Back in April 2023, it was announced that the iconic sci-fi manga by Ken Ishikawa (and co-created by Go Nagai) would receive a live-action adaptation from Japanese studio Big One, with Junya Okabe (producer behind Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends – The Movie and Brave Storm) set to direct.
While the demand for Getter Robo was seemingly uncertain, it was decided that the film would be funded through a fundraiser on Campfire and Kickstarter, which, thankfully, has surpassed its goal of 5,000,000 JPY within 24 hours after being made public, and has more than quadrupled that amount since. The presentation of this campaign boasted reimaginings of the famous mech in its various forms by mechanical designer Skan Srisuwan, and that the film would be a commemoration of Getter Robo’s 50th anniversary, scheduled for a release in 2025.
For those not in the know, Getter Robo follows the story of three pilots who each control different aircrafts that act as components to the titular shape-shifting mech, as they fight to defend the earth from the evil Dinosaur Empire, who seek to retake the planet as their own after being driven out by a power source known as the Getter Rays, which is the energy source of Getter Robo itself. Since its 1974 debut, the manga would spawn several sequels and various anime productions that would allow it to become recognized along with Mazinger Z (created by Go Nagai) and Mobile Suit Gundam. Anime fans who grew up in the 90’s may recall the 1998 13-episode OVA series Getter Robo Armageddon.
Unfortunately, the series, commonly referred to as the Getter Robo Saga, would abruptly come to an end when Ken Ishikawa passed away in 2006 after planning to finish its final entry, Getter Robo Arc, which would receive an anime adaptation and conclusion of its own in 2021. Getter Robo would go on to have legacy that would inspire the likes of Studio Trigger’s Gurren Lagann and Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim.
While the live-action project in itself has the backing to be realized, its future may or may not seem too bright. In September 2023, it was announced that one of the writers, Yasuo Ohtagaki (Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt) had reportedly left the project over creative differences with director Okabe and fellow writer Yoshiaka Tabata (Shin Mazinger Zero). In short, Ohtagaki pushed for the film to pursue an original story, while Okabe and Tabata wanted a script that was more faithful to the original 1974 manga– a rarity, as it is one of the only storylines of Ken Ishikawa’s Getter Robo saga that has yet to receive a fully faithful adaptation (unless you count the inflated and loosely-adapted Toei anime that predates it).
It is likely because of this setback that on May 3rd, 2024, Big One announced that the short pilot that would be made to garner interest in the project has been delayed to June of this year, as opposed to March as initially planned. “It is uncertain as to how this would affect the film’s planned 2025 release, but hopefully, it doesn’t meet the same fate as the scrapped live-action adaptations of Dino Mech Gaiking or James Cameron’s Mazinger Z.”
In a world where live-action anime and manga have tons of potential and are starting to become more mainstream, is there hope for a Getter Robo film? While the idea of these live-action adaptations are notorious thanks to the likes of Devilman and Knights of the Zodiac, works such as Lady Snowblood and the new City Hunter on Netflix tell us that when done right, these productions can turn out quite well! For a long time, there has been this notion of a “live-action anime curse”– even when projects like Alita: Battle Angel and Netflix’s One Piece manage to find success amongst audiences, this idea still shrouds this particular sector of adaptations. The truth is, these films have existed andhave been successful for a long time, such as The Lone Wolf and Cub series, and Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy. It is unfortunate that major studio productions like Dragon Ball Evolution overshadow what these adaptations are capable of. While this will not guarantee whether Getter Robo will be a success or failure, all we can do is hope, and of course, believe in Getter.
