Robonimal Panda-Z The Robonimation

Publisher
Bandai
Director
Mamoru Kanbe
Production
Mega House, Kids Station, Bandai
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
5 mins, 30 episodes
Year
2004

Robonimal Panda-Z The Robonimation

By David Rasmussen
6th Oct 05

Whew! Talk about a long title! But my problem isn’t the title… well, yeah it’s long. How can something so cutesy and strange be so long in the title! But I digress, we’re talking pandas here. Pandas and rabbits and hamsters… and they‘re all robots. Animalbots. And that is just the least of the weird this 30 minute walk into the strange and oddly addictive bizarre journey will present to you.

BANDAI gets you ready for a fall of weirdness and hours sitting in front of your TV playing We Love Katamari by giving you an animation with a giant panda mecha piloting red scarf wearing robot panda (now say THAT five times fast) and the problems that their world face on a daily basis (sorta). Who knows, you might sit in front of this show and look at it with the same reverence as We Love Katamari, and say in the same respectful tone as you would when playing that game the immortal words… “What the (bleep) is this.”

First off, and one thing I didn’t like about this (and my aforementioned “problem“), is the fact that this “series” is SHORT! I mean damn is this SHORT!! 30 minutes for five “episodials” short! What gives!!
I like the premise, I like the taste of weird it gives, but that’s it! It’s only a taste! 30 minutes is way too short a time to really get into this wonderful slice of the offbeat, and even though it’s at a low low cost of $15 a pop ($20 is you splurge for the pack w/Panda-Z action figure) it’s still not enough episode for my taste.
Even Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat managed to pack in quite abit despite the fact each “episode” was short.

Oh, well, small doses of weird fun is better than no doses so I guess I can live with the shortness.
Except for reviewing purposes since it’ll be a tad hard to tell you about the episodes without revealing too much, but believe you me I’m going to give it my best shot.

Episodial 1 - The Strongest Warrior
With the words “Let’s Try To Find Our Future” (in English) Panda-Z begins, with singing in English no less! In English! But don’t worry, the rest of each episode (short as they may be) will be in Japanese, w/English subtitles… or to be more precise they’ll be in Japanese text w/English subtitles. Apparently there is no voice acting in this show, so everything is done in text without spoken dialogue. Weird, though not as weird as the giant pink female mech with projectile tits, or the giant chicken mech that spits out metal eggs like bullets. That’s weirder.

Once upon a time Robonimal World was a peaceful place, of that I’m sure. Not anymore.
These days the world is under attack from the forces of the Warunimal Empire, who strive to overrun the world just like the Helghast army in Killzone (and the upcoming Killzone 2 for the PS3)… only without the blood, and the violence, and the killing… I think.
Anyway donning the scarf of his father, and manning the unbeatable Panda-Z robot built by his grandfather, Pan-Taron takes the battle right to the enemy and hands out cans of (bleep)-whupping.

Panda-Z. It’s like battery acid for the brain. My god, it’s full of weird!

Episodial 2 - Table Manners
Is there time for table manners in the middle of a hostile invasion? Apparently so.
With a cheerful reminder that D sized batteries cannot be eaten by non mechanical entities (amongst other things you can’t do with them) we start this slice of the weird. I think my brain is melting, like a cheese sandwich in the oven… and it feels good.

Episodial 3 - Certain Death! Rocket Punch!
If the last two slices of the bizarre didn’t warp you bad enough, then this should. It’s fighting robots round two, only the pink female bot with the projectile breasts didn’t show up, darn. Anyway if you don’t know what a Rocket Punch is you soon will… and maybe even learn something else while you’re at it.

Episodial 4 - A Quiet Duel
Let’s see, if you can have a “quiet conversation”, die a “quiet death”, and watch a quiet episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer you can have a quiet duel. How you can have a quiet duel? Well, you can supposedly have a quiet duel if you are playing… cards. No, not a card battle game, I mean just plain old “Old Maid” cards.
If you’ve played any Yu-Gi-Oh game for the GBA, or played Metal Gear Acid for the PSP, then you know there’s no silence as you cuss and swear at your handheld while playing. At least this game is quiet.
And yes, once again I think you’ll learn something here… maybe. If you do learn something do let me know about it, you know, so I actually learn something.

Episodial 5 - The Midnight Angel
What do you get when you take one drunk robot panda, lots of doors to open and throw it into the blender of the weird a few minutes? You get this, of course…. Right? Right. I’d exclaim that the DVD should keep it up and keep going, but it’s over now… show’s over, nothing to see here (unless you start the episodes again) so please disperse… after you read the breakdown that is.

Panda-Z Breakdown Activate!
What’s Hot?
When I first looked at this I thought it was some kind of weird… though in a Katamari Damancy slash We Love Katamari good kind of way. So what did I think when I first watched it and got a good grip on it?
Yeah, I did and it’s good madness if such a thing is humanly possible. The show is some kind of weird, but in a good sense so I guess it’s tolerable to witness such weird. It sinks right through your brain, like acid, and it’s only for $15 ($20 for the version with action figure extra) so it’s fairly affordable weird that’ll fit into your collection right nicely. Of course if you’re going to get it you might as well splurge on the extra fiver and get the one with the exclusive Panda-Z figure! It’s only five extra so you might as well go for the gusto and get the box with the DVD and the figure. I don’t see why not.

What’s Not?
HOWEVER! How-ev-er! This is too damn short! I mean what?!? 30 minutes for one DVD?!? Am I in a hurry or something? I would have liked a little more roboto panda for the dollar, and since even BANDAI’s Ghost in the Shell 2 : Innocence Music Video DVD and people’s tolerance to listening to David Duchovny’s voice before falling asleep (allegedly) is longer than this I would have expected better.

Yes, it’s still worth it despite the length because it’s a fun slice of the weird, but if you’re on a budget then maybe you’ll hold out for the Collected Edition and get the entire series in one shot. But for me I say take the Robonimal Edition with the action figures since it’ll probably maximize your benefit from picking this DVD series up, and it’s only for a fiver more so why not.

Moments to Remember?
Oh, sure, you’d like me to spill the details past what I already said, which is a lot already in my opinion, but I’m afraid you heard too much already! Buy the DVD if you want to know more about what’s in it.

What to Ignore?
Uh… so, again, what was the point of just making this a 30 minute long DVD? It could have been longer, and I know I would have enjoyed seeing more… I guess having it dolled out into little bit sized tastes will keep people coming back for more. Still, I wish this was longer.

Overall?
I think I said it all already so let’s just get right down to it.
It’s a slice of weird that is good for you. Yes, there is the drawback of this being woefully short in consideration of the excellent content you are being presented with, and I wish it was at LEAST an hour or so in terms of content but still it’s not the worse thing you could be watching right now.
Check it out, see what you think, I think you’ll enjoy it (but that’s just me).

-- David Rasmussen 6th Oct 05

Robonimal Panda-Z The Robonimation Images