#i love u gurren lagann...........

[coredrill]

fans of the SPIRAL POWER SHOW when their movie theater chair starts spinning:

and more moviegoing/dub thoughts below the cut!!

okay. i'm gonna be as organized as possible about this but i am probably gonna be all over the place and add to it later LMAO. BUT.

4dx thoughts first: jesus fuck lmao. i've never actually been to a 4d movie before and i feel like this experience is NOT representative of what a normal movie would be like but they really shook us around huh!!! i think those seats only stopped moving when kamina died, and i say "i think" bc there may have been more times when they stopped but my ass was unawares because i still felt like i was moving anyways LMAO.

they played an interview with imaishi, koyama, and wakabayashi (most likely filmed at anyc) before the showing (they did it before my dub showing too, even tho i just saw that one in a regular theater) and these mfs are so funny i swear lmao. they were like "we wanted to use the effects to their fullest so we added in movement during the emotional scenes too!" and then wakabayashi was like "i fell out of my seat while watching!" and then imaishi was like "my keys fell out of my pocket and i almost left them in the theater because they were between the seats" and then they laughed and THEN wakabayashi was like "oh wait they're watching gurren-hen right? nvm they'll be fine" but like. that shit felt like a ROLLERCOASTER so WTF IS LAGANN-HEN GONNA BE!!!!!!!!!! it made me so curious so now i also plan to see the sub of that one in 4dx LMAO. me when i literally die because the insane ppl at trigger decided to mimic a galaxy being thrown at a giant mecha and wanted me to feel it.

also. they sprayed us with water during the scene where gurren lagann's spiral energy feeds back and simon/lagann throw up. and like. i mean i can't say i ever WANTED to get vomited on by my fav anime boy, but it sure did happen!

okay. friend-who-hasn't-seen-ttgl-before-thoughts next: i was REALLY surprised how much it hooked him considering that i've always viewed the movies as subpar compared to the show but it REALLY sold him on it!!! and i'm so happy cause idk if he ever would've made it through those first 7 episodes of the show without knowing what was to come lmao. unfortunately he can't make it next week so we'll have to watch lagann-hen later on, as well as the show proper, but i'm SO curious to see what he thinks. especially bc the only complaint he rly had (aside from being violently shaken LMAO) was that simon, kamina, and yoko were really the only characters he could keep track of. like even nia didn't show up early enough for him to really track what was going on with her i think!!

when it comes to lagann-hen i am SO curious what he'll think of rossiu. cause rossiu's my other favorite anime boy but DAMN they really give him like two seconds of screen time total in this movie LMFAO. and THEY DON'T EVEN ESTABLISH THAT HE IS FOREHEAD BOY?????? like they play that scene where kamina's like "i wanna give simon and gimmy and darry and forehead boy a good future" and my friend was like "WHO?" lmao. i guess you're just supposed to see the size of his forehead and come to your own conclusions FDLKSJFHSLKJ. and i did tell my friend that rossiu is Important in lagann-hen but i'm so curious as to whether that whole plot point will actually. like. make sense? and if he can track why rossiu is all of a sudden In Charge and Like That? idk but i can't WAIT to see it. similarly though i do wonder what he'll think of kittan's sacrifice cause kittan got a nothingburger this movie too LMAO.

when it comes to the show i am AGAIN curious what he'll think of rossiu, like what he'll think going from a smaller role for him in the film to a larger role in the show. cause obviously i am -_- at the downsizing but rossiu adds SOOOOOOOOO much to the show on the whole that i wonder if having a different first impression will frame him as a character differently??? IDK!!!! and ALSO i am curious what my friend will think WHEN EXTRA BITCHES START DYING AT THE END LMAO. like it's one thing to do from all of dai-gurren dying to them all living, but from them all living to DYING?????? i'm SO CURIOUS. i feel like watching these movies with him has me appreciating them more in the same way that watching eva with friends made me appreciate eva more too. except i like ttgl a whole heck of a lot more to begin with, even the movies, so i think this might just kill me entirely LMAO.

NOW. ONTO THE DUB.

prefacing this section with Holy Fuck I Am So Glad This Exists I've Cried Over It And Could Cry More. the fact that i've wanted this so bad and it HAPPENED. do the impossible i suppose but i can still HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S REAL. and listening to every single second of it was just a complete and total joy and i wouldn't trade it for anything <3

and now that the sappy stuff is outta the way SAM RIEGEL THE VIRAL THAT YOU ARE!!!!!! he did the ABSOLUTE BEST IMO, he still captured the same voice he did in the show dub AND he managed to like, have a coherent new take on some of the scenes? like during his first or second confrontation with kamina he had this more bored tone that worked SO WELL for me because. yeah!!!! viral thinks humans are inferior at that point, so he WOULDN'T be giving this battle 100%!!!! excellent choices all around and whenever they release this on home video i am gonna listen to this performance for like a week straight.

other generally great stand-outs were LORDGENOME ofc and also dayakka was pretty great too!! they didn't have a whole lot of changes but they worked well in the OG so they ofc worked well here too!! oh and kittan and his sisters too!!! they didn't get as much to do but kittan's still got it and if i heard correctly they even got the same VAs for his sisters too? like stephanie sheh kinon doesn't surprise me bc she's still so active in the industry but kiyal especially sounded rly similar in her like. three lines LMAO.

i WAS actually rly curious abt if they would recast leeron into literally anyone other than "steve blum doing a ~gay voice~" and uh. they didn't lmao. but tbh i think it worked for me anyways; the movies cut out so much of the blatant homophobic jokes which is one super nice thing about them, and also they were SO diligent with getting the rest of the cast back that it makes sense he'd come back too? like i didn't expect DAYAKKA to return but it sure sounded like the same guy to me, let alone the bachika sisters and gimmy and darry, so i get why they kept blum too and it was fine in most parts imo

i really liked bridget hoffman nia too!! she didn't sound the same as hynden walch ofc but i think she gave a great performance and i think it'll be really beneficial to have this sort of continuity of voice going between pre- and post-skip nia.

my adai kiddos...........well jyb didn't have a whole lot of lines as rossiu so i don't have much to say other than i think he did fine with what he had LMAO, i'm SOOOOOO excited to hear him in lagann-hen though!!! especially towards the end, where rossiu's belief gives simon et al the strength they need to finish the battle and win, and also the "so many others like us out there" line....... i MAY burst into tears hearing that in a theater LMAO. also it threw me off when they pronounced darry's name as "dairy" SKLDJFH

YURI LOWENTHAL............oh honey you do not sound like a fourteen year old boy anymore LMAO. it really sounded like he was putting in the EFFORT to make his voice as high as preskip simon's is haha. but his performance was still fucking amazing, especially in the hot-blooded parts where it needed to be, and tbh it was kinda sweet that he sounds different now? like, it's a charming reminder that even if it took a while, enough people loved this story hard enough that the dub got made FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, and simply typing that is making me tear up LMAO so yeah i obviously didn't mind. can't fucking wait to hear him as adult simon tho, that may awaken something in me yet again >:)

aaaaaaaand yoko and kamina lmao. obviosuly these are the hardest to judge because they also, alongside simon, have the most lines? so there is more material to compare LMAO. and both of them certainly gave very different performances that i'm not quite sure how to feel about yet. like the acting itself was still amazing, but it was different and not like sam riegel's in a way that was so obviously elevated that i'm having a bit more trouble parsing my thoughts lmao. like my knee-jerk reaction is "different, so not the thing i love, so worse" but that's not true!!! that's not true at all, and i think i may just need to hear it a few more times for the new inflections and what not to gel with me lmao. though i will say, like literally everyone else, that i think michelle ruff was directed differently as yoko - you could tell there was more effort to make her voice more nasally, or to use her head voice in general, or to sound more cutesy/girly. and i PERSONALLY don't think that's the right choice for yoko, as she's got so much more going on with her gender than just being a cute girl, but this is not the place for that discussion LMAO. so they certainly weren't bad by any means, i think they might just need a few more watches to grow on me the same way the show performances have. or just to have more fleshed-out opinions! anyways, 4k uhd english dubbed bluray WHEN aniplex.

overall the differences were SUPER interesting to hear tho!!! like i'm not well-versed enough in dubbing as a product of the late 00's versus now, but i imagine it's partially changed as an art form and that led to some of the performance differences. in general it was really funny when they slightly changed the dialogue and the lip flaps and pauses wound up in different places!!

the imaishi koyama wakabayashi interview mentioned the same thing that they said at anyc, that they were hoping to make a show that could last ten years. and now 15 years later it's STILL loved enough to get a whole ass new dub and theatrical release. and i just. i'm gonna make myself cry again LMAO, i love this story so much and it's been such a great experience <3

[josephsaturn]

Piggybacking off of this post and this post, Ahsoka & a few others’ favorite anime/genre/whatever:

Ahsoka: Shonen anime vibes, she finds them endlessly fascinating. Dragon Ball is always & forever her comfort anime, but chainsaw man & undead unluck’s power systems fascinate her

Plo Koon: loves older slice of life anime, I think uhhh Hamtaro or Moomin would be good for him, he just wants to chill out

Barriss: it’s been a bit since I watched her episodes but I think she’s the one who introduced anime to Ahsoka. As for her fave, I’ll have to rewatch her eps to get a better glimpse of her character

Rex: he’ll tell you his taste is normal. It is not, he unironically enjoys trashy seasonal anime (think “rent-a-girlfriend”). it’s not a horny thing, he just finds them good for de-stressing in the same way some people play call of duty to de-stress. Ahsoka’s fighting for her LIFE to find him a “normal” anime to rec, but he enjoys my hero academia

Fives: Gainax-Trigger FIEND, he worships the ground Hiroyuki Imaishi walks on. This isnt to say he doesn’t love his share of more “cerebral” anime (he was all over perfect blue when he Rex & Ahsoka reacted to it), but if u asked him, he’d say either Gurren Lagann or Kill La Kill (it’s actually space patrol luluco)

Echo: Gurren Lagann. I don’t feel the need to explain this, but I will say he really enjoyed paprika when they watched it

I’ll get to the others when I can

[shysheeperz]

love ur blog!! I check it out before starting an anime/manga 💞

just wondering do u have any recommendations for complete anime/mangas?

thank u either way!!!

Completed??????

Manga:

Fullmetal Alchemist- the gold standard

Silver Spoon- by the same person who did FMA. Agricultural school stuff. Cute.

Agravity Boys- space sci-fi gag comedy, a wild ride to say the least, I miss my stupid boys

Magu-chan: God of Destruction- cute digimon/pokemon-shaped gods get woken up and mingle with a bunch of middle schoolers. Cute fluff mostly, will occasionally pull at your heartstrings (including the ending)

High School Family: Kokosei Kazoku- comedy/ slice of life, about an entire family attending high school. Has a volleyball arc that rivals the likes in haikyuu!!

Haikyuu!!-sports manga, if you want to cry over boys and their love for the game then this is for you, Boys x Volleyball is the tru otp of the show

Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku- dark historical fantasy, so very, very good. Don't get attached.

Dr. STONE- sci fi, technically the main story is complete. We still have been getting the occasional side chapter or three that continue where the main story left off tho. A very solid shonen jump series. includes one of the best shonen jump dads in the history of ever. Will make u emotional over lightbulbs and stuff. hard not to root for the main cast.

Dr. STONE Reboot: Byakuya- a non-canon little one volume spin-off about byakuya and mainly about a funky lil robot that will make you sob uncontrollably I'd personally say to read up to the end of the Treasure Island arc in the main story first before tackling this one (about ch 140ish)

Dr. STONE 4D Science- a continuation of the main story, only a couple chapters, the ending is a really cruel tease imo and if Inagaki/Boichi don't give us more may they be cursed to lose all their left shoes forever

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Sanji- spin-off of sanji side stories by the duo who did food Wars. ONE PIECE related ofc. Tasty looking food. Sanji too cool for school. One volume.

Astra Lost in Space- space sci fi survival, solid story that deserves more appreciation, the ending is just a tad lackluster in actually showing what a lot of readers would have liked to physically see. By no means ruins the story tho.

Blue Flag (Ao no Flag)- high school, romance, slice of life, boys and gals just trying to figure out life and relationships. Solid.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles- gag comedy that leans a little too much into the shonen battle-esque stuff towards the end imo, but a decently enjoyable time. A mash up of Harry Potter and other various manga like mob, opm, etc.

Mitama Security: Spirit Busters- comedy, axed but I enjoyed it. Goofy fun. nothing spectacular but reading it won't hurt anyone.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes- spin-off of mha obviously, average joe Koichi >>> deku FIGHT ME, the goodest of boys, world building u don't get in the main series, Aizawa's backstory, Knuckleduster is the man the myth the legend.

Chihayafuru- screaming crying throwing up, it's niche it's technically a sports manga, romance, female MC, growth™, love triangle but at the end of the day that's not what's important

My Love Mix-Up!- comedy romance, big big mix-up on who loves who and lots of shenanigans ensue.

Noragami- TECHNICALLY not complete until like 2 days from now when the final chapter releases. my emotions! MY EMOTIONS!!!! 😭

Gintama- comedy/gag with dashes of really good drama

I have no idea what your tastes are, anon, so here's a mix that I've personally enjoyed. Some of them were axed, but technically that makes them complete so I included them :P yes I cheated.

Anime:

There's a lot less of them bc I haven't actually watched a lot of completed series.

Run with the Wind- more boys x sports but this time it's about running. Also the boys are in college. Will trick u into wanting to run.

91 days- ol timey story about VENGEANCE. Set during the prohibition.

Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann- makes you emotional and feel all fuzzy inside, sci fi, mecha

Cowboy Bebop- a classic

Samurai Champloo- also a classic and I actually prefer this one over cowboy bebop tbh, god tier baseball episode

Astra Lost in Space-the anime version, if you'd prefer watching over reading, but I always prefer manga > anime just cause.

FMA 03/FMA BROTHERHOOD- the gold standard. I appreciate both versions. 03 goes the anime original ending root bc obviously the manga wasn't completed yet no biggie.

Mob Psycho 100- MOB!MOB!MOB! and tumblr sexy man reigen arataka

Gintama- animated version alternative lol. The voice actors bring the characters to life.

Obv there are the old school classics like Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Gundam and all that jazz if you haven't already checked out some of those. Oldies but goodies.

[coridallasmultipass]

Just personal venting.

I finally rented Gurren Lagann from the library bc I'm a baby who's never seen it, but the reason I've never seen it is because I know I'm gonna like it too much, and I'm not ready to feel big emotions. Well. This has gone on for years. Like, a decade if not more. And now I finally rented it, and I'm like gonna cry I'm too scared to watch it lmao. I need someone to hold my hand but not say a word and watch it with me. I can't fucking do this lol.

I always have a problem finishing things that give me big emotions. See: my unfinished playthroughs of Cyberpunk 2077. It's my favourite game ever and I can't bring myself to play the endings again. I haven't even started Phantom Liberty yet, because all the new little things added to the regular quests are giving me too many emotions!! Panam was in my fucking apartment!! I had to set the game down for days after that.

Same thing happened when I tried playing BL3. Had to keep putting it down and doing something else because I was getting too excited bc I loved it too much.

I fucking hate this about myself soooo much. I've literally been trying to watch GL for years. And I have it in my hands. And now I'm chickening out.

Like lol, 'Cori ur a fake Bro/Dirk fan, u didn't even watch the reason he's got those shades bruh ur fake. Fakeass fakey fake.'

I can't help it tho I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack. It's just some fucking anime. It has no bearing on anything. And I'm already overwhelmed just looking at the case lol.

I'm so terrible at watching things too lol. If it requires me to sit and watch the screen, I can't do it. Maybe I should try double monitoring and just doodling nonsense on my computer while I watch. Maybe that will help? But like I don't wanna miss reading the subtitles, so... you see my problem lol.

I'll watch it before it's due, but man, taking that first step is gonna be hard.

[lara60]

Questionssss

Tagged by beloved @bennidraws THANK U Nickname: Larva, Larvonardo, Tony Sprej, Skeletony

Sign: Aries

Height: 165cm

Last thing I googled: translator (for german stuff at my workplace)

Amount of sleep: 6 - 7 hours on work days and around 8 - 9 on weekends

Dream job: Something in astrophysics, but unfortunately I'm allergic to math, so that won't happen ever. Right now I wish I could just not work at all and focus on writing/drawing while not having to worry about income lol

Wearing: camo sweatpants and a Mandalorian t-shirt

Movie/books/media that summarizes you: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Treasure Planet, Interstellar

Favorite song: Oof I can never choose just one song, but the one I'm listening to over and over lately is Koven - Good Enough

Instrument: never played any instruments

Favorite author: Yoshihiro Togashi I owe him my life for writing HxH

Aesthetic: masc/butch vibes, I really enjoy wearing military green colors, cargo pants, ovesized shirts etc. I have a bomber jacket with airforce patches that I love and take with me everywhere

Random fun fact: I started gaming when I was four years old, my dad always played Doom after work and I was curious so I watched him. Then he let me play myself and I got hooked on Doom and Doom II as my first games. Gaming also helped me learn basics of English so I breezed through English classes in school. Thanks dad lol

I'm tagging @onerabong, @drakkoholic, @orcawardseal, @toujouhidetora, @ghosttoasties but ofc no pressure 💜

[sebbyisland]

mob psycho ep 9 + 10 + 11 live reaction here we go

i'm going to be annoying!!! because i'm excited and this is my treat to myself after a very hellish 3 weeks!!!

i just wanna say i love when the op is like "DISTORTION" and you hear here the guitar distortion aahgfdl;skj

this part reminds me of when all the dead characters from Gurren Lagann came back to cheer on the protag and the guy in the focus of the frame was the protag's older bro figure. cries. ugh shit like this is why i love Shonen T__T

ugh i wanna draw this so bad

OH MY GOD LOOK AT HIM STANDING WITH HIS LIL BOUQUET OHHHH THE BOY THE MOST BOY EVER AHHH

[yes i know what's about to happen im so. I'm so not okay]

UGH HE'S GROWN SO MUCH. THESE EYES ARE FILLED WITH KINDNESS AND LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP IM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND

CRYING. SHAKING. THROWING UP. TOSSING MY DEVICE OUT THE WINDOW. AHHSDHGFEHHREJWEWRHIGE: THE SCORE IN THIS SCENE IS SO SOMBER AND TRAGIC LIKE IT RLLY EMPHASIZES THE EMOTION MORE THAN THE ACTION OH MY GOD BECAUSE HE'S SAD!!!! MOB IS IN PAIN TERU IS IN PAINNN OHHHH

THIS WAS SUCH AN INTERESTING ART DIRECTION LIKE IT'S NOT CONFIRMED BY HEAVILY IMPLIED THAT TERU IS THAT STRAY dask FALLING FROM THE CLOUD OF IMPACT??????????? OH my god.

i really really really REALLY LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK FROM THIS EPISODE I DEF NEED TO FIND IT LATER! It does such a good job taking us through Teru's whole emotional journey ugh

YOU'RE DOING GREAT BBY IM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!

also lol did anyone make "yeet" memes about when Teru got tossed like a ragdoll or are we too cool for yeet memes now

i knew bones would pull through but ahhhhh Mob gradually losing his human form has been really cool to see animated <3

the animation for this episode is so insane like if gurren lagann actually had a budget. sorry for constantly comparing to gurren lagann but like. pls if you are reading this PLEASE WATCH GURREN LAGANN I PROMISE IF U LIKE MOB PSYCHO 100 OR MY HERO ACADEMIA OR CHAINSAW OR ANY OTHER THING I SCREAM ABOUT ON THIS BLOG. YOU WILL LIKE GURREN LAGANN. anyways.

The performance in ep 10....absolutely stunning from every possible angle...down to everything..this episode..the pacing...the voicE ACTING UGH.....wow... WOW!!! AMAZING!!!! I'm probably really bias because i emotionally love this part in the story but haha yeah....yeahh i love ep 10.

Ritsu once again the only one with brain cells and puts together what's going on SO quick cause even though he doesn't "understand" his brother he knows his brother like no one else. i'm never not emo about Ritsu. i love Ristu and Mob's relationship. ugh ugh ugh

the opening to s3 is so wild i notice something new every time i watch it. love that. reminds me of s1 <3

OH IM SO GLAD THEY KEPT HIS EXPRESSION FROM THE MANGA HERE

aw i like the detail that Ritsu left his coat for Teru......

lol they censored the fact Kageyama's friend almost got totally stabbed through a vital point by replacing the rod with a flat surface

i cant fucking DO THIS ANYMORE

wow i don't even have the energy to liveblog this episode it's so amazing and gorgeous and creative and emotional it's everything everything everything

good night! time to see if i manage to brainstorm a decent fanart idea

also i just want to say i really love reading the animation breakdown analysis over here for each episode, it's been really funny and i highly recommend!

[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.

[vrmaladroite]

Yo I love your art, you have such a unique style it's addicting to look at it. Now going through your gallery I was struck with inspiration and now I was thinking about what if Yoko Littner from Gurren Lagann and Bill Cipher from Gravity falls fused together. So if u want I'd adore for u to sketch it out because I'm sure you'd make such a fucking awesome design! Now even if u don't still thanks a bunch for all the awesome work!

lol it’s been a while since anyone who has been into gurren Lagan interacted with me ! I admire how much trust you have for me but I’m really trying to get back into drawing so it might not be a guarantee (sorry!) might get back to it tho…

[poeticdevastation]

hi chūya. do u read manga

Do you really want me to answer that.

All seriousness, I've read some.

Shingeki no Kyojin was good n' I liked Tokyo Ghoul.

Out of animes I liked their intro songs- especially Unravel, Shinzou wo Sasageyou, n' The Rumbling.

Another one I loved was found & lost by Survive Said the Prophet.

That band is insane, man. /pos

I have a small playlist dedicated to some of my favorite songs by them.

Of course I gotta mention the GOATs, Akira n' Fist of the North Star.

I tried Given- n' I guess this would be a "hot take" or whatever you guys call it- but if I'm bein' honest, I was more into Bocchi the Rock.

Still a cute one, though.

Nothin' will ever give me chills like Banana Fish n' this scene from Bocchi.

Death Note was another one that was pretty good but drove me nuts- loved the second op though- n' I'm excited to continue Boku no Hero Academia n' Demon Slayer.

I think the two I'm most excited to read/see more of though are Trigun/Trigun Maximum/Trigun Stampede n' Rurouni Kenshin.

Vash is a pretty cool guy.

Oh yeah- One Punch Man was hysterical, too.

Princess Mononoke was gorgeous.

Y'all can hate on it all ya want or be judgemental to it's chaotic n' broken fandom but RWBY rocks.

R.I.P. Rooster Teeth

Death Parade n' Satsuriku no Tenshi were interesting, & I'm interested in continuing Moriarty the Patriot n' Link Click.

I liked n' gotta continue/rewatch:

Assassination Classroom

Full Metal Alchemist

Interstella5555

Monster

One Piece

Owari no Seraph

Pluto

Mob Psycho 100

Sonic X

Dungeon Meshi

Spy × Family

Steins;Gate

BNA

Tokyo ESP

Re:Zero

Kiznaiver

Black Clover

Noragami

Phoenix Wright

Soul Eater

Ao no Exorcist

Tokyo Revengers

Durarara

n' ESPECIALLY Gurren Lagann n' Cowboy Bebop

I've been told to check out

The Great Pretender

Afro Samurai

Baccano

91 Days

Kaiju No.8

Berserk

Bleach

Evangelion

Vinland Saga

World Trigger

Tate no Yūsha no Nariagari

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Dorohedoro

Enen no Shouboutai

Great Teacher Onizaka

Hunter × Hunter

Hellsing

Hotaru no Haka

Detective Conan

Lupin III

Jujutsu Kaisen (That one guy's voice is. Drivin' me nuts. Where have I heard it.)

I don't plan to watch Chainsaw Man but the manga looks good.

As for games: I've played that [Redacted] series n' saw the anime for it as well as read some of the novels when I had the time.

I liked that Hagakure guy, but I can't put my finger on why... oh, n' Leon was pretty cool, too.

I loved Mondo n' Taka, not gonna lie.

Also liked Nekomaru n' that Kaito dude.

What was up with that Gozu guy too- he was interestin'.

Persona games are pretty good, too.

I played Genshin for a bit. I like Diluc. I swear- that Itto guy sounded familiar, but I'm not sure where else I'd heard him from.

HSR might be more my thing, but I like the fighting style more in Genshin if I'm bein' honest. Otherwise, I'll still be more active on Star Rail from now on.

I like Boothill n' Aventurine.

If you've read this far then here, have some of my guilty pleasures- if you can call them that;; basically:

You will never catch me admitting to liking these.

Violet Evergarden

Lucky Star

Horimiya

Shimoneta

PaSwG

Osomatsu-san

Ouran Koukou Host Club

Kaguya-sama: Love is War

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Howl's Moving Castle

Princess Tutu (Wrecked me)

Fairy Tail

Kill la Kill

WataMote

Your Lie in April

Sasaki to Miyano

Sword Art Online II

Tian Guan Cifu

My Neighbor Totoro

n' especially Toradora! n' Buddy Daddies.

^What can I say, the last two were too-darn-adorable for me to resist.

Oh yeah, speakin' of animes people refuse to admit likin' n' reachin' this far to be deservin' of seein' my "honorary mentions"...

Y'all who are still afraid to like Kekkai Sensen are cowards.

Go check out Blood Blockade Battlefront, losers. /endearing

By the same guy who made Trigun, iirc.

There's one that keeps bein' brought up around me though... the Hell was it...;;

Bungou...somethin'...

...Bungou to Alchemist.

That's definitely what it was.

[vonkarmic]

hello I have gotten way more into anime recently. I'm v glad my bf has taste bc we watch stuff together. my current faves are love is war (SO good. best romance ever invented). and probably gurren lagann which I'm almost done with.

omg nice i'm glad for u!! love is war is soo fun i need to watch the second season... and i've never seen gurren lagann but it's been recommended to me a few times so maybe i should check it out

[bigdickevans]

gurren lagann is so fucking good oh my god

[coredrill]

When the Anti-Spiral broke everything down to Gurren Lagann, it stood there with its arms crossed, unfazed by the scale it was about to face.

[baccan0pe]

.

[a-uwu-o]

i am begging you to please watch tengen toppa gurren lagann

[fatebroke]

.

[odioart]

Hiroyuki Imaishi X Odio 天元突破グレンラガン (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) c o l o r f u l Daicon V: Ginax Spirit (Virtual Retrospective) Note*week I wanted to show off the illustrations that Mr. Imaishi did for the FLCL light novel, but this week I wanted to focus on what many consider his best work that being Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. These images came from various artbooks that were published after the show's production. I feel like Eva- Gurren Lagann holds a place in people's hearts, and for good reason. Personally as a colorist I think that Imaishi's work as well as Sushio's work are far the most fun to work with. Where as some illustrators have a very conventional style that only allows you to do things by the numbers. Their style lends to a lot more creativity,Leaving more of a unique fingerprint on each piece. I always love when I get to do something using their line work.It is always fun and challenging. I hope you enjoy these works, and thank you as always for giving me a moment of your time. I appreciate you.