Jaianto robo: Animeshon (1991) (V)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Yasuhiro Imagawa

Writers:

Yasuhiro Imagawa (writer)
Eiichi Yamamoto (writer)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the future, the Experts of Justice battle to protect Earth from the terrorist organization, Big Fire, with the help of a boy who is the sole controller of a colossal robot.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Martial Arts | Remake | Based On Comic | Tragedy

Cast

Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Daisaku Kusama
Sumi Shimamoto	...	Ginrei
Shôzô Îzuka	...	Tetsugyu
Kazue Komiya	...	Youshi
Norio Wakamoto	...	Taisou
Masashi Ebara	...	Professor Go
Iemasa Kayumi	...	Chief Chûjô Shizuo
Yûji Mikimoto	...	Kenji Murasame
Koichi Chiba	...	Doctor Vogler
Yôsuke Akimoto	...	Alberto
Yasuyoshi Hara	...	Ivan
Takeshi Aono	...	Issei
Shinji Ogawa	...	Genya
Michitaka Kobayashi	...	Professor Tranbo (as Nitta Shinshirô)
Shigezô Sasaoka	...	BF Agent Leader

Also Known As:

Giant Robo: The Animation (International: English title)

Runtime:

45 min (7 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Quotes:

Kenji Murasame: Heh, that Daisaku boy seems to despise me.

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Tetsujin nijûhachi-go" (1963)

Stunning, brilliant, jaw-dropping - wow.

Witness now the dawning of our tomorrow. Shining brighter than the daybreak of light is the brilliance of the Shizuma Drive. Our only reliable future of energy, which includes dependability in every home and the Earth's only answer to the waste of atomic and oil energy.

But beware, for our shining future has also cast a dark shadow of revenge - BIG FIRE, an underworld organization, who's only goal is absolute world domination!

Do not panic, for we are protected by the international police organization formed by the Experts of Justice, keeping our world safe from the evils of Big Fire. Amongst their ranks is the bravery of one boy who commands the mightiest robot of all - a young boy called Daisaku Kusama. ..

The set up and intro may sound cheesy, but it's far from it. I am shocked - nay, stunned that it took me this long to get around to watching this series. Everyone should immediately drop whatever they are doing at this moment and watch Giant Robo. It's that cool.

The more observant of the crowd might notice that GR looks a LOT like a series called Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot. Or one might dismiss it out of hand as just another "Giant Mecha fighting" series. Giant Robo is neither. It is very loosely based on that Johhny Socko - but very, very loosely, and it is SO much more than just Big Robots beating the hell out of each other.

The plot revolves around the last sample of the prototype Shizuma drive, Big Fire's efforts to obtain the sample, and the Experts of Justice's attempts to keep it out of their hands. Along the way, villains turn out to be not quite what they appear to be, good guys die, the golden egg that is the Shizuma drive isnt quite the blessing that everyone expected - basically the plot undergoes so many twists and turns, that the view ends up is nowhere near where they started. It's like Babylon 5, but animated - and better.

The animation is a cool retro look, like the animated Batman series. The music is a grand symphonic score, worthy of John Williams, the story - I cant get enough of it. It's a bit confusing when characters get introduced in waves - you cant tell 'em apart sometimes without a score card. But stick it out - this series is WELL worth the trouble.

It's a nearly all ages film - no sex or nudity, plenty of violence - but it's all cartoon-ish, and way over the top (like a Jackie Chan movie). Some swearing, but not excessively so.