The appeal and reviews of Chodenji Robo Combattler V: Is it recommended for modern anime fans?

Chodenji Robo Combattler V - The timeless appeal of robot anime

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

April 17, 1976 - May 28, 1977
April 17, 1976 - May 28, 1977 Every Saturday 6:00pm - 6:30pm
From the broadcast on April 2, 1977, the key station name changed from NET to TV Asahi.

■Broadcasting station

NET → TV Asahi

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 54

■Original Story

Yatsude Saburo

■ Director

Tadao Nagahama

■ Production

TV Asahi, Toei, Toei Agency

■Works

©Toei

■ Story

In order to counter the invasion of the Campbell aliens who were hiding underground, Dr. Nanbara develops a giant robot that combines with the power of super-electromagnetism, Combattler V. A battle team consisting of five young people, including Aoi Hyoma, gathered from all over the country, boards the Combattler V and engages in fierce battles against the Magma Beasts sent by the Campbell aliens to protect peace on Earth.

■Explanation

This is an animated film in which Combattler V, a giant robot born from the combination of five mechas, fights against the Campbells, an alien race that is trying to invade the Earth. Influenced by the popular film Getter Robo, in which three robots combine and transform, this film was conceived as an animation featuring a robot with a combination and transformation mechanism that can be recreated in toys. The toys released at the time of the broadcast were also very popular, and after the broadcast ended, many Combattler V toys were manufactured and released with improved quality in terms of modeling and product strength.

■Cast

・Aoi Hyoma/Yuji Mitsuya・Juzo Naniwa/Keaton Yamada・Daisaku Nishikawa/Kazuya Tatekabe・Chizuru Minamihara/Miyuki Ueda・Kosuke Kita/Sachiko Chijimatsu・Takeshi Minamihara/Goro Naya・Dr. Yotsuya/Kosei Tomita・Loppet/Masako Nozawa・Great General Garuda/Osamu Ichikawa・Shogun Dangel/Kenichi Ogata

■ Main staff

Planning: Kanetake Ochiai (NET), Kei Iijima (Toei)
・Original work: Yatsude Saburo・Serialization: Terebi-kun, Shogakukan Educational Magazine, TV Land・Music: Tsutsui Hiroshi・Character draft: Murano Morimi, Narita Makiho・Mechanical design: Studio Nue・Animation characters: Yasuhiko Yoshikazu・General director: Nagahama Tadao・Art director: Miyano Takashi・Backgrounds: Studio Uni・Color design: Hasegawa Hiroshi, Wakao Hiroshi・Special effects: Doi Michiaki・Sound recording: Iizuka Hideyasu・Sound effects: Sato Kazutoshi・Sound direction: Komatsu Nobuhiro・Sound production: Numata Kazumi・Editing: Inoue Kazuo・Cinematography: Asahi Productions・Development: Tokyo Developing Lab・Production cooperation: Tohokushinsha, Soei-sha・Produced by: NET, Toei, Toei Agency・Theme song
OP
"Combattler V's Theme"
Lyrics by Saburo Yatsude Music by Asei Kobayashi Arrangement by Hiroshi Tsutsui Vocals by Ichiro Mizuki and The Bresson Four

ED
"Go! Combattler V"
Lyrics by Saburo Yatsude Music by Asei Kobayashi Arrangement by Hiroshi Tsutsui Vocals by Ichiro Mizuki and Columbia Yurikago-kai

■ Main Characters

A hot-blooded boy who serves as the leader of the Aoi Hyoma Battle Team. He is a former member of a biker gang and is an expert in fighting, but he also has a strong sense of justice and is a great friend. After combining, he serves as the main pilot of the Combattler V.

Chizuru Minamihara is the only female member of the battle team and the granddaughter of Dr. Minamihara, who developed Combattler V. She bonds with Hyouma through battle, and the two eventually fall in love.

Dr. Takeshi Minamihara is a scientist who developed the Com-Battler V. He fights the Campbell Aliens using the Minamihara Connection as his base, but is seriously injured during an attack and dies, leaving his friend, Dr. Yotsuya, in charge of his succession.

・Con-Battler V
A giant robot weapon that fights against the Campbell Alien invasion. The five machines can combine by synchronizing the pilot's brainwaves, and when the battle team shouts "Let's combine!", they combine and are born. It is 57 meters long and weighs 550 tons.

・General Garuda The commander of the Campbell Planet's invasion force on Earth. He has a merciless personality and fights fiercely with the Battle Team. His true identity is an android made to resemble a Campbell alien.

Magma Beast: A new giant biological weapon from the Campbell Army. It is a modified space creature that has been mechanized, and as such has little self-awareness. By boarding the cockpit, it can be controlled at will.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: Attack! Defeat the Slave BeastsEpisode 2: The Immortal Slave Beast ZombieEpisode 3: Slave Beast Zenda's TrapEpisode 4: Special Training! Super Electromagnetic Yo-YoEpisode 5: Combine! A Close CallEpisode 6: General Garuda's ChallengeEpisode 7: Scream! Give me back my armEpisode 8: Big Reversal! Deadly Double ShotEpisode 9: Enraged Slave Beast KeelEpisode 10: Lopet Falls in LoveEpisode 11: Leopard, Jump Through the Flames of PainEpisode 12: Duel! Leopard vs. GarudaEpisode 13: A Friendship at the Risk of DeathEpisode 14: A Huge Connection Explosion!
Episode 15: The Beautiful Combatant's Tears Episode 16: Emergency! Unit 1 Crash Episode 17: Unexpected! V is the Hellish Messenger Episode 18: Launch! Gargantua Episode 19: Horror! The Crimson Flower Episode 20: Despicable! The Doctor is Kidnapped Episode 21: The Target is Marine!
Episode 22: Frozen Beast, Return to Your Planet
Episode 23: Betrayed Friendship
Episode 24: Death Force! Chizuru, Wake Up
Episode 25: The Tragedy of General Garuda
Episode 26: Oleana Castle Collapses!
Episode 27: The Magma Beast's Amazing Counterattack
・Episode 28: Yes! Operation New V
Episode 29: Ah! The Magnificent Hero
Episode 30: Chin Mechakerot's Great Merit
・Episode 31: Moguma, the powerful enemy who steals the electromagnetic
Episode 32: Raging! The Terrifying Icicle Bullet
Episode 33: Deadly Battle! Sixty Seconds is the Decisive Term
・Episode 34 / Magma Beast Swallowing V Story ・Episode 35 / No Connection Response
Episode 36: The mystery of the disappearing enemy drone
Episode 37: The Queen's Trap! Hyouma in Danger
・Episode 38: Lopet doesn't like frogs!
Episode 39: Daisaku is a man! The gutsy strategy
Episode 40: Shock! Chizuru is a fake
Episode 41: Cowardly! The Devil's Hostage Strategy
・Episode 42: The Pure-Eyed Assassin
・Episode 43: The Empress's Hobby is Panther Hunting
・Episode 44/Brilliant! Keroro's disruptive tactics ・Episode 45/The enemy's secret plan! Spin sealing
Episode 46: Masquerade Ball Smells of Death
Episode 47: Dunkel becomes a prisoner!
Episode 48: A super-powerful enemy robot appears!
・Episode 49: Body Charge! Jet No. 2 ・Episode 50: Triple Transformation Beast Snagle
Episode 51: A Trick! The Thirteen Robots Attack
Episode 52: Dunkel dies in the sunset!
・Episode 53: The End of Connection!
Episode 54: V, the Messenger of Peace, is Immortal

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

"Choudenji Robo Combattler V" is a robot anime that aired from 1976 to 1977, and is still loved by many fans as one of the iconic works of that era. This work introduced the new concept of combined robots, and made a strong impact on viewers. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and background of this work, as well as the recommended points.

■ Background and influence of the work

"Combattler V" was produced following the success of "Getter Robo" which aired in 1975. While "Getter Robo" presented the new idea of ​​three robots combining, "Combattler V" adopted a more advanced form of five robots combining. This mechanism of transformation was a big hit in the toy market and created a big boom among children.

This work was also positioned as part of Toei Animation's robot anime series, and influenced subsequent works such as "Voltes V" and "Daimos." In particular, the concept of combined robots influenced later works such as "Transformers" and "Super Dimension Fortress Macross," contributing to the development of the genre as a whole.

■ Story and Characters

The story of "Combattler V" depicts the exploits of a battle team formed to stop the Campbell Alien's invasion of Earth. The sight of five young people, including the main character Aoi Hyoma, boarding Combattler V, a giant robot that combines with the power of super-electromagnetism, and fighting to protect peace on Earth moved and inspired viewers.

In particular, Aoi Hyoma's hot-blooded character resonated with many viewers. His sense of justice, friendship, and romantic feelings mixed with the human drama made it more than just a robot anime, and it was praised as a deep story. The romance between him and Nanbara Chizuru also captured the hearts of viewers.

The ruthlessness of General Garuda, the leader of the Campbell Planet, and the fearsomeness of the Magma Beasts also added tension to the story and drew viewers in. In particular, the fact that Garuda's true identity was an android surprised viewers at the time.

■Animation and Music

The animation of Combattler V was of extremely high quality considering the technical standards of the time. In particular, the depiction of the fusion and battle scenes had a visual impact and captivated viewers. The mechanical design by Studio Nue was also an important element in enhancing the appeal of the work.

In terms of music, the opening theme "Combattler V Theme" and the ending theme "Go! Combattler V" sung by Ichiro Mizuki were big hits. These songs enhanced the passionate atmosphere of the work and left a strong impression on viewers. It can be said that the talents of composer Asei Kobayashi and arranger Hiroshi Tsutsui shine through in this work.

■ Toys and merchandising

Toys for "Combattler V" were extremely popular when the series first aired. In particular, the mechanism by which the five mechas could be combined created a huge boom among children. Even after the series ended, many toys with improved quality in terms of modeling and product strength were manufactured and released, expanding the fan base.

Related products such as manga and storybooks serialized in Terebi-kun, Shogakukan's educational magazine, and TV Land also proved popular. These media mix strategies not only raised awareness of the series, but also had the effect of expanding its fan base.

■ Recommendation points

"Super Electromagnetic Robot Combattler V" was a pioneering work that introduced the new concept of combined robots, and its influence has not faded to this day. The following points are the reasons why I recommend this work.

1. **The appeal of combined robots**: The mechanism of combining five robots created a visual impact and stimulated the dreams of children. This concept also had a major impact on later robot anime.

2. **Hot-blooded protagonist**: Aoi Hyoma's human drama, which combines a sense of justice, friendship, and romantic feelings, moved and inspired viewers. His character resonated with many viewers.

3. **High-quality animation**: Considering the technical standards of the time, the animation was of extremely high quality, which made a visual impact and captivated the audience. The depictions of the fusion and battle scenes in particular were spectacular.

4. **Memorable music**: The opening and ending themes sung by Ichiro Mizuki enhanced the passionate atmosphere of the work and left a strong impression on viewers. These songs are still loved by many fans today.

5. **Toys and Media Mix**: The toys, manga, and storybooks that were extremely popular at the time of broadcasting, increased the popularity of the work and expanded the fan base. These media mix strategies further enhanced the appeal of the work.

Conclusion

"Choudenji Robo Combattler V" introduced a new concept of combined robots, and made a strong impact on viewers. The story, characters, animation, music, toys and media mix all captivated viewers. This work can be said to be a monumental achievement in robot anime that continues to be loved across generations. It is a work that I would recommend to a wide range of people, not just robot anime fans.