Opinion: Is Mecha Anime Dead? “Getter Robo Arc” and the State of Mecha Anime

Despite what some people would have you believe, no, mecha anime isn’t dead. Surely that the Fall 2021 season features six airing mecha shows (or more, depending on what you consider to be mecha) is enough of a proof. Two of which are even simulcasted through streaming platforms in Indonesia.

However, I can’t help but get a sense that Getter Robo Arc‘s choice to not depict it’s robots using 2D feels like the death throes of a certain kind of mecha anime. Here is one of mecha anime’s oldest franchises that traditionally, always had it’s robots depicted using 2D. A fitting choice, since the machines of Getter Robo always leaned more into organic, always-changing biological shapes. Growing up, Getter Robo Armageddon and Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo hold a special place in my heart for having some of the most dynamic 2D robot action scenes I’ve ever seen. I desperately wanted Getter Robo Arc to be more of the same.

It’s not that Getter Robo Arc‘s 3DCG failed to do a competent job of depicting it’s robots, nor is it that the 3DCG used in mecha anime nowadays isn’t up to par—entries such as Galactic Armored Fleet Majestic Prince: Genetic Awakening (2016) and the recent RUMBLE GARANDOLL (2021) has certainly stepped up to prove that notion wrong. The latter even makes me believe that the dream of high-quality 3D mecha animation in a TV series that rivals the 2D mecha shows of yore is not far away.

Just as another storied robot franchise Mazinger Z has chosen to go 3D for the 2017 movie Mazinger Z: Infinity, it feels that the writing is on the wall for 2D mecha anime. Of all the mecha shows airing in Fall 2021 season, only one has it’s robots fully animated in 2D, namely Sunrise Beyond’s AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline. It seems that nowadays, outside of Sunrise or Trigger, it would almost be nigh impossible for you to assemble the expertise and manpower needed to produce a fully animated mecha TV show in 2D. Clearly, mecha anime is far from dying, and there’s still room for 2D mecha anime to exist. But with all the production and labor issues the industry is facing, I worry that the only places they increasingly can is in lavish theatrical productions such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway (2021), special productions such as OVAs or passion projects like indie anime Atlantis the Aerial Warship (2019), and mobile game commercials.

It saddens me to think that this unique tradition and all its rich visual history, something that is almost exclusively limited to Japanese anime, where visual inventions such as the “Brave Perspective” and “Itano Circus” came from, where legends such as Masami Obari and Yoshinori Kanada honed their craft, that has influenced creators and works worldwide for decades can just… stop. And not because there’s a lack of will to do so; but rather, because the logistics required to make it happen is simply unfeasible. As bright as the future might be for 3D mecha anime and for all the potential it brings, the dynamism 2D-drawn robots bring is unparalleled, and the knowledge that each and every line of the robots are drawn one-by-one makes it extra special. It’s the more ironic considering how many of these shows have their heroes coming through and performing the impossible again and again. But mecha anime is an art form, and art can’t be separated from the material and labor conditions under which it was created in.

Getter Robo will continue, that much is a given after Arc. Just recently after the show had finished airing, two collaborations were announced, one with the Getter Arc featured in robot crossover mobile game Super Robot Wars DD, and another (perhaps more age-appropriate considering the fanbase) with the city of Komoro’s tourism bureau and traditional inn Yakushikan in the form of a “Getter hot springs” for those aging joints. Mecha anime will continue to exist and change, it’s just that maybe 2D mecha anime just won’t be the norm for it anymore. Maybe that fate is already set in stone.

But maybe, just maybe, as long as there are those willing to make it happen, nothing is impossible. If anything, mecha fans are passionate about what they love- I suspect it’s why the Getter Robo Arc anime even got produced in the first place. And despite all of it’s limitations, Getter Robo Arc has defied the odds to deliver a hot-blooded love letter worthy of the Getter name. As long as there are people that love the artform and want the tradition to continue, they’ll keep on fighting to change that fate. Just like the Getter Team always does, and always will.

Facts and Figures

Getter Robo Arc is currently streaming on Ani-One Asia and HIDIVE

The Indonesian Anime Times | by Caesar E.S. | This opinion is the personal views of the author and does not represent the views and editorial policy of The Indonesian Times or KAORI Nusantara