"Forces of Darkness, Empower Me..." Any connection to Kikaider? [Archive]

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Chad Bonin

10-09-2004, 10:04 AM

Discloner

10-09-2004, 12:19 PM

It might seem off topic, but it really isn't.

About Cyborg 009:
The series was developed from Shotaro Ishinomori's 1964 Cyborg 009 manga. The comic reflected the conflict and harsh conditions during the Cold War, a topic of great importance at the time. Ishinomori is considered one of Japan’s greatest creators and made a large contribution to the word of animated TV heroes with the creation of well known live-action dramas such as “Masked Riders”, “Kikaider”, and “Power Rangers, the Secret Warriors.”
From my understanding (and I'm sure someone else is a lot more knowledgeable on the subject then I) Ishinomori had a huge impact on live-action shows like Masked Riders and Power Rangers, so it wouldn't suprise me if he was involved in OR had an influence on VR Troopers.

G1Ravage

10-09-2004, 10:59 PM

GMB

10-09-2004, 11:05 PM

Well, I just was lucky enough to run into an old episode of VR Troopers...

Did the original main Trooper (crap, did they have names?) have any connection to Kikaider in Japan? With the whole blue/red motif?

Yeah, the show they drew the footage of him from, which was Metaldar, I believe, is kinda a homage/remake of Kikaider. There are some divergencies, but it's in the style of it right down to the "conscience circut."

shoujoaifan

10-12-2004, 12:50 PM

Edit: And of course I only know this from John Chricton's Japan Hero site, www.japanhero.com (http://www.japanhero.com/) , what I learned from KnuxFive and other PR fans, and what I learned from people here about Kikaider and Cyborg 009 when they were/are playing, which I forgot to mention. Sorry :sweat:

That reminds me, I believe around the time Kikaider aired on AS that was news that there was an OAV where our favorite guitar player was going to run into Inazuman, one of Shotaro Ishinomori's creations before Kamen Rider, a college student who could turn into a bug-like ORGANIC humanoid and rode a motorcycle.

(In the early-mid 90's during the absence of Kamen Rider TV shows, leaving only movies, one of the movies took this earlier version of the concept and outright called it a Kamen Rider. Another movie had Kamen Rider grow like Ultraman :D ).

Ol' Shotaro Ishinomori's sure learned his leasons from Astro Boy's creator Osamu Tezuka, reusing character designs and themes over and over, both refining it and overdoing the themes to death :p

But if he didn't repeat themes and mish-mash them constantly, he would never have created Kikaider, NOR combine Cyborg 009+Kikaider/Kamen Rider/Inazuman=GoRangers, thus no Sentai, thus no Power Rangers, thus no me nagging PR fans with questions about behind-the-scenes info of seasons from years ago :eek:

Hey, wait a minute...

UberMonkey

10-14-2004, 05:14 PM

Yeah, the show they drew the footage of him from, which was Metaldar, I believe, is kinda a homage/remake of Kikaider. There are some divergencies, but it's in the style of it right down to the "conscience circut."

This seems to be your answer - when Toei was looking for a premise for a new Metal Hero series, they decided to borrow quite a bit from Kikaider. Even one of the bad guys (with the laughable name of "Top Gunder") is sort of an homage to Hakaider.

Chad Bonin

10-14-2004, 05:18 PM

Speaking of Hakaider from Kikaider, I remember seeing a trailer for a live-action movie about Hakaider.

Wonder if that had any connection the Kikaider-verse, or was just a spinoff story...

shoujoaifan

10-15-2004, 09:07 PM

Speaking of Hakaider from Kikaider, I remember seeing a trailer for a live-action movie about Hakaider.

Wonder if that had any connection the Kikaider-verse, or was just a spinoff story...Spin-Off. According to some sites I found (after I typed Hakaider in www.google.com (http://www.google.com/) :p ) its called "Mechanical VIOLATOR Hakaider". Supposedly its NOT rape, and don't really give a reason why he's called that, except if you call blowing up cyborg's violating :p . (ALTHOUGH the director used to do hentai before moving on to mainstream movies with some success.)

In the post-apoctalitic (I suck at spelling) future a dictator takes over a town by using their religion to control them. It is called "JESUS TOWN". FREAKIN' "JESUS TOWN". He has Haikaider made but later on when he no longer has a need for him, he has him buried. Later on he is accidentally freed and seeks revenge on the dictator while a revolution occurs. The enemy and his cohorts wear feathers and Haikaider, this monsterous devil, comes out of underground to stop them. Its not hard too see what is a obvious ironic religious twist. Low buget but supposedly used well and supposedly impressive visuals.

A B-movie where in "JESUS TOWN" Haikaider is an anti-hero blowing up cyborgs. In "JESUS TOWN". FREAKIN' "JESUS TOWN".

Sounds good.

GMB

10-15-2004, 11:27 PM

This seems to be your answer - when Toei was looking for a premise for a new Metal Hero series, they decided to borrow quite a bit from Kikaider. Even one of the bad guys (with the laughable name of "Top Gunder") is sort of an homage to Hakaider.

Well, at the time it was a break from the Space Sherrif stories (also known as the OTHER 60% of VR Troopers) and junk like Byclosser, so yeah, they went to the well again on it. To their credit, Metaldar did handle the story a lot more downbeat that Kikaider did as:

I beleive Metaldar dies at the end of the series.

A B-movie where in "JESUS TOWN" Haikaider is an anti-hero blowing up cyborgs. In "JESUS TOWN". FREAKIN' "JESUS TOWN".

You left out the cheif of Jesus Town is named "Goochev." No WONDER he turned evil, really. ;)

Hakaider is insane, deliriously so. They cover a lot of ground in 30 minutes, by basically ignoring several points one would find critical--how did society get to this point? How were Hakaider and Mikhail created, what's up with all the visions, and most importantly:

Why does Mikhail turn into some weird-ass Kikaider clone at the end of the movie?

During the 90's Keita Amemiya (of Zeiram fame) did a trio of 30-minute Kamen Rider movies--Shin Kamen Rider, ZO, and J. Then he did Hakaider and they're really less actual "movies" as Amemiya showing off his skill in costume design, which he's good at.

It's just that he writes stories much like Bizarro would--lots of enthusiasm, not much coherence at the end of the day. Good enough ways to kill 30's minutes tho.

Chad Bonin

10-15-2004, 11:58 PM

)I beleive Metaldar dies at the end of the series.Well, I guess THAT's why Ryan Steele got a new suit for Season 2...

So, let me get this correct. The guy who did Kikaider and Cyborg 009 was the same guy, right?

GMB

10-16-2004, 12:08 AM

Well, I guess THAT's why Ryan Steele got a new suit for Season 2...

That, plus using footage from Shaida integrates way better with the other Space Sherrif show they had which was Spielban, I do be beleive. The 5 Space Sherrif shows (with the exception of the first one, Gavan) all date from the same period, use the same basic creature and mech designs and it probably made the editing way easier.

So, let me get this correct. The guy who did Kikaider and Cyborg 009 was the same guy, right?

Sure is, among many other things. I understand he worked on Kamen Rider, Goranger, JAKQ, Cyborg 009, Inazuman and probably even Robot Keiji, for all I know.

When it comes to 70's anime and live-action Shotaro Ishinomori was nigh-ominpresent, really. Heck, Toei's live-action department owes its continued existence to his concepts.