Theme: Mecha

Mecha refers to human-piloted giant Robots. These are often confused with Transformers, which are giant robots that can rearrange their shape. By contrast, mecha stay in one form and are directed by human operators.

Mecha first appeared in Japanese Anime tv series of the 1960s from which they derive their name. Anime puts out a reasonable body of shows and occasional films devoted to mecha where they are usually machines employed to heroically defend against aliens or giant monsters. There have been some live-action films dealing with mecha, in particular Pacific Rim (2013).