#panzer world galient

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 3.1: Do You Remember Love? (1980-1985)

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time, we covered a small smattering of shows from the 70's. I tried to cover the big names, with a focus on the Holy Trinity (Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and Mobile Suit Gundam). While the latter of the three will be showing up throughout this series, the other two will largely fade into the background. Do not mistake this for them no longer being relevant though, as there is a very good reason why they are part of the Trinity. Besides, they'll show up again in some capacity towards the end. This also ignores the fact that both Mazinger Z and Getter Robo would constantly get updates throughout the years, so to say that the other two were somehow lesser than Gundam is foolish.

What we DO see in the 80's though are mecha shows popping up left, right, and center. A lot of this is helped by the fact that the 80's are also a time in Japanese history where the economy was booming. OVAs also become a major thing in this time period, as do a lot of surprisingly influential series. As such, I will be covering 80's (and later the 90's) in multiple parts due to how many series come up in this time period:

Part one (this part) will cover the time period from 1980-1985

Part two will cover 1986-1990

Part three will cover pretty much everything directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino from 1981 to 1993 and will serve as a bridge between the 80's and the 90's

Oh, and let me reiterate something about Mobile Suit Gundam from the last point: Gundam wouldn't become successful until the 80's with the release of the compilation movies.

With that out of the way, let's transform and ROLL OUT!

Space Runaway Ideon (1980)

Coming off the heels of Mobile Suit Gundam, Yoshiyuki Tomino would follow it up with Space Runaway Ideon. Think of it as a classic giant robot series mixed with the style of war stories that would be more in line with Space Battleship Yamato or Mobile Suit Gundam. Do not let the brightly-colored giant robot fool you. Ideon is, to my understanding, one of the darkest entries in the canon of mecha. Ideon is also where the Itano Circus came from, so that's another reason to be aware of this series. More importantly, Space Runaway Ideon specifically would be the inspiration for one Hideaki Anno when he made a certain series that I will talk about in the future. Something about a young man needing to get into a robot something, I don't know.

Diaclone (1980) & Transformers (1985)

Remember when I brought up Microman (the toy, not the wrestler)? This is why.

In 1980, Takara would release the Diaclone line of toys as a spinoff to Microman. This series would be noteworthy due to its inclusion of transforming machines designed by one Shoji Kawamori (more on him soon). One of these machines would be the eighteen-wheeler known as Convoy.

In 1985, Hasbro would license out the Diaclone line among other Takara licenses for the surprisingly ambitious series known today as Transformers. The story would follow the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (who Diaclone fans would recognize as Convoy), as they fight against Megatron and the Decepticons. Chances are very likely that if you're not thinking of the RX-78-2 Gundam when you hear the word "mecha," chances are likely you're imagining Optimus Prime.

Transformers' success in America and beyond would be so great that, in the 90's, Takara would end the Diaclone line and create a new line of toys, complete with accompanying TV series. That's another story for when we get to the 90's though, so stay tuned for that.

Beast King GoLion (1981) & Voltron (1984)

In 1981, the anime Beast King GoLion would air in Japan. GoLion itself would be pretty run-of-the-mill as far as mecha shows in the early 80's would be concerned. However, GoLion is worth mentioning as it would be one of the first anime properties that US showrunners would splice with other shows like it in order to make something for syndication.

In 1984, World Event Productions would splice Beast King GoLion with another mecha series, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (1982), to create Voltron. And when it comes to combining robots, chances are very likely that one would think of Lion Voltron (or GoLion for those more familiar with the original) over something like Getter Robo or Voltes V. Voltron is an icon of the 80's, so much so that Voltron (specifically the lion version) would get multiple adaptations over the years, including but not limited to Voltron Force in the 2000's and Voltron: Legendary Defender in the 2010's, the latter of which I am told is a big part of Tumblr history. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if people considered GoLion/Voltron to be more of a US creation than a Japanese one.

Fang of the Sun Dougram (1981)

Starting in 1981, Ryousuke Takahashi and company would create Fang of the Sun Dougram. Building off the themes of Mobile Suit Gundam, Takahashi would begin to push the envelope in terms of what one could present with a military mecha series. Whereas Gundam's relative realism comes from how the One Year War affects the soldiers, Dougram would go further and show us just how the parties involved plan out their attacks and political machinations.

If you want to learn more about Dougram, I'd highly recommend Pyramid Inu's video on Dougram, as they're a big Takahashi nut.

Also, Dougram is of vital importance to a certain tabletop RPG coming up.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982) & Robotech (1984)

In 1982, Shoji Kawamori and the people at Studio Nue would release Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a series that would explode in terms of popularity. Like Gundam and Dougram before it, Macross would give us a war story featuring giant robots. But unlike Gundam and how war has its tolls on soldiers, or Dougram with its focus on political machinations and realistic strategy, Macross would focus more on how love and culture can overcome conflict. Macross is notable not just for popularizing transforming robots, it would also bring idol singers into vogue.

In 1984, Carl Macek would be tasked by Harmony Gold to make Macross eligible for syndication. Doing the best he could, Macek would fuse Macross with two other series, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeada, to create the controversial Robotech.

Why is Robotech controversial? To put it very shortly: Robotech would be the reason why the original Macross has never been brought over to the west, for reasons that we will see later. It's a shame too, since Macross is one of the biggest mecha franchises after Gundam. But, it should also be worth noting that Robotech, while controversial, is still important due to it being a major introduction point into mecha stories and anime as a whole for a whole generation of people.

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu/Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1982)

In 1982, Yoshiki Tanaka's Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, or Legend of the Galactic Heroes for us westerners, would be published. Over the course of ten volumes, the series would follow the exploits of the so-called Galactic Heroes, Reinhardt von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-Li, as the factions the two belonged to fought for control of the galaxy, with all of the politics and strategizing that ensues. Galactic Heroes is such a large and sprawling story that, when it came time to adapt it into an animated original video animation (OVA) series in 1988, it ended up becoming the longest-running OVA series of all time, clocking in at about a whopping 108 episodes in total. The series would also get another animated adaptation in 2018, Die Neue Theiss.

Armored Trooper VOTOMs (1983)

Following up on the success of Dougram, Ryousuke Takahashi would release the extremely iconic Armored Trooper VOTOMs in 1983. While Dougram was already a pretty grounded military robot in its own right, VOTOMs would take that concept to its logical conclusion. Here, VOTOMs were 4-meter tall machines that acted more like humanoid jeeps, and not only were they expendable, they were easily replaced. When mecha heads talk about realistic mecha series, VOTOMs is oftentimes brought up as the gold standard for this.

Panzer World Galient (1984)

Galient gif courtesy of Sakugabooru

Following up from VOTOMs, Takahashi would then follow that up with Panzer World Galient, a series that would trade out the military robots in favor for fantasy-flavored mecha. What's interesting to note here is that this would come out a year after a series called Aura Battler Dunbine, and I'd argue that both series would be the bases for later fantasy-inspired mecha series such as Magic Knight Rayearth and Break Blade.

Battletech (1984)

1984 would also see FASA Corporation release the first edition of its BattleTech ruleset. Rumored to have taken inspiration from series like Fang of the Sun Dougram, Macross, and Crusher Joe, BattleTech would become the poster child of the western giant robot aesthetic, that of the walking tank.

Also due to a messy copyright situation, BattleTech would also get tied up with Harmony Gold due to stolen designs. This legal back and forth would eventually be the reason why Macross would be unavailable outside of Robotech to this very day, though at one point the legal nonsense got so out of hand that, if I remember correctly, they tried to also bar FASA and their successors from using mechanical designs from Dougram and Crusher Joe (even though they did not have the rights to either series).

Blue Comet SPT Layzner (1985)

Blue Comet SPT Layzner is a 1985 series created by Ryousuke Takahashi. The series, from my superficial glancing of the series, would be the first major Gundam-like series to come out. It should be noted that, prior to this, the only major Gundam series to exist prior to 1985 was the original Gundam. Unfortunately for Layzner, 1985 would be the year that Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam would air, which is generally considered to be the most popular Gundam series in the franchise.

Conclusion

As we get further into the 80's, we will begin to see more and more stories show up that would be a part of the mecha canon. The latter half of the 80's is where we see the rise of the OVA which, as I mentioned briefly with Legend of the Galactic Heroes, will be where we see a lot of OVA series pop up. We'll also see couple more western productions, along with an appearance by a certain Blue Bomber.

This is a work of fiction, but in ten years? Who knows?

[terebifunhouse]

if you missed the Old School Afternoon program at Anime North last month, don't fret; you can catch the entire thing from noon until six on Sunday June 30 at twitch.tv/terebifunhouse!

[animenostalgia]

News - Sentai Filmworks will be releasing the 1984 fantasy mecha series Panzer World Galient on bluray on October 15th, 2024! This will be the first time the series has ever gotten an official English release. Sentai's bluray will contain the original TV series as well as the 3 episode OVA. Pre-orders for the bluray are available on their website, or via my affiliate link at The Crunchyroll Store!

[kasperl-ruprecht]

[fortesp89]

Super Robot Wars BX amv Go Tight! - AKINO

[aoko999]

[basarabigboi]

1986 poster from NewType magazine by Yutaka Izubuchi

[scope-dogg]

Source

[ljaesch]

Sentai Filmworks Announces Its October 2024 Anime Releases

Sentai Filmworks has announced its anime releases for October 2024. Title: OUTBREAK COMPANY Published by: Sentai Distributed by: Distribution Solutions Run Time: 300 min. Street Date: 10/1/2024 Format: BD Language: English Dub, Japanese with English Subtitles SRP: $59.98 SYNOPSIS: With a father who writes and a mother who illustrates erotic video games, it’s no surprise that Shinichi Kano is a…

[classicanime79]

#262 : Panzer World Galient (OVA series)

In this vast universe we see cycles of rise and fall constantly. Humankind no matter where they are both in space and time are always under a state of change. Yet, so much is constant as well. War and peace lead again to war and peace almost as if it is scripted. On the planet of Arst this cycle has been at play for longer than recorded history. War machines buried beneath the ground are…

[hobbystationerytagimi]

海洋堂　ARTPLA SCULPTURE WORKS 鉄巨神vs邪神兵　機甲界ガリアン 鉄の紋章　入荷しました！

[wanderersrest]

An Abbreviated History of Mecha Part 3.3: Kill 'em All (Tomino From 1981-1993)

Spoiler Warning: This post contains mild spoilers for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon, and Mobile Suit Victory Gundam.

The Wanderer, he is a Char!

Welcome back to An Abbreviated History of Mecha! Last time we covered the latter half of the 80's, where we saw a lot of major entries in the canon of mecha make their appearance. You might have been asking yourself though, "But Wanderer, why aren't you talking about Dunbine or Zeta Gundam?"

Well, dear reader, that's because Tomino in this era would release quite a few entries that are worth mentioning on their own. And I'm not saying this to hype up Tomino; the man had been working on various shows in the years after Ideon. So for today's post, I will be going over the breadth of works Tomino worked on from 1980 to 1993. This way, as I said before, we will also be able to bridge the gap to the 90's by using Tomino as a metaphorical bridge between decades. So move on, shall we?

Also, if you have about 10+ hours to spare, I'd highly recommend Argonbolt's On Gundam series if you want to learn more about Gundam and Tomino. It's a pretty comprehensive dive into the Amuro-Char saga and all of the behind-the-scenes stuff that went into making the series.

Combat Mecha Xabungle/Blue Gale Xabungle (1982)

Released in 1982, Combat Mecha Xabungle serves as a great foil to Space Runaway Ideon. Just like how Ideon proved that the classic robot stories could handle grim war stories, Xabungle would also prove that the more grounded and "realistic" robots could be used to tell silly stories. Xabungle is also worth mentioning due to the fact that this is the first time Tomino would work with one Yasuhiro Imagawa, a name that will be coming up in the near future.

Aura Battler Dunbine (1983)

Aura Battler Dunbine, released in 1983, would be one of the first so-called "isekai" anime. Dunbine is also known for its unique mechanical designs, trading out the more traditional robot designs in favor of mecha that are more insectoid in appearance. As it predates Panzer World Galient by about a year, Dunbine would also technically be the first fantasy mecha to reach the mainstream. Dunbine and Galient are equally important in my opinion, as both series would influence many mecha stories that feature fantasy-styled mecha stories in the future. Dunbine would also be the reason why the fairy companion would become such a big thing in later media *cough*Ocarina of Time*cough*.

Heavy Metal L-Gaim (1984)

1984's Heavy Metal L-Gaim would mark the first time that Tomino would work with Mamoru Nagano as primary mechanical designer. The two were rather close, as Nagano was, to my understanding, one of Tomino's many disciples. It would be L-Gaim specifically where you see Nagano's mechanical designs shine, so much so you can see how it would inspire him to when it came time to make the Five Star Stories.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)

In 1985, Gundam would make its big return with Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. And not only would Zeta make a big splash with its debut, it would also go on to be the single most popular Gundam series after the original. More importantly, Zeta Gundam would also be the series where we see a lot of major industry people working on this series, including (but not limited to):

Yasuhiro Imagawa (Storyboard), who would go on to direct the Giant Robo OVA and G Gundam among other things.

Mamoru Nagano (Mechanical Design, specifically for the Hyaku Shiki), who would eventually leave Sunrise to work on the Five Star Stories.

Makoto Kobayashi (Mechanical Design, specifically for The O, the Baund-Doc, and the Marasai), who would go on to work on Dragon's Heaven among other things.

Shinji Takamatsu (Cultural Setting), who would go on to direct The Brave Express Might Gaine, After War Gundam X, and the first two seasons of Gintama among other things.

Zeta Gundam would also become infamous for its ending, which ends with most of the main cast dead. Granted it's not to the levels of something like Ideon or Victory Gundam, but it is generally the first example people point to when explaining why Tomino was nicknamed Kill 'em All. Not helping things at all at this time was the fact that Tomino was rumored to have been suffering from depression.

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986)

Following off of the success of Zeta Gundam came Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (pronounced Double Zeta) in 1986. As a sequel to the darker Zeta Gundam, ZZ's legacy is one that's a bit more contentious due to its sudden shift into comedy. ZZ would also mark the first time that Gundam wouldn't be the smash hit of the year, and that may have been an inspiration behind the creation of Metal Armor Dragonnar.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988)

ZZ under-performing would have a silver lining though, as it would give Tomino and company more time to work on the first non-compilation movie in the Gundam Franchise: Char's Counterattack. Char's Counterattack should be known for a fair bit of things, with one that I'll mention here is Char's Counterattack would feature a young Studio Gainax as one of the supporting studios during production. This movie would mark the official end of the Amuro-Char saga started in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, though this wouldn't be the end of the overall Universal Century.

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991)

In 1991, Tomino and company would return to work on a new Gundam television series. During the production process though, it would be changed at the last minute to be a movie instead. And thus was Mobile Suit Gundam F91 born, dragging the Universal Century into a new era of conflict. And remember how I said F91 was supposed to be a TV series at first? You can actually tell where an "episode" would end as you watch F91. That's how last-minute the change to a movie was.

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993)

Mobile Suit Victory Gundam would release in 1993. In the middle of production for this series, the toy company Bandai would buy out Sunrise. The executive meddling that would occur would cause Tomino to get so fed up with Bandai that he would leave Sunrise.

It should also be known that Victory Gundam is, with the exception of Ideon, Tomino's single darkest work. Characters will get killed off with little to no fanfare. It's also not surprising that there are rumors that Tomino does not like Victory Gundam.

It's not all bad though. Victory Gundam is the reason we have Daisuke Sakaguchi.

Conclusion

And it is with that somber note that we will leave behind the 80's. Going into the 90's will be interesting, to say the least. It is in the 90's where we will see some of the most iconic names of the mecha canon arise. The 90's are also a time of economic hardship in Japan, the effects of which would ripple all throughout the decade.

I can see it now though, reader! This post has been powered...

WITH THE HELP OF KYOOOOOOJI!!!!

[terebifunhouse]

six hours of vintage anime happening tomorrow at twitch.tv/terebifunhouse! #anime #princeplanet #astroboy #candycandy #greatmazinger #cyborg009 #anneofgreengables #stophibarikun #armorhuntermellowlink #panzerworldgalient #bavistock #blackmagicm66

[spacedebris1993]

I really think the worst thing abt ai art is how its damaged mecha art. Nobody really gives a shit abt the designers and illustrators behind mecha cause its all gundam or transformers to them. A lot of ppl can't name the designer of the original gundam and his breath of works nor the works the designer of Optimus Prime worked on besides that, or even who the artists behind the character models for g1 were, but its like. Ive passed by so many ai generated images of mecha thats mashing the works of contemporary asian artists and designers into a fine paste of an approximation of the work those folks do. Its hit everybody hard for sure but i do notice how easy it is to erase that particular niche and let it go by unnoticed cause its always sorta been written off as like. A thing that magically appears on screen. I guess its ironic, given how most mech story tropes are. Can anyone who puts these prompts in even name the panzer world galient designer? Do you even know how few designers there were that actually built the genre? Did you know Votoms and Transformers shares a designer? Do you know which Transformer it even is? Do you know what groundwork he laid for a future work? How about his favorite design? What about the car he designed? The designer of Optimus worked on toys. Do you know where the design from Chromia comes from and the history that has? Do you know the name of the artist who worked on Unicron's concept? I dunno. Its sad, ig, and im sure im not the only mech designer/illustrator out there that feels that way.

[newtypezaku]

Hey! I just wanted to say I really like all those post you did on the anime Back Arrow! And some were really funny too! My favorite is when us was on the war ended episode and Rekka is too stubborn to quite so they’ll be back when they rearm XD priceless!! It’s nice to met a fellow Back Arrow fan!!

Looking back on Back Arrow, I think what really sells it to me is that it has the look and feel of an 80s robot show but done in a modern style. You have an absurd MC who runs on Rule of Cool until he doesn't. You have various factions operating technology they don't know or understand and the plot hits hard when we start to get into the consequences. The escalation to "we can, must, and will defeat god".

Panzer World Galient and Combat Mecha Xabungle might be fun if you're able to track them down. They obviously don't look as nice because they're old and Galient plays things more seriously, but there are definitely some similarities between them!