So we all know about Anime.

But what this site is sorely lacking is a page dedicated to the GIANT ROBOT/MECHA phenomenon.

This is that page.

Let’s just start by a definition: if you want to be super technical, a GIANT ROBOT is a (giant) machine controlled by someone remotely, or, in the case of Transformers, (more than meets the eye!) is autonomous and self-directing. A mecha is a giant suit-like machine the user actually climbs into and controls from the interior, either directly with physical motions (Gundam/Escaflowne) or with thoughts. (Evangelion)

Also, a brief disclaimer: there are tons and tons and tons and tons of anime involving GIANT ROBOTS, and as a consequence I cannot focus on all of them. So I will focus on my favorites, as well as a couple of the earliest influences.

According to Fred Ladd’s official Gigantor website, Gigantor first began as “Tetsujin 28-go” in Japan in 1958.

“With his late partner Al Singer, Ladd formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc., specifically to acquire and produce, in English, fifty-two episodes, each approximately thirty minutes in length, which would be called Gigantor.”

The names were changed, as was apparently common practice in the early days of English dubbing. The robot, Tetsujin 28, was renaimed Gigantor. The operator, (a 12 year old boy and son of the robot’s creator) Shotaro Kaneda, was renamed Jimmy Sparks, and the pilot’s mentor, Dr. Shikishima, became Dr. Bob Brilliant.

Ladd and Delphi Associates’ licensed episodes of the original series began airing in 1964. Peter Fernandez (go Speed Racer go!) wrote much of the English script and lent voice talent to the show. Gigantor ran throughout the 60s, and was the first ever giant robot series in both Japan and America. It had another reincarnation in 1993 with a different art style, The New Adventures of Gigantor.

The series was set in the (then) future year of 2000. (where are all our giant remote control robots!?) Gigantor was originally designed to be a military robot, but by the time it was completed the war was over. As a result, it was re-programmed to be a guardian of peace, and Jimmy controlled Gigantor, fighting villains the world over. Many tried to steal the giant robot, as whoever held the control box held the power of Gigantor, and it’s guardian was only a twelve year old boy. Still others were simply out to destroy it. Such is the fate of a super weapon, I suppose.

Created by famed author and manga artist Go Nagai, (Devilman) Mazinger Z was the first ever “mecha” series. Produced in 1972 in Japan, this was the first series where the robot was technically “piloted” rather than controlled. Mazinger Z was controlled by a cockpit in the head, and it’s hallmark attack was it’s famous flying fists, which detached and flew at the enemy with rocket boosters in the wrists, returning after defeating the foe. The name Mazinger is composed of the words for Demon and Lord, and the design of the robot was meant to mirror something demon-like.

Dr. Kabuto and Dr. Hell (guess who the bad guy is) were two archaeologists who discovered the remnants of a past civilization that had the ability to manufacture giant robots. The lovable Dr. Hell decided to use said ancient technology to create machines capable of complete and total domination of Earth.  Dr. Kabuto decided this was not all that good an idea and began construction of his own machine, dubbed Majinga Zetto, or Mazinger Z. Dr. Hell succeeds in murdering Dr. Kabuto, but not before completion of Mazinger. Dr. Kabuto’s grandson, Kouji, discovers his dying grandfather and is told of the giant machine. Kouji pilots Mazinger alongside a comrade in another mecha, dubbed Aphrodite A, against Dr. Hell and all his minions and creations. The series ran for 92 episodes, including a 2^nd season known as Gureto Majinga, or Great Mazinger, and spawned many sequels, as well as a handful of movies.

The series was syndicated in the US in 1985, and given the title Tranzor Z, again characters were renamed, and content was heavily edited. I personally have only heard of this show referred to as Mazinger, and never saw an American episode. I felt it was important to mention as the pioneer “mecha” series, however.

Where do I even start? I’ll focus on the original, Mobile Suit Gundam.

3D Gundam Model

Debuting in 1979 in Japan, Mobile Suit Gundam and all its incarnations are the longest running mecha series EVAR at 30 years and counting. Also, it could be argued it is one of the best. The Gundam series feature large humanoid robots piloted from the inside, the cockpit generally in the chest area. The series all take place within one of four major timelines, (Universal Century, After Colony, Future Century, and Cosmic Era) each with distinguishably different mecha, generally refered to as Mobile Suits. The series are known for being very morally grey with no clear-cut villains or heroes, each character having individual and complex moral beliefs that do not always mirror their faction as a whole.

While each series showcased varying types of Mobile Suits and varying locales and timelines, the underlying principles of the shows are all very similar. Not only is the Gundam universe choc-full of ridiculously awesome giant robot fights, it is also riddled with political and social commentary, treason, intrigue, and in every series there seems to be a relationship between two major characters, one from each side, be it romantic or platonic. I believe the addition of this factor is to highlight that behind the masks of faction and belief, we are all the same, we are all human.

Mobile Suit Gundam is, at its core, a discussion of civil war and human nature. Earth began moving its population into space, and people lived in colonies in Earth’s orbit. In Universal Century 0079, one of the colonies dubs itself the Principality of Zeon and declares a war of independence on the Earth Federation. Zeon uses a weapon they had been secretly developing as heavy construction equipment, called a Mobile Suit, and quickly decimates Federation forces, conquering half of the planet. It takes months for Federation forces to develop a counter to the Mobile Suits, as well as a prototype of a far superior unit, dubbed Gundam.

The series itself begins with a Zeon raid of a Federation colony installation. A group of Federation forces is sent to recover the Federation’s prototype mobile suits, and the Zeon forces, led by Char Azanable, move to intercept. A young civilian, Amuro Ray, discovers and subsequently pilots the prototype Gundam unit, destroying two Zeon Suits and repelling the attack. This draws Amuro into the conflict directly; and over the course of the series he has several fateful encounters with Char and the mysterious Lalah Sune. 

On a personal note, my favorite Gundam series is 08^th MS Team, a 13 episode series set near the end of the original series, almost entirely on Earth, in the South American front. Its attentions focused on one particular team of Mobile Suit pilots and it’s exploits during the end of the war. The footage from my music video earlier in the semester was from this particular show.

Stories Without Words

Giant robots from space!

The Transformers were originally brought to the US in 1984 by Hasbro, who actually united several transforming Japanese toy lines manufactured by Takara into one with the name “The Transformers.” The partnership has lasted for more than 20 years.

The Transformers are an ancient race of giant, sentient robots from the planet Cybertron. The Autobots, peaceful defenders of truth and justice led by the heroic Optimus Prime, were overthrown and virtually annihilated by the evil, power hungry Decepticons led by Megatron. The Great Cybertronian War forced the remnants of the Autobots to flee their homeworld, and the Decepticons pursued. The Autobot’s ship was shot down by Megatron, and the ships both crash landed on Earth, the Autobots landed in an ancient volcano and the Decepticons deep in the ocean. Millions of years later, the ships reactivate, and the Decepticons set about pillaging the Earth’s resources for their continued war, while the Autobots take it upon themselves to defend the population from Megatron’s ravages.

The Transformers waged this war mostly in relative secret, taking on disguises of period equipment. Autobots in largely civilian vehicles such as Optimus Prime’s famed tractor trailer or Ratchet’s ambulance, and the Decepticons as more edgy, destructive things, like Megatron’s form of a giant Walther P-38 handgun (usually fired by Starscream) or Starscream’s fighter jet transformation.

The series has been in existence in some form or other since inception. In 1986, the Transformers animated movie hit theaters. The last new episode of the original series aired in 1987 after 4 seasons, but in Japan the show ran until 1990. Many offshoots have continued the legacy, with such titles as Transformers: Beast Wars, Transformers Armada, and Transformers Animated, as well as two live action movies directed by Michael Bay.

The company World Events Productions was founded in 1982, and in 1984 brought me one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Over the last 25 years there have been four Voltron series, but the original, dubbed Lion Force Voltron, is the most popular, what I grew up on, and what every kid in town wanted on their shelves.

Voltron is a hallmark of team shows, also known as sentai in Japan. This type of show is generally a team of young people who are given super powers of some sort or other, typically through magic or technology, and work together to fight evil and protect the innocent. Often, these team members are able to combine forces if needed to form some sort of super weapon, be it a giant laser gun or an entire robot constructed from five separate ones, as is the case with Voltron.

The Voltron saga begins with five young space-faring dudes: Keith, Hunk, Pidge, Sven, and Lance. They arrive on one Planet Arus and are quickly captured by the evil King Zarkon’s forces and taken to prison on Zarkon’s home planet, Planet Doom. They escape, return to Arus, and learn of The Castle of Lions, quickly enlisting the help of the beautiful Princess Allura and her trusted advisor Coran. They are entrusted with the secret of the castle, five powerful robot lions that can combine into the super robot Voltron, which is reactivated and used to fight off Zarkon’s forces. Voltron proves rather effective, especially against Zarkon’s powerful monsters known as Robeasts, created with the assistance of his witch, Hagar. Eventually, Zarkon is driven from Arus. The rest of the series focuses on the defense of the planet following the arrival of Zarkon’s son, Prince Lotor, who is hopelessly infatuated with Allurah… go figure.

Produced by Studio Sunrise and brought to the US in 1996 by Geneon Entertainment, The Vision of Escaflowne is rather unique in the world of mecha and giant robots. This is because the mecha are powered by magic, clockwork, and steam powered hydraulics rather than advanced computer electronics.

Escaflowne is a wonderful show full of medieval style mecha action. Most of the mecha, called Guymelefs, use melee style weapons such as swords, or some form of crossbow/bow and arrow type ranged weapons. The Guymelefs are controlled directly by the user strapping him or herself into the suit-like unit. Gyroscopes, giant clockwork-like gears, and steam driven hydraulics work to translate the pilot’s motions into the movement of the mecha itself, basically a giant suit of armor. This made the Guymelef mecha seemingly the most physically demanding to pilot of all i hThe enemy empire, Zaibach, has some sort of advanced Guymelef that use technology unavailable to the kingdoms allied against it, including flamethrowers, long, retractable, claw-like metal projectiles and stealth technology.

The story follows a typical high school girl named Hitomi Kanzaki, and the series begins with her running practice times for a school track event. Suddenly, a portal opens and a giant dragon emerges, followed by a young man, later learned to be Van, the Prince of the Kingdom of Fanelia. He slays the dragon, saving Hitomi’s life, and before much more can be said, they are both whisked away by the same strange light that brought Van and the dragon. They end up on a world known as Gaia, where Van’s kingdom resides, and a great war is about to erupt. The dragon slaying was Van’s rite of passage, and his claiming of the Dragu-energyst from within the dragon’s heart, as well as a splash of Van’s own blood, allows a pact with the ancient, powerful, and very mysterious Guymelef known as Escaflowne, perhaps Fanelia’s greatest treasure. Together with Hitomi, Van travels Gaia doing battle with the evil Zaibach Empire, making many friends and enemies along the way.

Last, but certainly not least, we have the brain melting anime masterpiece Neon Genesis Evangelion.  Despite the release dates, Evangelion is said to have been conceived after Escaflowne. Produced by supreme ruler of all that is awesome, Studio GAINAX, and licensed in America by ADV Films, Evangelion, or Eva, is perhaps the greatest mindf*** in animation history.

Directed by Anno Hideaki, (who, incidentally, worked on Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, as well as the classic Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water) Evangelion is widely hailed as the best anime series of all time. Many respectfully disagree, but most all can at least acknowledge the show’s impact. (get it, Eva fans? impact?)

The story of Evangelion takes place in 2015, after an event called The Second Impact left half of the human race dead. Mysterious entities known only as Angels appear and destroy everything in sight, the only thing between mankind’s destruction and salvation being specially selected teenage pilots trained to control gigantic prototype machines known as Evangelion. The Eva units are themselves developed from research conducted on the first ever Angel, named Adam, and owned/operated by the mysterious UN sub-organization NERV.  Another twist is brought in with the Evangelion units being controlled by psychic link between the pilot and the mecha, the pilot suspended in a sort of amniotic fluid which helps with the transfer of thoughts. This comes at a cost, as all damage suffered by the Evas themselves are transferred psychically to the pilots. While no physical damage would be visible, if a unit were to lose an arm, the pilot would feel the equivalent pain of a severed limb. Also, the units are powered by an electrical umbilical cord, and only able to function for a handful of minutes once separated from the cables. Could it be!? Eco-friendly mecha!? 

Initially, the plot seems typical. An angst ridden teenage boy is forced by his estranged father to pilot a giant robot in humanities defense, thus thrusting him into a situation he neither understands nor desires. Awesome combat and emo angst/soul searching/teenaged hijynx ensue. However, as the story progresses, more characters and plot elements are introduced, the plot becomes increasingly complex, morally grey and intriguing, and the viewers begin to learn some of the shadowy history of NERV and its Evangelion units. Toward the end of the series, Evangelion descends into full on existential crisis made manifest. People blame the oddity of the end of the show on the director’s cessation of prescription medication. It has also been said that Eva was born out of depression and frustration at the apparent failure of his previous project, Nadia. Whatever the reason, and perhaps because of its incredible turn towards the bizarre, Evangelion was an incredible success and today remains a favorite of anime fans the world over.

Thus, the crash course in GIANT ROBOTS comes to an end. There are many others, with such titles as Patlabor, Martian Successor Nadesico, (which just so happens to be amazing) Vandread, Macross/Robotech, Big-O, and yes, even Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (the only cool one was the first one, don't lie to yourself). I hope you foud this page fun and informative, and feel free to leave feedback!

http://www.gigantor.org/ - Gigantor's official site

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169473/plotsummary - Mazinger Z on imdb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Nagai - wikipedia article on Go Nagai

http://www.gundamofficial.com/index2.html - Gundam's official ste

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086817/ - The Transformers "generation 1" on imdb

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/transformers_timeline_1984_present - The Transformers timeline

http://www.voltron.com/main.asp - Voltron's official site

http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,344,duumlr,vision_of_escaf.html - animeNFO.com site on escaflowne

http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,284,prlbgu,neon_genesis_ev.html - animeNFO.com site on evangelion

See also: 3D Gundam Model, Anime, Gundam Wing