GaoGaiGar

Ga ga ga, ga ga ga GAO GAI GAR

In some ways, GaoGaiGar can be viewed as the ultimate litmus test for the truly hopeless mecha nerd. Make no mistake: the show starts of as generic as you can get. But like so many great shows, it builds. And boy, does this motherfucker build. But in order to get to where the show truly hits it stride, you have to already be in love with the basic, generic ingredients of the super robot genre.

So let's get the basics out of the way (basic being the operative word here). GaoGaiGar's story is chiefly concerned with the exploits of GGG (the Gutsy Geoid Guard) who exist to combat the forces of Zonders, an alien force that uses "Zonder Metal" to posses human beings and turn them into crazy evil mecha. Our hero, Guy Shishioh (voiced by none other than Nobuyuki Hiyama of Legend of Zelda fame) is the pilot of GGG's combining mecha, the GaoGaiGar. Being that every kids mecha show hero needs a child side kick, the show provides us with young Mamoru Amami, an adopted child (FROM SPACE) with the power to reverse the Zonder Metal transformations.

It's all pretty standard fare from the get go. Standard fare that I completely connect with, mind you. Every anime fan has the generic show formula they totally click with. For some people, it's generic shonen fighting tropes. Or maybe it's Generic Magical Girl Show #5 Trillion. Whatever. For me, the "Hot blooded mecha pilot and his wacky friends battle to save the earth from generic space villains" formula just clicks. This is why I'd say that GaoGaiGar is not, by any means, a very accessible show, and also why I think GGG is often mis-recommended as a good introductory to mecha anime. If you're looking for a gateway drug to the super robot genre, you're better off with something short and to the point such as the recent Go Nagai OVAs. GaoGaiGar is more of a heroin for the already indoctrinated supernerds.

Therein lies the charm of GaoGaiGar, and that's that the show builds itself up so damn well. The best way to explain the build in the show overtime is that everything just gets better. Without spoiling to much, the show really kicks it into high gear around the 25 episode mark, this being the conclusion more or less to the first story arc of the series. New robots are introduced, new and more ridiculous special attacks are created, new and more gigantic villains are faced.

The show is truly excellent at selling the "burning spirits" robot anime trope, maybe more than anything else I've ever seen. Almost every character in the series is exaggerated as all hell. Everyone's hot blooded, loud, totally into whats going on. Every action has to be accompanied by dramatics shouted procedures. Everything is excessive and over the top. GaoGaiGar's main attack is a gigantic mallet that drives a gigantic spike into an enemy mecha and subsequently rips it out. Hell, the GaoGaiGar itself is made from a bullet train, a stealth jet, a DRILL TANK, and a GIANT METAL LION.

And of course, it doesn't hurt that GaoGaiGar is a damn good looking show. The Brave series shows tend to have pretty great animation, but this one takes it especially well. For a 49 episode TV series, it's surprisingly fluid. The robot designs are done by veteran mech designer Kunio Okawara. A lot of people take issue with designs as looking too plasticy, something that I think applies to the Brave series as a whole, and I personally really enjoy the designs. The voice acting is as ridiculous as you'd hope it'd be. Being able to scream crazy shit at the top of your lungs, as well as the ability to sound really really into lame speeches about BURNING SPIRTS, are the primary criteria behind getting a VA job for this show. Kouhei Tanaka's soundtrack is somewhat of a hit and miss deal. The opening (GAGAGA) and ending songs are fantastic. Some of the music during the show is as stirring and epic as you'd hope it'd be for a robot show, but a lot of it isn't. At the very least, I'd recommend you at least check out the opening theme. It rocks hard core.

GaoGaiGar takes everything that's completely great about super robot anime, and by the end of the series multiplies it by a trillion. It's crazy mecha fun that no self-respecting robot fan should ever be without. Media Blasters even has the right idea about how to release the show. They've taken a long time, and they were originally just releasing it single disc, but you can now get the whole first season for a mere 26.24 on Right Stuf. We'll have to wait till June to get it, but hey. If you've got the time to watch a 49 episode TV series, and you love super robots, this show is for you. In fact, you probably should have already seen this show. Yesterday.