Review: Mazinger Z Infinity grows up with its fans | Technobubble

God or demon?

That was the question posed to Mazinger Z protagonist Koji Kabuto about what he could potentially become should he harness the power of the iconic robot.

Many decades after the original manga and anime series finished its run, the question is raised once more as Koji finds himself face to face with the unfathomable and near limitless powers of the “Majin” — a reference to the line of powerful robots or entities that include Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger. It shows the fine line between being a protector or a destroyer as power by itself is portrayed as being amoral. Instead, its purpose is decided by whoever wields it, which is colored by that person’s own values, convictions and world view. I mean, even the name Mazinger is a play on this very concept as its inspired by the character “ma” for demon and “jin” for god.

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For all its haughty proclamations about power and the ability to reshape the entire universe, however, the new “Mazinger Z: Infinity” movie boils down to the simple things in life. In a world filled with larger than life figures, heroes and robots, it’s the ordinary that proves to be extraordinary in the end. I say that given my perspective as a person who religiously watched the original Mazinger Z cartoon as a child in the Philippines and also as one of many such kids who has since grown up. The kid in me definitely loves the high-octane action, which is likely what many younger watchers will gravitate to. But the older and, hopefully, wiser adult in me was pleasantly surprised by the movie’s narrative, which deftly touches on the same priorities and concerns many people face as they take that step from unbridled youth to pragmatic adulthood.

The story anchoring Mazinger Z: Infinity is not a convoluted one and thank goodness for that. Oftentimes, anime movies tend to overthink themselves and aim for grand, complicated plots to seemingly justify their movie budgets. Sometimes, going for an intricately woven story works in spectacular fashion, as is the case with “Your Name,” which is easily one of the best anime I’ve seen period. I absolutely love that movie and heartily recommend it to anyone who has not seen it.

More often than not, however, ambitious movie plots end up being a convoluted, psycho babble of a mess that obviously try too hard to be acknowledged as more serious fare. Mazinger Z Infinity avoids that by hewing close to the source material that inspired it. It still feels more grand than a TV episode, for sure. But it doesn’t forget what it is, which is the biggest mistake a lot of movie adaptations of manga or anime often make. Even some modern adaptations of the Mazinger universe are guilty of this, making you feel like you’re trying to make sense of a Picasso painting or complicated post-modern dissertation instead of watching a fun anime. Mazinger Z: Infinity avoids this by keeping things simple while focusing on the original work’s key strengths. That would be its interesting characters, campy humor and over-the-top action. This is no reboot or re-imagining of the series. This is an actual sequel to the original work that started it all — literally — as Mazinger Z is often credited for kicking off the giant robot boom in the 1970s.

Then again, just because the narrative takes a simpler approach doesn’t mean Mazinger Z Infinity doesn’t have a good story. Heck, the last thing I expected was to have a Mazinger Z movie almost make me cry, which this darned film was close to doing a few times. I can see crying while watching Iron Giant, which literally made me shed tears. But Mazinger-freaking-Z?

A big part of it was seeing characters I know and love grow up and reach meaningful milestones in their lives. Many times, I’ll watch a modern continuation of a show from my childhood and the protagonists end up being failures or disillusioned shells of their former selves, seemingly wiping out past bonds with friends and family or all the good they’ve done before. Well, either that or they’re reinterpreted to become more modern and edgy to attract a younger audience or conform to the wants and desires of whatever focus groups determine to be the theoretical cool kids of the current era.

The good news is that Mazinger Z: Infinity’s characters are the same ones who I know and love from the classic series. Yes, they might be a bit older and wiser. But these are the same folks that I spent many afternoons with after school and enjoyed watching as a kid. As memories of those days started flooding back throughout the course of the movie, it made me appreciate how the movie brings these familiar characters I grew up with back to life once more. It’s like seeing family members growing up, adding an extra bit of meaning to the more touching scenes that are sprinkled into the movie that might not be as meaningful to viewers without a past connection to the source material.

Koji, while more mature and laid back, can still be the same goofball and hot-blooded protagonist I remember when the occasion calls for it. Sayaka, while shouldering a lot more responsibility, is still the same spunky girl who fans know and love. Then you have characters like Tetsuya and Jun, who add some poignant scenes of their own into the story as they take the next big step in their lives. Meanwhile, Boss and his crew, as well as the series’ oddball scientists, haven’t skipped a beat in the comedy department. They also continue to be the best wingmen you could ask for in a pinch. Then you have Koji’s younger brother Shiro, who’s now a young man and actually reminds me a bit of a younger Koji. Seeing all these people and the progress they have made through the years reminds me of seeing my own family members grow up and go to college and start their own families.

It’s one reason that I found it interesting how the people who worked on the movie were once kids who grew up reading or watching Mazinger Z creator Go Nagai’s original work. Maybe that’s why the movie does a great job in tackling the issue of growing up in a way that people such as myself are able to relate to. Set 10 years after the end of the original series, the show’s protagonists are now dealing with the same issues we all do as we get older and gain a new set of priorities in life. These include the burden of adult responsibility and balancing that with one’s own happiness, as well as the desire to settle down and start a family.

Some, like Tetsuya and Jun, have adapted to this quite nicely, which is no surprise given their discipline and military background. For Koji and Sayaka, however, life is at a crossroads. While they have learned to shoulder the responsibilities of adulthood, they still haven’t fully grasped how to balance that with their own wants and desires. It’s quite ironic how the peace they fought so hard for ends up putting their personal lives on hold.

In fact, it’s not until their peaceful world is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a new X-factor in character Lisa, combined with the appearance of some old familiar foes, that the stalled dynamic between Koji and Sayaka is set in motion once more. To its credit, the movie does a great job in weaving in a good story without making it obtrusive to the action and vice versa. I thought both the narrative and the action worked well together and provided just the right balance between shedding light on the lives of its characters and serving up glorious giant robot action that every hot-blooded otaku fan loves.

Let’s just say that if you’re one of those folks (cough* my coworker James *cough) who complained that the last Western Godzilla movie took forever to get to show the monster and get to the “good parts,” you’ll have no such issue here. The movie starts out with robot-on-robot action right off the bat as an appetizer for the glorious metal combat to come. The combat scenes are flushed with the type of grand, creative and improvisational fighting that’s only possible in physics-bending the world of super robots. Personally, I didn’t watch any trailers or read any previews about Infinity, which ended up being a great move. Everything just felt new and fresh and I was able to fully enjoy the movie experience, including its massive sense of scale and crazy action scenes. The fights felt very dynamic and possessed this great sense of weight, power and speed to it that it made me wish I could play a video game version of the whole darn thing. If only Super Robot Wars played like this. Even the enemies put up a good fight as opposed to being helpless cannon fodder, largely through their sheer strength in numbers. Add the inclusion of new animation techniques and technology and I found myself thinking several times during the fight scenes, “Man I wish I could show this to my younger self.” Seeing these familiar characters and these over-the-top action scenes made me feel like a kid again and I caught myself laughing and going “yeah!” several times when the fights would break out.

Then again, being a fan of the classic series definitely gives the movie more meaning for me. I’m fully aware that I watched Mazinger Z with a huge set of rose-colored glasses even as I entered the theater with concerns about being disappointed. As such, my experience likely won’t be reflective of the general population. Non-fans, for example, might not appreciate a lot of what’s in here unless they love the robot anime genre in general. What some Mazinger Z fans might see as classic nostalgia might be seen as cheesy by folks who have no affinity or emotional attachment to the series. Admittedly, some of the fanservice in Infinity — a regular staple of Go Nagai’s work — might seem insensitive or out of place in today’s times, even though they’re done sparingly. The product placements, particularly for Nissan, also feels a bit overdone, and I’m a guy who actually loves the brand and counts Nissan cars among my favorite list of vehicles.

Then you have a few uncanny valley moments that occur with some of the 3D animation used on the mechs. I some cases, they don’t quite meld with the traditional hand-drawn segments of the movie, which can break immersion at times. For the most part, though, the action scenes are well done and provide an impressive sense of scale, creativity and energy in the combat. If you don’t care about story and want to watch a super robot movie on the merits of its action alone, Mazinger Z: Infinity will be the equivalent of an action-packed seven-course meal.

While I expected to be wowed by the action scenes in Infinity, however, I did not expect to get an actual nice story. It’s not the type of drama that hits you on the head with a mallet. It’s just a well-thought story that shows characters I love going through the same growing pains and life experiences that I myself have gone through while also asking the same questions I have about how dysfunctional the world can be sometimes. Even original character Lisa proves to be a welcome treat compared to some of the new characters who get shoehorned into some of these shows. I’m usually skeptical with new characters intruding into a familiar world and taking time away from original characters but by the end of the movie, I was definitely rooting for Lisa to stay.

All in all, it feels like the Mazinger series’ characters grew up alongside me and continued to develop as people instead of being frozen in time, which makes them seem all the more human to me. I just thoroughly enjoyed watching them live happy and fulfilling lives as opposed to, you know, being stabbed by their emo son with a lightsaber.

In the end, the ultimate choice in Mazinger Z: Infinity isn’t about becoming a god or demon. It’s about choosing to be human, along with the simple yet incredibly meaningful pleasures that come with it.

The world certainly isn’t perfect and will never be. But it’s filled with many perfectly good things that give life meaning. It’s a lesson that hits harder than any rocket punch. It’s also one more reason that makes Mazinger Z: Infinity a must watch for any series fan, whether they be young or young at heart.

Final verdict: As a Mazinger Z fan, I give it two thumbs — or two rocket punches — up. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sudden urge to rewatch Voltes V and Daimos.

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