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Godannar
North American DVD cover of the first volume
神魂合体ゴーダンナー!!
(Shinkon Gattai Godannar!!)
GenreMecha, Comedy, Romance
Anime television series
Directed byYasuchika Nagaoka
Written byHiroyuki Kawasaki
Music byChumei Watanabe
StudioOriental Light and Magic
AIC A.S.T.A.
Licensed by
Original networkAT-X
TV Kanagawa
KBS Kyoto
Tokyo MX
English network
Original run October 1, 2003 – June 29, 2004
Episodes26
Video game
PlatformPlayStation 2[1]
ReleasedJune 24, 2004[1]

Godannar (神魂合体ゴーダンナー!!, Shinkon Gattai Gōdan'nā!!, sold as Marriage of God & Soul Godannar!! in North America) is an anime series created by Yasuchika Nagaoka, Anime International Company and Project Godannar, which consists of IMAGICA Entertainment, Taki Corporation, KlockWorx, NTT Data Contents Planing, Sojitz and Oriental Light and Magic. The series is produced by AIC and OLM, with Nagaoka serving as director and Hiroyuki Kawasaki serving as its main script writer. The first season aired in Japan from October 1 to December 24, 2003 on AT-X.[2] A second season later aired from April 5 to June 29, 2004. Both seasons were licensed by ADV Films for North America.[3] However, as of 2013, it is now licensed by Sentai Filmworks.[4]

Plot

In 2042, alien threats known as the Mimetic beasts (擬態獣, gitaijū) laid waste to Japan. During a final battle against the Mimetic beasts, Goh Saruwatari defeats the alien "boss" and saves his future fiance, Anna Aoi, with his robot, the Dannar.[5]

Now, on their wedding day, the Mimetic beasts emerge after five years of tranquility. Goh and Dannar are called to action, forcing Goh to leave Anna at the altar.

As Goh struggles in his battle against the Mimetic beast, Anna stumbles upon a sealed robot known as "Neo Okusaer". She is able to activate and pilot the Neo Okusaer to save her "husband" by merging it with the Dannar to activate the Godannar's Twin Drive.

During the course of the series, it is discovered that humanity is threatened by the "Insania" virus, which is spread by the Mimetic beasts. All of humanity is infected, but the virus affects robot pilots most severely, since they come into close contact with the beasts on a regular basis. The virus has the effect of transforming human males into Mimetic beasts; females are somehow immune, unless they naturally generate large amounts of male hormones. The virus is stimulated by human hormones, especially those released in great quantities during combat.

During the second season, the pilots of Dannar Base struggle to balance the need to fight the Mimetic beasts with the danger of further infection. Eventually, it is discovered that Mira, Goh's former combat partner and lover, who was trapped inside a Mimetic beast for five years, is the source of the vaccine humanity needs.

The series is famous for its fanservice: 'up skirt' shots, bouncing breasts, and the scantily clad female pilots.

Characters

  • Goh Saruwatari[6] (猿渡 ゴオ Saruwatari Gō), is the main protagonist of Godannar and the 29-year-old pilot of titular robot. At the beginning of the series, he rescues Anna in a battle with the Mimetic beasts. Five years later, Goh and Anna have fallen deeply in love and are to be married just as the Mimetic beasts begin to move once again. Although he is in love with Anna, referring to her as the only woman for him, he feels conflicting emotions towards other women as seen when Mira reawakens and Shizuru is killed. when Anna leaves Dannar Base due to her guilt and jealousy over Mira he is shown to put his feelings for Mira aside choosing to be loyal to Anna. He is the object of admiration of many of the female personnel in Dannar Base due to his handsome features and gentlemanly nature. Dedicated and fiercely loyal he is the best pilot in Dannar Base, willing to risk his life to save those he loves and the public in general. He is infected by the Insania virus, due to exposure from repeated battles with the Mimetic Beasts. His body is later covered in a cocoon, waiting to emerge as a Beast and so is placed in suspended animation for seven years until he is given a cure, via an injection of the vaccine made from Mira and Morimoto's son's DNA [7] - which reverses the transformation. Since he was placed in suspended animation, his hair covered the length of his body. Anna made a promise to him the day before his last battle, to cut his unkempt hair. She is the first person he sees upon being revived and they remarry a month later.
Voiced by: Takayuki Kondo (Japanese); Brett Weaver (English)[8][9]
  • Anna Aoi/Anna Saruwatari[6] (葵 杏奈 Aoi An'na/猿渡 杏奈 Saruwatari An'na), A 17-year-old high school student and excellent robot pilot, she marries Goh at the beginning of the series. However, an emergency call came from Dannar Base requesting Goh's assistance and interrupted their ceremony. She becomes the pilot of Neo Okusaer, and later Go Okusaer; GoDannar's original partner. Although Anna is very young and cheerful she is also very mature, independent and strong for her age, she learns to control the more powerful Go Okusaer fully, despite the critical situation making her the most skilled pilot after Goh. She is very devoted to her family and her husband and always fights for what is right despite the danger. She becomes a surrogate mother to Lou and later looks after Mira befriending her and mentoring her before the knowledge of Mira's past with Goh. When Lou leaves to follow Ken she becomes very distraught. After leaving the base to sort out her thoughts Anna is seen supporting herself, her cat Pinpin and her kittens through hard humiliating work. Despite this she tries her best and after a conversation with her childhood sweetheart Hidebo decides to return to Dannar Base to continue her training. It is revealed through her conversation with Hidebo that Anna's desire to become a robot pilot came from her childhood and not from her encounter with Goh 5 years earlier. Although she was saved by Goh at the beginning it is later revealed that Anna also "saved" Goh as after the apparent death of Mira she gave Goh something to fight for. Anna is shown to be very sexy for her age though not as busty as her mother, and has a body that makes all the boys in her high school roller team want to date her. She, Goh and Lou form the Godannar Triple Drive when Celleblader fuses with Godannar. After Goh is cured of the insania virus, she is the first person he sees when he wakes up. In the end, she and Goh are remarried with the other pilots and Dannar base personnel in attendance and with Kucharachyov as the minister.
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese); Hilary Haag (English)[8][9]
  • Shizuru Fujimura[6] (藤村 静流 Fujimura Shizuru) The pilot of Core Gunner and a remarkable sharp shooter, she is one of Goh's best friends and was secretly in love with him, but was unable to confess these feelings due to his relationship with Mira and later his marriage to Anna. Much later develops a close friendship with Anna and Goh's younger brother Shinobu, the latter in a flirtatious nature. Shizuru is eventually killed by a swarm of Type 19 Mimetic Beasts to Goh's horror, but is resurrected by Mira. She becomes the General Manager of Dannar Base while Kiriko Aoi and Commander Kagemaru search for a cure for the infection caused by the Mimetic Beasts.
Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English)[8]
  • Dr. Kiriko Aoi (葵 霧子 Aoi Kiriko) is Anna's extremely busty and sultry mother and Goh's boss (and his mother-in-law). Together with her husband Tatsuya she was responsible for the development of the Dannar project. She is very stern yet very devoted to her job and is a supportive and caring mother to Anna, who she raised to be strong.
Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese); Laura Chapman (English)[8]
  • Dr. Tatsuya Aoi (葵 竜也 Aoi Tatsuya) is Anna's father, husband to Kiriko Aoi and father-in-law to Goh. He is best friend to Kagemaru. He left his family when Anna was a small child. He disguised himself as several different people to watch over Anna and the rest of Dannar Base throughout several episodes. He and Kiriko were the founders of the Dannar project. He appeared during the final episodes to aid Danner Base against the Super Mimetic Beast. He tries to leave again at the end, feeling that they can take care of themselves but is interrupted by Kiriko. Tatsuya bears a heavy resemblance to Kouji Kabuto from Mazinger Z and is voiced by Hiroya Ishimaru, who voices Kouji in most Mazinger media.
Voiced by: Hiroya Ishimaru (Japanese); John Swasey (English)[10]
  • Kagemaru (影丸) is the dashing Commander of Danner Base. Best friend to Tatsuya Aoi. Kagemaru is secretly in love with Kiriko Aoi, but the feelings are not reciprocated though she teases him at times during the end of the series. They travel together, with Kagemaru as a personal guard, searching for a cure to the Infection caused by the Mimmetic Beasts' insania virus. At the end of the series, he turns down a promotion from the commissioners to become a robot pilot.
Voiced by: Taro Yamaguchi (Japanese); Mike Vance (English)
  • Milla Ackerman/Miracle "Mira" Ackerman[6] (ミラ・アッカーマン Mira Akkāman) is the original pilot of Neo Okusaer. She is Goh's combat partner and lover, as well as and Max's ex-girlfriend, until she is seemingly killed in battle. Five years later, Mira awakens but becomes amnesiac. After regaining her full memories, she resumed her old duties as pilot of the Neo Okusaer. She still loves Goh, and claims she is the only one that truly understands him. Although she tries to steal Goh from Anna in the end, by attempting to kill him in order to stop his transformation, a discussion with Anna makes her realize that Anna is Goh's true love and partner and respectfully steps aside. She cannot die from her wounds as her prolonged time in the infected Club Mariner caused her DNA to evolve constantly and so it's able to repair even the worst physical injuries. Her DNA is being developed as a cure for the infection caused by the Mimetic Beasts. She reveals at the end that her name "Mira" is short for Miracle.[11]
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)
  • Lou Roux/Lou Lowe[6] (ルウ・ルー Rū Rū) is a young orphan girl taken in by Goh and Anna and the pilot of Cosmo Diver. Once an operator for the orbital space station that monitors the Earth for the presence of Type 17 Mimetic beasts, she is the lone survivor when the space station is destroyed and her father killed by Mimetic beasts that somehow managed to stow away on one of their shuttles. She becomes obsessed with becoming a robot pilot to avenge her father's death. At the end of the series, she continues to pilot Celleblader to fight the Mimetic Beasts, becoming a Menage Zero herself after Ken. She returns for a short while to witness Goh and Anna's wedding.
Voiced by: Kaori Shimizu (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)
  • Shinobu Saruwatari[6] (猿渡 忍 Saruwatari Shinobu) is Goh's younger brother who lives with Goh and Anna. Shinobu kids his older brother about his age and goes to school with Anna. Though he was once infatuated with Anna, he later refers to her as his "older sister", vowing to find his own happiness. He later develops feelings for Shizuru, much to Kouji's chagrin but it is not definite. He becomes the pilot of the Neo Diver.
Voiced by: Junko Minagawa (Japanese); Greg Ayres (English)
  • Konami Sasagure (笹暮 小波 Sasagure Konami/Sasakure Konami) is one of the two operators of the main ship's console. She becomes a pilot of the giant cat robot "Alpha tiger" at the end of the series alongside her best friend Momochi.
Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese); Mariela Ortiz (English)
  • Momoko "Momochi" Momozono (桃園 桃子 Momozono Momoko) is the other one of the two operators of the main ship's console. She becomes a pilot of the giant cat robot "Alpha tiger" at the end of the series alongside her best friend Konami.
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English)
  • Tetsuya Kouji[6] (光司 鉄也 Kōji Tetsuya) is the easily excitable partner of Shizuru and co-pilot of G-Gunner. He spends most of the series recovering from injuries sustained in the battle from the first episode. He leaves Dannar base to finish training secretly with Tatsuya. Anna's dad. He later returns in the final episodes piloting both the G-Zero Gunner and Club Mariner for the grand battle against the Super Mimetic Beast. He has feelings for Shizuru and is a little wary of Shinobu who seems to be getting a little too close to her. At the end of the series he is shown serving alongside Shizuru as the Vice Commander of Dannar Base and still remains a pilot. He is named after the pilots of Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, Kouji Kabuto and Tetsuya Tsurugi.
Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Christopher Ayres (English)
  • Shadow Dunaway(シャドウ Shadō) is the pilot of the giant American robot Genesister and partner of Luna whom she secretly loves. Strong, beautiful, athletic, but masculine. The only female to be severely affected by the virus due to her male hormones. She survives the infection after her fight with Rose Type.
Voiced by: Yuko Kaida (Japanese); Christine Auten (English)
  • Luna (ルナ Runa) is the co-pilot of the giant American robot Genesister and partner of Shadow whom she also loves. Small, petite and cute, but surprisingly smart and strong.
Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese); Sasha Paysinger (English)
  • Moukaku (モウカク Mōkaku) is the pilot of the giant Chinese robot Goddiner. Loud and brash, with a surprisingly soft side. He's in love with Shukuyu. He later asks her to marry him despite their age difference. After fighting Type 29 he becomes the second case of a full blown infection by the insania virus, like Max. Because of this, Knight one of the pilots of the Dragliner who was with the Goddiner team when this happened, is forced to kill him.
Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese); George Manley (English)
  • Shukuyu (シュクユウ) is the co-pilot of the giant Chinese robot Goddiner and partner of Moukaku. Younger than Moukaku, she reins him in. When Moukaku asks her to marry him, she accepts. She tries to help Moukaku gain control over the virus. Moukaku ejects her out of Goddiner before Knight destroys him.
Voiced by: Wakana Yamazaki (Japanese); Kelly Manison (English)
  • Ekaterina (エカテリーナ Ekaterīna) is the wealthy and well-endowed pilot of the giant Russian robot Volspina. Beautiful and magnificently busty, her relationship with her partner Kukrachyov is much like a dominatrix except she doesn't want to cause him harm. She blames her "cold heart" for what she perceives to be cruel treatment of him. Despite this she is actually a very kind hearted and devoted friend and ally :Voiced by: Miho Yamada (Japanese); Marcy Rae (English)
  • Kukrachyov (ククラチョフ Kukurachofu) is the co-pilot of the giant Russian robot Volspina. Tall, thin and quiet, he obeys every command of his partner Ekaterina without question as it is the only way he feels he can express his deep love for her. According to Ekaterina, he wasn't infected by the virus due to him being so submissive, resulting in more feminine hormones. In the last episode, he presides over the marriage of Goh and Anna.
Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (Japanese); Illich Guardiola (English)
  • Knight Valentine (ナイト・ヴァレンタイン Naito Varentain) is the pilot of the giant British robot Dragliner. Handsome and conceited, he is always chasing girls but is secretly in love with his stepsister to which he has no blood relation. According to Shizuru, he never seduces the same woman twice. According to Ellis, he was not infected by the virus because he had more feminine hormones due to his perverted behavior.
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese); Chris Patton (English)
  • Ellis Valentine (エリス・ヴァレンタイン Erisu Varentain) is the other pilot of the giant British robot Dragliner. Knight and Ellis refer to each other as brother and sister, though they are not related by blood. Ellis is in love with Knight and feels unable to express it due to their sibling connection and so acts jealous and frustrated with his constant skirt chasing. :Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese); Shannon Emmerick (English)
  • Ken (剣) is the rogue robot pilot of the Blade Gainer who makes it his life mission to defeat the Type 18 Mimetic beasts after the loss of his wife. While trying to find the Mimetic Beast that took his wife Rosa, he can be heard yelling, "You're not the one!" to every Mimetic beast that he destroys, alluding to the Type 18 Mimetic Beast that took her. He doesn't learn of her fate until later on in the series. He is often referred, by the world at large, as a "Menage Zero", a code name for a rogue robot pilot acting without authority. He later takes Lou in when she begs Ken to teach her to be a pilot. He becomes infected by the virus that almost every male pilot gets. He ejected Lou from the Celleblader out of the Gainer before he dies in his last battle and warns her she will become like him if she fights for revenge. He attacks the Super Mimetic Beast to reveal its weakness to Godannar to finish it off.
Voiced by: Toru Ohkawa (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)
  • Rosa is the previous pilot of Celleblader. She saved Ken from a pack of Type 18 Mimetic Beasts several years ago, at the cost of her life. She and Celleblader were absorbed into one of the Mimetic Beasts until Ken killed said Mimetic Beast that kept her prisoner for years. Although Celleblader was intact, Rosa was not inside the cockpit when Ken looked inside. This suggests that Rosa was, somehow, absorbed by the Mimetic Beast during her capture. Lou, after being asked by Ken, becomes the pilot of Celleblader for the remainder of the series.
Voiced by: Junko Minagawa (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English)[10]
  • Nanae Hayashi (林 奈々絵 Hayashi Nanae) is one of the mechanics at Dannar base and loyal friend to all. She becomes infected by the virus after being eaten by a Type 13 Mimetic beast early in the series and becomes a carrier. She has a relationship with Morimoto, another mechanic at the base, and eventually marries him. Her children become second generation carriers, whose DNA's have the ability to repair the infected [12] DNA caused by the Insania Virus. She names them after Mira, Anna, and Goh by naming her children Mina, Ami, and Goh respectively.[11]
Voiced by: Nanae Katō (Japanese); Cynthia Martinez (English)[6]
  • "Pops" Shibakusa[13] (芝草 Shibakusa) the widowed head mechanic. He makes ramen for the team on his breaks, constantly refers to Shizuru about her butt being big, and is reprimanded by Tonko, who he denies being in love with much to everyone's belief of the contrary. He runs a ramen shop with her in the end of the series 7 years later until the base is repaired, in which time they resume their duties.
Voiced by: Jin Horikawa (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)
  • Sugiyama (杉山) is the second Head Mechanic. He is married to Anita, his sexually aggressive wife who he fears, and spends so much time on the base she threatens to leave him. She pops up on the base 7 years later.
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese); Andy McAvin (English)[6]
  • Morimoto (森本) - Another mechanic at the Dannar base. During the series, he has a relationship with Hayashi. Near the end of the series, he asks her to marry him, which she accepts. They later marry and have three children.
Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (Japanese); Mark X. Laskowski (English)[6]

Episodes

Season one

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Season Series Title Original air date[14] English air date

Season two

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Season Series Title Original air date[15] English air date

Reception

Stig Høgset of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews gave a mixed review of season one ranging from admiration of the animation to criticism of the story in the later episodes.[16] The seven volumes of the ADV Films release have been graded by Chris Beveridge in his reviews at Mania.com ranging from A- for the first two volumes to B for volumes five and six.[17] Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave a generally favorable review of the first volume of this classic mecha series although he did comment that Hilary Haag "gets a little too shrill at a couple of points."[9] In another favorable review Mike Toole has complemented the director Yasushi Nagaoka and some of the voice actors including the Japanese and English voices for Goh and Anna.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Shinkon Gattai Godannar!!". GameFaqs.
  2. ^ "New Anime in Japan". Anime News Network. July 23, 2003. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  3. ^ "Additional ADV Licenses from Oni-Con". Anime News Network. October 24, 2004. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  4. ^ "Sentai Filmworks Adds Gatchaman, DiGi Charat, Godannar Anime". Anime News Network. May 25, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  5. ^ Connolly, Sean (July 21, 2009). "Godannar Complete Collection (Thinpak)". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved November 18, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Godannar!! - Mission 4 - Two's A Combat Team, Three's A Crowd. Houston, TX: A.D. Vision. ISBN 1-4139-1209-5.
  7. ^ Shinkon Gattai Gōdan'nā!! Mission 26: Kitarubeki Ashita 14:20 - 14:30
  8. ^ a b c d Godannar (booklet). Houston: A.D. Vision. 2005. DGOD/001.
  9. ^ a b c Martin, Theron (October 11, 2005). "Godannar DVD 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Godannar!! - Mission 6 - Deep Penetration (DVD). Houston, TX: A.D. Vision. ISBN 1-4139-1211-7.
  11. ^ a b Godannar!! - Mission 7 - War Bride (DVD). Houston, TX: A.D. Vision. ISBN 1-4139-1212-5.
  12. ^ EpisoShinkon Gattai Gōdan'nā!! Mission 26: Kitarubeki Ashitade 26
  13. ^ 'Godannar' : Mission 2 - 'Til Death Do Us Part; ISBN 1-4139-1207-9
  14. ^ 神魂合体ゴーダンナー!!. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "神魂合体ゴーダンナー!! SECOND SEASON". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  16. ^ Høgset, Stig (July 12, 2004). "Godannar Season 1". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  17. ^ Beveridge, Chris (September 28, 2005). "Godannar Vol. #1 (also w/box)". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (November 16, 2005). "Godannar Vol. #2". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (January 15, 2006). "Godannar Vol. #3". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (March 10, 2006). "Godannar Vol. #4". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (May 18, 2006). "Godannar Vol. #5". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (June 22, 2006). "Godannar Vol. #6". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    Beveridge, Chris (August 21, 2006). "Godannar Vol. #7". Mania.com. Demand Media. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Toole, Mike (September 4, 2005). "Godannar vol. 1". Anime Jump. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
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