Mazinger Angels (マジンガーエンジェル, Majinga Enjeru?) is a manga series which began in 2004 and chronicles the adventures of four women who pilot giant robots in the Mazinger vein. The concept is a spoof on the late 70's and early 80's popular TV series Charlie's Angels. It was originally published in Kodansha's Magazine Z, starting in 26 June 2004 (#2004-08) and ending in 25 November 2006 (#2007-01).[1] It was compiled in four tankōbon.
Three of the robots, Aphrodite A, Diana A and Minerva X are from the original Mazinger Z series, while Venus A is from the Great Mazinger series. Their pilots are also traditional characters from Go Nagai's universe, Sayaka Yumi and Jun Hono from Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger respectively, and Hikaru Makiba and Maria Fleed from Grendizer.
The style of the manga highlights the sex appeal of both the characters and the mechas, sometimes similarly to the way Aika's female characters are shown.
There is a sequel, released in 26 December 2007 in Magazine Z as well [2], called Mazinger Angels Z (マジンガーエンジェルZ), which features the original design for Mazinger Z, called Energer Z, as well as Kikunosuke Abashiri from Abashiri Ikka.
Mecha Description and Pilots
Aphrodite, Diana, Venus and Minerva in their Mazinger Angels incarnations.
All four robots have a simplified color scheme compared to the older versions, usually reducing the number of colors to only two, but respecting the overall appearance of the robot. They sport heart shaped designs in different parts of their bodies as well as the Mazinger Angels symbol, a winged heart. They also become substantially more powerful and resistant, adding several weapons (many inspired by the Mazingers' ones) to their classic ones.
The mecha pilots wear their classic outfits plus the Mazinger Angels symbol.
* Aphrodite A: Aphrodite is piloted by Sayaka Yumi, her classic pilot from Mazinger Z. In this version, Aphrodite is now orange and white, in contrast to the anime version, which was orange, magenta and red. Her weapons are:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Iron Cutter Missile: A weapon that resembles Mazinger Z's Iron Cutters.
o Megaton Hammer: A pair of flails attached to Aphrodite's chest.
o Snow White Aphrodite / Breast Heart Fire: Aphrodite is modified in one occasion and covered with an acid proof paint coat to face the attack of a monster. She is painted white and gold and also sports chest plates that rotate to form a heart that fires a powerful beam.
* Diana A: Diana's pilot is Hikaru Makiba, from Grendizer. She is now depicted in blue and white, and has the following weapons:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Screw Crasher Missile: Similar to Grendizer's Screw Crasher Punch.
o Liquid Shooter: Acid shooting guns.
o Blizzard Smash: A freezing weapon.
* Venus A: Piloted by Jun Hono, her classic pilot in Great Mazinger. Venus is now painted red and white. Her weapons are:
o Regular Chest Missiles
o Finger Missile: The classic weapon from the anime.
o Drill Pressure Missile: Venus can fire two giant jet drills from her chest.
o Fire Tornado: Similar to the Blizzard Smash, but this weapon melts everything it touches instead of freezing it.
* Minerva X: Controlled by Maria Fleed, also from Grendizer. Maria has psychokinetic powers that allow her to control the robot thanks to a special helmet that channels her brain waves. At first she uses Minerva against the girls because she holds them responsible for the supposed death of her dog Duke, but later realizes thanks to Hikaru that this wasn't their fault. Duke is later saved and given a prosthetic limb. Minerva's purple color scheme is the most noticeable since it's completely different from the usual Mazinger-like one. She seems to be above the other angels in terms of power, and her weapons are:
o Rocket Punch: The same attack Minerva has in the anime, taken from Mazinger Z; Minerva can fire her fists.
o Breast Fire: Another classic attack from the anime, a powerful beam shot from her chest plates.
o Photon Beams: Optic rays.
o Sirene Mode: Minerva can shift from her regular form to a stronger one, able to fly thanks to wings placed on her head. When transformed she resembles Sirène, a character from Devilman.
o Thunder Breaker: (In Sirene Mode) similar to Great Mazinger's Thunder Break.
Aphrodite, Diana and Venus also have swords called Mazinger Blades.
