Customer Reviews

Godannar, Vol. 1: Engage and Destroy

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking for something serious, go see "Evangeleon" or "Grave of FireFlies." If you're looking for something pointless, go see "Excel Saga." If you want funny, charming, delightful, adventurous, romantic, melodramatic, and overall just a plain good time, pick up Godannar! An odd series about a guy named Goh. Poor Goh. He's a robot pilot, pretty serious and determined, although he can get rather dramatic and sentimental when women are concerned. And a lot of women drop into his lap (and house): his wife, Anna, a 17 year old girl he saved five years ago and who has a mega-hero-worship thing (cannot figure out why Goh chose Anna, tho) who also becomes a robot pilot, although she hasn't told her schoolmates she's married; Mira, the old girlfriend who died but isn't dead and who has come back rather "out of it"; Lu, the orphan that Goh takes under his wing as a 'daughter'; another robot pilot who has a crush on him; his new wife's busty mother (and his boss); and add a pregnant cat. Every episode seems to need at least one battle where Anna and Goh's robots join together (in fact, every robot needs to do that...why not just create one robot that can do both?), a battle that only Goh and Anna can resolve. Goh can go over the top emotionally, but that's funny, too. There are also a Lot Lot Lot of cleavage (but minimal nudity), sexually charged jokes and situations, and random funny stuff. Gotta watch this series.

In the first couple of episodes, we are quickly introduced to the plot concept--Minimic beasts ransacking the world--and the characters (as above).

At first glance, especially the box and DVDs, it looks like some pervo anime. I was hoping to God when I bought it, that it wasn't going to suck. To my surprise, I was jumping out of my seat on the first disc. This thing is action packed and awesome to watch. If you are a robot/fighting anime lover or just love anime period this is for you. The story line is excellent the visuals are awesome. You dont have to honestly understand the plot to get the point. This is one of those miracle animes that does exactly what the fans want and expect from it. It will even do some unexpected stuff and cause your jaw to drop. The girls may be a distraction at times, but never long enough for you to forget about the fighting and the robots. Its almost as if you could feel every hit or punch that was made when you watched. 5 out of 5 all the way man.

This is by far the best anime, or show of any kind, that I have ever seen.

Whether or not this is for you will depend on your personal tastes. This is a show in a new genre of its own. Hopefully more shows like this will be made in the future.

Story: So far there seems to be a decent story behind all of the action, but mostly this is a show about fighting and action. In fact, all 5 episodes on this first DVD contain nothing but fighting!! Everyone runs around shouting and fighting continuously for the whole length of every episode. At most 3 minutes per episode is left over to spend on the story and character development. There's no time to talk when monsters keep destroying your city 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!! Giant robots to the rescue!!

Art: I think Godannar has an excellent art style. If you saw the trailer (or the DVD box) you might think this is one of those big-boobie-girly type animes. But so far this show has mainly been about fighting. The big-boobie shiny girls are there just to look nice but they don't seem to detract from the action.

Animation: By far the best animation quality of any anime I've ever seen. Imagine the most action-packed high-quality cool anime intro you've ever seen, then imagine an anime just like that except with the high-quality animation lasting throughout each episode, and you get Godannar!!

Directing: Godannar is actually done in a fairly serious manner, with extremely fast-paced excellent directing. There is a continuous stream of comedy being injected into the show at all times (due to all the big-boobie girls and craziness) but it's totally kept in control by the overall serious (though unrealistic and stylized) nature of the constant fighting and shouting that goes on.

Music: The music style is that of the old Japanese cheesy hero shows of the 70's. Godannar's soundtrack is composed by the same person who originally created the music for Kikaida, one such show. However Godannar's music gets the benefit of modern-age high-quality audio recording methods, and it sounds amazing.

If you like shows with great directing, awesome animation, nice pictures, great music, and CONSTANT MINDLESS FIGHTING, and don't mind that because there is only fighting that there may be no plot, then this show is for you! It doesn't matter if you like giant robot anime or not, as long as you like fighting.

Even better, Godannar does seem to have an intruiging plot behind all of the fighting. Only the plot barely advances with each episode because there is simply no time, with all the fighting going on, to allow for it.

No kidding! You want beautiful animation? Godannar has it! You want action? Godannar has it! You want romance? Godannar has it! Fan service? Godannar has it! Great music? Godannar has it! Cool characters that are backed with drama and comedy? Godannar has it! I recommend the english track, especially for the first episode because it moves super fast. The english voice acting is superb which allows full viewing of the animation. None of that look down, look up every 5 seconds. My wife who translates manga, and prefers japanese tracks also liked the english track better.When I saw the trailer for this first volume, I couldn't believe all that they had put in and thought, okay I'm sure it will lack in something. It was just too good to be true, but rest assured this disc lived up to the trailer. My wife who hates mecha even liked it. After finishing the disc we went out and bought the rest that had been released. At that time it was through volume 4 and we enjoyed those too. All in all this was a fun disc but with a lot of heart to make it real.If you like Godannar, I invite you to check out my website at community.webtv.net/GodannarJunkie

This one is a bit of a throwback to the 70's style big robot anime or rescue team style of Voltron, G-Force, etc. However, in addition to the action of saving the world against an unknown threat, there is a love story of an awkward marriage between a 17 year old - Anna, and a 30 something Goh, plus the reapperance of an old flame. The fact that Anna's mom is also hot and about the same age as Goh, and every other woman in the series is a beautiful buxom babe only adds to the tension, and the distraction. Godanner is full of fanservice, provocative camera angles, and "boings". The women's figures are extremely bodacious and almost to the point of outrageous, as Kirikio's chest would make Jessica Rabbit blush with envy. Almost every one of her scenes is punctuated by a close up cleavage shot, or a lot of jiggling when she (or any of them) talks or yells, which may or may not end with her blouse breaking open from the weight of her bosom. The other characters have their signature costumes and fantastic figures, and each robot team (always made up of a man and woman) once co-joined to form a stronger robot, puts its pilots in suggestive poses in their respective cockpits. The series has several subplots which keep you hanging on for more and more information about the other characters, but most of the action centers around Goh and Anna in these first few episodes. The fighting is very well detailed and drawn, but don't expect much technical information about the mecha or their enemy. This series is all about the action, innuendo, the over top characters, and, of course, the ample bosoms.

In the past few years, we have seen a lot of mecha using fan service as a way to attract anime viewers and our last review of "Gravion Zwei" from ADV Films was a prime example of that.

When I first received a review copy of "GODANNAR" volume 1, the DVD case gave me an idea that perhaps this might be another T&A mecha anime. But most importantly, I was hoping to have a good storyline to go along with that fan service.

Needless to say that "GODANNAR" is an anime that really caught my attention and definitely gives a unique spin to mecha anime.

The first episode introduces the main characters. Five years ago, Anna was rescued by Goh (who pilots GODANNAR) during a time a Mimetic Beast was attacking Earth.

From that moment of being rescued, she fell in love with Goh.
Present time, Anna attends high school, nearly every guy want to date her and she is one of the best athletes at school and is admired by her classmates.

What they don't know is that Anna is being trained to pilot a giant robot for a major group run by her mother Kiriko.

What they also don't know is that she is getting married to the man who saved her life five years ago.

As for Goh, he promises himself to never fail a love one after he loses his partner and girlfriend Mira in battle.

Also, unknown to the people in the force that Goh is getting married to Anna.

Where "GODANNAR" separates themselves from other mecha anime is despite the fact that Goh is a capable warrior in battle with his mech, only when his mech fuses in battle together with his wife Anna's mech, is when GODANNAR beomes a superior force to be reckon with.

Unfortunately, Anna is not as experienced and most of all, Goh was not expecting his wife to be his partner in battle. He hopes that she will not be after the death of Mira. But Anna is determined to work hard and do what she can to be with Goh.

Throw in other complexities of love triangles with fellow pilot, Shirizu who is in love with Goh and also to find out that Mira, Goh's former love who is thought to be dead is very much alive and a force who is not so approving of the older adult marrying a 17-year old pilot in training, things look a bit rocky for the newlyweds.

As for those of you wondering about the T&A factor, yes... there is a lot of fan service in this anime.

As for the DVD, although we only watched a review copy with the first three episodes, "GODANNAR" definitely looks promising and I can't wait to watch more episodes.

The English dub seemed a bit frantic in the first episode with so many cut scenes but once things settle in, the dub for each characters are well done.

Special features include character profiles, mechanical profiles, GODANNAR Key Words and a top secret case file, clean opening and ending animations and both English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles.

Definitely check out "GODANNAR" volume 1. A fun, fresh, entertaining mecha anime to come out in years.

This is the best giant robot ever made since "Evangelion", why cause this has a lot of brief nudity. The women look sexy.

Five years ago, while battling an alien force known as the "Mimesis," Dannar pilot Goh first meet Anna Aoi. Their wedding was interrupted when the Mimesis strike again.