ANI-MOVIES, *Mazinger Z: Infinity

Since they're bringing back all 70 retro anime, the time had come for yet another Mazinger Z reboot. This recent full-length motion picture acts as a follow-up to the original 70s super robot anime TV series, which out in America was re-branded and dubbed as Tranzor Z(and was also part of the Shogun Warriors toyline!). It takes into account the Great Mazinger anime, but other spin-offs like Mazinkaiser aren't directly referenced in it.

Set a decade after the original TV series, Dr. Hell and his forces are thought to be dead and gone. Former Mazinger pilot Koji Kabuto is now the head scientist at the Photonic Power Plant, and the world is mostly powered by Photonic energy. But an army of evil robots lead by Dr. Hell's right hand men/woman, Baron Ashura and Brocken, who attack the the companion Photon plant in America where Great Mazinger is captured. Meanwhile in Japan, Koji unearths a humongous Mazinger-type robot they call Mazinger Infinity, which also contains a blue-haired teenage girl named Lisa who declares Koji to be her "master". Turns out, Lisa is a cyborg that can coordinate with the Infinity mecha, and she becomes the target of Dr. Hell whose robot army who lays siege to the Mt. Fuji, and captures the Infinity. Koji has to retaliate with his remaining mecha pilots, including a rebuilt Mazinger Z, all before Dr. Hell gains total control of Infinity which will allow him to rewrite reality by folding cosmic forces to his will.

There's some serious development with most of the standard Mazinger Z characters from the original TV anime, and Lisa's arrival hints at what the future has in store for Koji and his longtime partner Sayaka. Junji Shimiz does a good job as director for this feature, although some of the CGI mecha aren't as dynamic as the traditional animated giant robots. If you got the chance to see this in U.S. theaters during its limited run, then you already know it's worth a second look at least for a super robot nostalgia trip!