The Italians Sure Do Love Themselves Some Grendizer
Grendizer is one of the several jillion giant robot anime series made in Japan in the ’70s. The titular robot only made it to America as part of the Shogun Warriors toyline, but for some reason, the anime became super-popular all over Europe, especially France, where is was called Goldorak, and Italy, where it was called Goldrake. None of this explains the above video, however, of two kids and a woman — a family? — in disturbingly tight spandex doing a song and dance routine in front of a crowd of people in super-cheap alien and robot costumes holding sparklers, while a mysterious announcer occasionally says “GOLDRAKE.” That occasional call-out is the only mention of Goldrake/Grendizer, meaning if it’s a promotion for the anime, it’s terrible, and yet if it’s not, I truly cannot comprehend what purpose this nightmare was made for. When this video haunts your dreams tonight, you can blame Mie S. for giving me the tip.