Though never achieving the fame it did in it's home country, Gigantor was well-recieved by Western audiences and paved the way for other anime "translations". What is regarded as the first mecha anime is Mazinger Z, serialized in Shonen Jump from 1972 to '73, and animated starting in '74. An attempt was also made to introduce the series overseas, under the title "Tranzor Z", but it failed to capture a Western audience. In Japan though, the concept exploded in popularity, and hundreds of original anime series based on the what-was-then-called "Super Robot" (sūpā robotto) genre were produced by 1977.
These striking visuals immediately captured the interest of the newly founded game company FASA, who licensed a number of the mecha designs from Twentieth Century Imports.