Mashin Hero Wataru is a mechamultimedia franchise originally created by Sunrise and Red Entertainment. The first series aired on April 15, 1988, replacing the 17:00–17:30 timeslot used for . Sunrise credited "Hajime Yatate" for the storyline and Shuji Iuchi directed the series. The series employs a kinetic visual gag style, often employing characters running with their feet over their shoulders derived from Sunrise's previous Super Robot anime seriesChoriki Robo Galatt.
Story
The story is about a 9-year-old boy named Wataru Ikusabe who is magically transported to a magical realm by a dragon. This realm is called Soukaizan, which he is supposed to save from an evil, demonic ruler. The series incorporates many elements of RPG games including dungeon levels and quests for mystical objects. Soukaizan itself is represented as a series of tiered platforms each floating above the one beneath it in a rough pyramid shape. In order to progress to the next tier where he will meet the series' ultimate villain, the show's heroes must complete some task on the one beneath. In addition to these, he has to defeat the ruler of each level along with his many henchmen. Each level he completes, rejuvenates one color of the gray rainbow over Soukaizan. In his quest to save the realm, Wataru manages to transform a clay sculpture into a somewhat autonomous and small Super Robot. He also befriends many of the Soukaizan natives, and forms some very strong friendship bonds. The term Sou-kai-zan can be broken down to its three parts: "Sou", "Kai", and "Zan", representing the pyramid shape of the world's level.
Cast
Mayumi Tanaka as Wataru Ikusabe
Megumi Hayashibara as Himiko Shinobibe
Tomomichi Nishimura as Shibaraku Tsurugibe
Kōichi Yamadera as Kurama Wataribe
Kenichi Ogata as Genryūsai Shinobibe
Tesshō Genda as Ryūjinmaru
Kazue Ikura as Toraoh
Urara Takano as Umihiko
Episode list
Interpretations
The title of the show is a pun. The super-deformed mecha of the series are called "mashin". While written with the kanji for "demon" and "god", "mashin" is also a Japanese loanword for "machine". Wataru and his friends Shibaraku and Himiko each represent different elements of ancient Japan: Wataru with his magatama and association with dragons represents the pre-Yamato Watari clan. Shibaraku represents samurai. Himiko represents ninja. On the contrary, the enemies along the way all have western looks and refer to many elements of American culture. The work can be perceived as having nationalist sentiments against the backdrop of the Japan-US trade war.
Cultural impact
The anime series was a huge hit in Japan, later being imported into Taiwan, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. Chinese translations were provided. The show became one of the most famous Japanese anime shows in China during the mid-1990s. The series is have said to of inspire the anime adaption of One Piece seeing how the voice cast of Waturu have made appearances on the show.
Spinoffs
The franchise has spawned three TV series, four radio shows, five OVAs, five novels, five video games, and assorted other merchandise. One of the video games was the original pack-in game for the TurboGrafx-16, and was renamed in the U.S as Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. The latest anime Mashin Hero Wataru: The Seven Spirits Of Ryujinmaru was released online on April 10, 2020. On April 24, 2020, it was announced that the anime would be on a hiatus due to COVID-19. On June 12, 2020, it was announced the anime would resume on June 19, 2020. Wataru's success prompted Bandai to copy the super-deformed mecha and multi-tiered world concepts in a science fiction setting with Sunrise's 1989 Madō King Granzort TV series. In the premise of the Japanese anime, Brave Story is a novel created more than a decade later featuring a young boy named Wataru, who is transported to an RPG-like mystical realm. However, that novel is not based on nor to be confused with this series. A manga adaptation drawn by Hideaki Fujii began serialization in Shogakukan's Corocoro Aniki manga magazine in July 2020.
