Steel Jeeg

Kotetsu Jeeg

Kotetsu Jeeg DVD vol.5
鋼鉄ジーグ
(Kōtetsu Jīgu)
Genre Mecha
Anime television series
Directed by Masayuki Akihi
Written by Hiroyasu Yamaura, Keisuke Fujikawa, Toyohiro Ando
Studio Toei Doga
Original network NET (now TV Asahi)
Original run October 5, 1975 – August 29, 1976
Episodes 46
Manga
Written by Go Nagai
Illustrated by Tatsuya Yasuda
Published by Kodansha
Magazine TV Magazine
Otomodachi*
Original run August 1975 – June 1976
Volumes 2
Notes

Only a few stories were published in Otodomachi, but they are included in the tankōbon.

Steel Jeeg (鋼鉄ジーグ, Kōtetsu Jīgu), also known as Kotetsu Jeeg or Koutetsu Jeeg and El Vengador (The Avenger) in Spanish speaking countries, is a super robot anime and manga series created by manga artists Go Nagai and Tatsuya Yasuda. The anime television series was produced by Toei Doga (now Toei Animation). It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1975. The series lasted for 46 episodes. Steel Jeeg also ran as a manga in several children's publications.

A sequel series called Kotetsushin Jeeg (which appears to take place 50 years after the original show) aired on the satellite network WOWOW, beginning April 5, 2007.[1]

Story

Hiroshi Shiba is a young car racer who is mortally wounded. His father Professor Shiba, a talented scientist and archaeologist, manages to restore him to life by means of a powerful relic from the ancient and mysterious Jamatai Kingdom, a bronze bell which is hidden inside Hiroshi's body and turns him unknowingly into a sort of cyborg.

As the ruler of Jamatai, queen Himika, reawakens from her slumber in the underground, it is revealed that the bell is also key to the reconquest of the Earth surface. Her henchmen kill Prof. Shiba in vain pursue of the artifact, barely leaving the scientist time to upload his thought on a supercomputer at a specially built defense base. Anticipating the hidden menace, Professor Shiba has also prepared a giant fighting robot, Steel Jeeg, composed of interchangeable magnetic limbs and for which Hiroshi Shiba can become head and conscience. His mission is to defend modern Japan from the invaders, who also dispose of similar giant monsters (haniwa) and an army of minions. In such battles, Jeeg is also aided by a robot horse known as Panzeroid, and a fighting jet capable of shooting replacement components and specialized weapons for his body.

The series follows Hiroshi's character development and the underground civilization's efforts and subsequent failures to return to power causing internal civil war.

Concept

Steel Jeeg is formed by combining the parts released by the Big Shooter jet, piloted by Prof. Shiba's young assistant, Miwa Uzuki. Hiroshi Shiba becomes the head of Steel Jeeg by bumping his fists together.

Staff

Theme music

Opening theme: "Song of Kotetsu Jeeg" (鋼鉄ジーグのうた, Kotetsu Jīgu no Uta), by Ichirou Mizuki with Columbia Yurikago-kai and Koorogi '73.

A complete and original intro theme called "El Vengador" (The Avenger) was composed and sung by musician Memo Aguirre for the Spanish dub of the series released in Latin America.

Ending theme: "Theme of Hiroshi" (ひろしのテーマ, Hiroshi no Tēma), by Ichirou Mizuki with Koorogi '73

Video games

Jeeg makes an appearance in 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha and Super Robot Wars Alpha 3 for the PlayStation 2, and in Super Robot Wars K and Super Robot Wars L for the Nintendo DS

Sequel

On April 5, 2007 at 11:30 p.m. JST a sequel of Steel Jeeg called Koutetsushin Jeeg began airing on the satellite network WOWOW.

References

  1. ↑ Anime!Anime! Staff (2007). "鋼鉄ジーグ 30年ぶりに復活!4月からWOWOWで(1/26)". Anime!Anime!. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
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