Shin Tetsujin 28: The 1980 Japanese Anime TV Series

As a kid I saw "The New Adventures of Gigantor" in syndication and it became my introduction to super robot anime. As I got older it was sadly difficult to revisit these times with no official release of either the Gigantor version or the original Shin Tetsujin 28. As Discotek started releasing classic mecha series like Mazinger Z and Gaiking I hoped and dreamed and suggested on their social media pages that they'd bring this artifact Stateside and finally we have it, in glorious remastered HD no less. I can not only relive these adventures but see them as they were originally intended for the first time.Shin Tetsujin 28 is of course a remake of the the original which began as a manga in 1956 and later had a groundbreaking anime in the 60's, making it Japan's prototypical giant robot hero. The 1970's saw an explosion of "super robot" anime which was kicked off by the enormously successful Mazinger Z. This 1980 re-imagining of Tetsujin borrows many tropes and imagery from the prior decade's mecha boom.Despite that fact it remains true to what made Tetsujin unique. There aren't really any central villains throughout the series until the ending arc and the adventures are very episodic and varied. The tone is lighthearted and fun and Tetsujin is often called upon to do super hero style rescues instead of simply battling the evil robot of the week, although there's plenty of that as well.There were other changes to the original reflecting the times it was made. In this version the pre-teen hero Shotaro Kaneda is given a stun-gun instead of an actual deadly pistol and a red hovercraft instead of an actual car. Dr. Shikishima also has a young daughter in this version which along with the hovercraft is not dissimilar to Mazinger Z.Truer to the original is how Tetsujin remains completely without weapons contrary to the other super robots of the time who were defined by their flashy and gimmicky attacks. While Tetsujin does have his own "special moves" like the hammer punch and the flying kick, these are just simple melee attacks without the assistance of any weaponry. This makes for some fun slugfests and removes the problem of "why don't they just use their most powerful attacks at the start of the fight" that many of these type of shows have.The animation is not going to impress many people today, but for a 1980 TV anime it's exceptionally solid and attractive. The re-design of Tetsujin himself may be seen as a bit drastic but I personally find it much improved. In HD the show is very bright and sharp. The music of the show is sometimes fitting and sometimes not, but the guitar rock themes are very energetic and well done.All in all, Shin Tetsujin 28 is Tetsujin 28 with a 70's super robot upgrade. If you're a fan of super robot anime and want something that's well made and familiar yet a little different and more laid back, Shin Tetsujin 28 is a lot of fun. It's the very definition of mecha comfort food.My only very minor complaint is about the product itself. The slip cover it comes with is designed for a square case but the disks are in a rounded case meaning it doesn't fit properly. I ended up just tossing it because it was a pain to put back on.

I really like it

This is one of the coolest anime series the 1980’s has to offer. It’s just so good.

Finally ..... buy it fast ... collect be awesome

Classic series in HD!

I have been waiting for this 1980's version of Gigantor and I am so happy to see this coming. I am not going to missed out this series like the original Gigantor series. Thank goodness for the price, because now is 50 bucks to pre-order it.