Believe it or not, there are several Anime series that feature giant transforming robots! One of the earliest series was called ORGUSS, and ran for several years on TV. After its initial success, a second series was made to capitalize on the giant robot craze. This was called, unbelievably, ORGUSS 2. Manga has released all six episodes of the ORGUSS 2 limited series on one action-packed three-hour DVD, with more robot action than you can shake a stick at! Or two even!

EPISODE ONE - FOOL'S CHOICE - 200 years after the "time/space collapse" at the end of the original ORGUSS shows, the world is divided into two major factions, the Rivilia and the Zafrin. Of course, these two superpowers just happen to hate each other. Each side searches the globe for Decimators - ancient robot shells they can repair and use against each other in their perpetual skirmishes. Lien, a young mechanic, and his boss Zente' - are helping the Rivilian military salvage one such Decimator out at sea when their ship is attacked by a Zafrin Decimator. Forced by Col. Manning to operate the newly discovered and barely working Decimator, Lien has to somehow defeat a much stronger and experienced enemy, or all will be lost...

EPISODE TWO - WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD - Lien begins his stint as a Rivilian Royal Guardsman under the direct control of Manning. The Rivilian King is poisoned and his bitch Queen has her bastard child made King over her dead husband's first legitimate offspring and her co-conspirator, Chancellor Kirochi, is made Regent. Kirochi quickly declares war on Zafrin. Meanwhile, manning and Lien go on an undercover mission to Zafrin in order to steal a Decimator. As Manning infiltrates the Zafrin base, a mysterious girl with a gun finds Lien and wants him to help her escape the country. But Manning makes a terrible discovery that might doom the entire world...

EPISODE THREE - FUGATIVES - Lien and the unnamed girl agree to a truce between them as they attempt to flee Zafrin. Helped by a friendly farmer, they make it to the border. Lien's kindness and resourcefulness finally gain the girl's trust and she tells Lien her name - Natoroma. But Lien also discovers the entire Zafrin military is searching for her. Meanwhile, Manning has reported the existence of the Zafrin's Giant Robot Kirochi, who uses the information to begin hostilities. And the border is not a good place to be at....

EPISODE FOUR - SEARCHER - Across the border on a train to Rivilia, Natoroma asks Lien if he's curious abut her "special powers", but he's more concerned with her safety. Once home, Lien asks his friend Toria and her mom to look after Natoroma. The war isn't going well for the Rivilians - the only thing slowing down the Zafrin Giant Robo is that it's Seekers - the psychic controllers of the behemoth - have a problem with neural overload and keep having their heads explode. Manning and Kirochi discover the Zafrin's interest in Natoroma, and offer a reward for her. Unfortunately for Lien, Toria is the jealous type...

EPISODE FIVE - DESTROYERS - At the palace, the young King is murdered by his half-brother, Ferion, who has plotted with Manning against Kirochi and the Queen. Manning and his uncle, Akamatsu, are commanded to stop the Zafrin Giant Robo. Meanwhile, Natoroma and Lien's savior the Colonel reveals that he is an android from the past. It seems that this world is a mosaic of many worlds, which has caused the war to possess the displaced Decimators. The Colonel has a "time displacement bomb", which will put the world back to rights, but he needs Natoroma's unique abilities to activate it. Akamatsu strategy against the Zafrin Robo doesn't work - it looks like curtains for Rivilia. But Ferion has an ace that will turn the tide, and possibly destroy everything...

EPISODE SIX - THOSE WHO WISH TOMORROW - Ferion's Ultimate Decimator - called Lebos - annihilates the Zafrin Giant Robo, but the mad King won't stop with that - he wants all of Zafrin turned into a flower garden. Furthermore, Ferion's' psychic connection to Lebos interferes with Natoroma's abilities and makes it impossible for her to activate the time displacement bomb! Lien, although blinded, comes up with a plan to stop Lebos; Natoroma will be his eyes as he flies the Colonels' own robo - Orguss 2 - against the mad Ferion's Decimator. Together, Lien and Natoroma will either save the world, or Lebos will rain oblivion upon the entire planet...

I have not seen the original Orguss series, but that's ok, you don't need to in order to enjoy ORGUSS 2. Like a good mystery, each episode builds upon the previous one in the complex layers of plot. Believe me, there is enough 'palace intrigue' going on to keep one interested in what's next. The characters are very well developed. They may appear to be the stereotypical "good guy", "mystery girl" or "military man" at first, but soon reveal much more deeper personalities, especially Manning. As intricate as the story and characters become, the viewer can still follow the story fairly well - the writers don't let everything spin out of control, and still keep the surprises coming each episode. The animation is very good for the time period, with more detail than many of its contemporaries. The battle scenes and robos are also well drawn. Picture quality is top-notch, and the audio is very clean, as expected from a Japanese TV series.

Manga has not included much on the DVD of ORGUSS 2 - the disc is three hours long after all. There is an art gallery and previews of other anime titles. That's it. Good thing the feature is so good it doesn't really matter. Oh yeah, the inner sleeve doubles as a 'collectable poster'. Yeah...

Watched as individual episodes or all at once, ORGUSS 2 is a complex and compelling tale, even if the title robot isn't on-screen that much. The plot and characters pull you into the tangled web of intrigue they weave. I can think of a few worse ways to spend a snowy afternoon, like shoveling...again....