Nagahama Robot Romance Trilogy

From 1976 to 1979, Tadao Nagahama created a trio of giant robot shows that, sharing a focus on character drama and development that were considered novel at the time, went on to be described as the so-called Nagahama Trilogy. In each entry, the heroes are rarely ever always heroic, the villains are rarely truly villainous, and things are always more complicated than they seem at first glance.

Chodenji Robo Combattler V

The first of the Nagahama Trilogy, Combattler V tells the story of the epynonymous super electromagnetic (chodenji) super robot and its pilots as they fight against the invading alien Campbellians and their Slave Monsters (and later Magma Beasts). The Combattler Team is a ragtag bunch who need to overcome their interpersonal issues as well as their own character flaws in order to allow Combattler (which relies on the synchronicity of its pilots' hearts and minds) to fight at its full potential. Uniquely for its era, the Campbellians are portrayed as somewhat sympathetic, having invaded Earth only in order to secure new homes for their people, with the antagonists representing only a radical faction of a much more complex and nuanced alien race. It sets the tone for future entries in the Nagahama series, which further more complicated and mature themes than most super robot anime portrayed at the time.

Chodenji Machine Voltes V

The second in the Nagahama Trilogy, Voltes V borrows heavily from themes established in Combattler V, its direct predecessor in the Nagahama Trilogy, but further refines them to emphasize its more mature themes. The story follows the Voltes Team as they struggle to protect Earth from the interstellar hegemony that is the Boazanian Empire, aboard the combining superelectromagnetic super robot, Voltes V. While superficially very similar to traditional super robot anime that came before it, Voltes V was unique at the time for telling a story rife with character drama, dark moments and classic tragedy. Kenichi Goh and two of his brothers, Daijiro and Hiyoshi, pilot Voltes V alongside friends Ippei Mine and Megumi Oka, each bringing their own unique skills, and personal dramas, to the table. The brothers lose their mother, Mitsuyo, early in the series, as she attempts to fight off a Boazanian beast fighter to save her children, and eventually come to reckon with the fact that their father and the man responsible for Voltes V's existence, Kentaro, is in fact a disgraced Boazanian prince, cast down from nobility for his lack of horns. Their nemesis, Prince Heinel, leads the Boazanian invasion of Earth while juggling the expectations of other members of the Boazanian nobility, his own inferiority complex, and the questionable loyalties of some of his would-be lieutenants.

Tosho Daimos

After the loss of planet Baam, its winged residents escape to Earth and seek refuge among Earthlings. Unfortunately, the Baamian leader, Leon, is assassinated at the negotiating table, and the human diplomats are framed as culprits, leading to an all-out war between the two. Standing between Baam and total domination is the titular Daimos, a robot controlled by the movements and Karate techniques of its black belt pilot, Kazuya Ryuzaki. However, the real meat of the show is the romantic drama that plays out between Kazuya and Princess Erika of Baam, beginning after the former rescues the latter when she fell into the sea. Their romance is complicated by the fact that Erika's vengeful brother, Richter, serves as Kazuya's nemesis, having been convinced that his father was murdered by earthlings. Daimos brings the dramatic style established by Combattler V and refined by Voltes V to its natural conclusion, with personal drama of its main characters often upstaging the monster-of-the-week action. Think Romeo and Juliet, as told with the context of giant robots.

Integration Notes

General

• This is a Voltes V-forward integration. While we're open to applications for Combattler and Daimos characters, the best-supported element is Voltes.
• The Boazanians are part of the Zuvorg Alliance. (The Campbellians and Baam would also be part of the Zuvorg Alliance were they to be apped, but these are less at issue.)