Swords, castles, royalty… a medieval setting comes to mind, but lets also include aliens and giant robots. Wait, hang on! This is little bit of mixing up of genres here? … well yeah… it’s ANIME! The year after Ryosuke Takahashi directed the now beloved Armored Trooper Votoms, he would take up the helm with a different story and setting. And just like before, this series had that Takahashi touch to it, but it would be about half as long as Votoms… 25 episodes instead of 52. (mirrored numbers?) For this time round I welcome you to “The Galient World” with Panzer World Galient.
Panzer World Galient came to television screens in 1984, a year after the similar but different Aura Battler Dunbine. Dunbine as a show felt more magical and metaphysical borrowing strong elements of traditional Medieval Europe. Galient on the other had a more grounded and somewhat realistic tone, almost militaristic, and not so much whimsical which is more to the Takahashi approach. So no fairy folk in Galient then… 😦 I loved Cham Huau as a sidekick! Both are examples of mecha anime in a fantasy realm, just different sides of the spectrum.
Beginning with a moment of optimism on the planet of Arst in the Crescent galaxy, we witness the birth of a new prince to King Volder/Vorder and Queen Feria. This male heir would be christened Joldy, well that’s what the subtitle says, but my ears hear Jordy? The ‘r’ and ‘l’ in Japanese as many of you know can go either way. He eventually adopts the nickname of Jojo, so that is what I will use from now on. Soon after the evil Mardoul and his legions would storm the Vorder kingdom, slaying the king and capturing the queen. Queen Feria’s last wish to a senior member of the Volder army, Azuves, was to take the prince into exile and raise him as his own. And Azuves would do just that, watching the boy grow into a 12 year old, which is where our main story begins. Together they search for the legendary Galient to fight back against Mardoul.
Arthurian Legend comes to my mind with our main character Jojo, though he is not born out of wedlock. Maybe the story of Moses in The Bible as well? Either way the idea of the coming future hope living in exile during their youth is a common theme in many a myth, including Star Wars… think Luke Skywalker! I pull the reference to Arthur in particular because the idea of being raised by a wise old man (Azuves/Merlin) and harnessing one’s legendary weapon from the ground (Galient/Excalibur) is in both stories. Galient, like the other ‘Panzers’, the term used for this show’s mechs, are mysteriously buried under ground. Plus, Jojo eventually becomes a symbol of unity to all in the land. “One land, one king!”… eh maybe prince?
Several mecha shows previous to Galient also feature this idea of finding the titular mecha like a buried treasure, or lost relic, that was destined to be discovered by our hero. Many of these are more in the super robot vein (Raideen and Godmars) and often featured a young boy inexperienced in piloting taking the helm. Giant Gorg another Sunrise title from 1984, also follows this trend. With Galient and Jojo’s association with the last free civilization known as the White Valley, they would combined lead a rebellion against the tyranny of Mardoul with the assistance from a mysterious redheaded woman, Hilmocha, who seems to know a bit too much about everything taking place.
Panzer World Galient is a very strong robot show with a great cast, good pacing and a well thought out story with drama and surprises around every turn. The relationship between young Jojo and Churull, the daughter of the leader of White Valley, is adorable. The final battles at White Valley remind me of Helm’s Deep from Lord of the Rings. With all this in mind, can the people of Arst retake their home world from Mardoul? … and who is Mardoul anyway? Will Jojo learn the fate of his mother? And… where did all these Panzers come from in the first place? My only hang up is that the ending seemed a little rushed after the gradual build up from 20+ episodes. Yet overall we do get closure and as it is said, good things can come in small packages. Give this one a go mecha fans!
… and by the way 50ish episodes used to be like a standard length so 25 is kinda short 😉
Author: Josh
I love anime, particularly titles originating from the 1980s and 70s. I grew up with a small handful of these shows, but I have always wanted to know more of what was available. I currently live in the Midwest of the U.S. and also have passions for music (I play guitar and bass), exploring the boundaries of gender, astrology and being outside.View all posts by Josh
