Written: 04/24/96
Giant Robo is a fantastic science fiction, action-adventure series set in a "retro-future" world. By "retro-future" I mean it looks like a 1920s idea of what today would look like, with an effective global democratic government, high tech dirigibles in the air and art-deco still in style.
All in all it looks like a utopian future, but as the series intro says: "Behind every tower of exhalted success there lurk those driven by envy and greed.". There is an organization called "Big Fire" which, of course, is bent on world domination. Opposing them is the International Police Organization(IPO) represented by The Experts of Justice. In this world's terminology an "Expert" is someone with psychic powers. Big Fire has its own Expert contingent, called The Magnificent Ten. Big Fire has a number of giant robots at its disposal. The mightiest of these is Giant Robo, but Robo's creator rebels against Big Fire's evil schemes and before his death gives control of Robo to his son and sends him to The Experts of Justice. The boy, Daisaku Kusama, controls Robo by voice via a microphone in his watch. Some fans will recognize this as a homage to the old live action Jonny Sokko and His Giant Flying Robot TV series, upon which Giant Robo was based.
As the first episode opens, Daisaku has already been with Robo for a while. How he came to be there isn't examined in depth until the fifth episode. While most in the Experts of Justice are friends with Daisaku, some resent him because other Experts have died to protect him and keep Robo out of Big Fire's hands.
Be warned! This isn't kiddie-fare pablum! As in the real world, heroes can and do die in the Giant Robo universe, and not just walk-on, throw-away characters either. This show has a great story with in-depth characterization, pathos and strong emotion. The musical score is well designed and always appropriate to the screen action. The "heavy dramatic" part of the score is particularly moving.
As of this writing there are four volumes out on laserdisc and tape, with more to come from Manga Video. The dubbing job is very good, with no inappropriate voices, and the discs have the original Japanese on the analog track.