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Getter Robo, Volume 1
Paperback
Published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 19, 2023
Getter Robo is one of the most important and legendary series ever made, and I'm shocked at how unpopular it is relatively speaking. Getter Robo is the lovechild of co-writer Go Nagai and writer/artist Ken Ishikawa. Ishikawa, unfortunately, passed away before he could finish the manga yet despite that, Getter Robo has preserved through the years with multiple OVAs over the decades. But here everything starts, and while it's far from perfect, it does a good job setting up such an iconic series.
STORY: 7 - Getter Robo's influence is vast in the mecha genre, both in and out of Japan. It introduced the concept of separate combinable transformable mechs into one large one. Voltron, Transformers, Macross, Mobile Suit Gundam, Gunbuster, Gurren Lagaan, and even Megas XLR are just some of the series whose existence is directly owed to Getter Robo. But this is a humble start, and its genius doesn't show much here. A majority of this manga is your typical good vs evil fight with over the top stereotypical villains who comically laugh and have absurd names (Reptiloids? Really?) as they plot to take the Earth away from humans, so naturally the humans fight back. But you're not here for the story, you're here for the mech fights, and there's plenty here. That being said, the story does have some interesting developments, particularly in the middle and especially towards the end. The writers do some pretty bold stuff especially in regards to one of the main characters that makes for something a bit more than mindless action.
ART: 8 - Getter Robo looks like your typical early 70s manga, but it has excellent paneling and the fights are very easy to follow. It is a bit inconsistent at times, but not in a way that's bad per se, just different. There can be great detail when there needs to be, particularly in regards to gore and mechs. I love all 3 of the Getter's designs, and when combined, Getter Robo has a pretty unique look. It uses an ax! How cool is that?!
CHARACTERS: 6 - Admittedly, Getter Robo's characters are far from great, but our three main pilots are a lot of fun regardless. There's Ryoma Nagare, Hayato Jin, and Musashi Tomoe. The introductions of these characters are super memorable, and I love how absolutely crazy and violent they act. They're not your typical mech heroes that became popular after. They really help sell the humans as the underdogs in this war. I like how the Getters they pilot reflect their personalities. Getter 1 is all-around strong and can fly while Getter 2 is built more for speed and Getter 3 is stockier. Frankly, I can't remember too much of the villains. They're just fodder for the most part, but I do like how the Reptiloids are able to corrupt humans, and this comes into play in a very interesting way. As expected, the strong heroes get all the attention, but they're lots of fun.
ENJOYMENT: 8 - Getter Robo is just such a cool series. It gives you exactly what you want out of a big mecha action. A big hurdle for me though was how long some chapters can get. I know that's typical for the time, but it can really hurt pace if you try to read a bunch of them at once. I suggest you take your time with it. The pace is insanely fast despite the long chapters and it can be kind of hard to follow at times, but if you stick with it, the finale will be well worth it.
OVERALL: 7 - Getter Robo is a lot of fun, and while I like it a lot, it just doesn't compare to its future sequels and frankly, to some of the stuff it inspired. Still, it's well worth reading not only because of how influential it is to the genre and medium but because it really is just a fun time! Even after over 45 years, the classic Getter Robo still holds up, and I think a big part of that is due to how unique and just flat out crazy the protagonists are. But yeah, you're pretty going to want to read this so that you can get to the much better future entries.
STORY: 7 - Getter Robo's influence is vast in the mecha genre, both in and out of Japan. It introduced the concept of separate combinable transformable mechs into one large one. Voltron, Transformers, Macross, Mobile Suit Gundam, Gunbuster, Gurren Lagaan, and even Megas XLR are just some of the series whose existence is directly owed to Getter Robo. But this is a humble start, and its genius doesn't show much here. A majority of this manga is your typical good vs evil fight with over the top stereotypical villains who comically laugh and have absurd names (Reptiloids? Really?) as they plot to take the Earth away from humans, so naturally the humans fight back. But you're not here for the story, you're here for the mech fights, and there's plenty here. That being said, the story does have some interesting developments, particularly in the middle and especially towards the end. The writers do some pretty bold stuff especially in regards to one of the main characters that makes for something a bit more than mindless action.
ART: 8 - Getter Robo looks like your typical early 70s manga, but it has excellent paneling and the fights are very easy to follow. It is a bit inconsistent at times, but not in a way that's bad per se, just different. There can be great detail when there needs to be, particularly in regards to gore and mechs. I love all 3 of the Getter's designs, and when combined, Getter Robo has a pretty unique look. It uses an ax! How cool is that?!
CHARACTERS: 6 - Admittedly, Getter Robo's characters are far from great, but our three main pilots are a lot of fun regardless. There's Ryoma Nagare, Hayato Jin, and Musashi Tomoe. The introductions of these characters are super memorable, and I love how absolutely crazy and violent they act. They're not your typical mech heroes that became popular after. They really help sell the humans as the underdogs in this war. I like how the Getters they pilot reflect their personalities. Getter 1 is all-around strong and can fly while Getter 2 is built more for speed and Getter 3 is stockier. Frankly, I can't remember too much of the villains. They're just fodder for the most part, but I do like how the Reptiloids are able to corrupt humans, and this comes into play in a very interesting way. As expected, the strong heroes get all the attention, but they're lots of fun.
ENJOYMENT: 8 - Getter Robo is just such a cool series. It gives you exactly what you want out of a big mecha action. A big hurdle for me though was how long some chapters can get. I know that's typical for the time, but it can really hurt pace if you try to read a bunch of them at once. I suggest you take your time with it. The pace is insanely fast despite the long chapters and it can be kind of hard to follow at times, but if you stick with it, the finale will be well worth it.
OVERALL: 7 - Getter Robo is a lot of fun, and while I like it a lot, it just doesn't compare to its future sequels and frankly, to some of the stuff it inspired. Still, it's well worth reading not only because of how influential it is to the genre and medium but because it really is just a fun time! Even after over 45 years, the classic Getter Robo still holds up, and I think a big part of that is due to how unique and just flat out crazy the protagonists are. But yeah, you're pretty going to want to read this so that you can get to the much better future entries.
January 31, 2024
Creo que pocos mangakas pueden presumir de ser realmente transgresores, pero dentro de este selecto grupo se encuentra sin lugar a dudas Go Nagai. Ahora es fácil encontrar violencia, contenido sexual o lenguaje malsonante en los cómics y justamente por eso, la mayoría no son rompedores, no llegan a ser atrevidos. Al leer Getter Robo nos encontramos con una obra publicada a principios de los 70, para un público joven, que es una auténtica locura. Aquí los robots gigantes son lo de menos, lo que llama poderosamente la atención son los personajes psicópatas y crueles que aparecen (¡y encima son los "buenos"!). Presentar a estos delincuentes rabiosos y mutiladores como héroes es algo que seguramente nadie había hecho hasta entonces en el mercado nipón, no así. De hecho, me asombra mucho que no llegaran a censurar partes de esta historia donde se habla de planear atentados contra ministros, donde un padre abrasa a su propio hijo con un lanzallamas, donde un karateka se comporta sin ningún honor contra sus adversarios quebrando huesos gratuitamente. Es simplemente una pasada que no puede dejar indiferente a nadie. Otro elemento curioso que luego se repetiría en muchas novelas y series de tramas conspirativas, es el de la civilización reptiliana, que aquí se muestra de una forma un poco más caricaturesca, pero ahí está. Quizá esta historia de pilotos mecha no sea su gran obra maestra, pero destaca muchísimo y en algunas cosas yo diría que supera a Mazinger Z.
September 14, 2025
Having recently decided to dive into this venerable giant mecha series, I started with the original 1974 manga. Immediately I was struck by Ken Ishikawa’s expressive if somewhat bizarre art style, something which perfectly suited the over the top tone of the manga itself. The titular Getter Robo is an amazing design with an immediately recognizable silhouette and a cool transforming gimmick which was still new at the time this came out. The designs of the Mechasaurs were also quite inventive and memorable. The cast of insane and exaggerated characters endeared itself to me enough that I was shedding a tear when Musashi sacrificed himself toward the end.
I was a little surprised by the relative darkness and amount of blood and gore despite the ostensibly silly premise of a team of mecha pilots facing off against an ancient dinosaurian empire. I don’t think it was overdone or anything, and I got used to it quickly. I hear the later entries in the series are much darker. Color me excited.
In short, a massively entertaining beginning to this series. I’m really looking forward to reading Getter Robo G, Go, and Arc as well as checking out the various anime series/OVAs.
I was a little surprised by the relative darkness and amount of blood and gore despite the ostensibly silly premise of a team of mecha pilots facing off against an ancient dinosaurian empire. I don’t think it was overdone or anything, and I got used to it quickly. I hear the later entries in the series are much darker. Color me excited.
In short, a massively entertaining beginning to this series. I’m really looking forward to reading Getter Robo G, Go, and Arc as well as checking out the various anime series/OVAs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2022
3.5 Stars
Some edgy, hyperviolent Nagai characters oppose some enemies based on bad 1970s science, and it’s honestly pretty rad. The characters start off rather brutal, but it gives them some room to grow. Jin is probably my favorite, though I think Musashi’s fun too. I wish Michiru got more to do, but she’s actually not as much a typical damsel in distress type. It’s a good start that peaks in the next volume. Also, the fact that this inspired so much else gives it the bump up!
Some edgy, hyperviolent Nagai characters oppose some enemies based on bad 1970s science, and it’s honestly pretty rad. The characters start off rather brutal, but it gives them some room to grow. Jin is probably my favorite, though I think Musashi’s fun too. I wish Michiru got more to do, but she’s actually not as much a typical damsel in distress type. It’s a good start that peaks in the next volume. Also, the fact that this inspired so much else gives it the bump up!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews