1965: The Year Anime Went Beyond The Moon

Right now it's 2025, and that means it's as good a time as any to take a look back sixty years and see what Japanese animation looked like in 1965. Except it wasn't called "anime" back then, the term of art was "terebi manga," largely because a lot of what was showing up on Japanese TV in cartoon form had started as newspaper comics, or weekly comics, or comics in general.  However, by 1965 those lines were beginning to blur.  Mass media marketing began its synchronized attacks upon the spare change of Japan's youth. We're still living in the Dentsu age where animation is but one part of a vast promotional machine, and it all got started in those days of the 1960s. But what did what we'd later call "anime" look like, six decades ago? Well, it kind of looked like this. 

Space was the place in 1965! America and Russia both sent probes to the Moon and Mars, while both astronauts and cosmonauts ventured outside their space capsules for the first time. Meanwhile on TV screens, Tatsunoko's first-ever series Space Ace arrived... from space! Based on Tatsuo Yoshida's manga, Space Ace is a boy from the lost planet Parum who was separated from the rest of his people and landed on Earth. Found by Doctor, uh, Tatsunoko, Space Ace uses his amazing Parum abilities of having a stretchy body, a silver energy ring, and a platinum ray to help his new friends and the Earth. Ace replenishes his energy by chewing special energy gum - candy company Kanebo Harris (now Kracie) was a sponsor, and Ace also appears in the bubble gum commercials that air during the show. Tatsunoko pitched Space Ace to American syndication, but nobody in the US took the bait. I've long heard rumors of an English pilot for this series, but so far all that exist are rumors. 

 

Meanwhile in '65, the TCJ crew responsible for Tetsujin-28 aka Gigantor were hard at work bringing Space Boy Soran to Japanese TV, where it would air from May 1965 until March of 1967. Soran is the son of noted scientist Dr. Tachibana who designed a super bomb and then fled with his family to outer space, as one does. Only Soran and his sister survived the crash of their spaceship. Soran was raised by space aliens who rebuilt him into a cyborg and he returns to Earth years later with super powers and a sidekick, Chappy the Space Squirrel, to search for his sister and also to battle evil, of course. Was Space Boy Soran's space squirrel adventure a little too similar to Osamu Tezuka's "No. 7" manga, and did Soran's production cause Tezuka to forestall production of a No. 7 anime series and instead retool the concept into Wonder 3? Only Galactic Command has the answers.

TCJ's Super Jetter is the story of Time Patrolman 723567 who flies from the future in his time-ship Ryusei-go (“Shooting Star”) in pursuit of the criminal Jaguar. Trapped in the 20th century, Super Jetter finds himself using his future powers to battle for justice! This series was commissioned by TBS as an original work rather than adapting an existing property; after TBS found out they'd inadvertently sold all the international rights to Eight Man to ABC Films, they wanted another show they could control exports of. Super Jetter was created by Fumio Hisamatsu, who also did manga for Ultra Seven, Godzilla Vs Mothra, Mighty Jack, UFO Warrior Daiapollon, and Yatterman. The series was originally in black and white but 26 episodes were remade in color for export, screening in Mexico as "El Hijo de Meteoro."

Also from TCJ, starting in June of 1965, was Planet Boy Papi, the story of the boy from the planet Clifton sent to Earth to sell Glico candy - the show was the second after Tetsujin-28 to air in "Glico Theater" time slot -  and fight evil with his powerful Metalizer pendant and the help of a top evil-fighting combo made up of an Arabian wizard, a professional wrestler, and a little girl. We here at Let's Anime were deeply affected by Prince Planet in our youth, and subsequently have written extensively about this series and its English language release as Prince Planet, which was dubbed by Miami's Copri International Studios and syndicated by American International Television.  

Toei's Space Patrol Hopper was sponsored by Daimaru Department Store and later was retitled Patrol Hopper: Space Kid Jun. The titular Jun is an Earthling who got caught up in a conflict involving space aliens. Injured, Jun was rescued by planet Hopper's Space Patrol. The Hopperians, or Hopperites, or Hopperutians, whichever, those guys rebuild Jun as a cyborg using their scientific power, and he becomes a member of their Space Patrol, fighting to protect peace in the universe and on Earth. The terrific Yasuji Mori character designs are all over this show, which is peak mid century design throughout its 44 episodes, airing from February to November 1965.

The year's only Japanese animated theatrical release was also an outer space adventure. Gulliver's Space Journey is a Toei film about a homeless boy named Ted; he and his friends come across Gulliver, you know, the one from Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. Our modern Gulliver is about to take off in his rocket ship to the Hope Star, which has been conquered by robots! Gulliver's Space Journey has an all-star pedigree. The film's screenplay is by Shinichi Sekizawa, who wrote the lost film "Fearful Attack Of The Flying Saucers" as well as cinematic milestones like Godzilla Vs Mothra, Latitude Zero, Destroy All Monsters, and Jack And The Witch. Gulliver's music is by Isao Tomita, who would also score Jungle Emperor for Tezuka's Mushi Pro. 

Key Gulliver animation was by Yasuo Otsuka, with in-betweening and certain scene concepts by Hayao Miyazaki. Ted's voice actor is Kyu Sakamoto, the first Japanese singer to hit number one on the US charts with his hit song "Ue o Muite Arukō", or, as it was incongruously renamed in the States, "Sukiyaki." The English language version, retitled Gulliver's Travels Beyond The Moon, would be released in US theaters by Walter Reade - Continental in 1966, with new music by Milton & Anne Delugg and Darla Hood from "Our Gang" voicing the Princess. The film would continue to play US theaters through 1975, and would be the last Japanese animated film to hit America until 1971's The World Of Hans Christian Andersen.

  

A more earthbound series from Toei's 1965 stable is Hustle Punch, which might be the closest Japan ever got to the Hanna Barbera style zany talking animal slapstick comedy adventure formula.  Punch (a bear), Touch (a mouse), and Bun (a weasel) all live in a scrapyard and battle the evil plans of Professor Garigari, a wolf who wants to build his own city over their hometown. This TV show delivered rollicking fun from  November '65 until April '66. Hustle Punch creatives Yasuo Otsuka, Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki would later bring this sort of chaotic amusement to human-being shows like Lupin III.

Fujiko-Fujio's Obake no Q-Tarō becomes animated in a 1965 series broadcast on TBS and produced by A-Production and Tokyo Movie, who would later become TMS. Q-Tarō is a friendly, sometimes timid ghost somehow attached to the Ohara family. Our ghostly star is voiced in a breakout role by the protean talent of Machiko Soga and lives, if that's the right word, to cause mischief. This is much to the chagrin of elementary school student Shōta Ohara, Q-Tarō's best pal. The success of this goofy ghost's adventures caused what was called a "Q-Tarō Boom" which would later inspire, among other things, the ghosts in Pac-Man. The Fujiko-Fujio team would also create Ninja Hattori-kun, Kaibutsu-kun, Perman, and Doraemon, which is to say they're behind some of the most popular cartoons in Japan, and in some cases, the world. The 1971-72 Q-Tarō series was broadcast on some US television stations as "Little Ghost Q-Tarō."

Perhaps the biggest star of 1965 was Mushi Pro's Jungle Emperor. Based on Osamu Tezuka's 1950 manga, the TV series was the first color animated series produced for Japanese television. The story of (stop me if you've heard this one before, Disney) how the son of the king of the jungle returns to regain his rightful place as leader of the animals, this show was animated by Tezuka's Mushi studio and began airing in October of 1965, Wednesdays 7-7:30pm on Fuji-TV. The animation may have been simplistic, and the character designs cartoony even by Tezuka standards, but the epic scope of the series, punctuated by Isao Tomita's grand soundtrack, elevates Jungle Emperor into legendary status. 

NBC Films helped to finance the production and exported the series to America as "Kimba The White Lion." Consequently, the series episodes didn't feature continued storylines, violence was toned down, and as the corporate history states, "particular care was taken in the depiction of black people." Absent NBC financing, Mushi's 1967 sequel series "Go Leo" was more faithful to the original manga storyline. Go Leo featured continued stories and more violent content, and subsequently did not air in America until 1982. 

1965 brought us some impressive milestones, but also some confusing missteps, in the shape of Mysterious Thief Pride. Otherwise known as Dr. Zen And The Magic Machine, this weird Tele-Cartoons Japan series of five minute shorts stars the titular thief Pride and his canine companion. Pride & Co. commit zany robberies while being pursued by boy detective Doublecheck, his big pal Broken, and their honeybee fairy friend Honey. Airing on Fuji TV at 6:10pm, this series was in black and white, but was colorized and dubbed for export under the "Dr Zen" title. It's unclear if this series ever made it to air on North America. And why would it?
 

 

1965 continued anime's path towards lucrative property licences and blizzards of toy tie-ins, into increased international audiences and full color productions, a year 1966 and 1967 would build upon in new and exciting ways. Other shows of 1965 include warring-states period boy ninja Fujimaru Of The Wind, the Tezuka cyborg Big X, the live-action/animation hybrid Bibi The Alien, and of course Wonder 3, the Tezuka adventure of a bunny, a duck, and a horse, sent here by Galactic Control to save or destroy the Earth. 

 

Sixty years later, what remains of 1965? They're making another Jungle Emperor. You can still buy Obake no Q-Tarō merchandise, TCJ still exists as Eiken and still has animated shows on the air every week. Sponsors still build ad campaigns around TV animation and studios like Toei, TMS and Tatsunoko continue as major players in the biz. 1965 helped build the pipeline that fed the superhighway that laid the rails that blazed the trails that brought us to today, a world where kids of all ages around the world still watch Japanese animation. Next up: 1975!

 -Dave Merrill

 
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TCJ Part Two

 

 

It's time for part two of our look at the artists formerly known as Television Corporation of Japan Co., Ltd. or TCJ!

Last time, we looked at TCJ’s start and their early series, including Sennin Buraku, Tetsujin-28, 8 Man, Yusei Shonen Papii, and Fumio Hisamatsu’s Super Jetter.

Hisamatsu’s manga work would inspire another TCJ series that premiered in April of ’67- Boken Gaboten Jima aka Adventure On The Gaboten Island. This “Swiss Family Robinson/Robinson Crusoe” style story involves a lost island full of strange animals and the story of five teenagers who wash up on its shores.  Tomato and Ryuga sneak onboard a submarine at an amusement park late at night, joining Gabo, Cucumber and Igao who were already there. Launched accidentally, the sub drifts on the ocean until beaching on Gaboten Island, where the five must survive as castaways. They build treehouses, make friends with the animals, explore the hidden tunnels and caves of the island, discover ancient relics, build irrigation canals, a waterwheel, indoor plumbing, a little island train, meet local islanders,  and hold a boxing match between a gorilla and a baby dinosaur. As fun as all this is, they know eventually the volcano is going to erupt, so they must find a way off Gaboten Island! A great mambo-style theme song and interesting use of live-action footage make the opening credits fun.I’d love to see more of this series.

Hit me, dealer

Falcon Taro’s mom and sister were killed by the Ghost. He volunteers to join the Japan International Secret Police to battle the Ghost for revenge. And thus begins the saga of TCJ’s Skyers 5! Speaking of great theme songs, the crashing, machine-gun riddled OP for Skyers 5 promises lots of James Bond style spy action, and this show delivers as the Skyers team - S5 Falcon Taro, S4 Samson, S3 Lily, S2 Polka, and S1 Captain - dressed inexplicably as casino blackjack dealers, foil the evil plots of The Ghost around the world through the careful application of lots of gunfire.  The 1967 series was black and white, but a 1971 revival was in color.

It’s around this time that the international future of Japanese animation swam onward with Japan Tele-Cartoons’ Kaitei Shonen Marine(Undersea Boy Marine, or “Marine, The Sea-Bottom Boy” if you prefer), an expanded version of an abortive 13-episode series from ’66 titled Ganbare! Marine Kid (Hang on! Marine Kid), in turn a color update of a 3-episode black and white 1965 experiment titled Dolphin Prince. Warner Brothers/Seven Arts in America expressed interest in the show, and the infusion of American capital led to the concept being fully realized in a 78 episode series known here as Marine Boy. America got to see this Japanese show first, which is still kind of rare. Marine Boy, whose father calls him ‘Marine Boy’, is a spunky kid with a super diving suit, an electric boomerang, jet boots, and Oxy-Gum which allows him to breathe underwater. His adventures with the Ocean Patrol and his mermaid girlfriend would thrill children around the world and provide, among other things, one of England’s earliest tastes of Japanese anime.

Marine Boy’s opening credits clearly list “Japan Tele-Cartoons”, and reasonable investigators such as myself would spend decades assuming that “Japan Tele-Cartoons” and TCJ were one and the same. This assumption would be totally wrong. Japan Tele-Cartoons was a separate company, known alternatively as “Nihon Doga” or “TV Video” or “TV Films” or “Terebi Doga.” Take your pick.

Nihon Doga/TV Video/whatever would also produce Kaito Pride AKA Dr. Zen, a primitive series of brain-damagedly simple shorts starring the mysterious thief Pride (or Dr. Zen) and his attempts to steal all the children’s toys. Opposing this criminality is the boy detective Doublecheck and his pals Gabby and Honeybee, who is a little talking bee with a woman’s face. Time to quit drinking.

Terebi Doga would also have their fingers in the world-class ridiculousness of Johnny Cypher In Dimension Zero, hands down one of the worst cartoons ever made, but not without its own Ed Woodsian so-bad-its-good charms.

in the future we'll wear helmets with little wings 

For my own part, I apologize for decades’ worth of disseminating false information about TCJ and Japan Tele-Cartoons or Nihon Doga or TV Films or whatever they’re calling themselves this week, and can only ask for the forgiveness of anime fans everywhere.  Remember kids, when you assume it makes an ASS out of, well, just me.

Meanwhile, back in the non “Tele-Cartoons” world of TCJ, in the Sengoku Era/Warring States period of Japan (16^th century) – or 1968, if you like - the remnants of Sanada Daisuke’s men were hunted by Tokugawa’s ninja led by Hattori Hanzo, and among these survivors was the ninja Sasuke Sarutobi. Sasuke has made pop-culture appearances for years, but in Sanpei “Ninja Bugeicho” Shirato’s 1961 Sasuke manga (based in turn on a novel by Kazuo Den), Sasuke is a young boy struggling to survive in a ninja-infested Japan crazy for his young ninja blood. TCJ’s 1968 Sasuke series did a decent job replicating Shirato’s amazing brushwork and idiosyncratic character design, and delivered the first of a very few “gekiga” anime series. Sasuke ran for 29 episodes and would eventually find its way to American markets as a one-episode dub titled “Kiko – Boy Ninja.” 

date night, Kamui style

The deadly medieval Japanese assassins known as “ninja” would be front and center for TCJ’s next series, Nimpu Kamui Gaiden (Kamui: Stories Other Than The Legend), which would air from April until September of 1969 on Fuji TV with sponsorship by electronics manufacturer Toshiba. Kamui would appear in a short theatrical feature, as well. Shirato’s “Kamui Den”manga ran in Garo from ’65 to ’71 while his “Kamui Gaiden” strips ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday from ’65 until ‘67. Kamui is a ninja from the Edo period who rose up from the oppressed peasant class, but has decided to leave his clan. Of course, nobody leaves the family, Kamui, and his former clan curse him as a traitor and vow to kill him, ninja-style if possible.  Wandering feudal Japan, Kamui must use all his intelligence and super ninja skills to survive as he witnesses the struggle of the common people in an era of grinding poverty and unjust feudal rule.  Eventually the life of a hunted man wears on Kamui’s mind and he becomes paranoiac, convinced everyone’s his enemy. The Kamui manga would be one of the first Japanese comics to beprofessionally published in America, and the anime would have a one-episode VHS dub as “Search Of The Ninja”.

It’s around this time that TCJ underwent a transformation into Eiken, a move that would see it through the end of the 20^th century and beyond. Spearheading this bold new direction is none other than the cheerful housewife Sazae-San, whose TV adventures started in October of 1969 and ended… let’s see. Sazae-San is STILL ON THE AIR.  That makes Sazae-San the longest-running TV cartoon of all time, anywhere.  Based on the Machiko Hasegawa comic strip which started in 1946 and took Sazae and her family through Japan’s occupation up into the 1970s, the success of Sazae-San made Hasegawa one of Japan’s pre-eminent female manga-ka and allowed her to, among other things, start her own art museum.  Although the strip was controversial at first for its portrayal of Sazae as a modern, independent woman capable of making her own decisions, the series is now seen as a light family comedy (see also The Simpsons, which were once controversial enough to be condemned from the White House. I know, right?) enjoyed by generations of Japanese young and old, and ignored completely by so-called “anime fans” in the West. Get with it, people.

Today Eiken, or Kabushiki Kaisha Eiken, is a subsidiary of Asatsu-DK, which is involved in many different interests including the production studio NAS, publishing company Nihon Bungeisha, TV commercial house Prime Pictures, and the Tokyo Ad Party. Eiken’s later successes would include Cooking Papa, shojo classic Glass Mask, super robot hero UFO Daiapolon, the comedy Kobo-Chan, and new versions of both Tetsujin-28 and 8 Man. Does the future hold revivals for Yusei Kamen, Super Jetter, or dare I ask, Yusei Shonen Papi?  Will another anime series burrow its way into the brains of children yet unborn, to complete the cycle of obsession and confusion? Glico is ready when you are, Eiken!

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TCJ, part one

 Somebody - St. Francis Xavier, I think - said “Give me the child until he is seven and I’ll give you the man”. That’s what happened to me with Japanese cartoons. My young brain endured years of ultra-high-frequency TV exposure to Japanese animation, and the result was an inevitable and otherwise inexplicable love for pop culture from the other side of the world. Speed Racer, Ultraman, and Prince Planet burrowed into my skull and never left. Years later I’d find out the studio behind Prince Planet, or Yusei Shonen Papi as it would be known in Japan, was a pioneering outfit responsible for many of the firsts of the industry, and would go on to premiere, among other things, the longest-running TV cartoon in the world.  Recently at AWA, I conducted a research seminar into this studio, known then as TCJ . The following are my findings. 

 

TCJ started as “Television Corporation Of Japan,” an advertising agency specializing in TV animation. This was way back in 1953 when TVs were still blasting Rikidozan matches to crowds in bars. TCJ’s president H. Murata had a relationship with the giant ad agency Dentsu, who had licensed lots of popular manga characters for potential animated series in the new medium. When the “terebi manga” phenomena finally struck in the early 1960s with the success of Tetsuwan Atomu/Astro Boy, the Television Corporation changed its name to simply 'TCJ' and got into what we’d later call the anime business.

Their first TV series was Sennin Buraku, aka “Hermit Village”, a fall ’63 late-night show for the grownups. It’s based on the long-running manga series by Ko Kojima – and when I say “long running” I mean it’s been running since 1956, making it Japan’s comic strip long distance champ.  Sennin Buraku’s anime incarnation lacks Kojima’s sketchy look, but the peace of  Hermit Village Taoyuan’s strict Taoist ascetism is still interrupted by lazy, lustful hijinks and nonsensical action as disciple Zhi Huang follows his own Tao by chasing girls.

 

October of 1963 would usher in the future of anime courtesy giant robots battling for world supremacy. Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin-28 burst forth onto the small screen as Shotaro uses his late father’s invention, the super robot Tetsujin-28, to defeat criminals, villains, and would-be world conquerors. Yokoyama’s 1956 manga, already the subject of a comical live-action TV show, was a perfect fit for a nascent anime industry hungry for science-fictional heroes that could be marketed like crazy. TCJ’s Tetsujin-28 ran for 97 episodes on Fuji TV and would be revived; let’s see, five times so far. When Fred Ladd, the American TV producer responsible for bringing Astro Boy to America, caught sight of Tetsujin-28, it was robot love at first sight. His Delphi Associates would dub and syndicate 52 of the best-looking Tetsujin-28 episodes for the American market as Gigantor.

Robot action would continue with TCJ’s next series; 8 Man. The Jiro “Batman” Kuwata/Kazumasa Hirai manga leapt from Shonen Magazine with its Dick Tracyesque story of a tough detective killed by gangsters but resurrected as the invincible, shape-shifting cyborg 8 Man, whose adventures thrilled children across Japan and whose popularity drove an overworked Kuwata to the brink of suicide. TCJ’s 56-episode series was produced at breakneck speed by a TCJ staff already overworked at producing Tetsujin-28, setting the pace for an overworked, underpaid anime industry that remains so even in the 21st century.  In America, ABC’s syndication arm licensed the series, and after a pilot film dubbed by Peter “Speed Racer” Fernandez, went with Copri International Films in Miami for the localization of the full series. Copri, staffed by Cuban expatriates, dubbed a huge number of American shows into Spanish for the Latin American market, and also did work for the CIA and the Voice Of America propaganda radio service, as well as Standard Oil and Pan Am.  Voice talent for 8-Man came from the local Miami radio and theater scene and a new opening title sequence was animated, probably by Oriolo “Mighty Hercules” Studios. Interestingly, the Japanese theme song was sung by Katsumi Shigeru, a rockabilly singer with the band “Rock Messengers”.  In 1976 got a 10 year prison sentence for murder; he’d killed his girlfriend and stuffed her body into the trunk of his car.

SF marched on in TCJ’s output – their next series, 1965’s Super Jetter, is the story of Time Patrolman 723567 who flies from the future in his time-ship Ryusei-go (“Shooting Star”) in pursuit of the criminal Jaguar. Trapped in the 20^th century, Super Jetter finds himself using his future powers to battle for justice. Super Jetter was created by Fumio Hisamatsu, an assistant to Osamu Tezuka, and his other manga work included adaptations of Godzilla Vs Mothra, Ultra Seven, Mighty Jack, and Mirrorman. Broadcast on TBS, the show achieved enough foreign popularity to warrant a second color series.

The world of Outer Space would remain a theme for TCJ with their next show, 1965’s Uchuu Shounen Soran, which would run 96 episodes through ‘67. Dr. Tachibana invents the anti-proton bomb, and despairing of its use as a weapon, flees into outer space with his wife and children. After a crash landing on the planet Soran, his young son is raised by space aliens and returns to Earth years later with super powers and a sidekick, Chappy the Space Squirrel. While righting wrongs and defending justice, Soran also searches for his long-lost sister. Space Boy Soran would, along with Cyborg 009, Space Ace, and Princess Knight, be broadcast in Portuguese on the pioneering South American TV network TV Tupi.

Next for TCJ was a personal favorite, Yusei Shonen Papi. Premiering in June of ’65, the series would run for 52 episodes on Fuji TV with the sponsorship of candy giant Glico, who would render the form of Papii in various sugary incarnations. The story? Armed with the Metalyzer, Papii is sent to Earth from the planet Clifton to fight for justice. Along with his friends Riko, Strong, and Ajababa, they battle the evil Kiritobi and the mastermind of galactic misery, Gorem.  The series was created by a committee and the original Shonen Magazine manga was by Hideoki Inoue.  American International would pick the series for American distribution and Copri Internation would again provide localization as Prince Planet, a dub that would also be shown to great success in Australia. It’s currently available for viewing on many streaming platforms.

June of ’66 would see the premiere of another TCJ space epic, Yusei Kamen, aka “Planetary Mask” or “Asteroid Mask” as we used to call it. Based on the manga by Jiro Kuwata assistant Kusonoki Kochi, it turns out that in 2001 we discover the planet Pineron, a counter-Earth always on the opposite side of the sun. Relations between the two planets are friendly enough so that Johansen of Pineron and Maria of Earth fall in love, are married, and raise a son, Peter. 15 years later, a nuclear accident allows a dictator to seize control of Pineron and start a war with Earth. Pineronians on Earth are interned and things look bleak for the solar system. Suddenly a mysterious figure appears to fight for justice – people call him Yusei Kamen! The identity of this masked hero, an outer space Zorro, is always a secret, even in the show’s credits. 39 episodes of this series would air on Fuji TV and in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking markets. 

NEXT: Castaways, ninjas, Marine Boys, confusion, and housewives!

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the new adventures of gigantor

Back in the mid 1990s, watchful cable TV viewers got to see a 1993 English version of the 1980 series that was a remake of the 1963 anime series based on manga that had first been published in 1956. Confused? Yes. What am I talking about? The New Adventures Of Gigantor, of course!

In 1980 the anime scene was in the midst of what would become a periodic spasm of remake fever. 60s shows like Tetsuwan Atomu and Cyborg 009 had recieved exciting new color updatings, and other 60s shows like Sazae-San had actually never gone away. The time was ripe for the return of the original space-age robot, Tetsujin-28!

Based on the pioneering manga by Mitsuteru "Giant Robo" Yokoyama, it's the story of a young boy and the flying super robot that is at his command, enabling him to wear blazers and short pants and battle evil monsters and villains and not have to go to school. Dubbed and released in the United States as Gigantor, it became an integral part of the childhoods of TV-babysat children. The 1963 Tetsujin-28 series had been produced by TCJ, an early TV anime studio that produced other popular series like Eight Man and Prince Planet. Many TCJ shows would become hits in America, among them Gigantor, which was produced by Fred Ladd and screenwritten by Peter Fernandez, who would later go on to produce something called Speed Racer.

TCJ later changed its name to Eiken, and would later produce UFO Daiapollon and Cooking Papa. For some reason the show was revived by a different studio, Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS for short), at the time known for manga-based hits aimed at an older audience like Lupin III, Rose Of Versailles, and Aim For The Ace.

The new Tetsujin-28 series had a completely redesigned look; gone were the popeyed big-foot Tezuka style characters and the pot-bellied, charmingly clunky Tetsujin - instead we got slick 80s style super robots and a clean, high tech ultra scientific look, with appealing, international clear-line style character design.

The show would almost serve as a visual blueprint for TMS's next super robot series, the seminal God Mars, also based on a Mitsuteru Yokoyama manga. Script-wise the new Tetsujin series was an updating of the original 1963 show; young Shotaro Kaneda finds his departed father had secretly built a super robot that coincidentally can be controlled via joystick and voice commands. In the original, Tetsujin was built as a weapon for the Imperial Japanese Army; but in the 1980 version Shotaro's dad was preparing for attacks by space aliens. Shotaro's scientist friend Dr. Shikishima and policeman Inspector Ohtsuka return to assist in the battle against evil.

The 1980 series would prove popular in Japan and other worldwide markets, but in spite of America's fond memories of Gigantor, it would be 13 years before the show would be seen in the United States. Fred Ladd- producer of the original Gigantor, Astro Boy, Kimba The White Lion, and fresh off working on Sailor Moon for DIC- took the 1980 Tetsujin-28 and reconfigured it into "The New Adventures Of Gigantor".


The original calypso-beat Gigantor theme was pressed back into service, and a colorized sequence of the original show served as a segue into the new series, which was presented as a sequel. The show ran from September 1993 until January 1994 as part of a block of cartoon programming on the Sci-Fi Channel- not even half a year. It's a shame, because it's an appealing, fun show that quickly dispenses with the 'monster of the week' format. As the series progresses it moves into outer space with fleets of laser-blasting warships displaying both a Star Wars influence and the training TMS was getting in preparation for the galaxy-spanning adventures to come on God Mars.

Hopes of a DVD release are faint; Mr. Ladd reports that the home video rights were held by LIVE Entertainment Inc., which went under in the late 1990s. With the death of Tetsujin-28 creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama, the ownership of home video rights was made even less clear.

Still, we've seen releases of even more obscure series... I don't know that there's a lot of demand for The New Adventures Of Gigantor, but the show deserves more of a chance than four months of cable TV exposure.

Tetsujin-28 would of course go on to spawn the early 90s sequel Tetsujin-28FX (a sequel to the original Tetsujin-28, not the 1980 version), a live-action film with computer-generated giant robots smashing cities and each other, and a 2004 remake anime series that returned Tetsujin to its 50s postwar roots. Clearly the interest in bigger than big, stronger than stronger robots is still there, and they will always be ready to fight for right... against wrong.

-Dave Merrill

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here comes prince planet

My “career” of writing about Japanese cartoons seems like an eternally repeating cycle of recurring motifs. Every ten years somebody pays me to write about Star Blazers, and no matter what medium I write in or what name it goes under, I eventually wind up writing about Prince Planet. The show impacted my brain at an early age, and you might say I’ve been under its influence ever since.

(splash page from a 1965 issue of SHONEN MAGAZINE)

The show’s original title, YUSEI SHONEN PAPI, means "Meteor (or Asteroid or Comet, take your pick) Boy Papi". It was produced by Television Corporation Of Japan (TCJ) who also produced Tetsujin-28-Go/Gigantor, Eight Man/Eighth Man, Yusei Kamen/Asteroid Mask, Kamui The Ninja, Kaitei Shonen Marine/Marine Boy, and Skyers 5. Papi’s original Japanese air dates were June 3, 1965- June 27, 1966, totalling 52 episodes. The show was based on the manga by Hideoki Inoue, which appeared in Shonen Magazine, the '60's weekly comic which also featured Tetsuwan Atomu/Astro Boy, Tetsujin 28-Go/Gigantor, Wonder Three/Amazing Three, Eight Man/Eighth Man, and Ashita No Joe/Joe Of Tomorrow. Papi was sponsored by Japanese candy manufacturer Glico, the name of which makes up a refrain at the end of the Japanese theme song.

Spurred by the success of Astro Boy, Gigantor, and Eighth Man, "Papi" was turned into “Prince Planet” and dubbed by Miami-based Copri International Films, an outfit partially staffed by gun-toting anti-Castro Cubans. The show was distributed to independent TV stations in America and elsewhere by American International Pictures, the same outfit responsible for releasing hundreds of cheap biker movies, most Gamera films, Alakazam The Great, Wild In The Streets, Roger Corman’s Poe epics, and Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot. AIP was later bought by Filmways, which was bought by Orion Pictures, which in turn was bought by MGM, part of which was aquired by Sony/Comcast. At this point nobody at MGM or Sony or whoever seems to be aware they even own Prince Planet. Two episodes of the series were released on the “Starman” DVDs from Something Weird, and several gray-market outfits are selling DVDs of the show online and through eBay, at conventions, etc.

I first saw Prince Planet at the age of 2, and for years afterwards memories of this show would impinge upon my consciousness, usually spurred by the imagery of Speed Racer or Kimba or whatever Japanese cartoon that happened to cross my vision. 15 years later I’d see the show again thanks to tape trading, and nowadays thanks to the internets and DVDs the show is out there for people who REALLY want to see it; though a legit DVD release would be nice.

So what’s this show about? Prince Planet is a young boy of about 12 from Radion, a far off planet. He was sent to Earth on a mission to study Earthlings and aid them in the fight against all kinds of evil. The organization behind this is called the Universal Peace Corps, a UN-like conclave of alien beings concerned with preserving galactic peace and justice. As the narrator explains frequently, Prince Planet's power comes from his pendant, which is capable of just about anything and must be constantly recharged by a power transmitter on Radion. The plot of any given episode usually calls for the guy operating the power transmitter to be away from his post, or sleeping, or knocked unconscious, or otherwise incapacitated when Prince Planet really needs him. Our hero changes to Prince Planet form by holding the medallion and shouting "Kazow" or sometimes "Kapow" or sometimes "Kazam" or “Wowee”. Sometimes the original Japanese dialog of Papi shouting "Piiiii-Papi!" can be heard in this scene.

When Prince Planet first came to Earth, he landed on the ranch owned by Diana Worthy and her father Mr. Worthy (sometimes called "Pops Worthy"). Prince Planet took the name of “Bobby” and made himself more or less an extended houseguest. This ranch is located somewhere near the city of New Metropol. Sometimes New Metropol is close enough to walk to, and sometimes New Metropol requires a plane trip. It all depends on what the city was in the original Japanese show, and how lazy the American writers were in coming up with names for cities. Diana is approximately Prince Planet's age, dresses like the girl on the Swiss Miss package, and has a knack for getting into all sorts of trouble that only Bobby can extricate her from.

Their big pal Dan Dynamo was an out-of-work studio wrestler who lost his job because he was just too strong. He was almost led into a life of crime, but Prince Planet rescued him and thenceforth Dan Dynamo aided Prince Planet in his mission to fight evil. He also is constantly hungry. He first appeared in episode #2.

Adji Baba is an Arabian wizard from the fake Middle Eastern nation of Abadon. He first appears in episode #4. Prince Planet and the gang frequently travel from place to place with his magic carpet. At one point a hatch is opened on the carpet, revealing machinery inside, so I'm not quite sure what kind of magic carpet this is. Adji has all sorts of wacky magic powers, and they usually backfire amusingly. He and Dynamo don't get along much. The exact spelling of his name is unknown, but he has a son and three grandkids back in Abadon, whom we see in episode #51.

One recurring foe is Warlock, an evil Martian magician with an evil laugh, three feet of spiky black hair, and an incredibly high-pitched voice. His plans may be to conquer the world, steal a secret formula, or destroy something important, but they always include killing Prince Planet and/or Adji Baba. Naturally, these plans always fail. He meets his end in episode #51. The main villain in Prince Planet, however, is Krag. Sometimes known as the Master Of Misery, Krag is the evil warlord of planet Kragmire. He's like the Godfather of outer space, sending legions of enemies, monsters, and heinous devices against Earth and Prince Planet. He has a huge square head and dresses like a deranged undertaker, with a gigantic stove-pipe hat and a black suit with a flower in the buttonhole. His favorite weapon is a pocket watch with hidden sawblades – he throws it - and when he wants to fly, sleek batwings pop out of his back. They just don’t make cartoon bad guys like Krag any more. In contrast to Warlock, Krag has a very deep voice. His end comes when Prince Planet blasts him out of existence in episode #52.

Having first been exposed to Prince Planet when I was all of two years old, I can personally testify to the strange appeal this clunky old show holds. The animation is passable at best, the dubbing is laughable, and the plots are grade-Z comic book science fiction, but Prince Planet has a wacky charm that more than surpasses its weak points. This mixture of SF, fantasy, monsters, aliens, spies, and gangsters, combined with bizarre, dada-esque scripts, villains reminiscent of the Batman TV show, and heroes that weren't afraid to blast, zap, or crush their way to justice, wound up congealing into a show that left an indelible mark on many young, impressionable minds.

A Japanese friend of mine reports that not only did she watch and enjoy Prince Planet during its original run in Japan, but she also had an entire Prince Planet costume, complete with medallion, that was obtained by collecting wrappers from Prince Planet chewing gum. The mind boggles. The Japanese DVD set of “Papi” episodes features two discs of extras that include TV ads for Glico “Usei Shonen Papi” candy, complete with all sorts of “Papi” themed prizes and giveaways. The show was a particular hit in Australia, where several other anime shows like Ken The Wolf Boy got English dubs and broadcast releases denied us here in the States, and where the later adoption of color TV meant B&W programming enjoyed a longer lifespan.

The show was one of the first animated series to have a definite beginning and a definite end; in the last episode Prince Planet hops into a spaceship and returns to Radion to make his report. Characters like Krag make their appearance halfway through the series. Other characters like Dan Dynamo and Adji Baba enter and exit the series. Since most syndicated TV shows at the time shunned continuity, Prince Planet’s continuing storyline is surprisingly progressive, in a “stuff that happened in earlier episodes is referenced in later episodes” kind of way, not in a “depicting minorities in non-stereotypical fashion” kind of way, there’s plenty of that.

Being black and white hurt Prince Planet’s chances at syndication in the 70s; stations wanted color shows. Programs like 8th Man, Amazing Three, and Gigantor joined Prince Planet on the monochromatic rubbish heap, to be revived only through video trading and the tables of bootleg VHS dealers at SF conventions.

Back in the late 1980s I started an organization devoted to 60s Japanese cartoons and deliberately set out to get in touch with fans of Prince Planet and other shows. Since then I’ve heard from hundreds and hundreds of fans who remember the show and have a real desire to see it again. Nostalgic tail-end boomers want to relive their youth, parents want to share the show with their children, and students of goofy kids cartoons always have room on their shelves for one more DVD box set of obscure 60s goodness. Other black and white cartoons like Astro Boy and Gigantor have enjoyed success in re-release; why not Prince Planet?

90s print version of Let's Anime, cover by Paul Young

For your future reference and general edification, allow me to present a Prince Planet episode guide, obtained from that invaluable research resource, the Internets. The titles are from the original Japanese series; the American version would mention episode titles in the “coming next episode” trailer at the end of each show, but there was never an official title card. I’ve added commentary where appropriate.

1. A Boy From Outer Space

2. Giant on the Matters (enter Dan Dynamo)

3. The Formidable Rival

4. The Arabian Magician (first Adji Baba)

5. The Flying Jelly Fish

6. Dinosaur Men

7. A Big Showdown

8. Robot Island (features a cameo by Gigantor!)

9. The Overgrown Lizard

10. Shaberia (aka “Shabiria The Vicious Vegetable”)

11. Fancy Machine

12. S.O.S. Global

13. Gold Picker

14. Attack of the Radioactive Ants (aka “Atomic Termites”)

15. The Great Space War

16. The Star in Memory

17. The Space Zoo

18. The Stolen Mount Fuji

19. Pirate Satan

20. Planet Of Terror

21. Robot

22. Good-Bye Saturnian

23. The Earth Zero Hour

24. The Ghost Space Ship

25. Battle on a Desert Island

26. Secret Under the Sea

27. The Rocket Pilot

28. Gaist the Devilfish

29. The Gift From Prince Planet

30. Gollen, the Formidable Foe

31. The Pollen Bomb

32. Operation Rico

33. Rico, the Great Detective

34. A Spy From the Necro

35. The Demon Scientist

36. The Young Spies

37. Pollo The Secret Agent

38. The Magic Glove (aka “Diana Will Believe Pretty Much Whatever Anybody Tells Her”)

39. The Robot Prince

40. Rico's Adventure

41. The Lion in the Desert

42. Crisis on the Earth

43. The Horror of a Snowman

44. Revenge in the Valley

45. The Comet Missile

46. The Mystery of a Mummy

47. The Mystery of Organ

48. Horror at 10:10 PM

49. The Birdman Racket (aka “The Birdman Bandits”)

50. Secret Path into the Earth (aka “Invaders From Alkali”)

51. Ajababa's Grandchildren

52. The Star at Home

I hope this list helps those of you out there with Prince Planet episodes to catalog your findings and expand your Prince Planety knowledge. Together we can keep the memories of Prince Planet alive until somebody somewhere down deep in somebody’s film archives gets the moxie together to throw this stuff on a DVD for us. With extras.

-Dave Merrill

(thanks to Meg Evans, Shaun Camp, and Tim Grumbly)

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