The Great Super Robot Blog Entry…

Things I remember while I’m working on an anime-themed Friendster profile that I couldn’t wait to launch after Halloween…

I love anime - I think that goes without saying. I’m guessing I’m borderline otaku (roughly translated as “obsessed anime enthusiast”), and the only thing preventing me from being a full-fledged otaku is probably the action figures, haha…

Anyway, while I was working on a fun new theme for my Friendster profile, I began to remember the early days of my appreciation for this great Japanese artform. If you’re from the Philippines like me, and was born in the early 70’s, you will know what I’m talking about.

Yes, it’s the super robot shows that aired on Philippine television in the late 70’s. These primetime shows (yes, “cartoons” shown on primetime! those were the days *sigh*) have become an indelible part of my growing years, during the heat of the Marcos regime’s Martial Law. It was these shows that made me stop playing with my friends at 6pm every night and hurry back to the house (well, sometimes “they” would stop playing with me and do the same thing).

Those were the days when almost every person in the house younger than 20 years old know the shows’ opening and closing songs by heart, and can even sing along while they were playing (and they were in Japanese to boot!). Those were the days when the cheesy dubbing wasn’t an issue. I guess these super robot shows were the equivalent of those popcorn shows shown in American television. Hell, during those years, I remember the lyrics of those songs more than our national anthem!

Anyway, I’m going to briefly highlight these specific super robot shows that I loved watching when I was a kid (and I say “briefly” in relative terms, haha).

Let’s begin…

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VOLTES V

LET’S VOLT IN!

Come on, what Filipino doesn’t know Voltes V? (it’s pronounced Voltes FIVE, by the way, not Voltes “Vee”) This is like the most popular animated show ever to grace Philippine television. Well, in the 70s to early 90s anyway. Almost everyone knows how the opening song goes, and what the story was about. In fact, one can never get tired of listening to the title theme everytime it plays when they begin to “volt in” - which is essentially all five aircraft combining to form the super robot.

For the uninitiated, here’s the plot summary, straight from AnimeNewsNetwork:

“From out of nowhere, a mysterious alien race known as the Boazan Forces has invaded the Earth. A group of individuals specially trained to handle this kind of situation has been unleashed. Kenichi, Ippei, Daijiro, Hiyoshi & Megumi are the pilots of the Choudenji Machine Voltes V (5), Earth’s defense against the Boazan and their terrible Beast Warriors. The plot thickens as the Go Brothers discover their true heritage, the truth behind their father’s disappearance. Conflicts and mixed emotions hinder the Go Brothers at times but due to their unwaivering desire to find their dad, they must go to the place where it all started. With the help of the rebels based on Earth and on the aliens’ homeworld, the Voltes Team has another mission, remove the tyrant Zu Zanbajil and liberate the people of Boazan.”

Of course, when it was released in the Philippines, along with the dub, the character names were changed. Kenichi was Steve Armstrong, Ippei was Mark Gordon, Daijiro was Big Bert Armstrong, Hiyoshi was Little John Armstrong, and Megumi was Jamie Robinson.

Like any formulaic super robot show of that time period, it was “enemy beast warrior of the week” each episode. And each enemy that the team faces gets tougher and tougher, and the Voltes team is always “almost” beaten every episode, but always get second wind or some sort of saving grace at the last minute. And every episode, the super robot finishes off its enemies with its trademark weapon of last resort - the Laser Sword! (yeah, Steve shouts it everytime Voltes V draws it). Makes you wonder why doesn’t he use it at the beginning of the fight to save themselves a great deal of grief…

But more than the amazing battles, the show had a lot of heart. It was a a show about family embedded in a super robot show. About how the Armstrong brothers are always in constant search of their missing father, always on the verge of finding him but always ending up empty-handed. It was a story of friendship and teamwork. Most of all, it was a story of battling insurmountable odds.

I remember that the last few episodes of Voltes V weren’t aired on television (or at least, I don’t remember watching them). But I did watch those last episodes as a movie that was released in the 80s or something.

Anyway, of all the anime I’ve watched, Voltes V left the biggest impact on me when I was a kid. Everytime I hear the main theme being sung, whistled or hummed, I usually sing, whistle or hum along. It might not be a great conversation starter, but it’s a great show to talk about - with people who are in their late 20s to early 30s, that is, haha…

ULTRAELECTROMAGNETIC TOP!!!

Click on image for bigger version

Listen to the FULL Voltes V opening theme!

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DAIMOS

DOUBLE BLIZZARD!

Of course, if you remember Voltes V, you’re sure to remember Daimos - that super robot who knew karate and armed and unarmed combat techniques, hehe.

My first exposure to Daimos wasn’t actually on television, but rather on a betamax tape my dad brought home from Saudi Arabia in the late 70s. What first attracted me to the show was the really sweet car Richard had, hehe. And the fact that Erika, the heroine, was gorgeous didn’t hurt either.

Again, for those unaware (or can’t remember, here’s a plot summary from AnimeNewsNetwork:

“The survivors of Planet Baam and the Earth people want to sign a peace treaty, so General Lion and the reknowned scientist Dr. Ryuuzaki head out to have a reunion. But Lion dies in odd circumstances, his vengeful son Richter kills Dr. Ryuzaki - and war starts. Dr. Ryuzaki’s son, young martial artist Kazuya, decides to defend Earth with Dr. Izumi’s powerful robot: Tosho Daimos…”

Again, for the sake of the Western-minded Philippine audience, some names were changed. Kazuya became Richard, and Erika became… well, okay, it was still Erika, hehe. And instead of the original name, Tosho Daimos, being used, they shortened it to just Daimos. And of course, the cheesy dubs came with it - but during that time it wasn’t so cheesy to us kids at all…

… except when Richard and Erika begin calling out to each other…

This was a Romeo and Juliet story embedded in a super robot show. I think this was the very first animated love story I ever watched. But since I was still a kid and wasn’t into looking for a piece of ass yet, it didn’t affect me much. I was more interested in what martial arts moves Daimos was gonna do on the enemy of the week. The robot also used hand-to-hand weapons that was regular fair in Asian cultures. And his weapon of last resort? The Double Blizzard (twin tornadoes that shoot from the fans under the robot’s chest). In latter episodes, it gets upgraded to the Fire Blizzard (twin tornadoes that shoot from the fans under the robot’s chest… but they’re on fire!) Hmmm… nice play on words there… fire blizzard… hot AND cold. Them Japs are so crafty… Ne?

The end of the show was actually rife with politics rather than an all-out battle. And the great thing about Daimos is that the conflict was the result of a colossal misunderstanding. So while watching, you cannot really regard the Brahmans (the “enemies”) as twisted, cold-hearted beings bent on destroying Earth for their own reasons. They are nomads searching for a new world to live in, but because of the misunderstanding, they think that Earth “is” the enemy bent on annihilating them.

Daimos was a great show that also had a great main theme song (which, like Voltes V, played everytime Trancer - the truck - becomes Daimos). And for those who like sappy Shakespearean love stories, this was a great entry to the list. If you can stomach the dubs that is…

RICHAAAAAAARD!!!
ERRRIIIIIKKAAAAAA!!!
RIIIIICHAAAAARD!!!
EEEERRIIIKAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

You can almost hear the late Marlon Brando stir in his grave and cry out, “HEY STEEELLLAAA!!!“

Click on image for bigger version

Listen to the FULL Daimos opening theme!

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MECHANDER ROBO

MEKANDA MEKANDA MEKANDA ROBO
CHA CHA CHA CHACHACHA CHA–
TRI-ATTACK!!!

Hahaha… I always loved that opening song from Mekanda Robo.

Actually, this show’s real title was “Mechander Robo“, but the way the Japanese singers sang the opening theme, it always came out as “Mekanda” … imagine my frustration having to Google this sucker and only coming up with Filipino web sites. I was thinking “What the fuck, this is a Japanese show, why aren’t there Japanese sites in the search results?” And I couldn’t even find it on AnimeNewsNetwork, which had virtually every anime show ever produced?

Hah, blame that on Philippine television, I guess…

As for the plot summary… well… I couldn’t find any. It’s strange how this show is rarely mentioned in any super robot-related site I visited. I couldn’t find enough info on it anywhere. Even a simple summary. All I remember from this show was the great opening song and that there were three “assistants” to the main robot, intuitively named Mekanda 1, Mekanda 2, and Mekanda 3… HAHA!

Anyway, aside from the song, what I remember is that this was one of the best-looking super robots I’ve seen. Its design was so “rock n’ roll”, for lack of a better word. If Elvis Presley turned into a super robot, he would probably look like Mechander Robo. And not only does the robot have a shield (TWO of ‘em in fact!), but the damn thing had a COLLAR! And SHOELACES! Hahaha!

I wanted so badly to get the main theme song of this show. I tried Limewire, I tried Google, I tried every anime-related site I had in my bookmarks, but I couldn’t find it.

If you’re reading this, and you have possession of an MP3 of the Mechander Robo theme song (or know someone or someone’s site who has it), please please PLEASE let me know! I’ll pay you two dollars!

Two dollars not enough? Okay, how about two dollars… and a balloon? Hmmm…

Anyway, regardless of how obscure the information about this show is, I still consider it a memorable one. Because of the song. And the collar. And the shoelaces…

UPDATE: YAY! Someone finally answered my call for help and provided me with BOTH the full opening song and the opening title movie! Many thanks to Roger Smith of DBZGT Legacy (at least, that’s what was on his email, hehe) who was kind enough to provide me with the file and the link!

MEKANDA ONE! MEKANDA TWO! ME-KAN-DA THREEEEEEEEE!!!

Click on image for bigger version

Listen to the FULL Mechander Robo opening theme!

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There are several other super robot shows that aired during that fun period in my childhood. They included Mazinger Z, UFO Grandizer, Getter Robo, etc.

Mazinger Z was a fun show, but it wasn’t as memorable as the three I focused on. I think the only memorable thing about Mazinger Z was the episode where the “female” super robot named Aphrodite A launched her breast missiles (and I’m not talking about Austin Powers Fembot-type breast projectiles, I mean the whole freakin mammaries launching themselves, man!). As for the other shows… bah, can’t even remember what they were about either ;)

So those were the shows that got me into anime, but I didn’t really realize it until they were showing reruns of it, and my nostalgia meter went through the roof everytime. Those were the good times, when watching people save the world using colossal machines was the high point of my day, while outside, the country was trying to deal with a dictatorship that was to last for 10 more years…

Ah, to be young again… err, now I’m beginning to sound like an old man. But I can’t help it. There’s Gundam, Evangelion, RahXephon and other modern renditions of the super robot theme, but they just can’t quite capture the pure fun that was in the old super robot shows.

Thanks for reading my little trip to memory lane. I was wondering how I’ll end this blog entry. Should I end it with a movie or with a song? In the end, I just decided to post both a movie and full ending songs :)

Below is the ending movie of Voltes V, and below it is the full ending theme of Daimos, followed by the full ending theme of Voltes V. Enjoy!

Hear the FULL ending themes of Daimos and Voltes V!

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