Beast King Go-Lion DVD Volume 1
Not Pictured: Voltron
I had a reason for writing about Voltron: Defender of the Universe yesterday. (Not that I need one. I mean, c’mon, it’s freakin’ Voltron. It’s hard not to write about robot lions.) Today I’m going to take a look at the anime that… errrm… inspired the creation of Voltron. That anime is Beast King Go-Lion, or King of Beasts Go-Lion. The DVD says one, the episodes say the other. For convenience’s, and sanity’s, sake I’ll hereafter refer to the show as Go-Lion.
Story
Emperor Daibazaal of the Galra Empire has almost conquered the entire Great Dark Nebula. There is no one left to resist. There was no one left to stand up to the brutal tyrany of Daibazaal, until 5 slaves from Earth risked their lives to try and escape.
Realizing that doing nothing would mean their deaths, they decided that an escape attempt was their only chance to live again. They managed to break out and steal a slave ship. In the pursuit across space the ship was shot down. Crashing on planet Altea they were saved by a tractor beam coming from a mysterious castle.
That castle was the Castle of Lions. Finding that castle would be the beginning of their seemingly endless battle.
My Opinion
Yeah, most of the story in Go-Lion is similar to another show you might be familiar with, little cartoon called Voltron. The differences stem mostly from an effort to make it into a kids show. That can be pretty tough when the story is about nuclear war, slavery and brutal gladiatorial blood sport.
Seriously, after watching the first episode, you gotta wonder WTF they were thinking trying to make this a show for kids. If you watched the show when it was on TV the first time you won’t be wondering for long. Toys. More specifically, selling as many toys as possible. Know who buys toys? Kids. Know who doesn’t? The audience this show is appropriate for. That’s why it was edited to make a kids show.
I gotta say, I loved those toys.
Is it worth it?
This show is only worth a rental.
I’d say it’s worth checking out for any fans of Voltron who want to see a more mature version. Other than that? No. This show wasn’t that good to start with. The best part about Voltron was the toys. Don’t waste money on Go-Lion unless you’re a die-hard Voltron collector.
Anime, Review, Anime Works, Media Blasters, Beast King Go-Lion, King of Beasts Go-Lion, Go-Lion, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron, Giant Robots, Toys
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