Psycho Armor Govarian

Psycho Armor Govarian (サイコアーマー ゴーバリアン) is a TV anime created by mangaka Go Nagai. It was produced by Knack and TV Tokyo. The series was originally broadcast from July 6, 1983 to December 28, 1983 in Japan. . Besides Japan, it was also broadcast in South Korea in 1988 by MBC where it was known as 사이코아머 고바리안 or 싸이코 아머 고바리안. It is also known as 海王星战士 in Taiwan. The anime is considered a mix of Genma Taisen, Mazinger and Gundam.

Story
The Garadain Empire has exhausted the primary resources of their native planet, so they send different space expeditions to find a new world where to live. One of their main objectives is planet Earth. However, Zeku Alba, an alien scientist, decides to rebel against the imperial rule and flees towards the Earth, where he gathers a group of youngs gifted with the power of "psychogenesis", an ability that consists in creating solid matter from mental energy.

The most gifted of the squadron is Isamu, a young orphan whose family was killed in the first attack of the Garadain Empire. He is able to generate the powerful robot Govarian, an armor with which he can battle the alien monsters and is able to regenerate thanks to the psychic energy of the pilot. Helped by two other robots created by his team-mates, Isamu, aboard the robot Govarian, defends the Earth in the long war against the alien invaders.

Characters

 * Isamu Napoto (イサム・ナポト)
 * Lisa Achika (アチカ・リサ)
 * Kurt Buster (クルト・バスター)
 * Hans Schultz (ハンス・シュルツ)
 * Layla Swani (ライラ・スワニー)
 * Karim Atlas (カリム・アトラス)
 * Pike (ピケ)
 * Puke (プケ)
 * Tongari (トンガリ)
 * Michie (ミッキー)
 * Zeku Alba (ゼクー・アルバ)
 * Ordon (オルドン)
 * Nekoban (ネコバン)
 * Meria (メリア)
 * Christo (クリスト)
 * Domson (ドムゾン)
 * Emperor Garadain (ガラダイン皇帝)

Main mechas

 * Psycho Armor Govarian
 * Length: 13 meters
 * Weight: 47 tonnes
 * Pilot: Isamu Napoto


 * Psycho Armor Raid (サイコアーマーレイド)
 * Length: 11 meters
 * Weight: 43 tonnes
 * Pilot: Kurt Buster, Hans Schultz (after the death of Buster)


 * Pyscho Armor Garom (サイコアーマーガロム)
 * Length: 11 meters
 * Weight: 63 tonnes
 * Pilot: Karim Atlas

Garadain mechas

 * Flynger (フラインジャー): The basic flying infantry mecha.
 * Baranger (バランジャー): The basic walking infantry mecha.
 * Genocider Guringa (ジェノサイダーグリンガ): Mecha used by Meria
 * Genocider Zarius (ジェノサイダーザリウス): Mecha used by Meria
 * Genocider Bobal (ジェノサイダーボーバル)
 * Genocider Batam (ジェノサイダーバタム)
 * Death Gander Doguros (デスガンダードグロス): The most powerful mecha, controlled by Christo. Kurt Buster dies trying to destroy it. After Buster's attack, it's modified and later it is finally destroyed by Meria in a suicide attack.

Episodes
Source(s)

Staff & production notes
Source(s)
 * Airtime: Wednesday, 19:30-20:00 hrs.
 * Network: TV Tokyo
 * Production: TV Tokyo, Knack
 * Original work: Go Nagai, Dynamic Planning
 * Planning: Seiichi Nishino (Knack)
 * Producer: Hyota Ezu (TV Tokyo), Hirofumi Toida (Knack)
 * Series organization: Yoshihisa Araki
 * Series director: Seiji Okuda
 * Animation director: Gen Fukuda, Yuki Kinoshita
 * Script: Hideki Sonoda, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Yuji Watanabe, Tomomi Minahaya, Masato Nishio, Tsukasa Takahashi
 * Original character: Go Nagai
 * Character design: Gen Fukuda
 * Mechanic design: Sawaki Tateba
 * Art director: Morishige Suzuki
 * Photography director: Yoichi Shimizu
 * Music: Tatsumi Yano
 * Theme song performance: Neverland

Theme songs
"Lonely Journey" and "Lullaby" have been used in several music collections in arranged versions sung by Hironobu Kageyama.
 * Opening theme: "Lonely journey" (孤独の旅路~LONELY JOURNEY~), lyrics by Tomoaki Taka, composition by Shunji Inoe, arrangement by Neverland & Hiroki Harada (chorus), song by Tomoaki Taka.
 * Ending theme: "Lullaby" (ララバイ), lyrics by Tomoaki Taka, composition by Shunji Inoe, arrangement by Neverland, song by Tomoaki Taka.
 * Insert song: "It's LOVE" (It's LOVE ~それは愛~), lyrics by Tomoaki Taka, composition by Shunji Inoe, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Tomoaki Taka. This theme is used in the last episode.
 * Insert song: "Yuhi no Omoi" (夕陽の想い), lyrics by Tomoaki Taka, composition by Shunji Inoe, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano, song by Tomoaki Taka.

Home video
The series was released in VHS format during the 1980s in 6 volumes. In 2006-03-25 a DVD-box set containing the whole series was released by the company Japanese company BM3 with the standard number OHK-27.

Picture books and manga
Besides the main TV series, two series of picture books were released, one by Shogakukan and the other by Asahi Sonorama. Also a short manga serialization, with the art of Tatsuo Yasuda (another pen name of Tatsuya Yasuda), was published in the Kodomo magazine Yoiko published by Shogakukan from August 1983 to February 1984.

Soundtracks
Four vinyl records were released during 1983 by King Records. The first one, an EP called Psycho Armor Govarian - Lonely Journey, contains the opening and ending theme, both of them performed by the Japanese group Neverland. The second EP, called Psycho Armor Govarian - It's LOVE, contains the themes "It's LOVE" and "Yuhi no Omoi". Also performed by Neverland, both themes have lyrics by Tomoaki Taka, composition by Shunji Inoe, arrangement by Tatsumi Yano and are sung by Tomoaki Taka. The last two are full LP album containing the BGM of the series and the opening and ending themes.

Appearances in other media
Besides its series related media, Govarian has appeared in other media. The most prominent is its appearance in the Dynamic Super Robots Soshingeki!! (ダイナミックスーパーロボット総進撃!!) clips that were included at the end of the DVDs of Shin Getter Robot tai Neo Getter Robot. Govarian appears alongside Great Mazinger, Venus A, Getter Robot G, Kotetsu Jeeg, God Mazinger and Groizer X to rescue Mazinger Z and Aphrodite A, but are defeated and in turn saved by Shin Getter Robot and Grendizer just before the arrival of Mazinkaiser.

The opening and ending songs of the series are included in several CD compilations of anime series.

Merchandise
Some toys and action figures based in the robots of the series were released, including several South Korean bootleg versions. The official figures were made by the company Poem.

Relationship to the Mazinger series
The head of the main mecha of the series, Govarian, is similar to the head of Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger. This was done on purpose by Go Nagai and Dynamic Planning in accordance with the demand of production company Knack. In South Korea, it was presented as being part of the Mazinger series along with Groizer X. Other than that, Psycho Armor Govarian has no real relationship to any of the Mazinger series.