Search - Giant Robo V3 on DVD

The Magnificent Ten are unleashed

E. David Swan | South Euclid, Ohio USA | 05/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Giant Robo took eight long years to complete. Less than one episode was released per year and from episode six to the finale in episode seven I had to wait at least a year if not more for the last VHS tape to come out. So was it worth the wait?

The third DVD combines episodes six and the long 90 minute episode seven. Episode six introduces the rest of the roster of the Magnificent Ten which included Shocking Alberto from the first two DVD's. In a strange twist the elder five members of the Magnificent Ten are forced to battle against Genya's Eye of Volger as well as Big Fire himself and his titans. So why are the villains suddenly battling against themselves and what is the true plan for Big Fire and his master strategist Komei? I've now watched two different dubbings of Giant Robo and I still can't figure out what Big Fire was attempting to accomplish.

The final DVD is a mixture of good and not so good. On the plus side the music remains stellar and the fights are brilliant. Even briefly introduced characters like Red Mask, The Fabulous Fitzkarald and Lord Doki make a lasting impression on viewers. We finally get to see the IPO heroes like Koushin and Kaei in action and it turns out they can actually fight. Unfortunately they only face off against Lord Doki's Keppu-Ren footsoldiers.

The main problem is that the plot doesn't really resolve itself. Professor Go and Chief Chujo come to the conclusion that the three anti-Shizuma samples, when brought together, will cause the extinction of all life. As Hanzui, the leader of the Magnificent Ten repeatedly asks, `What could Big Fire possibly gain from this?'. Actually Hanzui may not have known how dire the situation was but still it's unexplained as to what Big Fire hopes to gain from endless worldwide catastrophes. There's also a weird situation where it turns out that the Big Fire that the Magnificent Ten was battling may not have been the actual Big Fire. However if that's true it would mean that the Magnificent Ten ALLOWED themselves to be beaten down by a fake Big Fire who somehow managed to acquire Big Fire's titans and then fooled strategist Komei. If this sounds insanely complicated it's because it is. The last problem is the endless angst from Daisaku. He seems to drone on and on as if to pad the episode out to its full 90 minutes.

Despite its flaws I still love the Giant Robo series. There are so many memorable characters like Murasame the Immortal and Issei the Monk. Characterization is such a strong point of Giant Robo that I wish more had been made. At the end of episode 7 strategist Komei promises more to come in Operation GR but sadly no more Giant Robo OVA's were created.
"