Godannar Vol. 6: Deep Penetration 2003 ADV Films   Buy It Now

Big robots, big monsters, and big . . . . other things, that’s the spice of life when it comes to Godannar. The mecha/monster/love story is getting close to the end of the second season, meaning the end of the series itself, but that doesn’t mean that the action has to die down. In fact, volume sixth, “Deep Penetration” (wipe that smirk off your face) delivers even more action that it has before, and a bit more bounce as well.

The Mimetic Beasts have been a huge problem in the series, and salt has been poured into the wounds with the latest revelation. Over the course of the series, we’ve seen some very prominent combatants suddenly mutate into human and Beast monstrosities. The cause has been isolated, the Insania contagion or Rabid Syndrome, and that situation has yet another complication. It only seems to infect men, and now Goh has been pulled from the line of duty until a cure can be found.

This volume begins what is certain to be the final storyline in the series, and these three episodes are quite a piece of work. With Goh out of combat, Shizuru has been requested to fill in for him, and he’s not pleased about it in the least. Even Shinobu is trying to show that he has the right stuff and can fill in for his brother, but since he’s male, he won’t be allowed to do so (and he’s a novice anyway.)

God isn’t the only victim here however, and Ken also is carrying the deadly contagion. He and Lou make another appearance when the Mimetic Beasts show up once again, though his reason is to retrieve a mecha that once belonged to his partner, the Celeblader, and while the recovery is easy, what follows isn’t. The disease takes him over and Anna is forced to fight . .. until Goh joins in the battle. Monster verses mecha we’ve seen, but a mecha on mecha battle is something a bit more unique to the series, and it’s done in grand fashion. While intense, this is merely the calm before the storm so to speak, and the Mimetic Beasts are now converging on Dannar base, they’ve taken over the Boys from the other bases, and this brings about the perfect opportunity to throw in a surprise twist right at the end; the return of Anna’s father.

Could the series throw in anything else? Of course it could, and that would be the Dannar battleship, a transformation of the base everyone knows that in the end, looks like something of a tribute to the Yamato and the Macross. Action, panties, and just the right teases towards the end . . . . you know that you can’t miss the final volume, but in the meantime, there are some additional features to take a look at.

The sixth volume of Godannar actually cuts back a bit on the extra features, but most of the important things have already been seen, such as the mecha and terminology from the series. So, here we find not only the clean animations for Godannar’s second season, but a flashback to the first season with the original opening and closing animations. There is a collection of Japanese television commercials that were used to promote the CD’s and DVD’s (and hearing how the Japanese releases included a figure can make a fan drool) and the final on-disc bonus is an art gallery. The insert however includes text interviews with the seiyuu from the series and some artwork that is really “bursting” with color.

Godannar never seems to bring with it a disappointing moment, and some might think that three episodes aren’t quite enough, but that really isn’t true here. Everything has been perfectly laid out in such a way that you’ll have no desire to not buy the final volume and see how it all turns out. And, I also discovered that this volume finally gives me the answer that would make my claim that having a large bust in anime helps to fight evil, though the virus stance won’t work in all cases. The only thing bigger than the action in Godannar is . . . . . I think you already know.

Episode 21 – Godannar, Grounded!

Goh has been forced to stop piloting the Godannar because of the virus that is coursing through his body and now Shizuru has been called in to take his place. Shinobu has decided that he wants to fight in his brother’s place, though that may not be possible, and yet another group of Mimetic Beasts attacks drawing attention from a rouge group of hunters.

Episode 22 – Clash! Dannar vs. Gainer

Ken and Lou have managed to obtain Celeblader, a mecha that once belonged to Kens’ partner, but there’s a bigger problem. The Rabid Syndrome has taken him over and Anna may be in trouble. Ken rushes to her aid in the Dannar, and the two of them together may be more than enough . . . but the team of Mimetic Beasts that shows up after the battle is a different story.

Episode 23 – Dannar Base SOS!

Goh has been taken off the frontlines once again and with a horde of Mimetic Beasts quickly approaching Dannar base, the only choice is to send the ladies into the heat of battle. The Boys from the other bases have been overrun, the strength of the enemy is greater than before, but there may still be a few tricks that could turn the tide of battle.
 

-mike-
 

Genre: Science Fiction / action   Series Director: Yasuchika Nagoka   Directed by: Episode 21 – Ken Katou & Rion Kujou Episode 22 – Masayasu Furukawa Episode 23 – Masato Miyoshi Written by: Episode 21 & 22 – Katsuhiko Takayama Episode 23 – Hiroyuki Kawasaki   Original Japanese Title: Shinkon Gattai Godannar!! Voice Cast: Takayuki Kondou (Goh Saruwatari) Mai Nakahara (Anna Aoi) Takako Honda (Kiriko Aoi) Kaori Shimizu (Lou Roux) Junko Minagawa (Shinobu Saruwatari) Yumi Kakazu (Shizuru Fujimura) Aya Hisakawa (Mira Ackerman) Tarou Yamaguchi (Kagemaru) Akeno Watanabe (Konami Sasagure) Nanae Katou (Hayashi)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English subtitles Clean Opening Animation Clean Closing Animation Original Japanese Television Spots Season One On-Air Opening Season One On-Air Closing Art Gallery Enclosed Interview Insert Contains Episodes 21 - 23