I guess some shows by Toei are meant to be underappreciated in the modern age. I did watch Voltes V as a teenager followed by Combattler V. There was the Robot Romance Trilogy which was done by Toei Ltd. directed by Tadao Nagahama. This was all before Golion became the thing but didn't enjoy the traction. Eventually, we know that Toei Ltd. decided to shelve the genre to continue with Super Sentai.
The team formation may remind some of what came before it namely the Gatchaman Trilogy. The Gatchaman Trilogy series started in 1972 (and the first season had 105 episodes) followed up by Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter. Take note that Tatsunuko, not Toei, was behind Gatchaman. It was in 1976 when Combattler V came. Interestingly, Gatchaman's two other sequels were in 1978 and 1979 after the first season ended in 1984. The team format suspiciously resembles the Gatchaman team in many ways. You have the leader, the rebel, the big guy, the woman (Smurfette Principle), and the child genius. The same format were reused for both Voltes V and later Golion's recurring team.
I remembered the first episode didn't leave much of a note on me. Maybe, it was because Combattler V used a death spin attack instead of the "Form Blazing Sword" sequence. Voltes V used the Tenkuken (Heaven Sword) which was dubbed as Laser Sword. It was entertaining though to see Combattler V's Lighter and Softer cast though the show still had a considerable body count. Earlier on, Professor Nanbara died before getting replaced by Professor Yotsuya.
Combattler V featured two halves in the battle against the Campbell invaders. The first half was the Garuda (who can become a birdman, hence his name) arc. Garuda was a Campbellian (actually an android from Campbell, so still one) sent to help conquer Earth for the empire. It was interesting to see the dynamics between Garuda and his "mother "Oreana. The first half ended with Garuda challenging Combattler V to a final battle. Garuda turned out to be more honorable than the villain that would ultimately be there.
The second half features Empress Janera - a powerful witch BITCH who frequently mistreats her underlings. There are times I feel sorry for Wakimedes and Dangel for having such a bitchy boss. Empress Janera shows almost little mercy towards the enemy. Empress Janera showing up made the Combattler team's lives twice as harder. It's also here where Dangel continues to face off against the Combattler team in the Slave Monsters. Combattler V needed new upgrades since Janera's Slave Monsters were even stronger. Janera later goes as far as to MURDER Dangel and convert Wakimedes into a robot. Yeah, we know how this bitch is really well, a BITCH.
Unlike Voltes V which came AFTER it - the final battle is on Earth. Janera decides to carry out her vicious final assault. Also, it's discovered that Janera herself was a usurper. Probably Janera was the royal sorceress of Campbell. It's unknown how Janera usurped the throne from her superiors. All that's know is that she's one powerful bitch you can't underestimate. It was nice to see Janera finally get her comeuppance by a vengeful Robot Wakimedes.
Deus (probably a play on Zeus) arrives and rescues Earth from certain doom. Janera does pull the trope that if she can't have it - no one can. Janera decides to nuke the Earth but died a karmic death at the hands of the now-mechanical Wakimedes. It was a rather weird ending
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