5/16/2023 0 Comments Robotek uprisongIn the show’s own words: Don’t believe in yourself. ![]() Well, actually not quite believing in yourself. It’s a show all about believing in yourself. Row, row, fight the powers that be that have kept you from experiencing the majesty of Gurren Lagann. So if you like your high school comedies tempered with a heaping helping of giant robots kicking the ever-loving crap out of one another, this is the anime for you. The only problem–apart from people trying to kidnap Kaname–is that Sousuke is about as well-adjusted as a feral child, so navigating high school could prove even trickier than saving the world. It follows seventeen year old Sousuke Sagara who is tasked by the organization Mithril with protecting a Japanese school girl named Kaname Chidori, who is being targeted by enemy agents due to her incredible ability to create advanced machinery. You know that one kid in high school who was a little too into military history? Well this is the anime all about that kid if he actually was a member of a covert paramilitary organization devoted to fighting terrorism all over the globe. As you might surmise, hijinks and some seriously kickass mecha-on-alien action, ensue. If you’re confused about where to start, I don’t blame you, but I’d recommend Macross: Frontier, the story of three people–a pop star, a kabuki actor turned military pilot, and an aspiring singer with a tragic past–who are onboard a human spacefleet looking for a habitable planet to colonize. There are so many versions of Macross, but to paraphrase Richard Eisenbeis’s excellent primer on Kotaku, it really boils down to a couple core elements: an overwrought love triangle, fighter jets that turn into giant robots, and some certified jams. You might be saying to yourself, but Dan, where’s Robotech? Well, my friend, the answer is the real Robotech is the anime we met along the way, and one of the shows that made up its Frankensteinian hodgepodge was Macross. ![]() You know, a power that you definitely wouldn’t abuse for evil? Anyway, come for the political intrigue, but stay for the giant robot fights, then wonder what the hell happened when you black back in hours later, surrounded by $300 of pizza with tiny hot dogs attached to the crust like vestigial pigtails. Except unlike other insurgents, Lelouch has a special power called the Geass which lets him command an individual to do anything he wants once by making super intense eye contact. It’s the story of Lelouch, a young exiled Britannian prince who leads a rebellion in occupied Japan against Imperial Britannian forces. Code Geass: Lelouch of the RebellionĪll great mecha anime needs at least one of the following: Machiavellian geopolitical power struggles, massive robots doing righteous battle, and intrusive Pizza Hut product placement. ![]() But what about after the credits roll? How do you keep those good giant robot vibes going? Well today on The Dan Cave, I’m going to run down some of the most essential mecha anime that you need to see after watching Pacific Rim: Uprising. Pacific Rim Uprising is a movie that has anime in its DNA, and it shows it feels like a live action anime in the best way possible. Now with Pacific Rim Uprising hitting theaters on March 23, we’re getting a celebration of all things giant robot on the big screen. Massive pilotable mechs have long dominated the Japanese pop cultural landscape, as well as the city of Tokyo’s actual landscape: for years there has been a giant Gundam statue overlooking Tokyo’s Odaiba Bay. Perhaps the only things that Japan loves more than creating wildly improbable plush costumed mascots for every town within its borders are giant robots.
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