It waits until you have almost given up on the cockpit, then drops Kouji Kabuto back into it and lets the Rocket Punch fly like no time passed at all. This is a 45th anniversary victory lap that actually respects the decade of quiet in between: Kouji is a researcher now, Sayaka is running the Photon Power Lab instead of waiting to be rescued, and Tetsuya Tsurugi with Great Mazinger carries the weight while the old man of the franchise catches up. Dr. Hell coming back with an army of Mechanical Beasts is exactly the ending Go Nagai's monster deserved, and Boss and Borot are still there to puncture the solemnity. Yes, the CGI beast hordes look cheap next to the hand-drawn work, and the new girl Lisa never quite earns her screen time. Nobody cares once Ichiro Mizuki's voice hits and Z stands up one last time.

A decade has passed since Kouji Kabuto piloted Mazinger Z to victory against Dr. Hell and his Underground Empire. Now a scientist following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps, Kouji has left the pilot seat behind. That changes when he comes upon a mysterious lifeform inside a giant structure buried far beneath Mt. Fuji. The discovery sets off a threat to humanity greater than any before. Kouji and Mazinger Z face a choice between good and evil, with the robot able to become either a god or a demon. This action mecha film marks the 45th anniversary of the original Mazinger Z series.