Tetsujin-28
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, known as simply ''Tetsujin 28'' in international releases, is a 1956 manga written and illustrated by
Mitsuteru Yokoyama was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma Ward of Kobe City in Hyōgo Prefecture. His personal name was originally spelled , with the same pronunciation. His works include ''Tetsujin 28-go'', ''Giant Robo'', '' Akakage'', ''Babel II'', '' Sal ...
, who also created ''
Giant Robo is a Japanese manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The manga, which was first published in 1967, spawned a live-action ''tokusatsu'' television series of the same name, as well as a series of original video animations called '' Giant Robo: ...
''. The series centers on the adventures of a young boy named Shotaro Kaneda, who controls a giant robot named Tetsujin 28, built by his late father. The manga was later adapted into four
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series, a
Japanese television drama , also called , are television programs that are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, jidaigeki, thrill ...
and two films, one
live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...
and one animated. Released in 1963, the first series was among the first Japanese anime series to feature a giant robot. It was later released in the United States as ''
Gigantor is a 1963 anime adaptation of ''Tetsujin 28-go'', a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on US television in January 1966. As with ''Speed Racer'', the characters' original names were altered and the original series' viol ...
''. A live-action movie with heavy use of CGI was produced in Japan in 2005. The series is credited with featuring the first humanoid giant robot controlled externally via remote control by an operator.


Plot

In the final phase of the Pacific War, the Imperial Japanese Army were developing a gigantic robot "Tetsujin 28-go" as the secret weapon to fight against the Allies. However, Japan surrendered before they could complete its construction. After the war, Dr. Kaneda (the developer of Tetsujin 28-go) passed his robot to his son Shotaro Kaneda.


Characters

*: The ten-year-old son of Dr. Kaneda. He is Tetsujin's assigned controller, with a deep emotional attachment to the robot. Shotaro is a boy detective famous throughout Tokyo, and in the manga, 1963 series, and 2004 series, can be seen frequently driving a car. *: Dr. Kaneda's assistant, later Shotaro's mentor and guardian. He is caring and very dedicated to his work, but usually looks serious and deadpan. He is married, and has a son named Tetsuo. *: The Chief of Tokyo Police. He is warm in personality and very enthusiastic, which isn't to say he doesn't take his job seriously. He is very close to Shikishima and also takes care of Shotaro, even acting as a surrogate father in the 2004 series. *: A former intelligence officer who begins to help Otsuka and Shotaro's work. His appearances in the 1960s and 2004 series are starkly different; he is immediately Shotaro's ally in the 1960s, but in the 2004 series, his brothers Ryuusaku and Tatsu are killed during Tetsujin's revival, causing him to seek revenge for several episodes. In the original manga, he and Ryuusaku are the leaders of a criminal organization. *: A reclusive mad scientist who created the robot Black Ox. He is calm and very knowledgeable, but unfortunately uses his talents to create dangerous robots. In the original version of the 1960s series, his name is Dr. Black Dog. *: An American man who volunteered himself to be turned into an android as part of a wartime experiment. As a result, his body is entirely robotic with the exception of his brain, and is often covered in bandages. In the 2004 series, he steals his brother Johnson's identity in order to kill the doctor that made him this way.


Production

Yokoyama's ''Tetsujin'', much like Osamu Tezuka's ''
Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 '' tankōbon'' ...
'', was influenced by the artist's wartime experiences. In Yokoyama's case, this was through the bombing of Kobe in World War II. As he had written in ''Ushio'' magazine in 1995, "When I was a fifth-grader, the war ended and I returned home from
Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hiro ...
, where I had been evacuated. The city of ''Kobe'' had been totally flattened, reduced to ashes. People said it was because of the B-29 bombers...as a child, I was astonished by their terrifying, destructive power." Another influence on Tetsujin's creation was the
Vergeltungswaffen V-weapons, known in original German as (, German: "retaliatory weapons", "reprisal weapons"), were a particular set of long-range artillery weapons designed for strategic bombing during World War II, particularly strategic bombing and/or ae ...
, a set of wonder weapons designed for long-range strategic bombing during World War II, and the idea that Nazi Germany possessed an "ace in the hole to reverse tswaning fortunes". The third work to inspire Yokoyama's creation was the 1931 film ''
Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...
'', which shaped Yokoyama's belief that the monster itself is neither good or evil.


Release

''Tetsujin 28-go'' was serialized in
Kobunsha Kobunsha ( ja, 光文社 ''Kōbunsha'') is a Japanese publishing company. It publishes literature, manga novels, and women's magazines. Company history Kobunsha was established on October 1, 1945, and belongs to the Kodansha group. The company h ...
's ''Shōnen'' magazine from July 1956 to May 1966, for a total of 97 chapters. The series was collected into 12
tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...
volumes, which are re-released every ten years.


Adaptations


1963 television series

The 1963 television incarnation of ''Tetsujin 28-go'' aired on
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
from 20 October 1963 to 25 May 1966. The series initially ended with 84 episodes, but then returned for 13 more, for a total of 97 episodes. The series had mostly short plots that never took up more than three episodes, but was generally more light-hearted than the anime that would succeed it. Shotaro, Otsuka, Shikishima and Murasame functioned as a team in this version. In North America due to the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
character Iron Man appearing in that market before ''Tetsujin 28-go'' (which literally means "Iron Man No. 28") debuted there, so the series was renamed ''Gigantor'' for the American version. The dub was done by
Fred Ladd Fred Laderman (February 19, 1927 – August 3, 2021),''Tol ...
, all of the character names were changed, and the wartime setting removed. Shotaro Kaneda became Jimmy Sparks, Dr. Shikishima became Dr. Bob Brilliant, Inspector Otsuka became Inspector Ignatz J. Blooper, and Kenji Murasame became Dick Strong. The series' setting was pushed forward to the year 2000. Only 52 of the 97 episodes were ever dubbed in English.


1980 television series

The 1980-81 ''New Tetsujin 28'' series was created with 51 color episodes based on a modernized take upon the original concept art. In 1993,
Fred Ladd Fred Laderman (February 19, 1927 – August 3, 2021),''Tol ...
and the TMS animation studio converted the series into ''The New Adventures of Gigantor'' and had it broadcast on America's
Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
from September 9, 1993 to June 30, 1997.


Tetsujin 28 FX

Chō Dendō Robo Tetsujin 28-go FX is a sequel to Tetsujin 28-go directed by Tetsuo Imazawa and produced at the
Tokyo Movie Shinsha , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
studio. It ran on Nippon Television from April 5, 1992 to March 30, 1993, totaling 47 episodes. It has been brought over to Latin America, but never released in English-speaking countries. The show follows Shotaro's son, Masato, who controls a new edition of Tetsujin and works at a detective agency with other children. Among them are Shiori Nishina, granddaughter of Chief Otsuka. The Tetsujin FX (Iron Hero 28 Future X) is controlled by a remote control gun, which has to be aimed at the robot for it to take commands. ;Cast * Yusuke Numata as Masato Kaneda *
Hideyuki Tanaka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo who is attached to Aoni Production. He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. He is most known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Donquixote Doflamingo), ''Dokaben'' (as Tarou Ya ...
as Shotaro Kaneda (adult) *
Eiko Yamada is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Hisamura worked under her maiden name before her marriage and for a long time afterward, so that name is still often used, even among fans. She is currently affilia ...
as Shotaro Kaneda (child) * Ai Orikasa as Yoko Kaneda * Fumihiko Tachiki as Ken'ichi Tsukasa *
Etsuko Kozakura , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese voice actress from Mizuho. She was formerly with Ohsawa Jimusho, but now heads her own agency called Little Portal with husband Jin Domon. Some of her major roles are Ryo-Ohki in the ''Tenchi Muyo ...
as Futaba Mitsue *
Takeshi Kusao is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. He was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, and works for Aoni Production.Doi, Hitoshi"Kusao Takeshi" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011. Among his many roles, he is best kno ...
as Saburo Natsuki *
Akiko Hiramatsu is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Ken Production.Doi, Hitoshi.Hiramatsu Akiko. ''Seiyuu Database''. June 11, 2010. Accessed June 28, 2010. Filmography Anime OVA Movies Video Games Dubbing *'' Bootmen'' (Linda ( Sophie Lee)) *' ...
as Shiori Nishina


2004 television series

Written and directed by
Yasuhiro Imagawa is a Japanese anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term deri ...
, the 2004 remake takes place ten years after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, approximately the same time as the manga debuted. The new television series has been released in the United States under its original name ''Tetsujin-28'' by
Geneon (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distributi ...
and in the United Kingdom by
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
, the first time a ''Tetsujin-28'' property has not been localized to "Gigantor" in America or other English speaking nations. The television series focused mainly on Shotaro's pursuit to control and fully understand Tetsujin's capabilities, all the while encountering previous creations and scientists from the Tetsujin Project. While not fully based on the original manga, it followed an extremely different storyline than in the 1960s series. On July 1, 2004, a video game was released for the PlayStation 2 developed by Sandlot and published by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
. The game uses the same voice actors as the animation, though it takes presentation cues from the anime, the manga, as well as the '' kaiju'' film genre. On March 31, 2007, a feature-length film, entitled "Tetsujin 28-go: Hakuchu no Zangetsu" (which translates as "Tetsujin #28: The Daytime Moon") was released in Japanese theaters. The film used the same character designs and scenery as the 2004 television series, albeit the film remade the series from the beginning. Among the changes, a new character "Shoutarou" debuted, Shotaro's older half-brother who was in the same airforce troop as Ryuusaku Murasame. Also a character named Tsuki, with a heavily bandaged body, attempts to murder Shotaro.


2005 live-action film

A live-action adaptation of the series, directed by Shin Togashi, was released in Japan on March 19, 2005. It was later released on DVD in the US by
Geneon Entertainment (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan. Th ...
and by
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
in the UK. The film centers on Shotaro (
Sosuke Ikematsu (born July 9, 1990) is a Japanese actor, television, and theatre actor best known for his role as Higen, the young nephew of samurai leader Katsumoto, in the 2003 film ''The Last Samurai''. Life and career Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefectur ...
), who is living in the modern age with his widowed mother. He discovers Tetsujin 28, a giant robot left for him by his father ( Hiroshi Abe). With the help of Chief Otsuka and classmate Mami Tachibana, Shotaro learns to control Tetsujin and does battle with the villainous Dr. Reiji Takumi and Black Ox.


Cancelled films

On December 26, 2008, Felix Ip, the creative director of
Imagi Animation Studios Imagi Animation Studios, also known as Imagi Studios, was a Chinese animation and visual effects studio based in Hong Kong, and established in 2000 by Imagi International Holdings Limited (), a Hong Kong-based investment company. Background I ...
, revealed screenshots from a computer-animated teaser trailer featuring Tetsujin and Black Ox. On January 9, 2009, the Japanese animation company Hikari Productions and Imagi launched the projects website, as well as the full teaser featuring Shotaro and Dr. Franken. The film was subsequently cancelled, along with several other projects, when Imagi went defunct in 2010. '' Idlewild'' director
Bryan Barber Bryan Barber (born December 20, 1970) is a music video and motion picture filmmaker. He has directed many music videos for popular artists, including Outkast's " The Way You Move" and "The Whole World". Barber is known for sprinkling scenes fro ...
reportedly acquired the rights to ''Gigantor'' in 2011, with plans to adapt it into a feature film. The project never came to fruition, however, and no further developments have been made since.


Legacy

* The
shotacon , abbreviated from , is, in Japanese contexts, the attraction to young (or young-looking) boy characters, or media centered around this attraction. The term refers to a genre of manga and anime wherein prepubescent or pubescent male character ...
genre of Japanese fiction, which focuses on a sexual attraction to young boys, is said to be linked to ''Tetsujin 28-go''s Shotaro as an early example of the archetypal boys the genre focuses on; indeed, the term "shotacon" is said to be short for "Shotaro Complex".Saitō Tamaki (2007). "Otaku Sexuality" in Christopher Bolton, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr., and
Takayuki Tatsumi is a Japanese scholar. He is a professor at Keio University, where he has taught literary theory and American literature since 1989. As an avid science fiction fan, he authored many books and essays on science fiction. He received Nihon SF Tais ...
ed., page 236
Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams
''. University of Minnesota Press. .
* Guillermo del Toro has cited the series as an influence on his movie '' Pacific Rim'', depicting a series of battles between human-controlled giant robots and giant alien monsters. * Shotaro's name was borrowed by Katsuhiro Otomo for the protagonist of his manga, '' Akira''. He also borrowed the name Shikishima for the colonel and the name of Shikishima's son, Tetsuo, for the character Tetsuo Shima; he has stated in the ''Akira Club'' book that it could be said that Akira is based on ''Tetsujin 28-go'' (Akira himself is referred to as "No. 28" by the scientists experimenting on the espers). * The U.S. edition of the show, ''Gigantor'', was spoofed in ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''s "Torboto" sketch.


References


External links

* {{TMS Entertainment 1956 manga 1960 Japanese television series debuts 1960 Japanese television series endings 1992 anime television series debuts 2013 anime television series debuts 2013 manga Action anime and manga Adventure anime and manga Anime series based on manga Dieselpunk Eiken (studio) Fuji TV original programming Historical anime and manga Japan-exclusive video games Japanese television dramas based on manga Manga adapted into films Nippon TV original programming Animated television series about robots PlayStation 2 games Science fiction anime and manga Shōnen manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Super robot anime and manga Video games based on anime and manga Video games developed in Japan World War II television series