Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen

Set in the near future, humanity enters another energy revolution following the discovery of Photon Power. Derived from the ore discovered under the foothills of Mt. Fuji, its intended use was to solve the world's energy problems with its unimaginable power. Seeking this energy is Dr. Hell, a madman craving world domination who with his subordinates Baron Ashura, Count Brocken and Viscount Pygman, commands an army of mechanical beasts excavated from the ruins of ancient Greece to seize the Photon Power Lab for himself. Meeting the attack head on is the hot-blooded teenager Kabuto Kouji, who pilots the Photon Powered robot built by his grandfather, Mazinger Z. But in this battle between Dr. Hell and the Kabuto family, many legends surrounding the Mycenaean Civilization and Bardos Island, as well as the secrets of Mazinger Z remain shrouded in mystery.

A new series based on the mecha show that started it all, Mazinger Z. Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen starts over from the beginning with a new cast, to tell a new story unrelated to the original show.

(Source: shin-mazinger.com)

Kabuto, Kouji Main

Akabane, Kenji Japanese

Baron Ashura Main

Yamagata, Kaori Japanese

Nishikiori, Tsubasa Main

Ichijou, Miyuki Japanese

Dr. Hell Main

Kishino, Kazuhiko Japanese

Boss Supporting

Matsuda, Kenichirou Japanese

Tsurugi, Tetsuya Supporting

Yumi, Sayaka Supporting

Honda, Youko Japanese

Count Brocken Supporting

Inaba, Minoru Japanese

Zeus Supporting

Yajima, Masaaki Japanese

Django Supporting

Aoyama, Yutaka Japanese

Imagawa, Yasuhiro Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Series Composition, Screenplay

Motoyama, Satoshi Sound Director

Motohashi, Hideyuki Episode Director, Storyboard, Mechanical Design

Saga, Satoshi Episode Director

Reviews

Oct 4, 2009

nicepants

Recommended

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 5, 2020

A_Fine_Egg

Mixed Feelings

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 28, 2024

Sp1cyCrab

Not Recommended

After Gundam and Getter Robo, I had high hopes for Mazinger Z. Impact was supposed to be a faithful adaptation of the original manga. And you know what?

Maybe Getter Robo Arc better left unfinished, than given to Go Nagai if that's how he writes his robots. There's so much exposition, so many plot twists for plot twists' sake, Impact is more about Ashura and Tsubasa than Mazinger Z and Kouji. Most Mazinger Z battles happen in the background while side characters are explaining more of the stuff that doesn't need an explanation. In Episode 3 Mazinger Z throws a single Rocket Punch and that's it.

The ... "Mazinger Z can make you either god or devil" thing is nonexistent. Kouji goes berserk after his grandpa dies and its never brought up again, just like all the civilian casualties brought by the robot fighting. The Mazinger Army is full of complete jobbers too. And then it ends on a fucking cliffhanger.

There's barely any Mazinger Z in the Mazinger Z show, same goes for Kouji. The only good part of the show is both openings by Jam Project.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Poll: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Episode 26 Discussion kurotsuki - Sep 26, 2009	45 replies	by Steve_Akers_357 »» Apr 11, 11:33 PM
	Poll: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Episode 21 Discussion dbaranyi - Aug 22, 2009	12 replies	by ChangKang6 »» Jan 2, 9:54 PM
	Poll: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Episode 15 Discussion dbaranyi - Jul 12, 2009	17 replies	by ChangKang6 »» Dec 25, 2023 1:31 AM
	Poll: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Episode 14 Discussion dbaranyi - Jul 6, 2009	11 replies	by ChangKang6 »» Dec 23, 2023 8:35 AM
	Poll: Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen Episode 3 Discussion kashim - Apr 18, 2009	26 replies	by ChangKang6 »» Nov 21, 2023 1:04 AM