Giant Robo (ジャイアントロボ) and the Romanticist Japanese

Yesterday, I wrote about the world's first robot marathon that was held by Japan. See that article and some very funny videos here.

Japan has always had a certain flair for robots (be they real, giant or otherwise) and when I was a kid growing up in America, we always thought it was strange. Even though my mom was Japanese, us kids living in the Midwest USA thought these Japanese cartoons and TV shows were not cool.

How little did we realize that this 60's Japanese Kitsch was extremely cool.... The ones who weren't cool were us dorky kids who wouldn't recognize cool if it came up and slapped us in the face!

When a good friend and regular reader sent in a Youtube video link to Giant Robo for me after reading that article about the robot marathon, I clicked on it and watched. "Ah!" I thought, "I remember this TV show! His finger is a rocket!"

A few seconds later, when the theme song to Giant Robo came through the computer speakers, my wife heard it and ran over like an excited little girl and exclaimed, "I loved this TV show! When it ended, I cried and cried!" (She almost started to cry too!)

When my wife said that to me, tears came to my eyes! She reminded me of my mother; and, her emotions remind me, once again, just how romanticist and delicate the Japanese can be.

I love this country and these people. 

Here's the story of Giant Robo... Just one more clue into why the Japanese have a fascination with robots and giant radioactive creatures from space and the bottom of the ocean....

Giant Robo first appeared in 

Weekly Shonan Sunday 1967

The Giant Robo manga (comics) first appeared in a weekly comic book called Weekly Shōnen Sunday on May 1967. Written by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, Giant Robo tells the story of Daisaku Kusama, the titular Robo and an evil secret society known only as "Big Fire." In October of the same year, a live-action adaptation premiered on TV Asahi

To see the very final scene of the final episode of Giant Robot - when he destroys the bad guy and destroys himself in the process - thereby saving the entire world by sacrificing himself - watch this one. The part with the final episode begins at about 4:37. Giant Robo meets his most deadly and dangerous adversary so far. The only way to destroy this evil creature is by flying into space and crashing into an asteroid and killing the monster and himself in the process.


Talk about making the ultimate sacrifice!

Fact of the matter is that, even though this was a hugely popular show with the kids and the ratings were good, the productions costs were way too high and sales to sponsors were not good. Maybe, since this was the 1960's, and before Japan's Economic Miracle, kids weren't a choice marketing target.

Watch this with any Japanese who is between 40 ~ 50 years old and they'll probably start crying. This is so very Japanese. The idea that a guy will kill himself - sacrifice himself - for the good of his loved ones is a theme that is steeped in tradition and a part and parcel of the Japanese psyche. In this country, the true hero is considered anyone who will do anything to save his loved ones.


See? I told you the Japanese are quite romantic!


To see more geeky stuff about Giant Robo click here.

Thanks to Ira Hata

Trailer to Monster from a Prehistoric Planet: Most Cliche Japanese Monster Movie Ever Made!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers
Just about all of the 1960's Japanese monster movies were pretty campy, cliche and not frightening at all... But the one that gets my vote as the campiest, silliest and most cliche of all time is Japanese Director Haruyasu Noguchi's  "Monster from a Prehistoric Planet" that features a monster that looks like a huge chicken. The Japanese title of this dog is "Daikyoju Kappa."

Scary monster or Super Chicken? You decide!

The Internet Movie Database says:

An expedition in the South Pacific lands on a tropical island where the natives worship the mysterious deity Gappa. An earthquake opens up an underground cavern and a baby reptile is discovered inside. The natives warn the foreigners to leave the hatching alone, but they don't listen and take it back to a zoo in Japan. Soon after, moma and papa Gappa start smashing Tokyo looking for their kidnapped child.


You certainly do not want to sit through this entire, er, "thriller" but the trailer is pretty funny and is quite satisfying by itself... So, without much further ado, here is it ladies and gentlemen: 


Daikyoju Kappa!



From Internet Archives

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Keywords:
Daikyoju Kappa, Monster from a Preshistoric Planet, Marketing Japan, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Haruyasu Noguchi, Sci-Fi, 1960's, Monster movie, Mike Rogers

Marketing Japan: Lots of Japanese Toys & More from the 1960's!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers


This just came across my desk and I thought it was a gas. It's a collection of TV commercials from the 1960's made by John Behrens and it is called, "Batteries Not Included."

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and was especially pleased that I am allowed to embed this on this site for your viewing pleasure. I remember some of these toys from the 1960's and wish I hadn't of bashed them up. Some of them are worth a fortune now! Especially the made in Japan cars that, when you examined them closely, you could see that they were fashioned out of aluminum beer cans I saw some of those in mint condition selling at a toy show a few years ago and they were going for $500 ~ $900 each!

Here are John Behrens comments:

Batteries Not Included a Film by John Behrens:

Batteries Not Included is a film that I put together early this year, after I made the film I did not know what to do with it because it is so much different than the Experimental art films that I am most known for doing. I decided to release this film on the internet and I thought the best place to do this would be right here on the Internet Archives.

About the Film:
Almost as long as I have been a filmmaker I have also been a film collector. I have for many years wanted to assemble a collection of vintage toy commercials into a flowing little feature length film, that feature all of these wonderful toys from 1950's 1960's and 1970's all of the major toy companies are represented in this film. Matel, Ideal, Hasbro, Marx, Aurora and many many others. So strap your self in and take a trip back through your childhood and you may discover a commercial for a toy that had a kid and my hope is that it will spark pleasant memory's from those days.


Enjoy and Best Regards
Jon Behrens

I greatly enjoyed this film and wish that you can see it now (or come back later when you have the chance). Wow! What a time trip!

This is a wonderful film and will take you back to a better time. For those of us born in the mid-1950's, it is a reminder that we were so lucky to have been born and lived in the most golden time that the USA ever had or probably ever will have.

Grab some popcorn, get your girl and watch this movie. Enjoy!   

To go to the original link, click here.... Tell them I sent you!

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Keywords:

Toys, Marketing Japan, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, movie, TV commercials, 1950's, 1960's, USA,  John Behrens, made in Japan