The New Adventures of Gigantor
New Tetsujin-28 is a 1980 Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha, and a modern style remake of Mitsuteru Yokoyama's manga Tetsujin 28-go. It was directed by Tetsuo Imazawa and produced by both Shigeru Akagawa and Toru Horikoshi. It aired on Nippon Television from October 3, 1980, to September 25, 1981, with a total count of 51 episodes. Fred Ladd and TMS converted the series into The New Adventures of Gigantor, which was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States from September 9, 1993, to June 30, 1997.
Plot
In 1990s, when solar energy, a pollution-free energy source, has become widespread throughout the world. Shotaro Kaneda is a young boy whose dead scientist father created the giant robot Tetsujin-28 after realizing the chances of attacks from outer galaxies. Shotaro has possession of the only V-controller, kept in an attache case, which enables him to have direct command of the all mighty Tetsujin-28. If the V-controller goes into the hands of the enemy, this could lead Tetsujin-28 to fight for villains who want to destroy the earth. Whenever peace in this world is threaten from Branch, aliens, and others, Shotaro together with his friends, Dr. Shikishima, Detective Otsuka, must unleash the power of our metallic super hero.Japanese cast
- Eiko Hisamura as Shotaro Kaneda
- Ikuko Tani as Utako Shikishima
- Yoshio Kaneuchi as Dr. Shikishima
- Kousei Tomita as Inspector Ohtsuka
- Kumiko Takizawa as Makiko Shikishima
- Osamu Kobayashi as Branch
- Keiko Toda as Prince Gula
- Kenji Utsumi as Space Demon King
- Ikuo Nishikawa as Robby
- Aiko Konoshima as Gina Hayakawa
- Tamio Ōki as Dr. Franken
- Kazuyuki Sogabe as Narrator
English cast
- Barbara Goodson as Jimmy Sparks, Marana/Lady Shroud, Bonnie Brilliant, Star
- Doug Stone as Bob Brilliant
- Tom Wyner as Inspector Blooper, Dr. Kendamu/Dracula, Moldark, Narrator
- Gregg Berger as Coldark
- Jeff Winkless as Opening Narration
Broadcast
The series was created by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and broadcast on Nippon Television in Japan between October 3, 1980, and September 25, 1981, every Friday from 18:00 to 18:30.The opening theme was Taiyo no Shisha Tetsujin Nijūhachi-gō by song Junichi Kawauchi. The first ending theme was Kibō ni mukatte 〜 Shōtarō no tēma 〜 and the second ending theme was Muteki no Tetsujin Nijūhachi-gō, both song by Junichi Kawauchi.
The series was adapted for North America by Fred Ladd and broadcast as The New Adventures of Gigantor on the Sci-Fi Channel from September 9, 1993. This broadcast ended on June 30, 1997, after reruns.
The series was also broadcast in the 1980s in Arab countries, Spanish-speaking countries, Italy, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Production
Original author Mitsuteru Yokoyama was not keen on creating a new Tetsujin-28, but when he saw the design arranged by Katsushi Murakami, who was working on the Chogokin toys at Popy at the time, he gave the go-ahead on the spot.The series was produced with a group of creative key animators, such as Eikichi Takahashi, Hajime Kamegaki, Hideyuki Motohashi, Kazuhiro Ochi, Masahito Yamashita, Masakatsu Iijima, Osamu Nabeshima, Yoshinori Kanada and others.
Hayao Miyazaki participated as an uncredited key animator in episode 8.
Reception
The anime series enjoyed a dedicated fan base and contributed to the legacy of mecha anime. It is often remembered for its charming characters, engaging story lines and impressive animation, with iconic and distinctive background music. It is regarded as a significant entry in the mecha genre, bridging the gap between classic and modern anime.The mechanics animation directors, Hideyuki Motohashi and Hajime Kamegaki, both from Studio Z5, worked hard to make the layout design look cool with dynamic action sequences. As a result, the mecha drawings were featured prominently in the anime magazine Animage.