What’s up with the fascination about Voltron?

[Solid Snack]

We never got Gundam on TV here if I recall correctly. All my late 80s early 90s anime were VHS bootlegs that friends or acquaintances made for me..as well as a few from the handful of conventions I went to. I coveted my copy of Akira in '90 and Lensman in '92.

RAMA

Actually a fair number of Gundam series starting with Gundam Wing were shown on Cartoon Network in the early 00's, although interest in the series eventually faded when they tried to show the Universal Century stuff, which although the main Gundam timeline in Japan, was kind of dated (Well, at least the original was). 00 also had a limited run a few years back on syfy as well.

Although apart from an attempt to do a weird SD Gundam thing, there wasn't any 80's import and it took a while for Bandai to bring it out on VHS (I think it first happened around 98 or 99).

 

[RAMA]

I kind of meant early on..before anime took off here..70s to late mid-90s. Gundam was the big thing in the 80s but it never really translated here for some reason.

Actually a fair number of Gundam series starting with Gundam Wing were shown on Cartoon Network in the early 00's, although interest in the series eventually faded when they tried to show the Universal Century stuff, which although the main Gundam timeline in Japan, was kind of dated (Well, at least the original was). 00 also had a limited run a few years back on syfy as well.

Although apart from an attempt to do a weird SD Gundam thing, there wasn't any 80's import and it took a while for Bandai to bring it out on VHS (I think it first happened around 98 or 99).

 

[Solid Snack]

I'm guessing it would've been a bit hard to translate it for TV in the 80's, considering it was a fairly depressing and dark series at points, and also, apart from the big robots, is somewhat more grounded than say, Robotech or Voltron; having no aliens, FTL drive, other worlds and all the action takes place either on Earth or the inner solar system. The later AUs certainly were more toy friendly, hence I think one of the reasons Gundam Wing was put on TV first.

 

[mos6507]

I don't think it's ever just about the fiction. It's about how much of an ethical education you get beyond it
..
Although I do think that more positive messages in entertainment can reinforce that kind of real-world moral guidance -- or can help give role models to kids who don't really have them in real life. As a kid, I was drawn to the wholesome, nonviolent heroes of Filmation's Saturday morning cartoons in part because I was bullied in school and thus was inspired by the notion of people who had great power and used it only to help others, never to harm. That's why I wish we had more protagonists like that in the media today.

Here here. I realize this is topic-drift but the progression towards more and more nihilistic (or comically ultra-violent) superhero movies on the basis of having them "grow up" bothers me. Snyderverse Superman is the perfect example of that insofar as how far afield WB has allowed Superman to deviate from his archetypal boyscout roots, summed up with the depressing slogan "nobody stays good in this world". Unfortunately I think we're so far downstream that this isn't so much driving society as it's merely a reflection of society in the post-911 era of one bombing and mass shooting after another.

As far as more compassionate or pacifistic heroes, they're few and far between. Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon or Steven from Steven Universe are two good examples. But they're drowned out by machismo types.

 

[Christopher]

Unfortunately I think we're so far downstream that this isn't so much driving society as it's merely a reflection of society in the post-911 era of one bombing and mass shooting after another.

Except it's in the darkest times that society needs optimism the most. We think we have it bad today, but things in the 1960s were even worse -- nuclear armageddon looming over everyone's heads, Vietnam becoming a quagmire, frequent race riots in American cities -- and it was in that climate of hopelessness that the optimism of Star Trek was able to take root and the Silver Age of upbeat comic-book superheroes had its heyday. And it was in humanity's darkest hour, the WWII era, that the superhero genre first dawned and idealistic heroes like Superman and Captain America came to define the genre. And American media culture started its trend toward nihilism and pessimism well before 9/11/01. The association of "mature" storytelling with darker, grittier, more cynical and violent stuff goes back to the '80s and '90s, with things like Hill Street Blues and Homicide. Really, I think it's when times are relatively good that society tends to get more paranoid and cynical, because people afraid of losing what they have. It's in the darkest times that optimism tends to thrive. I think we're starting to see the media swinging back in that direction with the popularity of shows like Supergirl and The Flash. It's just that the darker trend is still hanging on.

As far as more compassionate or pacifistic heroes, they're few and far between. Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon or Steven from Steven Universe are two good examples. But they're drowned out by machismo types.

I think this is why my favorite superheroes right now are Ms. Marvel, Squirrel Girl, and TV Supergirl. They embody optimism and positivity and kindness and have a great sense of fun. They all enjoy being superheroes and helping people, rather than seeing it as a grim burden, and that makes it enjoyable to follow their adventures.

 

[Skipper]

I'm guessing it would've been a bit hard to translate it for TV in the 80's, considering it was a fairly depressing and dark series at points, and also, apart from the big robots, is somewhat more grounded than say, Robotech or Voltron;

Here here. I realize this is topic-drift but the progression towards more and more nihilistic (or comically ultra-violent) superhero movies on the basis of having them "grow up" bothers me.

Well, the original GoLion (the anime which was the base for Voltron) is quite nihilistic. I mean, our heroes are the only survivors of a nuclear disaster that destroyed the Earth, and they are forced to fight to the death in an arena for the enjoyment of sadistic aliens.

 

[mos6507]

When I talk about nihilism I'm referring more to the heroes rather than the villains. In today's drama there's barely any difference between the motives or tactics of either.

 

[Skipper]

Voltron: 10 Hilarious Ways the Show Censored Death

Hey, did you know the original Voltron was obsessed with death? No, no. Not that original Voltron. I’m talking about the OG of OG Voltron, Beast King GoLion. The original anime that was adapted to become Voltron in America. It had violence. Like, a lot of violence. Voltron of course removed most of it to make the series more appropriate for its intended kid audience.

Now if I were a snobby anime purist, this article would take the position that cutting out all this death and destruction neutered the show. That it should have kept it in because kids needs to learn about death and blood, man.

Well that’s not this article because I find the ways Voltroncensored death to be the greatest and funniest thing known to mankind. Look, this was long before the days of Adult Swim where anime regularly airs mostly intact. Long before the days you could stream all the newest shows hours after they debut. You had to make compromises.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I FREAKING LOVED THE VEHICLE VOLTRON.........

I however regret that in 1989 I never got a set of them when I had the chance. Matchbox Toys had a DIE CAST metal set of all the vehicle voltron units sold as one set and it was just under 100 dollars here in Australia at the time. I could kick myself for not getting it because now that set is worth a shit ton.

 

[theenglish]

The new season is coming out next week on Netflix. My son likes it a lot--I have some nostalgia for the original series but not as much as for Battle of the Planets.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I wish they would redo the toys for vehicle Voltron

 

[publiusr]

Looking at it practically, though (just for the sake of discussion), isn't it better just to have a separate giant robot already, instead of having to piece it together out of a bunch of separate vehicles?

That was called THE BIG O.

My favorite scene of the second series is when a villain named Beck faced off asainst a Big iwith a multi-bot and..well
http://bigo.wikia.com/wiki/Beck_the_Great_RX3

Now up against this...
http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RX-78GP02A_Gundam_"Physalis"

 

[Mr. Adventure]

^ Loved Big O

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[Gingerbread Demon]

^ Loved Big O

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That was fun

 

[Skipper]

Sorry for the necrothreading, but this was hilarious!

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[Turtletrekker]

Sorry for the necrothreading, but this was hilarious!

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Awesome.

 

[publiusr]

Great stuff

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I love how that girl is just standing there while all this shit is happening around her in the Big O video, it's just kind of surreal she's just there standing.

Also all the destruction when the robot appears out of the ground, who cleans up all that mess? And convenient ramp for the other guy is convenient.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I love how that girl is just standing there while all this shit is happening around her in the Big O video, it's just kind of surreal she's just there standing.

Dorothy is an android which helps explain her stoic presence a little.

Also all the destruction when the robot appears out of the ground, who cleans up all that mess? And convenient ramp for the other guy is convenient.

Big O embraces the anime conventions as much as it is genre aware and a bit of a send-up at times. Who does clean up those messes?

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

OK I didn't know Dorothy was an android, is she his girlfriend, is she fully functional?

I got that from the video they seem to do all the tropes and don't care, but it's fun