Attention: English is not my native language, therefore my grammar will most likely be often wrong and clunky. So I appreciate any corrections you may make.
A classic manga by Go Nagai, completely refurbished as a show to introduce kids to the mecha genre, it shouldn't be a surprise that Gaiking's main theme is a timeless classic such as "bonds". Produced by TOEI animation, Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu tells the tale of Daiya Tsuwabuki, a 13 years old kid that, 5 years prior, was attacked on its father's fishing boat and found about the existence of giant monsters and a mysterious dragon who fights it. Now, his destiny is to embark on this dragon who's actually a giant warship and fight as the pilot of the Gaiking, a giant robot, to thwart the monstrous Darius Empire's plans to invade and conquer the Earth. He travels through a different dimension inside the planet, fighting against enemies to overthrow the Emperor of Darius and bring peace to both worlds.
To be more specific, Gaiking's whole narrative revolves around family bonds, but not necessarily the blood type. The main cast, the crew of the land-air cruiser Daiku-Maryu is depicted as one big family. It's perfectly possible to see the already formed relations between crew members, the easy-going atmosphere and the relations they forge with the newcomer and protagonist, Daya Tsuwabuki, trough time. Not only that but a lot of the main plot points are tied with family problems. Daiya is on a quest to search for his father, who was captured by the enemy, the Darius Empire. And the main heroine, Lulu, had her parents murdered when younger. Dick, the "sixth ranger" character has a personal feud with his father who doesn't see him as much more than a money-making tool.
The anime cast is filled with charismatic and memorable characters. All of the main characters go through a lot of development along with the series, but even in a cast so distinguished, the protagonist sticks out as a great character. Not only his humble and understanding personality makes him a lovable kid, rather than the usual brat main character on kid shows, he's also the ideal main character for such shows, because he's a character kids would both relate and look up to. He is strong and has the most potential in the series, like how kids have the most potential between people because they can still become anything while growing up. And at the same time, the value he gives to his bonds is grounded on the simple fact that for a kid, it's family and home environment represent the whole world.
While animated on an exceedingly low budget, Gaiking's action scenes never cease to be dynamic and well-directed. Every fight is unique and has an appropriate sense of tension, as well as consistent and diverse solutions that make the most of the super robot's wide arsenal of weapons. Important fighting sequences receive due attention and always delivers the necessary impact. Among the more than 100 mecha shows I watched, low budget, yet passionate shows such as and especially Gaiking are always the best ones in the action department.
And while we're at it, in an industry heavily moved by the sales of new toys and products, Gaiking is one of the few gems in modern anime to have appropriate power-up arcs. They always come along a great impending danger and prime moments of character development, not to mention intense build-up and subtle foreshadows. Power-ups are also never banalized and are used with the pretty much the same care from introductions to the last episodes.
There's certainly nothing of innovative or groundbreaking in Gaiking's narrative. But that's the show's strong suit. Rather than a story full of twists and the unexpected, it delivers the expected, but with near flawless execution. Everything on the show screams "cliché". From the destined kid protagonist that has to save another world, to the evil empire commanded by 4 evil generals with distinct personalities, or the giant robots with stylish techniques and insane power. And it's exactly this unpretentiousness that makes every cliche feel so fresh and the whole show a fresh and innocent experience.
By the end of the day, Gaiking is an action-packed and fun adventure filled with lovable characters and clichés that truly shows the potential of kid shows and of a committed staff. If you're still able to do the bare minimum of enjoying life and can forgive the lack of resources in the show, then I recommend you, by all means, to watch Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu.
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