The appeal and evaluation of "Dai-Guard: Earth Defense Company": New possibilities for realistic robot anime

Earth Defense Company Dai-Guard - A Realistic Battle of Office Workers

■Overview of the work

"Dai-Guard: Earth Defense Company" is a science fiction robot anime series that aired on TV Tokyo from October 5, 1999 to March 28, 2000. It consisted of 26 episodes and aired in a 30-minute slot every Tuesday from 18:00 to 18:30. The work is an original anime, written and animated by XEBEC. It was directed by Seiji Mizushima and produced jointly by TV Tokyo, Sotsu Eizou, and Victor Entertainment.

■ Story

Twelve years ago, a mysterious enemy called "Heterodyne" attacked the Earth. However, silence continued for the next 12 years, and the robots fighting against "Heterodyne" were left to their own devices, like junk. The department in charge, "21st Century Security Public Relations Division 2," had also relegated itself to a desk job. However, when "Heterodyne" attacks Earth again, the team rises up to fight. Despite the company's harsh criticism and a limited budget, the story depicts the team's fight, armed with "courage" and "giant robots."

■Explanation

"Earth Defense Company Dai-Guard" is a sci-fi robot anime with a unique premise in which an office worker at an ordinary company pilots a giant robot called "Dai-Guard" to protect the Earth from a mysterious enemy. In the work, the giant robots are treated as products of ordinary companies, and the realistic depiction of the expenses that arise from using the robots is a distinctive feature. In addition to the TV anime broadcast, a manga and novel version were also released by Kadokawa Shoten.

■Cast

The main cast is as follows:

• Shunsuke Akagi - Kentaro Ito
• Ibuki Momoi - Akiko Hiramatsu
• Keiichiro Aoyama - Shinichiro Miki
• Shiro Shirota - Kenichi Ono

■ Main staff

The main staff are as follows:

• Original work - XEBEC
• Planning - Shiro Sasaki, Toru Sato
• Director: Seiji Mizushima
• Series Composition - Fumihiko Shimo
• SF Concept - Hidefumi Kimura
• Original character design - Hiroyuki Kanno
• Animation character design - Mitsuru Ishihara
• Sub-character design - Takashi Tomioka
• Robo Design - Ken Otsuka
• Prop design - Shinichi Yamaoka
• Mecha settings - Takeshi Takakura, Hideyasu Shimamura
• Chief animation directors: Mitsuru Ishihara, Takashi Tomioka, Eiko Saito, Ken Otsuka, Makoto Uno
• Art director: Hachidai Takayama
• Color setting - Mitsuko Sekimoto
• Director of photography - Hirose Katsutoshi
• Edited by Terumitsu Okada
• Sound Director - Masafumi Mima
• Recording Studio - Aoi Studio
• Music: Kohei Tanaka, Kenji Kawai
• Music production cooperation - TV Tokyo Music
• Producers: Makiko Iwata, Shinjiro Yokoyama
• Animation producer: Takatoshi Chino
• Animation Production - XEBEC
• Produced by: TV Tokyo, Sotsu Eizou, Victor Entertainment

■ Main Characters

The main characters are as follows:

• Shunsuke Akagi - A pilot who pilots the Dai Guard. He has a strong sense of justice and is passionate, and often takes the lead in things. Contrary to his appearance, he is actually an elite who graduated from the National Defense Academy.
• Ibuki Momoi - A pilot in charge of reconnaissance and intelligence analysis. Although she was raised in a complicated family environment, she has a bright, cheerful and reliable personality. She has a slightly tomboyish side.
• Keiichiro Aoyama - He adjusts the power supply of the Dai Guard. He has a soft-spoken personality and pretends to be a playboy, but he is secretly an anime otaku. In reality, he is kind-hearted and cares about his mother.
• Shiro Shiro - A tactical advisor dispatched from the Security Forces Staff Office. He is a rationalist who thinks about everything theoretically, so he does not get along well with Akagi. However, he gradually begins to open up to Akagi.

■ Main robot items

The main robots and items are as follows:

• Robo Design - Ken Otsuka
• Mecha settings - Takeshi Takakura, Hideyasu Shimamura
• SF Concept - Hidefumi Kimura

■Subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1 - Disaster from the Sea (1999/10/05)
• Episode 2 - The Great Battle of Odaiba at Night
• Episode 3 - Hero's Circumstances
• Episode 4 - The Heroine's Depression
• Episode 5 - I can't run into the sunset
• Episode 6 - Memories Taught Me
• Episode 7 - Feuer and Ice
• Episode 8 - A Miraculous Day
• Episode 9 - Explosion! Knot Buster!!
• Episode 10 - A Paycheck for Justice
• Episode 11 - Proof of Absence: The Two Great Heterodynes Attack Tokyo
• Episode 12 - Shinjuku at Night
• Episode 13 - The Forgiven and the Unforgiven
• Episode 14 - Osugi Report
• Episode 15 - We are all alive
• Episode 16 - Always keep the sun in your heart
• Episode 17 - I want to sleep like I'm dreaming
• Episode 18 - Run towards tomorrow
• Episode 19 - White Contract
• Episode 20 - Blue Promise
• Episode 21 - False Memories
• Episode 22 - So that I can be me
• Episode 23 - What do you want to protect?
• Episode 24 - What Covers the Sky
• Episode 25 - Overlapping Feelings
• Episode 26 - Triumphant Song for Tomorrow (2000/03/28)

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music are as follows:

• OP1 - Space Boy in the Back Alley
• Lyricist: Akira Kawabata
• Composed by: Akira Kawabata
• Arrangement - The Cobra Twisters
• Song - The Cobra Twisters
• ED1 - Run Run
• Lyricist: Kyoko Endo
• Composer: Kyoko Endo
• Arrangement - Yoko Kanno
• Vocals: Kyoko Endo

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Dai Guard: Earth Defense Company" has a very unique premise in which an ordinary company employee pilots a giant robot to protect the Earth. The greatest appeal of this work is its realistic depiction. The giant robot is treated as a company product, and the issues of expenses and the internal workings of the company are depicted realistically. This is a feature not seen in other robot anime, and it gave viewers a fresh surprise.

Another highlight is the relationships and growth of the characters. Each character has a distinctive personality, such as Akagi Shunsuke's hot-bloodedness, Momoi Ibuki's cheerfulness, Aoyama Keiichiro's fun as a closeted otaku, and Shiro Shiro's struggles as a rationalist. Their growth and the changes in their relationships deepen the story and have the power to draw viewers in.

Furthermore, the direction of director Seiji Mizushima is not to be missed. Director Mizushima is skilled at depicting a realistic worldview, and this skill is on display in this work. You can enjoy the visual aspects as well, such as the power of the battle scenes and the detailed depiction of everyday scenes.

The music also adds to the appeal of this work. The opening theme, "Uchuu Shonen in the Backstreet," features The Cobra Twisters' powerful vocals and a rock-like melody, while the ending theme, "Hashire Hashire," features Kyoko Endo's gentle vocals and Yoko Kanno's beautiful arrangement, which touches the heart. These songs add to the atmosphere of the story and stir the emotions of the viewer.

■ Related Media

"Dai Guard: Earth Defense Company" is not only a TV anime, but has also been published in manga and novel versions by Kadokawa Shoten. The manga faithfully reproduces the story of the original, but also includes episodes written from a unique perspective. The novel delves even deeper into the world of the original, describing the characters' inner lives and backgrounds in detail. Enjoying these related media will allow you to immerse yourself even more in the world of the work.

■Reasons for recommendation

"Dai Guard: Earth Defense Company" is a work that has a realistic world view, a unique setting, attractive characters, and powerful battle scenes. It is especially recommended for those who like giant robot anime and those who want to enjoy realistic depictions. There is also a wide selection of music and related media, so you can enjoy the world of the work from multiple angles. Please give it a watch.