New Getter Robo, Vol. 3: The Hell on Earth (2004) – DVD Review

Film:
DVD:

Written by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa
Directed by Jun Kawagoe
Music by Kazuo Nobuta and Try Force

Features:

Music clips

Dindrane’s Anime Warnings:

Lots o’ violence

Big stompy oni-devils

Disrespecting planetary space

Disrespecting temporal cohesion

Serious anger management issues

Heresy

Such naughty language!

Released by: Geneon
Region: 1
Rating: 16 +
Anamorphic: Yes.

My Advice: Get it if you like mechas; rent it at least if you’re a sci-fi fan

In New Getter Robo, an army of monsters, like the oni of ancient legend, are attacking the earth. Luckily, Dr. Saotome (no relation) has been developing the “Getter Robo,” which might be powerful enough to stem the deadly tide. To pilot his robots, Saotome recruits three pilots: Ryoma, Hayato, and Benkei. However, all is not as it seems in a complex series that blends hidden villains with time travel, and intrigue with violent action.

In this final volume of three episodes, Seimei returns to the future with his army of oni to face off against Ryoma and crew, but it seems that the new and improved Getter Robos might be too much for the pilots, especially Ryoma, who is still responding to the Robos in an inexplicable way. The final two episodes deal with the aftermath of sorts as four “gods” arrive and threaten to destroy the Robo laboratory and the world. Their secret connection to the oni and Seimei is revealed.

If you haven’t watched the previous discs in this series, then go and do that before you try to watch this one. This is not at all a series that allows viewers to just jump in wherever they feel like it; it’s hard enough to understand why the writers have all the time traveling, etc. without not caring about the characters thrown on top of that. However, if you have watched the series from the beginning, the long trip is rewarding and interesting. There are still some questionable plot points that may not make a lot of sense with only one viewing, but then, if you buy anime, you will want to watch it over and over anyway. The philosophical side of things rang a bit shallow ultimately, but it’s still better than average.

The visuals and audio are satisfying, especially with respect to the mecha battles in the skies. There’s some nice directionality that should make use of a nice home stereo set-up if you have one. Kazuo Nobuta’s stirring music is a solid counterpoint to the high action factor. The oni are all nicely terrifying and disgusting (though not high gore), but beware of the violence factor. There were few problems with digital transfer, and everyone but the most snotty should be pleased with how the show looks and sounds.

The extras for the release are a bit disappointing. We get only a couple of music video type clips. A retrospective of Nagai’s works would have been splendid, as well as some kind of scholarship on how New Getter Robo fits into the larger genre of mecha/sci fi shows, like the better known Gundam franchise or Evangelion. Anime is a legitimate genre to study now, and some recognition of that fact on the DVD extras is overdue.

In short, if you appreciate massive battles that play out over a background of planetary destruction and giant stars, then you’ll appreciate New Getter Robo. The characters are different and complex enough to sustain interest over the relatively short series, and the question about who the ultimate villain is throughout the series will intrigue most viewers. There are enough twists and surprises to interest most viewers and only frustrate a few who likes things cleaner and more systematic. Fans of science fiction and time travel genre should be most pleased.

Buy it from Amazon.