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
