Back in 2021, I saw myself in a Getter Robo craze thanks to the premiere of the Getter Robo Arc anime, based on the manga of the same title from Ken Ishikawa who meant to end the whole Getter Robo saga with this title. However, due to Ken Ishikawa’s unfortunate passing, the manga was never finished, and the anime had to go with an original ending. You can check out my Getter Robo Arc series review here and while it wasn’t exactly the best anime-original ending, they clearly respected Ishikawa’s intent and had no intentions of deviating too far from what he would’ve wanted.
I wasn’t expecting any new Getter Robo media following the conclusion of the aforementioned anime, and then we get this announcement!
Yes, Japan is making a live-action Getter Robo movie, at least targetted for 2025, and they are going into the crowdsourcing route to create the proof-of-concept trailer.
To those unfamiliar, the original Getter Robo was made by both Go Nagai (Mazinger Z, Devilman) and Ken Ishikawa and has become the progenitor of the combining super robot we’re so used to today. Granted, its combination is working through anime magic, so I’m quite curious how this live action version would turn out.
As mentioned, the production company behind this project is attempting to reach mecha fans globally through a Kickstarter project in order to generate the funding needed to create a proof-of-concept trailer. You can check out more details on the Kickstarter page but essentially, they need this trailer to show that they’re able to realize that the most challenging aspect of such a movie — selling the idea of three combining machines as realistic as possible.
They’ve also released the staff credits for this potential Getter Robo live action film, which includes the following:
- Producer: Junya Okabe
- Director: Junya Okabe
- Screenplay: Junya Okabe in collaboration with screenwriters and manga artists
- Screenplay Support: Yoshiaki Tabata
- Photographer: Takumi Furuya
- Mechanical Designer / Imageboard: Skan Srisuwan
- Music and Sound Design: Michael Verta
- Studio: BLAST Inc.
- Production Company: BIGONE Inc.
Junya Okabe is mainly credited for works like Cat Shit One, yes that CG film involving bunnies and brutal military action, and Brave Storm, a sci-fi mecha action piece which is the closest in his filmography to a possible live action Getter Robo film. You can check its trailer below.
There you go, while still waiting for the Hollywood live-action Gundam movie, and that Philippine-produced Voltes V live-action series, here’s hoping that this film actually gets made, timed for the franchise’s 50th anniversary in 2025.
You can support the Kickstarter campaign by heading on to the link above or via the links I’ll provide below, as well as links to its official website and the production company
- Kickstarter Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bigone-inc/live-action-getter-robo-trailer-short-film
- “Getter Robo” Live-action film Official site: https://getterrobo.jp/en.html
- BIGONE Inc. Official site: https://bigone.tokyo/
Likewise, I’ll include the official press release of the project for your reference.
“Getter Robo,” the original Japanese manga created by Go Nagai & Ken Ishikawa, will celebrate its 50th anniversary with the release of a live-action film in 2025.
Getter Robo (the original manga by Go Nagai & Ken Ishikawa) will be released as a live-action film to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025.
The production of a proof-of-concept trailer begins now!BIGONE Inc. (Headquarters: 6-11-18 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan / Representative: Junya Okabe) announces the production of a live-action film Getter Robo, based on the original manga series by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa.
To raise funds for the production of a proof-of-concept trailer, focused on developing advanced visual effects techniques, the company is running a three-week Kickstarter campaign until May 1st, 2023.
The Mother-of-all-Transforming-and-Merging-Giant-Robots Debuts as a Live-Action Film!
Getter Robo is the story of giant robots by Go Nagai & Ken Ishikawa written between 1974 and 1975. It ran as a manga series on Weekly Shonen Sunday and also as a TV series on Fuji Television. The pinnacle of Japanese giant robot stories, Getter Robo is credited with introducing the “combining forces” element to the genre.
While the TV series adopted a simple storyline of goodness prevailing over evil to appeal to a younger demographic, the original manga series by Ken Ishikawa had a more violent and harsh tone, which is celebrated by hardcore fans. The seminal masterpiece, appealing to a wide variety of anime and manga fans for many years will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025.
The film will be written, produced, and directed by Junya Okabe, whose previous works include “Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends – The Movie,” “Cat Shit One,” “Brave Storm,” “ZvP (Zatoichi vs. Predator),” and many others.
Our live-action film Getter Robo (based on the original manga series by Go Nagai ＆ Ken Ishikawa), will be action-packed, and set in a gritty, violent, modern world.
Kickstarter Campaign for Proof-of-Concept Trailer
We are planning to release the feature film in theaters in 2025, in honor of Getter Robo’s 50th anniversary. Realizing the unique look of the original manga will require many technically challenging visual effects. To develop and test these effects properly, we are planning to produce a short, proof-of-concept film in collaboration with our team of talented artists at home and abroad.
On large-scale Hollywood films, such tests would be covered by a portion of the feature film budget. Japanese films, however, are much more modestly budgeted and require separate funding for such tests. With Getter Robo, our mission is to surpass all existing live-action adaptations of manga and anime produced in Japan, and these tests are a critical part of meeting that goal.
We are launching a Kickstarter campaign, and are humbly asking you, our fellow manga and Getter Robo fans, to help us bring this amazing series to the big screen!
The crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter is presently underway and will remain so for about three weeks – until Monday, May 1st (PST).
Rewards include exclusive online access to the proof-of-concept trailer prior to the general release, as well as access to the Making of Getter Robo documentary, and inclusion of the supporters’ names in the end credits.
