Mazinger Z: Infinity

Mazinger Z: Infinity (劇場版 マジンガーZ / INFINITY Gekijōban Majingā Zetto / Infiniti) is an anime feature film produced by Toei Animation for the 45th anniversary of the Mazinger franchise and creator Go Nagai's 50th year as a manga artist. The film is a sequel to Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, but ignores UFO Robot Grendizer. The teaser debuted on AnimeJapan 2017 on March 26, 2017. The film premiered October 31, 2017 in Italy. The film released in Japan on January 13, 2018. The film premiered in the US on February 11-12, 2018 in theaters.

Plot Summary
It has been 10 years since the world was on the verge of destruction by the mad scientist Dr. Hell and his Underground Empire. Koji Kabuto, his giant robot Mazinger Z, and his allies in the Photon Power Laboratory however put an end to Dr. Hell's ambitions and peace returned to the world.

Koji has since followed his grandfather and father's example and became a scientist at the Photon Power Lab. Sayaka Yumi became the Photon Lab's new Director after her father Prof. Yumi had became Japan's Prime Minister. Koji's younger brother Shiro has become a gifted pilot working for the lab while Boss and his gang continued to work for it. Tetsuya Tsurugi and Jun Hono who fought with Koji have since married and Jun is pregnant with Tetsuya's child.

Buried deep below Mt. Fuji, he encounters a mysterious life form named LiSA inside a giant structure called Infinity. With this new encounter comes a new threat, and a new fate awaiting humanity. Dr. Hell reveals himself after being declared dead in the past along with his henchmen Count Brocken and Baron Ashura. Dr. Hell plots to use Infinity's unlimited potential to activate its ultimate weapon Gragon to reshape the world. The former hero Koji makes a decision for the future whether to be a god or a demon... The future is once again entrusted to Mazinger Z!

Characters
This section is currently updating.
 * Koji Kabuto
 * Sayaka Yumi
 * Tetsuya Tsurugi
 * Boss

Mecha
This section is currently updating.
 * Mazinger Z
 * Great Mazinger
 * Ichinana
 * Boss Borot
 * Multi-Legged Gun Battery
 * Venus A
 * Venus A Gundan
 * Infinity
 * Grand Marshal Hell
 * Ashura P1
 * Brocken T9
 * Garada K7
 * Doublas M2
 * Damdam L2
 * Genocider F9
 * Jeiser J1
 * Giant F3
 * Titan G9
 * Deathcross V9
 * Satan Claus P10
 * Garasect V2

Abilities used
This section is currently updating.
 * Mazinger Z:
 * Rocket Punch
 * Mazin Kick
 * Koushiryoku Beam
 * Breast Fire
 * Iron Cutter
 * Drill Missile
 * Reitou Koushin
 * Missile Punch
 * Southern Cross Knife
 * Daisharin Rocket Punch
 * Scrander Cutter
 * Scrander Cut
 * Mazin Power
 * Rust Hurricane
 * Missile Salvo
 * Great Mazinger:
 * Thunder Break
 * Breast Burn
 * Great Typhoon (Successful at first, later unsuccessful due to being restrained)
 * Great Booster (unauthorized via the Operation Center's orders)
 * Great Boomerang
 * Knee Impulse Kick
 * Mazinger Blade
 * Drill Pressure Punch
 * Back Spin Kick
 * Navel Missile (unsuccessful due to being restrained)
 * Venus A (The Mazin Girl) :
 * Boob Missile
 * Ashura P1 :
 * Bust Teedle
 * Ashura Press
 * Brocken T9:
 * Iron Cross Gas
 * Iron Cross Drill
 * Generalissimo from Hell's Mecha (Dr. Hell) :
 * Jigoku beam
 * Jigoku Hurricane
 * Hell Thunder
 * Iron Claw
 * Beam Boomerang
 * Yozai-Dan

Cast

 * Koji Kabuto: Showtaro Morikubo
 * Sayaka Yumi: Ai Kayano
 * LISA: Sumire Uesaka
 * Shiro Kabuto: Natsuki Hanae
 * Boss: Watatu Takagi
 * Mucha: Kappei Yamaguchi
 * Nuke: Masami Kikuchi
 * Prime Minister Gennosuke Yumi: Junpei Morita
 * Dr. Nossori: Bin Shimada
 * Dr. Sewashi: Kōzō Shioya
 * Tetsuya Tsurugi: Toshihiko Seki
 * Jun Honō: Ami Koshimizu
 * Dr. Hell: Unshō Ishizuka
 * Count Brocken: Keiji Fujiwara
 * Baron Ashura: Hiroyuki Miyasako (Male), Romi Park (Female)
 * Misato: Kana Ueda
 * Misato's Daughter: Kaede Hondo
 * Yasohachi Yamagishi: Ryōichi Tanaka
 * Fukurokōji: Masahiro Ogata
 * USPACOM Commander: Hiroya Ishimaru
 * Train Announcer: Minori Matsushima
 * Idol Mazin-Girls: Azusa Tadokoro, Miku Ito, Yui P, Okarina

Production
Toei Animation was in charge of the film's production while its parent company Toei handled distribution. A website for the film was launched by Toei on January 26th.

At its announcement in AnimeJapan 2017, Showtaro Morikubo was announced as the voice of Koji Kabuto while Ai Kayano was announced to play Sayaka Yumi. Junji Shimizu was announced as the director with Yo Nakano served as the assistant director, while Takahiro Ozawa wrote the script. Takayuki Yanase drafted the mechanic designs, Hiroya Iijima designed the characters, and Makoto Ujiie was in charge of background art. Ichiro Mizuki, who performed the original theme song returned to perform a remake of the opening theme song for the film while Kouji Kikkawa performed the film's ending theme song, "The Last Letter". Toshiyuki Watanabe, son of original series composer Michiaki Watanabe, composed the film's instrumental music. On October 10, 2017, the official website announced the appearance of the Great Mazinger in the film as well as returning characters such as the newly wed Tetsuya Tsurugi and Jun Hono, and Count Brocken. As well as guest voicing done by Hiroya Ishimaru and Minori Matsushima.

The first footage of the film debuted at the Annecy Film Festival on June 14, during a "Making of" segment of the film. Go Nagai also announced that the film would have a world premiere outside of Japan before Japan's premiere. The film premiered on October 28, 2017 at the 12th Rome Film Fest in collaboration with Alice Nella Città. To promote the film, Toei planned to launch a crowdfunding campaign to create a large-scale replica of the Mazinger Z made out of balloons.

Toei announced on October 16, 2017 that the film was to be screened in the United States and Latin America Viz Media announced at Anime NYC that it had licensed the film and hosted a theatrical screening on February 11-12, 2018.

Reception
Mazinger Z: Infinity was met with positive to mixed reviews. Italian and French reviewers state that the film walks a line between nostalgia for older fans and new alike by giving the film its own personality while bringing up a nostalgic reminder in the first ten minutes. The setting and action scenes were praised for the combination of traditional and CGI animation, providing a smoothness and dynamic between the old and new animation styles. The film was also praised for the attention it gave to its source materials with a healthy dose of fan service, making the plot simplistic and easy to understand for newcomers. The film was even regarded as a worthy sequel to the original TV series. But there were concerns when reaching a modern audience due to an unfamiliarity with the source material. The characters situations were respected as being a credible piece of the film's narrative. The soundtrack was also praised for its use of Ichiro Mizuki and music that accompanied the rest of the film. Nostalgia for known fans appears to be the defining factor of the film. Yet, critics have praised the film's primary characters glimpses of growing from their original headstrong selves into thoughtful adults while still retaining some of their quirky personalities.

One of the major criticisms the film received is the plot. Standing in the background of the action and animation are the themes of politics, ecology, and coming of age. The primary characters are shown being stuck in the past or in a struggle to embrace the future as an overlong philosophical debate. The secondary characters are also portrayed as being one dimensional, with superficial interactions between characters lacking any real complexity and predictable plot points. The political side of the film is portrayed as using exhausted themes of pacifism and a one-sided criticism to the current political environment of Japan. It is also watered down by the idea of pseudo-science terminology including substantial space, making it little more than a background element. The character LiSA also had potential in the film but was merely watered down to a plot device in Dr. Hell's plan and felt too similar to Rei from "Neon Genesis Evangelion".

Overall the film praises the Mazinger franchise's importance in animation history as well as the mecha genre as well as celebrating the changes in animation by intermingling two styles. But much like the film's characters, the narrative side of the film is stuck in the past, with nostalgia being the only thing that draws the viewers in.

In terms of box office performance, it's opening in Italy earned it approximately $514,078 during it's first week. Its premiere in Japan earned 87 million yen ($785,610).

Trivia

 * The film is the first property of the Mazinger and Dynamic Productions franchises to be used in collaboration with Toei Animation in 40 years following a fallout with creator Go Nagai, although prior to this, Toei Animation previously worked in co-development with Dynamic Productions for Robot Girls Z.
 * During the opening, a photo of various Mycenae Empire leaders is shown burning up, including the Emperor of Darkness. As his fate at the end of Great Mazinger was never explained, this may confirm that he died with the rest of the empire in that series' final battle.
 * While he did not return to voice Koji Kabuto, Hiroya Ishimaru does a voice cameo as the USPACOM Commander in this movie.
 * Due to its modern and contemporary style and setting, it can be assumed that the film is taking place in 2010s, while both Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger are taking place in 2000s. This would retcon the original series to keep it modern, as both anime and UFO Robot Grendizer were originally set during the 1970's.

International releases

 * The Italy release of the film features altered text from Japanese to Italian.
 * The Malaysia release had some parts of LiSA's full frontal being cropped and cut off.