Consider giving some time to the enigmatic Yasuhiro Imagawas followup to his direction on the landmark OVA Giant Robo The Day the Earth Stood Still. The underrated Tetsujin 28go 2004. Tetsujin is the middle child between the grand Giant Robo and the more divisive Shin Mazinger Z. Not having the resources or energy to match Giant Robo or the rough Go Nagai fueled insanity of Shin Mazinger Z it falls back on Imagawas strength for storytelling that made his writing respected throughout his career. This is a reimagining of the great Mitsuteru Yokoyamas groundbreaking manga and the anime adaptation that came to the West under the name Gigantor that codified the idea of giant robots in Japanese pop culture. Its anchored by its interpretation of the original child detective whiz kid Shotaro Kaneda. This Shotaro is a genius detective marksman better than the average driver of his care martial artist and whatever else youd need a child private eye do. Imagawas touch from how he challenges Shotaros wits as a detective and his still undeveloped ideals. Hes forced to grapple with the moral failures of his allies made in the name of winning the war and his responsibility for the massive Tetsujins potential to become a destructive weapon in the wrong hands. Tetsujins setting is a Postwar Japan thats barreling towards its bright future through the powers of science and industry but the wars aftershocks continue. The titular robot is the most obvious leftover from the desperate insanity that the war brought even the best of people to do. Shotaro is then confronted with a series of tragic and depraved individuals facing the consequences of their actions or manipulating the mistakes left behind for their nefarious benefit. Theres more to Tetsujin than melancholy and war crimes. Akira Senju whose resume includes anything from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood to the Japanese adaptation of The Magic Treehouse. His music evokes the optimism of the recovering Japan as well as the might of the titular robot. Senjus renditions of the OP and ED are arguably the definitive versions of those tracks What will endear anyone to this anime are Takashi Nakamuras who coincidentally adapted Akiras Shotaro Kaneda and other characters designs. The cartoon charm that Yokoyamas manga characters remain fully intact and even the robots have that early manga aesthetic. The combination of all these creates an ambitious show thats willing to take chances even with the limitations of the budget. There are some minor blemishes occasionally economic animation and a weaker set of episodes after the show peaks around the late teens none of it is enough to spoil the experience. Its a show that any fan of animation can find something to appreciate if theyre willing to give it the time. Check it out herehttps://www.crunchyroll.com/tetsujin28 on Crunchyroll subbed or dubbed. Please ignore the movie for your own good.