6.6 /10 1 Votes
6.5/10 IMDb Directed by Katsutoshi Sasaki Music by Juichi Sase First episode date 2 February 1980 Number of episodes 50 | 6.6/10 MyAnimeList Genre Mecha Written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama Final episode date 24 January 1981 Director Katsutoshi Sasaki | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Studio Nippon SunriseSotsu Agency Network Nagoya Broadcasting Network Cast Similar Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3, Invincible Super Man Zambot 3, Dai‑Guard, Brave Exkaiser, Six God Combination Godmars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Invincible Robo Trider G7 (無敵ロボトライダーＧ７, Muteki Robo Toraidā Jī Sebun) is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Sunrise that aired from 1980 to 1981. It was also referred to as "Trider G7", "Unchallengeable Trider G7", "Tryder G7", "Bird Attack Tryder G7" and "Unrivaled Robot Trider G7".
Contents
The story follows sixth-grader Watta Takeo's life as he balances his school life, being the president of a company, and battling a robotic empire from outer space. While a Super Robot series at heart, it depicts a real world take on the genre, such as announcing to nearby citizens that Trider G7 was being activated and as having to consider the monetary expenses of battle.
Plot
Invincible Robo Trider G7 portrays the attempted invasion by the Robot Empire to take over Earth. Rebelling against this, the scientist Nabalon, who was exiled from the Empire, meets the protagonist Watta's father, and together, they design the transforming robot Trider G7. However, Watta's father dies in an accident, and Watta has no choice but to succeed him at both his job and piloting Trider. As the president of the Takeo General Company, Watta must now fight to ensure everyone's happiness, as well as the condition of the company's funds.
Takeo General Company
Mechanics
Production
The narration in the show was performed by Ichirou Nagai, who did the narration for Mobile Suit Gundam. However, in complete contrast to the dark tone of that show's narration, this narration was performed very energetically.
Up until now, the series airing on TV Asahi in this timeslot had their soundtracks composed by Takeo Watanabe and Yuushi Matsuyama, but the two were busy working on the soundtrack for the theatrical adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam, so Kurando Kaya filled in the role.
Themes
Rather than depicting robots as a military weapon like Mobile Suit Gundam did, the aim of the story was to portray the real world. Trider G7's own unrealistic abilities are explained with scientists that were exiled from the enemy empire, as Trider G7's capabilities are far beyond that of the other Earth-made robots in the show.
As with other super robot shows, Invincible Robo Trider G7 is generally a story of Trider G7's battle with the alien Robot Empire, but its main drama derived from the protagonist, Watta, interacting with many normal, working-class citizens and showing the human kindness that they possess. The enemy Robot Empire is never explained to be anything more than "strange, mysterious robots bent on taking over Earth". Each time the Robot Empire attacks, Trider G7 is launched in order to intercept them, and through various coincidences, the Robot Empire fails again and again while attempting to figure out what Trider G7 exactly is. In the last episode, the Robot Empire finally abandons their quest to take over Earth. This all results in a unique story structure where neither the good guys nor the bad guys have any interaction with the other side. The only real time contact between them occurs is between the protagonists and the exiled scientist Nabalon, who built Trider G7, but the only ones who actually know of Nabalon's true identity are the protagonist Watta, Watta's late father, and Clard, an engineer for the Robot Empire - none of the other major characters ever find out about this.
The series ended without a single fight in the final episode, but rather Watta's elementary school graduation ceremony. There were episodes that focus not on the war, but on Watta's school life, such as him having a cavity filled during a physical examination, and him going on a field trip with his class. These scenes hold as much excitement as his battles in Trider G7.
Media
Invincible Robo Trider G7 aired from February 2, 1980 until January 24, 1981, spanning 50 episodes. It was also broadcast in Italy in 1981 under the name L'Indistruttibile Robot Trider G7. As with most super robot shows of the time, toys of the titular robot were produced. None of them could ever perfectly replicate its unique seven states of transformation, however.
A DVD boxset of the series was released in 2005, and an Italian boxset was released in 2012 which contains both the Italian dub and the original Japanese audio. The series has been featured in various installments of the Super Robot Wars franchise of video games as well, including Shin Super Robot Wars and the Super Robot Wars Z metaseries.