Ranked #5221

Great Dangaioh

*Sigh* Great Dangaioh. The one sequel that nobody talks about, because it isn't WORTH talking about. After a rather impressive first episode, G-Dangaioh derails, going into mediocre anime tropes and a story that seems to go nowhere until the last second. Even then, with an ending that remorselessly rips off the finale of Mazinger Z VS Ankoku Daishogun, the final revelation is how much time you wasted thinking this would be a good show.

It even tries to save itself with the nostalgia factor: Mia Alice appears for one episode, the main male pilot's brother is voiced by Akira Kamiya (the VA for Roll Kuran in the original Dangaioh) and he even pilots an original Dangaioh-esque robot. However, there are some trainwrecks that can't be averted, no matter how hard you try.

The true tragedy that this exact treatment happened years later with Dancougar Nova: Take a classic anime, make a sequel that barely links back to the original, and include original voice actors as a red herring. That's right, somebody thought what G-Dangaioh did was SUCH a good idea that they flat out ripped off the format, right down to the second random rival robot. It makes one want to punch things.

It's been said that the reason Dangaioh, Part 2 never materialized was due to its creator running out of ideas. If that's the case then lightning has truly struck twice here. Dangaioh fans, avoid this like the plague that it is and track down the Dangaioh VS Iczer-1 drama CD. Because it's the closest we're ever going to get to a proper follow-up. read more

PROLOGUE
Haja-Kyosei G Dangaioh is not a plain mecha series. It mixes elements from other genres, such as harem (dorky protagonist, plenty ecchi jokes) and fighting shonen (there is always a strong, evil big brother in those). It has all the usual clichés of old mecha series (uniting mecha, classical voice activated robot attacks, alien invaders) backed up by a weird backdrop story.

ART SECTION: 6/10

General Artwork & Backgrounds 2/4: Generic alien civilization vs typical modern Japanese civilization, with a few science fiction touches for flavor. There is nothing original or too well made here. Nothing awful but yet so generic and “one of the same” that you simply don’t feel interested in paying attention.

Character Figures 1/2: Facial grimaces are great, especially during dementia scenes. The mecha designs are generally above average, with lots of details and cool appearances. Some of them are really lame to look at without laughing but in general they are quite imposing, with lots of flashy powers. Facial appearances, cloths and battle costumes are terribly typical, reminiscent of almost all sci-fi series.

Motion Fluidity & Lightning/ Visual Effects 3/4: Generally very good. The mechas move very smoothly most of the time and cause really detailed explosions (debris and multiple flare bursts are present). Battle choreographies are quite pathetic as the battles are usually nothing more than a turn-based special attack sequence.

SOUND SECTION: 6/10

Voice Acting 2/3: Average to good. Everyone talks in a very immature and yet likeable way. The good guys don’t mumble pathetic monologues about justice, love and compassion but also about personal drama, sexual innuendos and ironic remarks. The bad guys are one-dimensional megalomaniacs, as they usually are.

Music Themes & Sound Effects 4/7: Average. Expect the usual laser and explosion sound effects, accompanied by blood-boiling music themes. And as usual, the main song irritatingly repeats in all the episodes but never truly succeeds into becoming memorable.

STORY SECTION: 4/10 (spoiler alert!)

General Scenario 2/2: The series is actually a sequel to Haja Taisei Dangaiou but story continuity between them is really thin. In the story, evil scientists and aliens attack Earth (yet again!) and a mecha is made in Japan to stop them (yet again!). But things are not that simple. There is a secret human organization that wants to steal a very important secret from the heroes’ base and use it to dominate the world. And there is also a mysterious man, running around and aiding the heroes from the shadows. Adding to this a dramatic backdrop for all the main characters and you generally get a very good story for a mecha series. I consider this title to be a much simpler Neon Genesis Evagelion.

Pace of Plot & Side Stories 2/4: Although there are a dozen openings for side stories, the series is left linear. Most episodes are stand-alone missions, where the characters face some ecchi or dramatic situation before boarding their mecha and defeating some generic mecha-of-the-week in a few minutes.

Believability/Reasoning/Realism 0/2: The story is confusing as hell. Almost nothing is explained or reasoned. And the features that do get explained are more frustrating rather than convincing.

Conclusion 0/2: No conclusion. No answers are given about the dozen mysteries and side stories the scenario involves. It almost feels like the series was canceled halfway. It leaves you with a huge question mark above your head. Which is even more frustrating when you think how even the original OVA series was left incomplete.

CHARACTER SECTION: 4/10 (spoiler alert!)

Presence - Development - Catharsis 2/6: Totally generic and forgettable characters. The bad guys always die in one episode and the good guys that have a dramatic backdrop, are not developed properly, since there is no conclusion.

Personality & Backdrop 2/4: The good guys have a very vague backdrop story that makes sense if you manage to connect all the invisible dots. Nothing great, but it’s there. They try to pass as dramatic for that but the un-existing ending messes up everything.

VALUE SECTION: 3/10
Historical Value 0/3: Forgotten by everyone.
Rewatchability 1/3: Maybe just for the battles. There is no clear story or original characters to bother with.
Memorability 2/4: In combination with the prequel, it is an average title to remember.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8/10
Although confusing and incomplete, it is very enjoyable for mecha fans. The mecha battles are epic, the ecchi is not bad, the villains are ridiculously generic to bother with and the weird flashbacks will make you wander what just happened.

VERDICT: 5/10
Did they run out of money? There is no ending to this... for the second time. GUILTY!

SUGGESTION LIST
Gravion, Dancougar Nove, Gekiganger 3. Wonderful mecha tributes. read more