Giant Robo - The Day the Earth Stood Still Review

Giant Robo was a blind purchase recommended to me by several individuals and which I bought through Amazon.com. After seven episodes (the average episode length is approximately 50 min, though the 3rd is shorter and the last is longer) I was left breathless and amazed at what I had experienced. It's not perfect (though to be honest I can't think of an anime I'd call "perfect") but all it wants to do is sweep you away with its bizarre vision of the future and epic story, and it does that exceedingly well if you're game. I binged on this series; that is I didn't stop watching it until it was finished (last series I did this with was the second season of Babylon 5 a few months ago). I think this is one of the best animes I've seen.

The plot sounds exceedingly corny (because on the surface it is): An Evil Organisation called the BF-Group (usually called Big Fire) plan on taking over the world, and the only people that stands in their way are the Experts of Justice, a team of international do-gooders. Fighting alongside them is Daisaku Kusama, a young boy bonded to a giant robot called (guess what!) Giant Robo. These two groups have been battling each other for years in a future where a new technology has been discovered: the Shizuma Drive, an engine that not only gives a great deal of energy but does so without pollution. When its inventor Professor Shizuma is rescued from an operative of the BF-Group he has with him an attaché case with something is it (and no, it's not Marcellus Wallace's soul) that he hands over to the Experts of Justice. The briefcase is connected to something that happened 10 years ago in a small country known as Bashtarle, a tragedy that almost plunged Earth into a new dark age. Despite much of the usual anime foreshadowing nothing could prepare the Experts of Justice, or even the BF-Group, for the next seven days.

Giant Robo: The Animation is a strange anime, at least in terms of genre as opposed to just plain old terminal weirdness (like Miyazaki's Princess Mononke). At its simplest it is pretty much an animated mash-up of every Asian B-genre out there, from the "big robots in suits" TV shows and movies to the Chinese Wuxia movies (which was considered B-movie fare until Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero elevated it to 'art-cinema') of the 70s to who knows what else. There are even parts that reminded me of the fight scenes of Dragon Ball Z (which is certainly NEVER a good thing for me). Incredible magic, incredible futuristic technology and hidden Medieval Chinese Kingdoms seemingly exist next to each other in this alternate reality where practically everything goes. The animation style is very much reminiscent of Osamu Tezuka and similar artist from the past and it certainly has a very "retro" feel to it. All these elements would normally drag a series down, but here it works. I certainly loved this series for its operatic scale (another part of the charm).

The most unexpected thing about Giant Robo is that is actually deeper than it looks (though its not Ingmar Bergman*). The characters look like they are one-dimensional at first, but their characterization becomes deeper and richer as the tale progresses. There were times when I was stirred emotionally, and I'm talking real emotion (most of the time) not the kind of emotion many movies (Hollywood or Japanese) manipulate the viewer into. There were however also times where I winced at being bludgeoned by the characterization and acting. This was to be expected; this is not a subtle series, which is why I refer to it as "operatic". I suspect I loved Giant Robo for the same reasons why the movies of Sergio Leone and Werner Herzog appeal to me (Herzog has actually directed opera). It's all grand gestures. Also I can enjoy anything that can make me go "what the hell?", something that happened continuously in this series. Part of its appeal for me though is that it was a very haunting experience; I can't stop thinking about it and some of the animated parts seem to run over and over in my head. This is one of the few series' where, the second I stopped watching it, I felt like starting over again from the beginning, if only to let it all sink in better.

Something that should get special mention is the music: unlike some anime series' that (mostly) animate and edit their episodes around composed pieces**, each episode of Giant Robo has its own especially composed soundtrack. The music is performed by the respected Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and has apparently received classic status among anime fans (indeed, in Japan all seven episodes soundtracks have been released on separate CD's, though only two made it to the Western World). The music (especially its use of an opera aria by Donizetti) is part of what makes this series so haunting.

And now I shall dwell on some negatives: the cast is almost too large; characters jump into the last episode who have never been introduced. It is at times too dramatically overwrought (especially in the final episode) and the Daisaku is at times a bit too whiney (then again, most mecha-anime characters tend to be). I also would have liked Giant Robo to have more presence in the series, especially considering that the series is named after him (though he plays a substantial part). These are essentially minor complaints, but they occurred to me as I watched the series.

Still if you're curious and don't mind crazy retro action then I recommend this series. I think I'm going to add this among my favourites.

Footnotes:
* Speaking of Bergman, a character in this movie practically shares a name with a character from his movie The Magician; only noticeable difference is the word "von" in the surname. Character-wise they have nothing in common. Or do they? I wonder where the animators got the name.

** What I mean is that even if the music is composed especially for the anime certain tracks are used over and over with little variation; this is a standard procedure in series animation and is not only limited to Japanese animation.