12 Moments of Anime #1: Mt. Fuji Gets Sliced

I might be cheating a little bit by presenting two moments from Shin Mazinger, but hell, these ones deserve their spot as much as any. But be warned, the following post will utterly spoil you of the show’s ending.

12 Moments of Anime #3: The Name of That Gigantic Shadow

Shin Mazinger is only one of the few mecha shows of 2009, but it’s managed to be a spectacular weekly watch thanks to well-done cliffhangers and a moving, non-episodic plot. I can almost forgive the lack of mecha this year just for it alone! The infamous episode 1 separated the /m/en from the boys with its undecipherable structure that only came clear far into the show–the perfect Imagawa gambit.

But I won’t talk about episode 1. Here is a scene that uses the narrator to great effect:

Shin Mazinger And Its Oft-overlooked Achievement

When Shin Mazinger is talked about, much praise is dedicated to Imagawa’s epic reimagining of the Mazinger mythos, Baron Ashura’s superb characterization, or that awesome narrator. However, I noticed something about it that has never been brought up before: Shin Mazinger is a 26-episode super robot TV series entirely without monster-of-the-week episodes.

Your Dad’s Mechanical Beasts Wished They Were This Cool

It’s been a long time since I last saw some crazy designs like these that don’t just stand there getting blown to bits. And boy, do they have some character. The Giant Robo lookalike doing a number on Mazinger has got to be the finest point of this episode.

Of course, it’s all but guaranteed that Mazinger will rip these guys a new asshole when God Scrander arrives, but these 15 minutes of fame are as good as any.

Super Robot Wars K