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The protagonist rides on a giant robot, battling strange enemies. Created by Go Nagai, Mazinger Z brought the heroes out of safe zones and placed them at the helms of machines.
Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin 28 (1956–) features a massive, remote-controlled robot. The robot itself has no will. Because it is remotely controlled, the hero operating the robot is safe from harm. In other words, the robot is a weapon, similar to today’s drones. In Mazinger Z, on the other hand, the protagonist rides a small fighter jet docked on the head of a robot, which is easily targeted by enemies and considered the most dangerous and vulnerable spot.
Young readers saw these battles as something real as they watched them unfold with excitement. They climbed aboard miniature robots called Chogokin in the worlds of their imaginations, engaging in battle and taking damage before rising again and again.
“Pilder on!” “Rocket punch!” “Scrander cross!”
For the adults of the day, they may have been toys. But we didn’t want them to be called toys. For us, they were real robots.
In 1972, Go Nagai launched both the TV animation and manga series projects at the same time. By bridging the story’s world with character merchandise, this franchise created a giant robot universe and a new market, which continues to thrive today. This paved the way for such series as Getter Robo (1974–), Mobile Suit Gundam (1979–), and Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995–).
Mazinger Z was followed by the sequels Great Mazinger (1974–) and *UFO Robot Grendizer *(1975–), which were big hits in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. In 2024, Grendizer was rebooted as the animated series Grendizer U.
Surprisingly, Go Nagai started serializing Devilman in 1972, the same year as Mazinger Z. This story, featuring a demon protagonist, a heroine facing a tragic fate, and humanity on a path to destruction through grim battles, is regarded as a foundational work of Japanese dark fantasy. The following year (1973) saw the launch of the anime and manga versions of Cutie Honey. This means that Go Nagai was developing and illustrating works about everything from giant robots and demons to beautiful, shapeshifting women, all around the same time.
His works are a blend of gag comedy, serious drama, eroticism, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Mazinger Z also features these wide-ranging elements.
At Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage, we revived the method of letterpress printing using zinc plates and metal type used in the production of Weekly Shonen Jump in the 1970s. We used this method to print these illustrations on high-quality paper made of 100% cotton. They were made into manga-art pieces by combining collotype prints of photographed plates with letterpress printing. This is an edition of 100 copies.
Five color works produced using archival inkjet printing will also be announced at the same time. The works are sets of two prints, one in the original size, and another enlarged to A1 size. Each work is an edition of ten copies.
All prints are signed by Go Nagai.
In collaboration with Tanseisha B-OWND, a new work by contemporary ceramic artist Takahiro Koga will also be exhibited.
SCOPE MIAMI BEACH 2024
Dates: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 - Sunday, December 8, 2024
Venue: SCOPE MIAMI BEACH pavilion, 801 Ocean drive Miami beach, FL 33139, USA
Official website: https://scope-art.com/
Shueisha Manga Art Heritage - Booth D23
