Yuusha-Ou GaoGaiGar

GaoGaiGar is the kind of show that makes you want to climb out of your bed on Saturday mornings and plop down in front of your PC or TV with a bowl of cereal. It's nostalgic in a lot of ways, but brings a lot of new things to the table. While it could easily be classified as a typical "monster of the week' show, with gimmicky enemies, moral lessons (in the first episode, you almost expect to be lectured about recycling) and clever plans by the good guys ending in an explosive finishing move, it manages to break from the formula at the halfway ... point, and delve into serious territory. And by serious, I mean awesome. Like the newest gartastic super robot hit, Gurren Lagann, GGG grows from what you'd expect to see in a series with cyborgs and talking, transforming robots (giant toy ads) into something...epic-- and I use this word very deliberately.

The over-the-top characters play a big part in this. Guy Shishio is a badass without even trying. He's a man's man, who'll never give up, no matter how difficult the odds. While this kind of character is a staple for super robot shows, Guy takes hot-blooded to new levels with his ridiculous screaming, speeches, and Zonder-breaking. He's a static character, but he's so likable that you don't really mind. I don't usually faun over voice actors, but Nobuyuki Hiyama (you'll know him as Viral from TTGL and Link from the Zelda games) does an excellent job. His yells and dramatic speeches have real weight behind them-they'll blow you away. Guy's English voice, Michael Sinterhisnameistoocomplicatedtospell does a very commendable job filling out Guy's shoes-I'd send him a bottle of throat spray if I could.

The rest of the human characters are relatively stock as well, but none of them are forgettable-especially Taiga, the Commander of the Gutsy Geroid Guard's Japanese branch. You owe it to yourself to watch this show, if only to see his dramatic pointing. Really, that guy can point. Despite the male-oriented nature of the show, there are plenty of strong female characters who play their part in the GGG epic, and aren't just fanservice, either. Guy's girlfriend and technical support also plays a role that you won't expect. One of the few characters that gets some decent development is the magical boy protagonist Mamoru-a refugee from an alien civilization that is the key to victory on more than one occasion. I can hear you groaning already, but trust me-you'll learn to love him more than you ever thought you would.

Like Transformers before it, the robot members of the GGG (you're going to see that letter a lot, so get used to it) are characters as well. They're sentient, and have distinct (and cheesy) personalities, from the ninja police car intelligence agent Volfogg (yes, this is an amazing combination, and unlike vodka and soy milk, it will not give you a headache) to the American-made rock-and-roll bard-class bot Mic Sounders XIII. Even though they're stock characters and, well, robots, you end up feeling for them.

The titular robot, while not sentient itself (or is it), has a character all its own. In the beginning of the show, GaoGaiGar moves like a creaky, slapped together bucket of bolts-it's been hastily built to defend the earth from the approaching threat from space, and it shows. The signature combination sequence barely works, and the finishing move, Hell and Heaven, damages GaoGaiGar and is slowly killing its pilot. Even until the end, GaoGaiGar cannot handily defeat any enemy without the help of the other members of the team, and the clever way the writers find a way for it to win despite its limitations serve as a handy way to break up the monotony that usually plagues shows like this.

The silly-looking design aesthetic that permeates GGG (the robot) and the show doesn't detract from how brutal it can be. GaoGaiGar breaks its enemies in the most literal fashion every episode. Even with the over-the-top antics, the show separates itself from other super robot shows, and the other Yuusha/Brave series by grounding it with a sense of plausibility and strict continuity that you don't see in a lot of anime. One look at the gorgeously animated stock transformation sequence is proof of the ridiculous attention to detail in GaoGaiGar. While most super robots are known for their "unpossible" transformations, GaoGaiGar is covered in tiny vents, treads, panels and blinking lights that you'll only catch for a glimpse. Even the inside was completely drawn out in the concept art, and you can see the mechanical designs (even for a pink VW van!), along with fictional specifications in the eyecatches. All of this comes to a frothy, delicious head with the few plot twists and "keys to victory" scattered through the series. When you see some of them, you'll gasp, and want to go back and look for them in every episode. It gets even more ridiculous when a seemingly useless and innocuous prop becomes the key to victory in the spectacular OVA GaoGaiGar Final! (Seriously, you'll shit a brick.)

The music is nothing short of a triumph. There's an amazing leitmotif going throughout, from the "Final Fusion" gattai scene to the GGG's theme, and of course, Mic Sounder's amazing power up songs. You'll be humming them on the way to work or school.

All of the pieces of the show coalesce into something both familiar and wonderful. You know a series is worth watching when you wonder what you ever did before you'd seen it, and GGG is one of the rare anime titles that I'd put up on that lofty pedestal. It's a true labor of love, filled with fanservice for every stripe. Like the show itself, the message of courage and perseverance might seem cheesy at first, but it not only grows on you, but envelops you, in a way that few other shows can.

It's must see for super robot fans, and I'd encourage everyone to buy the DVDs. If you know me well, you know that I don't like paying for anime. Fuck Luffy, I'm the true Pirate King. If you see an anime DVD on my shelf, then you know I think it's not only worth the money, but one worth celebrating. It's probably the highest praise I can give any series.

Any effort this grand deserves to be compensated for. I highly recommend it.

King of the Braves GaoGaiGar most definitely earns its title of King. This show is everything right with a super robot anime. GaoGaiGar has a fun story, colorful cast of humans and robots and it's loud, blood boiling, in-your-face action that makes you want to yell attack names along with the show. So with all that said, lets get to review. FINAL FUSION, APPROVED.

Story 9/10
The story is a basic Super Robot anime. It revolves around the members of Gusty Geoid Guard, Or GGG for short, as they deal with attacks from the Zonders, who are an alien machine race. The first 25 episodes are pretty ... standard monster of week, which mostly serve as a way to slowly introduce new characters and weapons for GGG. Please be aware that this show was meant to sell toys. After that though, the series begins to grow and the real plot begins to unfold, and that is where it really shines.

Art 10/10
The Art is very well done for a show done in the late 90's. It has well defined lines and bright vivid colors which create very crisp visuals. Everything in this show has its own identity and nothing blurs together.

Sound 10/10
Oh, this is what makes a super robot go from good to fantastic. GaoGaiGar has some of the best sounds and OST in any anime I have watched; and I have heard stuff from aldnoah.zero and Attack On Titan. Every sound from Golion's roar to the G stone charging up is uniquely its own. I especially liked the sound they use for the machine noises when robots are combining. GaoGiaGar also has a great OST. Evey character has his or her theme song to go with them; the most memorable being GaoGaiGar Final Fusion theme. The voice work in GaoGaiGar is top notch with Hiyama Nobuyuki voicing Guy. I just loved hearing him yell out, "HIKARI NI NARA!!"

Characters 10/10
With every Super Robot anime the selling point is the robots and GaoGaiGar delivers it in tenfolds. The hero of this story is a cyborg named Guy who is a man's man boiling to the brim with courage and bravery who is also a symbol of hope to everyone else. Guy is also accompanied by fellow brave robots, the twin rescue brothers HyoRyu, who claim collective and his hothead brother EnRyu who is a shoot first ask questions kind of person. There is also the Ninja Police Intelligence Officer Volfogg. On the human side the most predominate would be Mamoru. Hes a kid with the unlikely ability to purify the Zondar cores. There are many more but you get the idea, its a colorful cast of robots and people that you can't help but love.

Overall, I really did enjoy GaoGaiGar. It delivers on everything that a Super Robot Show should. Yeah, there are faults. Namely, it takes time to build up to its main plot point. If you can't stand monster of the week formula, it probably won't do much for you, but if you enjoy over-the-top crazy robot fights with yelling and more courage than you can handle, this is the show for you.
Gutsy Geoid Guard, Mobilize!
10/10

I went into GaoGaiGar with extremely hign expectations. This series is praised nonstop for being the greatest super robot show ever made. I constantly heard that the series had some of the manliest characters, coolest mecha and one best endings in all of super robot anime.

[STORY]
When I first began to watch the show I was pretty dissapointed. The early episodes of this series aren't exactly bad, but they sure are mediocore. The biggest problem in GaoGaiGar is the pacing. The first 25 episodes are barely worth watching, they're meant to introduce the cast characters I'm sure, but story wise not much happens. Its really formuliac ... stuff, kinda like you'd expect out of a 70's super robot show. Each episode follows the same grind of a monster appearing, GaoGaiGar swoops in to save the day and uses a new move.

I wouldn't blame anyone for missing out these episodes all together. You won't miss anything, and after episode 25 the story becomes much more fast paced and interesing. Still, the series never quite shakes this monster of the week formula, and if that isn't your thing GaoGaiGar probably isn't for you, unless you have a whole lot of dedication.

[ART]
I was initially put off by the designs in this series. The character designs are very basic, especially the many annoying kid characters, who all look like they've stumbled into the wrong show. The mecha designs are something you'll either love or hate. Their done by Kunio Okawara, who's well known for doing the designs for most of the Brave series. His designs aren't anything new, very blocky, and have more of a resemblence to Transformers than the works of Go Nagai like most SR shows have. The titular GaoGaiGar has a nice design, but the rest, especially the villains, were a bit basic for my tastes.

The animation itself isn't terrible, the best of it ussually saved for those truly epic scenes every now and then, but there is an overeliance of re-used animation. Towards the end of the series I was becoming really bored of seeing the same damn attacks over and over again! I realise that this is common in mecha, but there have been plenty of SR shows which didn't rely on stock footage nearly as heavily as this series.

[SOUND]
They're isn't much to write home about in this department. The OP itself is brilliant, but other than that it was pretty bland. Still I can't say anything harmed my senses.

[CHARACTER]
The biggest annoyance in this categorie were the child characters. They were supposed to be cute, but Mamoru and his friends often come off as more annoying than that. By the end of the series these characters do mature a bit, but they still got way too much screentime throughout the series.

The rest of the cast was pretty mixed. The protaganists are nothing you wouldn't expect out of a super robot series, and neither are the villains. I only wish they'd spent more time fleshing out some of the more interesting members of GGG, rather than just Guy and Mamoru all the time. Towards the end of the series I found myself appreciating some of the characters more, but over all it was a pretty bland cast.

[OVERALL]
Obviously, I went into GaoGaiGar with high expectations and was dissapointed. Its not the worst Super Robot show, but its by no means the best. There are moments greatness in this series. The last ten episodes especially are filled with everything I could want out of a series like this, tension, outlandish battles, manly speaches and heroic sacrafice.

But that doesn't make up for the huge amounts of filler in this show, and the blandness of some of the characters and mecha. Its a fairly enjoyable series, worthy of its place in the super robot pantheon, just be sure to realise that it might not be worth ALL the praise it gets.

The best way to watch this show is in small chunks, on a saturday morning, turning your brain off and just enjoying the many manly screams of
"FINAL FUSION!"

I bet you can't name too many other entries in the Brave franchise, of which GGG is a part. (Others include Might Gaine, J-Decker and Fighbird, if you're interested.)

But even so, the King of Braves has achieved almost cult status - getting riffed on in Gun X Sword, featured in multiple Super Robot Wars games and so on. And with good reason. It's a brilliantly fun show that's more than the sum of its parts.

Sure the first 20 or so episodes are so-so formulaic super robot fare which could easily be any other show from the 70s onwards, but that's part of the charm in ... my opinion. The characters are slight but fun - you've got a spread of kids from the comedy rich girl and rich boy to the cute damsel in distress and the fat one. You've got the heroic super robot team with an all action hero, a mad scientist, a hot girl, and the President. You've got your support robots of varying degrees of usefulness.

And you've got the main characters, Guy and Mamoru. They're good fun, get some good plot development by the second half of the show and ultimately get their happy ending.

The enemies are well-designed and inventive, with ordinary household objects and industrial equipment transformed into hideous, insane cybernetic monstrosities via a method that could make a good horror movie or Dr Who plot. How many shows have their heroes fighting the LHC one week, a space shuttle in another and a steam train in another, ending up in an epic battle against a cyborg ballerina and a Cthulhu-esque mountain of living metal? It sure beats some of the more uninspired designs featured in Go Nagai or Nagahama shows (while Voltes V and Daimos are good for their own reasons, it's not monster design.)

However, it's after the midpoint of the show that it really kicks off and the ante is upped. A standard mid-season upgrade reveal is handled well and in an exciting way, and the action gets ever-crazier right up to the climactic battle in space.

Stick with GGG if you're flagging after the umpteenth one-use gimmick weapon (seriously, the Pliers were awful, even I'll admit that) or kid-focussed episode. Remember it was originally shown weekly - try watching it that way rather than marathoning it. Get some high-sugar soft drinks, regress to childhood and sing along with the OP - it might make it more enjoyable, I don't know. Once it finds its stride it's an exciting action adventure show with some brilliantly excessive mechs.

Also look out for the, of all things, cameo from Scirocco's ship. It is in there.

GaoGaiGar is absolutely awesome!

It is one the best animes ever. It has one of the best intros ever.
It's got a unique style and designs. And it's really fun and well written.
It does things other animes don't. It is always surprising.

It makes you feel happy watching it. And you always care about the characters.

They are all straightforward, enthusiastic, characters. They all do what they are meant to. And if it's a happy thing, they look happy to do it.

... Cyborg Guy/Guy Shishio is very enthusiastic, brave and heroic. He is a handsome, likable, lead. Willing to fight to the death to protect people.

The female and male characters are all treated equally. And are all equally good and proffessional.

They always get straight to the fight, or the action. They all act very sensibely and professionally.

The robot GaoGaiGar is awesome. Awesome weapons.
And the robots in the show are all awesome. Volfogg is especially awesome and badass.

But just because it bright and enthusiastic, does'nt mean it does'nt get dark.
When it goes dark and sad, it goes for it. It has some truely surprising things in it.

This anime will put you off space. I hate space. And what happens to Guy Shishioh to make him Cyborg Guy is enough to put me off space even more.

The fights are all very logical and like a real fight would go. With lots of smashing, hitting, tearing, destroying, and improvisation. Brutal fights.

It never springs stuff out of the blue. Things are gradually and well written, gradually introduced, and the result is surprising, despite them working up to it.

It has some unusal things. Like descriptions for the meanings of names and words. Character descriptions at the start and ad breaks.

One episode is in english and engrish for some of it.

And a character who is not japanese, sounds like a none japanese person or person who does'nt live there. She speaks japanese in a fluent, but not native, way.

The monsters are almost all much bigger and stronger than the leads. So every fight is a true fight to the death. With things against them, other than the big monster, sometimes.
As it goes on, they get bigger and bigger and bigger, till they end up facing massive, powerful, enemies.

You should definately watch this anime! It is absolutely awesome! :D

I had high hopes that I would be sinking into another EPIC mecha-anime because of all the reviews I read about this beforehand. They all said before "Gurren Lagann," there was GaoGaiGar. What I sunk into, no I mean drowned into was a predictable and "Neon Genesis Evangelion-like" story downgraded for kiddies. At least now I assuringly know which audience this was targeting, so I'll give the fairest and most unbiased review I can.

STORY... The plot of GaoGaiGar is your typical "save the world one day at a time," except it's with robots. You've got your evil mastermind sending his minions to do his bidding; ... you've got your typical "monster of the week" or in terms of GaoGaiGar, "Zonder of the week." And with each enemy encounter, the question isn't if GaoGaiGar will win, it's HOW GaoGaiGar will win. You can expect power-up, after power-up, after power-up, after power-up, after power-up... (Hence, the "typical cycle"). And just like the sentence before this one, (not the one in parentheses), GaoGaiGar is repetitive... Too repetitive for it's own good... It attempts to put in some suspense at times by displaying that some actions of one of the heroes does has negative repercussions, but you can easily tell they will find a solution to fix this problem. And so, the "typical cycle" repeats itself with the introduction of new characters joining the fight. Predictable, right?

For me, the only good points of the plot was with each enemy encounter, you really can sense the degree of difficulty on how to defeat the enemy getting higher and higher or the degree of danger getting higher, however you want to say it. That could possibly spark your interest. The second good point is it's twist- just when you thought the enemy was defeated, guess again... But that too, was unfortunately it's downfall because repeating the "typical cycle" for 49 episodes just got a bit boring towards the end. Also, I thought that if the exact opposite thing happened to the heroes (don't worry, I won't spoil anything, keep reading) in episode 30 and in the final episode, then GaoGaiGar could have been a candidate for an EXCELLENT series or maybe even EPIC.

ANIMATION... The animation is a bit dated, but I won't hold that against it. The robot designs are neatly drawn, and great detail goes into when they perform their transformations. However, a lot of stock footage transformation was used for most of the episodes and you could get bored after seeing it too many times. But you will find yourself amused on how exaggerated characters perform their actions even if it's just for the simplest things like- Mr. Chief's jacket wildly blowing in the wind as he gives approval for certain battle actions and how Mikoto Utsugi has to break glass with her fist just to press a button. Now, this works for the first few times, but after a while, it just gets annoying. As for the enemy designs, I can't help, but think if the designers got lazy towards the end. Watch it for yourself, you'll see what I mean.

SOUND... The soundtrack of GaoGaiGar isn't terribly bad, but it isn't terribly good either. The opening theme may be annoying to some, but after 8 episodes in, I found myself smiling, thinking to myself, "I'm actually listening to this. Haha..." The ending theme is just okay or should I say "meh?" As for the background music, what can I say? It's typical of the 90's? All in all, the soundtrack shouldn't be too much of a bother while watching.

CHARACTERS... Now, this is what I consider to be the "saving grace" of GaoGaiGar. The main characters are likeable, despite the lack of depth. You've got Guy Shishio, your main super hero who displays a fiery courage, along with a boy named Mamoru Amami whose got special powers that help defeat the Zonders, alongside them you've got the team 3G whose cast is also entertaining to a certain extent. However, it's the robots that steal the show, mainly GaoGaiGar's comrades. GaoGaiGar's robot comrades were each given distinct, unique human personalities, and seeing them interact with others and their environment will either put a smile on your face or make you laugh. You might even have favorite robots by the time you're done with the whole series. As for the villains, they are totally one dimensional, just a bunch of dudes always planning to wreak havoc on humanity in whatever way they can. You know, a mastermind wanting to rule the world or universe, something along those lines. Only one villain undergoes character development, but I won't say who that it is. I don't like being a spoiler. Haha...

OVERALL SCORE: 6/10= Above Average

STRENGTHS
+ Likeable characters, despite lack of depth
+ Introduction of new characters is what keeps the show entertaining somehow.
+ Different types of enemies keeps challenges for the heroes fresh.

WEAKNESSES
- Predictable plot.
- Too much repetition in some scenes.

Note: The target audience of this series is obviously kids because kids don't tend to notice character development, plot twists, or other details that serious anime watchers look at. I recommend this series only and ONLY to a younger audience and for people who really love mechas. As for the other viewers, you'll be better off not watching this one.

When I give this thing flat out 10s. It's for a Reason. I am what is called a "Real Robo Fan", but this sort of anime can turn anyone out of Reals, or non-mecha Anime fandom, and yank them right in. "Yuusha-Oh GaoGaiGar" brings about a slowly unwinding early story, as the heros are unsure what, or how, to handle their opponents, and the Enemies aren't simply Caring -that- much about GaoGaiGar until half way through the first half of the series, resulting in many odd or stupid plot devices.

In the Long run, The series does a great job. The Mecha are all well designed, ... the Hero and Mecha all personify the phrases "Super Robot" and "Hot-Blooded", and the Anime pulls off that Super Robo feel without ever dropping a dime. There's no mistaking GaoGaiGar as the personification of Bravery, a main theme carried in a majority of Super Robot Animes! The Series ends with one of the best endings ever, as the Hero battles a very unexpected foe despite just having fought the greatest enemy of the series just two episodes earlier.

I recommend this for anyone with, as Ryusei Date from Super Robot Wars says, "Super Robot Spirit", and anyone who wishes to experience their first taste of Super-Robo Anime.

PS: Gotta love the Zaku-Zondar!

Ever wanted to feel like a kid again? Well, I have good news for you, because The King of Braves GaoGaiGar is a show tailor made for that. Made in the aftermath of Neon Genesis Evangelion's cataclysmic effect on the mecha genre, GaoGaiGar is a throw back to classic super robot shows of the 70s ala Mazinger Z and Getter Robo, but its execution of its simple ideas turn it into an effective celebration of the genre, leading it to inspire Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and other future shows.

The plot is simple enough for the first half: Guy Shishioh is a cyborg member of the ... Earth defense force GGG, who can fuse with alien machines powered by courage that turn him into the giant robot GaoGaiGar, and alongside the mysterious superpowered kid Mamoru Amami, the duo have to take down and purify the people transformed into evil monsters known as Zonder, the soldiers of Pasder and his Four Machine Kings in their plan to take over Earth. As you can see, it's a basic mecha plot, with other GGG Brave Robots joining our main duo across the series to form the obvious toyline the series is promoting, and yet, the show never feels like a cynical toy commercial thanks to its sheer eagerness and sincerity on presenting long-used super robot tropes in the most straight and epic way possible. It starts monster of the week like its inspirations, but it gets more plot heavy and darker in the second half, but even then the Zonder battles are always entertaining and never feel like they overstay their welcome.

Aside from its aforementioned simple but engaging plot, another highlight of GaoGaiGar is its endearing cast, starting with the star of the show himself Guy. He's an ideal hero, always determined, optimistic and idealistic, in addition to just being a really badass pilot so hot-blooded he'd make Kamina blush, but he also has a calmer more and intimate side to him the show touches on, showing how he's still a sensitive man even with his bombastic displays. Mamoru starts as a meek kid, filled with insecurities and fear, but his character development towards a true hero thanks to Guy's influence clearly show how he inspired Simon, and I think that it's his arc that serves as the overall emotional core of the show. Other characters aren't touched in as much as this duo, but their lack of depth doesn't stop them from getting a place in your heart, from the incredibly loud but gentle leader Taiga, to the jerk with a heart of gold Kaido, the cool and stoic Soldato-J serving as a foil to Guy, the show is filled with a likable side cast that always help out on the action.

Speaking of action, any fan of super robots has to check out what GaoGaiGar has to offer, as its one of the most hype mecha shows you'll find. From Sunrise, the studio behind other mecha juggernauts such as the earlier Gundam and the latter Code Geass, the beautiful robot action always comes with high energy battles that never fail to showcase the scale of GaoGaiGar's super moves, of which he has a big variety that make anyone familiar with other super robots scream alongside Guy. In particular, Nobuyuki Hiyama's acting as Guy is just electrifying, bringing the much needed vitality these high paced fights need, and by the end of the show certain cries such as "HELL AND HEAVEN!" and "HIKARI NI NARE!" are going to get stuck on your head thanks to his excellent performance. On the topic of sound, the series has no shortage of good OST, particularly GGG's and J's themes, but the amazing opening theme and nostalgic ending theme are such great songs even the sequel would get mileage out of them, I seriously could listen to that "Gagaga Gagaga" for hours on repeat.

Overall, I can't recommend GaoGaiGar enough. It's really nothing deep, and people who don't like monster of the week will find the first 20 episodes too slow, but it deserves its spot in the mecha pantheon as an eternally fun, legitimately well executed homage of the show that gave birth to the entire genre, so for anyone who's into super robots, this show is a must watch, and even if you aren't into them, check it out, you'll be surprised what the King of Braves can offer.

Thank you for reading

A decent series at its time, the appeal of the audience is probably not as good since most of the things that made it good in the past are outdated.

Out of all the animes I have watched, this is probably the closest to a power ranger series. Protagonist has cliche dialogue, always announces their attacks before initiating it and every 1 or 2 episode is fighting another mecha villain.

It does has its merits though as the characters are drawn to look every cool and still has a nice opening even to this day. There is not much else to say about this anime, ... but its good if someone just explore the series (you don't have to watch every episode to be honest) just to see what kids in Japan when this show first premiered really enjoyed.

The King of Braves. The Oath sworn through Courage. To many fans of Mecha anime, it is considered one of the greats, a proud milestone in the three decade evolution of giant robots stomping evil into paste.

But how is it really? I'll do my best to step past my love of it, at least here if not in rating. Let's see how fair I can be.

The story of GaoGarGar is good, well above average. While it does start as monster of the week fare, the second half of the show is almost universally applauded, and rightfully so. The backstories of several characters are interesting AND ... important while the overall narrative is solid. GaoGarGar suffers from from few direct plotholes, though some amazingly hard-to-swallow coincidences crop up.

The art is fair: The human characters are styled in a more kid-show way than Anime 'average' if you compare and other than some odd outfits, no one stands out. The robots and enemies, though, are lovingly detailed for their time and GaoGaiGar is one of the few combining Super Robots to have a perfect transformation. No parts need to mysteriously appear to form our hero! Acceptable, but hardly impressive animation, a penchant for stock footage and some painfully primative CGI round out the look of the program.

The show may only be passable to the eye, but it is candy for the ears. From the ear-worm level 'Yuusha-oh, Tanjou!' opening, to the shock chord that opens each episode, to that inspiring combination music, GaoGaiGar offers solidly enjoyable and well placed music. Not all of the songs are winners, but many of them are. Lather on a generally solid voice cast, including one of the premeir hot-blooded screamers of all of Anime as our hero, and this show clearly ranks in as Very Good here.

Characterization is good, but ju~st barely. Everyone is an easily identified archtype and while they are GOOD at being that, none of them are shinning examples of whatever kind of character they are, nor do they reinvent the wheel. The only thing pushing this score up are the subtle touches: While our hero does not change, AT ALL, during the series, he IS more dynamic than most hot-blooded heroes right off the bat. Out of battle, Guy is calm, very friendly, and professional, rather than never being off like, say, Kamina or Domon from other, similar, anime. Our kid sidekick Mamoru undergoes some inconsistant but clear character growth, as do supporting characters Kaido and Soldato J.

Sadly, the last category is purely subjective. In fairness, upfront, I will say this: If you like super robot anime, you are very likely to like GaoGaiGar. If not, there is just not enough here to change your mind. As for me? I ADORE this show. It is my favorite mecha Anime and the Gutsy Galaxy Guard are the sort of lunatics I'd want defending my planet! Seeing all the new gadgets pop up and meeting more robots is enough to get me through the slow start of the show and I never tire of watching GaoGaiGar brutalize his opponents into high-veolocity shrapnel. Objectively, there are other mecha anime that are just, flat out, measurably BETTER than GaoGaiGar in nearly every way. So far, there are none I have enjoyed as much.

Overall, I had to give this show an 8. It deserves a 'Very Good' in my opinion and it does deserve it's place of respect. After Evangelion, the King of Braves gave his genre a much-needed return to screaming, courage, and over-the-topness that lead to Gurren Lagann, who is the unquestioned (as of this writeing) king of modern mecha shows. Kamina, Simon and the gang are everything GaoGaiGar was, done tighter, cleaner, bigger, better, and louder... but admiting that in no way diminishes the fact that from 1997 to 2007, giant robot awesomness was a golden squeaky hammer rather than a massive silver drill.

I physically cannot get through this anime because the egregious usage of flashing strobe effects give me a headache and genuinely makes me concerned that it'll cause a seizure. It has a little too much of that "Electric Soldier Porygon" kind of energy.

The plot from what I saw was alright but way too heavy on the enemy-of-the-day structure. The animation is great though.

Giving it a 3 instead of 1 because, while it's quite literally unwatchable for me, the animation and art are pretty (aside from the seizure lights). I recommend anyone who even remotely has epilepsy to steer clear of this unless you're deliberately trying ... to induce a seizure.

Really cool kids Mecha
I swear I saw this on a Mexican cable channel when I was a young boy in the US in the mid-2000s, but I could be wrong.
It was very nostalgic of a 90s era I never really knew.
I wish there were was more character background further explained and character motivations elaborated. All the characters seemed too goody Two-Shoes and I just got Power Rangers vibes lol
Great visuals and art.
The show started off strong and ended even stronger on the last episode.
Even the OVA looks great.
The plot is just a little too monster of the week for me.
I wish there was more psychological ... and mental factors like End of Evangelion but it's a great anime for what it is: for small boys.
Awesome, I liked it overall!

GaoGaiGar Revived the Super Robot Genre with Flair, but It’s a Mixed Bag Split in Two

Story:
The plot of GaoGaiGar is pretty straightforward but lacks depth early on. Villains corrupt humans to spawn monsters of the week, aiming to purge negative emotions, which inevitably leads to widespread destruction. GaoGaiGar and his team step in to defeat these monsters, purifying the human hosts in the process. However, the first 25 episodes are a slog—barely advancing the overarching story. You could honestly skip from Episode 1 to Episode 26 and miss little beyond the heroes’ gradual growth and the monster battles. Speaking of battles, the early fights feel ... like filler, dragging on with no real purpose. Why pad the runtime with pointless action? Things finally pick up after Episode 27, where both the story and battles gain momentum and purpose, becoming far more engaging. If only the Final Fusion had been greenlit from the start, the pacing issues might have been avoided, making the journey much smoother.

Art:
Visually, GaoGaiGar is a treat. The art style shines with detailed character designs, and the monsters meet their end in spectacular fashion—think massive fireballs and stunning pillars of light. The CG, however, is a jarring downside, especially during the purification sequences, where it clashes with the otherwise stellar 2D animation.

Sound:
The soundtrack is unforgettable, easily rivaling the likes of Gurren Lagann and Star Driver in quality. It’s a high point that elevates the experience. That said, the first half’s audio experience is marred by incessant chatter. The dialogue often states the obvious or devolves into whining about Guy’s predicaments—echoing complaints Nostalgia Critic once made about The Magic Voyage for similar reasons. Add Mikoto’s constant screaming to the mix, and you’ve got a solid case for skipping the early episodes entirely.

Characters:
The main cast is a highlight, brimming with personality. Guy, the fiery cyborg, leads the charge, joined by HyoRyu (an ice-based transformer), EnRyu (his fiery counterpart), Volfogg (a stealthy ninja), and Mic Sounders the 13th, who channels SpongeBob’s rock guitar energy from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Fan-favorite Soldat-J and the mechanoid King J-Der also steal the show with their arsenal—lightsabers, finger cannons, and a flaming bow and arrow. However, the show stumbles with its bloated roster of side characters. Mamoru’s classmates, in particular, feel like dead weight, adding little to the narrative and dragging down an otherwise strong ensemble. Their presence is a big reason GaoGaiGar doesn’t reach its full potential.

GaoGaiGar made the Super Robot genre cool again, but could have been a lot better. It's an anime of two halves, the second being far superior to the first.

Story:
A bare-bones plot. The villains are corrupting humans to create monsters of the week to eliminate negative thoughts, resulting in a lot of destruction. GaoGaiGar and co. defeat these monsters, and after each battle the human hosts turn back to normal. However, the first 25 episodes don't do much to advance the plot, so after the 1st episode, you can skip them and not miss much about the plot (all you sacrifice are the heroes' evolution and ... the monsters.) Seriously, why do we need fight scenes for the sake of fight scenes (that also drag on for too long?) Then after Episode 27, the fights and story both become a lot better. If only Final Fusion was approved right away, things would become far easier!

Art:
Amazing art style. The characters are all drawn with great detail, the monsters of the week go up in massive fireballs and gorgeous pillars of light when they are defeated, and there is CG that sticks out like a sore thumb (notably in the purification scenes.)

Sound:
You won't forget any of the entire soundtrack. Its quality is up there with Gurren Lagann's and Star Driver's. Unfortunately, the mediocre first half never
shuts up (one of the problems Nostalgia Critic covered in his Magic Voyage review), and would be over faster with less Captain Obvious statements and complaining about Guy's current situations. Combine this with Mikoto's screaming, and you've got another reason to skip the first half.

Characters:
Though the main characters are awesome, there are way too many unimportant characters. Let's see the main characters first. Guy is a hot-blooded cyborg, HyoRyu is an ice transformer, EnRyu is fire, Volfogg is a ninja, and Mic Sounders the 13th uses SpongeBob's rock guitar attack from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Then there's the popular Soldat-J and the mechanoid King J-Der, with a lightsaber, finger cannons, and flaming bow and arrow.

As for the unimportant characters, Mamoru's classmates are a big reason why GaoGaiGar isn't perfect. They get captured a lot (and do nothing about it) and
contribute nothing at all (except Ikumi Kaidou, who becomes important after Pasder's defeat.) Without them, the first 25 episodes that drag on would be much shorter and their monsters would be defeated faster. Who wants a recurring damsel in distress for the sake of a recurring damsel in distress? (I'm talking to you, Princess Peach.)

This is one of the worst mecha of all time.
There is no character development, their relationships are vague. It's 49 episodes of nothing but the monster of the week. Background stories are told through poorly executed flashbacks or rushed in a way that doesn't make sense, considering that 49 episodes are enough to develop a story.
Besides, there are even huge plot holes, as we can see in episode 43. The episodes ago the robots were thrown into space time on Jupiter, but in ep 43 they show them coming to earth in the era of dinosaurs (when they existed) and they were underground for all ... this time. What's the point? Look at the size of the plot hole...
How did they end up in the age of dinosaurs in the same timeline as everything is happening? They wrote this episode with their asses and didn't think.
The ending is stupid. The protagonist simply leaves Earth because a threat can appear at any time in the universe. Couldn't he just stay on Earth? Where did he go? Are you going to be wandering the universe inside a robot? They simply did it to make it look sadder, but it's just poorly written.

The author of this work also made Brigadon and Betterman, I don't know how I expected any quality from this.

The animation is good, but every episode repeats the same transformation and that annoys me. There are episodes where the same transformation happens twice.

The penultimate episode is just a shitty recap episode. Seriously?

There's really nothing to praise about this anime. It wastes time just being the monster of the week instead of wanting to tell something. Like I said, when it tries to tell something, it's rushed and vague. Even the villains themselves were created with a stupid and poorly made excuse. They say this anime is the Gurren Lagann of the 90s, now I understand why it's so horrible (it manages to be worse than Gurren Lagann).