Wayback Series - Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh

RAIJIN-OH! MUTEKI GATTAI!!

[---Part 1 of 3 in the Eldran Series Specials---]

Welcome to the first part of the 'Eldran Trilogy' series of blog posts. As you may all know last year, I posted classic anime in honor of the late Tadao Nagahama, and now this year will be focusing on these three anime involving this warrior of light named Eldran. First off, I will talk about the anime called Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh. By the way, all these three series were produced by Sunrise and all three were directed by Toshifumi Kawase. Here's a trivia for you: all three of the Eldran robots were appeared in video games, notably in their debuts in Super Robot Wars GC and Super Robot Wars NEO.

Also called, Matchless Raijin-Oh, and it might be the first of the series, it was aired on TV Tokyo and Kids Station from April 3rd, 1991 to March 25th, 1992 with a total of 51 episodes. The anime has a OVA with a total of four episodes. In December 2008, Anime Mainstream announced that the anime acquires license rights and planned to release the anime sometime in the U.S. next year (2009) as their first anime release. The first five episodes have included in the first volume, the second volume contained episodes 6 to 10, was released in September 2010, and then it translate the title beginning with this volume. On July 12, 2011, the third volume is released containing episodes 11 to 15. Each of the volume contains dual audio (English and Japanese audio), special features (clean OP and ED, MV, bloopers etc.), and a audio commentary with some of the English voice actors in the third volume. RPN-9 (now affiliated as CNN Philippines) aired the anime in the '90s.

To modern fans, the anime is of course most notable as the subject of Bokurano. The manga has some many plot elements that directly parodied the premise, its tone and the characters. Otherwise, the anime had a little worldwide impact, and has some little success in Southeast Asian countries including Taiwan and China. Throughout at the time of its release, the anime is subsequently popular, spawning OVA episodes and two similar sequels, and this lead to some TV shows in the '90s, where a child (or children) were made into pilots of giant robots, which usually pursued an older demographic and used teen or adult characters as pilots, in which is a significant change of pace in the mecha genre.

These schoolkids (including Jin, Asuka and Koji) are too cool to become Earth Defense Force!

The anime's story is go something like this. The Jaaku Empire (or the Evil Empire), with some intent to despoil and conquer, has come to Earth. They launch a missile that will eventually flood the world with eggs of darkness which hatch into Jaaku Beasts (or Evil Beasts) that is based on some things that frustrate or annoy humans called Akudamas. Eldran, who is the 'guardian of light' and a Ultraman-like entity who's sworn to protect Earth and the universe in particular, appeared. Using the robot called Raijin-Oh, Eldran has the attempt to thwart the Jaaku Empire, by prevent the missile from striking our beloved planet, but what happened is that the missile had been detonated against the warrior of light, throwing Raijin-Oh down to Earth (like descending into the ground), and it then crashes into a Japanese elementary school. And so, Eldran decided to leave in order to continue protecting the Earth, so he leaves his duty of defeating the Jaaku Beasts to a classroom full of children (all of them are 4th grade) in the school where he had crashed, then he entrusted the chidren with Raijin-Oh, and granted each child a different role to perform in supporting or either operating the robot (thus becoming the Earth Defense Class or Chikyuu Bouei Gumi). When Raijin-Oh is needed, Eldran also transforms their school itself, by turning the classroom into a command center. Three of the boys (Jin Hyuga, Asuka Tsukishiro and Koji Hoshiyama) are then chosen to lead Raijin-Oh, but everyday they live lots of some of the amusing experiences in the school, such as Jin, who does not want to study (Shame on you!), while his friends will do and forces him to do it by tickling him.

L to R: Hou-Oh, Ken-Oh and Juu-Oh
These three of them to form Raijin-Oh.

Eldran's trump card, the Bakuryu-Oh has two modes: the dragon form and the robot form. It could be combined to become God Raijin-Oh.

Jin Hyuga, who is the pilot of the Ken-Oh and Raijin-Oh's main pilot, is voiced by Rica Matsumoto, who is known for her role as Gon Freecss in the Hunter x Hunter Special, Namiko Isobe in If I See You in My Dreams (both TV and OAV),  Bernardo (Zorro Jr.) in Kaiketsu Zorro, and the legendary Satoshi (Ash Ketchum) in the Pokemon series. The pilot of the Hou-Oh, Asuka Tsukishiro, is voiced by Rie Iwatsubo, who is known for her roles as Sarasa Tenjikudō in Kigurumi Sentai Quiltian, Shion Suzukaze in Idol Project OAV, Risky & Safety in Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety, Kotetsu Oosawagi in Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku, and Flair in Into the Erogenous Zone: Lyon Flare (OAV). The pilot of the lion-like robot Juu-Oh, Koji Hoshiyama, is voiced by Mari Maruta, who practially known as Mamoru Kazama in Hell Teacher Nube, Zaizen Jun in Kikou Keisatsu Metal Jack, Tamayo in BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, and a female Rogue in Ragnarok The Animation. Other voice actors starred in the show were Megumi Hayashibara, Miki Itou, Minoru Inaba, Kozo Shioya, Hochu Otsuka, the late Daisuke Gori, Bin Shimada, Issei Futamata, Shozo Iizuka, Tessho Genda, Urara Takano, and Tomomichi Nishimura, who is known for his role as Gen. Takeda. Takeda has appeared in all Eldran series, yes it's true.

Time to beat up the evil Jaaku Empire with the Matchless, and Absolutely Invincible Raijin-Oh!

Time to get Absolutely Invincible!!