Remember this news tidbit I posted way back in 2007? It's actually one of the most linked-to posts on this blog. In it, legendary manga artist/animator Go Nagai promises (threatens?) that "next year, I'm definitely going to start a new series that incorporates all of the Mazinger characters."
There still hasn't been any formal announcement as to what this mystery series might be, but I actually heard something about it during a night on the town with friends in the anime industry last night. It's supposedly going to be helmed by Yasuhiro Imagawa of "G Gundam" and "Giant Robo OVA" fame, and it's apparently going to be based on the five-volume manga series Zetto Mazinger ("Z Mazinger"), an alternate-reality storyline that is a retelling rather than a sequel of the original series. (According to the Japanese Wikipedia page on the comic, it's an all-new take on the mythos that makes no reference to previously key concepts such as "photonic energy" or even (gasp!) "super alloy.")
An official announcement is planned for the end of the year. So they say. So stay tuned.
Say it with me:
SUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
Let's all hope that (a) this project gets done, and (b) the staff involved ditch the pointy-chinned pretty-boys and fake drama and bring the genre back to what it should be about: Giant robots kicking butt!
Posted by: SurfPenguin | August 04, 2008 at 01:52 PM
ALL of the Mazinger characters? Let's see if Nagai wants to include Gattaiger too. After all, that was Duke Freed's first battle robot - Roboizer.
Posted by: H | August 04, 2008 at 02:39 PM
ALL of the Mazinger characters?
How about Taekwon V?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwon_V
(Although it could lighten up yet another Japan-Korea disputes...)
Posted by: Aceface | August 04, 2008 at 05:17 PM
Perhaps Mazinger Z (er, Z Mazinger) will trade his Breast Fire and Drill Missiles for a double Copyright Lawsuit Punch?
Posted by: MattAlt | August 04, 2008 at 05:22 PM
Have Nagai pilot Z Mazinger and go up against Kim Cheong-gi piloting Taekwon V. Make it a death match - original versus the usurper.
Posted by: H | August 04, 2008 at 06:15 PM
I found some scans for the Z Mazinger manga a while ago, but due to them being in Korean I was unable to read them (I did see that it still has Sayaka and Boss Borot however, and I think Kouji has 3 sisters now. Really looking forward to this since apparently Imagawa worked on the amazing first 3 episodes of the Shin Getter Robo OVA.
Posted by: Perplexus | August 04, 2008 at 07:21 PM
"Posted by: SurfPenguin | August 04, 2008 at 01:52 PM
ALL of the Mazinger characters? Let's see if Nagai wants to include Gattaiger too. After all, that was Duke Freed's first battle robot - Roboizer."
Sorry for my late post but yeah. Are you saying that Gattaiger and Grendizer are both MAZINGERS Robot??
Because don't get the wrong idea both Gattaiger and Grendizer are UFO Robot made somewhere far in the galaxy. So therefore they both are not Mazinger Robots but they are UFO Robots and they can appear as a crossover but not the be called Mazinger Robot because they are not Mazinger.
Posted by: Mobin1 | September 04, 2008 at 10:51 AM