A thrilling manga prequel to the hit anime Grendizer U!
Spoilers! Spoilers!
The cosmic league of nations is ruled by the evil Kingdom of Vega.
Planet Fleed/Euphor is protected by a formidable weaponized Mech, Grendizer/Goldorak.
Seven invasions by the Vega Star Alliance were repelled by Grendizer.
We are introduced to:
Gau Su Uls (Duke Fleed's best friend, a lycanthrope from Planet Uls, son of King Uls and a Starker Knight academy student, an homage to Morros/Pollux from episode 71 of UFO Robo Grendizer (1975-1977) and TV Magazine (01/1976))
Duke Fleed (the young prince of Planet Fleed/Prince d'Euphor, the most accomplished Knight of the academy)
King Fleed (Father of Duke)
Queen Fleed (Mother of Duke)
Princess Grace Maria Fleed/Phénicia (Younger sister of Duke)
Cassado Zeola Whiter (a sadistic Starker Knight, an homage to Whiter/Sogrady from episode 24 of UFO Robo Grendizer (1975-1977))
Only Starker Knights can pilot "Dizer" mechs. Only the mightiest of the Knights should pilot GrenDizer.
The Grendizer Succession Ceremony begins, Duke's father relinquishes his control of Grendizer.
Gau Su fights Duke in a duel for the right to pilot Grendizer.
Gau Su reveals to Duke that his father (King Fleed) killed his father (King Uls).
Gau Su wins the duel, takes the Starker Fleuret and departs with Grendizer.
Gau Su wants to revive his Planet of Uls, which was decimated by the Vega army.
King Fleed was forced to kill King Uls when King Uls tried to steal Grendizer to gift it to the Vega Star Alliance.
The aircrafts of Vega arrive, Whiter orders (by using his prosthetic eye comm device) the MiniFO pilots to capture Duke Fleed and to kill Gau Su Uls.
Gau Su uses a Zuril/Horos drug (a gift from Whiter) to multiply his power to the max, Gau Su turns into a super werewolf and engages the enemy. Gau Su takes a laser blast intended for Duke. Duke uses Grendizer to destroy the spacecrafts. Gau Su dies. Whiter vows to kill Duke.
Sayaka Yumi (daughter of Professor Gennosuke Yumi of the Photonic Power Lab) finds Duke Fleed in an area of red desert sand dunes near Riyadh (home of the 33.7 meter tall Grendizer statue (Guinness World Record for being the Largest Metal Sculpture of a Fictional Character)) in Saudi Arabia.
Doublas M2 (a Mechanical Beast of Dr. Hell from the Mazinger Z media franchise) attacks; the giant robot Mazinger Z (the super robot Tranzor Z developed by Dr. Juzo Kabuto, piloted by Koji Kabuto/Alcor, that can fly when combined with the Jet Scrander) destroys it.
Professor Genzo Umon/Procyon has adopted Duke Fleed.
Duke is now an amnesiac know as Daisuke Umon/Actarus Procyon.
Riding a motorcycle, Duke has a flashback, he sees Teronna Aqua Vega (an homage to Duke's fiancé from Space Disk War aka Uchu Enban Daisenso (1975)) and Rubina Beryl Vega (the fiancée of Duke Fleed and twin sister of Teronna).
Duke follows the Hover Pilder (piloted by Koji), it lands into the head of Mazinger Z.
What I did like:
We get to see the soldiers of Vega, the MiniFO space saucers, King Vega/Le Grand Stratéguerre, Blaki/Hydargos, a Stark Flash transformation/Métamorphos and a Space Thunder/Cornofulgur attack!
A horse is named after Goro Makiba/Mizar.
What I did not like:
The title page featuring Grendizer, Sayaka Yumi, Koji Kabuto and Duke Fleed is not offered in color as a variant cover.
Duke Fleed is not a Duke, he's an honest-to-God Prince.
I give it a 9/10. An exclusive untold tale that takes place before the TV anime series. Mecha anime fans do not pass this prequel by.
Bravo, Titan Manga, now I want to see more series from Go Nagai and stuff from Tetsuya Saruwatari and Tetsuo Hara, as soon as possible!
