Giant Robot FM
@giantrobotfm
Join pmcTRILOGY and Stephen Hero as they navigate and discuss mecha anime old and new, real and super. Currently watching: Giant Robo (1992-98). Currently meming: Giant Robo and Gundam: The Origin (2015-2018).
Fun fact: The RTX-65 Guntank Early Type, designed by Kimitoshi Yamane, made its animated debut in ep. 1 of Gundam: The Origin. While not a household name, Yamane has left his mark on the American fandom: he designed the ships in Cowboy Bebop and the mechs in Escaflowne!
As a reminder, our ordering window for our Gunbuster zine ends on July 28!
Gotta little treat for y'all! We commissioned friends of the show, Mr. and Mrs. @sadmilk.bsky.social, to translate some interviews from the The Collection of Gunbuster Complete Art Book. This week: Haruhiko Mikimoto & Yoshiyuki Sadamoto! This interview can be read FOR FREE on our Patreon!
"When I thought about what Gihren would do in his private time, I naturally thought of simulation games. Or what about the game of Go, which is said to be deeper than chess or shogi? It's the formative process that leads to him becoming a dictator..."
YAS has actually commented on this scene, which was reworked for the OVA: "In the manga when Kycilia comes to deliver her report, he's pruning his garden, but you feel like, 'Why would he be doing such a thing?' It's rather dull."
🎶Where everybody knows your name And they're always glad you came Where everybody knows your name And they're always glad you came Where everybody knows your name And they're always glad you came Where everybody knows your name🎶
Doesn't the Shizuma Drive look tasty? Repost and like if you'd crack these cylinders open and gulp down some of this green juice!
"You should touch nothing but good clothes for three years." - Yoshiyuki Tomino, noted fashionista King shit.
As @russelllatshaw.bsky.social pointed out, Yamashita's illustration of Daisaku for a postcard included with the 30th Anniversary Giant Robo Art Book (2022) looks an awful lot like Mahito from The Boy and the Heron (2023). Makes sense—Yamashita was a key animator on the film!
More recently, Yamashita directed a couple of productions at Studio Ponoc. He was assistant animation director on Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017) and subsequently directed “Invisible,” one of the trio of shorts films that make up Modest Heroes (2018).
Speaking of Ghibli, Yamashita would go on to work at the venerable studio later in his career. He was an animator on Spirited Away (2001) and a character designer on Howl's Moving Castle (2004).
During the nearly three-year gap between the final two episodes, Yamashita worked on Wonder Project J2 (1996), a N64 raising sim. He was partly responsible for the game’s Ghibli-esque art style.
Fun fact: Given that Giant Robo (1992-98) was made over seven years, it’s remarkable that Akihiko Yamashita stayed on the project from start to finish, contributing to every episode as a character designer. His vibrant and exuberant style gives the series a real consistency.
Can we all just take a moment to admire the Masami Ozone artwork featured at the end of episodes 3 and 4 of Giant Robo? Absolutely gorgeous.
me: *goes to family dinner* some woman i've never seen in my life:
Now that Big Fire Frequency, our new patron-exclusive series on Giant Robo, has kicked off, we’re releasing our Moonrace Wireless back catalogue on the free feed! This week, dear friend @szkinart.net stops by to talk about episode 11 of ∀ Gundam!
Asuka Langley Soryu: "In short, things expand when warmed, and contract when cooled." Meanwhile, Alberto the Shockwave:
Alberto sowing: Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!! Alberto reaping: Well this fucking sucks. What the fuck.
Heat got ya down? Why not cool off with a dose of Big Fire Frequency? This week, @thaliarchus.bsky.social and @russelllatshaw.bsky.social stop by to talk about ep. 4 of Giant Robo! Hear the gang gush about the gobsmackingly gorgeous animation, among many other things! Become a patron to listen!
Appropriately titled Jesus (1997), Yasuhiko's two-volume manga chronicles the life of the Christian messiah. Interestingly, it did receive an official English release courtesy of the now-defunct ComicsOne in 2001. However, it was only available digitally on their website.
Fun fact: In ep. 1 of Gundam: The Origin Zeon Zum Deikun refers to his inner circle as "disciplines" and makes an allusion to Golgotha. Framing Deikun as a Christ-like figure is a very YAS move, considering he wrote and illustrated a manga about his life.
As @tomaznable.bsky.social pointed out on our First Gundam history episode (from 2021!), Itano also animated the sequence from ep. 29, "Tragedy in Jaburo," when the White Base and its crew arrive in South America and are greeted by flock of beautiful blue butterflies.
Itano was a key animator on ep. 35, “The Glory of Solomon,” which features its fair share of frenetic mecha action, and even a few missiles, which were all trademarks of his visual style.