Emperor Devyn (post: 1596569) wrote:What is Giant Robo about?
It is seven episodes in length and took six years to produce. I haven't been able to find an exact figure so far, but apparently the budget for these seven episodes was larger than that of some entire anime series. Watching the quality of the animation and listening to the quality of the music, you can really tell they spared no expense at creating a memorable show.
The story is pretty simple: an evil organization called Big Fire is intent on conquering the world, and the Experts of Justice are the only ones who can stop them. Each Expert has a special skill, and our main character's, Daisaku, skill is piloting the most powerful robot in the world, Giant Robo. Sounds a little tired, sure, but the series is amazing nonetheless. One thing that was sort of surprising to me, is that this really isn't a mecha show at all. There aren't a lot of robot battles. Most of the fighting occurs on the ground between the human characters. Amidst all the fighting, there is a lot of character development, and you really get to know everyone quite well, despite the short episode count. The final episode, when you see Daisaku break down into tears as he realizes how his "wish" is the mirror image of the villain's was actually pretty powerful. All around, the characters and story (despite having a straightforward plot) are very memorable. Just don't get too attached to anyone, as characters do have a tendency to die in this show.
The animation itself has a retro-futuristic look, similar to that of "The Big O," although this OAV came before that series. It is directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa. The style is quite a lot different than most anime out there, and catches you off-guard at first, but it works well and you soon learn to like it. Each episode runs about 40 minutes. The battles are beautifully drawn. The quality and fluidity of the animation itself is right up there with feature-length anime movies like something Miyazaki would create. And the fact that this was all done without any CGI whatsoever makes it all the more impressive. It began production in 1992, but you wouldn't be able to tell that it wasn't made today. The music is also incredible. Each episode has nearly 30 minutes of music that is unique from the other episodes. The other 10 (estimated, obviously) are reused opening/ending/character themes. It is all classical music, composed by Masamichi Amano, and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. The music is really powerful and integral to the show.
EVERYTHING FOR BIG FIRE!
CRUSH THEM, GIANT ROBO! Please check out "Giant Robo." If you're looking for something fun and entertaining with amazing animation, then this is for you.