To be diplomatic, a word that could be used to describe the reaction to the upcoming ThunderCats Roar is… spirited. For the majority part it is negative in outlook, but like any cartoon final judgment ought to be made once episodes premiere. Another major consequence of this news is the pining for the 2011 iteration of the franchise, cancelled before its story completed, like other unfortunate Cartoon Network shows Sym-Bionic Titan and Beware the Batman (although unlike them, it wasn’t written off). Now the outlook on THAT show is the diametric opposite.

Ah, Giant Robo. Best anime I've reviewed so far this year. This classic 7-episode OVA, directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa, combines classic Chinese wuxia, Western retro-future, and good ol' mecha action to give us a celebration of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's work. It's a real stunner, folks. It has exciting action, gripping drama, splendid art/animation, fantastic music and sound design, and is even greater than the sum of its parts. Imagawa is criminally underrated and we're all lucky to have him in the industry. So join me in this look at one of my favorite anime of all time, Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still!

 
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Episode 08, "The Castrop Rebellion"

*****SPOILERS*****

Episode 08, "Who Has the Black Notebook?"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  At Gaston's grave, Lupin and Jigen meet Camille Bardot, a retired detective with photographic memory. He reveals that he was the one who commissioned Gaston to copy the original black notebook. However, a group of assassins target Camille and Lupin, and the detective is gunned down. Lupin sets up a meeting with Albert to hand over the book, hoping to outwit his old nemesis with a few tricks. However, he underestimates his opponents' powers of observation. Is Lupin's showdown with Albert a bridge too far? Watch out, Lupin!

Here's a clever and dynamic opening paragraph that gets you interested in reading what I have to say about this build instead of skipping to the photos.

Episode 06, "The Capture of Iserlohn (Part 1)"

*****SPOILERS*****

Episode 06, "Lupin vs The Smart Safe"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Two brothers have invented a special safe that can only be opened by those with the lowest intelligence, which may prove to be too hard for the brilliant Lupin to break into. Lupin is disinterested at first, but is called out on loans made to his colleagues, so he decides to give it a try. Lupin believes he has the perfect technique for zoning out, but when he attempts it, things don't go as planned! Can Lupin find a way to get dumb enough to open the genius-proof safe? And why are Jigen and Fujiko holding heavy objects? It's a stupifying caper for Lupin!

Episode 05, "Birth of the 13th Fleet"

*****SPOILERS*****