Mecha anime - we've all seen a little in one capacity or another. Maybe you've seen Mobile Suit Gundam or Robotech. Or maybe you're old enough that you remember Tranzor Z and Voltron on television. Surely you've heard of the Power Rangers. OK, the last example isn't anime, but it certainly smacks of mecha-ish influence. There's just something about a giant robot running around in forested areas with a machine gun, or flying around in space with an energy weapon. In the deepest recesses of my imagination, piloting a mecha must be an experience akin to driving a powerful car or riding a particularly twisty roller coaster, only more so because the mecha is usually bristling from head to toe with guns. It's powerful and all-mighty when fighting anything else �Eexcept, of course, another mecha.

The mecha genre has a long history, dating back to one of the very first anime ever. It's 1963 and Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy) is Japan's first weekly-animated series. The series followed the exploits and adventures of a robot child, Atom. However, Atom didn't look like a mechanical machine, he had a very human quality about him, consistent with creator Osamu Tezuka's interest in themes that explore the relationship between man and technology - themes that surface in other Tezuka titles such as Blackjack and Blue Submarine No. 6. In the same year, Tetsujin 28 (Iron Hero 28, or Gigantor in the US) came out. This mecha is definitely an armor-plated robot, but it was controlled by a boy via a remote control-type device. In 1972, Go Nagai comes out with Mazinger Z, and it's completely different from Tetsuwan Atom or Tetsujin 28. This particular mecha is actually piloted by the hero of the series. This turns the giant mecha not into an individual identity or a minion, but a piece of machinery, a walking weapon, controlled in much the same way as a tank or plane. But Mazinger Z isn't quite military hardware - we haven't reached that point yet - but rather metal clad super hero. Mazinger Z, therefore, starts the entire "super robot" revolution, a movement spearheaded by the work of Go Nagai. In 1974 Nagai debuts Getter Robo, which differs from Mazinger in that the Getter is formed from three machines piloted by the three protagonists of the story. The same year a sequel to Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, appeared on television.

UFO Robot Grendizer, Steel Jeeg, Combattler V, Toushou Daimos, Gaiking, Brave Raideen, Great Mazinger, Getter Robo G... the 1970's exploded with super robots (probably spurred by the crossover market with toys. Ever wonder why older mecha are more often than not painted in bright primary colors? It's appealing to the eyes, and certainly kid-friendly.) It wasn't until 1979 that Japan produced a mecha themed anime that broke this mold. The show isn't about a single super hero robot that fights against impossible odds against aliens from another planet bent of taking over the world. This mecha anime was about a war between humans waged both on Earth and in orbiting colonies - their weapons of choice: large bipedal war machines. Director Yoshiyuki Tomino, previously known for his work on Zambot 3 and Daitan 3, started a new revolution with his new work, Mobile Suit Gundam.