UFO Robot Grendizer

UFO Robot Grendizer [UFOロボ·グレンダイザー UFO Robo Gurendaizā?, sometimes romanized as UFO Robo Grendizer] is a super robot TV anime and manga created by manga artist Go Nagai. It is the third entry in the Mazinger trilogy. It was broadcast on Japanese television from October 5, 1975, to February 27, 1977, and lasted 74 episodes. The robot's first appearance in the United States was as a part of the Shogun Warriors line of super robot toys imported in the late 1970s by Mattel, then in Jim Terry's Force Five series, both under the title Grandizer. It is still widely popular in the Middle East, and it was especially popular in France and Quebec, as well as among French speaking Canadians in the province of New Brunswick, where it was aired under the title Goldorak. In Italy, the series was as popular and known as Goldrake.

source: wikipedia

Mazinger Z

Mazinger Z [マジンガーＺ Majingā Zetto?], known briefly as Tranzor Z in the United States, is a Super Robot manga and anime series created by Go Nagai. The first manga version was serialized in Shueisha Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 to August 1973, and it later continued in Kodansha TV Magazine from October 1973 to September 1974. In December 1972, the anime version premiered on Fuji Television. The TV series ended September 1, 1974. A second manga series was released alongside the TV show, this one drawn by Gosaku Ota, which started and ended almost at the same time of the TV show.

Mazinger Z is an enormous Super Robot, constructed with a fictitious metal called Super-Alloy Z [超合金Z Chōgokin Zetto?], which is forged from a new element [Japanium] mined from a reservoir found only in the sediment of Mt. Fuji, in Japan. The mecha was built by Professor Juzo Kabuto as a secret weapon against the forces of evil, represented in the series by the Mechanical Beasts [mecha used for evil purposes] of Dr. Hell. The latter was the German member of a Japanese archeological team, which discovered ruins of a lost pre-Grecian civilization on an island named Bardos [or Birdos, although some inconsistent translations have identified the island as being the actual Greek island of Rhodes]; the civilization was loosely based on the ancient Mycenae, and was called the Mycéne Empire in the series. One of their findings was that the Mycene used an army of steel titans about 20 meters in height [compare with the Greek legend of Talos]. Finding prototypes of those titans underground which could be remote-controlled and realizing their immense power on the battlefield, Dr. Hell goes insane and has all the other scientists of his research team killed except for Professor Kabuto, who manages to escape. The lone survivor goes back to Japan and attempts to warn the world of its imminent danger. Meanwhile, Dr. Hell establishes his headquarters on a mobile island, and plans to use the Mechanical Beasts to become the new ruler of the world. To counter this, Kabuto constructs Mazinger Z and manages to finish it just before being killed by a bomb planted by Hell’s right-hand 'man', Baron Ashura, a half-man, half-woman being. As he is dying, he manages to inform his grandson Kouji Kabuto about the robot and its use. Kouji becomes the robot’s pilot, and from that point on battles both the continuous mechanical monsters, and the sinister henchmen sent by Doctor Hell in every episode.

source: wikipedia

Old Master Q

Old Master Q [Chinese: 老夫子; pinyin: Lǎo Fū Zi] is a popular Chinese manhua created by Alfonso Wong. The cartoon first appeared in the newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong in 1962, and later serialized in 1964. The comic is still in publication today.

The series features the now well-known characters such as Old Master Q and Big Potato, as well as Mr Chin, Mr Chiu and Miss Chan, in many different hilarious situations. They are usually portrayed in a variety of social statuses, professions and time periods, ranging from beggars and office workers to actors and ancient warriors, allowing a wide variety of settings and ideas. More outlandish scenarios include close encounters with aliens, ghost sightings and the afterlife.

In the context of the strips, Old Master Q, Big Potato and Mr. Chin are close friends; Mr. Chiu often play an antagonistic role toward the trio; finally, Miss Chan is often portrayed as a love interest to Old Master Q. The comic is now copyrighted by WangZ Inc, a company established by Joseph Wong Chak [Alfonso Wong's eldest son] in Taipei, Taiwan.

source: wikipedia

links: 

oldmasterq.com

omqcomics.com

menghusblog

Voltes V

Chōdenji Machine Voltes V [超電磁マシーン ボルテスＶ Chōdenji Mashīn Borutesu Faibu?, Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes Five] is a Japanese anime television series that was first aired on TV Asahi starting June 4, 1977. It was created by Saburo Yatsude (a pseudonym referring to a committee within Toei Company) and directed by Tadao Nagahama. Voltes V is the second part of the Robot Romance Trilogy of the Super Robot genre which includes Chōdenji Robo Combattler V and Tōshō Daimos. Like Combattler V, the series was animated by Sunrise and produced by Toei Company. The series was animated by Sunrise on Toei's behalf. This super robot along with the other two aforementioned super robots first appeared the USA as a part of Mattel's Shogun Warriors line of import toys, released in the late 1970s.

Voltes V narrates the heroic exploits of the young robot pilots known as The Voltes Team and their trials against alien invaders from the planet Boazan. Armed with the Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes V, the five pilots drive back the invaders one Beast Fighter at a time. The series is different from typical super robot anime of the time in that it illustrates human sentimentality and common values, with underlying themes such as the love of family, equality, selfless sacrifice, team work, and patriotism.

Voltes V is a work that has a heavy revolutionary undertone. The series ends with Voltes V's spectacular counterattack on planet Boazan to liberate the slaves from the oppression of a tyrannical ruler, Emperor Zu Zambojil. After Voltes V, Tadao Nagahama directed the TV anime version of Rose of Versailles, which leaves speculation that perhaps Voltes V was influenced by Nagahama's research on the French Revolution for his future project. The theme of enslaved population rising up to overthrow an aristocracy lend support to theory.

Voltes V's arsenal consists of variety of missiles, a bazooka, beams, and weapons such as Chōdenji Top [Similar to the Chōdenji Yo-Yo of Combattler V] and Tenkūken [天空剣 Sky Sword, "Laser Sword" in the English dub, "Excalibur" in the Italian dub]. With Tenkūken, Voltes V marks the enemy's final moments with a signature "V" slash. This established it as one of the first super robots to use a sword in its finishing attack.

Voltes V deviates from the robotic design of the Combattler V. Voltes V's plot has a more serious tone than the comedic storyline of Combattler V. Voltes V also follows a formula similar to that of Daimos.

source: wikipedia

links: many-faces-of-megumi-oka

DX Daimos

Tōshō Daimos [闘将ダイモス Tōshō Daimosu?, Brave Leader (or Fighting King or Battle Commander) Daimos] is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. Daimos is the third installment of the "Romantic Trilogy", following Chōdenji Robo Combattler V and Chōdenji Machine Voltes V. It ran from 1 April 1978 to 27 January 1979 and consisted of 44 episodes. A movie with the pivotal episodes strung together titled Starbirds was released in the US by the same company that released Tranzor Z. The name Daimos is derived from Deimos, one of the two moons of Mars. Outside of Japan, the show also aired in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Italy. In the early 1980s there was a VHS release in France, but only the first seven episodes were available. In the 1990s, the entire series was shown in Poland [although with Polish voiceover, the Italian dubbing could be heard in background].

Tadao Nagahama, who directed the series, is often miscredited as the "creator" of the trilogy. It was actually created by "Saburo Yatsude," best known to American fans as the creator of Voltron [Golion in its original Japanese].

"Saburo Yatsude" is not a real person. Similar to "Hajime Yatate", the name is a pseudonym which refers to the collective staff of Toei Co. Ltd [specifically, the main Toei division, as opposed to the animation divisio]). The series was animated by Sunrise on Toei's behalf.

The first appearance of Daimos in the United States was in the late 1970s as a part of Mattel's Shogun Warriors line of imported Super Robot toys.

source: wikipedia