Report on the production presentation of the new "Grendizer II" anime! What is the "Grendizer" of the new era that blends the current trends of 2025 while also picking up elements of the old "Space Disk Wars"?

The production presentation of the anime "Grendizer II," scheduled to be broadcast in 2024, was held at RED° TOKYO TOWER Stadium on December 10, 2023 (Sunday).

This new anime is a modern revival of "UFO Robot Grendizer," which was originally created by manga artist Go Nagai, known for "Mazinger Z" and "Devil Man.
The already announced staff includes Mitsuo Fukuda (general director), Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (character design), Ichirou Okochi (series composition), and Kohei Tanaka (music). The cast is also full of talented individuals, which has attracted the attention of many anime fans.

The first PV, second cast information, OP/ED artist information, and Mazinger Z and new character information are also available. Mazinger Z and new character designs were revealed at the production presentation.

The speakers this time were Director Fukuda, Miyu Irino as Duke, Hiro Shimono as Koji Kabuto, Mimi Tanaka as Grace Maria Fried, and Haruka Tomatsu as Teronna Akua M. Bison and Rubina Beryl M. Bison.
When the first PV was shown for the first time in Japan, the performers let out a sigh. The PV, in which characters appear one after another and mecha perform powerful action sequences, has heightened the sense of anticipation.
When Irino-san and Shimono-san talked about how cool the mecha they are riding in are, Director Fukuda said that the design of Mazinger Z that appears in the film is based on the original version. He said that the entire production staff are fans of the original work, so they are very particular about the portrayal of the original work.

The OP is "Kaijin no Ippatsu" by GLAY, a rock band celebrating its 30th anniversary next year, and the ED is "Protect You" by BAND-MAID, a band led by female vocalist Miku Kobato.
At the meeting with GLAY, director Fukuda explained various aspects of the film, but in the end he told them to forget about "Grendizer" so that they would not be pulled too far into the film. As a result, he gave his assurance that the music was very good.

Next, the long-awaited mechanical design was announced. As of this presentation, Duke Fried's "Grendizer" and Kouji Kabuto's "Mazinger Z" were announced. Mr. Irino, who has always loved robot movies, and Mr. Shimono, who has recently been playing the role of a mechanic even though he loves robot movies, could not hide their delight at playing pilots for the first time in a while.
Director Fukuda, on the other hand, says that he was particular about the special move screams. He tried to incorporate elements of the new era, but what kind of special move shouts did that lead to? Watch the film to find out.

When the topic of character portrayal came up, director Fukuda said that he had difficulty in portraying Kouji Kabuto. Kouji has appeared in both the anime and manga versions of "Mazinger Z" and in various other titles, and his personality and the way he is portrayed vary widely, from hot-blooded to intellectual. Therefore, the character was created more like the manga version this time, and the details were left to Shimono-san's acting. As a result, the character was created wonderfully.

Speaking of "Grendizer," the presence of female characters is also significant. Mimi Tanaka, who plays Grace Maria Fried, the younger sister of Duke Fried, revealed that she was directed to be cute and energetic, and Haruka Tomatsu, who plays the twins Teronna Akua M. Bison and Rubina Beryl M. Bison who plays the twins Teronna Akua M. Bison and Rubina Beryl M. Bison, said that it was difficult to play two characters who are close to the heart of the story. However, when Director Fukuda told the audience that some staff members had thought that the two characters played by Tomatsu were played by different voice actors, he was pleased to hear that Tomatsu was able to successfully portray both characters.
Incidentally, Teronna was a childhood friend and former lover of Duke Fried who appeared in the animated feature film "Space Saucer Wars," which was a pilot film for "UFO Robot Grendizer. However, since the character did not appear in "UFO Robot Grendizer," director Fukuda wanted to bring him back into the film.

Next, new characters and cast members were announced.
The names of the cast members who seem to be strong only by their voices, such as Takehito Koyasu, Akino Watanabe, Wataru Takagi, and Tomokazu Seki, were given for the characters on the side of the enemy M.Bison Star Allied Forces.

Director Fukuda concluded the presentation by saying that he created "Grendizer II" by condensing the essence of the old "UFO Robot Grendizer" while blending it with current trends and ideas, aiming to express as much as possible what he and his team felt about "Grendizer" in the past. I am sure that I am not the only one who could sense this direction and commitment from the new information that was presented on stage at the production announcement this time.

It was a production presentation full of highlights that made me want to see the full-length movie as soon as possible.

Production information
TV animation " Grendizer II
＜Broadcast Information
Broadcasting is scheduled to begin in 2024.

<Staff> Original story: Nagai Go
Original Story : Nagai Go
General Director : Mitsuo Fukuda
Director : Shun Hisato
Series Composition/Screenplay : Ichiro Okochi
Screenplay : Tatsuto Higuchi
Character Design：Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Sub-character Design: Mari Araki
Mechanical Design: Kou Inada/AF_KURO/Junichi Akutsu (Astray's)
Design Works: Pinakes / Tomoyuki Aoki / Zen Shiba / Masato Yoshinaga
Main Animators: Hiroyuki Okawa / Takashi Hashimoto / Rihiro Yamane / Toru Yoshida
Art Director: Hiroshi Kato (Tonnyan) / Hirofumi Sakagami (Tonnyan)
Color Designer: Chie Mura
Director of Photography: Mutsumi Usuda (Nexus)
Sound Director: Yukio Nagasaki
Sound Effects: Toshiya Wada (Swara Productions) / Mahi Takuma (Swara Productions)
Music: Kohei Tanaka
Music Production: Pony Canyon
Animation Production: GAINA

＜Casting: Miyu Irino (Duke Fried)
Miyu Irino (Duke Fried)
SHIMONO Hiro (Playing the role of KABUTO Kouji)
Uesaka Sumire (Playing the role of Yumi Sayaka)
Nao Higashiyama (Playing the role of Hikaru Makiba)
Mimi Tanaka (played by Grace Maria Fried)
Haruka Tomatsu (played by Teronna Akua M. Bison / Rubina Beryl M. Bison)

＜WEB>
Official anime website: #
Official Twitter: #
You Tube channel：#

(C)Go Nagai/Dynamic Planning-Project GrendizerU