In an age where adaptations of any work by the legendary Go Nagai are scarce in an air-tight animation industry, Studio Gaina surprised fans all over the world with an all-new take on the famous super mecha UFO Robot Grendizer in the form of a very stylish and operatic reimagining by the name Grendizer U (known in other regions as Goldorak U or Goldrake U depending on various European and Middle-Eastern territories).
Running for 13 episodes from July 6th to September 28th of 2024, Grendizer U follows the story of the alien refugee Duke Fleed who escapes to Earth after a devastating attack on his homeworld. This was an incident orchestrated by the evil Vega Empire who set their sights on Earth, where Duke unites with the pilot of Mazinger Z, Koji Kabuto, and vows to protect his new home and new family from the incoming invaders, and redeem himself in the eyes of his people, including those who were once close to him.
Site contributors Davis Madole and Li-Li watched Grendizer U during its run, and have come together to discuss their thoughts on this grand revival of Go Nagai’s third entry of his Mazinger Trilogy. You can watch and listen as they sing their praises, but address their issues with the show below.
In short, Grendizer U excels on many fronts, keeping in touch with what makes the idea of using the most destructive weapon in the universe for good appealing to begin with, and proposing a deeply tragic redemption arc for the lead character of Duke Fleed. However, given the limitations of the production in today’s anime industry, and how director Mitsuo Fukuda is known for his love of soap operas, which he proudly injects into his media (see Mobile Suit Gundam Seed), the end result of this grand story feels out of left field in how it emphasizes teenage angst in a humanistic way that may or may not come off as accidently comical. That, and a decent handful of characters come off as slot fillers, which is understandable as the story is about Duke’s struggles, his newfound companionship with that of Koji and Sayaka, and his worthiness to his former companions Rubina and Tirona. But despite whatever qualms there may be, Grendizer U boasts very explosive action, a beautifully-executed blend of 2D and 3D animation (some of which was even done by several animators behind the original 1975 Grendizer anime), as well as an excellent score by Kohei Tanaka.
Is Grendizer U for you? If you enjoy modern reimaginings of classic mecha, or are a sucker for dramas, then this fantastic sci-fi venture is not one to miss! While distribution for this series is limited, much like a hot-blooded Go Nagai protagonist, no need to let that stop you from finding it through any means necessary.
