Joyous Memories of Tokusatsu TV
To be slotted into the "A-hah! So THAT'S what that show was!"...
I've mentioned my love for kaiju (giant Japanese monsters) before this, and for the kaiju-esque TV shows of my youth. Here are a few links for anyone else who wants to see if they can remmeber these shows of the 60's and 70's:
Space Giants, the show about the giant robot and his normal sized wife & kid. Only it turns out he wasn't a giant robot, he was a giant metal man. With missiles in his chest. Uhh, okay. But it was still cool.
And I realize that I liked this show and the next one because they also had definite endings. There was a point at which you could point and say, "Here's where they finally beat the bad guy." There isn't enough of that in American kiddie TV.
And then there was Johnny Sokko and his Giant Robot, an incredibly charming show without a shred of dignity. Evil Emperor Rodak (who looked like an oni with silver glitter) and his monsters are smashing Japan, and only the Science Police and Johnny Sokko can save us all. Infamous for two particular monsters, a giant floating hairy eyeball and a giant floating metal robot claw. And oh yes, the giant flying teeth monster. Gojira it was not. But it had plenty of violence to keep a seven-year-old boy entertained, and the ending was surprisingly tragic to me at the time: Rodak becomes a giant monster himself, and announces that he's become so explosive that if he gets smacked around, he'll blow up the whole planet. So Johnny's giant robot flies off into space with him, where they both blow up. For a 70's kiddie show in America, that was very different, showing you a sacrifice that was actually, you know, meaningful.
And of course, everyone loved Ultraman. But then, he had the resources of Toho Studios behind him; he could use all the cool Godzilla monsters for villains. I will say this, Ultraman was far superior to that punk Jet Jaguar.
And if you want more on any of these films and series, then check out these two links:
The History of Johnny Sokko and his Giant Robot and Kaiju Fan Online.
Ah, when I think of all the joy that those shows brought me...
Oh, BTW, a question for Tezuka fans: do any of you know anything about his series Phoenix? I heard it has anthro wolves that actually look like wolves, not humans with animal ears.
Best all, and never forget to support your local Science Police.
I've mentioned my love for kaiju (giant Japanese monsters) before this, and for the kaiju-esque TV shows of my youth. Here are a few links for anyone else who wants to see if they can remmeber these shows of the 60's and 70's:
Space Giants, the show about the giant robot and his normal sized wife & kid. Only it turns out he wasn't a giant robot, he was a giant metal man. With missiles in his chest. Uhh, okay. But it was still cool.
And I realize that I liked this show and the next one because they also had definite endings. There was a point at which you could point and say, "Here's where they finally beat the bad guy." There isn't enough of that in American kiddie TV.
And then there was Johnny Sokko and his Giant Robot, an incredibly charming show without a shred of dignity. Evil Emperor Rodak (who looked like an oni with silver glitter) and his monsters are smashing Japan, and only the Science Police and Johnny Sokko can save us all. Infamous for two particular monsters, a giant floating hairy eyeball and a giant floating metal robot claw. And oh yes, the giant flying teeth monster. Gojira it was not. But it had plenty of violence to keep a seven-year-old boy entertained, and the ending was surprisingly tragic to me at the time: Rodak becomes a giant monster himself, and announces that he's become so explosive that if he gets smacked around, he'll blow up the whole planet. So Johnny's giant robot flies off into space with him, where they both blow up. For a 70's kiddie show in America, that was very different, showing you a sacrifice that was actually, you know, meaningful.
And of course, everyone loved Ultraman. But then, he had the resources of Toho Studios behind him; he could use all the cool Godzilla monsters for villains. I will say this, Ultraman was far superior to that punk Jet Jaguar.
And if you want more on any of these films and series, then check out these two links:
The History of Johnny Sokko and his Giant Robot and Kaiju Fan Online.
Ah, when I think of all the joy that those shows brought me...
Oh, BTW, a question for Tezuka fans: do any of you know anything about his series Phoenix? I heard it has anthro wolves that actually look like wolves, not humans with animal ears.
Best all, and never forget to support your local Science Police.