Gravion

Gravion is an unusual series that strictly follows the combining-robot format, but has more than enough twists to keep things interesting. Notably, Gravion features a dysfunctional team of robot pilots, brought together by hook or by crook by the enigmatic and eccentric billionaire, “Sandman.”

Sandman is the real star of Gravion, a fact that the producers seem to have picked up on for Gravion Zwei. He lives in the massive and structurally unbelievable St. Germain’s Castle, has an unbeatable sense of style, and has hired roughly fifty billion maids to assist him in his plans to repel the aliens that wish to destroy the earth. Nonetheless, the plot of this series nominally follows Eiji, who we first see sneaking into St. Germain Castle, looking for his sister. After Sandman’s security forces capture him, he is recruited as a pilot to fight aliens-of-the-week known as The Zeravire.

The humor of Gravion lies in its unbelievable characters: the social inept but friendly Toga, the isolated Leele, the fan-servicy Mizuki, the inquisitive but cynical Luna, and the absurdly cautious Ena. This is a good series, but works better as an introduction to Gravion Zwei than standing on its own.