Astroganger (アストロガンガー, Astrogangā) is a 1972 Japanese mecha anime produced by Knack Productions. Airing on NNS (Nippon TV) every Wednesday from 7:00 to 7:30 pm, the anime ran from October 4, 1972, to March 28, 1973, ending at 26 episodes. Yoshikata Nitta served as its director, while Katsumaro Saijo is credited as the producer and Tatsuo Tamura is credited as its writer. It is notable for being the first Super Robot show to air in full-colour, pre-dating Mazinger Z by two months.
Scientist Maya lives a serene life on Planet Katharos until one day, it is attacked by a cruel race known as the Blasters. The Blasters attack peaceful planets, destroy their resources, and leave them unable to repopulate. Planet Katharos is the latest of their conquests, and they likewise destroy it. However, Maya is able to escape to Earth with an alloy she created called "living metal".
Upon arriving to Earth, she falls in love with the scientist Dr. Hoshi. The two have a son named Kantaro. Knowing that Earth will inevitably be targeted by the Blasters, Maya forges the "living metal" in her hands using the Earthern volcano into the robot Ganger. However, the rays of the Blaster's attacks eventually take their toll on her and she dies, leaving Dr. Hoshi to continue her mission.
Ten years later, the Blasters commence their Alien Invasion of Earth. Kantaro, now a 10 year old, takes it upon himself to protect the planet by fusing with Ganger (yes, he fuses with the robot, Ganger) using his pendant and becomes Astroganger, the all-powerful robot. He repels the Blasters at every turn, and swears to stop them from harming anyone ever again.
In the West, Astroganger is enjoyed ironically, as its claim to fame is being made by the same team behind Chargeman Ken!, and the two anime have some similarities. Memes of the shoddy animation have been circulated around the internet for ages.
In 2020, Discotek Media revealed that they had licensed it for an English-subbed release.
Astroganger has examples of:
- Agent Scully: Dr. Hoshi's boss refuses to believe aliens are real, no matter how much he tries to convince him otherwise.
- Alternative Foreign Theme Song: Behold, the Italian
and Arabic versions. - Artistic License – Space: In the first episode, the Narrator refers to Earth as a "star"note . The correct word for "planet" in Japanese is "Wakusei" ("惑星"), though to be fair in the Japanese language "hoshi" is used quite interchangeably for both "star" and "planet".
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Like many other aliens in Super Robot shows of The '70s, this is the Blasters' strategy Once an Episode - and each time, they're beaten back by Kantaro and Ganger.
- Beach Episode: The finale takes place on a beach island, where assorted residents are having fun and mingling...only to be graphically slain at the end.
- Bittersweet Ending: Kantaro is able to defeat the Blasters once and for all, but it comes at the cost of Ganger sacrificing his life and using the last of his power to create an escape shuttle for him and Rie.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: Yes, it may surprise you that the same studio behind Chargeman Ken! features this. Kantaro is understandably hot-headed and broken after the death of his mother at the hands of the Blasters, and shows his rage to the Blasters every chance he gets - however, he is reprimanded for this by his closest friends, Ganger, Dr. Hoshi and Rie, who tell him that they don't want to see him become a monster just like them because he's saddened over his loss. While there are several evil Blasters, even good ones exist in their ranks.
- Bragging Theme Tune:Ganger! Ganger! Astroooogaaangeeeer!If anyone, if anyone is in danger!See him fly powerfully!Ganger! Ganger! Astroooogaaangeeeer!— Japanese theme song
- Central Theme: The power of teamwork. Kantaro's Aesop in the first episode is that he and Ganger must fight as one for total Earthern peace, instead of him leaving the responsibility in his hands as usual. And in the final episode, Ganger tricks Kantaro into doing it to save his life.
- Coming of Age Story: Of Kantaro coming to terms with both his human and alien heritage, taking responsibility alongside Ganger as Earth's protector and learning dark secrets and truths along the way.
- Combining Mecha: Astroganger is an unusual case of a human needing to fuse with a robot.
- Culture Equals Costume: In one episode, Astroganger pursues a robot that kidnapped Rie, and he leads him all the way to what appears to be the Middle East (or India). One of the inhabitants is a dark-skinned man wearing a turban as he leads a camel, and once he sees the two Humongous Mechas he screams and flees the scene.
- Deadly Gas: The cyclops-like beast in the first episode emits this to the human farmers after destroying their crop supply, leaving them gasping for air.
- Department of Redundancy Department: Devil Blaster's "saigo no todome" (final finishing move).
- Doomed Hometown: Any planet that comes in contact with the Blasters is guaranteed to die in ten years, since that's usually how long it takes for them to siphon off it's resources. However, Dr. Hoshi gives Earth six years at best, if Kantaro doesn't defeat them.
- Downer Beginning: The very first scene itself shows the Blasters vaporizing an unfortunate planet. And then the Narrator provides us with this...''One star shines particularly brightly in space. The swarm of flying saucers make their way towards it. That star is called...Earth.
- Downer Ending: In the final episode Ganger blows himself up to destroy the Blasters once and for all while Kantaro and Rie look onwards, horrified. After both children's faces are covered in tears the credits roll.
- Fanservice: Has this for both male and female audiences. The Beach Episode features many scantily clad women with big boobies and shirtless men with packing muscles.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When Ganger throws his scythe at a Blaster in Episode 21, the camera cuts away right before the blade hits as blue blood flows down the screen.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Maya's planet is called Planet Katharos; "Katharos" (καθαρός) is Greek for "pure".
- Human Aliens: The aliens of Planet Katharos, like Kentaro's mother Maya, resemble humans.
- Insignificant Blue Planet: Inverted. The Blasters actually take a great interest in Earth as they've never found a planet so abundant in greenery and fresh resources, and plot to dry it to a husk.
- Interspecies Romance: Rie and Kantaro's relationship can also qualify as this, as he may be half-human, but he's also half-Katharosian.
- Limited Animation: The series uses a lot of recycled frames and sometimes uses "fade" effects as a substitute for actual movement.
- Once an Episode: The Blasters send out a Humongous Mecha to mess up some cities, Kantaro and Ganger fuse, and the Blasters are left in smithereens. Funny Background Events and civilians getting in trouble are optional.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Since this work is set in Japan, most characters have dark brown or black hair and eyes, while Kantaro has black hair and blue eyes as a nod to his Katharosian heritage.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Kantaro is a boy, and usually wears shades of dark blue, in contrast to Rei, who wears shades of pink and red (including her big pink bow).
- Primary-Color Champion: Like most mechas of the Super Robot Genre, Astroganger is red and blue, with his armor and chest plate being bright red while the rest of his body is blue.
- Super Robot Genre: Let's go through the checklist....a robot performing the same function as a Super Hero? Check. Said robot being one-of-a-kind, able to break the laws of physics, grow in size, act independent of orders, built by a scientist/the main character's parent, being built by an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, having a red-and-blue colour scheme, appearing from implausible locations, and being the last line of defense against Earth? Check, check, check, check, check, check, check, check and check. The robot's name beginning with the letter G and ending with "-er"? Check, his name is Ganger. The robot only allowing one person to pilot him? Check. The pilot being Hot-Blooded as can be? Check. Bonus points for having a Bragging Theme Tune sung by Ichiro Mizuki and the robot's powers including Chest Blaster, Rocket Punch, Eye Beams and weaponized tools.
- World of Technicolor Hair: A one-time character from episode 12 is a little girl with blue-purple hair. Despite this, she's actually not a Blaster alien in disguise.
