Goldorak is the name of the French adaptation of Grendizer, which aired in France and Quebec, Canada. Like almost all of the 20th century adaptations of Go Nagai's release overseas, there were key changes to the character names and plot elements. It is very popular in France, and a cult follows it to this day.
Changes[]
All characters had their names changed to better suit the general audience of France. Characters had their names changed to the names of stars, e.g. Duke Fleed's adapted name Actarus which comes from the star Arcturus. Compared to the original version where Duke had an alias Actarus used his name in battle and at the ranch. Koji had his name changed to Alcor, which was not adapted for when Mazinger Z was dubbed in France yet was kept for the French dub of Mazinger Z vs. Devilman. In addition, any flashbacks to Mazinger Z were edited out of the dub, leaving no explanation for how Koji knew Boss when he and Boss Borot appeared in the show. These name changes were also used in the Italian adaptation, while slightly changing other names.
VHS and DVD Releases[]
In the 1970s and 80s, VHS tapes and Super 8 highlight reels of the dub were released. Déclic Images released DVDs in 2005, but they were called back by Toei Animation as they lacked the rights to the series. In 2009 the company was tried for 4.8 million euros. By 2013, an official release by Toei would release DVDs to all French speaking countries.
See Also[]
- Goldorak (Editions Kana Graphic Novel): A licensed sequel comic to the anime released in 2021
- Force Five: An English language adaptation of UFO Robot Grendizer was among the 5 mecha anime featured on the anthology series.