So this week since Pacific Rim comes out and a lot of sites and publications are doing their top 5 or top 10 lists on what movies to see to explain or understand where this movie is coming from. Well I think most of these are weak and coming from people that don’t know the genre. I am quite fond of all the influences of this film since I’m into a lot of the same Japanese pop culture Guillermo Del Toro is. This is a pure Otaku movie just like when you watch Joss Whedon make The Avengers which was a fanboy movie. There is love in it. Unlike many other movies these days this is original and not based on anything just influenced by a couple of things that are a big part of Manga, Anime, and Japanese pop culture in general.
Here are some terms that I use here so that you won’t get confused
Kaiju – a monster or beast that is like a force of nature.
Real Robot – giant robots that are used more like tanks or military.
Super Robot – A giant robot that that has special attributes. Much like a superhero that is a robot. Usually has a partner or hero pilot character.
Mazinger Z
See this right here. After Tetsujin 28 (aka Gigantor) and Giant Robo (Johnny Socko and his flying robot) this right here is the jump off. Mazinger Z (in the states Tranzor Z) was the first real Super Robot with a pilot. The Earlier two were controlled with a remote and their child companions but Mazinger Z is controlled by Kouji Kabuto in a plane that connects to the head to become the cockpit of the robot. This robot sets the standard. Rocket Punches and laser eye beams. They continually fought giant mechanical monsters sent by Dr. Hell. This was probably the most amazing thing ever when you see this as a child. Without this you wouldn't have most of the stuff on this list or Pacific Rim. Just watch the clip below – see that gangsterness!!
Macross: Do You Remember Love
To quote Katt Williams “This $#!+ right here!” Macross, known in the US as Robotech is one of the pillars in giant robot fiction. Macross is the story of humans fighting off an invasion from an alien race called the Zentradi. The Zentradi are giants compared to us and they are here for PROTOCULTURE. Now all this might sound crazy and I don’t if everyone has the time to watch every single episode but you can watch this dope, beautifully animated movie version of the story. Some folks are going to bring up Top Gun a lot because of the pilots and the atmosphere of the partners and such but real talk Macross was first, their planes turned into robots and had all that cool stuff while Tom Cruise was still dancing in his underwear. This is pure gulliness. Also Macross has by far one of the greatest mentor deaths ever.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Let’s start out with something. Japan has a to scale real life statue of the original RX-78 Gundam Mobile Suit. Mobile Suit Gundam is THE real robot sub-genre. It’s a franchise about war, a war between earth and it’s colonies in space that have separated from the control of Earth. This one is really a full time war story. It has by far some of the saddest tales. No one wins in war is the main theme along with young pilots who are special and has a special connection with their robots. This brand became really popular over here in the early 2000s thanks to Cartoon Network’s Toonami Adult Swim blocks showing Gundam Wing. That show makes no sense unlike some of the other ones but it looks AMAZING.
Destroy All Monsters
You know you could literally just have a whole list of Godzilla films. Like when you say Kaiju it’s him. Godzilla or Gojira played both the hero and the villain. First destroying cities then protecting us from all of the other great monsters. He even fought King Kong which made no sense since King Kong could climb a building and Godzilla is the size of a building.
Think on that.
If I have to tell someone to see one Godzilla movie then Destroy All Monsters is the joint. Aliens take over all the monsters minds and have them attack all the cities of the world. The Aliens want to destroy us humans and what is a better weapon than all the monsters on Monster Island. THE FOOLS! In the end Godzilla and his crew whup dat @$$ like he’s supposed to. He’s the King of all Monsters. The GOAT of Kaiju. They all kiss his ring.
Ultraman
This is like a famous B-side. Like of course you've heard of Godzilla but Ultraman is known only to some mostly because back in the old days of cable, TNT was heavy on showing Ultraman (specifically UltraSeven). Ultraman’s claim to fame is that a regular dude, a solider who gets bonded to this other dimensional being to protect the earth from…you guessed it, Kaiju. So he does a pose and grows huge and has these BOMB wrestling matches with monsters in the city. He defeats them and all is well as long as he doesn't run out of energy. Ultraman first appeared in the 60's and has been around as long as Godzilla but still has new shows in Japan every few years.
Super Sentai/Power Rangers
Okay you’re probably thinking like “For real though? Power Rangers” but yes I am adding that to this list. Over here Power Rangers is a diss (as seen in the Variety review of Pacific Rim) but I think it’s a bit unfair. For one Power Rangers turned 20 years old in the States. Second it’s based on Super Sentai in Japan which has been around for 37 years continuously since the 70s. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it being a show for children, it's about heroes just being heroes and protecting people. The main thing in these shows other than crazy outfits with hype helmets (that are awesome) is that the end of each episode has some young people control a giant robot to protect the city from a giant Kaiju sent to destroy it.
Yeah. There you go. It’s a major part of the sub-genre that continues to this day. One more thing on this subject, the reason they all use giant robots is because of the Japanese Spider-Man TV in the 70s. Spider-Man was quite different over there; he had a spaceship that became a giant super robot. It’s amazing and spectacular.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
If there is any other diss that gets annoying about Pacific Rim other than "it's just transformers" is that it’s just a rip off of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is a landmark show in the genre since it blends both real robot tropes with super robot tropes. It’s about a group of teens who pilot giant robots called Evas to protect what’s left of humanity from these beasts or Kaiju called angels. The kids all have issues, the adults are dicks, it’s very pretentious and it’s designed stunningly. See I’m not a fan of this series even though I watched it all. It’s a serious fan favorite and it does have a great impact on genre and on some things in Pacific Rim but it’s not the sole influence. Now instead of telling you to watch the show I chose the remake by the creator. He’s remaking the whole show into four films that I have enjoyed so much more than the show. It’s beautifully animated and cuts away a lot of the pretentious ideas on religion and society. Its way more focused in my opinion.
So there you have it. If you liked Pacific Rim and want delve more into the genre or just interested in giant robots and monsters period this right here will hold you down and send you down a rabbit hole of awesome. There are literally many like call much anime, manga and even some video games. If you want to know get at me on twitter (@julianlytle ) since I could literally have TED talks on each one of these and many more.
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