Mazinger Z 50th Anniversary – Japan ex Machina!
Fuji Television, December 3, 1972, 07:00 pm… something miraculous happened… a brand new humanoid machine arrived to defend the Earth from the wicked army led by Dr. Hell. Made with a never seen before material known as Super Alloy Z, from that day its name is a synonym of power & safety… obviously, we’re talking of the one and only Mazinger Z!
But the origin of the robots carries us to a far far past, more precisely to ancient Greece when the philosopher and mathematician Archytas in the 4th century BC theorized for the very first time a kind of machine called automata that could abolish slavery. Through the millennia thousands of writers, philosophers, and artists contributed to building their ideas of the robot to eviscerate the concepts about the relationship between humans and technology.
Names like Isaac Asimov, Karel Čapek, or Stanisław Lem helped us to know more about machines and how we can live with them, but from the Land of the Rising Sun, a vast number of individuals have created amazing stories in which giant super humanoids defend the whole humankind from the threats of alien invaders. Among them, the most important person is Go Nagai!
Getter Robo, Devilman, Grendizer, Cutie Honey, and Koutetsu Jeeg are only a few of the series made by him, but Mazinger Z holds a very special place in the hearts of millions of people not only in Japan but all around the world. Originally appearing in the pages of Shonen Jump, the #1 of the super robots show us the perfect amalgam of inorganic battle armors and organic heroes, through many battles the story of Mazinger Z laid the seeds for dozens of mechanime series such as Patlabor, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Combattler V, Voltron, and so on…
50 years of true super-epicness!
Clearly tied to Japanese culture, Mazinger Z melts nostalgia and (retro)-futurism and since the first episode, it helped hugely Toei Animation and Bandai to develop a new interest in animated tv series about mechs to capitalize on the fascination also on robot action figures. After all who can resist the idea of skyscraper-sized machines that fight like powerful samurai? We certainly do not. Epically filled with pure heroes, charismatic characters, alien monsters, and mad scientists; in these 50 years, it has infused our souls with a huge dose of unforgettable mechaction. Entering the Pilder with Koji Kabuto, both old and new generations can discover the true value of life and sacrifice. With its intense & mature story that imprints the grand tragedy of war into our hearts; this series is a real treasure for all the ones who are hungry for non-stop hardcore mechawesome action.
Let’s fight together for humankind’s sake, more powerful than ever, we are happy to celebrate the half of the century of the Mazinger Z.
Rocket punch, rust hurricane, breast fire… we are always ready to run, blast, and dash with him. It’s time to party hard, and prepare for a post-modern battle that will let reduce the army of Dr. Hell to a molten mass of twisted flesh and metal… the time is now, Magin go, Mazin go, Mazinger Z!
Join our Playasia Loyalty Program and earn Playasia coins for every purchase.
Also, you can rank up to get even better Loyalty Program perks!
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON IG
© 2022 Playasia. OK to reproduce if the copyright note stays intact.
