Anime Shin Mazinger Z

[Shinmaru]

[center][URL=http://img21.imageshack.us/i/shinmazingershogekizhend.jpg/][IMG]http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5646/shinmazingershogekizhend.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/center]

I don't know how many people here will be interested in watching this, but for the mecha fans here, I cannot recommend [b]Shin Mazinger Z[/b] more. It's got all the crazy plot, insane characters, hot blooded action and participation from the gods themselves that you could ever want in a mecha series.

The anime is a re-imagining of Go Nagai's [b]Mazinger Z[/b] (sprinkled with characters and elements of his other series), but you don't really need to have knowledge of those to enjoy [b]Shin Mazinger Z[/b] -- I don't have much more than a cursory knowledge of those works, myself. Basically the story follows Kouji Kabuto, who becomes the pilot of the giant robot Mazinger Z that his grandfather created. The awesomely named Dr. Hell wants Mazinger Z for his own nefarious purposes, and he sends his trusted followers Baron Ashura (a half male-half female with mysterious origins), Count Brocken (a Nazi cyborg who carries his own head around) and Viscount Pygman (a pygmy warrior with voodoo powers) to [URL="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GundamJack"][B][strike]Gundam[/strike] Mazinger Jack[/B][/URL] Mazinger Z.

The first half of the series is pretty basic, albeit with crazy villains and cool action. It sets the scene pretty well for the second half, however, with goes deeper into the story and the intersecting pasts of the characters and the origins of Mazinger Z. There are twists and cliffhangers aplenty, and the ending is one of the most memorable I have seen of any anime recently. [b]Shin Mazinger Z[/b] is an homage to super robot anime (often watched by children), but the build-up and execution of its ending is as intelligent and adult as anything you'll see in the best of series.

Plus, [b]Shin Mazinger Z[/b] is so awesome that even the [i]narrator[/i] is hot blooded, as evidenced in this scene ...

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You know you want to watch after seeing that. Don't deny it.

[stararnold]

I haven't seen this show yet, but I have gotten in "Mazinger" since I saw the "Grendizer/Getter Robo G/Great Mazinger" film. Any Anime featuring mecha from classic Anime/Manga is fine with me. Seeing "Mazinkaiser" got a Region 1 release so far, why not "Shin Mazinger Z"?