Force Five – Grandizer
Posted by dailypop on July 2, 2009
An essential part of growing old is embarrassing yourself with knowledge from your childhood, especially regarding cartoons, toys or cartoons based on toys. In the case of the anthology anime series Force Five, the marks that I have earned this week will stay with me well into my old age. I remember waaaay too much about these cartoons but after I go into detail you may not be able to blame me.
A series of five Japanese cartoons that ruled each school day of the week on UHF channels in New England, Force Five’s series progressed in ambition and absurdity from Monday to Friday. We had already seen a modular robot in Danguard Ace, three flying craft that combined to create any one of three robots in Starvengers and a trio of space adventuring misfits in Spaceketeers… what could possibly be next?
Thursday – Grandizer
By far one of the most warmly remember and loved of the Force Five cartoons is Grandizer. The towering robot of concussive power which split his enemies in twain with his double-bladed staff made each Thursday morning worth waiting for.
Originally known as UFO Robot Grendizer, Grandizer (as he was known in the US), is an informal sequel to the popular series Mazinger. The returning character of Kouji Kabuto is rather unfortunate as he comes off as a kind of comic relief in comparison to the smokily mysterious farm-hand known as ‘Johnny.’ In truth, Johnny is Orion Quest, the last of his people who escaped genocide at the hands of the Vegan empire. Escaping to Earth in the Vegan saucer ship known as Grandizer, he found solace in the home of a top UFO scientist and even gets hired on at the farm of peanut-head-shaped prospector named Panhandle.
I really think he took the job to get a shot at Panhandle’s sweet daughter, but we can never be sure.
In any case, Koji is suspicious of Johnny and his connection to the alien attacks. In time he is entrusted with the secret of Johnny’s real past and the threat that the Vegans pose… to Panhandle’s farm. This is one of those conceits that I am all too familiar with from watching too much Dr Who. When ‘the Earth’ is threatened, they really mean London. In this case it’s one small farm.
… whatever. This is still one of the best robot cartoons I have ever seen. Each week the evil Vegans send another ’saucer animal’ to kill Johnny and he laments that he must once again go into combat… he plays the Spanish guitar a bit… then jumps into his secret lair, calls out his real name of Orion Quest and embarks on an exceedingly long process to getting into battle in his robot which is also housed inside of a giant blade-saw-firing flying saucer. This animation sequence stuck with me so deeply that I could almost play it back without thinking about it… because it happened EVERY EPISODE. Additionally, the UFO enthusiast and genius Koji would attempt to defend the farm each week in his sad saucer only to nearly get killed before Johnny saved his bacon. Poor guy.
An additional oddity is that the oddly dressed second in command known as ‘Commander Ding’ (I can hear my father’s laughter every time this villain is on the screen) answers to a man who must deal with a woman residing in his head. No lie, each episode features the lead villain’s head splitting apart to allow a screeching miniature witch to extend and pester his inability to defeat Grandizer.
Scarred for life.
In any case, it was only much later that I learned of the connection between Grandizer and Mazinger and the sweeping epic-style nature of the Japanese storyline that has to be read to be believed. I knew that Jim Terry Productions took some liberties in the translations of these toons but this one suffered a great deal.
That being said, it remains one of the most revered animation robot cartoons to date and a major high point on Force Five.
Much like Star Blazers before him, Grandizer left an indelible mark on my generation. Don’t believe me? Click on the image below to read about the Grandizer amusement park ride.
