Godannar (神魂合体ゴーダンナー!!) is a Japanese anime television series created by Yasuchika Nagaoka, Anime International Company and Project Godannar, which consists of IMAGICA Entertainment, Taki Corporation, KlockWorx, NTT Data Contents Planing, Sojitz and Oriental Light and Magic. The series is produced by AIC and OLM, with Nagaoka serving as director and Hiroyuki Kawasaki as its main scriptwriter. The first season aired in Japan from October 1 to December 24, 2003, on AT-X. A second season later aired from April 5 to June 29, 2004. Both seasons were licensed by ADV Films for North America, but was licensed by Sentai Filmworks in 2013.

Plot

In 2042, alien threats known as the Mimetic Beasts (擬態獣) are defeated during a battle in Japan when robot pilot Goh Saruwatari defeats the alien "boss" with his robot, the Dannar, and saves his future fiancée, Anna Aoi. The Mimetic Beasts return after five years on Goh and Anna's wedding day. Goh and Dannar are called to action, leaving Anna at the altar. As Goh struggles in his battle against the Mimetic Beasts, Anna stumbles upon a sealed robot called Neo Okusaer. She is able to activate and pilot the Neo Okusaer to save her fiancé by merging it with the Dannar to activate the Godannar's Twin Drive. Over the course of the series, humanity is threatened by the Insania virus, which is spread by the Mimetic Beasts. All of humanity is infected, but as the virus is stimulated by human hormones, especially those released in great quantities during combat, the virus only adversely affects robot pilots since they come into close contact with the beasts on a regular basis: The virus has the effect of transforming human males into Mimetic Beasts, while females are immune unless they naturally generate large amounts of male hormones.

Second season

The pilots of Dannar Base struggle to balance the need to fight the Mimetic Beasts with the increasing danger of further infection by the Insania virus. Eventually, it is discovered that Mira, Goh's former combat partner and lover who was trapped inside a Mimetic beast for five years, is the source of the vaccine that humanity needs.

Characters

Dannar Base

It is a robot base from Japan.

Union Base

It is a robot base from England.

Silicon Base

It is a robot base from North America.

Dino Base

It is a robot base from China.

Vega Base

It is a robot base from Russia.

Cosmo Base

Menage Zero

Gakazono High School

Episodes

Season one

Season two

Reception

Stig Høgset of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews praised season one for the animation, but criticized the story in later episodes. The seven volumes of the ADV Films release were graded by Chris Beveridge in his reviews at Mania.com, and ranged from A− for the first two volumes to B for volumes five and six. Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave a generally favorable review of the first volume, though he commented that Hilary Haag "gets a little too shrill at a couple of points". Mike Toole has complimented the director Yasushi Nagaoka and some of the voice actors, including the Japanese and English voices for Goh and Anna.

Adaptations

A series of 4-volume novel was published by Kadokawa under the MF Bunko J imprint: A series of 2-volume comic was published by Kadokawa under the Dengeki Comics EX imprint, authored by Seta Noriyasu: