Late baby boomers and early Gen-Xers grew up singing the Gigantor theme song: "Bigger than big / Taller than tall / Quicker than
quick / Stronger than strong." Based on a 1956 manga by Mitsuteru
Yokoyama, Gigantor was animated for Japanese TV in 1963 as Tetsujin
28-go (Ironman #28). The original series, ran in syndication in the U.S. from 1966
through 1974. Near the end of World War II, a group of Japanese scientists
experimented with giant robot-weapons. In 2000 A.D. the son of one of those
scientists owns the final prototype. Jimmy Sparks uses a remote control with a
primitive joystick to command Gigantor. With scientist Dr. Bob Brilliant,
dashing Dick Strong and comic police officer Inspector Blooper, Jimmy embarks
on a series of standard adventures. He battles smugglers, evil scientists,
megalomaniacs, and assorted other bad guys, most of whom want to gain control of Gigantor. Unlike the fantastic mecha in later anime series, Gigantor looks like he was
modeled after the Tin Woodman in The Wizard of Oz: pointy nose, hinged
jaw, tubular limbs. The animation is extremely limited, with repeated footage,
dialogue over still artwork, and static shots in which only the characters'
mouths move. These early black-and-white cartoons have campy retro-nerd appeal,
especially for adults who watched the series as kids. It's an absolute
delight to have all 52 episodes on DVD!
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