The classic series Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot celebrated its 50th anniversary this week. After languishing in the grey market for years, fans of Japanese tokusatsu and kaiju were excited to finally see a DVD release by Shout! Factory in 2013. "'Robot, attack! Robot, destroy!' These commands launched a thousand sci-fi fantasies for budding fans of the genre, just as they brought Johnny Sokko’s Giant Robot into imminent battle action! Under the voice control of young Johnny Sokko, the massive, flying metal behemoth would bring his fiery breath, laser eyes, finger-launched missiles and, above all, his physical strength into battle with countless menacing monsters bent on destroying the Earth! This epic fantasy series from Toei Studios aired from 1967 to 1968 and garnered even more fans in after-school reruns throughout the 70s." Like a number of sci-fi monster-related shows from the era, Toei also wove in elements of Cold War themes. More below.
What is the show about? Join me for a brief tour: The Earth is invaded by a terrorist group called Big Fire (Gargoyle in the US), led by Emperor Guillotine, who commands his minions of henchman and captured scientists (who make monsters- natch!) from his ship beneath the ocean. Enter Johnny Sokko (Daisuke Kusama in Japan), who meets up with a dashing young man, Jerry Mano (Juro Minami in Japan), on a cruise ship. Johnny discovers that Jerry is, in fact, Agent U3 for a top-secret peacekeeping organization called Unicorn! Jerry’s cover is blown when his pen starts ringing. (oops! sounds like Get Smart). Jerry extends an antenna and contacts his boss at HQ- a rather colorful version of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. The ship is attacked by a giant sea monster, and our two heroes find themselves castaways on a beach and captured by the alien terrorists. The baddies in Johnny Sokko are designed with a wonderful mix of elements to portray their evil intent- black berets, sunglasses, Nazi salutes, and sci-fi makeup. Jerry and Johnny break free and an intense gunfight ensues that would never been seen in a US-produced kid’s show. Jerry even uses a guard as a shield! The poor henchman doesn’t stand a chance and his pals riddle him with bullets. Even Johnny is armed with a pistol and looks super heroic, despite his tiny shorts.
I think the necktie adds some authority!
The series is fast-paced and fun. Jerry and Johnny race through corridors and down an elevator, where they discover the Giant Robot and a scientist who has been held prisoner to do Guillotine’s bidding. The man gives Johnny the robot’s control-watch. In James Bond fashion, the heroes blow up the secret lair and shoot it out on the beach. When things get desperate Jerry reminds the kid that he now possesses the watch that controls the robot. The boy flips open the top, makes his first commands, and a franchise is born! Johnny is brought into Unicorn as Agent U7, and joins the secret fight against the alien terrorists.
It's interesting to note that as this series was winding down, Gerry Anderson was recruiting another young boy (in puppet form) for a new sic-spy program called Joe 90.
It was interesting to talk with my friend, translator Fred Schodt (Astro Boy) about the violence that we see in Japanese pop culture. There is an edge to the storytelling, seen even in live-action and animated shows from the early 1960s, which remains compelling for American viewers. Johnny Quest may have been cool and dangerous for its time, but imagine if Johnny Quest, like Sokko, had been allowed to carry a pistol and command a giant robot! In Japan there is generally a greater distinction between fantasy and reality, which is how creators in Japan have generally explained the graphic tone of their content. They didn’t have a Dr. Wertham, for example, leading a Congressional charge that comics were inciting youth to violence. Fred Schodt agreed, and added that Japan’s low crime rate, gun control, and overall group-sensitivity in the culture would help maintain a boundary between fantasy and what can be expected to happen in real life. But as Japan experiences more of the kind of violence that happens in the US, he added, maybe those lines will blur and the graphic tone will become an issue.
Now, back to that giant robot. What kid would root for a powerful mascot armed with super gadgets? While the secret agents in the show are talking into their pen communicators and shooting it out with baddies, Johnny’s robot has quite an arsenal at his disposal: Finger Missiles, Back Missile, Bazooka Cannon (which fires out of the top of the robot's head), Eye Ray/Beams, Flamethrower (from his mouth) and Electrocution Wires. Don't mess with Johnny. If you are a fan of Japanese monsters, heroes, and toys (and love spies!), Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (Giant Robot) is a fantastic adventure! Learn more about the series here. Related posts: Skyers 5, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Editions, James Bond Japanese Editions, Ian Fleming's Japan, Green Hornet Manga, U.N.C.L.E. and Batman Manga, Spies Robots & Monsters, Spies Robots & Monsters II, Marine Boy, Interview: Kevin Dart's Powerpuff Girls.
Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Interview: Trona Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.
Fans of Japanese tokusatsu and kaiju will be excited to hear that the 1960s classic, Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, will finally see a DVD release. Shout! Factory has put together the complete series on four discs, which will hit the streets as a box set on March 26th. From Shout!: "'Robot, attack! Robot, destroy!' These commands
launched a thousand sci-fi fantasies for budding fans of the genre, just as
they brought Johnny Sokko’s Giant Robot into imminent battle action! Under the
voice control of young Johnny Sokko, the massive, flying metal behemoth would
bring his fiery breath, laser eyes, finger-launched missiles and, above all,
his physical strength into battle with countless menacing monsters bent on
destroying the Earth! This epic fantasy series from Toei Studios aired
from 1967 – 1968 and garnered even more fans in after-school reruns throughout
the 70s. Collected here for the first time on DVD are all 26 episodes of
explosive kaiju battles, nefarious alien takeover plots and mind-blowing
heroics from jet-packed Johnny Sokko and his equally airborne friend and
protector: Giant Robot!"
SPY VIBE FLASHBACK 2009: SPIES, ROBOTS, and MONSTERS!
I led a fun week-long class last week that explored monsters and robots in Japanese culture and in contemporary design. They saw the original Godzilla film, the Japanese version that was censored by the US and remained unreleased here for 50 years due to its anti-nuclear sentiment and references to WWII. We looked at many films, cartoons, Tokusatsu (live-action/special effects shows), and had a special visit with manga scholar/translator, Frederik Schodt (Astro Boy). Two programs we watched had special interest for spy fans, and today I want to highlight the first episode of Giant Robot, known in the US as Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (1967-1968 Toei Production).
The Earth is invaded by a terrorist group called Big Fire (Gargoyle in the US), led by Emperor Guillotine, who commands his minions of henchman and captured scientists (who make monsters- naturally) from his ship beneath the ocean. Enter Johnny Sokko (Daisuke Kusama in Japan), who meets up with a dashing young man, Jerry Mano (Juro Minami in Japan), on a cruise ship. Johnny discovers that Jerry is, in fact, Agent U3 for a top-secret peacekeeping organization called Unicorn. Jerry’s cover is blown when his pen starts ringing! Jerry extends an antenna and contacts his boss at HQ- a rather colorful version of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters.
The ship is attacked by a giant sea monster, and our two heroes find themselves castaways on a beach and quickly captured by the alien terrorists. The baddies in Johnny Sokko are designed with a wonderful mix of evil elements- black berets, sunglasses, Nazi salutes, and sci-fi makeup. Jerry and Johnny break free and an intense gunfight ensues that would never been seen in a US-produced kid’s show. Jerry uses a guard as a shield. The poor henchman doesn’t stand a chance and his pals riddle him with bullets. Even Johnny is armed with a pistol and looks super heroic despite his mini-shorts.
The action and camera work are fast-paced and fun. Jerry and Johnny race through corridors and down an elevator where they discover the Giant Robot and a scientist who has been held prisoner to do Guillotine’s bidding. The man gives Johnny the robot’s control-watch. In James Bond fashion, the heroes blow up the secret lair and shoot it out on the beach. When things get tough, Jerry reminds Johnny that he now possesses the watch that controls the robot. The boy flips open the top, makes his first commands, and a franchise is born! Johnny is brought into Unicorn as Agent U7, and joins the secret fight against the alien terrorists.
It was interesting to talk with Fred Schodt about the violence that we see in Japanese pop culture. There is an edge to the storytelling, seen even in live-action and animated shows from the early 1960s, which remains compelling for American viewers. Johnny Quest was pretty cool and dangerous for its time. But imagine if Johnny Quest, like Sokko, had been allowed to carry a pistol and command a giant robot! In Japan there is generally a greater distinction between fantasy and reality, which is one reason that creators in Japan have explained the graphic tone of their content. They didn’t have a Dr. Wertham, for example, leading a Congressional charge that comics were inciting youth to violence. Fred Schodt agreed, and added that Japan’s low crime rate, gun control, and overall group-sensitivity in the culture would help maintain a boundary between fantasy and what can be expected to happen in real life. But as Japan experiences more of the kind of violence that happens in the US, he added, maybe those lines will blur and the graphic tone will become an issue.
Now, back to that giant robot! While the secret agents are talking into their pen communicators and shooting it out with baddies, Johnny’s robot has quite an arsenal at his disposal: Finger Missiles, Back Missile, Bazooka Cannon (which fires out of the top of the robot's head), Eye Ray/Beams, Flamethrower (from his mouth) and Electrocution Wires. If you are a fan of Japanese monsters, heroes, and toys (and love spies!), Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (Giant Robot) is a campy and fun adventure!
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SPIES, ROBOTS, AND MONSTERS II
Gigantor (1964)
Japanese monsters and robots conclude their attack on Spy Vibe, as I highlight the second show from my course last week, Gigantor! Based on the Japanese comic and animation, Tetsujin 28, Gigantor was developed for western viewers by Fred Ladd. Ladd was inspired by an image he saw from Testsujin 28 of an empowered boy controlling a giant robot. Working on the Astro Boy cartoons at the time, Ladd formed his own production company in 1963, Delphi Associates, for the purpose of adapting and distributing Testujin 28, now dubbed "Gigantor," for American television.
Much like the character dynamics seen years later in Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, Gigantor featured a heroic boy thrust in the middle of international intrigue. With the help of his radio-controlled robot, Gigantor, young Jimmy Sparks helps secret agent, Richard “Dick” Strong, and his uncle, Dr. Bob Brilliant, to battle global terrorists. In the first episode, we learn that the various stations set up by countries from around the world on Antarctica have been destroyed. Jimmy joins a team to investigate. They are ambushed by the machine gun-toting henchmen (who first appear disguised as penguins!) of the evil Dr. Katzmeow. As Dick infiltrates the terrorist organization to cripple it from within, Jimmy and Gigantor help to destroy the enemy troops on the battlefield and to crush the evil lair of Katzmeow. And so the formula goes for the show’s run of 52 excellent episodes.
Gigantor has a terrific blend of fast-paced spy and robot action with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. The episodes were made in black and white, which gives the thin-black-tie fashion of the show a cool Spy Vibe. A long-time favorite on Adult Swim in the US, Volume One of the Gigantor DVDs (I believe remastered) will be back in print on May 5th! The DVDs are available for pre-order on vendor sites. You can see a brief interview with Fred Ladd on the Amazon website. iTunes has both original DVD volumes of Gigantor available for download and Netflix has them for rent.
BONUS ANIME
Speed Racer (1967-1968)
The heroic Jimmy Sparks and Johnny Sokko have a slightly older incarnation in the Japanese comic and animation, Mach Go Go (Speed Racer). Here's another lad who gets to drive fast and pack a pistol! Speed Racer starts as a series about industrial espionage. With secret plans written in invisible ink on his windshield, Speed helps his inventor/father in a high-octane battle against enemy spies. If you think the monkey is too sily, just remember that Speed Racer drives a gadget-filled race car that would make 007 drool. The costumes are racing-stripe cool, and the machine gun-toting baddies on motorcycles give the show extra Spy Vibe points. This is another first-wave adventure show from Japan that is worth re-visiting. See the SpyVibe.com website for related video.
SPIES, ROBOTS, and MONSTERS!
I led a fun week-long class last week that explored monsters and robots in Japanese culture and in contemporary design. They saw the original Godzilla film, the Japanese version that was censored by the US and remained unreleased here for 50 years due to its anti-nuclear sentiment and references to WWII. We looked at many films, cartoons, Tokusatsu (live-action/special effects shows), and had a special visit with manga scholar/translator, Frederik Schodt (Astro Boy). Two programs we watched had special interest for spy fans, and today I want to highlight the first episode of Giant Robot, known in the US as Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.
Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot
1967-1968 Toei Production
The Earth is invaded by a terrorist group called Big Fire (Gargoyle in the US), led by Emperor Guillotine, who commands his minions of henchman and captured scientists (who make monsters- naturally) from his ship beneath the ocean. Enter Johnny Sokko (Daisuke Kusama in Japan), who meets up with a dashing young man, Jerry Mano (Juro Minami in Japan), on a cruise ship. Johnny discovers that Jerry is, in fact, Agent U3 for a top-secret peacekeeping organization called Unicorn. Jerry’s cover is blown when his pen starts ringing! Jerry extends an antenna and contacts his boss at HQ- a rather colorful version of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters.
The ship is attacked by a giant sea monster, and our two heroes find themselves castaways on a beach and quickly captured by the alien terrorists. The baddies in Johnny Sokko are designed with a wonderful mix of evil elements- black berets, sunglasses, Nazi salutes, and sci-fi makeup. Jerry and Johnny break free and an intense gunfight ensues that would never been seen in a US-produced kid’s show. Jerry uses a guard as a shield. The poor henchman doesn’t stand a chance and his pals riddle him with bullets. Even Johnny is armed with a pistol and looks super heroic despite his mini-shorts.
The action and camera work are fast-paced and fun. Jerry and Johnny race through corridors and down an elevator where they discover the Giant Robot and a scientist who has been held prisoner to do Guillotine’s bidding. The man gives Johnny the robot’s control-watch. In James Bond fashion, the heroes blow up the secret lair and shoot it out on the beach. When things get tough, Jerry reminds Johnny that he now possesses the watch that controls the robot. The boy flips open the top, makes his first commands, and a franchise is born! Johnny is brought into Unicorn as Agent U7, and joins the secret fight against the alien terrorists.
It was interesting to talk with Fred Schodt about the violence that we see in Japanese pop culture. There is an edge to the storytelling, seen even in live-action and animated shows from the early 1960s, which remains compelling for American viewers. Johnny Quest was pretty cool and dangerous for its time. But imagine if Johnny Quest, like Sokko, had been allowed to carry a pistol and command a giant robot! In Japan there is generally a greater distinction between fantasy and reality, which is one reason that creators in Japan have explained the graphic tone of their content. They didn’t have a Dr. Wertham, for example, leading a Congressional charge that comics were inciting youth to violence. Fred Schodt agreed, and added that Japan’s low crime rate, gun control, and overall group-sensitivity in the culture would help maintain a boundary between fantasy and what can be expected to happen in real life. But as Japan experiences more of the kind of violence that happens in the US, he added, maybe those lines will blur and the graphic tone will become an issue.
Now, back to that giant robot! While the secret agents are talking into their pen communicators and shooting it out with baddies, Johnny’s robot has quite an arsenal at his disposal: Finger Missiles, Back Missile, Bazooka Cannon (which fires out of the top of the robot's head), Eye Ray/Beams, Flamethrower (from his mouth) and Electrocution Wires. If you are a fan of Japanese monsters, heroes, and toys (and love spies!), Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot (Giant Robot) is a campy and fun adventure! See the SpyVibe.com website for related video.
Here are a number of web addresses where you can find out more about Johnny Sokko and even see episodes of the show:
http://www.johnnysokko.com/index.html
http://www.johnnysokko.org/
http://www.hulu.com/johnny-sokko-and-his-flying-robot
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170962/
