Twenty years ago, in its final battle, Dandivine defeated the Aposdolls, sealing away a terrible threat to humanity. Since then, the mecha unit has basically been retired and is now known more as a toy brand than a heroic weapon, but even that brand recognition has started to fade. Sales are down for the Casgar Company, and children call the toy a “relic” of the past. But the Aposdolls, who have been biding their time, are now ready to return and get their revenge, and Gekiha Shijima—a student whose friends and girlfriend can’t help but see him as completely average and boring—is about to get caught up in Dandivine’s comeback!

The earliest toy I remember owning was a metal Voltron action figure (you can buy a much nicer one now if you’ve got $350 to spare). I didn’t have any context about mecha beyond the Voltron cartoon, and it would be another 10-15 years before I knew what anime was, but the four-year-old me still found the toy itself to be hours of fun…until it started getting old, and the joints began to break. Then I moved on to G.I. Joe, He-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and honestly, never looked back. That kind of dismissal of the old and lack of commemoration for what was once profoundly important is a major theme Dandivine, an original anime influenced by Beast King GoLion (the series on which Voltron was adapted for English-speaking audiences) and presumably other mecha anime of 40-50 years ago. And it’s pretty much a perfect first episode for those who embrace those themes and old super robot anime; the dialogue, character designs, and even direction make the show feel like it was made in 1981, not in 2026. That narrow segment (perhaps wider in Japan) is likely to embrace the series.

As you can imagine from my nostalgia trip back to Voltron, I do have a lot of affection for this type of show. But I also don’t necessarily find it entertaining—not as a modern anime viewer. I need more. And there is a little more here, like the fun Dandivine design, which is so old it feels new again, and the cool Godzilla-like kaiju it fights in episode one. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Gekiha and his uncle, which should lead to plenty of fun moments in episodes ahead. However, it is pretty jarring to step into the writing and directing style of fifty years ago. The contrivances are too much for a savvy, adult audience (it would be fine if I were a kid or watching a kid’s show, though the language and light sexual content let us know that this isn’t a children’s production). For instance, Gekiha and his girlfriend are walking together when she almost randomly mentions his uncle, who two seconds later appears behind them, leading to Gekiha and his uncle eating ramen (his girlfriend now nowhere in sight) and then a mecha battle. This is the type of thing that’s appreciated by those who like those old-school anime, but I don’t think it would be by today’s audience. So while you should hop on in to Dandivine if you really like giant robot series of yesterday, the rest of us aren’t likely to find enough entertainment value here for the show to keep our attention.

Dandivine can be streamed on Crunchyroll.