Introduction
There once existed a planet named Beal, until it was wiped out by the mysterious entity known as Gaizok. The few remaining survivors escaped to Earth and split into three families, named Jin, Kamie, and Kamikita respectively. While attempting to start a new life, the collectively known "Jin Family" prepared for the inevitable Gaizok invasion on Earth and its giant mechanical beasts known as "Mecha Boosts". In order to defend their new home, they have built three vehicles which when combined form the mighty Zambot 3. The Jin Family must not only defend against Gaizok attacks, but also harsh criticisms from the very people they protect, who blame the Jin Family for the invasion in the first place.
(Source: AniDB)
Audience reviews
5 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Realkaku
At first glance, it looks like another classic super robot show from the late 70s. You’ve got a giant combining robot, alien invaders, and kids as pilots. Sounds like the formula for adventure, right? But almost immediately, Zambot 3 makes it clear: this is not a power fantasy. This is a tragedy.
The main character, Kappei Jin, might be the most sufferable protagonist I’ve ever seen. He’s just a kid who wants to fight to protect Earth, but instead of being hailed as a hero, he and his family are cursed, blamed, and hated by the very people they’re trying to save. Every time he steps into Zambot, it’s not about glory or heroism; it’s about survival, pain, and sacrifice.
And the cruelty doesn’t stop there. Zambot 3 relentlessly shows the consequences of war on children, families, and ordin…
Read at the sourceChewingKeyboards
Zambot 3 is an absolutely buck-wild anime about a squad of kids piloting mecha and learning about the true horrors of war! Death, terrorism, refugee crises, war crimes, PTSD, the whole nine yards! All the while featuring a catchy and upbeat theme-song which *totally* does not lend itself to some serious tonal dissonance the longer the series goes on!
Our main protagonist, Jin Kappei, is introduced to us with a motorcycle chase that culminates in an anchor-wielding duel with the leader of a biker gang. Said duel is immediately interrupted by a giant tentacle kaiju, and instead of running Kappei decides to wrestle the damn thing. This is all in the first third of episode one, and he has yet to even set foot in a mech. To say the kid is off the rails would be an understatement.
Kappei turns…
Read at the sourceggultra2764
If folks wonder where famous Gundam director Yoshiyuki Tomino got his infamous moniker of "Kill Em All", Zambot 3 is an obscure, yet notable, mecha title that first showcased Tomino's habit of creating high kill counts with mecha titles he would direct. A fairly standard entry in the "super robot" mecha genre at a glance, Zambot 3 focuses on the efforts of the Jin family who learn they are descendants of an alien race whose home planet was wiped out by the Gaizok race. Seeking to protect Earth from destruction, the Jins utilize the alien technology left behind by their ancestors to combat the Gaizok.
On the surface, Zambot 3 would seem to have some of the typical tropes of the "super robot" mecha genre. You have a giant mech and a couple battle vehicles that can combine together to form a…
Read at the sourceMS06FZ
It's very rare to watch an animated series and be genuinely horrified or shocked by what you're seeing. The other shows I can think of that really achieved this were Legend of the Galactic Heroes, FLAG and Dougram, but that's more because they starkly depict war crimes and political corruption that can hit very close to home in the current political climate.
Zanbot is very different. It sets itself up with a perky theme tune and plucky kids as the main characters and you expect a traditional super robot show.
Then it doesn't come. What you get is something hard to watch at times simply because it takes a look at what happens if a genuinely evil force, one who don't care about anything except winning, try their hand at attacking Earth. There's not so much "wait for them to form their robo…
Read at the sourcehonsou
A little background on how i found this old school gem, there was a magazine that talked about all of Tomino's work before gundam, this was one of those anime's. I was reminded of this little article by watching Gurren Lagann (GL takes some themes and mecha designs from this) So after some searching i finally found this. And was it worth it. The story starts out as your basic monster of the week sort of super robot anime, but each episode explores how these fights effect the population and how they react to the pilots themselves, the show gets more intense with each episode with what i would call a perfect ending. For its time the animation is very good too. So if your looking for a great old school anime that really isn't well known, give this show a try.
Read at the source