Combat Mecha Xabungle: A thorough review of the fascinating mecha design and depth of the story

Combat Mecha Xabungle - A realistic world view and a lively action-packed story

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

February 6, 1982 - January 29, 1983 Every Saturday 17:30-18:00

■Broadcasting station

Nagoya TV

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 50

■Original Story

Original story by Hajime Yatate, original work by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshitake Suzuki

■ Director

General Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

■ Production

Nagoya TV, Sotsu Agency, Nippon Sunrise

■Works

© Sotsu, Sunrise

■ Story

The planet Zola is ruled by a privileged class called the "Innocents." The people of this planet live by an unwritten law called the "Three Day Rule." Any crime is time-barred if you get away with it for three days. Everything must be forgiven. However, a boy named Jiron Amos, whose parents were killed, ignores this rule and continues to pursue his enemy. The people who meet Jiron, including the merchant's daughter Elchi Cargo and the bandit boy gang led by Rag Uralo, are confused by his way of life, but they gradually sympathize with him, and it eventually grows into a big wave that shakes the whole of Zola.

■Explanation

In addition to the realistic world setting and in-depth portrayal of humans that have been the theme of Gundam since then, this is a western-style robot anime that puts a lot of vitality and action at the forefront. The setting is not in space but mainly on the ground, and the robots that appear (walker machines) run on gasoline, and are more like heavy machinery than weapons. Two Xabungles, the main robot, appear, and Jiron switches to a new one midway through the story, setting a new standard for robot anime. One of the features is the comedic direction that depicts the growth of the boys, but makes them embarrassed by the heat of the story.

■Cast

・Jiron/Susumu Kotaki ・Elchi/Mari Yokoo ・Rug/Saeko Shimazu ・Blume/Toshio Furukawa ・Chill/TARAKO
・Cotoset/Shingo Hiromori・Dyke/Keisuke Yamashita・Timp/Takashi Tanaka・Bielle/Koichi Mori・Arthur/Kento Shiozawa・Narrator/Takashi Tanaka

■ Main staff

・Planning / Nippon Sunrise・Original concept / Yatate Hajime・Original story / Tomino Yoshiyuki, Suzuki Yoshitake・Character design / Kogawa Tomotaka・Mechanical design / Okawara Kunio・Art / Ikeda Shigemi・Chief animation director / Kogawa Tomotaka・Director of photography / Saito Akio・Editing / Inoue Kazuo, Fuse Yumiko・Sound recording director / Fujino Sadayoshi・Music / Makaino Koji・General director / Tomino Yoshiyuki・Producer / Moriyama Kei [Sansui ni Shin no Tsukuri] (Nagoya TV), Fuyu Hiroshi (Soutsu Agency), Nakagawa Hironori (Nippon Sunrise)

■Subtitle

Episode 1: "I'm living for my life"
Episode 2: "I got Xabungle"
Episode 3: "Everyone's a total miss"
Episode 4: "Why break the rules?"
Episode 5: "All three of us are Shaku seeds"
Episode 6: "What are you, Jiron?"
Episode 7: "Those who believe will be saved"
Episode 8: "There's no mistake in a mistake"
Episode 9: "Flowers Bloom in the Field, Maria Flower"
Episode 10: "The Female Hero is Scary"
・Episode 11: "Chasing, Chasing"
Episode 12: "The Mysterious Innocent"
Episode 13: "The next step is the great destruction"
Episode 14: "Timpf's Last Struggles"
Episode 15: "Covered in Mud, Desperate"
Episode 16: "Sad Elegy"
Episode 17: "Actors take on the big challenge"
Episode 18: "What's wrong with running away from home?"
Episode 19: "Fly, Condor!"
Episode 20: Is Akon a dandy?
Episode 21: "Falling in Love, Being Fallen in Love"
Episode 22: "The Desperate Rug"
Episode 23: "Rag, come home! To my heart"
Episode 24: "Deadly Battle, Fierce Battle, Crying Crow"
Episode 25: "A desperate battle"
Episode 26: "The Innocent Melee"
Episode 27: "Sing! The Warrior's Song"
Episode 28: "Innocent finds a weakness"
Episode 29: "Even Innocents Are Desperate"
Episode 30: "If you get mad, it's over"
Episode 31: "How to Control a Woman's Heart"
Episode 32: "What's my business is yours"
Episode 33: "Endless Chaos"
Episode 34: "Fatman's Thoughts Are Far Away"
Episode 35: "I Found an Army"
・Episode 36: "The Great Stealth Mission"
・Episode 37: "A Kaleidoscope of Women"
Episode 38: "Elchi Dances!"
Episode 39: "Individual play is no good"
Episode 40: "Katakam, Desperate"
Episode 41: "Katakam is over"
Episode 42: "Greta Barks"
Episode 43: "Searching for Yoppu leads to a fierce battle"
Episode 44: "Take care of yourself, Arthur"
Episode 45: "Stand Up Against the Sun"
Episode 46: "Arthur-sama tries his best"
Episode 47: "Elchi Awakens"
Episode 48: "Eternal Arthur"
Episode 49: "Final Battle! X-Point"
Episode 50: "Everyone Run!"

Combat Mecha Xabungle - Detailed Review and Recommendation

■ Background and production of the work

"Combat Mecha Xabungle" is a robot anime that aired from 1982 to 1983, directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Nippon Sunrise. This work was one of the works that Yoshiyuki Tomino worked on after the success of "Mobile Suit Gundam", and its realistic world view and portrayal of humans are strongly influenced by the Gundam series. However, Xabungle takes a different approach from Gundam, and is notable for its Western-style action-packed nature.

The background to the production of this series was that the robot anime market was saturated at the time, and Sunrise aimed to create a robot anime from a new perspective. In particular, the setting of a gasoline-powered walker machine was something that stood out from the conventional robot anime set in space, and gave viewers a fresh surprise. Also, the plot in which the main character, Jiron, switches to a new machine midway through the story established a technique that would become the standard for future robot anime.

■ Story and Theme

The story of "Combat Mecha Xabungle" is set on the planet Zola, which is ruled by the privileged class "Innocents." The protagonist, Jiron Amos, is driven by a desire for revenge after his parents were killed, and ignores the "Three Day Rule" to continue to pursue his nemesis. This "Three Day Rule" is an unwritten rule that any crime will be time-barred if you can get away with it for three days, and it symbolizes the social system of Zola.

The story follows Jiron as he meets Elchi, Lag, and the others, and through their combined efforts, they bring about change in Zola's society. The themes explored include individual freedom and social order, revenge and forgiveness, growth and friendship, and have deeply moved viewers. There are also comedic touches throughout the film, and the light-hearted portrayal of serious themes has made it popular with a wide audience.

■Characters and Cast

The main character Jiron Amos is played by Susumu Kotaki, whose passionate acting brings out the character of Jiron. Yokoo Mari, who plays Elchi Cargo, captured the hearts of viewers with her portrayal of kindness and strength towards Jiron. Shimazu Saeko, who plays Lagu Ularo, left a deep impression on viewers with her charismatic and humane acting as the leader of a group of juvenile bandits.

Other than that, Toshio Furukawa as Burume, TARAKO as Chiru, Shingo Hiromori as Kotosetto and other unique characters add excitement to the story. In particular, Timp and the narrator played by Takashi Tanaka played important roles in the progression of the story and helped deepen the audience's understanding.

■Mechanical design and battle scenes

The mechanical design was done by Kunio Okawara, and is distinctive in that it makes use of the unique setting of a gasoline-powered walker machine. The protagonist's mecha, Xabungle, appears in two versions, an early model and a new model, each with different designs and capabilities. The early model Xabungle is designed like heavy machinery and is specialized for ground combat. On the other hand, the new model Xabungle has a more refined design and improved combat capabilities.

The battle scenes are characterized by their Western-style action. The scenes in which the gasoline-powered walker machines race through the desert and wilderness made a visual impact and drew the audience in. In addition, the scene in which Jiron switches to a new machine provided new excitement for the audience and had a major impact on the progression of the story.

■Music and Production

The music was composed by Koji Makaino, and the soundtrack played an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. In particular, the opening theme "Xabungle Graffiti" is known as a song that leaves a strong impression on viewers. The ending theme "Wind Legend" is also highly regarded as a beautiful song that symbolizes the theme of the story.

In terms of directing, Yoshiyuki Tomino's unique perspective can be seen everywhere. Based on a realistic world setting and human portrayal, the mix of comedic direction gave viewers a fresh surprise. Also, depicting the growth of the boys left viewers deeply moved.

■ Viewer reactions and ratings

"Combat Mecha Xabungle" has been highly praised since it was first broadcast, especially for its realistic worldview and portrayal of humans. The Western-style action-packed production also surprised viewers with its fresh style. In particular, the scene where Jiron switches to a new robot established a technique that would later become the standard for robot anime, and had a major impact on viewers.

Many viewers were drawn to the appeal of the characters, such as Jiron's passionate way of life, Elchi's kindness and strength, and Lag's charisma. The unique setting of the gasoline-powered walker machine and the western-style battle scenes also left a strong impression on viewers. Furthermore, Koji Makaino's music and Yoshiyuki Tomino's direction also captured the hearts of viewers.

■ Recommendations and related works

"Combat Mecha Xabungle" is highly recommended for viewers who want to enjoy a realistic world view, human portrayal, and action-packed drama full of vitality. It is also recommended for viewers who want to enjoy the unique setting of gasoline-powered walker machines and western-style battle scenes. It is also recommended for viewers who want to be drawn in by the charms of the characters, such as Jiron's passionate way of life, Elchi's kindness and strength, and Lag's charisma.

Related works include "Mobile Suit Gundam" and "Space Runaway Ideon," both of which were also created by Tomino Yoshiyuki. These works also have a realistic world view and depiction of human beings, but they also tell stories from a unique perspective, providing viewers with deep emotions. For viewers who want to enjoy a western-style action-packed drama, we also recommend "Dirty Pair" and "Macross." These works also attract viewers with their unique settings and battle scenes.

Above, we have provided a detailed review and recommendation of "Combat Mecha Xabungle." We highly recommend this work to viewers who want to enjoy a realistic world view, human portrayal, and action-packed drama full of vitality. Please watch it and experience its charm.