Giant Gorg

Austral Island is located 2,000 km south from Samoa islands. The existence of the island was removed from the official records, and Tagami Yuu made a journey to search for the reason.

He sailed for the island with Dr. Waive who was his father's friend, Doris who is the daughter of Dr. Waive, and Captain who is the friend of Dr. Waive. On their way to the island, GAIL, the international conglomerate, and gangster, Cougar Connection lead by Lady Lynx attacked them.

They managed to arrive at the island, but suddenly a mysterious monster began to attack them. When they became ready for death, a blue giant robot appeared. It destroyed the monster and saved them. Although it was an existence far beyond human knowledge, it reminded Yuu of something warm and familiar.

It was Giant Gorg which is called "Messenger of the God" by the inhabitants of the island. Escaping from the attack of GAIL's assault team, Gorg guided Yuu into the underworld. There, he found alien's relic and an alien who woke up after 30,000 years' sleep.

(Source: AnimeNfo)

Wave, Doris Main

Amemiya, Kazumi Japanese

Captain Main

Imanishi, Masao Japanese

Tagami, Yuu Main

Tanaka, Mayumi Japanese

Wave, Tom Main

Yamada, Keaton Japanese

Jeff Supporting

Senda, Mitsuo Japanese

Balboa, Rod Supporting

Ikeda, Shuuichi Japanese

Manon Supporting

Boehm Supporting

Totani, Kouji Japanese

O'Donnel Supporting

Gouri, Daisuke Japanese

Sarah Supporting

Sasaki, Yuuko Japanese

Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu Director, Storyboard, Character Design, Animation Director, Original Creator

Hamatsu, Mamoru Episode Director, Storyboard

Kashima, Norio Episode Director, Storyboard

Kikuchi, Kazuhito Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Sep 28, 2021

RetroAnimeMike

Recommended

I don't really have anything to add as a review, the previous two reviewers summed up most things pretty well, just a couple of things. This is a kids show, but a Japanese one, meaning there is blood, there is death, and there is no "political correctness". I myself was surprised at how stunned I was to see these, so ingrained is the notion of the harmless inoffensive kids show in western society. Not that these are of such importance to the show, they are not, it simply is something the previous reviews didn't address. In the end, all you need to know is that ... this is a really good 80s real robot show with a versatile cast of well rounded characters who are on a dynamic adventure from start to finish. You might find it interesting to view the show as a commentary on power politics and corporate power in the late Cold War era, but you can just watch the show for the mecha adventure, it won't get you bogged down in highbrow politicking. And simply I must stress the overall quality of the show, the writing, the animation, the characters - chances are you will enjoy this show.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Oct 3, 2019

MisterGibbon

Recommended

Giant Gorg is a rather rare kind of anime even by retro standards - one of perhaps very few anime that would classify as pure "adventure". Being made in the early eighties, it gives off the kind of charm you'd expect in a Steven Spielberg sci-fi film from those times - a hair-raisingly perilous journey undertaken in search of something unknown, something wondrous, all the while being chased by nefarious baddies with vested interests. While the setup itself may not sound especially original, what the show really has going for it is its consistent degree of physical realism and attention to detail. Its taut and ... sure-handed pacing also lends it the feel of an extended movie rather than a multi-episode anime, imparting it with a certain wide-eyed immersion that you don't often come across in the medium these days.

After Dr. Tagami, a researcher studying mysterious relics in the Austral Islands, somewhere in the remote South Pacific, dies under suspicious circumstances, his son Yuu travels to New York City to meet with Dr. Wave, a colleague of his father's, as per his last wishes as expressed in a letter to Yuu. Almost immediately, they run into hired goons who want to do them all in (Yuu, Dr. Wave, his sister Doris and Argos, their ferocious and trusty Great Dane) and cover it all up as a construction-related accident. These men are hired by GAIL, a seemingly all-powerful megalocorporation which holds most world leaders in its pocket, including the US and the (then-existing) USSR. Its power is such that it is able to secure the cooperation of pretty much all the major world powers in keeping the very existence of the Austral Islands a complete secret from the general public. Fearing for their lives, Dr. Wave contacts a man known only as the "Captain" - a former military veteran and mercenary-for-hire - who agrees to bodyguard them and smuggle them into the Austral islands under GAIL's nose. GAIL, as it so happens, have interests there that are deemed important enough that its chief executive Rick Balboa entrusts no one except his own grandson, Rod, to take over operations on the islands, to which of course he travels in a supersonic private plane.

Now the thing you need to know about this anime is that it kicks off into high gear right from the get-go: the setup I described above takes barely 2 or 3 episodes to get established, and before you even know it you're pushed right into the heart of the adventure. And it's here that the show absolutely excels: it involves you in the nitty-gritty of the action, engaging you in the team's logistical hurdles of getting past a powerful and well-connected cartel, only to head straight into the perilous unknown where they have an even more overwhelming presence. Even in the Austral Islands, where GAIL's scale of operations is quite simply staggering, the show manages to pull off a convincing job of creating realistic odds and plausible circumstances for a small group of unlikely adventurers to survive and elude a group of ludicrously well-armed and professionally well-co-ordinated adversaries. It is not simply the case that they are able to do so by a string of favourable coincidences - in fact, there are times where even small mistakes set them back significantly. Rather, they are shown to survive through the use of seasoned tactics, as well as extensive inside knowledge of the island's geography to their advantage.

Which now brings me to the characters. Some of them might feel pretty "stock": the pure-hearted and intrepid young lead, the obligatory female lead of similar age to the male lead, the nerve-wracked scatterbrained scientist constantly complaining about his lot, the sprightly sidekick ever in rivalry with the lead, and of course the level-headed and street-wise veteran without whose sure-handed competence our heroes wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of surviving. Once again, they distinguish themselves not in their originality but in their consistency and realism: none of them act unrealistically for the circumstances they're put into, or veer off-character for sake of plot convenience, and that applies right down to the minor lackeys. That being said, some are fleshed out in noticeably greater detail than others, sometimes having hidden sides to them. The Captain in particular stands out - this captain be no Haddock, rest you assured. A weather-beaten hulk of a man, he is shown to be unflappable and calculating even in a pinch, and cannily wily in his tactics. What really stood out for me was how believable it felt even when he single-handedly took down multiple enemies, including in hand-to-hand combat - he looks and feels like someone who could actually pull off something like that in the real world.

The antagonists on the other hand, are surprisingly refreshing in their originality, and the way they play off each other feels believable and engaging. The standout among them is Rod Balboa - especially as voiced by Ikeda Shuuichi, the iconic voice of Char Aznable from the Gundam franchise. I can't imagine another voice actor who could have pulled off the role in his place, honestly. Yet another millionaire playboy at first glance - impetuous, hot-tempered and reckless at times - he displays unexpected sides to himself over the course of the show. His brattish exterior belies a keen intelligence - a quick grasp of and adaptability to any situation he's put into - which is one of the reasons his grandfather personally entrusted the project to him. He also has his pride as an individual, as opposed to an heir - when Yuu angrily calls him a murderer, he menacingly growls back at him, "I had nothing to do with your father's death - peg me together with those corporate pawn-pushers again and the kid gloves are off, you understand..?" This pride comes into play later on in the show, when key developments alter the stakes dramatically against his favour. Another notable mention is one Lady Lynx, a mob boss with her own hidden past, and an axe to grind against GAIL.

And finally, there's Gorg itself - more Giant than Robot, more Godzilla than Gundam. It doesn't appear until well into a third of the show, by which time you have all but forgotten about it - which makes for great effect when it finally does make its entrance. In fact, part of me didn't even want to remind you of its existence even at this point so I wouldn't ruin the experience for you. It's a truly awe-inspiring presence, with its imposing size and overwhelming power - something ironically rare to find in a medium littered with giant fighting robots. There's more to Gorg than brute strength, though - it has some wicked physical talent, as well as sound tactical intelligence and situational awareness to complement the Captain's manoeuvres aboard the military vehicle they commandeered earlier on. It also has an agenda of its own - where it ultimately leads them makes for the show's turning point.

There is a reason I bring this up, because it is at this point that things do turn a tad bit cheesy - and here too, not unlike in a classic Spielberg mold. I must note however, that it's nevertheless a fairly restrained affair by the standards of similar fare, and despite feeling a little overwrought at times it never at any point feels out of place in the context of the plot developments. Another thing to note here is that despite the screaming voice of unabashed idealism literally ringing through your ears at this point, the show doesn't descend into cliched tropes even from this point on: even as the plot reaches its climax, the stakes feel as uncertain as ever, which is precisely what gives it a level of tension you wouldn't usually expect to find in a show like this.

Final words: I honestly didn't expect to enjoy a show like Giant Gorg quite as much as I did, jaded as I've grown over the years. While not the most original in its premise, it does stand out as a modest but solidly put-together work moreso than anything else. Aspiring to be no more than a low-key adventure story at the end of the day with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure, its appeal is fairly understated.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Mar 17, 2025

Miggzy64

Mixed Feelings

Spoiler

Giant Gorg is a really sweet adventure/ mecha anime from 1984 that feels like it could be from '75, and I mean that in a good way. It's just a show about a boy (Yuu) and his big robot (Gorg) traversing an exotic island while being chased by some paramilitary dudes. Interestingly, the titular Gorg doesn't even make an appearance until episode 3? 4? It's kinda funny.

There are some moments of great animation, and the score is really solid. I agree with the Spielberg comment from another user. The core cast includes some fun and memorable characters, but eventually the party balloons to such ... great size that many secondary characters get sidelined in the final third of the show. They'll appear in scenes and not have anything to say or any way to influence the plot. If the show were longer they might have more characterization to inform how I should feel about them but 26 is just the right length for something like this, I think.

So I like the premise and episodic chase sequences and environmental traversal scenes. That's all choreographed nicely, maintaining a good pace and tension. The show is generally very grounded for being about a sentient robot, which gives the twists and turns a real sense of danger. Everything in the show is lushly colored, and Yas's characters alongside Nagano's mechs are a winning combo for me. There's also an overarching plot, of course, it's mecha from the 80s. It's fine for most of the show! Our leads are learning about the island and Gorg, GAIL (the bad guys) are trying to catch them, as well as solve the mysteries on a parallel trajectory. There's also some infighting with GAIL and the other mercenary groups. It's cool!

*SPOILERS FROM HERE*

Then we get the alien stuff. I love alien stuff, I love when they do the Zentraedi voice filter, I love when there's a grey-green guy, and I love when an anime character gets chucked in the 2001 infinity room of the mind. Unfortunately, Gorg doesn't do a fantastic job of expanding beyond the elements that I like. Yeah aliens are sleeping in the Earth whatever. I don't know, this aspect just doesn't mesh with everything else going on in the show. It's almost like the GAIL crew never acknowledges that they're dealing with aliens, despite getting decimated by them at one point? It matters that they fight at one point, but after the two plots intersect they diverge again and don't reconnect satisfyingly at the end of the show.

Like a lot of Yas's work, it's a great pulp adventure that fails to come together to say something bigger than the sum of its parts at the end. It's a cold war story about how...
We'll keep fighting each other unless an outside force helps us focus on a common enemy?
Or maybe that we just need to wait for humans to figure peace out but there's nothing we can do right now?
Community and friendship are great but they won't save you from the bomb?
(also Yuu is special because of his bloodline. Yuck.)

Most of the theming I can come up with is much more cynical than the show feels, moment to moment. It's too bad it lands like this because it's really a joy to watch until like episode 20ish. Then it does a bunch of politics and mythology all at once, but I'm really not sure what it's trying to say with all of it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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	Poll: Kyoshin Gorg Episode 26 Discussion Fronzel - Apr 16, 2014	10 replies	by SlammyHammy »» Feb 17, 2024 2:40 PM
	Poll: Kyoshin Gorg Episode 1 Discussion Bubcus93 - May 31, 2014	5 replies	by walla »» Jan 20, 2024 1:00 PM
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