Manga Adaptation by Bee Media Streaming on HIDIVE

Premise

It’s been years since Ryoma Nagare, Hayato Jin, and Musashi Tomoe saved the planet from the Dinosaur Empire. Things have taken a turn for the worse as insectoid monsters have emerged to wage a new war on mankind. Now, a new generation of Getter pilots must save the world. Ryoma’s son Takuma, the hybrid saurian Kamui, and the clairvoyant Baku Yamagishi pilot Getter Robo Arc against Earth’s newest foe.

Gee’s verdict: Not Enough High Power

Perhaps the nicest thing I can say about Getter Robo Arc is that its heart is clearly in the right place. Between the JAM Project led OP and ED, the callbacks to former Getter Robo works, and the general tone, it’s clear that the people working on Getter Robo Arc have a sincere desire to bring the late Ken Ishikawa’s work to life. It’s for that reason that it’s all the more unfortunate that the production itself is so clearly struggling with its obviously limited budget. Unlike say, Back Arrow, which disappointed because its talented staff purposely created a boring world, Getter Robo Arc falters, not because of its intentions, but because of the reality of its available resources. Not even its old school Go Nagai style character art can distract you from its limited animation, poor CG, and stilted editing. Getter Robo deserves better than this, time will tell if Arc can succeed in spite of its tangible limitations.

Iro’s verdict: Out of Time

My desire to enjoy this show is fundamentally hamstrung by multiple factors, including the show’s lamentable lack of budget and my own lack of knowledge about the Getter Robo franchise. My understanding is this show is adapting a later arc of the original manga, and it seems to do so faithfully, because I required Gee to explain to me the context of most of the characters and robots that appeared on screen. I can only assume those involved truly wished to create this anime – why else make Getter in 2021? – but it really is hard to get over just how half-baked it looks and feels to watch. I wish it didn’t, but Getter Robo Arc simply fills me with disappointment at what perhaps could have been.