Kikaida

Publisher
JNProductions
Director
Tensai Okamura
Production
RADIX, Sony, Studio OX
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
25 episodes
Year
2000

Kikaida DVD V. 1

By David Rasmussen
10th Sep 06

Just because a DVD comes out now or in the recent years it doesn’t mean that the series is new.
Several recent series coming out now or previously all fall into this category, a bit of retro for your collection depending on what your taste runs. Be it classic untouched live action cult classic fare or the mecha series you should have known way back in the day (for starters), a little retro goes a long way… and yes, that was a terrible pun. Sorry.

Well, except here. How about a little retro released from a company that seems to lack the ability to grasp the reason why they released the damn series on DVD in the first place… say hi to the series that you’ve only known from BANDAI’s animes or the recent manga releases, aka Kikaida.

Kikaida (Kikaider in Anime/Manga releases) is to Japanese actor Ban Daisuke what classic Batman the TV Series was to Adam West, a memorable cult classic that fans will remember forever (though in Kikaida‘s case at least that is more than I can say for it‘s immediate sequel Kikaida-01 which drags the series from cult classic live action costumed monster basher into hokey cult status live action ridiculous monster basher, but more on that the day (heaven forbid) I end up reviewing Kikaida-01).
However the moment JNProductions got it hands on it this series seemed rather… well… doomed. Despite the fact that this series was released by JNProductions they never planned anything past the islands of Hawaii, which even shows on the jewel cases where it’s clearly marked “Not for sales outside the State of Hawaii. Exporting of this product is prohibited”…. uh, yeah, brilliant “Holmes”, absolutely brilliant. I guess they will sell you it over their website, though, since… well… anyway they’re just full of it it seems.

Mind you this is a far better fate than, say, the endless butchery of all things “Power Rangers”, or the short, brief yet oh so evil bastardization of Kamen Rider (Masked Rider)… oh, if you’re a Kamen Rider fan there’s another thing to hate JNProduction for as they’re supposed to be locking their claws onto THAT series as well (one of the incarnations at least).

Sure, the whole JNProduction thing doesn’t make sense. I know that lots of Hawaiians (who regard Kikaida in a great sense as Hawaii’s own “super hero” despite Kikaida is not a native created character) moved away from Hawaii to live on the mainland and elsewhere (yes), and yet JNProductions seems to have forgotten THAT fact as they seem to have the most limited viewpoint of their “target” audience (and beyond) which is seemingly NOT exploited here. What the?

Sure, I could say that JNProductions was forced to do this (limit the DVD releases) by their Japanese counterparts but for that to have happened you’d have to grant that the people at JNProductions is either incapable of negotiating a proper deal (something BANDAI seemed to have done for Kikaida’s animated counterpart), or they’re too limited in scope and lack the vision to properly release a series like this… I.e they’re incompetent.

That being said this is probably the hardest series out there to get ahold of… so why not tell you the story about the series if not to at least pique your interest (send all hate e-mails and complaints over to JNProductions care of their website over at www.generationkikaida.com (if it’s still active that is)).
So now, it’s time for Ban Daisuke to ride once again as we open up the first DVD Volume of the series with Kikaida DVD Volume 1, and the first five episodes.

Episode 1 - Grey Rhino King : Harbringer of Evil
A strange guy in a grey rhino costume… oh, wait, it’s NOT a costume? You can’t tell the difference considering how unreal… I mean how real this “DARK Destructoid” (evil robotic bosses with mostly animal themes) looks! And he’s terrorizing Japanese workers at a huge hydroelectric dam, followed by robotic clone soldiers of the evil organization “DARK” years before George Lucas stole… (cough cough)… I mean BORROWED this idea for his Pre-Trilogy movies… yeah, borrowed, definitely borrowed.

But along comes a guy playing a sad tune on a guitar to oppose these evil things! A guy who is decked out in denim, loves long intro speeches from the top of high structures or buildings (I’m getting a nosebleed just thinking about it) and has the occasion to change into a champion of good known as Kikaida through an elaborate transformation sequence! This is Jiro (the “second son”), and he’s the robotic creation of wacky works for evil but eventually becomes good Doctor Komyoji (who spends most of this series doing the whole amnesia bit)… why? Well you see he’s working for DARK but he made Kikaida to resist DARK (working alongside his daughter Mitsuko right in the heart of one of DARK‘s bases).

DARK, run by an evil even creepier than Cobra Commander (and yet becomes as ineffectual as Cobra Commander during the worst seasons of GI Joe after he changes “bodies” and joins the cast of Kikaida 01) named Professor Gill. Professor Gill, who uses his genius for evil (unlike George Lucas who uses his Star Wars original trilogy for evil by repackaging it over and over and over… going to re-re-rebuy it this September? No? Didn’t think so.) has made an evil organization out for world domination called DARK. Using robotic clone troopers, an army of “generals” (his DARK Destructoids) and more he’s out to take the world one plotpoint at a time, with only Dr. Komyoji standing against him… and yes, that WAS a long informational sequence! Xenosaga long!

This, by the way, is bad because DARK is like many up and coming businesses as they have competitive health plans, workers comp (you don’t get thrashed you’ll function another day… as long as you don’t irk the boss), and surveillance cameras watching their every move. Yeah. Well the whole “secret” resistance within DARK HQ doesn’t last long, the father/daughter team’s lab is set to the torch, and Jiro has to flee with Mitsuki while Komyoji vanishes (to be seen again later).

The runaway Jiro/Mitsuki hooks up with her little brother Matsuko (who she’ll have to watch over now, and yes if I got his name wrong this review I will so totally repent next review over… only right now I don‘t seem to care much so wait for next review for me to get it right if it‘s wrong now) as Kikaida ends up fighting Grey Rhino King once again… to the “death”.

Episode 2 - Green Mantis : Bizarre Killing Machine
Knowing that Professor Komyoji is still alive (because he’s played by a fairly big star and all) Professor Gill uses his latest Destructoid, the weird preying mantis mech Green Mantis to flush him out (by killing Komyoji’s old colleagues and blaming the absent doctor for their deaths). Kikaida gets involved and things get punchy (and kicky).

This episode has two things of note. One, the whole thing about the effect of Gill’s flute on Destructoids (and it’s effect on Jiro), and the thing about disguised Destructoids… oh, and Jiro’s attachment to high places.

First off the attachment to high places. It seems that this series (and it’s producers) got a kick out of finding taller and taller places to hang Jiro off of (playing his guitar before jumping down to fight). It gets explained in the interviews (there are quite a few interviews here with Ban Daisuke in these DVDs) so I won’t go into it here, just know that every episode you’ll find Jiro standing on top of some high spot sooner or later (for the most part though I can’t remember any episode off hand he’s not standing on top of some tall structure looking down at his enemies).

Second thing of note is the flute. Gill’s flute has the ability to drive Destructoids into a rage which makes them destructive, sorta like what Wiseman supposidly 3 years ago in the storyline in Metal Gear Acid 2 (though I’m sure there’s no connection). Jiro, who has a partial “consceience” circuit that helps him kind of resist the call to fall towards the Dark Side belted out by the flute (though at times he does succumb, only without becoming a whiney JedI brat like that Anakin loser), can only fully counter the effect by transforming into Kikaida (who has a completed conscience circuit that can totally resist Gill’s flute).
This usually happens because something drowns out the sound of the flute (which somehow reaches Jiro even though Gill is miles away), usually through a dramatic thing like an explosion or water or Jiro is run over by a mini police car and the engine noise drowns it out (like in this episode).

Yeah, that whole thing (along with Ban Daisuke’s dignity I sometimes think) went out the window in Kikaida-01 as that series is more campy that cult like this one, but I’m barking up another franchise… which JNProduction hasn’t seemed willing to touch yet… wonder why. (If they ran out of money to make DVDs it’s their own fault with their being stingy and all).

Finally we have the whole Destructoid in another form thing. In this episode Green Mantis disguises itself as Doctor Komyoji in order to kill his old collegues (one actually though he was gunning for two), and eventually Kikaida confronts Mantis (as Komyoji) and exposes him… no, no, not that way. You see, even if they’re disguised the one thing these things can’t hide is the evil locked in… their Shadow… no, no, no appearances by Alec Baldwin. He appears in enough things already.

Oh, and this episode also premieres the first appearance of comic relief and failed detective slash part-time ninja Hattori Hanpei (who is mostly a goof on the show, though he did show a little guts by… well… let’s say interviews reveal a love triangle on the set of the series that was never fully realized).

Oh, and in this episode there’s a major glitchy glitch to talk of as well.
Halfway through the episode Mitsuki is kidnapped by Green Mantis and a few DARK robotic clone troops, who steal her away in a police car they were using. No, the glitch isn’t the reoccuring license plate (the same license plate), it’s what happens when Jiro/Matsuko show up in chase on Jiro’s bike (official name : Sidemachine). Notice how during the chase the bike is, in fact, NOT moving. Seemingly powered by the power of Jesus juice or something, the bike is moving at a fair pace yet it’s wheels are perfectly still (both before and after Jiro turns on the “auto pilot” so he can jump off to save Mitsuki).
(Lucky for them a kind invisible man in an invisible truck with an invisible rig for towing bikes came by).

Otherwise watch the epsiode… and amaze as to how damn coordinated those DARK troopers are when they’re fighting! They must have gotten their combat training with Cirque De Solei.

Episode 3 - Orange Ant : Challenge to the Death
Containing the best fight sequence of the series, Challenge to the Death also introduces the most popular Kikaida character to be made into a fully realized costume by major cosplayers in Hawaii, Orange Ant! After butching a hapless couple in a lighthouse, Orange Ant sets his sights on a town in order to take hostages and terrorize people for another plot by the devious Professor Gil. Kikaida shows up, but ends up on the short end of the stick during their first confrontation prompting Mitsuki to attempt to finish the work on Jiro’s consceince circuit only to evoke an emotional scene from Jiro.

Later going out to find Orange Ant again (with Matsuko hiding in Sidemachine) the pair end up running from Orange Ant and his troops only to be held up near the beach which leads to the final confrontation which goes down smooth and is one of the best of the series. Nice.

Episode 4 - Blue Buffalo : Fiendish Death Trap
DARK Destructoids are all wet today as this briefly aquatic Destructoid (Blue Buffalo… Blue Water Buffalo?) comes up from the depths in order to find a runaway DARK employee, only for her to be saved by Kikaida (disguised as a clone trooper). When DARK attempts to use this scientist’ daughter as bait to lure her out Kikaida counters and save her while keeping the scientist safe (so she can totally quit her old job with the crazy coot and his wacky Destructoids so she can work in a nice safe job with a crazy coot and his wacky

Episode 5 - Yellow Jaguar : Claws of Evil
Let’s wrap it up here and break it down. But just for your edification Professor Gill uses his newest Destructoid (Yellow Jaguar) to assassinate the head of the Green Project (in order to pick up enough carbon dioxide for an environment smashing bomb… guess somebody, maybe Kikaida, is going to throw an ecological monkey wrench (or just an ecological monkey) into the works of this plan before it’s over.
Breakdown time.

Kikaida Breakdown the 1st
What’s Hot?
Power Rangers makes you wonder wht the hell was so darn appealing about this show that there’s a seemingly ENDLESS array of spinoffs with people in the same color coded outfits riding lord knows what in mechanical mecha form depending on what version your watching?
Hated that brief bastardization of Kamen Rider which tried to make it hip (for it’s time) by cutting “fresh” new scenes of some brat and old Kamen Rider footage with bad voice acting together into something evil?
Ever think there’d never be anything out of Japan starring either Godzilla or the lesser known super monster turtle what’shisname that’ll actually be watchable? (Or that one updated short lasting English version of Ultraman filmed in Australia which was actually worth watching)? Here you go, change your mind now.

Not dubbed into bad Engrish, not slapped together with horrible live action of teen angst ridden people looking to make a buck on kids (and yet kids still watch Kikaida here in Hawaii), and not made to sell out by trying to make it “relevant” or “hip”, Kikaida still has a fanbase over 30 years after it’s original conception way back in 1973. Kikaida still makes appearances in Hawaii, used to have huge stunt show spectaculars before the last one a few years ago (think they moved on now to push Kamen Rider in light of their acquisition of at least one of the Kamen Rider series for DVD release in Hawaii… once again lacking imagination…), and still has a Kikaida themed live show that shows on KIKU called Generation Kikaida.

Kikaida still has life, now if only it’d have life OUTSIDE of the Hawaii islands.

What’s Not?
What’s not is that if you are a live action Japanese costumed hero fan you’re being deprived of one of the iconic series of the genre (unless you’re actually buying these from JNProductions directly) as this series cannot be sold legally outside of Hawaii anywhere. Not your local Costco (though Costco Hawaii does have the right to sell this), not your local Blockbuster (unless you are in Hawaii), not your local… well, you get the point. Unless said franchise is set in Hawaii it’s not selling this.
That’s stupid. Considering lots of Hawaiian residence (a lot of who are still fans of the franchise) are out there, and some NON Hawaiian residents out there are still fans, the lack of worldwide distribution sucks.
You’ll never know what you’re missing if you’re not given the chance to know what you’re missing.

Moments to Remember?
For a show that’s over 30 years old (only a few in tems of DVD release though) this one is memorable, really.

What to Ignore?
That one day we have to talk about the campy Kikaida-01. Oh, and there’s no real scene select system on this DVD but I guess that’s a minor thing to the overall content.

Overall?
With a nice solid set of episodes, a ton of extra content from interviews to original promos and profiles, this one has a nice setup that will appeal to fans of series like Kikaida. A series by the fans, for the fans, sold by people who the fans need to put over their knees and spank hard until they stop being stupid.

Next Time
In awhile we’ll open up Kikaida V. 2... When I get it. See you whenever.

-- David Rasmussen 10th Sep 06

Kikaida Images