It also has Volfogg.
I call him The 'Fogg.
That alone means you must watch.
And there's even better stuff to see.
One Strip! One Strip!
Volfogg even gets command of one of the battleships. you heard right, one of the AI robots is actually important enough to command his own battleship, complete with robot-sized captain's chair. It's awesome how all of the Artificial Intelligences weren't just tools to be used but rather important members of 3G staff. it's something I always liked about the show.
edited 22nd Sep '11 8:03:54 PM by Clawshrimpy
...seriously? I mean, really?
I love the show, and while its not as mindless as the most mindlessly mindless Super Robot shows, its not that special, and its hardly the shows that came later that prioritized mindless action over plot.
edited 22nd Sep '11 8:38:40 PM by SakurazakiSetsuna
Still it says a lot that a lot of the ones that came out after 2000 were all pretty much just various reimaginings of the 70s series like a bunch of Mazinger remakes, a Gaiking remake, a Jeeg remake, etc. etc. etc.
Sunrise did really have something of a unique style when it came to Super Robot shows.
edited 22nd Sep '11 8:49:32 PM by Clawshrimpy
I'm tired right now, but I'll probably have more on-topic to say later. but just as something to throw out there, has anyone noticed that Soldat J's "designation" is J002, which is a reference to Jet Link aka. Cyborg 002 from Cyborg009 ? He does have the same mighty nose...
edited 22nd Sep '11 10:21:48 PM by Clawshrimpy
most of it's peers meaning what? Super Robot shows or the Brave Series?
The latter is kinda hard to tell and all, since not every Brave show is actually....watchable to us english-speakers, which is kind of a shame because from what I can tell from story summaries and the like, some of them sounds like they have some solid episodes. Dagwon, for instance, does something pretty interesting with it's whole Super Sentai style model.
edited 23rd Sep '11 10:51:54 PM by Clawshrimpy
I think this lengthy post from 4chan's /m/ explains why Gao Gai Gar was so good. Manly Tears, The Power of Love and spoilers follow:
This is going to be seriously TL;DR so you guys were warned. Gai in the tv series is a walking corpse. He died during the EI-01 incident. He was brought back by his father through the power of SCIENCE! but it wasn't really a true resurrection. Most of his body is gone. A head, a face, a few vital organs, the rest is cold metal. And he knows it. His old life is gone, the only thing he has left is the protection of the living. But the problem is those Gai left behind. Mikoto sees her old love right there, and wants to be taken into his arms, but he can't. He's not a living human anymore. He's dead. Mikoto should give up on him, move on, find someone living. Gai cares for her, and protects her, but he can't love her. Not any more. So Mikoto pines for a dead man, like widow who can't accept her loss. In the meantime Gai fights to protect the living, being the most alive when in the heat of battle. But even then, there is the irony, the reminder of the inhuman thing he has become. His opponents are cyborgs, ordinary humans turned into the mechanical zonders. And so even as he fights them, he fights FOR them. His victory will return them to normal. However, he himself can never be returned to his normal life. No amount g-stone energy, not even Mamoru's powers can restore him. So he fights, always for others, never for himself. Always denying his true desires, for they are the lost wishes of a dead man. Eventually he triumphs, first against EI-01, then the ancient frighting Primevals themselves. His cyborg shell bruised, battered, and the giant machine that is his second body is on the point of ruin. His loyal AI companions are in the same state of disrepair. They have victory, but it was hard fought. And then, in calm after the story, they discover it was merely the eye of the storm. The Zonders live. Mikoto has become the enemy. The seed in her body has awakened, and she has become the next generation of the primevals legacy. This new entity is immune G-Stone energy. The old weakness no longer works, Mamoru's magic can't restore her. And so once more Gai goes into battle, this time against the remains of the woman who loved him, she too is now a mechanical corpse that can no longer be human. His friends the braves lend their AI to the failing Gao machines, and they go into the fray. The Zonuda is frighting. It assimilates all that it touches. All of GGG's trumpcards are useless. So they are discarded, and GGG fights with tooth and claw. So guy shreds the Zonuda down, till only the core remains. Mamoru is unconscious, but it does not matter, his powers are useless, this thing was created to evolve beyond the ability of the ultimate anti-zonder weapon. The core, the last remains of Mikoto's consciousness pleads "kill me Gai." It is the only way. Mikoto can't be saved, she can only be destroyed. To save the city, the world, and the galaxy itself, she must die. Guy has fought this entire time only for others, he just needs to make one last sacrifice for the sake of the world. He doesn't. He embraces his love. He accepts her love and gives his in return. And then instead of his trademark shouts, he answers with a whisper; "If you die, I die with you". He accepts his own death finally, but only if it with the woman he loves. He finally has the courage to confess, to accept his own love, the love he denied so long. That was his greatest moment of courage. And in the presence of an artifact that changes courage into miracles, it's enough. His love, his greatest courage does the impossible. He and Mikoto can never be human again, so they are transfigured into beings greater than human. Evoluders. His flesh is restored, and can finally hold Mikoto in his arms once more. That was the miracle brought by courage. I'm going to go cry now.
edited 24th Sep '11 8:34:48 PM by Nitramy
Neither goony beard-men nor rainbow-haired she-twinks will stand in the way of my dreams!
Wow.
Only Guy Shishio has the guts to smack his girlfriend around in order to save the world.
.......right. That sounds weird.........
edited 24th Sep '11 9:39:18 PM by HandsomeRob
One Strip! One Strip!Gao Gai Gar actually has some awesome fights in it, and honestly some of the best stock animation I have ever seen. Plus the staff actually figured out ways to change it up, by having the various Gao Machines piloted by humans to do it manually, the great voice acting.
And hell, Mamoru is not an annoying kid mascot! The guy actually get's involved at times and doesn't act completely like the usual sidekick.
The music is absolutely great, easily one of the best parts.
Gao Gai Gar is really a show I enjoy for the story, though, I'm probably just strange for thinking that, though.
edited 25th Sep '11 12:05:55 AM by Clawshrimpy

I think it's time I just make a thread about this.
For the uninitiated, to quote from the article:
The Brave Series (or Yuusha Series) is a toy and animation franchise formed after toy company Takara had ended the animated "Generation 1" storyline of Transformers in Japan. Following a decline in the series' popularity that led to the cancellation of the OVA series Transformers Zone, Takara struck a cooperative deal with the animation studio Sunrise (known for the Gundam series) to develop a new franchise and set of toy lines. This would lead to the development of the Brave Series. which was a landmark Super Robot Genre series in the 1990s.
1990: Brave Exkaiser 1991: The Brave F Ighter Of Sun Fighbird 1992: The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn 1993: The Brave Express Might Gaine 1994: Brave Police J-Decker 1995: The Braveof Gold Goldran 1996: Brave Command Dagwon 1997: The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
Not much is known about most of the Brave Series because many of them lack translations, (Although I do hear SOME fansubbing efforts are trying to step up to the plate, but it's sketchy at best.) But I heard that a few of them may have had limited runs in counties outside of the US, so feel free to talk about em here.
Gao Gai Gar on the other hand, is probably the one people think of when the topic of the Brave franchise comes up.
Gao Gai Gar had recieved a DVD localization from Media Blasters which had a dub....up to somewhere in the 20s in the episode count, after that the DV Ds were put on hiatus as Media Blasters prioritized marketing Voltron DV Ds. when the DV Ds returned they were sub only, and worst of all Media Blasters has stated that Gao Gai Gar FINAL, the 8-episode epilogue OVA, would never see localized release
Gao Gai Gar is pretty....... unique as a Super Robot work. on one hand the show can be written off by some people as nothing more than a vehicle for toys, on the other, though, it's head writer was Ryosuke Takahashi of Armored Trooper VOTOMS fame. It's plot is a gripping character piece that features elements such as a mythology story and transhumanism, in fact the plot at times feels less like a cheesy Super Robot show and more like a Shotaro Ishinomori manga.
If you want to get into the show, know that it's over a decade or so old (1997 and 2000 for the TV series and OVA respectively.) so this is not a show you watch for an absurd, over-the-top action fix. It is very important to pay attention during non-action scenes. unlike many of it's genre-mates, it encourages the use of your brain. If you watch solely for the action you may not get the full experience and will feel disappointed compared to other Super Robot Genre shows with more modern production values.
With all that said, feel free to discuss, I am happy to proovide any insight for anyone new looking into Gao Gai Gar or any other translated Brave work. Or to simply discuss the finer points.