Super Robots are one of the oldest and most well-loved genres in anime and manga. You’ll be hard pressed to find a serious anime fan who doesn’t have a favorite super robot or someone who didn’t grow up as a child cheering on their favorite bot as he wrecked the aspirations of some evil king every afternoon. You might a super robot fan and not even know it as many of the old Japanese shows made their way to the U.S. under different names such as the Force Five cartoon anthology which featured the American versions of Getter Robo G, Gaiking, UFO Robot Grendizer and Dangard Ace, and of course there’s the American classic Voltron which has just been released in its original form of Beast King Golion. The novelty even spread to other shows like Transformers as the idea of “combining” into a greater force became a mainstay of the toy line and eventually the show as kids had to hunt down every Constructicon, Stunticon, Aerialbot, etc. to make giant Transformers that towered over the rest of their collection. Even now, the super robot genre is alive and well as some of the most popular shows of the day feature hot-blooded protagonists and their mecha and hardly a season of anime goes by without a TV or OVA remake of an old classic. But what about this genre makes it so popular?

Super robots seem to do one thing extremely well and that’s immersion. The genre seems to hit every “right” chord with its viewers. Kids love their superheroes but in the end, some of the most successful characters are the ones that kids can relate to. Super robot pilots are generally human. They can be skilled fighters or incredibly savvy with mechanics or computers but are usually powerless. Super robot pilots also come in all shapes and sizes. Handsome, ugly, tall, short, fat, skinny, male and female. Almost no group is left out. They’re regularly clueless or awkward at love as their first love will always be the battle. Something that many boys can relate to at their young age (and some of the older ones as well). They teach good values as hope, courage, and determination are what win the day in the end, not fancy powers. Even when the giant robot ceases to function, the pilots don’t and prove that they are the true heroes. The robot is just a tool to that end. When it comes down to it? Super robots lend themselves easily to playing pretend. Something that simple shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to a show’s popularity. Kids can close their eyes and imagine they’re in the cockpit of their favorite robot as they run around and slash into monsters and avoid certain death. The shows know it too. The shouting and yelling that feature regularly in super robot shows almost dares kids and adults alike to match them as they scream out messages of honor and justice. And who hasn’t regularly muttered their favorite weapon attack at some time or another? Voltron’s very recognizable “And I’ll form the head!” and “FORM BLAZING SWORD!” lines have kept it in the hearts and minds of people, young and old.

However while nostalgia and old-fashioned messages have aided the genre well over the years, it’s also become one of its biggest drawbacks. Many people find it quite difficult to go back and enjoy those shows of yesteryear. The mighty heroes of the past when you were a child somehow transformed into cheesy primary-colored tinkertoys. The great evil kings and their menacing monsters of destruction that you feared and hated as a child? You now realize that they were little more than dinosaurs with a metal plate on their face or pink giants with gun barrels for nipples. Watching the old shows as an adult can put a damper on those old feelings as watching your heroes almost bite the bullet against the “incredible might” of a growling tree doesn’t seem quite as exciting as it did when you were eight. Even the core values that fueled those old shows can be seen as somewhat lame and outdated. The basic messages are solid but can be presented in such a ham-fisted way that it doesn’t have the punch that it should have. Your heroes falling into INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS traps for the purpose of getting a heroic speech out of it or to learn a lesson that anyone over the age of 5 should know doesn’t inspire like it used to. It’s important to note that many shows don’t age that well, but the super robot genre tends to fare worse than many other genres in this respect. Throwback values and 60’s super science just can’t mesh with people the way it did back then.

In order to offset some of this “lameness” a lot of old classics have reinvented themselves via new TV series and/or OVAs. These new shows can act as total remakes or continuations/sequels of sorts. Several such as Tekkaman Blade have been so successful that they set the tone for the series in general and become the new “standard” by which people view the franchise while others are considered welcome additions to the mythos like Shin Getter Robo and Mazinkaiser of the Mazinger series. It doesn’t always turn out rosy however as other shows such as Great Dangaioh (a guilty pleasure of mine) are met mostly with disdain because of the way they handle the original material (or outright ignore it). It’s a very touchy balancing act between updating a series for a more “mature” audience and keeping the same charm and nostalgia of the original. Video games also play a big part as the popular Japanese “Super Robot Taisen” game series regularly features mecha, both classic and updated, in a crossover scenario across many super and real robot worlds and has been a large factor in introducing new viewers to older properties.

Beyond existing franchises, anime creators have had the challenge of making new super robot shows that appeal to both older viewers looking for something to spark the nostalgia they had for their old classics and newer viewers who are looking for something a little more “meaty” in their shows. With that idea in mind, a whole new generation of super robots were born. Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and Reideen were replaced with the likes of Gravion, Gaogaigar, Godannar and Gurren Lagann. The new shows are just as bright and flashy as the old shows but with a slick new look that only can come from the current day of animation. The same core values of honor, justice, courage, and friendship are also present but the old “afterschool special” style of storytelling has been put aside for loud, over-the-top, explosive showings of love and friendship. In the old days, a spirited speech or a declaration of love would give the pilots just enough willpower to win the day. These days, abstract ideals such as courage, love, and friendship are more than just emotions and ways of living but actual physical forces. These “powers of spirit” are actually the life blood of their machines and if their attitude and mental state would change for the worse, the robot’s performance would suffer or it would cease to function altogether. This new direction also brought super robots to new heights as while old shows would have giant robots facing off in a climatic battle against each other, today’s super robots regularly end their show in titanic struggles for the fate of the universe as their powers of camaraderie would enable their machines to destroy galaxies and toss planets as weapons. One still gets the same concepts of honor and justice as the old shows but subtlely has gone completely out the window. Some other shows (Gravion and Godannar are good examples) even try to find other ways to attract their audience, namely with titillating fanservice. Some are tasteful and quite humorous (the Godannar method) while others can be a bit more blatant and outright silly (the Gravion method). The long beautiful dresses and conservative flight suits of the occasional female leads in older shows have given way to tight fighting spandex suits with bouncing breasts that can leave very little to the imagination. It’s all an effort to keep the genre relevant to today’s interests and while some feel that it may cheapen the stories you can’t help but accept its success.

Despite the hurdles of age, nostalgia, overly simplistic concepts, and many others issues involved, the genre manages to overcome all these obstacles and maintain its status as one of the most loved anime forms today. Much like the characters they feature, these shows will appear in a flash amidst a sea of cutesy girls, effeminate men, and depressed teens and slap some sense into the viewer reminding them what animation is all about. You get caught up in a whirlwind of emotion and proceed straight ahead at breakneck speed but before you know it, it’s over. Leaving a sense of longing and disappointment that the adventure is over but still hopeful for tomorrow as the next time a horrible creature rises from the bowels of the Earth and all hope is lost, a faint glimmer is seen over the horizon and another mighty steel warrior will take up the fight to defend humanity. And if we’re lucky? He’ll take us along for the ride.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 8:56 am and is filed under Anime, Articles.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.