What’s up with the fascination about Voltron?

[Skipper]

(I really wanted add this question to a Voltron-themed thread but I didn't find a recent one)

Hi everyone!

I'm really fascinated(?) by the fact that Voltron is such a cornerstone of the American pop culture. It's constantly mentioned in memes, by comedians, it had a Netflix remake. I just want to understand why.

I'll give a little context to the question. When GoLion (the original Japanese version of Voltron) was broadcast in Italy it was just one of many Giant Robot anime and it did nothing to stand out from the crowd. Really, it was just a bleep on the radar. Even in Japan it's barely remembered. If you ask any Italian who was a teenager at the time what was his/her prefered Giant Robot, I'm quite sure that no one will answer "GoLion!" (if they remember it at all). I even sampled some American-adapted Voltron episodes (it was broadcast in Italy too, I have no idea why) and it wasn't so different (just some plot changes and the violence was obviously censored).

My first assumption was that the American audience had never seen other Japanese cartoons and then it had no touchstone. Nope. I was wrong.

So, anyone care to enlighten me? Thanks

 

[Anwar]

My guess is that it got better broadcasting exposure than Mazinger and Force Five, more reruns and more toys.

It's up there with G-Force/Gatchamen.

 

[Caretaker]

I think it is as simple as many of the Voltron viewers (like myself) were little kids. Big lion-shaped robots that combined into a bigger robot were cool to us. And that nostalgia has been maintained, even through some of the less successful attempts at continuing the franchise.

 

[retroenzo]

And as a Brit, I don't even think Voltron registered on our radar.

Now Battle of the Planets. That's another matter...

 

[Skipper]

I wonder why the success of Voltron didn't lead to a massive importation of Giant Robot Anime. There were a lot of Japanese TV series that could be adapted with minimum effort.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

My first assumption was that the American audience had never seen other Japanese cartoons and then it had no touchstone. Nope. I was wrong.

Those shows did not have major distribution in the USA. As a kid that definitely would've watched those they were not aired in my market to my knowledge. I wasn't even aware of them until an adult (even though Mazinger and I think Gaiking were sold in the Shogun Warriors toyline). From what I've seen European markets received a number of anime that I don't think was the case in America. Perhaps because we had a lot of Saturday morning cartoons in the 70s and 80s and syndicated cartoons based on toys like Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man and more.

Voltron according to wikipedia was the top-rated syndicated children's show for two years during its original run. Not only that, I seem to recall that it was shown on the USA network which is a cable channel that was accessible in a lot of markets nationwide.

 

[Admiral2]

I can't help you. I always hated Voltron. I preferred Mighty Orbots.

 

[mos6507]

It wasn't very good, but like most anime, at least it had a hot chick in it which is all that's required to make an indellible impression on a tweener entering puberty suitable for nostalgia later. They kind of ruined Voltron in the remake by making the princess a rather androgynous alien with yoda-like ears.

 

[Anwar]

No one is complaining about her actual characterization in the series though, just her look.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I liked the latest Voltron remake a lot but I preferred the Princess from the original Voltron. She was more approachable and hands-on

Voltron: Defender of Hip-Hop and Sprite

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[Saga]

Voltron was a big deal when i was a kid in the 80s. i'm not sure why exactly. something about it just caught on with kids. the series aired on Cartoon Network as part of the Toonami programming block in the 90s. this helped its popularity and introduced the show to a whole new generation.

 

[Skipper]

So, basically, lack of competition and a lot of reruns?

 

[Saga]

So, basically, lack of competition and a lot of reruns?

well, i dunno about competition but reruns definitely helped.

 

[Skipper]

well, i dunno about competition

Well, going by Wikipedia, if you exclude Force Five and Tranzor Z (which are virtually unknown in America), Voltron was the only Giant Robot anime broadcast in the USA.

Edit: there is Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs too, but it seems that it failed to achieve the Voltron's level of fame.

 

[Gaith]

I'm really fascinated(?) by the fact that Voltron is such a cornerstone of the American pop culture. It's constantly mentioned in memes, by comedians, it had a Netflix remake. I just want to understand why.

Maybe partly because "Voltron" just sounds great as a name and an easy, vivid shorthand for sci-fi goofiness? I have no opinion myself on how much of a pop culture imprint it made, though I do think calling it a "cornerstone" of our pop culture is wildly overstating things - it's not TMNT or anything - but, even so, I doubt it would have done as well, or been remembered nearly as much, had it been called something lame like GoLion.

 

[Skipper]

I doubt it would have done as well, or been remembered nearly as much, had it been called something lame like GoLion.

I think you are on something here

Edit. If the secret is all in its name, why the second part of the series (the adaption of Armored Fleet Dairugger XV) was less successful...?

 

[theenglish]

It was neat introducing my son to the remake a few months ago. The original series was on Netflix for a while but I don't think its there any longer. Basically other than Battle of the Planets, it was unique in North America and is responsible in many ways why anime caught on so quickly in NA only a few years later.

Sidenote: Was the original Gatchaman ever released in English? How would I find it?

 

[Skipper]

Sidenote: Was the original Gatchaman ever released in English? How would I find it?

https://www.amazon.com/Gatchaman-Co...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V4J230VRZRRND6NKVC53

 

[Commander Richard]

It was just a part of pop culture so I latched on. I also loved the Vehicle Voltron toy.

What I don't understand is why the Lion Voltron is more popular. I heard it was because it had a better story and better characters. Plus, Lion Voltron came out first so I guess people just latched onto that as the defining Voltron.

Too bad we never got to see Gladiator Voltron. The toy didn't impress me but the cartoon it would have been adapted from looked decent enough from what little I've seen.

 

[Skipper]

Too bad we never got to see Gladiator Voltron. The toy didn't impress me but the cartoon it would have been adapted from looked decent enough from what little I've seen.

Albegas. I watched some episodes. Meh. And it was quite child-oriented, more than the average robot anime. Anyway, the animation was good.