| Gekiganger
3 (1998)
Animation Production: Sotsu Agency/Sunrise
Running Time: 30 Minutes
Images Source: RuriHoshino.com
By Jeffrey
Couto
Introduction
Parodies are a tricky business, especially
when they take on popular staples of entertainment. If the
writers authoring it aren't careful, they could end up making
something that falls flat on its face or that attempts to
make fun of something through obscure or hard to understand
elements that the audience won’t understand, thus failing
to make an entertaining product.
This is why it’s somewhat hard to categorize
the Gekiganger 3 OVA. Don’t get me wrong though, I LOVE
this OVA, in fact it’s one of my all time favorites.
The problem with it, in my opinion, lies in that the subject
that is being parodied is not one that a lot of today’s
anime fans are terribly familiar with; but does that mean
it’s not worth checking out?...
The Story
A number of years ago strange drawings were
found inside a dark cave by a group of four men. They soon
discover that the strange graphics that had been left behind
by the Super Paleolithic People were in fact engineering drawings
for a powerful robot named Gekiganger 3. Alongside these plans
there was also a prediction that told of the return of the
Kyoakks, who will try to destroy the world. Now Earth’s
only hope is the Super Robot Gekiganger 3! Will Ken, Joe and
Akira be able to use the powers of passion and justice to
protect the Green Earth!?
Review
This is such a fascinating OVA as it can be
watched in a number of ways. On the one hand it can be looked
at strictly as a parody of anime shows from the seventies
such as Getta Robo and Mazinger-Z. On the other hand it could
be said that it also works as an independent mecha/adventure
special; nothing more, nothing less.
This duality I think is what spares Gekiganger
3 from falling into the chasm of mediocre anime OVA’s
from the 90’s, which as many of you know is quite deep.
While older anime fans across the world can greatly enjoy
it for its heritage and many lovingly crafted tributes to
the anime heroes of a bygone era, younger fans can enjoy it
on their own terms, free of any frame of reference to those
programs.
As its own story and unique universe Gekiganger
3 succeeds to a degree that is quite unexpected, especially
for a video special that runs for as short a time as this
one does. In a span of 30 minutes it essentially builds its
own history and summarizes an entire fictional TV series.
The way it’s edited together really makes us feel as
if we’ve gone through several adventures with the cast
of heroic characters. By the time the second segment of the
OVA begins (featuring a Gekiganger movie that was never released
in the Nadesico Universe) the audience has had a chance to
bond with the characters and feel like they’ve known
them for a while. It’s a neat effect!
When watched by those old enough to have seen
the 1970 shows and movies Gekiganger takes many of its cues
from it takes on a whole different feel. It becomes more than
a parody, it becomes a homage to the greatness that were those
programs. The simple & heroic mecha and character designs,
the energetic music, its themes of justice and love for the
Earth; these are what to me and so many people made the Super
Robot shows such a special genre of Japanese animation. I
can certainly appreciate how far we’ve come in terms
of animation, realistic mechanical designs, and more deeply
layered stories and characterization, however there is a definite
charm to the simpler and more black and white nature of these
shows and in turn Gekiganger 3. Watching Ken launch a Gekigan
Flare attack while yelling out “Gekigan Flare”
in a rather dramatic fashion is the “stuff” legends
are made of and sure is more fun than just seeing a realistic
beam gun being shot in a normal fashion.
To complement its conceptual tribute the producers
behind this OVA saw fit to animate it in a style similar to
that of programs like Jeeg and the original Getta Robo TV
series. The level of detail that they went to in this aspect
is almost uncanny and quite an achievement in its own right.
From the heavier dark shading to the dramatic angles and key
animation sequences, everything perfectly mirrors similar
elements from past shows. I would say that if I had not originally
seen this within the context of Martian Successor Nadesico
I would have thought it was a real show from the 70’s
that I never heard of.
Conclusion
This is without one of the best anime OVA’s
ever made. Whether you’re an old fan who’s seen
it all or a newcomer to the hobby, you will undoubtedly enjoy
Gekiganger 3. By the end, much like the crew of the Nadesico
you too will want to have your own Gekiganger 3 figure to
put up on your work desk or somewhere in your house and sing
the title theme song at Karaoke parties.
Let’s Gekiga in!!!
Jeffrey Couto
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