Snow, Take the Color of the Blood of Youth!!

Snow, Take the Color of the Blood of Youth!!
Overview
Series	Great Mazinger
Episode Number	19
Date	March 25, 1973
Screenplay	Keisuke Fujikawa
Director	Masayuki Akehi
Animation Director	Kazuo Nakamura
Art	Takao Tsuruoka
Enemy Commander	General Angoras General Draydou
Monster of the week	Goldova Gidonius
Previous episode	Dark Trap! The Docking Battle Beast!!
Next episode	Suicide Mission!! The Mycenaean Strike Force Invades!!
Music
Opening	Ore wa Great Mazinger
Ending	Yuusha wa Mazinger
Other	Jun no Uta

Snow, Take the Color of the Blood of Youth!! is the 19th episode of Great Mazinger. This episode was first aired in Japan on January 12, 1975.

Summary

While on a visit to the beautician, Jun overhears other clients discussing how a beautiful woman must have fair skin. This interaction prompts her to lament her origin. As the daughter of a japanese woman and a black woman, Jun has a much darker skin than any of them.

Jun's insecurities pushed her to scrub her skin hoping to turn it white

Kenzo is surprised to see how beautiful Jun has become after her return. He teases her by guessing she is able to easily catch the attention of many men with her appearance alone. Jun retreats to bathroom and immediatly starts scrubbing her skin. Quickly realizing nothing will ever make her skin whiter, she begins to cry.

Realizing something must have happened, Kenzo enters the bathroom to ask her what is wrong. She brushes him off by saying his teasing made he embarrased and leaves. Kenzo appears to be convinced, but ends up finding a teared up picture of Jun's biological father in the thrash can.

When Tetsuya learns about the reason of her distress, he doesn't take it well. Tetsuya slaps Jun and berates her for ressenting her parents. He also states the color of her skin didn't matter. Shiro arrives to warn them about the approaching Warrior Beast prompting Tetsuya to leave. Jun is left even more distraught as she now believes none of her friends can understand her feelings.

In the Mycenean side, General Angoras and General Draydou were making plans to attacks. As the previous battle has weakened the Science Fortress' defenses, they believe this is the perfect chance to finally destroy Great Mazinger and his allies. Goldova, the Warrior Beast detected by the Fortress' radars, was sent to lure away Tetsuya.

Jun praying to be reborn

With Great Mazinger stuck in a battle against Goldova, Guidonius starts ramping across the city. Jun is sent to face the Warrior Beast. After arriving, the destruction reminds Jun of the battle in which she lost her parents and her life as an orphan.

Venus A doesn't fight back when the Warrior Beast attacks, but Boss Borot arrives in time to fight in her place. Jun apologizes and leaves the battle field.

Great Mazinger destroys Goldova and takes over the battle against Guidonius. Realizing there isn't much Borot can do to help, Boss goes after Venus A. He finds her inside a church praying to God to be allowed to be reborn as Jun now believes her suffering as an orphan and as an half-black woman wouldn't come to an end even if they won the war against the Mycenae Empire. Boss tries to call out to her to no avail.

The pastor encourages her to keep on going. He argues Jun should use the power she has to keep on fighting for those who can't and to endure her life's hardships to give hope to those who find themselves in similar circumstances than hers. Convinced she rushes to aid Tetsuya.

After Guidonius is defeated, Jun and Tetsuya return to the Science Fortress Laboratory and apologize to each other for they earlier fight.

Characters

Recurring

• Tetsuya Tsurugi
• Jun Hono
• Shiro Kabuto
• Kenzo Kabuto
• Boss
• Nuke
• Mucha
• Great General of Darkness
• General Angoras
• General Draydou
• Pastor

Machines & Weapons

Machines

• Great Mazinger
• Venus A
• Boss Borot
• Brain Condor
• Queen Star
• Mikelos
• Goldova
• Gidonius

Weapons

• Great Mazinger
  • Great Boomerang
  • Atomic Punch/Drill Pressure Punch
  • Thunder Break
  • Mazinger Blade
• Venus A
  • Koushiryoku Missile

Gallery

Jun cries after the other kids refuse to play with her because of her color

A picture of Jun's biological father

Aquatic Warrior Beast Goldova

Reptilian Warrior Beast Guidonius

Trivia

• The episode's raw depiction of bigotry as well as its anti-racism message made this one of the most famous episodes of Great Mazinger, as well as one of the most famous episodes of 70's Japanese animation.
• While observing the destruction caused by the Warrior Beasts, Jun notes she and Tetsuya lost their respective parents in a similar battle.
  • This suggests both of them became orphans as a result of a single event.
• This episode marks the single appearance of the song Jun no Uta (ジュンの歌).
• The episode reveals that Jun practices Christianity, marking the first known instance of a major character revealing their religious beliefs in the Mazinger franchise.