The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie Review

The King of Braves: Gaogaigar is an exciting action-adventure science-fiction anime. The series comes from creator Hajime Yatate. Produced by Hitoshi Kako (The Brave Express Might Gaine), Mami Ohara (The Brave Command Dagwon), Ryousuke Takahashi (OBSOLETE), and Toshinori Yokoyama (Bomberman Bidaman Bakugaiden), The King of Braves: Gaogaigar has plenty of exciting thrills and adventure for fans of genre storytelling.

A couple make a wish upon a falling star in the sky and a giant mechanical lion known as Galeon appears before them. A wish is granted: the couple are given a child, Mamoru Amami (Maiko Itou). As the story unfolds, Mamoru grows up to be a grade school student who faces unexpected adventure when a cyborg, Gai Shishiô (Nobuyuki Hiyama), arrives at the scene. Gai is part of an alien defensive force known as GGG.

An alien attack is under way from the mecha alien Zonders. Now it is up to the cyborg Gai and Mamoru to team up and fight down the evil aliens. As a part of the alien defense force, Mamoru becomes one of the most essential members in the fight for humanity. Gai fuses with Galeon and an elite GaoMachine robot known as GaoGaiGar fights for the future of all humankind – transforming in to the elite hero the world needs.  Can GaoGaiGar be the answer to stopping the alien invaders?

The King of Braves: Gaogaigar has a compelling cast of characters. Mamoru makes a compelling lead character. The character is certainly tossed in to an unexpected situation with the alien mechas invading.

A young and headstrong character with a solid will and determination to succeed, Mamoru is a strong protagonist for the series to explore. Audiences with an interest in such tales may wish to delve further in to the subject with Joseph Campbell’s book on the subject, The Hero’s Journey. The characterization of Mamoru is compelling and provides a strong textbook example of heroics.

The King of Braves: Gaogaigar benefits from strong design work. The character designs by Takahiro Kimura (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Dirty Pair Flash) are one of the most effective artistic elements of the series production. The King of Braves: Gaogaigar certainly has unique and distinctive character art. The designs fit the main characters.

Another element of the production that showcases good design work is found in the mecha designs. The mecha designs by Kunio Okawara (Mobile Suit Gundam, Turn A Gundam) are fantastic fun. It is a terrific testament to the efforts of Okawara. As one of the premiere mecha designers working in anime, the designer contributed some terrific mecha creations for the series.

Given the long-standing legacy of Gundam and the mecha designs contributed by Okawara for that essentiall anime franchise, Gundam fans may wish to experience the mecha artistry of The King of Braves: Gaogaigar as there are a lot of fun and creative designs used for the production. The mecha suits are enormous, complex, and creative. The suits feel energized and ready for battle. The detail of the animation is exquisite and there are many creative layers to these designs.

Featuring the art direction of Tomoaki Okada (Dirty Pair, Gundam Reconguista in G), The King of Braves: Gaogaigar has outstanding classic hand-drawn animation. The art style on the series is first-rate and offers plenty of compelling work. The results are certainly distinctive and create a beautiful artistic sensibility for the production. The team of animators involved on The King of Braves: Gaogaigar contributed terrific work to the series and put forth a lot of effort with the background animation. Everything is well animated and with a sense of creative adventure.

The cinematography by Hiroki Sekido (Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, Martian Successor Nadesico) and Yasuyuki Kuroki (Macross 7, Outlaw Star) adds more fun to the series. The cinematography helps the series excel as a science- fiction production. The cinematography highlights the visual splendor of the mecha suits and the efforts of the animators. The results are certainly impressive and provide the production with plenty of mechanized jazz.

The score by Kōhei Tanaka (One Piece, Dirty Pair) is an entertaining part of the series and the music certainly elevates the series to greater heights. The score provides a nice backdrop for the action sequences. The music is engaging and energetic. Tanaka is one of the best composers in the entire industry. As a result, The King of Braves: Gaogaigar has a great score and the soundtrack makes a big difference for the series sense of scale and adventure.

The series is written by Fuyunori Gobu (Armored Trooper Votoms, Mobile Fighter G Gundam) and Yasushi Hirano (Dragon Ball, City Hunter). The chief screenwriters of The King of Braves: Gaogaigar provided the series with plenty of creative spirit. The production has a good balance of characters and mecha elements. The mecha element is brought to life well by the scripting as the series has a strong emphasis on the action and adventure.

Directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani (Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Nurse Witch Komugi), The King of Braves: Gaogaigar is no ordinary mecha series. The King of Braves: Gaogaigar has plenty of charm. Combining elements of Transformers and other giant robot series with a charming cast and fun science-fiction elements, The King of Braves: Gaogaigar provides plenty of excitement for genre enthusiasts and anime fans looking for some solid escapist entertainment.

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, The King of Braves: Gaogaigar is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The series is beautifully presented with a native high-definition presentation. The encode is sourced from nice masters. The encoding looks excellent and capably showcases the animation.

The animation is well preserved by the presentation. The art style looks great in high definition. The level of clarity is great on the release. The mecha designs are well showcased by the solid encoding. These elements certainly enhance the experience.

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio encoding sounds phenomenal. Given the age of the source material, the audio isn't quite as crisp as on modern productions.

Nonetheless, the depth and clarity of the soundstage are enhanced by the lossless audio encoding on the release. An impressive sound encode and one that capably preserves the original soundstage. Dialogue and music are well reproduced for the release.

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 3:

Japanese Blu-ray Commercials (HD, 12:08)

Director & Producer Interview (HD, 24:39)

Disc 4:

Clean Openings (HD, 12:13)

Clean Endings (HD, 5:44)

Japanese DVD Commercials (SD, 9:52)

Playstation Game Cutscenes (HD, 19:31)

Opening Theme Karaoke (HD, 4:31)

Playstation Game Promo (SD, 2:27)

Toy Commercials (HD, 5:20)

Toy Demo (HD, 6:59)

TV Promos (HD, 14:06)

VHS/LD Commercials (SD, 2:05)

Alternate Version Next-Ep Previews (HD, 2:16)

The King of Braves GaoGaiGar: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The King of Braves: Gaogaigar is an entertaining and exciting action-adventure anime with some fun science-fiction spectacle. The series has an outstanding sense of creativity and there is a lot worth appreciating about the production. The mecha designs certainly stand out as one of the greatest elements of the series with the efforts of Mobile Suit Gundam designer Kunio Okawara. These outstanding mecha designs help ensure a lot of spectacle and fun for mecha anime fans.

The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media features a strong high-definition presentation. The video quality is excellent on the release. The presentation is a native high definition one and is not just upscaled video. The source material looks excellent and benefits from greater color depth and presentation clarity. The release also includes a nice assortment of supplemental features. Recommended.