One of the last remaining classic 80s mecha anime to be released outside of Japan is now finally here, and Heavy Metal L-Gaim doesn’t disappoint.
First aired on television in Japan back in 1984, Heavy Metal L-Gaim was a Yoshiyuki Tomino mecha anime unlike the rest.
Not only did it take a surprisingly gritty and detailed approach to its mecha, but it also featured a new kind of character design for the time and a very different type of story.
All of this was because, for all intents and purposes, this was an anime that was created and conceived by Mamoru Nagano.
This is not to say that Tomino didn’t direct the final series and inject his usual Tomino-isms, but the overall structure, story, and look of the show came originally from Nagano.
Back when I interviewed Nagano, he explained that Tomino was brought to please the producers and money people, as he was, after all, a total newcomer. However, it’s important to understand the sheer amount of creative presence Nagano has in L-Gaim, and it’s wonderful that the anime is now available in its entirety outside of Japan.
While L-Gaim had a brief stint on streaming some years back, it was of the old standard definition DVD release and has long since disappeared.
This new Blu-ray version is based on an all-new remaster that was released in Japan in 2025, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the anime.
Set in the Pentagona system, L-Gaim follows the plight of Daba Myroad and his motley crew of friends, as he uses his heavy metal mecha called the L-Gaim to wage a war against the seemingly immortal Oldna Poseidal.
From the outset, the use of advanced technology is a lot more overt than in other Tomino mecha anime, and the general tone is that we are seeing a decaying future of a once far more technologically advanced society.
All of this matters because after leaving Sunrise, Nagano went to Kadokawa and created the manga, The Five Star Stories.
Now, when I interviewed Nagano, he was pretty emphatic that the two stories are not officially connected. However, as Sunrise owns the rights to L-Gaim and Nagano owns the rights to The Five Star Stories, he would have to say that.
That said, after rewatching all of L-Gaim, I do feel that it is set a long time after The Five Star Stories; there are too many obvious connections and details that make these two works, both thematically and content-wise, feel very connected.
To be honest, that could simply be down to the fact that Nagano created both, and the earlier ideas in L-Gaim were rebuilt in The Five Star Stories, so I could be just imagining things. However, with the manga for The Five Star Stories getting another and more comprehensive international release later this year, I do feel that this Blu-ray set is very aptly timed.
Talking of this Blu-ray set, as this is based on the recent Japanese remaster, the video and audio quality are fantastic. This is the best L-Gaim has ever looked, and it’s wild to think that this is the first time it’s ever been available officially on home media in the US.
The entire series and all the OVAs are also included here, so this is a very comprehensive set.
There’s no English dub to speak of, but the Japanese audio is faithfully translated with English subtitles throughout.
Overall, Heavy Metal L-Gaim is a unique and strange 80s mecha anime that is far too important culturally to have only been available in Japan until now. So to have it available finally in this quality for the first time is genuinely wonderful. It’s also a proper Nagano anime, and should really be viewed as such. So I can heartily recommend L-Gaim to fans of classic 80s mecha anime, and that it’s finally time to Say Mk2!
Heavy Metal L-Gaim is released on Blu-ray on June 16 and can be pre-ordered from the Sentai Filmworks online store for $64.99
Disclosure: Sentai Filmworks sent me this Blu-ray set for the purposes of this review.
Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently writing regular columns in Japanese about mecha games and mecha anime for both Game*Spark and Automaton.