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Customer Reviews of Gravion - Divine Steel ( Vol. 1) + Series Box

re:Animated Japanese Super Robots
For all American viewers and reviewers out there,FYI:Voltron was not the first nor the best Japanese super robot. In my opinion, the all -time best and most powerful is definitely Grandizer from 1975(ask Wasim Ismail). To really gain a true understanding of this genre one must go back to its origins in the sixties. Anime such as Astro Boy, Gigantor(the first big robot in cartoons), and Speed Racer(created by Tatsuo Yoshida) were ultimately the predecessors for this genre of animation.The big robot craze was likely inspired by Godzilla,King Kong, Mighty Joe Young,War of the Worlds and dinosaurs in general. This concept,combined with many characters that were very obviously directly inspired by the five main leads of Gatchaman, (also created by Tatsuo Yoshida(also known as Battle of The Planets, G-Force and Eagle Riders in various American incarnations over the years))created some of the best cartoons to ever exist!!! Most american animation enthusiasts are not even aware of these fabulous series because they received little exposure and poor distribution in the states.They are also very difficult to find, even for those who are in the know. In the seventies,Go Nagai created a slew of super robot characters, the first being Mazinger Z, circa 1971(known as Tranzor Z in the states), and one of the last,if not THE last being VOLTRON!!!(circa 1981 - released in the states in Sept '84.) They all had their own animated series. An assortment of these robots were used in an Americanized, edited version of their original Japanese anime that, stateside, became known as Jim Terry's Force Five. The robots and series names were:Grandizer,Starvengers,Gaiking,and Dangard Ace.(The fifth cartoon, Spaceketeers, featured no robot.)This program was shown exclusively in New England states and,to my knowledge,only on Showtime(the premium cable channel).They ran from 1980-'82; many people at that time did not have cable,and if they did, may not have had the premium channels. That is why they aren't aware that these shows exist. They are definitely among the best(and my favorite)cartoons that I have EVER SEEN!!! A different assortment of these robots were used for an excellent American toyline called the Shogun Warriors! It ran from '77 -'79. There was also a Marvel comic book based on the line that ran 20 issues. Because production stopped on the line before Voltron was ever created, most people do not know that Voltron is actually from THIS SAME LINE OF ROBOTS!!! Accusing Gravion of being a Voltron ripoff is ridiculous because the first transforming super robot was Getter Robo(the second version - Getter Robo G,was known as Starvengers in the U.S. and was included in the Shogun Warriors line as well as Force Five.) Additionally, the Macross Jet Fighter Robots, known in the USA as Robotech, originated in Japan in 1979, as did Gundam which also featured robots with changeable modes. Then of course there are the Transformers, whose original Japanese counterparts originated between 1980- '81. Another great example is the Mighty Orbots from the show of the same name that aired in the fall of '84. As a side note three different robots bore the name of Voltron in the U.S.;two were featured in cartoons,while the other was released as a toy only by Matchbox in late 1984. This version split in three and was the least known of the trio. The best and most popular version was originally titled Golion and featured characters with striking resemblances in voice,appearance and personality to those that Tatsuo Yoshida created for the G- Force from Gathchaman/Battle of the Planets. Go Nagai also borrowed these same "types" for the three pilots of Starvengers. Hence it is ridiculous to accuse Gravion of being influeced by Voltron(the lion version) in any way. This is simply a continuation in the grand tradition that is the genre of Japanese super robots. Having said that, I own and HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing the WHOLE Gravion series, as the first 3 volumes has kept me on the edge of my seat for MONTHS in anticipation of the release of the second 3 volumes!!! Anyone who fully appreciates and understands this particular genre of anime can clearly see that this series is one of the best to have been released in a loooong time. I hope this review can help many other people seeking out quality Japanese anime. I appreciate your taking the time to read this extra - sized review and I hope it was worth your time. I recommend every title that I've mentioned in this writing and hope you have the time and patience to seek out all of this great, somewhat unheralded entertainment. My other recommendations are Getter Robo Armageddon(unbelievable!),Ronin Warriors(same!), and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing(excellent and still vastly underappreciated!) Have Fun!

One word, Drama.
Basic storyline. <
>Wild Card, young rookie (Eiji) is drafted into <
>powerful group of elites in order to save the world from being destroyed. <
>This team is run by a billionare man named Sandman who owns a butt load of technology as well as a gigantic robot called "Gravion" <
>Gravion has a bunch of accompanying mech like fighters ranging from airships to a driller. All of these little ships then combine with Gravion to make it more powerful. <
> <
>This show is nothing more than an animated version of Power Rangers minus the huge play on martial arts. Big robot fights big monsters and mass destruction ensues. The one thing I noticed more than anything is this series is it's so melodramatic. The theme song, the personalities of the characters, their movements. I mean they have to announce all of the moves before Gravion performs them. So you get to hear them shout (with feeling) "GRAVATON LASER!!" "GRAVATON KICK!!" or whatever other combination you can come up with. It has a theme song for when they combine with Gravion! Drama, drama, drama. <
> <
>An action anime where the character interactions are more enjoyable than the <
>action. <
>