‘The first Japanese anime to come to France’, ‘the spark that ignited Japanese anime’, ‘the evangelist of Japanese pop culture’. Can you guess what kind of anime it is? Its French name is Goldorak (ゴールドラック), and in Japan it is called ‘UFO Robo Grendizer (UFOロボ グレンダイザー)’.
If that doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps the third series of Mazinger Z will give you some idea of what it’s like. Although not so familiar in Japan, it is known to everyone in France and is still immensely popular. In Japan, robot anime was pioneered by ‘Astro Boy’ and ‘Tetsujin 28-go’, and is said to have taken a further leap forward with ‘Mazinger Z’. The third series of Mazinger Z is being planned for a series of events in Paris to mark the 45th anniversary of its production. We tried to uncover the secret to its popularity in France.
The French have loved ‘Goldorak’ for nearly half a century
The Goldorak-XperienZ exhibition was held at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris from Wednesday 15 September to Saturday 30 October 2021. The exhibition was bustling with excitement, a stark contrast to the calm atmosphere of the museum, which usually introduces elegant Japanese culture.
We spoke to the exhibition’s organiser, Jeremy Cerrone, and its supervisor, Olivier Fallaix, about its appeal. Jeremy runs PRIME PROD, an events company focusing on Japanese manga and anime, while Olivier is involved in its operation and is also a journalist specialising in anime and manga. In 1975, when the programme first started airing, Jeremy was three years old and Olivier was nine. They both grew up watching the show in real time. From that time until now, they have always loved ‘Goldorak’ and their love of anime led them to their current profession.
Surprisingly, it recorded an astonishing 70% in the youth category in the age-specific viewer ratings at the time. Interestingly, although the distributors at the time purchased the rights to air the film, they were hesitant to air it because it was a departure from previous animated films. Therefore, it was quietly broadcast during the summer holiday period, when children were busy playing and did not watch much television. However, contrary to their expectations, the programme attracted a lot of children and exploded in popularity. The popularity did not diminish even after the summer, and additional broadcasts had to be made. The sudden popularity of the show was so great that the production of merchandise could not be completed in time, so they had to make do with merchandise that had already been produced in Italy.
The first film, ‘Mazinger Z’, is famous in Japan, but the reason why the third film is so popular in France is because ‘Goldorak’ happened to be the first Japanese anime to be released in France. Mazinger Z was also broadcast a few years later, but it didn’t become such a hit because it didn’t have a fresh feel for people who were already familiar with Goldorak.
An anime that parents were reluctant to show their children
When we asked the two organisers what attracted them to Goldorak, they replied that it was the first non-educational animation! They both agreed that it was not popular with parents, but the support from children was enormous. This enthusiasm also sparked a social debate. One opinion was that the cartoons were too violent to be shown to children. Critical articles from the time were also on display at the exhibition.
Olivier says: “The great thing about Goldorak is that while it attracts children with its cool robot, it is also about love, family and environmental issues. And also the decorum that goes hand in hand with bushido (moral code concerning samurai attitudes)”. His favourite character is the villain Minos (Japanese name: Gandaru Sirei (ガンダル司令)). He likes him because he puts up a fair fight, not necessarily for good or evil, showing that evil may have its own reasons for being evil.
On the other hand, Jeremy’s favourite character is the protagonist, Actarus (Japanese name: Umon Daisuke (宇門 大介)). The reason for this is that the character didn’t necessarily want to be a hero himself. He says he likes the understatement of the fact that he took on the role not because he wanted to put himself out there, but because he had no choice. When you put it that way, it’s a very Japanese kind of hero.
The most interesting part of the exhibition for me was the life-size cockpit model. This was made by Jeremy and his team, who were able to reproduce it from the data they negotiated from the creators of the Italian carnival model. It is the result of the passion from the fans from two European countries, France and Italy!
French-style ‘Goldorak’ interior design and fashion
We spoke to people who had seen the exhibition, and it was an interview unlike anything we had ever experienced before, as when we approached one person, the people listening beside them joined the circle of conversation one after the other and shared their passionate thoughts. Here are some of these enthusiastic French fans.
Figure collections complementing stylish interior design
First, Mr and Mrs Alex and Helene, collectors of ‘Goldorak’ merchandise. He has contributed part of his own collection to this exhibition. His wife showed us a picture of the beautiful display cabinet he has built to match his many collectibles. The ‘Goldorak’ collectibles are stylishly displayed and show a uniquely French sense of style. The coexistence of robot figures and interior design is an idea not often seen in Japan.
Respected father and custom-made denim jacket
And then there was Ségolène, who stood out from the crowd wearing a ‘Goldorak’ denim jacket. To his surprise, his father, Bruno-René HUCHEZ, was the one who discovered Goldorak in Japan and acquired the French broadcast rights. He was on a business trip to Japan on a completely different matter, not specialising in animation, when he happened to see Goldorak on the TV at the hotel where he was staying and was glued to it. He was so shocked that he immediately asked the front desk to send an interpreter, who was not expecting to be asked to translate a children’s TV animation. Ségolène told us of her father’s story of how he struggled with the communication to find out the title and production company. She works for the French Postal Service and was the initiator of one of the projects in this edition, a commemorative stamp. She has been negotiating for several years to bring her late father’s ‘Goldorak’ stamps to the world.
Also loved by the current generation
We also saw many parents and children, among them 8-year-old Paul, who was wearing a nice ‘Goldorak’ hat. The way that he was walking around the venue many times stood out to me, so I decided to approach him. ‘I love the robots and weapons in the anime because they are cool.’ One of his favourite things at the exhibition were the human-shaped panels and background paintings. These were drawn by a French illustrator and have received official approval. The space it creates was breathtaking, having been revived in high resolution by the French, with the touch and vibe of the original drawings intact.
‘Goldorak’ popularity is ongoing
When I asked why a revival now, organiser Jeremy said, “Goldorak’ is not a thing of the past, it’s an ongoing thing. Merchandise have continued to be sold regularly until now”, he says. In addition to the original drawings, celluloid pictures and merchandise from those days, the exhibition also had a section of related products that will be released in the future.
First, the French-style cartoon Bande dessinée was released in October 2021. The story is drawn by French manga artists Xavier Dorison and Denis Bajram, and follows the story after the end of the series. It has, of course, been approved by the original creator, Nagai Go (永井豪). Other exhibits included prototype models of new figures. And there was also a commemorative postage stamp, which Ms Ségolène was instrumental in.
On 28 October, a large event to celebrate the book’s launch was held at the historic concert hall Grand Rex in Paris, where a live anime-song performance of the French version of the theme song and a cosplay competition were also organised.
One of the most typically French aspects of the exhibition is the art corner, a tribute by contemporary artists. The characters from Goldorak are brought back to life in pop colours. I was surprised to see how many people still love ‘Goldorak’.
When I asked the so-called average French people around me, they said that they were shocked when they saw it for the first time and that it was the first experience of Japanese culture for French people, and it was widely supported, mainly among people in their 30s to 50s. It is also not uncommon for people to say that they themselves have become parents and show their children the show, with both parents and children enjoying it. A French friend sent us a photo of her son’s favourite ‘Goldorak’ plush toy.
France has a culture that values old things, and even anime is probably something that people will continue to watch over and over again for a long time. Behind the popularity of Japanese pop culture in France today, the ‘Goldorak’ was a quiet driving force nearly half a century ago. This was one of the origins of Japanese animation’s global expansion.
Name: Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris (パリ日本文化会館)
Address: 101 bis Quai Branly, 75015 Paris
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-19:00
Closed Sun/Mon
Official website：https://www.mcjp.fr
UFO Robo Grendizer VOL.1 [DVD]
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/rock/culture-rock/175104/
