Jan 17, 2023
Following immediately in the footsteps of Mazinger, Grendizer introduces the titular Duke Freed, shifting the story from an earth focused tale to something more intergalactic, and dare I say, Saiyan-like. Toriyama's inspirations aside, Grendizer has gone on to set the formula for what not only Super Robot has become, but, yes, even Real Robot. While Mazinger leans on a shock and awe style, Grendizer focuses on a deeper psychological element to the horror which puts it closer in line with a series such as Gundam, focused on war. While this series lacks the inter-human dynamics of war, it does lace it's world with many similar
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plots, and storylines albeit with dissimilar conclusions.
Despite it's similarity to other series, I would argue Grendizer stands on it's own more so than the previous Mazingers, and it's almost required reading for any serious manga fan due to the size of it's influence. Many of our favorite manga authors grew up with this in the background of the TV, and whether consciously or unconsciously, Grendizer helped pioneer a formula that we continue to evolve.
Grendizer is a series that American readers, like myself, are completely unfamiliar with, but permeates many of the popular series we have come to know. While the Arab world particularly has had insane exposure to this, possibly being one of if not their favorite anime, for most of the west Go Nagai's works have been left officially untranslated. While that is true for Grendizer and Mazinger, a few of his recent works have begun permeating in the English speaking west with official translations of Devilman and Cutie Honey. While Mazinger and Getter have yet to get their own official translations, I would highly recommend reading them as many manga and anime reuse aspects from these series.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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