DAISUKE AND HIKARU: AN UNTOLD STORY - ANALYSIS BY GERDHA - PART 6
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HIKARU MAKIBA: AN ONGOING LOVESTORY (Eps 23-25)

GREAT MAZINGER AGAINST GRENDIZER

Yeah, I know, it could seem I am digressing...as a matter of fact, I'm using a little trick here, But, really, there are temptations which I can’t resist to, LOL! Besides, I was waiting for this moment from such a long time... The day before ep25's airing, Saturday 20th March 1976, on Japanese cinemas a spin-off Toei movie called “Great Mazinger versus Grendizer” was released.

Pay attention: I have told the day before ep25's broadcast.

I underlined this nice event for a couple of reasons. First, the staff who took care of this movie is, for the most part, shared with the anime's staff: the producer is Toshio Katsuta, Keisuke Fujikawa is the scriptwriter, director of animations and character design are assigned to Kazuo Komatsubara, while the scenarist is Itou Iwamitsu. I know that my opinion is contrary to the usual statements, but, given this impressive list, I find very unlikely that this movie has no correlation at all with the anime. Usually, spin-off movies were used by Toei to “give an anticipation” to the public about some major events soon coming in the anime. It happened in other movies (for example: Great Mazinger's creation, Musashi's death in Getter Robot, etc). In this case, the “preview” is related to TFO's destruction, which was going to be displayed in a couple of weeks in Grendizer's anime.

Anyway, I believe that what happens in this movie between Daisuke and Hikaru cannot be underestimated at all: this is the second point of interest. Please note that what I am going to refer about dialogues cannot be disputed, as I get a translation from Japanese of these scenes from my mothertongue stepsister. So, my dear friends, take a deep breath and relax, because you are going to discover something very interesting.
At the farm, once he has opened the stable and he has let the cows exit, Daisuke invites Hikaru on a horse trip. Please note: he invites her (great move, guy, it was time. Go on, go on...). Hikaru is glad to accept immediately the invitation; she asks Goro to take care of the animals, while she is outside: so her brother giggles and comments on the fact she wants to stay alone with Daisuke.

After some scenes, Daisuke and Hikaru are shown in an isolated location, close to a fall.

(it’s the same place depicted in ep66, where Danbei will pray for Hikaru).

In order to not be disturbed, Daisuke leaves his radio-clock hung on a tree and he spends tender moments with Hikaru. They are undoubtedly depicted here as a couple in love: this could be enough to think to a parallel situation in the anime, given the common developing staff.

Besides, if someone could have still doubts about the situation, Goro kindly informs us about what’s going on between Daisuke and Hikaru. In fact, as Umon is unable to contact Daisuke to advise him about Vega’s attack, Koji drives his jeep to the farm, searching for him. He asks Goro if he knows where Daisuke is, and the boy answers:

Goro: Yes, he has gone to the river with my sister. They are in love with each other, like two pigeons. So I think it’s better to leave them alone, don’t you think?

Koji is disappointed (“Dammit, he thinks about love in such a bad moment!”) and he rushes to take the TFO out of the garage, while Goro screams him he cannot do anything on the matter, then he reflects:

Goro: It’s sad having a broken heart!

Once onboard of the little yellow spacer, Koji finally thinks to himself:

Koji: Okay, let’s let them flirting – I don’t need him and I can do this (referring to the fight) by myself

I believe wholeheartedly that the content of the movie IS somewhat related to the anime. As the anime was getting aired in the meantime, I don’t see any reason why the same staff should have described in this movie a complete different plot for what the Grendizer characters are concerned. At contrary, depicting a changed situation in the movie would have been risky as it could have get the viewers confused. I understand that I could give the impression to be really crazy (LOL! After all I am a TCT founder!) but I can’t help in sharing a further consideration (ah, those temptations I cannot resist… ). The movie producer is Mr. Toshio Katsuta, the man who was supervising Ufo Robot Grendizer realisation together with Mr. Go Nagai himself. I find nearly impossible that Nagai was not aware of the script of the movie, so I would tend to believe that he agreed too with the explicit admission of an ongoing lovestory between Daisuke and Hikaru displayed in it. The movie could have been designed at least a couple of months before the releasing; as a matter of fact, I don’t have any information on the matter. Anyway, I made my assumption considering the plot of TFO destruction, the anime usual making schedule and the fact that, strangely, Komatsubara did not work as artistic director in the anime from ep18 to ep32, just as Fujikawa did not write any script from ep 17 to ep31. So, I would feel enough confident in supposing that the lovestory plot between Daisuke and Hikaru was clearly in all anime design team’s minds and it was considered as a stated fact around eps 23-24. Considering the evolution of the relationship between Daisuke and Hikaru, which the same staff was developing at that time in the anime serie, I find the movie script consistent and also as an indirect proof that Daisuke and Hikaru were in love for each other at that point of the anime story. Yes, it’s true, Daisuke thinks to Fleed destruction at one point of the spin-off movie; the comparison between his life on Earth and his life on Fleed has been often a sort of recurring theme in Grendizer story. In fact, his past on his native planet will have a sudden comeback on the TV screen few hours later.

SUZI'S NOTE ¹

One last thing to note about this: in the movie "Grendizer against Great Mazinger", you can note a strange happening: the evolution of the relationship between Hikaru and Daisuke. For the first time, we can see Daisuke inviting Hikaru, as if he had suddenly forgotten all about the war; besides, he puts the watch-radio on the branch, so as not to be disturbed. This invitation was actually a DATE, or an "amorous rendezvous". Take a look below on this page of the Mazinger Bible ², where Go Nagai speaks of the film and he says that it was a "date" between Daisuke and Hikaru. I have highlighted in blue the word in katakana which says "date ": デート. Even Koji and Goro noticed this: it was the motivation of their reactions.

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¹ Suzi is a forumist and Gerdha's friend. She gathered information from Gerdha's Japanese relative.
² Mazinger Bible: it is a volume published in 2002 by Futabasha, which contains 505 pages produced by Go Nagai's Dynamic Production studio, in which there are cards, interviews, insights and images on the protagonists of the Mazinger saga: Mazinger Z, the Great Mazinger and Grendizer.

The following: here

HERE ARE ALL THE GRENDIZER LINKS

Edited by joe 7 - 9/11/2019, 18:36