Super Robot Chronicles
by Matt Alt, October 1998

The Chronicles series of books, published by B-Media Books, is a real boon to Japanologists trying to get a handle on the gestalt of Japanese pop-media culture. The first book in the Chronicles series was a comprehensive guide to the Godzilla films, aptly titled Godzilla Chronicles; a second soon followed entitled Gamera Chronicles, which continued the exhaustive cataloging of all things giant monster. After the release of an authoritative Kamen Rider Chronicles, it seemed almost inevitable that the ever-diligent B-Media boys would come out with a book based on the giant robot genre. They didn't disappoint.

The Chronicles books feature beautiful still photographs and an obsessive attention to detail. Although basically a simple run-down of films and movies, the Super Robot Chronicles also attempts to put the works that it discusses into a sort of historical framework. It also includes sidebars on related live-action TV shows, robot toys, and robot-related scientific developments. As for an example of this, the Super Robot Chronicles dedicates several pages to a quick history of super-robot cho-go-kin toys, and another page to recent attempts by the Honda corporation to develop humanoid robots for rescue, exploration, and military use.

Super Robot Chronicles is probably the most comprehensive book available on the giant robot phenomenon from a standpoint of cataloging the scope of the genre. The sheer number of giant robot shows produced in Japan over the last three decades precludes all but a one- or two- paragraph description and a few photos of most, however. That being said, it's one of the only places to find information about obscure shows such as Rainbow Sentai Robin, Time Bokan, or the Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger. In fact, reading about some of these unpopular shows is more interesting than the stuff on super-hyped series such as Evangelion. Readers looking for deep analysis or anything beyond a simple description of the show will be disappointed, however.

I can almost feel you, the reader, tensing up and deciding to buy this book on the spot. There is a major reason to hold back, however. It's ALL in Japanese.

Super Robot Chronicles is a must-have for Japanese-reading fans of giant robot shows, but it's of limited utility to those who can't understand Japanese: for the most part, there is no English used in the book. It is fun to see shots of some of the more obscure robots in action, though -- and somewhat of a shock to see the embarassingly low animation quality of several of the series as well (Godsigma leaps to mind here.)