May 19, 2021
I don't have a lot to say about this one, so this will be a relatively short review. Shin Mazinger Zero was pretty cool in the first half, but I had completely lost interest by the end.
After the first few chapters, this series finally feels like it settles into a regular plot. Kouji fights Dr. Hell's goons in Mazinger, Sayaka and Boss try to help, you know, the usual. However, there is a new character in the android Minerva X, and strange hints about the setting that kept me reading to learn the truth.
The authors plays with a lot of classic Mazinger villains and story
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beats in fun, metatextual ways, but it's nothing too deep. Plenty of characters from other Nagai properties make cameos which make this feel like a fun celebration of his entire body of work. The art here is really good, especially the mech illustrations. Mazinger is one BEEFY boy this time and I love it. There are a good handful of ecchi moments, and some sick pages with attack names crossing the page in huge letters.
BUT THEN, everything takes a turn for the worse, in my opinion.
Without going into too much detail, the plot basically grinds to a halt as we dive into flashback after flashback. Every chapter starts to blend into the next one, as they all consist of nearly the same elements. There are lots of tight close up shots of people yelling, with those large, page spanning letters being used for regular sentences (Thus diminishing their impact when used for attacks). Mazinger will try something new in battle and when it doesn't go as planned, they feel the need to cut to reaction shots for the entire supporting cast that haven't lifted a finger in ages. The art quality doesn't really change, but it gets stale when the artist has to draw the same subjects in roughly the same situations over and over again.
It was in this stretch of the manga that I put it down for several weeks before coming back to it. When I did, I was hoping for the chapters to start having some more variety and excite me again, but it was still more of the same through to the end.
So, who should read Shin Mazinger Zero? If you're a fan of Mazinger, I think it's at least worth checking out. The first half does have some genuinely fun stuff in it, even if you decide to drop it before the end. If you're not interested in only reading half a manga, or reading a full manga which stagnates in the second half, steer clear of this one.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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