I've been a fan of the show since it was first run on television over 30 years ago. I guess that speaks to my age a bit. This film is very much like the original 1977 television series. I think adults liked it more than kids did--I certainly did. When the show would come on, a bunch of us Americans in the neighborhood would gather over beer and enjoy the show whether we understood Japanese or not. The new animated version, that has been running for about a year in Japan, is purely kid stuff.
I don't think it pushed any boundaries as far as Japanese animation goes. However, they would still be rated 'R' in the US for the amount of skin and the adult situations.
The main draw for most of us testosterone-pumped guys was Doronjo, the viallainess. This movie captured her very well as a three-dimensional character you could actually get to like like. The plot was always the same, so there were no surprises. The entertainment in the show was how Doronjo would lose her clothing and which mini-mecha used by the good guys would counter the mini-mecha of the bad guys.
What's new in this film is the romantic tension between Doronjo and Yatter 1. In the original series, he was a middle school student and she was in her mid-twenties. I can forgive this rewrite.
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