The Hallmarks of GIANT ROBO
Although GIANT ROBO does not really break new grounds in many aspects (story, setting, fight sequences), it takes elements that may be worn, tired, clichéd and puts them together in such a way that yields a whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Every character, for instance, gets at least two monologues. These tragic and moving soliloquies serve to define the character within the story or to set the tone for a certain part of the story. For example, Taisou gets several chances to eloquently wax poetic on life. Since Taisou serves as an older brother figure to Daisaku, two of his expositions deal with him. The first is when he is out eating and drinking with Tetsugyu, where he provides viewers with background on Daisaku. He tells his tale in a sad reflective voice, attempting to make us feel the heavy weight that Daisaku must bear.

The second occasion where Taisou speaks his mind is in his death scene. After battling Albert of Impact he talks almost to Albert and almost directly to Daisaku due to the way the scenes are directed and cut. This serves two roles: first he shocks Albert showing him that he threw the battle in Albert's favor to gain time. He gave his life just for Daisaku and Giant Robo to gain time. Second he attempts to give Daisaku the message that they are all fighting for something greater than themselves and that is what his sacrifice is about. He is doing it so that Daisaku will be able to re-awaken Giant Robo and continue the battle. This skillful direction adds that element of epic storytelling and tragedy, driving the nail home.
Another cliche is the plot itself: a basic story that at first seems rather predictable, but as it plays out we find that every cause or action is seeded in some past and twisted around some future. One example is Daisaku's dedication to Giant Robo. He not only wants to help the IPO experts fight their battle, but his dedication also comes from receiving control of Robo at his father's dying hands. He is given a powerful force that was created by evil for evil purposes and it is now turned to good. And Ginrei and Genya's troubled past haunts them and drives them both to fight each other over their father's memory and the tragedy that destroyed a nation 10 years ago.

	The IPO experts put up a final attempt to stop the Vogler Sphere menace...

Plot twists abound as surprise characters show up and change the tide one way or the other for a brief period. Characters even end up turning out to be not what we expected. The story shapes the characters and few finish the series as they started out. The most proud are humbled and the most humble are given their final stand for their beliefs. Even if one learns to expect such surprises in the end, he is still caught unawares by villains being forced to acts of heroism and heroes blinded by their own morality.
By episode 5 we finally get to meet the movers and shakers of Big Fire. It turns out that even they may be puppets, or are they? After all the sacrifices, all the bitter victories and the redefinition of the remaining characters we have only covered the first part of the war. Things such as Taisou's sacrifice at Beijing serve to define Albert of Impact's last stand: Taisou saw beyond his battle with Albert to the war. Taisou allowed Albert to kill him, which caused Albert to be distracted from the goal of destroying Giant Robo. As Albert see the drastic path that Taisou took, he is forced to reevaluate what he would do next when confronted with Genya's duplicity against Big Fire.

Even the sound track, utilizing the Warsaw Philharmonic orchestra colors the setting with a magnificent grandeur. The powerful score that plays during the destruction of Paris serves as a theme for the tragedy of Bashtarlle. The music is in general symphonic and very well keyed to the scenes. For instance when Paris is being destroy by Big Fire the music is grand and sweeping. A chorus accompanies the orchestra sweeping you along as you see the Champs-Élysées destroyed in green fire. When Giant Robo enters into battle the music starts out slow with a beat that follows Robo's footsteps and grows in stature and pace as the tension rises. Or, as a total contrast we have the much more cheerful and light melodies that accompany such scenes as when Taisou and Tetsugyu first try to get Daisaku to join them for a night on the town.
The soundtrack as a whole has a very dynamic range, covering all the emotions of the series with a very strong variety. It has more tonal and melodic variety than KISHIN HEIDAN but does not have the sheer range of pieces present in the entirety of MACROSS PLUS. It serves as an excellent aural setting for the story: grand and sweeping with an occasional light moment but filled with a certain set of repeating themes.

	Top: Daisuke races to Robo's side. Bottom: Robo unleashes its entire arsenal.

But what truly makes GIANT ROBO epic is the direction. This story was masterfully told; the direction is what ties it all together. The placement of the scenes, the lighting, all the little details add something. For example, although Giant Robo's face is supposed to be immobile, the angles from which we see it and the way the light plays on it imbues Robo with an impressive sense of feeling. When he fires blast after blast with his belt-cannons after the fleeing Ivan on what is left of Uraeneus, the ominous rumbling from Robo provide the sense that here is a being who can destroy buildings and he is very, very angry.
The direction also shows its strength in the way the viewers are cut back to flashbacks. Although viewers are shown the Tragedy of Bashtarlle many times, each time it is from a different angle. Viewers see a little more of what happened. This has the effect of making us think we are seeing a story told a different way each time. In truth, all that is happening however is that the director is adding a few more well-placed scenes and bits of storytelling to these flashbacks so that more is revealed. The flashbacks are juxtaposed with scenes of immense conflicts in the present. This shattering dichotomy between harrowing suspense and tantalizing revelation makes us hungry for more of the past story line as well as what is going to happen next.