After Watching Golion, I Can't Rewatch Lion Voltron Any Longer (SPOILERS)

Long ago, there was this popular show from World Event Productions known as Voltron. Voltron was composed of two types - Lion Voltron and Vehicle Voltron. What I never knew (back then) was that it was a combination of two shows namely Hyajakuu Golion and Kikou Kantai Dairugger XV. Well, it's NOT all too surprising to learn that it came from Japan. The animation style is Japanese. I read Questor issue which revealed that the two Voltrons weren't connected to each other. In fact, both Golion and Dairugger XV were pretty much as self-contained as Combattler V was to Voltes V. 

I think Golion's lack of popularity may be because other stuff was getting more popular. Toei long canceled the Super Robot anime franchise which I think was due to Super Sentai becoming more popular. It was 1981 when Super Sentai was starting to introduce more new stuff. Though, I think Golion in itself was trying to be Chodenshi Machine Voltes V (as obviously referenced by how the five-man team went), especially with the violence. Some characters were too similar to Voltes V aside from the main cast. Maybe, you can also say that Emperor Daibazaal was pretty much like Emperor Zanbazil. Maybe, one can notice that Prince Sincline is a dirtier version of Prince Heinel. 

So, if you haven't seen the show then be ready for spoilers... you've been warned!

Yes, it was the time when Toei Ltd. did produce stuff that obviously wouldn't pass TV-Y7-FV. Why in the world WEP decided to get this brutal show and edit it is beyond me. It did succeed. However, unlike Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the violence was even more brutal. Sure, Zyuranger does have some questionable scenes that you can't have in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. The violence in Golion can be very questionable scenes such as the beast fighters fighting in arena scenes, mistreatment of slaves, and the like. However, with better graphics, Golion EXCEEDED the violence and shock value Voltes V had to show.

The origins of Golion are quite different. A comparison between the introductory arc between Golion and Lion Voltron can tell you why. Well, scenes from Daiugger XV were placed. A bit of spoiler. Golion takes place in 1999 A.D. when the Earth perished in a THERMONUCLEAR WAR. This sets it apart from the other Super Robot anime and made it pretty much its own continuity. The Lion Voltron episode did edits here and there. However, the Golion episode did show Earth and NOT ARUS was the ruins. The nightmare fuel of the Earth dying in 1999 (and it's 2023) can be a burden. Was it done because of a threat of a nuclear war at that time?

The backstory from what I heard back then was a contrast. Lion Voltron was terrific and was split apart by Haggar. Haggar disguised herself as a beautiful goddess. This makes me LMAO because why can't Haggar just do the same spell again? In Golion, it was no surprise that the goddess (who also appeared in later episodes of Lion Voltron) was the same person who split up Golion. Thousands of years ago, Golion was both the defender of the Universe and a god of destruction. Golion defeated some evil beasts but got too arrogant to challenge the Goddess of the Universe. Golion was split into five lions until the day he'll be needed again. Golion was somehow sentient. Toei Ltd. would later recycle the ideas when Chodenshi Bioman and Zyuranger both introduced sentient main mechas. I guess it's safe to say Daizyujin was a Golion "rip-off" huh?

A lot of scenes were obvious deaths. I always felt Sven (Takashi) REALLY DIED. Sven was just sent away for healing but never returned. Spoilers: "Sven" in Lion Voltron was taken from yet another character named Ryou. Yes, I'd like to state that unlike "Sven" - Ryou actually DIED in the final episode. Later, we had Princess Farla (Allura) take over the role of Sven because he DIED. Sven wasn't just incapacitated and returned later. We have Akira (Keith), Isamu (Lance), Tyuyoshi (Hunk), and Hiroshi (Pidge). They were space explorers who returned to Earth only to find it destroyed in that nuclear war. Was Toei taking a direction too daring that caused the show to lose sight of the younger audience? Yet, we still hear children signing in the opening theme and in "Golion Sanka". Funny huh? 

That means when deaths happen - they're PERMANENT. That's what I didn't like about the dialogue in Lion Voltron. The dialogue such as "sent to another dimension" or "hit by a stun gun" is just stupid. Sure, a lot of supervillains are stupid but they're harmful. That means Nanny (Hys) herself REALLY DIED and Coran (Raible) really LOST HIS FAMILY. Oh boy, do these heavy revelations really hit you?

Rethinking about the villains

Who remembers how the villains keep surviving and getting away in Lion Voltron? Heck, I even hate Voltron The Third Dimension now. There are a lot of spoilers here so be warned! Like in Lion Voltron, the Galra Empire is obviously For the Evulz. A lot of decisions made by them are all about asserting the dominance of evil. It seems Galra is so full of evil people that it's not like how the Boazanians (or the Galvestonians in Dairugger XV) were but victims of their oppressive governments. I wonder what to call the citizens of Galra since they seem to get along with their tyrants. However, the Galran Empire hardly treats any captured territory well.

In Lion Voltron, it's revealed that King Zarkon was a deviant from the Drule Empire (Galveston Empire). However, in Golion, his title is obviously EMPEROR. Daibazaal's cruelty is apparently influenced by his desire to be as evil as he could be. Honerva (Haggar) is obviously his evil adviser on "how to be evil". Prince Sincline (Lotor) is actually the result of Daibazaal and an Altean (Arusian) woman. So yeah, we do have an explanation as to why Sincline looks more human. It's not explained if Daibazaal married the Altean woman or what. In Robotech/Voltron crossover, the non-canon status quo is that Lotor's mother was an Arusian and Zarkon's wife. It was some kind of diplomatic marriage. It seems that Daibazaal married an Altean woman in some diplomacy that he had no intention of keeping. That explains why Sincline has his obsession with Farla. 

The most obvious spoiler is that unlike Lion Voltron - the main villains DIE AT THE END. When Daibazaal becomes a Mecha Beastman - he NEVER escapes but gets torn to pieces. It's later revealed (but way too last minute) that Honerva has been secretly Daibazaal's mother all along! Just think about it if you learned that Haggar was secretly Zarkon's mother? Voltron: The Third Dimension and other adaptations simply wrote her as one of Zarkon's former love interests. Instead, the very plot that Honerva was secretly the mother of Daibazaal (making him an illegitimate child of her and the previous emperor) is just weird. Sincline later kills Honerva having no attachment to her either. The scene still offends me since I grew up with my paternal grandmother. Later, Ryou ends up stabbing Sincline and they both fall to THEIR DEATHS.

However, Lion Voltron became so popular that Toei Ltd. got greedy. Toei Ltd. agreed to continue the licensing agreement. First, a second season of Lion Voltron was made but not for Vehicle Voltron. Second, we had more Lion Voltron reboots and spin-offs that gained Toei Ltd. some more money. Voltron Legendary Defender is pretty much woke SJW though. The second season didn't end on a high note. It's a good thing that I haven't decided to rewatch Lion Voltron.

Pretty much, unlike Lion Voltron, I get what I want. A definite start and a definite end. I felt it was a waste to simply turn "Final Victory" into just another episode. I felt the same way (later) when "Doomsday" in Mighty Morphin' got retconned into "just another episode" because Toei Ltd. got greedy for more royalty fees. Fortunately, this underrated classic is getting attention that it deserves.