"For decades the secret Steel Dragon society has been slowly building its power, ready for the moment when they will strike from their bases using the Hakkeshu, eight giant robots with the power to destroy entire cities. But one Hakkeshu is missing, the largest and most powerful - the Zeoraima. Before the Steel Dragons can take hold of the world, the Zeoraima and its pilot must be annihilated..."
"Meanwhile, life for teenager Macato is turned upside down when a shadowy government group kidnaps and imprisons him in a secluded facility. But nothing can prepare him for the discovery of his own secret past. Macato finds that his happy childhood was all a lie - born from an embryo stolen from the Steel Dragons along with Zeoraima. His destiny is to become the machine's ultimate pilot. Faced with the whirlwind-powered Lanstar and the deadly Steel Dragon twins, Macato must tap in to his hidden dark side and unleash the aggression within...but can he keep control?"
Director: Toshihiro Hirano Original story: Morio Chimi Character Design: Michitaka Kikuchi Copyright: Artmic AIC VHS version: Language: English Label: Manga Video Volume: 1 2 Running time: 60 60 mins Certificate: 15 15 Catalogue no: MANV1192 MANV 1193 Price: £10.99 £10.99 Release Date: 14th Jul 1997 11th Aug 1997
Jim McLennan: Manga's first tape ever to make it into the "so bad it's good" category (previous entries have just been BAAAAD...). Most amusing how the pronounciation of the title switched, even between successive SENTENCES -- different characters pronounce it "Zeo-RAY-ma", "Zeo-RYE-ma", and even "Zeo-RAH-ma"! Add in an amazingly bad explanatory voiceover, and every mecha cliche under the sun, and you have something that is perversely entertaining, without any redeeming features at all. Matt Barber: Erm... I've only got the sub, so I can't comment on the dubbing but on the whole, I didn't think it was too bad. In a way, it's a bit like the early episodes of Evangelion: Boy gets inducted into a secret organisation to pilot a giant robot and doesn't exactly hit it off with them right away. Yeah, it's as cliched as only a mid-80's mech show can be, and ought to carry a warning 'From the maker of Dangaioh and Iczer-1' on it to scare off the unwary, but I reckon it's an entertaining piece of melodrama - more fantasy than science fiction - executed with some rather stylish artwork and animation. As to whether you want to mercilessly take the rip out of it, or can wilfully suspend belief enough to take it seriously, is something that will be down to the individual. Oh, and the mechs are pretty cool too. :-)