Doamaiger D

What can you do when tasked to make an animation with a 2 minute runtime? Evidently, quite a bit.

Do you harken back to the older, grander days of giant robot anime? Are you fine with running episodic gags involving Japanese sweets? Do you want a simple, but complete satire story experience in the span of 26 minutes? Say no more.

Doamaiger D is a testosterone filled series of shorts that imitate the simpler, testosterone filled mecha storylines of the older days; something like Mazinger Z is a fair comparison. This is reflected in its artistry, story structure, and mecha designs. However, it does have the unique ... spin of introducing a Japanese confectionary every episode. If you're having trouble finishing a giant robot robot because it contains more episodes than there are molecules in the universe, Doamaiger D is a perfect in between short to check out.

What impresses me most about Doamaiger D is that it was able to create a conclusive storyline, from beginning to end, better than any 2 minute short anime I've ever seen, and maybe will ever see. Of course, much of it is making fun of old mecha tropes, but there's never an overreliance on doing so; it carves some of its own niche, combining running gags with some periodic one-time jokes.

Sure, the characters may be a little flat and it could get a bit repetitive, but it's the cream of the crop when it comes to anime with an absolutely blazing two minute runtime per episode. If you've watched any older mecha series, you're likely already familiar with the style present here; in this case, it's just condensed in pacing.

If you're looking for a fun play on old giant robot anime with a dessert spin, be sure to check this out.