FINAAAAAAAAAAL FUUUUUSSSSIOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that you've witnessed that epic spectacle, let's discuss it. The scene above is from an anime I have been watching called GaoGaiGar, or, if you'd like to refer to it by it's full title "The King of Braves GaoGaiGar". It's a Super-Robot show from 1997 that somehow slipped my radar until this year. It's filled with everything you expect from a show where a character screams "FINAL FUSION!" - epic battles, bizarre characters, lengthy stock-animation transformation sequences, robots (duh), aliens and eccentric professors. It's simple, it's predictable and any anime veteran like myself will know every cliche in it. BUT I LOVE IT!

And this made me ask myself a question: "Why do I love super-robot shows so much?". Now it's important for me to offer some explanation when I discuss "super-robot" shows. When I say "super-robot" shows, I do not mean shows like "Gundam" or "Macross" or "Patlabor". These shows are all considered "real robot" shows, due to the way they present giant robots as something that could actually exist in our world. Super Robot shows throw science and reason out the window in the name of courage, bravery and RIDICULOUSLY LOUD NARRATORS:


Again, why do I love these shows so much? They have simple plots and most episodes boil down to the protagonist's Armored Whatchamacallit killing the enemy whatchamacallit in a screaming frenzy. I'm usually a guy that enjoys anime with complex plots filled with betrayal, psychology, and deep, absorbing characters. But I'm also a fan of huge robots punching each other in the face.

Perhaps it's the positivity of these shows that keeps me coming back to them. In the world of super robots, there is no room for second guessing your dreams. If you have a dream, you should PURSUE IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, even if it means defying the laws of physics and reality. Perhaps it's the intense bravado and heroism of the characters in these shows that makes me become a massive nerd and yell out their ultimate attacks with them that I love. Maybe I like how in the world of super-robots, there are clear lines between good and evil. Good people are good, and there's no question of it. Bad people are terrifying abominations, and they must be defeated.

I think the main reason I continue to watch super robot shows is escapism. I love my practicum in the social work field, but issues aren't so clear cut as they are in the world of super robots. People abuse their kids, and their children get taken away. But then we find out that the parent abusing their child was an isolated incident, and the parent had been drinking and was under a great deal of stress. What's the answer to this dilemma? Should a child get taken away from his parents because he was hit once?  Who are we to say what should be done?

In the world of super robots, child abusers would be ABSOLUTE EVIL, and that would be that. They would also probably pilot some ridiculous giant robot that runs off of 8 year old children's blood or something. Morbid, I know. But this would give us a reason to hate these villains, to cheer as the protagonist blasts them into a million shiny animated pieces.

I think the kid in me is also still alive. I still think "AWESOOOOOOOOOOME!!!" whenever I see a 50 ton machine transform and launch a volley of approximately 6000 missiles at somebody's face. I really don't think this part of me will ever die.

How the heck did a post about anime robots get to the subject of ethical dilemmas and child abuse? I guess that I only have one option: To close this post with the opening to GaoGaiGar. This is what originally got me into the show.