Giant Robo Vol. 1: The Day the Earth Stood Still

 

 

Reviewed By: Andrew Kaplan

 

DVD Media Blasters/AnimeWorks

Review based on first disk (episodes 1-2)

Rated 13-up

 

What it’s (basically) all about: In the second half of the 21st century, the clean, safe, recyclable Shizuma Drive has replaced all other forms of energy.  However, the mysterious criminal organization Big Fire plans to use this dependence as part of a plot to disrupt the entire world.  Standing against them are the Experts of Justice, including eleven year-old Daisaku Kusama, who controls Giant Robo, the most powerful robot in the world.  However, as the battle between the two forces begins, dark secrets begin to emerge that could affect the future of mankind.

 

Nitty Gritty: While stylistically reminiscent of Tetsujin 28, these first two installments of Giant Robo are much more adult and dark.  The exciting robot-vs.-robot action—all set at night--takes a back seat to the mysterious conspiracies that cloud this tale.  The back-story, revealed slowly as the story progresses, involves a disastrous accident that resulted in the destruction of an entire country, and the deaths of 2/3 of the world’s population.  The mixing of pulp science fiction elements, giant robot action (as in the 1960s live action version, Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot) and nihilistic darkness make this a series better suited for older audiences.

 

The design work—both the characters and settings—create an impression of a more innocent time.  Everything has a retro look, from the look of the cars, buildings, and Giant Robo’s technology, to the simplified, rounded look of the characters.  But both the darker color palate—reminiscent of the classic Batman: The Animated Series—and the realism with which the action is treated, undercuts this. 

 

The fights are as fantastic as an episode of Dragonball Z, but the consequences are more realistic.  When a character is punched, blood droplets spatter from their mouths, and they become more bruised and bloodied as the fight wears on.  When a character gets cut, they bleed red blood.  We see a lot of gunplay using bullets, not lasers, and when characters are shot, they bleed.

 

Extras include a gallery of character designs, and a commentary track on the first episode by two of the Japanese voice actors (which is subtitled).  Both are perfectly clean. 

 

This DVD also includes two versions of the English dub: the original, from the first US release in the 90s, and a new one for this release.  The new dub is more faithful to the Japanese script (or at least the subtitles on this release), conveys the story more clearly, and features more restrained performances.  The earlier dub also includes two instances of characters saying the word, “Shit.”

 

Trailers include:

Shura No Toki, which appears to be a samurai adventure

The Gokusen, which seems to be about some schoolboys versus their female teacher, and includes scenes of them attacking her, and being beaten bruised and bloody

Urda: The Third Reich, which appears to be a WWII adventure

Berserk, which features, in this trailer, a great deal of bloody violence

 

Survey says: This is an excellent beginning to a classic series, featuring a compelling story beautifully animated.  Highly recommended for adult collections, due to the darkness in tone and realistic depiction of violence.

 

Personal Ad: As a kid, I loved the live action giant robot/monster shows like Ultraman and Johnny Sokko, and while completely different in tone, this anime remake of the latter stirs the same feelings of excitement.  Even without the nostalgic connection, Giant Robo would still be impressive for the sheer quality of story and animation.  There are many theatrical features that don’t aspire to this level of artistry.  It’s been almost 15 years since this was first released, and it still holds up, with a sense of style and elegance that belies the fact that, at it’s heart, it’s about a giant robot that looks like it was build from cast iron and riveted together, controlled by an eleven year old boy.