Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01 (メタルスキンパニック MADOX-01) is a 1987 original video animation produced by AIC, Soeishinsha and Pony Canyon and directed and conceptualized by Shinji Aramaki. It has been licensed in the United States by AnimEigo. The plot centers on a mechanic who comes across the MADOX-01, a heavy powered armor suit designed to fight enemy tanks. After getting trapped in the suit before reading the user's manual, the military attempts to reclaim it, leaving him with no choice but to defend himself. Aramaki, who was in charge of the original idea, directing, and mechanical design, later recalled that he was still in his 20s and didn't know what to be afraid of when he made the OVA, which was also his directorial debut.

Plot

One day, Kōji Sugimoto, a young man who works as a mechanic at a car maintenance shop, inadvertently gets into the "Slave Trooper MADOX-01," a new anti-tank land weapon that was being transported in secret. He is unable to get out of the MADOX-01 due to a software bug. He can't figure out how to use the suit, and is subsequently chased by the military. Kōji, still stuck in the suit, heads for the building where he is to meet his girlfriend Shiori Nagura, but Lieutenant Kilgore, an American soldier with a personal grudge against MADOX-01, is waiting for him in a tank. With the advice of Eriko Kusumoto, the developer of MADOX-01, Kōji is able to battle Kilgore.

Characters

Credits

Cast

Staff

Release

The anime was licensed by AnimEigo and its first release for Western audiences in 1989 and was distributed by Manga Entertainment (UK) along with different English dub versions from the UK version and the AnimEigo version. On April 30, 2021, a Kickstarter was launched for a Blu-ray release of the OVA. It reached its goal within 42 minutes of its launch.

Featurette

A VHS featurette was released showcasing a live action documentary demo of weapons and vehicles being demonstrated that was used in the anime film. The title of the featurette was called The World of the Weapons of Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01. It showcased various military vehicles from the Japan Self-Defense Forces such as helicopters and tanks.