Gaiking Complete Original 1976 TV Series

Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking is one of the classic Japanese anime series from the 1970s (1976-1977). It was dubbed in English and broadcast on American TV during the 1980s as one of the Force Five anime series, a collection of 5 anime series from the 1970s which were all dubbed in English and introduced in the US market, but this DVD set presents the original series as it was broadcast in Japanese. The audio is Japanese only, and the user has the option to enable or disable English subtitles.This DVD set refers to Daikuu Maryuu as "Dino Mech," but the most literal English translation would perhaps be "Great Flying Mystic Dragon." The character "Ma" is often translated as "evil" or something similar, but it can also mean "magic" or "mystic," depending on the context, and I personally believe that this is more appropriate. "Dino Mech" is good enough, though.The overall theme of Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking focuses on the so-called "ancient astronaut" theory, which suggests that Earth was visited in the distant past by intelligent extra-terrestrial beings, and these beings were actually the source of many Earth legends and myths. In this series, many of the legends and myths turn out to be all too real - and that is not a good thing. As far as I can tell, the ancient legends which are explored in this series, such as the great stone statues of Easter Island and the kofun tombs of ancient Japanese history, are generally based on fact.Six thousand light-years from Earth, the planet Zela is in its death throes. Its sun has degenerated into a black hole, and the once-peaceful Zelans have become the victims of their own technology. Now ruled by Emperor Darius, who is in reality a gigantic robot, and in company with his 4 henchmen, he has enslaved the Zelan people, mentally conditioning and physically transforming them into a murderous horde. Armed with super-advanced technology and driven by evil, the Zelans have focuses all of their energy on their objectives - the slaughter of the human race and the conquest of Earth. However, not all of the Zelans are bad, just as not all of the humans are good.Some people on Earth have become aware of the Zelan threat, and have gathered their forces to defend Earth against the Zelan onslaught. Professor Daimonji and his team have developed several mecha to defend Earth. Daikuu Maryuu (which was called the "Space Dragon" in the Force Five incarnation) is a gigantic dragon-shaped mecha which serves as both a battleship and a mother-ship for the other mecha.The team is an eclectic mix. They are led by Professor Daimonji, who is both a father figure and commander to the crew. Tsuwabuki Sanshirou is an ex-baseball player who was injured in a Zelan assassination attempt, but his trademark "magic pitch" later becomes Gaiking's secret weapon. Fujiyama Midori (voice-acted by Koyama Mami, from Appleseed (2004) and Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny, among many other things) serves as Daikuu Maryuu's communications officer, is originally not from Earth, and is telepathic to a certain extent. The team also includes a technological genius, an American who served in the US Marine Corps, a Japanese sumo wrestler, a martial artist from Hong Kong, an expert in scuba diving and water operations, and a boy who is sort of the team mascot but also contributes to victory on several occasions. Most of their back-stories are explored along the way, and this adds to the show's appeal. Daikuu Maryuu also has a large crew of engineers, technicians, and weapons systems operators.Gaiking, the title mecha, is composed of 3 sections which are individually launched from Daikuu Maryuu and combine in mid-air. Armed with a variety of built-in weapons, Gaiking is nearly invincible once the pilot, Sanshirou, gains more skill and experience. Daikuu Maryuu also carries 3 support mecha. Each is optimized for a specific environment - air, sea, and land. Throughout the series, Gaiking and Daikuu Maryuu receive several weapon upgrades to cope with the increasingly fearsome Zelan mecha.The viewer should remember that this series was made in the 1970s, and some of the storylines reflect that time in history. In one episode, the Zelans attempt to deceive the human race into destroying itself by provoking a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is likely that most people who purchase this DVD set will be too young to remember the Cold War, but this series provides a window into that historical period for younger viewers.One of the defining characteristics of Japanese anime from the 1970s was the music of Kikuchi Shunsuke (or Shunsuke Kikuchi, if you want to write his name American-style with family name last). He created unique musical scores for many anime series during this time, and I consider the musical score for Gaiking to be some of his very best work.This is just my personal view, but this really was one of the best series of its time, and it never loses its mojo, from start to finish. For those who are familiar with newer anime series, shows like Gaiking set the pattern for the art form that anime has become. For anime fans who have been around for a while, this will be a very pleasant trip down memory lane. I would really like to see more shows from this time brought to the US market.

Receive my Gaiking in the mail and Wow what a wonderful box set See this classic cartoon on DVD hopefully they can make more of these sets and have official US release like. getter Robo G ufo. grendizer Much more of the force 5 and more shogun warriors TV shows that came back and put on dvd. hopefully they can put more US releases Dan. Guard ace As will

got this for a 3 thrd gift for my bf and if u have a fan of animation this is it were also looking for a force 5 dvd set

BOTTOM LINE: If you like Japanese anime', giant robots, weird monsters and/or anything Super Sentai/Power Rangers-related, then this is right up your alley. It is very similar to other super combining robot shows, but after dozens and dozens of such series over the last 40+ years, how could it NOT be? Animation is simplistic, crude at times, but overall solid. The English subtitles are well done and easy to read. A nice package overall. 4 STARSTHE STORY: If you've ever seen even one episode of Power Rangers then you know the story... Evil space creeps wanna take over Earth? Check. Scrappy band of ragtag misfits who initially rub each other the wrong way but eventually put aside their differences and use a big friggin' robot (who assembles from sections and looks way-cool) to whoop some kaiju butt and save the day? Check. Conflicted alpha male leader, loyal female, introverted genius, fat guy comic relief, screechy kid? Check, check, check, check, and check.THOUGHTS: I had the giant-ass Shogun Warrior version of GAIKING as a tyke, so when I saw that Discotek had assembled & released the ENTIRE 44-episode series on our shores, translated with top notch English subs, I knew I had to get it. I'm well over half way into the show and it's a hoot, with all the wild creature designs and rock 'em sock'em robot/monster action that any sugar-buzzed kid could ever hope for. LOL. (I used to read the Marvel comic of Shogun Warriors too, so I suppose I'll be picking up Combattler V soon... and maybe Danguard Ace.)THE DVD SET: Assembled in a solid large-ish slipcase, this is a nice release. Video & audio quality are solid; no pixelation, artifacting, interlacing or other video/audio headaches to muck up your viewing experience. The Discotek name on the box means you can count on quality translations from Japanese to English, with properly timed, easy-to-read subtitles. No bonus features, but it's great to just have these classic giant robot anime shows available over here in the U.S., in legit R1 releases. As with other releases from Discotek, if you're pondering any other series they currently offer you are advised to snap them up quickly, before they're out of print and asking prices shoot through the roof. This Discotek DVD release of DINO MECH GAIKING comes Highly Recommended!

I strongly recommend this to giant Japanese robot fans. This is the Gaiking collection we have been waiting for.The set has great artwork. The the episodes have great audio and the picture is bright and crisp. Not bad for a show from the seventies.The translation is excellent and the viewer is no scratching their head with bad translation. All episodes are unedited.I would hope this will be a launching pad for future titles such as Grendizer and Getter Robo G Aka Starvengers.

Brings me back to my childhood

Great price and quality. Fun series with surprisingly progressive message for its time.

gtew up watching this in the early 80s if you love mecha animes this is a good begining. i also saw the remake series not as good as this one.

商品として満足しています。コンパクトさ値段　英語字幕が消せる等。これでガイキングと一緒に過ごせます

Here is another underrated anime series I now love after watching the opening sequence on YouTube. And it's also another favorite from Toei Animation; I'm a huge Toei fan. The story is about Sanshiro Tsuwabuki, a brash baseball player who was about to show his "Miracle Pitch" during a game, when someone attacked him, breaking his wrist. and thus he can never play baseball again. Later, Sanshiro finds himself surrounded by winged aliens but is saved by astrobiologist Dr. Daimonji and his psychic crew on the carrier superweapon Daiku Maryu. The doctor explains to Sanshiro that the aliens that attack him are invaders from the faraway planet Zela. The planet is on the verge of being sucked into a black hole. Zela's supercomputer, Emperor Darius, plans to conquer Earth and make it home for the Zelans. The one thing that stands in the way of this invasion is the Daiku Maryu and its crew. Sanshiro, who wanted revenge on the Zelans, is now a pilot of the giant robot Gaiking. So that's all I could tell you, folks. You will have to watch the series on DVD for yourself. Overall, I love every bit of this "retro" sci-fi anime series.

一般的な国内プレイヤーで再生出来ますし（私は数年前のSONYの最廉価プレイヤー『BDR-S1200』）、タイトルで字幕を消す事が出来ます。映像特典として、6枚目のディスクに、ノンクレジットＯＰ＆ＥＤが入っています。画像としては、ＤＶＤならば十二分に満足出来る画質なので、国内版がＤＶＤしか発売されていない現状を考えると、本商品がコスパ共に最高ではないかと思います。今の子供達の基準で見れば、どちらが敵でどちらが味方かわからないようなデザインですが、物語自体は今でも通用するレベルのものです。○放送第一話で、主人公の乗るガイキングの必殺技が全てきかない＆母艦である大空魔竜に帰還を拒否させられるという衝撃展開。○基本的に敵ロボットの性能の方が高い為、攻略法を見つけない限りは、延々とボコられ続けるガイキング。　…10話に1回ぐらいの割合でマジンガーＺの最終回なみに破壊されます。○敵側の戦略が、強力なロボットを送り込んで来るだけでなく、破壊工作がかなり多い（スパイ・メンバーの洗脳・特殊ロボット等）。○味方になりそうなキャラ（ロマンス・協力者等）であっても、殆どが一話限りであっけなく死ぬ（主に爆死）。○主要メンバー全員に、きちんとスポットを当てられた物語がある。○主要メンバー全員が徐々に人間的な成長を見せて行く。○後半になるとガイキングの顔面が割れて、攻撃重視の凶悪フェイスになるｗ○ラストバトルの全面戦争が熱い。・・・等々、古いアニメとは言え中々に見ごたえがある作品なので、本作を知らない方や、懐かしさを感じる方は、お安い北米版でゆっくり鑑賞されるのも良いかと。ちなみに、本作はリメイク版も存在するそうです（国内版のみ）。

今の無駄にリアルなアニメに疲れてるみんな。大空魔竜で昔の熱さをとりもどそう！正直、フェイスオープンはこっちのガイキングほうが好き。大空魔竜メインなこっちのほうが好き。

自分が幼い頃に使っていた弁当箱の絵柄でガイキングというロボットアニメの存在は知っていましたが、リアルタイムで見た事がなかったので、国内版のバカ高いDVDより財布に優しい価格で購入できてよかったです。画質も良く国内製のブルーレイデッキで普通に再生できて字幕までＯＦＦできたので2重に得した気分です。