If you find yourself lacking a gratuitous amount of T&A and science fiction in your life then pay attention and check out Godannar. 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. This series pays homage to shows of the past while slightly parodying itself with an irreverent of humor and crazy amounts of fanservice. It doesn't take itself serious at all 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 of pilots that operated giant robots which 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.

Up to this point several things have happened to Goh and Anna. Aside from the two of them getting married, they also became separated for a little bit when Anna discovered that Mira and Goh were kind of an item back in the day. She's just a kid and didn't put her faith in her man but eventually realizes the folly of her ways and goes back to him. Several other Dannar pilots have come and gone only to come back again. For instance Shizuru died and came back to life just as Max did, though he has been inflicted with the Insania Virus which alters the body at the molecular level and is connected to the Mimetic monsters. The plot is getting contorted as things begin to heat up and the mystery of the beasts seems like it's on the verge of being exposed.

Once the sixth volume gets underway Goh gets slapped with a mandatory vacation due to his infection with the Insania Virus. If he gets into battle and gets too worked up the virus could take over and Godannar would be unstoppable, so it's only natural that he be grounded if you think about it. Well, Shizuru takes over his robot and teams up with Anna to fight off a mimetic beast that rears its ugly head. Once Ken and Lou show up though, the entire battle changes.

It would seem that Ken has finally found the beast that he is looking for and has discovered his love's robot inside. The battle sends him over the edge though and he cracks out thanks to the Rabid Syndrome buried deep inside of him. He then attacks Goh, Anna, and Shizuru. Shortly after that confrontation more mimetic beasts pop up all over the world and begin to converge on Dannar's base. The volume ends with the emergence of a new character that actually leaves me dying to see the outcome in the next installment.

Just like every other volume before it, this one offers a lot of fighting accompanied by an action overload. The story gets a little more interesting once Goh is incapacitated and the fate of Ken is up in the air when all hell breaks loose. The simple fact that we learn more about the Insania Virus and see a glimpse into the thought process of the mimetic beasts left me pleased with this disc. There are only three episodes here but they are entertaining and fairly rewarding. Fans of the show will thoroughly enjoy what happens here.

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. Some of the animations are reused during the action sequences, but overall this is a great looking shot with a fantastic transfer.

Godannar gets the standard English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio treatment. 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.

Let's see here. ADV Previews? Check. Production sketches? Check. Clean opening and closing animations? Double check. In addition to those tidbits there is also a collection of Japanese commercials and season one's opening and closing animations.

I've been enjoying Godannar on some level since the show originally started. Whether it was the fanservice adoring pervert in me or the sucker for explosions and robots; there's just something about this show that draws me in. The plot has been a little rocky up to this point and considering there are only three episodes here it was a bit of a let down. The content that is on this disc though is great with a more involved look at the mimetic beasts and Insania Virus as well as the various pieces moving together for the final battle. Check it out if you're looking for an action packed and humorous series with a lot of T & A.

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