Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen

Shin Mazinger Shougeki Z Hen is not the average super robot show of this generation. First and foremost, it is a tribute to the bygone days of robots. It is a high quality hot-blooded, testosterone-loaded robot slugfest which will leave you begging for more.

True Mazinger combines a number of the Mazinger universe into one brand new reboot, giving some minor characters spotlighted roles, and reducing the less interesting ones, and is loaded to the brim with tributes and references to the old series. Or so I have been told. Truth be told, this was my first entry into the Mazinger universe, and it was well ... worth the trip.

The story is a bit of an interesting beast, managing to be convoluted, while not requiring a lot of thought. Imagawa writes by season, not by episode. The threads all come together at the end, and do so with incredible flair, however this means that not everything will be resolved in an episode.

The art is a tribute to the old style, with thick outlines and strong solid colors. The character/robot designs are hardly changed from the original 70s style. This absolutely looks like a 70s anime with today's production qualities, in a good way. While I was not a big fan to begin with, the style really grew on me, so do not let this be a deterrent to watching the show.

The music is absolutely fabulous as well. Kanjite Knight is one of the best OPs of recent memory, and is used to great effect throughout the show. The background music is strong throughout as well.

True Mazinger Impact! Z Chapter is one of the most fun shows I have ever had the pleasure of watching. However, I believe it will be one of those shows which you'll either love or hate, due both to the writing and art styles. For me, this was a marvelous trip to the classic style, while remaining in today's world of shiny animation.

SIDE NOTE: In an attempt to push the streaming Bandai channel, several minutes of scenes were cut out of each of the first 15 episodes of the TV broadcasts. I recommend Gattai subs, as they have added these scenes in.

True Mazinger is a very good, thoroughly entertaining super robot show.

Pretty much, Kabuto Kouji pilots the original badass super robot, Mazinger Z. Dr. Hell and his psychotic minions are constantly waging war, they want to stop Mazinger Z and get all the various powers and technology from the good guys.

For the most part, the show is dialogue driven, with all the eccentric characters going into great detail about how they feel and why they want what they do. The plot is more explained than actually shown, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it keeps the intrigue going.

The oldschool super robot action is ... a lot of fun, pretty much our hero in his Mazinger Z whips out a few signature moves and that's all he needs for the most part. The great rockin' soundtrack helps fuel these scenes with burning passion though.

The show is very quirky, it pays homage to a lot of random Go Nagai comics that for the most part haven't been translated into English before. Lots of random nods to Go Nagai's past works, which admittedly can seem a bit out of place.

Pretty much, this show is very strong throughout, although I have to admit towards the end, after many plot twists, some of the characters motivations really didn't seem to add up.

All in all, this is a very memorable show paying tribute to the father of the genre, and I recommend checking it out. Hopefully it gets the sequel series it deserves.

Build a time machine, tune the dial to 1972, walk the streets of the Japanese suburbs, and you may hear that catchy Mazinger Z opening song blasting from a cathode-ray tube TV set. The famous opening animation introduces a swimming pool separating to allow the first super robot to be controlled by a human being to walk and save Japan. Mazinger Z is one of those influential works you have to know regardless of your interest in the mecha series.

However, one of the main criticisms of the well-loved kid show is that the protagonist is nothing like Go Nagai envisioned. Kabuto Kouji is supposed to ... be red-blooded, reckless, and be all GAR. That over-the-top insanity and dark humor Nagai created disappeared.

Imagawa Yasuhiro and his team corrected that mistake by giving birth to Shin Mazinger Z. Every small detail gives off the smell of old school super robot shows with a modern twist. Some may find the previous sentence a good description of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, a Gainax mecha show. But while that show is a good homage to the bygone days in Gainax’s special twist, Shin Mazinger Z is a true homage. The latter is more like a replica!

For example, the animation techniques and art style comes from that era: character designs and mecha designs are simple; the show looks gritty and unpolished; and, for the diehard Mazinger fans, the music from the old show gets a sweet rearrangement by Miyagawa Akira. All of these minor details, when stacked together, fool you into thinking you are watching a classic mecha anime.

But not all of those minor details will be wasted if you don’t have the classic super robot protagonists. Kabuto Kouji, as I mentioned previously, is not just a crazy virile high school student; he is one of the epitomes of GAR. Let us remember what GAR means: it’s a word that describes someone’s masculinity and that it is so overpowering it makes you want to cry like a little girl. Kouji is so reckless and absurd you have to give kudos to the guy. As the show progresses, you sympathize with the protagonist’s family troubles. The secrets that lie in the Kabuto family are complicated and no normal person can take that much pressure; Kouji can. And he’ll rocket punch and BUUUUUREEEEESTOOOO FIRREEEEEEEEE every villain in the face with his MAZINGERRRR ZETTTTOOOOO!!!

His friends and family support his reckless ventures by being badasses themselves. Nishikori Tsubasa, who first appeared not in Mazinger Z but Violent Jack, is my favorite character in Shin Mazinger Z. Supposedly the boss of the Kurogane House onsen, she actually leads a gang of superhumans. She is also the puppet-master combatting for good against the evils of Dr. Hell and his minions. Undeniably the most dynamic character, she is the unsung heroine. While Kouji might be fighting Mechanical Beasts, she is the one that oversees the safety of everyone. In her own way.

Likewise, Kabuto Juzo, the creator of the god mecha Mazinger Z, is a mad professor who is hardcore enough to ride a rocket punch and still scream in joy. His nemesis, Dr. Hell, is a creepy villain who hides in the shadows. He doesn’t appear much, but he lets a creepier monstrosity take the lead: Baron Ashura.

This is where Shin Mazinger Z shines from all the rust that pervades in most animes: a villain where you both sympathize and hate. Ashura is the main henchman but it has no gender -- no, it has two: male and female. Born from the corpses of two lovers, Ashura has two personalities, two voices, and two bodies. It is like a Frankenstein creation, something that should have never been born. Ashura is disgusting and yet, one finds it hard to not pity their tragic love story. To be revived by sharing your lover’s body is indescribable. That unfathomable horror makes the character intriguing and its personality twisted. It blames Zeus, the soul of Mazinger Z, for this disaster. Ashura leaves anyone emotionally confused. How do you hate someone who has a good reason to be a villain?

Sadly, for a show this superb, there are some glaring mistakes. While the story is a beautiful, convoluted mess, one may find it tiring to figure things through. I feel that the length is a bit too long; the Germany arc especially feels a bit stretched for my liking. The worst part about that arc is that they repeat the first scene in every episode. This is different from the other episodes’ openings because it’s the same sequence of animation. And then, there’s that SKE48 ending song. Yes, SKE48 -- the sister group for AKB48. I have no qualms against the group but it’s a huge mismatch. When you have JAM Project playing “The Guardian” in the opening, you can’t honestly think, “Hm, SKE48 might have a good song~”, right?

Of course, with all these small flaws, it still means the show is great. It’s a fun study in anime history for people interested in what the super robot subgenre has to offer. One step into the series and you shall be immersed in the Mazinger franchise. There’s no need to use that time machine anymore; you can sell it off on eBay for a copy of this DVD. It’s worth it.

Mazinger is an incredibly well-known mecha series by legendary creator Go Nagai. His uniquely gritty storytelling was very popular, and so Mazinger Z was one of the many Go Nagai stories to enter the annals of anime icons. This is a reboot of the series, and I personally feel that while it has moments of being enjoyable, it has a lot of problems that need to be discussed. That being said, let's begin the review.

STORY --- 6/10
Shin Mazinger Z's form of storytelling can be confusing at times, especially at the beginning. The first episode of Shin Mazinger Z is one that reveals a lot of ... things about the story and its climax, but then we return to the second episode to restart the series anew, and there's many moments of flashbacks and even a segment where the main characters are living inside of one big flashback, which could further confuse people. It's strange and confusing at times, and not a style I much prefer.

Also, Mazinger Z has moments of classic Go Nagai darkness that we never really see brought up again. In the first few episodes, we have our protagonist screaming in despair over something that we don't really see people react to in most mecha shows, and it really shows a unique perspective. However, once that moment passes, we never really see it brought up again, which can be somewhat disappointing when we see these characters in scenarios that brought them to that original scenario happening again.

That being said, the story is tonally very unique. It has that Go Nagai brand of dark tones mixed with comedic moments, and it can be quite compelling at times. However, near the end it felt to me like they were trying so very hard to throw all kinds of exciting twists and turns at you when, in all honesty, the sudden changes and confusing character alliances can just make you feel lost and disillusioned to the plot.

ART --- 6/10
The animation is nothing special, unfortunately. Movements can be pretty choppy, and there's not really many shots that I would see as things that could inspire awe in a viewer, or get them excited. Many things are presented pretty plainly, which sort of lowers the excitement of the viewer during the combat scenes. That being said, I will give it a point above average for being Go Nagai's art style - I love the use of exaggerated proportions and cartoony designs to explore mature themes, enter dark stories, and star in large-scale action stories. It's a unique and interesting dynamic that keeps the show's look fun and enjoyable, even if the animation can drop the ball.

SOUND --- 7/10
Every seiyuu seems to care about their work, here. Akabane Kenji's intensity as the protagonist, Kabuto Koji, is pretty great. If the animation were of better quality, I'd feel like I'd want to say "ROCKET PUUUUNCH" or "BREAST FIIIIRE" alongside him just because of how good his voice acting can be sometimes. It also has a decent soundtrack, with two great OPs and passable EDs. However, one problem it has is sometimes the songs picked for certain scenes can have very unfitting backing tracks. One song in particular has a very intense tone to it, but it also has a relatively goofy segment in it, so when it's being played in the last episode during a fight against (who would have guessed) a giant robot, it sorta sucks away some of the tension when a goofy bit of music begins playing during a serious scene.

CHARACTER --- 7/10
I adore the character designs of Go Nagai, but what can also be fun is their personalities. Kabuto Koji is one of, if not the first ever, mecha protagonist. However, instead of being some goody two-shoes or caring about everyone around him, Koji has moments of him honestly being mean, rude, or violent. Koji is a street punk who will beat up anyone who makes fun of his grandpa. He'll push people around to get his way. It's very interesting, especially watching him grow into a more sensitive and mature person as the story goes on. However, during the last few episodes, something happens that really drops the ball in terms of Koji's character growth and it's quite a pain.

On the opposite side of Koji, Baron Ashura is another standout character. Ashura has a lot of great moments that I really enjoy - they've got an interesting dynamic, a dark backstory that reveals their loyalty, and some interesting personal conflicts that happen during the course of the series. However, besides those two, I don't really like any of the other characters. They can be generic at best and annoying at worst.

ENJOYMENT --- 6/10

I have problems with the pacing, animation, and some of the characters of Shin Mazinger Z. It really sucked me out of the setting every once in a while when five or six twists are piled up on top of each other in span of ten minutes, or when Koji is shown to fight and defeat giant robots without any introduction or fanfare while having intense fights with other giant robots just an episode before, or an episode later. However, the characters can be fun to watch and the robots at least look cool. The soundtrack also has quite a few good tracks, so I'm willing to sit through some of the more dull moments for the great swelling moments like that, even if their animation can be lackluster.

OVERALL --- 6/10

While not exactly fun to watch for the most part, Shin Mazinger Z is a new take on a Go Nagai classic that really hammers home the sort of dark tones that works like Devilman are famous for, which can make it interesting at times. However, it has a lot of problems and can be somewhat confusing to follow. I wouldn't tell you to go running to any service to watch Shin Mazinger Z, but if you're a huge mecha fan, this series in particular is something that you will have to tackle eventually.

Sprawling yet stubbornly esoteric, Shin Mazinger is an exercise in delaying gratification. This reboot of Go Nagai's Mazinger Z was headed by Yasuhiro Imagawa of Giant Robo fame, and his talent for restraint is in full force here: the show lets loose with explosive combat only when absolutely necessary, and the characters are shrouded in backstory that is clumsily dumped upon the viewer when the plot demands it. While I may scorn Shin Mazinger for its amateurish storytelling, there is no denying that it is filled with love from a true admirer of Go Nagai: his whole body of work is included in one form ... or another, be it references or entire characters recontextualized to fit Shin Mazinger’s world. Many cringe upon hearing the word “reboot”, but I feel that doing so for this show is to wrongfully dismiss it: Imagawa’s new vision of Mazinger is supplemented by a multitude of plot twists and raunchy humor, making it a not so distant cousin of Nagai’s other work - Devilman comes to mind, funnily enough.

To address the show’s presentation, the animation wavers between suitable and good - nothing struck me as particularly great, with the exception of an action sequence near the end of the show, and most of that was due to an excellent application of sound and editing. It feels slightly odd to draw attention to something as nebulously large as ‘editing’, but Shin Mazinger’s must be commended for consistently bringing great excitement to the table almost every episode. The sound design is definitely on-par with Mazinkaiser’s, with the new seiyuus bringing vigor to the classic Mazinger characters - and those that voice the newcomers are no slouches either!

Speaking of the characters: new and old, they are all handled with care and entertaining all around. The crossover characters don’t feel out of place, and work organically with the original Mazinger cast, bringing levity and drama when needed. The only major problem with the characters is that many are intrinsically tied to the show’s sloppy flashbacks: at many times I felt that characters were simply exposition machines, outlining events that happened decades ago within the show’s universe. The concept “Show don’t tell” must have been shot dead in an alley before the production started, because it truly feels like Imagawa is insistent on telling Shin Mazinger’s story ineptly as humanly possible: it’s not even a bad plot, it’s just that the mode of communication is infinitely bland.

Shin Mazinger is worth your time if you’re big into Mazinger/Nagai and want more - it’s a fun ride that just has a few too many bumps to be considered exceptional.

This is how ya do a animation reboot of a classic super robot anime , this got every , references to other Nagai works , references towards future Mazinger titles , and of course it's well remixes of the Z Mazinger manga by Go Nagai , Pros the animation, characters , and of course the Robots in this is the best part , Cons the show got canceled is the ending is very much a downer ending for a canceled Shin Great Mazinger anime , shame shame , read the Shin Mazinger Zero manga its not the same , but its still ... a great , Mazinger manga , I don't like the direction of the ending , but I see why they did it