by There were many experimental and ambitious works in the Showa era. Among them, “robot anime” fascinates us, Showa kids, because of the elaborate “transformation and fusion” that the production team put a lot of effort into. Its appeal has remained strong even now, and there are many cases where it is revived in modern times.
The live-action movie “Voltes V Legacy,” which was released on October 18th, is a remake in the Philippines, which is a big fan of the Japanese anime ” Voltes V ” (aired since 1977). ” Combined robot anime ” continues to fascinate Japanese people and people overseas. When I was a child, my parents would tease me by saying, “Why don’t you fight with combined robots from the beginning?” but I believed in the crazy theory of the doctor who appears in the work and decided to ignore the silly questions and enjoyed the show.
The Showa era robot combination anime is full of power, but there were some works that even fans could not help but be amazed by. This time, I will pick out some impactful combination scenes I hope young people today and overseas will know about. I want to reflect on the Showa era combination of robots that stunned many viewers.
“Blow Up Gingaizer!” An amusement park attraction that transforms and combines? “Super Combined Magic Robot Gingaizer” Speaking of vehicle-transforming robots, the most famous is “Transformers,” which first appeared as a toy in the United States in 1984. However, seven years before that, “Super Combined Magic Robot Gingaizer,” which aired 26 episodes (28 episodes if you include the ones that were not aired) 1977, transformed and combined cars and amusement park attractions.
The story is about four young people, including the protagonist Goro Shirogane, who uses a supernatural power called “paranormal magic. ” Each of them controls a robot to fight with the combined robot “Gingaizer” to protect the surface from the Sazollion Empire that has risen from the underground.
This work is already unique from the deployment scene, and the four of them going down a spiral slide is very surreal. In addition, it was impressive to see two people put their hands together and call out, “Let’s teleport!” as they “teleport” into the robot. Perhaps because the base is usually a “Magical Base” camouflaged as an amusement park, the transforming vehicles are also quite innovative.
The mecha “Grand Fighter” that Goro pilots transform the trailer “Ginga-go” that the paranormal magic troupe rides on when touring around the country. Next, the “Spin Lancer” that Santa Minami pilots transforms into the indoor attraction “Magic UFO.” The “Bulgator” that Torajiro Aranami pilots is a jumbo coaster that transforms into a robot.
The “Arrow Wing,” piloted by Michi Akitsu, is a unique robot that separates from the three robots above… in other words, the remaining parts combine to become a “support fighter,” so nothing goes to waste. Now, all the robots except the Arrow Wing are giant robots, but the “Gingaizer” of the work’s title appears when dealing the final blow to the enemy.
The combination is forcibly performed by having the other three robots “ride” on top of Goro’s Grand Fighter. From there, he spins around the giant rotating saw equipped on his right hand and defeats the enemy with a “body slam” called the extremely dangerous “Supernatural Smash!” which is an absurd move. In the 1970s, when this series aired in Japan, there was a big boom in paranormal phenomena such as the occult and UFOs. The paranormal magic troupe, teleports, and UFOs that appear in the series were all part of this trend.
