Haja Taisei Dangaiou

Wow, I'm surprised how few people have seen this anime. And of the few people who supposedly have seen it, very few have deigned to leave reviews. Unfortunately what little talk there exist of this anime happened when noisy critics were all the rage back in 2012-2018 which poisoned many minds back then. They don't appreciate how well done the setting, characters and animation of these amazing OVAs are.

They have everything that would be expected from a great anime:
- A charismatic and handsome protagonist.
- Cute girls in awesome outfit.
- Excellent animation and drawing, every frame is a work of art in these OVAs.
- The ... direction and setting is also one of the best. It reminds us of the old pulp stories.
- The story, as I say above, is related to old school pulp fiction. If you're looking for some moralistic, rambling or "intellectual" stuff here, it's best to avoid it. But if on the other hand you want the pure sense of a work of fiction that doesn't seek to "teach" you anything, but to experience for yourself what the protagonists go through, then you're in the right place.
- The music is GREAT, in fact the opening is one of the best of its time, and that's saying a lot.

I give it a 10, because besides being incredible on its own merits, anime like this are not made anymore. It's an endangered species, if not extinct already. In almost no anime, if not none at all, you will find animated robots again, nor machines in general, nowadays it would be horrible 3D and they would say that simply animating those things is too complicated and nobody does it anymore.

It's definitely a real hidden gem, that everyone who claims to be a mecha lover should watch and even if you don't really like the mecha genre, I totally recommend you to watch them. It's a really fun show and you won't be disappointed. Also, unfortunately they are quite short and there are only 3 OVAs, so it won't take you that long to watch them. A real pity, because for those of us who enjoy anime, instead of watching pretentious, soporific and unbearable rehearsals, these OVAs are unique, and there aren't many things like them. It is the epitome of the kino and energetic spirit that characterised anime before it was filled with undesirable things.

My final recommendation, make the effort to get the anime in blue-ray quality because it was definitely not made to be watched in any lower quality.

This is one of those animes you love or hate, it's from another era and is best recommended to people who are easily pleased.

Pro's
-Great voice acting
-Awesome character designs
-Great animation
-Giant robots
-The look and feel of Dangaio's world tugs at your curiosity

Cons
... -Story is weak
-Universe isn't fleshed out
-You don't really learn anything about the characters
-Dangaio art, world and characters had lots of unrealized potential

Haja Taisei Dangaiou is a relatively competent series that does little to distinguish itself. The story is uninspired and predictable with each episode exploring the characters origin. Each episode ends in a fight that is good the first time you see it, but gets old by the final episode. The characters are unique and not particularly likable. The overarching enemy is borderline incompetent and never poses any threat to the protagonists. The art and animation are what really carry the series. The fights are well animated in all but the third episode where there is a noticeable drop in quality. ... The music is also pretty good. Overall the series is enjoyable but not particularly worth watching.