Giant Robo (tokusatsu)

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Giant Robo
Giant Robo.jpg
Giant Robo logo
Also known asJohnny Sokko and his Flying Robot
Genre Tokusatsu, Fantasy, Kaiju, Superhero, Super Robot
Created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Based on Giant Robo by Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Country of originJapan
Original language(s)Japanese
No. of episodes26 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Production location(s)Tokyo, Japan
Running time24 minutes
Production company(s) Toei Company
Release
Original network Flag of Japan.svg TV Asahi
Flag of the United States.svg Comet
Original releaseOctober 11, 1967 (1967-10-11) – April 1, 1968 (1968-04-01)

Giant Robo, or(ジャイアントロボ,Jaianto Robo), known as Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot in the United States, is a manga and tokusatsu series created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It is similar to Yokoyama's Tetsujin 28-go (known as Gigantor in the US), but Giant Robo has more elements of fantasy.

Manga comics or graphic novels created in Japan

Manga are comics or graphic novels created in Japan or by creators in the Japanese language, conforming to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century. They have a long and complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art.

<i>Tokusatsu</i> Movie and television genre of japanese origin which consists on live action combined with special effects. It includes other genres like action, adventures, sci-fi and horror.

Tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects. Tokusatsu entertainment often deals with science fiction, fantasy or horror, but films and television shows in other genres can sometimes count as tokusatsu as well. The most popular types of tokusatsu include kaiju monster films like the Godzilla and Gamera film series; superhero TV serials such as the Kamen Rider and Metal Hero series; and mecha dramas like Giant Robo. Some tokusatsu television programs combine several of these subgenres, for example the Ultraman and Super Sentai series.

Mitsuteru Yokoyama Manga artist

Mitsuteru Yokoyama was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma Ward of Kobe City in Hyōgo Prefecture. His personal name was originally spelled Mitsuteru (光照), with the same pronunciation. His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, Akakage, Babel II, Sally the Witch, Princess Comet, and adaptations of the Chinese classics Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Contents

The original 26-episode tokusatsu TV series, produced by the Toei Company, aired on NET (later renamed TV Asahi) from October 11, 1967 to April 1, 1968. The English-dubbed American version of the series, developed by Reuben Guberman for American television, was produced by American International Television and directed by Manuel San Fernando (with Salvatore Billitteri as line producer).

Toei Company, Ltd. is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a shareholder in several television companies. It is notable for anime, live action dramas known as tokusatsu which use special visual effects, and historical dramas (jidaigeki). It is a member of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is one of Japan's Big Four film studios.

TV Asahi Japanese television network

TV Asahi Corporation, also known as EX and Tele-Asa, is a Japanese television network with its headquarters in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network.

A line producer is a type of film producer who is the key manager during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or an episode of a TV program. A line producer usually works on one film at a time. They are responsible for human resources and handling any problems that come up during production.

Plot

Earth is invaded by an interstellar terrorist group, Big Fire (the Gargoyle Gang in the American version), led by Emperor Guillotine. Guillotine spends most of his time in a multicolored space ship hidden at the bottom of an Earth ocean, from which he issues his orders.

The group has been capturing scientists to create an army of monsters to help them conquer Earth. A boy named Daisaku Kusama (Johnny Sokko (acted out in the original series by Mitsunobu Kaneko, with actress Bobbie Byers providing his English-language dialogue)) and a young man named Jūrō Minami (Jerry Mano, a member of the secret peacekeeping organization Unicorn) are shipwrecked on an island after their ship is attacked by Dracolon (a sea monster) and captured by Big Fire. They end up in an elevator leading to a complex where a Pharaoh-like giant robot is being built by captive scientist Lucius Guardian, who gives Daisaku and Jūrō its control device. Guardian helps them escape before he is shot to death; before he dies, he triggers an atomic bomb which destroys the base. The explosion activates the robot, which obeys only Daisaku. The boy is invited by Jūrō and his chief, Azuma, to join Unicorn and fight Big Fire with Giant Robo.

Pharaoh Title of Ancient Egyptian rulers

Pharaoh is the common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty until the annexation of Egypt by the Roman Empire in 30 BCE, although the actual term "Pharaoh" was not used contemporaneously for a ruler until Merneptah, c. 1200 BCE. In the early dynasty, ancient Egyptian kings used to have up to three titles, the Horus, the Sedge and Bee (nswt-bjtj) name, and the Two Ladies (nbtj) name. The Golden Horus and nomen and prenomen titles were later added.

Cast

American voice actors

Characters

The Gargoyle Gang

In the American version of the series, the Gargoyle Gang is an ambitious, but incompetent, terrorist group with a high mortality rate. They wear a combination of Soviet and Wehrmacht military uniforms, Central American guerrilla clothing and Italian designer sunglasses. The members of the gang all have explosive devices implanted in their bodies that are to be detonated instantly if they are captured.

Soviet Union 1922–1991 country in Europe and Asia

The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a socialist state in Eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991. Nominally a union of multiple national Soviet republics, its government and economy were highly centralized. The country was a one-party state, governed by the Communist Party with Moscow as its capital in its largest republic, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Other major urban centres were Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Alma-Ata, and Novosibirsk. It spanned over 10,000 kilometres east to west across 11 time zones, and over 7,200 kilometres north to south. It had five climate zones: tundra, taiga, steppes, desert and mountains.

<i>Wehrmacht</i> unified armed forces of Germany from 1935 to 1945

The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer (army), the Kriegsmarine (navy) and the Luftwaffe. The designation "Wehrmacht" replaced the previously used term Reichswehr, and was the manifestation of the Nazi regime's efforts to rearm Germany to a greater extent than the Treaty of Versailles permitted.

Monsters

In each episode, the Gargoyle Gang sends a monster to attack its enemies (the Japanese version's names are listed first, followed by the American version's):

A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets. It is so named because of its superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of sea snail that clings tightly to rocks or other hard surfaces.

Photosynthesis Biological process to convert light into chemical energy

Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that can later be released to fuel the organisms' activities. This chemical energy is stored in carbohydrate molecules, such as sugars, which are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water – hence the name photosynthesis, from the Greek φῶς, phōs, "light", and σύνθεσις, synthesis, "putting together". In most cases, oxygen is also released as a waste product. Most plants, most algae, and cyanobacteria perform photosynthesis; such organisms are called photoautotrophs. Photosynthesis is largely responsible for producing and maintaining the oxygen content of the Earth's atmosphere, and supplies all of the organic compounds and most of the energy necessary for life on Earth.

Emperor Guillotine

Guillotine is a blue-skinned alien who has tentacles extending from the bottom of his head. He wears a long robe, carries a staff with a white orb at one end and can grow to a great height, which he does only in the final episode of the series.

Guillotine leaves day-to-day matters in the hands of various commanders:

Arsenal

Giant Robo has a number of weapons, including finger missiles, a back missile, a bazooka cannon, radion eye beams, a flying-V missile, a flamethrower and electric wires.

Alternate versions

The series, first broadcast in the United States in 1969 by AIP-TV, peaked in distribution from 1971 to 1974 and was in syndication through the early 1980s. Giant Robo was broadcast in India from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. It also aired during the early 1970s in Australia, Brazil and various parts of Southeast Asia and Latin America.

In 1970, footage from episodes 1, 2, 10, 17 and 26 was edited together and released by AIP-TV as a 100-minute made-for-TV film called Voyage into Space. A 10-minute highlight version of Voyage into Space was created for the Super 8 home-movie market during the early 1970s by Ken Films.

Super 8 film Small film format by Kodak

Super 8mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format.

Home media releases

Toei Video released the series on LaserDisc in Japan during the 1990s. It is also available on DVD. In 1996, the series was re-released through distribution by Orion Home Video, containing eight episodes (in production order) on four volumes (two episodes on each videocassette). On March 26, 2013, Shout! Factory released the 26-episode, four-disc Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. [1]

Controversy

Although the series was violent by 1960s American standards for children's programming, in Japan it was no more violent than other tokusatsu TV series airing at the time. Gunfights are staples of each episode and the show's two child leads (Johnny Sokko and Mari Hanson) were frequently seen shooting with the other Unicorn agents. In one episode, Johnny and Mari are captured and tied to trees by Gargoyle and are within seconds of being executed by a firing squad when they are rescued by Unicorn agents. Nearly every Japanese anime exported to the United States during that period was edited for violence, but in Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot, only a minimum of violence was removed. In addition to dubbing American voice actors for the American version, many of the show's sound effects were remixed or re-recorded.

Episodes

The following episode titles were transcribed from the on-screen title cards of the American version. They are in their original Japanese and American broadcast order, verified by previews for the next episode at the end of each one:

TitleDirected by:Written by:Air date
1"Dracolon, The Great Sea Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman11 October 1967 (11 October 1967)
Shipwrecked, Daisaku Kusama (called Johnny Sokko in the American version) and Juro Minami (called Jerry Mano in the American version), an agent for Unicorn, drift to an island which proves to be a base of the BF Syndicate, an extra-terrestrial terrorist group from the Planet Gargoyle, who are bent on conquering the Earth in the name of their boss, an alien known as Emperor Guillotine. They happen to discover a huge robot created by for the BF Syndicate while they are escaping. Meanwhile, Emperor Guillotine commands the BF commander Spider to send Dakolar, a monster that destroy Daisaku and Juro's ship the other night, on a mission to attack Tokyo, the source of the Unicorn headquarters. Now under the control of Daisaku, will Giant Robo destroy Dakolar before Tokyo crumbles under the weight of the monster's enormous might?
2"Nucleon, The Magic Globe"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman18 October 1967 (18 October 1967)
Emperor Guillotine, the leader of the BF Syndicate, plans to take back Giant Robo, and in order to do so, he sent Spider and his men to capture Daisaku, the only one that can give orders to the robot. The Emperor also sends a huge metal globe called Globar to Earth.
3"The Gargoyle Vine-A Space Plant"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman25 October 1967 (25 October 1967)
Under Emperor Guillotine's orders after being brought from the far planet, Dr. Over (called Dr. Botanus in the American version), another leading member of the BF Syndicate, comes to Earth with the seed of a devilish alien plant called the Satan Rose (called the Gargoyle Vine).
4"Monster Ligon-Tyrox, A Strange Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman25 October 1967 (25 October 1967)
Emperor Guillotine sends his BF Syndicate minions (including Commander Spider and Doctor Over) and Ligon-Tyrox, a new weapon in the shape of a pyramid, to Earth. By operating Ligon-Tyrox, Dr. Over destroys oil fields in Arabia, one after another.
5"The Gigantic Claw"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman1 November 1967 (1 November 1967)
Dr. Tadokora develops QQV, a superstrong transparent metal. He tests it and QQV endures all the attacks of Giant Robo. The BF Syndicate watch the experiments using TV cameras and try to steal the specifications of QQV.
6"Dragon, The Ninja Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman8 November 1967 (8 November 1967)
A monster called Dorogon swallows a jet plane of the Commonwealth of Sordia when it is flying and an atomic submarine of the Furenkov Republic when it is under the sea. This is the Emperor's plan to cause a world war.
7"Our Enemy-Scalion"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman15 November 1967 (15 November 1967)
The decoding office of the Japanese Branch of Unicorn Organization is in the basement of a lighthouse on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
8"The Challenge of the Two-Headed Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman22 November 1967 (22 November 1967)
Daisaku and Minami happen to help a one-eyed man whom BF members are chasing. According to the man's story, they are trying to kill him as a traitor because he became frightened by the inhumanity of the Syndicate and left it.
9"Tentaclon-An Electric Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman29 November 1967 (29 November 1967)
Emperor Guillotine gives Dr. Over a spaceship equipped with all kinds of scientific weapons. After landing on Earth, Over sends an electric monster called Sparky to the grounds of a soccer game and kidnaps all 60,000 spectators as hostages.
10"The Transformed Humans"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman6 December 1967 (6 December 1967)
Dr. Over and Black Dia makes the resurrected Ligon-Tyrox swallow a train near Lake Biwa to kidnap Suzuki, one of the passengers and head of the Kyoto branch of Unicorn.
11"The Terrifying Sand Creature"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman13 December 1967 (13 December 1967)
The underground office of the South Pole Unicorn branch is buried in red sand which suddenly started to gush out in the ice field. As the communications are cut off, Azuma sends Daisaku and Ninami there to see what happened.
12"Amberon The Synthetic Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman20 December 1967 (20 December 1967)
Unicorn members locate the secret headquarters of the Japanese branch of the BF Syndicate. They attack the house and arrest Dr. Over by taking his blue star-shaped medal on his chest, the source of his power.
13"Opticorn Must Be Destroyed"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman27 December 1967 (27 December 1967)
There is a small quiet Allah Republic at the foot of the Alps; the only product of this beautiful country is gold. Her peace is broken when a vein of new ore is found in a gold mine.
14"The Monstrous Flying Jawbone"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman3 January 1968 (3 January 1968)
The office of Unicorn's Chinese branch is attacked by tank corps led by Red Cobra. Chang, its head, asks the help of the Japanese Branch. Azuma, Daisaku and Minami fly there on Giant Robo's back.
15"Igganog-The Ice-Berg Monster"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman10 January 1968 (10 January 1968)
Daisaku and Minami suspect that a strange villa standing in the heart of the Japanese Alps is a secret base of the BF Syndicate. They approach the house to get some proof, when men in the house notice them and look for them.
16"Torozon-An Enemy Robot"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman17 January 1968 (17 January 1968)
Beginning with the Swiss branch, the Unicorn branch headquarters are mysteriously destroyed one after another — Rome, Cairo, Bombay, Singapore, Hong Kong, then Tapai. It is easy to guess that Tokyo will be next.
17"Destroy the Dam"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
24 January 1968 (24 January 1968)
The Satan Rose is back and this time it has sucked up all of the water in a lake, with Dr. Over and Red Cobra overseeing the monster's rampage. Will it grow to an incredible size and defeat the combined military might of Earth? Will Giant Robo defeat the Satan Rose again for the sake of Japan and the rest of the Planet Earth? And if so, what will happened to Dr. Over himself when he failed a raging Emperor Guillotine one final time?
18"X-7, a Mysterious Enemy Agent"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
31 January 1968 (31 January 1968)
The mysterious enemy agent X-7 is assassinating Unicorn operatives around the world with the help of a flying giant mechanical hand. As a precaution, Jerry is assigned to protect Johnny, since only U7 can control Giant Robo. That same day, a new kid named Kenny joins Johnny's class in school. Coincidence?
19"Metron-The Mysterious Space-Man"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
7 February 1968 (7 February 1968)
The mysterious space-man Metron lands in his flying saucer and befriends the Unicorn crew. Yet it should come as no surprise that he is actually working for Gargoyle. Torozon makes an encore appearance, but Giant Robo literally tears him apart.
20"Beware-The Radion Globe"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
14 February 1968 (14 February 1968)
The Radion Globe, a close relative of Nucleon, captures Giant Robo and Fangor is going to replace the robot's electronic brain. Johnny and Jerry find Giant Robo. Johnny's tears of frustration reactivate Giant Robo's brain so that it can fight the Radion Globe.
21"The Terrifying Space Mummy"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
21 February 1968 (21 February 1968)
The Space Mummy has poisoned the water supply so anyone who drinks it is turned into a mummy. Space Mummy and Gargoyle are hiding out in a convent disguised as nuns. Agent U5 is captured and Jerry dresses as a nun to save her. Marie storms the convent with guns blazing to save them. Giant Robo must fight Starker, a monster that Space Mummy can cause to grow and shrink in size with the aid of a special device.
22"Clash of the Giant Robots"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
28 February 1968 (28 February 1968)
The country of Melcon wants their own giant robot and the anniversary of Giant Robo's creation is spoiled by the news. The Melconians build Cleopat, but the Golden Knight steals it. Gargoyle scientists cannot activate Cleopat, but the robot's defense reaction disables Giant Robo by using his own attacks against him. Even though it is temporarily blinded, Giant Robo defeats Tentaclon and throws it at Cleopat, destroying them both.
23"Dr. Eingali-Master of Evil"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
28 February 1968 (28 February 1968)
Johnny Sokko is the only one who can control Giant Robo with a controller disguised as an ordinary wrist watch. On day, he receives a parcel from his father as a birthday gift; it is a kit for constructing a child-sized robot. However, the "gift" is not all that it seems to be. It turns out to be an android duplication of Johnny, created by Emperor Guillotine's new accomplice Dr. Eingali to steal his controller and turn Giant Robo against Tokyo.
24"Hydrazona-A Terrifying Bacteria"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
18 March 1968 (18 March 1968)
After the destruction of both Tokyo's highway systems and the worlds first VTOL Oil Transporter UNICORN find out the culprit behind all this is Professor Hydra's Hydrazona bacteria, a germ so acidic and destructive that even the life of Giant Robo is in mortal danger. Can Johnny and Jerry save Giant Robo in time from the double trouble threat of Hydrazona and the newly revived Igganog?
25"Drakulon-Creature of Doom"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
25 March 1968 (25 March 1968)
Drakulon, a vampire from the Planet Gargoyle, has transformed a lot of people into vampires in an effort to conquer the Earth for Emperor Guillotine. Will Johnny Sokko and Jerry Mano hold off Drakulon's bloodthirsty slaves until Giant Robo arrives to help them, or will they too be turned into vampires?
26"The Last of Emperor Guillotine"Manuel San FernandoReuben Guberman,
Masaru Igami,
Hirô Matsuda,
Mon Shichijô
1 April 1968 (1 April 1968)
Johnny is shot by a very careless assassin and Emperor Guillotine pulls out all the stops, throwing his three remaining monsters at Giant Robo. Guillotine then grows to an incredible size and declares himself ruler of the world. Giant Robo cannot defeat him, because Guillotine is made of atomic energy and traditional attacks would blow up Earth. Will Giant Robo make the ultimate sacrifice to save the planet and Johnny?

GR: Giant Robo (GR ジャイアントロボ,GR: Jaianto Robo) is an animated TV series written by Chiaki Konaka ( Serial Experiments Lain , The Big O ) and directed by Masahiko Murata ( Jinki:EXTEND, Mazinkaiser ). At the dawn of the 21st century, Earth is overrun by giant robots. Daisaku Kusama encounters the titular Robo in a ruin in Okinawa. Beckoned by forces he cannot understand, Daisaku is made to bond, body and spirit, with the ancient weapon and defend his homeland from the incoming evil.

Frank H. Wu, a Johnny Sokko fan as a child, describes several episodes of the show in his book Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White. [2]

Guitarist Buckethead named his early band and second studio album after the series, including several references to characters and events from the TV series in his music.

Punk band The Vandals recorded "Big Bro vs. Johnny Sako" on their 1984 album When in Rome Do as The Vandals .

The indie band Johnny Socko took their name from the TV show.

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References

  1. Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot – Shout! Factory's Package Art for 'The Complete Series' DVD Archived February 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine .
  2. Wu, Frank H. Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White. New York: Basic Books, 2002. Print.