Simply put, Godannar has absolutely everything a robo-fanatic could ever dream of. First off you have giant robots clashing and fighting through cityscapes with equally titanic monsters. Secondly those massive robots can combine with others to form even bigger robots to unleash yet more destruction and havoc. Even better is that the organization of pilots are paired into teams, so there are many partners to get to know and see in action. This series pays homage to shows of the past while slightly parodying itself with a great sense of humor and gratuitous amounts of fanservice. It doesn't take itself too serious and proves to be a ton of fun as it takes you along for the ride.

It's the year 2047 and five years have passed since the Mimetic Beast War had come to an end. The Earth was on the verge of annihilation and many of its cities lie in ruin due to the fierce battles. The planet had been saved thanks to the Dannars, who were a group that operated giant robots that were used to battle the monsters during the war. Those pilots are still operational, though one of the most quintessential among their ranks has been out of service since the end of the conflict.

Goh Saruwatari was revered among his colleagues thanks to his service and skill, but no matter how good he was, he couldn't prevent his partner and lover (Mira) from getting killed. Even though five years have passed, Goh is still haunted by her memory and has been out of commission. Time passes and old wounds begin to heal, so we join him as he is about to wed a pink haired girl named Anna, whom he happened to save during the war. Even though she is significantly younger than Goh, she quickly becomes a formidable pilot and member of the team. It also helps that her mother is running the whole show.

In the past couple of volumes we were introduced to all of the characters and got to know the flow of action. Many Mimetic Beasts have popped up only to get clobbered and it seems that in some way, they have been able to manipulate the human form. We saw in the last installment what happened to Max. He may have been partially the person that he was prior to getting enveloped by a beast but something inside of him had changed. We also know that Mira has something to do with all of this, but aside from hints and clues that have been dropped we have no concrete proof.

The third volume sees the continuation of Mira's development into a fully functional adult and it still adds a little bit of drama to Goh and Anna's life. Though to be fair, Lou causes more trouble this time around than any marital sparring. Still mourning the death of her parents and yearning for vengeance, Lou stumbles upon an injured pilot named Ken and nurses him back to health. As it turns out though, Ken isn't part of the Dannars and he operates a rouge machine seeking revenge for the death of someone he cared about. Gee, does that ring a bell?

It's hard to tell at this point whether or not Ken is an enemy or friend, but considering Goh pushes him into a fight you pretty much know on what ground they stand on. Let's just say that we also learn who the better fighter of the two is. This throws Goh's confidence right down the tube and winds up inadvertently causing the death of another pilot. Or so it seems. I'm really interested in what's going on with Mira and once you see what happens, there's no doubt that you will be too. Of course, I'm more interested in seeing Mira than Anna is, but that leaves room for development in the second part of Godannar.

I was unaware of it until now, but apparently the series is broken up into two sections. I don't know how that slipped right by me though I suspect it had something to do with me being distracted by bouncy breasts. This third volume in the series encompasses everything that the last two had. There's a ton of T and A shots with a lot of humor, drama and screaming. The continuity in this batch of episodes feels greater than the previous ones as a more pressing Mimetic Beast threat looms on the horizon. The coming war could be as devastating as the one five years prior, but what could be even more devastating is Anna and Goh's relationship.

Up until recently the giant robot genre had pretty much dried up, but Godannar seems to breathe life back into the anime staple. This is mostly thanks to the fact that the show doesn't take itself seriously at all, as is evident thanks to the fanservice. It is a little silly at times, but it proves to be a ton of fun and a very easy concept to get into. The second volume continues the trend of the first and presents a show that has a lot of energy and some great overall quality. Sometimes you just want to watch a series that is an entertaining diversion with a lot of action and humor. When it comes to Godannar you can't go wrong.

Godannar is presented with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and is positively gorgeous. I didn't notice a single bit of cross coloration, or pixilation. There were a few extremely minor moments where some aliasing and grain seeped into the image, but those were few and far between. The palette for this show is just about as vibrant as I have ever seen with a lot of very well pronounced colors and nice contrast.

I absolutely loved the design and overall style of the show as well. The style is a little old school mixed with new, and the animation is very frenetic and fluid. The artwork on the show makes use of a lot of dramatically thick lines that gives it almost a comic book quality. Many robot animations are reused, but those are symbolic of the genre and not the result of a low budget (at least that's my impression). Overall this is a fantastic looking series that features some slick fast paced animation and a very high quality DVD transfer.

Godannar gets the standard English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio treatments. The English track provides a better sound effect and music presentation with some very nice directionality, but a couple of the voices leave something to be desired. The Japanese track offers the best voiceovers, but lower quality because of the stereo sound. This is a particularly loud show with a lot of screaming and explosions, plus all kinds of mechanical bits. This is a very good sounding show, but the aural presentation is certainly not as strong as the visual.

Just like the previous two volumes of the show, the third installment features a bevy of bonus content that is a cut above the rest. Of course the disc offers the standard clean opening and closing animations as well as some previews, but there are also some selections for character and mechanical profiles. There is also a cute feature that breaks down the developing relationship of two background mechanics taking us through the various stages of them hooking up. A selection of key words is also available as well as a detailed view at some of the Mimetic Beasts that appear in this volume.

It may be a little corny thanks to all of the fanservice, but I have to admit that I really, REALLY, have gotten into Godannar. The show has a great personality and sense of humor, plus offers up a ton of action and eye candy. This volume is all over the map in terms of content and really takes you on a rollercoaster of entertainment. Sometimes it's boring and sometimes its an action overload, but either way it is still Godannar and leaves me wanting the next volume. I'm really getting hooked on the whole Mira thing and really want to see how that plot plays out in the grand scheme of things.

The DVD also offers some fantastic video quality with a nearly flawless transfer and amazing animation. The audio quality is great as well, though not without its minor annoyances. If you ever had a place in your heart for giant robots and don't mind excessively bouncing breasts, then Godannar could be the series you have been waiting for. Highly Recommended

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