Tetsujin 28 Go! Series review
I'm honestly not certain what to make of this show, now that I've finished it. I don't mean for that to sound negative, only that I'm still trying to put together the finale's point. Tetsujin 28 Go is Imagawa's crack at the popular Tetsujin 28 series. Starring the original Shota, Shotaro Kaneda, a boy detective who just happens to also have a giant robot at his disposal. A lot of this series seems to be the base of Imagawa's more famous Giant Robo work. Character designs from this series appeared in that work in different roles.
One of the central themes of this work is the reconstruction of Japan following the end of US occupation. If I had to, I'd pin it as the main theme of the entire story, really. As such, Tetsujin is cast as Professor Kaneda's WMD to thwart the Allies and end war forever. The series unfolds into a spiraling network of mad scientists developing ultimate weapons intended to end war. Weapons which Tetsujin and Shotaro must fight. In a way it reminded me of other works that ponder on the mass of weapons that the Cold War left behind.
For me, at least, Tetsujin is very much so the work of an old man. It's an old man's story. Every aspect of the show focuses upon the horrors the war left in the world, and despite his youthful pluck Shotaro is frequently made to suffer for the sins of his forebears. A lengthy period of the show is spent dwelling on whether or not Professor Kaneda was a traitor to his country, and on the undeniable horror of the weapons he built in the name of peace.
Indeed, there's a continuing focus in the show on the continued need for giant robots in the world. From Murasamke Kenji's crusade against Tetsujin in particular, to the literal trial and debate over Tetsujin's true nature (weapon or tool), the show is almost relentless in pursuing this question. I believe the reason for it comes in the finale, when Shotaro refers to Tetsujin as his other half. It's not just an inquisition into the machines man builds, but into man's true nature. And it is for this reason I'm still a little confused, because part of me feels that the series' conclusion is that man is the weapon, not the tool, or rather, man is a force for ill, and not for good in the world. Even if that reading is wrong, the imagery of
and the message that that sends about how best to move forward in our lives and as a society is decidedly somber.
I'm not really sure what I think and how I feel about the show, just yet, but I definitely came away from it feeling more heavy than anything.
