Gaiking Complete Original 1976 TV Series

Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking is one of the classic Japanese anime series from the 1970s (1976-1977). It was dubbed in English and broadcast on American TV during the 1980s as one of the Force Five anime series, a collection of 5 anime series from the 1970s which were all dubbed in English and introduced in the US market, but this DVD set presents the original series as it was broadcast in Japanese. The audio is Japanese only, and the user has the option to enable or disable English subtitles.This DVD set refers to Daikuu Maryuu as "Dino Mech," but the most literal English translation would perhaps be "Great Flying Mystic Dragon." The character "Ma" is often translated as "evil" or something similar, but it can also mean "magic" or "mystic," depending on the context, and I personally believe that this is more appropriate. "Dino Mech" is good enough, though.The overall theme of Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking focuses on the so-called "ancient astronaut" theory, which suggests that Earth was visited in the distant past by intelligent extra-terrestrial beings, and these beings were actually the source of many Earth legends and myths. In this series, many of the legends and myths turn out to be all too real - and that is not a good thing. As far as I can tell, the ancient legends which are explored in this series, such as the great stone statues of Easter Island and the kofun tombs of ancient Japanese history, are generally based on fact.Six thousand light-years from Earth, the planet Zela is in its death throes. Its sun has degenerated into a black hole, and the once-peaceful Zelans have become the victims of their own technology. Now ruled by Emperor Darius, who is in reality a gigantic robot, and in company with his 4 henchmen, he has enslaved the Zelan people, mentally conditioning and physically transforming them into a murderous horde. Armed with super-advanced technology and driven by evil, the Zelans have focuses all of their energy on their objectives - the slaughter of the human race and the conquest of Earth. However, not all of the Zelans are bad, just as not all of the humans are good.Some people on Earth have become aware of the Zelan threat, and have gathered their forces to defend Earth against the Zelan onslaught. Professor Daimonji and his team have developed several mecha to defend Earth. Daikuu Maryuu (which was called the "Space Dragon" in the Force Five incarnation) is a gigantic dragon-shaped mecha which serves as both a battleship and a mother-ship for the other mecha.The team is an eclectic mix. They are led by Professor Daimonji, who is both a father figure and commander to the crew. Tsuwabuki Sanshirou is an ex-baseball player who was injured in a Zelan assassination attempt, but his trademark "magic pitch" later becomes Gaiking's secret weapon. Fujiyama Midori (voice-acted by Koyama Mami, from Appleseed (2004) and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, among many other things) serves as Daikuu Maryuu's communications officer, is originally not from Earth, and is telepathic to a certain extent. The team also includes a technological genius, an American who served in the US Marine Corps, a Japanese sumo wrestler, a martial artist from Hong Kong, an expert in scuba diving and water operations, and a boy who is sort of the team mascot but also contributes to victory on several occasions. Most of their back-stories are explored along the way, and this adds to the show's appeal. Daikuu Maryuu also has a large crew of engineers, technicians, and weapons systems operators.Gaiking, the title mecha, is composed of 3 sections which are individually launched from Daikuu Maryuu and combine in mid-air. Armed with a variety of built-in weapons, Gaiking is nearly invincible once the pilot, Sanshirou, gains more skill and experience. Daikuu Maryuu also carries 3 support mecha. Each is optimized for a specific environment - air, sea, and land. Throughout the series, Gaiking and Daikuu Maryuu receive several weapon upgrades to cope with the increasingly fearsome Zelan mecha.The viewer should remember that this series was made in the 1970s, and some of the storylines reflect that time in history. In one episode, the Zelans attempt to deceive the human race into destroying itself by provoking a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is likely that most people who purchase this DVD set will be too young to remember the Cold War, but this series provides a window into that historical period for younger viewers.One of the defining characteristics of Japanese anime from the 1970s was the music of Kikuchi Shunsuke (or Shunsuke Kikuchi, if you want to write his name American-style with family name last). He created unique musical scores for many anime series during this time, and I consider the musical score for Gaiking to be some of his very best work.This is just my personal view, but this really was one of the best series of its time, and it never loses its mojo, from start to finish. For those who are familiar with newer anime series, shows like Gaiking set the pattern for the art form that anime has become. For anime fans who have been around for a while, this will be a very pleasant trip down memory lane. I would really like to see more shows from this time brought to the US market.

One of the best early anime titles.

Receive my Gaiking in the mail and Wow what a wonderful box set See this classic cartoon on DVD hopefully they can make more of these sets and have official US release like. getter Robo G ufo. grendizer Much more of the force 5 and more shogun warriors TV shows that came back and put on dvd. hopefully they can put more US releases Dan. Guard ace As will

BOTTOM LINE: If you like Japanese anime', giant robots, weird monsters and/or anything Super Sentai/Power Rangers-related, then this is right up your alley. It is very similar to other super combining robot shows, but after dozens and dozens of such series over the last 40+ years, how could it NOT be? Animation is simplistic, crude at times, but overall solid. The English subtitles are well done and easy to read. A nice package overall. 4 STARSTHE STORY: If you've ever seen even one episode of Power Rangers then you know the story... Evil space creeps wanna take over Earth? Check. Scrappy band of ragtag misfits who initially rub each other the wrong way but eventually put aside their differences and use a big friggin' robot (who assembles from sections and looks way-cool) to whoop some kaiju butt and save the day? Check. Conflicted alpha male leader, loyal female, introverted genius, fat guy comic relief, screechy kid? Check, check, check, check, and check.THOUGHTS: I had the giant-ass Shogun Warrior version of GAIKING as a tyke, so when I saw that Discotek had assembled & released the ENTIRE 44-episode series on our shores, translated with top notch English subs, I knew I had to get it. I'm well over half way into the show and it's a hoot, with all the wild creature designs and rock 'em sock'em robot/monster action that any sugar-buzzed kid could ever hope for. LOL. (I used to read the Marvel comic of Shogun Warriors too, so I suppose I'll be picking up Combattler V soon... and maybe Danguard Ace.)THE DVD SET: Assembled in a solid large-ish slipcase, this is a nice release. Video & audio quality are solid; no pixelation, artifacting, interlacing or other video/audio headaches to muck up your viewing experience. The Discotek name on the box means you can count on quality translations from Japanese to English, with properly timed, easy-to-read subtitles. No bonus features, but it's great to just have these classic giant robot anime shows available over here in the U.S., in legit R1 releases. As with other releases from Discotek, if you're pondering any other series they currently offer you are advised to snap them up quickly, before they're out of print and asking prices shoot through the roof. This Discotek DVD release of DINO MECH GAIKING comes Highly Recommended!

I strongly recommend this to giant Japanese robot fans. This is the Gaiking collection we have been waiting for.The set has great artwork. The the episodes have great audio and the picture is bright and crisp. Not bad for a show from the seventies.The translation is excellent and the viewer is no scratching their head with bad translation. All episodes are unedited.I would hope this will be a launching pad for future titles such as Grendizer and Getter Robo G Aka Starvengers.

got this for a 3 thrd gift for my bf and if u have a fan of animation this is it were also looking for a force 5 dvd set

Brings me back to my childhood

Great to finally have the whole series subtitled. I hope Discotek/ES release more of these Classic Super Robot Series. Would love to get Great Mazinger, Grendizer, Jeeg, Combattler V, Raideen etc...