6/17/96
Kishin Corps is yet another great title translated for us by Pioneer Animation. Set in an alternate universe World War II, in which the Nazis have some strange aliens on their side and Japan seems to be divided; part of it with the Allies and the Kanto Army with the Nazis.
This universe also has something else our WW II never had; giant robots! These aren't the sleek machines of modern day though. These hulking things have big rivets all over them and are powered by crank-start engines (later in the series they seem to get electric starters). They aren't 100% Earth technology though. Each has a control unit called a "module" that takes care of all the "station keeping" functions that would otherwise distract the pilot from battle. The "modules" are actually captured alien computers that scientists have learned how to interface with the earth technology robots (they don't understand how the things work internally).
The first of the original three Kishin robots we are introduced to is the land based one, Kishin Thunder. It is transported to the scene by the "Kishin Express"; an extremely interesting looking steam locomotive. The water based (Kishin Dragon) and air based (Kishin Wind) robots are introduced later.
The over-all story is about the efforts of the Kishin Corps to defeat the alien-Nazi alliance, with many ongoing subplots, the initial one focusing on one of the main characters, Taishi, who starts out as a young boy, and over the course of the series matures both physically and mentally into an instrumental member of the Kishin team.
The story is loaded with action and intrigue. The animation is extremely high quality and the musical score has an appropriate "epic" feel to it. I found "The Ballad of The Kishin Corps" especially stirring.
There are four volumes available on tape subtitled or dubbed, or on bi-lingual LD with close-caption subtitles. Incidentally, the dub is up to Pioneer's usual high standards. This is one series you don't want to be without! Pick it up and use it to convert your friends to the Anime way!
Yours In Anime,
Jay The Obscure