Z Mazinger (Ｚマジンガー Z Majingā?) is a retelling of the Mazinger Z story by Go Nagai, mixing it with ancient Greek mythology. Here, Greek myths are the human testimony of the epic battles between robots piloted by extraterrestrials. The appearance of the robot remains similar to the original Mazinger, but with a more modern look.
Set in contemporary times, the battle of the Gods (extraterrestrials thought to be Gods by the ancient Greeks) continues. Hades (in mythology, the ruler of the underworld, embodied by Dr. Hell) has returned to attack the Earth and exterminate the human race, and to protect it Zeus sends a robot born from him, Z Mazinger (this is why the Z of Zeus is before the name and not after it as in Mazinger Z, where it's not related to the Greek god).
The robot is given by chance to a student called Koji Kabuto (the classic Mazinger hero) and together with Aphrodite (piloted by Sayaka) and other classic Mazinger characters such as Tetsuya he defends the planet. Many other gods are involved, and their relationships of love and envy are part of the plot.
In 2007, several rumors surfaced regarding a new series[1] which would be based on the Z Mazinger manga.[2] In February 2009, it was officially announced a new Mazinger anime called Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen (真マジンガー 衝撃! Ｚ編 Shin Majingā Shōgeki! Z Hen?) which began airing on April 4, 2009.[3][4]. Some elements of Z Mazinger appear in Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z Hen, the most prominent being the apparition of Zeus in His Z Mazinger form.
Manga information[]
Japanese edition[]
| Vol. | Release date[5] | ISBN | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 17, 1999 | 4063340465 | 978-4063340464 |
| 2 | July 16, 1999 | 4063340961 | 978-4063340969 |
| 3 | January 17, 2000 | 4063342751 | 978-4063342758 |
| 4 | May 17, 2000 | 4063343022 | 978-4063343021 |
| 5 | December 15, 2000 | 4063343588 | 978-4063343588 |
Italian edition[]
| Vol. | Release date[6] | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 3, 2004 | 978-4902751024 |
| 2 | October 15, 2004 | 978-4902751079 |
| 3 | December 17, 2004 | 978-4902751130 |
| 4 | February 18, 2005 | 978-4902751246 |
| 5 | April 15, 2005 | 978-4902751451 |
References[]
- ↑ "Mazin Go". AltJapan. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ↑ "Z!". AltJapan. 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ↑ "Shin Mazinger Shōgeki! Z-Hen TV Remake Set for 2009". USA: Anime News Network. 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ↑ http://www.shin-mazinger.com/
- ↑ (Japanese) "Amazon.co.jp". Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ↑ (Italian) "d/world". Retrieved 2008-12-01.
External links[]
- Z Mazinger (Japanese) at the World of Go Nagai website
- Z Mazinger (Italian) at PaTaTo's Manga DB
- Z Mazinger (Italian) at d/visual
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it:Z Mazinger