How do I know this?

Simple, if you check the DVDAR Archives then you’ll see that reviews 8 & 9 are both the same review (for Shina Takashi’s “Ghost Sweeper Mikami”). Given the DVDVR main page and archives have changed online locations a few times it is understandable that one of my reviews would be lost. Actually 2 reviews have been lost, the “Trigun “ review for DVDAR #15 and DVDAR #9 for “Yuusha-Ou Gaogaigar”. So let us jump into this and I can explain my love for what might be the best TV show of the late 90’s.

“Yuusha-Ou Gaogaigar” (“King of Braves Gaogaigar” or “King of The Gutsy Geoid Guard”) was the 1997 entry in the Studio Sunrise produced “Brave Robot” series. The “Brave Robot” series was Sunrise working with toy manufacturer Takara to produce giant robot shows that would sell merchandise. All the shows in the “Brave Robot” series had similar plot elements that included:

1. A threat to mankind (alien or otherwise)

2. A team of experts to fight said threat

3. A team leader, of unswerving courage, to act as a focal point for the story

4. A giant robot, made of several component parts used to deal with various monsters and mecha sent by the threat to mankind

5. Really cool fight scenes involving one or more “Hizatu Waza” (Finishing Blows) delivered by the giant robot to various and sundry enemies sent by the threat to mankind.

On February 3rd 1990, the first “Brave Robot” show, “Yuusha Exkaiser” (Brave Exkaiser or Brave Caesar) began airing weekly. Each show ran anywhere from 45-52 episodes. All the shows were sponsored by Takara and every toy commercial aired during the sow was for the latest Brave Robot toy or accessory.

The Brave Robot Shows:

Yuusha Exkaiser (Brave Exkaiser)
Taiyo No Yuusha Fighbrid (Brave Hero Of The Sun Fighbrid or Burning brave Hero Firebird)
Densetsu No Yuusha Dagarn (Legend of The Brave Dagarn)
Yuusha No Tokkyuu Mighty Gaine (Brave Express Mighty Gaine)
Yuusha Keisatsu J-Decker (Brave Police J-Decker)
Ougon Yuusha Goldran (Brave Of Gold Goldran or Golden Brave Goldran)
Yuusha Shirei Dagwon (Brave Commander Dagwon)
Yuusha-Ou Gaogaigar (King Of Braves Gaogaigar or Brave King Of The Gutsy Geoid Guard)

“Gaogaigar” was the last in the series of “Brave Robot” shows, running 48 episodes from February 1st 1997 to January 31st 1998. It was also the best of the shows from a production standpoint. The “Brave Robot” shows were known for being action packed but also for having mediocre to bad animation. “Gaogaigar” was different, the stylized look and feel of the characters harkened back to the drawings of Osamu Tezuka and Go Nagai. The animation was top flight with some neat computer morphing effects. However the robot Gaogaigar himself was a highly stylized modern mecha, gigantic and imposing in black and gold. The component parts wee brilliant in their design.

Gaogaigar Components:
Stealth Fighter (Stealth Gao)
Bullet Train (Gaoliner)
Mobile Mining Drill (Drill Gao)
Mecha Lion (Galleon)

But the brilliance of Gaogaigar also lies in the fact that one person controlled all of the parts to Gaogaigar. That man is actually a cyborg named Shishio Guy or Guy for short, a 20 year old test pilot turned cyborg. When Guy combines with mecha lion Galleon they form Gaigar. This is the first step of the fusion process necessary to form Gaogaigar as without Guy there is no Gaogaigar. In order for Guy to form Gaogaigar he needs authorization from the Gutsy Geoid Guard, an organization dedicated to protecting the earth. When authorization is granted the Final Fusion program is initiated and The Brave King is born. Interestingly enough in episode 1 there is concern about actually executing the Final Fusion command as it has never been done successfully outside of simulation.

Now why exactly did the GGG create Gaogaigar?

2 years previously a being called an “Electronic Intelligence” appeared and smashed a space shuttle carrying Guy. Near death Guy was rescued by Galleon and taken to the Space Development Corporation headquarters. There Galleon delivered advanced technology to what would eventually become the GGG. Guy was luckily saved from death by the hands of his own father Leo, who turned him into a cyborg. Leo took the technology that Galleon had and created Gaogaigar.

As for the Electronic Intelligence (EI), it was under the command of the Zondar, an artificial race that use a corrupting substance known as Zondar Metal to turn humans into EI.

Lord does Gaogaigar have such a metric ton of story. I haven’t even touched upon Mamoru, an 8 year old boy who seems to be the only person who can diffuse a Zondar Metal Core. You see 8 years previous to the first EI encounter Galleon delivered baby Mamoru to Ai and Isamu Amami, a married couple desperate to have a child. When the EI reappears in Episode 1, Mamoru is on a school trip to Garbage Island where he accidentally unleashes the EI. The EI assimilates all the electrical compontents of garbage island and goes on rampage till it is stopped by Guy and Gaogaigar with the use of the null-space weapon Dividing Driver and the crushing final attack “Hell & Heaven”.
The show is great in filling in backstory by having a brief flashback sequence before the opening credits. Speaking of the opening credits “Yuusha-Ou No Tanjou” (Birth Of The Brave King) is an insanely awesome opening that is a throwback to the 70’s in its tone and spirit. It reminds you that just because the show is aimed at children, fans of anime shouldn’t forget their roots. Gaogaigar is to modern robot anime what “Mazinger Z” and “Getta Robo” were to the 60’s & 70’s.

I recommend this show to anyone who wants to remember how much fun anime can be. Not to say that Gaogaigar isn’t a serious show, it has a very killer story that just evolves and evolves, Gaogaigar gets more attacks and modes and assistant mecha, the Zondar enemy is actually beaten early on making way for the 31 Great Generals. Thething is that so many things about this show shine out as brilliant, be it the over the top, catchphrase spouting GGG Commander or the ditzy English speaking intelligence officer Swan White. Gaogaigar reminds that it isn’t bad to be a kid and revel in the things that kids like. It encourages that behaviour, it makes you laugh and cheer. That is what any good anime should make you do, use a story to bring forth an emotion. “Brave King Gaogaigar” does that in spades.

James