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Show:		6.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		9.0
Extras:		6.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Fred Ladd • Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Writer(s):	Peter Fernandez, Fred Ladd
Starring:	Billie Lou Watt • Gilbert Mack • Peter Fernandez • Ray Owens
Genre:	Children & Family • Comic Book • Sci-Fi • Television
Website:	http://www.gigantor.org/
Release Date:	September 15, 2009

List Price:	DVD - $35.99
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Gigantor was a Japanese cartoon that aired in the U.S. in the mid sixties, ten years after its original release in Japan. The show chronicles the adventures of 12-year old Jimmy Sparks who has been given the remote control to the giant robot Gigantor, which was built by his Uncle, Dr. Bob Brilliant, to prevent war and stop crime. The cartoon was brought over after the successful translation of the Japanese cartoon Astro Boy. These “Pre-Anime” cartoons paved the way for the proliferation of anime in the United States later on. These shows are reminiscent of American cartoons from the same period, but feature early versions of the visual motifs and storytelling elements that would become standards for anime in the future.

In certain ways Gigantor paved the way for most of the Japanese animation we see today. First and foremost, Gigantor is one the first anime series about giant robots, one of the medium’s larger genres. Additionally, the characters’ kabuki-esque use of faces has remained constant in both anime and manga. In Gigantor, when a villain laughs, they always throw their head back and really let out a manly evil laugh; and, because of the way it’s “shot”, the viewer never sees the face change. It’s always one or the other.

It’s important to recognize that Gigantor is a children’s show. Overall, it is very wholesome in the way children’s shows used to be: the bad guys are trying to take over the world and the good guys stop it, that’s all there is to it. The storylines are incredibly simple and formulaic, but in a classic way. Unlike later shows that repeat storylines to the point where they become tedious, Gigantor’s stories are vague enough to avoid being considered hackneyed. Are they redundant? Of course they are. But for a show like this the repetition is more of a comfort than a flaw.

Similarly, the dialogue is very simple, both because it’s a translation and because the show is meant for children. Given the time when it was made, all of the characters have been renamed from the original Japanese show to make themfriendlier to an American audience, so if corny names like Dr. Bob Brilliant and the Keeny Meanies seem unbearable rather than endearing, than you are taking this show far too seriously.

The translation isn’t bad, but when a character has two or more consecutive sentences, they begin to run together.

Being from the fifties and sixties, this collection has been re-mastered to improve the quality of the picture and sound. The picture maintains its grittiness, but is also smooth. Still it doesn’t quite feel “digitized”, whether that’s good or bad is a matter of preference. The sound, on the other hand, has been given a great treatment. The music was made specifically for the American version of the show and it’s a large part of what separates it from its Japanese counterpart. Every note of every song and line of dialogue is very clear and distinct.

More than anything, Gigantor is valuable from a historical perspective. It chronicles a very distinct period in the evolution of anime and helps to illuminate how it has evolved. Gigantor is definitely a valuable addition for vintage cartoon lovers and anime connoisseurs.

DVD Bonus Features

American Producer/Creator Fred Ladd does commentary for the first three episodes of the set, which are a trilogy of a sort as they feature a common villain. Ladd’s commentary is a mix of obscure facts about Gigantor for big fans (Gigantor alternates between being 40 and 50 feet tall, apparently) and stories about the translation and production of the show. There is a wide spectrum of anecdotes so, no matter what kind of information you find most interesting, there are going to be some very informative stories, but also some duds.

The first disc of the set has six issues (#7-12) of the 2000 Gigantor comic book on it, but they are only accessible by DVD-ROM. The comics take a very long time to load in Adobe and after waiting all that time, ae somewhat disappointing. The comics are almost identical to the cartoon in their style and content, but they lack that iconic animation style. Also, being from 2000 instead of the late fifties, I expected a little bit of an improvement in the story department and also in the dialogue. They could have definitely maintained the sprit of the series and breathed a little bit of life into it at the same time, but instead the comics are just kind of like looking at an episode frame by frame and without any music.

Lastly, there is a featurette where Fred Ladd tells the story of Japanese creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The video is actually an extended interview with Ladd. It’s nice to see how Ladd, who often gets credited with the creation of Gigantor in the US, clearly has great respect for Yokoyama and his creative talent. That said, the interview has a lot of overlap with the commentary. It might have been better if they had asked Ladd to do commentary on more episodes instead.