Such a frustrating disappointment

i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

To all of you Lebanese people born in the seventies or late sixties, this review goes to you. Picture this: finally being able to set a TV inside a shelter of reinforced concrete in the basement of a 7 story building in Beirut, watching Grandizer with all the building residents while bombs are falling on that same building and carelessly enjoying it! That'a me from 1981 and 1989. The duke of Fleed cares about the earth and its people , the duke of fleet cares about the flowers and birds and yet he is so courageous and powerful and protective. Damn, who cares about real wars, the war of grandizer to defend the earth is all that matters. A big salute to all Lebanese actors who gave their voices to the Arabic version particularly Jihad Al Atrash and the great Sami Clark. Not less than 10 for the best cartoon ever.

I grew up watching this anime in Arabic and I can still watch it today. Please note that the English dubbed version of this anime is horrible and I would claim it is unwatchable. It was so bad that the translations were canceled after about 8 episodes (out of 72) I believe. If you want to see this anime, get the original Japanese with English subtitles and avoid the dubbed version like the plague. I really believe that this cartoon helped shape my personality somewhat because it introduced me to the idea of heroes in a clear and direct way. Daisuki is a clean cut hero similar to Superman in the Western world, except in a giant robot. He always did good and never wavered which I believe is a good lesson to teach kids. Unlike Supes however, Daisuki had to get his hands dirty and there was a lot of killing in this show. The deaths usually happen during battle with the bad guys getting blown up. There is nothing overly gross or graphic so don't worry about questionable content however bad guys do die in this show as do some not so bad guys. I don't know about you, but I hate how western cartoons have degenerated to be politically correct. They end up breeding sissy kids who are easy prey for bullies and whatnot. I don't think there is anything politically correct about avoiding human violence to a minimal degree and if anything it is good to show how a hero should behave in the face of wrong. Note that I am about as liberal a person as you will find and I think that this show is perfect for kids. People are too quick to forget that nations are founded by those who fight, not those who get run over or run away. The world has been run over by underachieving ninny whiners and I am tired of it. Its important that we remember how to fight and not be so passive in the face of evil people so you can bet your petuty that my kids will be watching this anime as they get older.Grendizer is a lot better than modern anime and cartoons in all ways except its age. This was made in the 70's so you cannot expect modern quality animation. The show is also a bit repetitive but so are many other TV shows, cartoons and anime so I don't didn't knock it down too much for that. I really do wish that this anime is remade to modern technology and with deeper script but for now, this gets the job done.

Grendizer appeared for the first time in Arab World at the 80's as a complete two-season Arabic dubbed show. It gained a huge popularity among the Arab children in the 80s, especially because dubbed cartoons are very rare at that time. Grendizer popularity in Arab World even very much exceeded Mazinger's; especially in Saudi Arabia where Mazinger has never been shown on TV.The show is still being aired occasionally on both Space Toon and ART Teens (free-to-air Arabic satellite channels) which can be received in Middle East, parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia on the Egyptian TV satellite (Nile Sat). Also VHS tapes for the complete show (19 tapes)are being sold in Saudi Arabia.Grendizer fans can obtain more information about the show on this website (http://www.grendizer.net).

There are at least two United States versions of this series. One (the superior in my opinion) was part of Jim Terry's Force Five, a show composed of five different animated series from Japan. Another is a feature-length "movie" composed of four or five of the show's pivotal episodes spliced together. The Force Five version went all the way through the original series while the "movie" only covers the first "boss villain's" introduction and defeat.Either way you get it, Grandizer is a fun show. The hero, Duke Fleed (aka Orion Quest) is an experienced pilot right off the bat so they can skip the tedious training and such that seems to be the mainstay of most super and giant robot shows. Grandizer is also interesting in that he doesn't triumph because he is much more powerful than his foes (though he is powerful), he wins because he's *better* than they are.Duke himself is an alien, physically superior to humans. Also, he is the reluctant hero type. However, he knows it was his fault the Vegan empire came to Earth and it's his responsibility to fight them. He only hesitates for the briefest of moments before unearthing Grandizer and heading into combat once more. His angst is there but not the alpha and omega of his character. Contrast this to shows like Evangelion, in which the characters' angst was all there was to them.The supporting cast, including Koji Kabuto from "Mazinger Z", come off well with the exception of a midget cowboy apparently put in just to make fun of Americans. Fortunately, he doesn't do much. It's a lot of fun to see how Duke will prove himself superior to Koji from episode to episode. It's as if Go Nagai, creator of both "Grandizer" and "Mazinger Z", didn't really like Koji and wanted to humiliate him at every opportunity.If you can find the "movie" version, pick it up. It's a lot of fun especially if you enjoy "old-school" super robots. The Force Five version is more satisfying, if you can get ahold of it. I am unaware of any subtitled in English versions of the original Japanese unless you can track down a fan sub.