Name(s): UFO Robo Grendizer vs. Great Mazinger / UFO Robo Grendizer tai Great Mazinger / UFOロボ グレンダイザー対グレートマジンガー
Format: Movie
Studios: Toei Animation
Related: Great Mazinger vs. Getter Robo (1975) / Great Mazinger vs. Getter Robo G: The Great Space Encounter (1975) / Grendizer, Getter Robo G and Great Mazinger: Decisive Showdown! The Giant Sea Beast (1976)

This is generally a Grendizer-focused movie, as their alien arch-enemies have a new general guy from their home planet show up who successfully kidnaps Kouji and has him reveal the location of Great Mazinger, which is hanging out in a museum now. New general guy takes Great Mazinger, and Grendizer has to fight him.

No big surprises in the format here, but it’s a little more entertaining because there isn’t too much dull footage of attacks being cried out that do nothing to the latest monster. The humor is more bearable than usual because there’s no Boss Borot (who also liked to waste a lot of time in these). Most of this movie has consistent plot development, simple as it is, and Kouji trying to escape from the alien warship takes up a large chunk.

The fight between Grendizer and Great Mazinger is pretty all right. Instead of it just being a slugfest of attacks traded back and forth, there’s some actual choreography and movement as the two robots get repositioned and put in compromising positions. It’s still pretty basic, but more thought went into it than usual. It’s probably worth mentioning that this means this is one of the few “Vs.” movies that are actually a fight between two of the star robots and not a collaboration against a common enemy, though the two do team up at the end for the final blow.

The bummer is that this isn’t a true Grendizer vs. Great Mazinger fight that might actually be interesting to watch, because Great Mazinger is being piloted by a villain, but it’s no surprise they wouldn’t want to show heroes fighting each other in a children’s show from this era. Well, that’s about it. It was a fun watch.