Music
Grendizer
The Cult 80s Manga Series Still Captivating Fans in the Arab World
2 min
Red Bull Soundclash Sami Clark
Red Bull Soundclash Sami Clark
'A trip down memory lane with Sammy Clark and Wust el Balad's Grendizer theme song performance'
In 1975, Japanese manga artist Go Nagai created the series UFO Robo Grendizer, which ran for 74 episodes. Little did he know, however, that his series would be adapted for TV markets across the globe and become a cult series in the Arab world. The famous anime follows super-robot Grendizer, developed by Duke Fleed who fights against King Vega and his army who are on a quest to conquer the earth.
Fleed is a survivor of his planet, which is destroyed in a fearsome attack by allied Vega troops. He flees and travels to earth – two million light years away, on a ten year journey – in his super-robot. Reaching earth, Fleed is raised by Dr. Umon as his adoptive son, carrying the name Daisuke Umon.
The series was particularly popular in France and Quebec and was aired under the title ‘Goldorak’, and also in Italy where it was titled ‘Goldrake’. It also made its way to the United States soon after its first showing and was screened as part of Jim Terry’s series ‘Force Five’, under the title ‘Grendizer’. In the Arab world, Grendizer found its popularity in the 1980s and right up until today. Its young fans in the 80s revelled in the animated robotic characters that flew across their screens, and today Grendizer has gained cult status among those first-time fans.
Manga has always been popular in the Arab world, with shows being dubbed into classical Arabic and appealing to both young and old audiences. In fact, Arabic manga found a new lease of life in 2009 after Emirati author Qais Sedki published what would be the first ever manga comic written in classical script, ‘Gold Ring’.
2013 was a great year for Grendizer fans, as Toei, the series’ production company, agreed to release a ‘fully remastered and uncensored’ DVD of the complete series, available across the French market. The remastered Grendizer is also being re-aired on Mangas TV, much to the delight of aficionados everywhere.
Fans in Dubai were treated to a raucous Arabic version of the theme tune at the recent Red Bull SoundClash that saw Egyptian band Wust El Balad and Jordanian band Autostrad battle it out for the crowd’s affection on December 6th at the Dubai International Marine Club. In the Wildcard round, surprise guest Lebanese singer Sammy Clark took to the stage alongside Egyptian band Wust El Balad to perform the cult 80s hit, taking the audience on a trip down memory lane. Check out the performance here.