Written By: Ken HulseySources: Anime News Network / August Ragone
In April "Mazinger Z" will return in a big way! The famed giant robot franchise is returning both as a brand new animated series, and as a new manga series also.
In the June issue of Champion RED magazine, which hits newsstands April 18th, Go Nagai, will launch a brand-new manga series entitled, "Shin Mazinger Zero". Writer Yoshiaki Tabata and artist Yūki Yogo are combining forces on the new series, which reportedly is an "entirely new Mazinger legend." In other words, hopes to re-launch the series, which came to popularity in the early 1970s'.
Likewise, on April 4th, "Shin Mazinger Shōgeki! Z-Hen" will begin airing on Japanese television. Yasuhiro Imagawa is both directing and writing this new Mazinger series, which, despite rumors to the contrary, is not a remake of the original series. In fact the shows creators are very adamant about making sure everyone understands that "Shin Mazinger Shōgeki! Z-Hen" is not a remake, but a brand-new, unique, series.
Recently, several publications got quite a ear full from the shows production team, when they published the term, "remake" in articles about the series.
Go Nagai and his Dynamic Planning studio, along with Shinji Takeuchi, are designing the main characters, while Bandai's Tsuyoshi Nonaka is designing the Mazinger Z robot and the franchise's trademark enemies, the Kikaijū (mechanical monsters). Akira Miyagawa is reportedly composing the music, and BEEMEDIA and CODE are producing the animation.
It has been over a decade since Banpresto approached Go Nagai about creating an advanced version of his famous mecha, the Great Mazinger, for the later stages of their Super Robot Wars video game. The design Nagai came up with, Mazinkaiser, is arguably the most powerful mecha ever created. The robot proved to be so popular that it was eventually added to the Mazinger canon (storyline). In 1999 a seven episode OVA (Original Video Animation) anime series was produced to tell the origin of the mecha.
"Mazinger Z" aired here in America under the name "Tranzor Z" shortly after "Robotech" became popular. Many American children also got to play with a 3 foot tall Mazinger, which was released as part of Mattel’s Shogun Warrior line of toys in the late 1970s’.
See Also: Brand New Photos From Won Shin-yeon's Taekwon V / Mazinger Z Jumbo Grendizer 24-Inch Figure / Two Great New Video Clips Of Robot Taekwon V / Great Mazinger TOP Collection #5 Statue / Production Has Begun On The Live-Action Robot Taekwon V Movie / TOP Collection Mazinger Z Figure / Mazinkaiser (1999)(2001) OVA / Mazinkaiser Revoltech Action Figure
