Hades Project Zeorymer

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Strike Zero
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Hades Project Zeorymer

I just recently finished viewing the four-part OVA. I'd seen the first episode a few months back, but the release of the English Super Robot Wars J prompted me to get through the remaining three.

The mecha designs are all very good. Zeorymer is without a doubt one of the coolest robots I have ever laid eyes on, not to mention one of the most powerful. People complain about how Zeorymer wins all of its battles with almost no effort (save for episode 3 where Miku was missing for the most of it) but for me, it doesn't get much better when a robot can cause massive explosions just by slamming its fists together. Masato was your typical teenage pilot thrown into a situation he didn't want to be in, so we all know more or less what to expect from him, but the real fun started whenever the persona of Masaki Kihara came to the surface. There's just something about watching this guy gleefully wiping his enemies off the map with the power of the Heavens that's just so... how to describe it... fufilling? :twisted:
Spoiler
Sadly, Zeorymer, like many other shows similar to it, ultimately suffers from what I'm starting to come to know as "Japanese OVA Syndrome," wherein the ending either doesn't make sense, or feels extremely rushed. Usually, it ends up as both. For the first three episodes, things were being paced very well. Then it's as if the writers learned as they were working on it that the fourth episode was to be the last one. What results is that the remaining three robots -- including the one that had been built up as being able to match Zeorymer's power pound-for-pound -- all sortie at once, and are subsequently simultaneously wiped out by one attack. Afterwards, the big bad declares to Masato that she has the capability to detonate all of the world's nuclear warheads with the single press of a button. She then proceeds to stand around and do nothing while Zeorymer teleports in and blows up her entire fortress, along with herself. The end.
If Zeorymer had had two, or even just one more episode, it would have helped a great deal in terms of evening out the pacing. Overall, though, I felt it was a pretty good watch.

I'm interested to know other's opinions on it. For those who have seen Hades Project Zeorymer, what are your thoughts?

PS: Kakusei Zeorymer is made of epic.

PPS: Bow before Hades.
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branman88
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

I saw all the ovas a couple of months ago, and I enjoyed watching them. I love the designs of the robots. The battle theme is definitly one of my favorite themes.

Have you read the manga? I found it a couple of weeks after watching the ovas and was surprised at how different the story was.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

For being so different, the manga and the OVA pretty much have the same ending. Of course the OVA was released years before the manga ended. The manga ending used to be even worse before a long time later when a proper ending was made.

The manga-ka is the same dude behind The Guyver, so yeah.

Saw the OVA ages ago before any exposure to SRW and I even own the DVDs from Central Park Media.

I like how despite it's short length it managed to fit in a ton of character development and managed to make its cast pretty fleshed out.

The mecha were cool, despite some of the ease of victory for Zeorymer.

While the english dub was passable, the real joy is listening to Toshihiko Seki play Masato/Masaki, particularly Masaki. His evil voice is just so dang awesome, as it was when he played Rau Le Cleuset in Gundam SEED.

Ep four is a bit rushed, sure, though some of the issues you pointed out I don't agree with. Omzack was touted to be a match for Zeorymer, but then again Saiga was a pompous jerk. With his bloated ego, such claims could have just been hot air, as shown when he wasn't a match for Zeorymer in the end.

Yuratei sat around doing nothing because she wanted Masato to come and kill her. When she learned she was also Masaki's puppet, she didn't want to let him win and committed suicide by Meiou.

But yeah, would have been nice to see what happened to Masaki and Miku afterwards, but it's possible that they perished in the explosion as well, putting a definite end to Masaki's ambitions. A sad thought, but possible.
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yazi88
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Whenever I think of the Zeorymer, I think of a opposite version of Granzon. Of course it uses light energy rather than gravity but still both mechs teleport and have devastating MAP attacks and are some of the most powerful in srw in general.

I have a question: Do both the Zeorymer and Granzon share the same designer? They look quite similar in my opinion. Sometimes a bit too much.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

There's really no comparison between the two. Granzon's graviton gun is hardly a devastating MAP attack, and it can't teleport either (not in game anyways). Granzon runs on a black hole while Zeorymer pulls infinite amounts of energy from alternate dimensions.

And no, they don't share designers.
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Kuruni
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

The designer, Yasuhiro Moriki, just love spiky design. Aside from Zeorymer, he did mech in Iczer-3, Tobikage and Hathaway's Flash novel. Also one obscure SFC game, Xardion.
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Strike Zero
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

branman88 wrote:Have you read the manga? I found it a couple of weeks after watching the ovas and was surprised at how different the story was.
I skimmed it. What surprised me even more than the changes was the fact that the initial print had its run in a lolicon magazine of all things (good old Lemon Peopuru), which of course means that several aspects of the story were originally a fair deal more graphic. For example,
Spoiler
in addition to being a robotic part of Zeorymer's core, Miku was also forced to undergo procedures wherein a metal object gets inserted into... ahem... one of her bodily orifices.

Also, Masaki rapes her.

Multiple times.
Never bothered to go over it too carefully though, as the artwork is, to put it plainly, pretty bad. I have heard, though, that a sequel manga is where the completely broken Great Zeorymer made its debut, so I'm still thinking about checking that one out.
Destiny_Gundam wrote:Yuratei sat around doing nothing because she wanted Masato to come and kill her. When she learned she was also Masaki's puppet, she didn't want to let him win and committed suicide by Meiou.
Well, I had more or less assumed that much already, though I will agree that they would have benefited from an epilogue of some kind. What we got instead was literally: MEI OU -> BOOM -> Fin.
Kuruni wrote:The designer, Yasuhiro Moriki, just love spiky design. Aside from Zeorymer, he did mech in Iczer-3, Tobikage and Hathaway's Flash novel.
I wasn't aware of that, but holy moly, now that you've pointed it out, the resemblance is pretty darned obvious.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Strike Zero wrote:
Spoiler
Also, Masaki rapes her.

Multiple times.
With an icicle.

But yeah, like I said, it's by the same dude who draws Guyver. Zeorymer is an old manga, so the quality reflects that.

The manga originally ended with Masato taking Zeorymer out to take out the bad guy's main HQ. It wasn't until many years later when it got an actual conclusion. The art in that final chapter is a lot better (though the style is still distinct).
Spoiler
Masaki is actually alive and had been posing as the leader of the bad guys. He has his own Miku clone he 'makes use of' and launches in a black Zeorymer to fight Masato. Eventually Masaki is killed and the two Zeorymers merge together. People call this merged form 'Great Zeorymer' but it has no relation to the unit from J. It's just the normal Zeorymer, only half white and half black. The HQ is set to explode and destroy the world, so Masato and Miku go up into space and absorb the energy of the blast. It's implied that the energy was too great and Zeorymer couldn't handle it, but it just ends with a big flash in space.
So yeah, both the manga and anime ended on practically the same note.

There is a sequel manga called Zeorymer Omega, where the title mech has a humanoid face, but I haven't heard much more about it.
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LightningCount
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

I've only seen the OVA anime version, but I thought the quality of the animation and designs were very well done. I did feel the overall plot and latter episodes were rushed, though. It survives largely on its art in my mind. Ironically, this show struck me as an early prototype for Evangelion.
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Zeorymer has always been "the one that got away" in the sense that i've wanted to see it for so long but i never got the shot. I know Evangelion was inspired by this one along with others and even if the ending sucked, i would've liked to have watched the odyssey to the full.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Just looked through the 3 current volumes of Zeorymer Omega. It's a direct sequel to the first one, having Miku and Masaki reborn as babies and end up piloting the titicular mecha.
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Gyra Solune
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Is Zeorymer Omega any good? That's what I've been wondering for quite a while.
Trololol Soul
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Sorry, I know this topic is old but it is related to something I'm looking for...

1- I'm trying to look hard to achieve the original volumes to read, and I can not find ANYWHERE. Could anyone help me? I'm DYING to see what it was in manga this legendary title!!

2- What was actually this volume published in 2007(HPZ Saishūshō)? I do not understand and also like to know where you get it.

3- As I understand it, this volume(HPZ Omega) is a continuation of where the original version ended. But it is a true sequel or an alternative version of the HPZ? This is towards the HPZ as the GT is to Dragon Ball Z(That is, something to not be taken seriously)?

Thanks in advance! :)
Last edited by Trololol Soul on Wed Jun 10, 2015 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

1.) No asking for pirated material.

2.) The original manga ended on a cliffhanger, but the chapter released much later completes the story.

3.) I don't know much about Omega, but it comes off as a completely separate story initially, but I think late it's revealed the new main characters are reincarnations of the originals or something.
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Henyo
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

ah Zeorymer, the OVA where nothing much happens(not my words BTW.)
i enjoyed the OVA. Zeoryme screams 80s mecha.

also, anyone else noticed that some of HPZ's BGM's are straight out of the Kamen Rider BLACK/BLACK RX OST?
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Trololol Soul
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Henyo wrote:ah Zeorymer, the OVA where nothing much happens(not my words BTW.)
i enjoyed the OVA. Zeoryme screams 80s mecha.

also, anyone else noticed that some of HPZ's BGM's are straight out of the Kamen Rider BLACK/BLACK RX OST?
Yeah, you are right. The first three episodes were even somewhat more reasonable so as to plot content, but the latter was really sucks rushed and poor. Zeorymer's OVA had a lot of potential, but it was just sloppy. Sad. Was it the first title about "Mechas piloted by teenagers heroes"???

Moreover, I do not even know what mean "BGM", lol
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Trololol Soul wrote:
Yeah, you are right. The first three episodes were even somewhat more reasonable so as to plot content, but the latter was really sucks rushed and poor. Zeorymer's OVA had a lot of potential, but it was just sloppy. Sad. Was it the first title about "Mechas piloted by teenagers heroes"???

Moreover, I do not even know what mean "BGM", lol
that'd be background music. :D
compare awaken Zeorymer to sone parts of the Kamen Rider BLACK RX opening.
even sortie,...forgot the rest of that track name from HZP, sounds like two BGMs from Kamen Rider BLACK.
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Same composer. His stuff just has similar elements in it.
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Trololol Soul
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Hey, I got the old manga of Zeorymer and just take a quick look, but with some attention, and I noticed that if I really Lily was the original manga of Zeorymer(1983-1984), then the manga is COMPLETELY different from the OVA!

The only thing in common that I saw was a different robot of Rose C'est La Vie that was not driven by Ritsu, beyond the protagonists too(Masato Akitsu and Miku)! I saw absolutely NOTHING like in the OVA, it's like the explosion that decimated whole basis of Tekkoryu with Empress Yuratei in front with open arms to receive the Super Meiou Attack in the chest, had not existed!!

Or will the volumes I read were the Saishūshō edition, launched in 2007 by Comic Ryu??? Does that still exist around the original volumes published at the time by Lemon People? :?: :?
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Destiny_Gundam
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Re: Hades Project Zeorymer

Yes, the OVA is completely different from the manga.

And like I said, the one from 2007 is the conclusion to the initial manga run.
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