Gundam/Mecha Thread

Gunbuster!

(specifically, Giant Robo: The Animation. The Day the Earth Stood Still.)

I’ll never forget the first time I watched Giant Robo. The art style, the animation, THE SOUNDTRACK, all of it blew me away. I had never before seen such a bombastic and energetic premise combined with sky-high production values in such an incredible example of skill and presentation. Giant Robo is a RIDICULOUS series. I mean it, it is absolutely bonkers. Fantastical sci-fi technology, superpowers, hilariously corny secret societies, giant Egyptian themed fighting robots, this show just piles on crazy, and that’s all just the first five minutes! Rather than confound the viewer’s suspension of disbelief, however, all this insanity is instantly accepted, even welcomed! The show’s genius is its immediately compelling characters and incredible fantasy world. There’s not a single character or story element that doesn’t fit together seamlessly. Due to the nature of the show (legal reasons prevented them from using the actual story of the famous manga series) the viewer is dropped into the world with very little background knowledge. Characters’ pasts and motivations are hinted at, but never fully explained. This is at first annoying, but in the end it contributes to a greater sense of “bigness” to the series. I could go on and on (and probably will, later), but for now I’ll just leave this here for your entertainment and edification