The Great Zeo
1964/03/01
STORY
This is a sci-fi story about a gigantic robot, one million years old, that suddenly appears, and the humans who encounter it.
One day, the Murakami brothers, while climbing a mountain shrouded in fog, seek refuge in a cave. Inside, they discover a massive, frozen robot creature. They decide to excavate the monster and transport it back to Tokyo. However, it suddenly awakens and wreaks havoc on the town, screaming "Zeo!" Despite being attacked by self-defense forces, the monster seems impervious to their efforts.
Frustrated, the self-defense forces devise a plan to lure the creature out to the suburbs so they can attack it from their battle planes. As the story unfolds, the reasons behind the monster's destruction of the town gradually become clear. Is it an enemy or a friend to humanity?
DESCRIPTIONS
1964/03/10 Serialized in Shonen Sunday (Shogaukan)
Even while humanity has obtained a super-civilization that surpasses human wisdom, they are unable to use it effectively, and instead attempt to eliminate it. This structure can also be seen in Majin Garon, though in Garon’s case, it also depicted the folly of human beings who tried to exploit its enormous power for their own purposes. In Zeo, however, the folly lies in the destruction of a superior legacy of the past, carried out by rulers who feared its special abilities.
In any case, one cannot help but think: if only human beings had broader minds, more kindness, and truer hearts…By the way, the minister who decides to destroy Zeo is none other than the familiar Hige-Oyaji. Uncharacteristically for an Edo-bred fellow like him, he plays the role of an intellectual villain.
