Getter Robo Go

Getter Robot Go (ゲッターロボ號) or Getter Robo Go, also known as Venger Robo or Venger Robot Go outside of Japan, is a Japanese mecha anime and manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa.

The anime was originally broadcast from February 11, 1991 to January 27, 1992 on TV Setouchi and TV Tokyo with a total of 50 episodes. Along with the TV series, a few manga versions were released. One of them was released in the US under the name Venger Robo and in Spain as Venger Robot Go. The anime and manga are unrelated, and while the anime is a remake of the original series, the manga is a sequel of the original manga. The series is sometimes wrongly written in Japanese as ゲッターロボ号.

Anime plot
In the year 200X, Doctor Randow, a genius scientist gone mad, has broken the peace on the Earth by trying to conquer the world from his Polar base, using an army of his Metal Beasts, super robots developed by him to conquer the world and led by the his genetically-created officers. No regular weapons seem to work against the Metal Beasts. To combat him, Japan's Defense Agency request the cooperation of NISAR, the Japan International Aerospace Corporation, which has developed a robot, the Getter Robot. Dr. Tachibana, the head of the Getter Robot project, is reluctant to use the robot for battle. Despite this, Getter Robot, piloted by Go Ichimonji, is able to defeat a Metal Beast with the sacrifice of Shinichi, the son of Dr. Tachibana. This prompts the improvement of Getter to make it a transforming machine piloted by three persons, capable of defeating the Metal Beasts and stopping Dr. Ranbow from conquering the world.

Characters

 * Go Ichimonji (一文字 號): The 17 years old main pilot of the Getter.
 * Sho Tachibana (橘 翔): The 16 years old daughter of Doctor Tachibana and sister of Shinichi. After her brother dies and the Getter is improved, she becomes another pilot of the robot.
 * Gai Daido (大道 剴): The third pilot of the Getter. A 17 years old young man, he is the most prudent and conscious of the three. Before becoming a pilot of the robot, he was the pilot of one of the helicopters which helped the robot.
 * Doctor Tachibana (橘博士): The head coordinator of the Getter Robot project and father of Sho and Shinichi. At first, he is reluctant to use Getter Robot as a weapon until his son dies.
 * Shinichi Tachibana (橘 信一): The son of Doctor Tachibana and brother of Sho. A helicopter pilot of the Getter squadron. In order to help Getter defeat a Metal Beast, he sacrifices himself. It is his death which prompts Doctor Tachibana to change the robot into a combat weapon capable of transforming in different forms.
 * Yuji Muto (武藤 由自): The informatics and programmer expert of the Getter squadron, who works mainly at the base of the NISAR. He is also the pilot of the flying ship which transports the Getter Robot after its battles.
 * Lee Foa May (リー・フォア・メイ): A nurse at the NISAR who treats the pilos and has a special relationship with Go.
 * Dr. Pochi (Dr.ポチ) & Dr. Tama (Dr.タマ): The assistants of Doctor Tachibana and the main comic relief of the series.
 * Doctor Yoshii (吉井博士): A scientist who collaborates in the Getter project.
 * Remi Yoshii (吉井レミ): The son of Doctor Yoshii.
 * Akira Daido (大道 哲): The younger brother of Dai.
 * Okada (岡田): One of the candidates to become a pilot of Getter.
 * Nakano (中野): One of the main mechanics in the NISAR base
 * Professor Randow (プロフェッサー・ランドウ): A preeminent scientist in robotic engineering who wishes to conquer the world.
 * Baron Yasha (ヤシャ男爵): A strange being which has a body with two heads, one blue and one red.
 * Count Rasetsu (ラセツ伯爵): A servant of Professor Randow and a cloned being. It often is at odds with Baron Yasha for Yasha's lack of ability in battle. It has a male face in its breast.
 * Viscount Narukisu (ナルキス子爵)

Episodes
Source(s)

Staff and production notes
Source(s)
 * Airtime: Monday, 18:30-19:00
 * Network: TV Setouchi, TV Tokyo
 * Production: TV Setouchi, Toei Doga, BigWest
 * Planning: Yoshimasa Onishi (BigWest), Kenji Yokoyama (Toei Doga)
 * Planning cooperation: Dynamic Planning
 * Producer: Chiyo Okazaki (TV Setouchi), Tatsuya Yoshida (Toei Doga)
 * Original work: Go Nagai, Ken Ishikawa
 * Music: Michiaki Watanabe
 * Chief animation director: Joji Oshima
 * Series director: Hiroki Shibata
 * Script: Hiroyuki Hoshiyama, Yukiyoshi Ohashi, Junki Takegami, Shoji Tonoike, Katsuhiko Chiba
 * Episode direction: Hiroki Shibata, Toru Yamada, Yoshikata Nitta, Masayuki Akehi, Takao Yoshizawa, Takenori Kawada
 * Animation supervisor: Joji Oshima, Yuji Hakamada, Takahiro Kagami, Keiichi Sato, Joji Kikuchi, Seiya Nakahira, Takashi Nashizawa, Satoru Minowa, Masahiko Okura
 * Art: Shinzo Ko, Kayoko Koitabashi, Masazumi Matsumiya, Ryu Tomamura

The anime is a remake of the original Getter Robot series with no real relationship with the previous anime or manga. Each episode features a different metal beast enemy, a similar format to the TV anime Mazinger Z. The design of the Getter Robot has some features reminiscent of Mazinger Z, such as a "Rocket Punch" attack. The series also marked the renewal of business relationships between Toei Animation and Go Nagai, which were interrupted by the conflict with Daiku Maryu Gaiking.

Theme songs
Source(s)
 * Opening 1: 21st century boy (21世紀少年 (21st century boy)) (lyrics by Bun Onoe, composition by Daiji Okai, arrangement by Hiroshi Toyama & Daiji Okai, song by Hiroyuki Takami)
 * Ending 1: Grievous Rain (lyrics by Bun Onoe, composition by Daiji Okai, arrangement by Hiroshi Toyama, song by Hiroyuki Takami)
 * Opening 2: Getter Robot Go (ゲッターロボ號) (lyrics by Chinfa Kan, composition & arrangement by Michiaki Watanabe, song by Ichiro Mizuki, chorus by Mori no Ki Jidogasshodan (森の木児童合唱団))
 * Ending 2: Tomodachi ni Naritai (友だちになりたい) (lyrics by Chinfa Kan, composition & arrangement by Michiaki Watanabe, song by Ichiro Mizuki)

Home video
The series was released on Laserdisc by Toei Video. Toei also released the series on DVD:

Music
The opening and ending themes have been released as singles and have been compiled in albums of the artists who performed them. The soundtrack is available in two CDs, one of which was re-released years later,

The opening and ending themes are available in several compilation albums of the Getter Robot series.

Manga
Three manga versions were published with the release of the TV series. Two of them were drawn by Tatsuo Yasuda, the first one was published in the magazine TV-kun from December 28, 1990 to April 30, 1991 and the second one in the magazine Bessatsu Coro Coro Comic Special from February 1991 to June 1991, both Kodomo publications of Shogakukan. None of these have been re-printed outside the magazines. Another version, illustrated by Ken Ishikawa, was published in the magazine Shonen Captain, published by Tokuma Shoten, from February 1991 to May 1993. This version was originally compiled in 7 volumes, and later reprinted in other collections published by Daitosha and Futabasha.

From this manga, the first stories were published in the USA by Viz Media in 1993 in 7 issues (not volumes) under the name Venger Robo.

Some of these numbers were also published in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini in 1995, under the name Venger Robot Go. In France, the series was published from 1999 to 2001 for a total of 5 volumes by Dynamic Vision. A volume of the series was also published in South Korea by Seoul Cultural Publishers. In Italy, the series was published integrally as part of the Getter Saga series, which included all Getter Robot series in a single series of 12 volumes.

Manga plot
Sixteen years after Ryouma Nagare, Hayato Jin and Benkei Kuruma defeated the Hundred Oni Empire (百鬼帝国), research has begun to develop a new set of Getter Machines in order to fight the threat of a new, cyborg-like species known as Metal Beasts, led by the evil Professor Rando of the "Vega Zone". Leading this project is Hayato himself, who soon scouts and enlists three young pilots: Go Ichimonji, a young professional athlete, Sho Tachibana, the daughter of Prof. Tachibana (leader of the Getter-Go project) and a skilled sword-fighter, and Gai Daidou, a former Getter mechanic. Together, these three pilots use a new set of Getter Machines to form the super robot known as "Getter Robo Go", and begin a battle to stop Rando once and for all.

Manga exclusive characters

 * Jin Hayato (神隼 人)
 * Ryoma Nagare (流 竜馬)
 * Kei Minamikaze (南風渓)
 * Schwartz Koff (シュワルツ・コフ)
 * Messiah Tahir (メシア・タイール)
 * Empress Jatego (女帝ジャテーゴ)