rainforevermore
Joined Aug 2019
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Reviews2
rainforevermore's rating
The 3rd of Go Nagai's mecha, Grendizer carries over much of what made Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger successful, but manages to freshen things up. Even though Kabuto Koji is present, it feels a lot more like a standalone series.
The art and the animation are much cleaner than the previous entries in the catalog, often closer to the more polished OVAs. The sound design is also vastly superior.
The silly and often annoying comic relief element is not as omnipresent as it was in Great Mazinger, where Boss is often the focus of attention for much of the episode. In fact, thankfully enough, Boss is only featured in a handful of episodes. Grendizer's own cast of silly characters such as Danbei and Banta is somewhat easier to ignore for the most part. And thankfully, there are no such absurdities as taking crows either.
Even if it's made for kids, the tone is more serious, with romantic and even tragic elements, and the characters have a lot more depth.
And this is reinforced by the extraordinary music of Shunsuke Kikuchi, one of the great Japanese composers of the late 20th century. The score is full of pathos and remarkably dynamic, often reminiscent of Ennio Morricone. The music alone gives much more depth to the series than what you find in Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger.
Of course, the series has its share of fillers but overall it is very enjoyable.
I would recommend watching it in Japanese if you do have that option, as the progression of the series makes more sense. The translated versions can sometimes feel as though they were done in batches of a few episodes, without any real notion of the overarching plot. That being said, I grew up watching it in French, and I can attest that they did a fantastic job with that version, despite some issues. I assume that the same goes for the Arabic and Italian versions, seeing how beloved this series remains in France, Quebec, Italy and some Arab countries almost 50 years later.
The art and the animation are much cleaner than the previous entries in the catalog, often closer to the more polished OVAs. The sound design is also vastly superior.
The silly and often annoying comic relief element is not as omnipresent as it was in Great Mazinger, where Boss is often the focus of attention for much of the episode. In fact, thankfully enough, Boss is only featured in a handful of episodes. Grendizer's own cast of silly characters such as Danbei and Banta is somewhat easier to ignore for the most part. And thankfully, there are no such absurdities as taking crows either.
Even if it's made for kids, the tone is more serious, with romantic and even tragic elements, and the characters have a lot more depth.
And this is reinforced by the extraordinary music of Shunsuke Kikuchi, one of the great Japanese composers of the late 20th century. The score is full of pathos and remarkably dynamic, often reminiscent of Ennio Morricone. The music alone gives much more depth to the series than what you find in Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger.
Of course, the series has its share of fillers but overall it is very enjoyable.
I would recommend watching it in Japanese if you do have that option, as the progression of the series makes more sense. The translated versions can sometimes feel as though they were done in batches of a few episodes, without any real notion of the overarching plot. That being said, I grew up watching it in French, and I can attest that they did a fantastic job with that version, despite some issues. I assume that the same goes for the Arabic and Italian versions, seeing how beloved this series remains in France, Quebec, Italy and some Arab countries almost 50 years later.
There was something profoundly rock and roll about the original serie. Eric had KISS and Alice Cooper posters in his room, and th show was constantly referencing rock music. You had the theme song by Cheap Trick, Donna working at the radio station and meeting Ted Nugent and Alice, Kelso impregnating a girl at a Molly Hatchet concert, Hyde selling Kitty a Judas Priest tape... It gave them a coherent identity as youth, anchored them in a recognizable culture, and made them relatable. They were "those kids".
Besides a few winks here and there, That 90's Show fails to embrace the counterculture - which was alive and well in the 90's. It sprinkles references, as a reminder that this is happening in the 90's, but it does not commit to it. All the ingredients were there, with the whole grunge movement - but they missed it by a hundred miles.
And I believe that's one of the reaons why so many fans of the original find the new cast lifeless and generic. The show seems to be the result of very global and fluid understanding of culture - something that reflects today's reality, but not the 90's. Kids still passionately identified with certain music genres back then. They did not stream indifferently. Transpose Eric and the gang in the 90's, and you can bet that there'd be Nirvana posters on the walls and they'd be watching "Singles" and "Reality Bites". Not Free Willy.
Poor acting aside, I honestly believe that that is one of the reasons why so many pople feel that the new show fails. It has no identity, no grit. The new characters are not grounded in the 90's.
Right off the bat, the theme music, which is a generic take on the original and not representative of the kids tastes, make a statement: the people behind this new series do not have the kind of sensibility that made That 70's Show such a great series. It's a corporate approximation of a nostalgia show, with none of the passion. It completely mises the point.
The original cast is the series sole redeeming quality.
Besides a few winks here and there, That 90's Show fails to embrace the counterculture - which was alive and well in the 90's. It sprinkles references, as a reminder that this is happening in the 90's, but it does not commit to it. All the ingredients were there, with the whole grunge movement - but they missed it by a hundred miles.
And I believe that's one of the reaons why so many fans of the original find the new cast lifeless and generic. The show seems to be the result of very global and fluid understanding of culture - something that reflects today's reality, but not the 90's. Kids still passionately identified with certain music genres back then. They did not stream indifferently. Transpose Eric and the gang in the 90's, and you can bet that there'd be Nirvana posters on the walls and they'd be watching "Singles" and "Reality Bites". Not Free Willy.
Poor acting aside, I honestly believe that that is one of the reasons why so many pople feel that the new show fails. It has no identity, no grit. The new characters are not grounded in the 90's.
Right off the bat, the theme music, which is a generic take on the original and not representative of the kids tastes, make a statement: the people behind this new series do not have the kind of sensibility that made That 70's Show such a great series. It's a corporate approximation of a nostalgia show, with none of the passion. It completely mises the point.
The original cast is the series sole redeeming quality.