Machine Robo: Revenge of Chronos Vol-3 (2004)
Animation Production: Hikari Production
Domestic Release: Geneon
Episodes: 1-5
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

After many years of wondering if we would ever get any more Machine Robo episodes released domestically beyond the first ten that originally came out on VHS, we finally have an answer in the form of Machine Robo vol-3! Recently released (6/08/04) on DVD, this third volume takes us further into the show and through five more action packed adventures.

Let’s go in for a closer look.

The Story

"On a quest to save his people from the evil Gandora armies, the young robot Rom travels to an uncharted jungle. There, his companion Reina is kidnapped by a tribe of mysterious Rock People. But the Gandora is on the move, and no one will survive the onslaught, unless Rom can unravel the secret of the mysterious Wolf Sword, and unlock his own hidden superpowers!" -- Software Sculptors Website

Review

We pick up the story as our cast of heroic figures travels to Drill's hometown of Dakota. Upon their arrival to the city they are immediately attacked by the local security forces and incarcerated as they are believed to be spies from the nearby town of Konan. It seems that a giant flood near a Romtron (energy source) vein shared by both towns caused several casualties on both sides, ultimately leading to the declaration of war between the two former allies. It will now be up to Drill alongside Rom & Jet to bring these cities back together as allies.

In episode twelve we learn that the Gandora has developed a new laser weapon capable of inflicting catastrophic damage to any target it chooses, however, in order to use this weapon they will need a giant Emeldia gemstone to build the cannon’s light refraction system. To accomplish this they secure the services of a prison convict by the name of Brocco, who is to travel into his home city of Under Cronos and recover the gemstone. Rom and his friends will have to be careful in dealing with Brocco however, as he is considered a legendary among the citizens of Under Cronos!

Episode thirteen, which is one of the better ones on this DVD brings our band of travelers to a martial arts dojo where the Wolf Crest can be found sculpted into one of its main walls. During an encounter with Gandora Jet finds a worthy sword adversary with their general, Grovine, who like Jet follows a code of honor and battle similar to that of the ancient Samurai of Japan. Having found each other worthy of a personal challenge the two masters of the sword meet for a duel that could decide the fate of the Wolf Crest Dojo. Will Jet be able to defeat Grovine’s Dark Double Death Blade!?

In the fourteenth episode Rom is forced to confront the children of Jingi, the honor-bound Gandora villain that he defeated earlier on the series. It seems the Gandora has lied to them about their father’s encounter with Rom so as to drive them to hunt him down for them. However, their mission of revenge meets with an unexpected opponent, not in Rom’s fighting abilities, but rather his sense of respect and honor. Will their anger give way to his love for justice!?

Probably the best one of the bunch is episode fifteen, which has Rom and crew become bodyguards to Queen Solitia of Pamera. If they don’t manage to get her safely to her kingdom and all out war will be declared and thousands of people will be killed! This episode had Jet and the Queen build a loving relationship under what could only be described as trying circumstances as they must take on Gandora’s Guilder Three.

As was the case with the previous two volumes so far released, the stories in this DVD were all stand-alone ones, although some continuity was exhibited by connecting characters to previous events we’ve seen in earlier episodes. As the stories progress though it seems the Gandora keeps upping the ante as they throw ever more powerful opponents at Rom, Jet, and Drill as is the standard for any good hero or super robot anime and tokusatsu shows. This makes each new episode more exciting than the last as we are presented with ever more challenging generals for our heroes to defeat..

One thing I noticed with theseepisodes though was a slight change in the art direction and color usage. For reasons unknown to me Reina and Rom both start being given more human qualities as we get to see more of their hair come through their helmets and their drawn slightly less robotic-looking.

Production-wise this is a vintage show, so while the animation, effects, and music may not live up to what can be done now, it certainly holds its own. The animation quality is solid and the drawings are highly stylized, especially during battle scenes, as we get to see some interestingly angled characters that move and sometimes deform in ways that were the hallmark of anime back in the early and mid 80’s. The color palette used here is varied as we travel from canyons, volcanoes, and forests, to desert-like landscapes, and even outer space.

The soundtrack is classic 1980’s anime gold. From the energy-filled opening theme to the heroic instrumental pieces that accompany our heroes into battle there is some nice variety to the music used in the show. For the most part everything seemed to fit well with the visuals, although some of the more relaxed pieces seemed to fade into the backgound and become almost unnoticeable.

The DVD itself comes with episodes 11-15 of the show, which include:

Episode 11 – “Pledging Love on the Great River”
Episode 12 – “Legend of the Emeldia Hero”
Episode 13 – “Jet, Defeat the Double Death Blade”
Episode 14 – “Burn and Run, Brother and Sister Warriors ”
Episode 15 – “Sending Love to the Horizon”

Extras include previews for all three volumes and previews for other releases from Central Park Media.

Conclusion

If you’ve seen the last two volumes of Machine Robo, you know what to expect here although as I mentioned above the stakes of each battle seemed to be raised with each new episode. Very, very fun DVD, I highly recommend it to all mecha-anime fans and people who enjoy older anime shows.

Now the question becomes, when should we expect volume-4? I’m sure an overarching storyline should be coming up soon and that will only make a great show that much better.

Jeffrey Couto