. criminals[9], the otherworldly monsters of Cephiro[10], the Zanscare Empire and its superweapons[11], and the mysterious kaiju of Tsutsujidai[12], with their leaders either dead, defected, imprisoned, or otherwise MIA.

The crew has recruited nearly every character who could have joined the party, and there are no more opportunities to do so, i.e., I messed up recruiting a secret pilot from The Brave Police J-Decker and a secret supporter from SSSS.Gridman, but otherwise everyone else, including DLC characters, has joined.

The last antagonists remaining are the Quaestors, but to confront them will require a terrible sacrifice from crew! DUN DUN DUN!

To be continued...

Mazinger Z: Infinity

Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative

King of Kings: GaoGaiGar VS Betterman

Majestic Prince

Heavy Metal L-Gaim

Gun X Sword

Knight's & Magic

The Brave Police J-Decker

Magic Knight Rayearth

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

SSSS.Gridman

[wanderersrest]

The Mazinger Z Experience

Spoiler Warning for basically everything Mazinger-related; specifically the original Mazinger Z, Mazinger Edition Z/Shin Mazinger Z, Shin Mazinger Zero and its sequel, Mazinger Z: Infinity, and Grendizer U

Also, if you want to read Shin Mazinger Zero and its sequel, I'll just say it now: BIG FAT CONTENT WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT IF YOU DECIDE TO READ THEM.

Ah, Dungeon Meshi Mazinger Z. My beloved Iron Fortress. Few machines can hold a candle in terms of importance to you, those few being either Tetsujin-28, Getter Robo, the RX-78-2 Gundam, the VF-01 Valkyrie, and Evangelion Unit 01. I might be a little bit biased though. Just a little bit.

Recently, I decided that I would start reading more manga. As I had said in my second Idle Thoughts post on Patlabor, I had started reading the manga version of Patlabor. Well... I read a lot more than just Patlabor (which is great, by the way; if you like Patlabor, go read the manga if you haven't already). I managed to read through all of Getter Robo (I blame the YouTuber CheeseGX exclusively for making me Getter-pilled), Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon (which is amazing, btw), and, of course Mazinger Z.

And boy oh boy was that a wild ride. To say nothing of the fact that Grendizer U is currently airing, I figured now would be a great time to just talk about random stuff involving the Iron Castle, Mazinger Z!

Oh, also, for future reference: there are two series tied to the name Shin Mazinger. For all intents and purposes, the TV series will be referred to as Mazinger Edition Z, while the manga series will be referred to as Mazinger Zero.

Yasuhiro Imagawa Will Cause Me to Overdose on HOT BLOOD

My first experience with Mazinger Z was watching 2009's Mazinger Edition Z: the Impact, otherwise known as Shin Mazinger Z. I would only learn later on that this series was directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa, but I remember feeling my body temperature rise as I continued to watch the series. It was that familiar sensation. A sudden increase in fighting spirit. A boisterous energy that makes you want to yell at the top of your lungs.

It's what a lot of people call HOT BLOOD. Mecha heads, especially those who love the classic giant robot shows made in the wake of Mazinger Z, will know this feeling well. HOT BLOOD is a common trope with a lot of these shows, with some of the big names associated with the term including the aforementioned Mazinger Z alongside Getter Robo, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann among others.

Really, what I wanted to highlight is that Imagawa-san is a purveyor of HOT BLOOD. Because this is another moment of Imagawa helming a HOT-BLOODED mecha series, the other two being G Gundam and the first three episodes of Getter Robo Armageddon. And those are just the shows I've actually watched (I will get to Giant Robo one day, I swear). It's why I enjoy a lot of these shows.

Also Imagawa and the people working under him are really good at mecha introductions. Not necessarily tied to HOT BLOOD per se, but a good HOT BLOODED giant robot series does need a good introduction. And man, does Imagawa and company deliver. Let's just say that there's a reason why I use the gif at the beginning for Mazinger. And that's saying a lot, since the original Mazinger Z's introduction is just as iconic. All Edition Z does, as Edition Z is wont to do, is lean into the idea of Mazinger Z being either a god or a devil.

I'm So Mazinger, Even This Acronym

Another entry in the Mazinger franchise that I read was Shin Mazinger Zero and its sequel, Shin Mazinger Zero vs The Great General of Darkness. And like it's TV Anime counterpart (that being Mazinger Edition Z, or more aptly, Shin Mazginer Z), Mazinger Zero leans in to the core themes of what make Mazinger, well, Mazinger, arguably even more so than even Edition Z. And this is best exemplified not in the original Mazinger Zero, but its sequel series.

Based off of its title, the sequel manga is named after what is arguably one of the most important of the original Mazinger Z: Kouji Kabuto is eventually defeated. Not by Doctor Hell, but by the Great General of Darkness and his Mycenaean Empire. This is treated as a darkest hour kind of thing, until Tetsuya Tsurugi shows up to save the day with his Great Mazinger. This introduction acts as a general bridge for Mazinger Z to transition over to its sequel series Great Mazinger.

Shin Mazinger Zero vs The Great General of Darkness throws a wrench into this with one major change: Mazinger survives and ultimately beats the Great General of Darkness. But before we get into that, I might be burying the lede a little bit here.

Something that should be noted about Mazinger Zero is that the titular robot is actually a twisted incarnation of the classic Mazinger. Whereas Edition Z's Mazinger leans into a little bit more into the idea of Mazinger as a god, Zero's version of Mazinger leans more into the idea of the machine becoming more of a devil. If we're comparing this to the other members of the Holy Trinity, Mazinger Zero would be comparable to both the Getter Emperor or the Turn A Gundam.

Also there's time travel involving Minerva X, but I'll get to that... right now, actually.

See, Mazinger defeating the Great General of Darkness in their first encounter in the Zero timeline is important, because it messes with the timeline of the setting. This causes everything to go haywire in a series where, up to this point, the timeline has been relatively stable thanks to Kouji and Minerva X. But because Mazinger could not handle the idea of losing and being saved by Great, it went out of control.

Mazinger getting totaled is kind of a landmark scene for this franchise, since it's what establishes Great Mazinger and later Grendizer as its successors. But Mazinger not accepting this outcome in Zero means that Mazinger keeps on winning. And it keeps on winning to the point where it creates an alternate timeline where the only giant robot show to exist are Mazinger Z and the shows and manga that came out before it. So while things like Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, and Ambassador Magma would still exist in this timeline, shows that would come out after Mazinger Z like Kotetsu Jeeg, Getter Robo, Voltes V, Zambot 3, Mobile Suit Gundam, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and Pacific Rim all do not exist.

Heck, even both Great Mazinger and UFO Robot Grendizer never happen in this specific timeline. The only reason Kouji is even able to bring Tetsuya is that he creates a film explaining the events of the manga up to that point in an attempt to will Tetsuya back into existence. The only reason he can't do the same for Duke Fleed is because, as Minerva X explains to Duke Fleed in the manga, Mazinger Z never meets Grendizer. Sure they both exist in the same shared universe due to Duke and Kouji being friends, but officially Mazinger Z and Grendizer never officially meet (there is a one-shot chapter in the Grendizer manga featuring the two of them as well as Great Mazinger, but I don't think that's officially canon).

Fun Spoiler Fact: I didn't pick those post-Mazinger series at random. If you read Mazinger Zero vs The Great General of Darkness, you'll see what I mean.

Mitsuo Fukuda is a Good Fit For Grendizer; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and... uh... Respect the Saudis?

As I've said in An Abbreviated History of Mecha, I am not terribly familiar with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. What I AM familiar with is its, shall we say, rather divisive nature as a series. I am also familiar that a lot of the blame also tends to be thrown at series director Mitsuo Fukuda. As I understand them, a common criticism of SEED I can recall was the fact that the series overly relies on melodrama in a rather ridiculous manner.

If I remembered that correctly, then it pleases me to tell you that 2024's Grendizer U is, in my humble opinion, a great fit for Fukuda. I believe a lot of this stems from the fact that our protagonist Duke Fleed is a better fit as a melodramatic messiah figure than, say, Kira Yamato. It also helps that Grendizer U also has preexisting source material like the original UFO Robot Grendizer, whereas Gundam SEED can only take the more surface level aspects of the original Gundam.

This is, of course, only a theory. As I have also heard, the production history of Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny is arguably one of the more troubled productions in the franchise. But that's another story for another day, and one that requires me to do more research.

What I can talk about is the production history behind Grendizer U. It should be noted that the original UFO Robot Grendizer, and really most of the Mazinger Z franchise, is popular in countries outside of Japan and the US. And while this isn't unheard of (See: Voltes V and The Philippines), Grendizer is a frustrating case since the country it is most popular in is Saudi Arabia. The reason why this is frustrating is because the Saudis are the ones bankrolling Grendizer U. And because they are bankrolling Grendizer U, it means that the series (which is a summer anime in Japan) has not been localized outside of Saudi Arabia. The only way to watch Grendizer U currently is through, shall we say, alternate means. It's vexing, because Grendizer U has been a pretty fun romp so far. Hopefully there are plans for a global release outside of Saudi Arabia in the future.

There Is a Charm to Robots That Can Do Everything

Something that is refreshing about a giant robot like Mazinger Z is, surprisingly enough, the very toyetic nature of the Iron Fortress. The fact that Mazinger is a giant humanoid machine standing at least 50 feet in height and is armed to the teeth with rocket punches, axe blades, missiles (a lot of missiles, by the way), two lasers (depending on how you classify Breast Fire), and a breath attack that turns most metals into dust. Oh yeah, it also has a winged backpack that allows it to fly, and said backpack's wings are sharp enough to cut buildings and monsters in two. And when I say it's refreshing to see a robot like Mazinger, this is even going into things like how the Black Castle is designed.

Why? Because mechanical design for giant robots did not exist when Mazinger Z was created.

No seriously. Mechanical design in relation to giant robots wouldn't be taken seriously until arguably Combattler V and at most the original Mobile Suit Gundam. But before then, giant robots were, to my understanding, largely designed by the rule of thumb of "this looks cool" (or in the case of Getter Robo specifically "this looks like three jets smooshed together"). There's a certain wonder to these early machines who I would assume go on to inspire a whole generation of people in become righteous people (pay no attention to the militia who named their armored vehicles Mazinger Z).

Even moving outside of the mechanical design of Mazinger, part of the charm of these older machines (and the ones that harken back to this era of robots like GaoGaiGar and Dai-Guard) is that they tend to tell simpler stories. To be clear, I'm not advocating for stories to be dumbed down. It's just that a lot of mecha stories, especially in the wake of both the original Gundam as well as Neon Genesis Evangelion, have felt a need for stories to be more and more complicated themes. And that's good! That's a good thing! It shows that the vague and nebulous genre known as mecha has matured from where it started, but information overload is also a thing that exists.

Mazinger Z, as far as stories (and especially as far as mecha stories are concerned), is a fairly simple one. This is not a bad thing, as I have argued that Mobile Fighter G Gundam benefits from having a simpler story. We tend to assume that serialized storytelling is objectively better than episodic storytelling, but I would argue (as I did with G Gundam) that that is not always the case. Think about how US darling series New Mobile Report Gundam Wing is thought of today as this incoherent mess that, while having some pretty interesting critiques of war, is wrapped up in this ball of unlikable and arguably insane characters and bizarre story beats. I could go on about how bad Gundam Wing is, but my name is neither Arin Hanson nor Barry Kramer. The important point is that being episodic does not necessarily mean that a series is lesser. Just remember that the original Star Trek, arguably one of the most important shows in all of science fiction, is largely episodic in nature. The same applies to seminal science fiction shows like The Twilight Zone and, to a lesser extent, Doctor Who are also episodic affairs.

(I'd like to clarify one more thing: I'm not saying that Mazinger Z does not have anything substantial to say. That's folly; every story has a message that people can take away from it, the author's original intent be damned. If anything, downplaying what Mazinger Z brings to the table is disrespectful not just to the series itself, but also mecha as a whole.)

Extra Thoughts

Before I go, I do have a couple other stray thoughts about Mazinger in its various iterations. These are little things that I thought were interesting or funny.

I haven't watched all of Mazinkaiser yet, but I love that Mazikasier in general is basically "What if Mazinger, but Getter?" No really, the origins behind Mazinkaiser was basically a what-if scenario from Super Robot Wars that conjectured what would happen if Mazinger Z was subjected to the effects of the Getter Rays. Mazinger Zero's iteration of Tetsuya Tsurugi is basically "What if Tetsuya, but Getter pilot," and guess what Tetsuya eventually pilots? Great Mazinkaiser. Hell, Mazinkaiser SKL is directed by Jun Kawagoe, the man who directed every Getter Robo OVA and the Getter Robo Arc Anime. I'm sorry Mazinkaiser faithful. I know I tagged you all in this post, but I promise I'll get to it one day.

Mazinger Z protagonist Kouji Kabuto has never had a consistent voice actor, which is surprising when compared to fellow Holy Trinity compatriots Ryouma Nagare and Amuro Ray.

Grendizer U has revealed to me that Kouji x Duke is a thing, and I'm not going to lie: I can see it.

Mazinger Z vs the Transformers is amazing. Definitely read that when you get the chance. The friendship between Boss and Grimlock is peak, by the way. It's... it's just peak.

Anyways, if there are any specific series I'd recommend, definitely give Mazinger Edition Z a shot if you like Imagawa's previous works (specifically G Gundam) and also like Go Nagai's stuff in general. As I said before, Mazinger vs the Transformers is also peak, and I've also been enjoying Grendizer U. Maybe one day I'll finally get around to watching the original Mazinger Z. Who knows. I finished all of the City Hunter anime once. I'm currently rewatching City Hunter 2. I think if I can watch City Hunter twice, I can do all of the Toei Mazinger series.

[pinkobjectmilkshake]

Read up last night that Go Nagai isn’t too fond of digital piracy

and now I feel a bit guilty since not many of his work (or adaptations thereof) are officially available in Australia - but I did watch Devilman Crybaby via Netflix when it was new, and I own the Seven Seas translation of the original Cutie Honey manga.

Cutie Honey Universe is available on HIDIVE too, except I’m never watching that again for good reason (and I don’t wanna pay for both HIDIVE and Crunchyroll at the same time, and the latter has more stuff I’m interested in - except they also only have Robot Girls Z of his licensed here). The Seven Seas Devilman manga made its way down here too, but it’s long out of print now and therefore very expensive.

Might end up buying that Mazinger Z model kit and give the store selling it some revenue, even though I currently have no intention of seeing Infinity (as it relies on both the very first anime and Great Mazinger’s anime)

…or the SDCS Mazinkaiser, since I have seen the Brain’s Base OVA, but I’m not so keen on the idea of chibi model kits

uhhh lemme think some more in the plamo department

[mazinwraith]

So here’s how I’m imagining some of the next SRW’s connections if my predictions end up being correct. (They probably wont.)

Getter Robo Devolution will connect with Getter Robo Arc and Gridman/Dynazenon. Both for very obvious reasons. And some minor connections with ULTRAMAN. Probably feeling like they’re somehow related but don’t actually know how.

Ryoma getting thrown for a loop when he meets a certain someone is honestly going to be pretty funny. Benkei and Hayato giving him crap will also be great.

I can imagine Gridman and the Neon Genesis students will be well aware of Devolution Getter and it’s enemies. Likely having fought some at some point before the plot starts. (Their show and the game)

For Getter Robo Arc I’m imagining it’s main connections will be with Evangelion, Mazinger Z, Mobile Suit Gundam, and GaoGaiGar Vs. Betterman. Evangelion because Takuma could become a big brother figure for Shinji. Especially in 3.0+1.0. Both having fathers connected to machines they were ultimately destined to pilot into battle against forces from beyond Earth. A pilot from both sides being a “double agent” of sorts but actually befriends the main protagonist. Both machines being tied to unspeakable horrors beyond human comprehension. Also moms are deceased. It works pretty damn well.

Arc stops a berserk Eva during it’s debut battle and also bring back the “Getter Robo terrifies angels and Evangelions” since Getters at this point in the story are horrifying. And if the cast learns about Emperor, things will get bad from the fear and paranoia they will all feel. And also having Shin Getter Robo Tarak to call back to Alpha’s scene where a berserk Eva01 is cowering in a corner when Shin Getter Robo shows up.

The Mazinger and Gundam connections are easy as they are more for the SRW traditions than actual plot for respective stories. Koji, Tetsuya, and Amuro want to be there for Ryoma’s son. Since he isn’t with them anymore. They want to help the new generation by training all the future getter pilots. And as such Ichinanas and mass produced Federation Mobile Suits will probably back up the Getter Robo D2’s against the bugs.

Another minor detail is having them be there participating in the war from Getter Robo Go. Just some throw away lines but show that they still helped pre game plot.

At this point it would be an after story or mid story for Mazinger Z Infinity. Before Tetsuya is captured if mid story.

As for GaoGaiGar, it’s only minor but it’s more symbolic for the next generation as Mamoru and Kaido would be peers with the Arc team. That could fit an overall theme of the game if they include more next generation type stories. Another thing is having the Getter Emperor attacking 000 as well while in space. All it’s summons trying to destroy the Emperor super robot and failing miserably.

Pretty fun to think about. How the stories could connect in some fun ways.

[selketshaula]

グレートマジンガー

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Spoilers, violence

Title: Middle of the Night

Editor: TumpyGFX

Song: Middle of the Night

Artist: Elley Duhé

Anime: To Your Eternity, Akame ga Kill, Naruto Shippuden, Naruto Reanimated, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shingeki no Kyojin, Bungou Stray Dogs, Violet Evergarden, Chainsaw Man, Spy X Family, Fate/Grand Order - Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (film), Fire Force, Mob Psycho 100, Hunter x Hunter (2011), Boku no Hero Academia, Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds, Fate/Extra: Last Encore, Children of the Sea (film), Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Tokyo Ghoul, Dragon Ball Super, Black Clover, One Punch Man, Kuroko no Basuke, Kimi no na wa (film), Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel (film trilogy), Dr. Stone, Peach Boy Riverside, Mazinger Z: Infinity (film), Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song, Kakumeiki Valrave, Yi Ren Zhi Xia, Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission (film), Noragami, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Mushoku Tensei, Dragon Ball Super: Broly (film), Tokyo Revengers, Rurouni Kenshin (2023)

Category: Action