The appeal and reputation of New Getter Robo: Reevaluating classic robot anime from a modern perspective

A comprehensive review and recommendation of Shin Getter Robo - Shin Getter Robo

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

July 23, 2004

■Release and sales

Bandai Visual

■Frequencies

24 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 13

■Original Story

Original story: Go Nagai, Ken Ishikawa

■ Director

・Director: Jun Kawagoe

■ Production

Produced by Brain's Base. Production cooperation: Dynamic Planning, BeMedia, Animax Broadcast Japan.

■Works

©2004 Nagai Go, Ishikawa Ken / Dynamic Planning, Shin Saotome Laboratory

■ Story

The Saotome Laboratory, a research center for Getter Rays, is attacked by a mysterious monster. The monster looks like a gigantic version of the legendary demon, Oni. They fight back with the Proto Getter, which is still under development, but it turns out that the Getter Robo's pilot has a major flaw: it places unimaginable strain on the pilot, and no ordinary human can withstand it. In preparation for the expected re-attack of Oni, they must find a candidate to pilot the Getter Robo, but...

■Explanation

The latest in the hugely popular Dynamic Super Robot series, which has sold over 700,000 copies!
"True (Change!!) Getter Robo: The Last Day of the World" (1998)
The third in the series following "Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo" (2000)

■Cast

・Ryuma Nagare/Hideo Ishikawa・Hayato Kami/Naoya Uchida・Benkei Musashibo/Kiyoyuki Yanada・Dr. Saotome/Kintaro Arimoto・Tatsuto Saotome/Jin Yamanoi・Michiru Saotome/Takako Honda

■ Main staff

・Planning / Dynamic Planning・Original work / Nagai Go, Ishikawa Ken・Director / Kawagoe Jun・Series composition / Onishi Shinsuke・Character design / Suzuki Fujio・Mecha design / Tanaka Ryo・Art / Miyano Takashi・Color design / Harada Sachiko・Cinematography / Tsukioka Atsuo・Editing / Taguma Jun・Music / Shinoda Kazuo・Music producer / Inoue Shunji・Sound director / Iwanami Miwa・Sound effects / Jinbo Daisuke・Sound producer / Nakano Toru・Producers / Tokuhara Hasshu, Mizuno Satsuki, Nagai Kazuki, Morimoto Koji・Production cooperation / Dynamic Planning, Be Media, Animax Broadcast Japan・Animation production / Brain's Base・Production / Shin Saotome Laboratory

■ Main Characters

・Ryoma Nagare
He inherited a karate dojo in the heart of Shinjuku's Kabukicho district, but is being relentlessly pursued by the yakuza for debts. He is a passionate man through and through, and is the type who will jump into trouble or fights and try to get through them with just his physical strength. Dr. Saotome sees hope in him and forces him to pilot the Getter Robo...
・Jin Hayato
He is the leader of a revolutionary organization who is calm and collected, has a sharp mind, but loses his temper and goes crazy. When he raids a secret armory to steal weapons and ammunition, he learns of the existence of Getter Rays, and attacks the Saotome Laboratory in an attempt to use them. However, Dr. Saotome, who had already noticed their existence, makes him the second pilot of the Getter Robo...
・Musashibo Benkei
He was a big eater, a womanizer, and had a terrible time with difficult topics. He was known to those around him as a violent man, but he was guided by the head priest and became a follower. When he fled to the mountains after being attacked by a demon at the temple, he met Ryoma, who had made an emergency landing in his Eagle, and decided to get on the Getter with the intention of taking revenge...

■ Main robot items

・Eagle, the red Getter machine. The pilot who becomes the head of Getter 1 is Ryuma Nagare.
・Jaguar White Getter Machine. The pilot who becomes the head of Getter 2 is "Kami Hayato"
・Bear Go: A yellow Getter Machine. The pilot who becomes the head of Getter 3 is "Musashibo Benkei"
Getter 1
A form for aerial combat formed by combining and transforming into the Eagle, Jaguar, and Bear, in that order.
Getter 2
A form formed by combining and transforming the Jaguar, Bear, and Eagle in that order. Specializes in supersonic and underground combat.
Getter 3
It transforms into Bear, Eagle, and Jaguar in that order. It is good at underwater combat.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: Ryoma Goes (2004/07/23)
Episode 2: Hayato Comes (2004/07/23)
・Episode 3: Musashibo Benkei (2004/08/27)
Episode 4: The Three Go (2004/08/27)
Episode 5: Will-o'-the-Wisp (2004/09/24)
Episode 6: The Mansion Where Demons Live (2004/09/24)
・Episode 7/Onmyoji (2004/10/22)
Episode 8: Clash (2004/10/22)
Episode 9: Hell (2004/11/26)
Episode 10: Lone Wolf (2004/11/26)
Episode 11: Thus the Kamikaze Blows (2004/12/23)
・Episode 12: Heaven and Earth (2004/12/23)
・Episode 13: Ryoma Goes (2004/12/23)

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・DRAGON
Lyrics: Hironobu Kageyama; Composition: Kenichi Sudo; Arrangement: Kenichi Sudo; Singer: JAM Project

・ED1
・No Serenity
Lyrics: Hironobu Kageyama; Composition: Yogo Kono; Arrangement: Yogo Kono; Vocals: JAM Project featuring Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endo, Yoshiki Fukuyama

A comprehensive review of Shin Getter Robo

Shin Getter Robo (hereafter referred to as Shin Getter Robo) is an OVA series based on the original work by Nagai Go and Ishikawa Ken, and was released by Bandai Visual in 2004. Though it is a compact series consisting of 13 episodes, each 24 minutes long, it has captivated many fans as the latest in the Dynamic Super Robot Series. This work is the third in the series, following "Shin (Change!!) Getter Robo: The Last Day of the World" (1998) and "Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo" (2000), and has proven immensely popular, with cumulative sales of over 700,000 copies.

Story and Characters

The story of Shin Getter Robo begins when the Saotome Laboratory, the research base for Getter Rays, is attacked by a mysterious monster called the Oni. The Oni looks like a giant version of a legendary monster, and although they fight back with the Proto Getter under development, it turns out that the Getter Robo pilot is under an unimaginable strain. No ordinary human can withstand this strain, so the main theme of the story is finding new pilot candidates in preparation for the Oni's next attack.

The main character, Nagare Ryoma, is a hot-blooded man who took over a karate dojo in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. He is plagued by debt collectors, but is able to overcome them with his physical strength. He is seen as a promising young man by Dr. Saotome, who forcibly selects him as the pilot of the Getter Robo. Kami Hayato is the calm, collected and intelligent leader of a revolutionary organization. Upon learning of the existence of Getter Rays, he attacks the Saotome Laboratory, but is appointed as the pilot of the Getter Robo through a scheme by Dr. Saotome. Musashibo Benkei was a violent man who was a glutton and a womanizer, but after being attacked by a demon at a temple, he meets Ryoma and decides to pilot the Getter Robo. Although each of these characters has a different background, they are depicted joining forces for a common goal.

Mechanics and battle scenes

The mechanical design for Shin Getter Robo was created by Tanaka Ryo, and it appears in three forms: Getter 1, Getter 2, and Getter 3. The three Getter Machines, Eagle, Jaguar, and Bear, combine and transform, and each form has a different fighting style. Getter 1 is good for aerial combat, Getter 2 for supersonic and underground combat, and Getter 3 for underwater combat, and tactics suited to the situation are deployed in each episode.

The battle scenes are dynamic and powerful, especially the fight between Getter Robo and the demons. Director Kawagoe Jun has a particular attention to detail in the mechanics' movements and the direction of the battle scenes, maximizing the visual impact. Series composer Onishi Shinsuke has also skillfully constructed the story development for each episode, making sure the viewers don't get bored.

Music and theme song

Shin Getter Robo's music was composed by Kazuo Shinoda, and the theme songs are "DRAGON" and "No Serenity" sung by JAM Project. The opening theme "DRAGON" is particularly impressive, with Hironobu Kageyama's powerful voice and Kenichi Sudo's grand melody, enhancing the passionate atmosphere of the work. The ending theme "No Serenity" is also made even more powerful by being sung by members of JAM Project. These songs are important elements that deepen the worldview of the work.

Production staff and background

Shin Getter Robo is produced by Brain's Base, with Dynamic Planning, BeMedia, and Animax Broadcast Japan as production partners. Character design is by Fujio Suzuki, art by Takashi Miyano, color design by Sachiko Harada, cinematography by Atsuo Tsukioka, editing by Jun Taguma, sound direction by Miwa Iwanami, sound effects by Daisuke Jinbo, and sound producer by Toru Nakano. Producers include Hasshu Tokuhara, Satsuki Mizuno, Ikkyo Nagai, and Koji Morimoto.

This work is based on the original work by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, but the story is original to the anime. Therefore, it is widely accepted not only by fans of the original work, but also by new audiences. It is a work filled with the commitment and passion of the production staff, and its high quality has earned it high praise from many fans.

Recommendations and ratings

Shin Getter Robo is a must-see for fans of the Dynamic Super Robot series, with unrivaled quality in its mechanical designs and battle scenes. The characters' personalities and story development are also appealing, drawing viewers in. The music and theme songs are also important elements in enhancing the atmosphere of the work, and the overall quality is high.

Here are some reasons why I recommend this work:

• Quality of the mechanic design and battle scenes : Tanaka Ryo's mechanic design and Kawagoe Jun's direction maximize the visual impact. The battle scenes between Getter Robo and the demons are particularly impressive and keep the viewer entertained.
• Character appeal : The three characters, Ryuma Nagare, Hayato Shin, and Benkei Musashibo, each have different backgrounds, but they join forces for a common goal. Their stories of growth and friendship are inspiring to the audience.
• Music and theme songs : Kazuo Shinoda's music and JAM Project's theme songs are important elements that deepen the worldview of the work. In particular, the opening theme "DRAGON" helps to liven up the passionate atmosphere of the work.
• The production staff's commitment : This work is filled with the commitment and passion of the production staff, including Brain's Base, and its high quality has been highly praised by many fans.

Shin Getter Robo is the latest addition to the Dynamic Super Robot series, and is a work that has captivated many fans. It is a work that deserves high praise in all respects, including the quality of the mechanical design and battle scenes, the charm of the characters, the wonderful music and theme song, and the attention to detail of the production staff. Please watch it once and experience its charm for yourself.