Gigantor: Difference between revisions

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{{About|the 1963 anime adaptation of Tetsujin 28-go|the original manga and the franchise|Tetsujin 28-go}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}

{{Globalize|article|United States|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox animanga/Header

|name = Gigantor

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|licensee = {{english anime licensee

| AUS = [[Siren Visual]] (former)<br>[[Madman Entertainment]] (2010–present)

| NA = [[NBCDelphi Enterprises]]Associates (1964–1966former)<br>[[Trans-Lux|Trans-Lux Television]]<br>(1966–1967former)<br>[[The Right Stuf]] (2009–present2009–2023)<br>[[Crunchyroll, LLC]] (2023-present)

| NZ = [[Siren Visual]] (former)<br>[[Madman Entertainment]] (2010–present)

}}

|network = [[Fuji TV]] (1963–1966)

|network_en = {{english anime network

| AU = [[ATV (Australia)|ATV-0]] (1968)<br>[[TEN (TV station)|TEN-10]] (1968)<br>[[SAS (TV station)|SAS-10]] (1968–1969)

| US = [[WPIXBroadcast syndication|WPIX-TVSyndication]] (1964–1966original run)<br>[[Adult Swim]] (2005–2007)

}}

|first = October 20, 1963

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{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}

{{nihongo|'''''Gigantor'''''|鉄人28号|Tetsujin Nijūhachi-gō|lit. "Iron Man No. 28"|lead=yes}} is a 1963 [[anime]] adaptation of ''[[Tetsujin 28-go]]'', a [[manga]] by [[Mitsuteru Yokoyama]] released in 1956. It debuted on US television in 1964January 1966. As with ''[[Speed Racer]]'', the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers.<ref name=cd>CD liner notes: ''Saturday Mornings: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'', 1995 MCA Records</ref> The dub was created by [[Fred Ladd]] distributed in the US by [[Peter Rodgers Organization]].

A new series was produced in Japan in 1980 and was later shown as ''[[The New Adventures of Gigantor]]'', on the [[Syfy|Sci Fi Channel]] from 1993 to 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/gigantor/201660 |title=Gigantor TV Show: News, Videos, Full Episodes and More |publisher=TV Guide |access-date=April 8, 2020}}</ref>

== Plot ==

The ''Gigantor series'' is set in the then distant year of 2000. The show follows the exploits of little Jimmy Sparks, a 12-year-old boy who controls Gigantor, a huge flying robot, with a remote control.<ref name=Woolery>{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981 |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/120/mode/2up |access-date=March 14, 2020 |page=121}}</ref> The robot is made of steel and has a rocket-powered backpack for flight, a pointy nose, eyes that never move and incredible strength, but no intelligence (although he started to tap his head as if trying to think in one episode). Whoever has the remote control controls Gigantor.

Originally developed as a weapon by Jimmy's father, Gigantor was later reprogrammed to act as a guardian of peace. Jimmy Sparks lives with his uncle, Dr. Bob Brilliant, on a remote island. Jimmy usually wears shorts and a jacket, carries a [[firearm]] and occasionally drives a car. Together, Jimmy and Gigantor battle crime around the world and clash with the many villains who are always trying to steal or undermine the giant robot.

== History ==

In 1963, [[Fred Ladd]], while working on the animated feature ''[[Pinocchio in Outer Space]]'' and on the animated TV series ''[[The Big World of Little Adam]]'' had seen artwork of Mitsuteru Yokoyama presenting a giant robot remote-controlled by a young boy. The Tokyo-based artist had designed the robot for a Japanese shōnen [[manga]] series ''[[Tetsujin-28]]'' and later a black-and-white animated TV series called ''[[Tetsujin 28-go]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=377–378}}</ref>

Ladd, who had produced the successful international, English-language adaptation of ''[[Astro Boy (1963 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'', and [[Al Singer]] formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc. to produce and distribute an English-language version of ''Tetsujin 28-gō''. They took only 52 episodes of the black-and-white Japanese series for the American market and renamed the series ''Gigantor''. [[Peter Fernandez]] wrote much of the English script and participated in the dubbing. Delphi then sub-licensed worldwide distribution rights to [[Trans-Lux|Trans-Lux Television]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Gigantor on Television Age|magazine=[[Television/Radio Age (magazine)|Television Age]]|volume=13|issue=5|publisher=Mark Shaw Associates|date=1965-09-27|page=38}}</ref> The series became an immediate hit with juvenile audiences, though adult reactions were sometimes hostile.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}

Despite the fact that the ''Tetsujin 28-go'' manga (which debuted in 1956) predates the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Iron Man]] (who debuted in 1963), ''Tetsujin 28-go'' (which literally means "Iron Man No. 28") could not be released as ''Iron Man'' in North America due to the Marvel character Iron Man appearing in that market before ''Tetsujin'' debuted there, so the series was renamed ''Gigantor'' for the American version.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television cartoon shows: an illustrated encyclopedia, 1949 through 1993 |date=1995 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786400294 |pages=232 & 324 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ACLuAAAAMAAJ |quote=The character names were then "westernized": Dr. Kaneda became Dr. Sparks; his son Shotaro became Jimmy; and finally, since there already was an "Iron Man" on the market (see Marvel Superheroes), Tetsujin 28GO was not translated as Iron Man No. 28 but completely rechristened as Gigantor.}}</ref>

''Gigantor'' premiered in the United States in syndication in January 1966.<ref>{{cite news|date=1966-01-17|title=TV and Radio Program Guide (5:30)|work=[[Toledo Blade]]}}</ref> It was playing at 7:00&nbsp;p.m. on New York's [[WPIX|WPIX-TV]] in January 1966 when ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' gave it a particularly scathing review, calling it a "loud, violent, tasteless and cheerless cartoon" which was "strictly in the retarded babysitter class". The reviewer added that ''Gigantor'' was popular; he said, "Ratings so far are reportedly good, but strictly pity the tikes and their misguided folks."<ref>''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]],'' January 26, 1966</ref>

The reviewer added that ''Gigantor'' was popular; he said, "Ratings so far are reportedly good, but strictly pity the tikes and their misguided folks."<ref>''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]],'' January 26, 1966</ref>

''Gigantor'' became a popular Japanese export during this time. The series was shown in Australia on [[Melbourne]] television in January 1968 through [[Trans-Lux]], on [[ATV-0]] at 5:00&nbsp;pm. It was described by the ''[[TV Week]]'' as an "animated science fiction series about the world's mightiest robot, and 12-year-old Jimmy Sparks who controls the [[Jet engine|jet]]-propelled giant". The series aired in other markets around Australia, including Sydney on [[TEN (TV station)|TEN-10]], and in [[Adelaide, South Australia]] on [[SAS-10]], (its debut on Monday October 28, 1968, at 5.55&nbsp;pm).<ref>Lannan, Kelly Patrick. (1977{{ndash}}current) ''Base Koala TX Data Archives''.</ref> It was also screened in New Zealand around the same time.

''Gigantor'' was one of a number of Japanese TV series that enjoyed strong popularity with young viewers in Australia during the 1960s. The first and undoubtedly the most successful of these was the hugely successful live-action historical adventure series ''[[The Samurai (TV series)|The Samurai]]'', the first Japanese TV series ever screened in Australia, which premiered in late 1964. It was followed by a contemporary [[ninja]]-based live action espionage series, ''[[Phantom Agents]]'', and a number of popular Japanese animated series including ''[[Astro Boy]]'', ''Ken The Wolf Boy'', ''[[Prince Planet]]'' and ''[[Marine Boy]]''.

In July 1994, [[Fox Family Films]], a division of [[20th Century Fox]], acquired the rights to "Gigantor" for a live-action motion picture.<ref name="reinvents">Parker, Donna. (July 19, 1994) [[The Hollywood Reporter]] ''Fox reinvents "Gigantor" robot.'' Page 3.</ref> Anticipating that ''Gigantor'' would become a franchise for the studio, Fox tapped screenwriters [[Steve Meerson]] and [[Peter Krikes]] to prepare the script and budgeted between $35&nbsp;million and $50&nbsp;million for the film.<ref name="reinvents"/> Executive producers [[Fred Ladd]] and Aeiji Katayama indicated that [[Mitsuteru Yokoyama]] would get an executive producer credit and that the 50-foot robot would be updated and modernized for the 1990s with a 12-foot height and morphed and [[Computer-generated imagery|computer-generated features]].<ref name="reinvents"/> However, the project has yet to come to fruition and Mitsuteru Yokoyama has since died.

== Characters ==

Whimsical English names were given to the show's characters, such as "Dick Strong", a secret agent; a funny policeman named "Inspector Blooper"; and enemies, such as, "The Spider", "Dubble Trubble", and "Dr. Katzmeow". Other characters included Bob Brilliant's teenage son, Button, as well as his housekeeper, Lotus.

Jimmy Spark's voice was that of [[Billie Lou Watt]]. The voice of Inspector Blooper was that of Ray Owens. [[Old time radio]] listeners might find the Inspector Blooper sounds a lot like the Willard Waterman/Harold Peary-voiced character "[[The Great Gildersleeve]]". Gilbert Mack voiced Dick Strong. [[Peter Fernandez]] provided the voices of other ''Gigantor'' characters.

== Episodes ==

Below is the list of the English dubbed episodes.

{{Episode table |overall= |title= |episodes=

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|- style="border-bottom:3px solid grey;"

!|#

!style="text-align:left"|Title

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=1

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|LineColor=333333

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|}}

== Sequels and spin-offs ==

The 1980–81 ''New Iron Man #28'' (''Shin Tetsujin-nijuhachi-go'') series was created with 51 episodes based on a modernized take upon the original concept art. In 1993, Ladd and the TMS animation studio converted the series into ''[[The New Adventures of Gigantor]]'' and broadcast it on America's [[Syfy|Sci-Fi Channel]] from September 9, 1993, to June 30, 1997.

During this time, the series was shown on Spanish television under the name ''Iron-Man 28''.

There was also a sequel series, ''[[Tetsujin 28 fxFX]]'' (''Tetsujin-nijuhachi-go-Efu-Ekkusu''), about the son of the original controller operating a new robot (with his father and the original FX-less No. 28 appearing from time to time to help), which ran in Japan in 1992.

In 2004, a new ''[[Tetsujin 28-go (2004 TV Series)|Tetsujin 28-go]]'' series was made which returned to the original story established by the manga and original anime series. This version was released in the United States on DVD under the original Japanese title of ''Tetsujin 28''. Unlike ''Gigantor'', however, the English translation of this series is closer to the original Japanese version, with all Japanese names retained.

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An American-made ''Gigantor'' comic book series was released in 2000 by [[Antarctic Press]]. The comic lasted for 12 issues and was later collected in 2005 in [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperback]] form. The comic used elements from the anime ''[[Giant Robo (OVA)|Giant Robo]]'' as well as [[Marvel Comics]] references, though the later issues became closer to the original animation.

The creators of ''Gigantor'' have unveiled plans for another updated design, a "Gigantor for the New Millennium." This newest form of the giant robot is called '''G3''' and differs from past designs. The new Gigantor is a meld of [[robot]] and [[cyborg]]. According to the main site: "Driven by a complex neuro-system of DNA-impregnated neurochips, Gigantor G3 is a living Cybot!".<ref>{{cite web|title=Gigantor G3|url=http://www.gigantor.com|work=Author Unknown|publisher=Fred Ladd's Official Gigantor and more...|access-date=May 27, 2012|author=Chuck Scholt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030205212849/http://www.gigantor.org/next.html|archive-date=February 5, 2003|year=2001|quote=Driven by a complex neuro-system, Gigantor G3 is a roborg!}}</ref>

== Theme song and miscellany ==

* The title song "Gigantor" was written by Louis C. Singer and [[Eugene Raskin]].<ref name=cd/> A cover version, performed by [[The Dickies]], reached #72 in the U.K in 1982. It can be also found on their re-release of ''[[Dawn of the Dickies]]'' 2000 Captain Oi! Records<ref>Boehm, Mike. (February 16, 1988) Los Angeles Times ''[httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-16/entertainment/-ca-43147_1_circle43147-jerks-lyrics,story.html Punks Make Contact at Lively Dickies/Circle Jerks Show.]'' Section: Calendar; Page 8.</ref> A cover version of the theme song "Gigantor", performed by [[Helmet (band)|Helmet]], is included on the 1995 [[tribute album]] ''[[Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits]]'', produced by [[Ralph Sall]] for [[MCA Records]].<ref name=cd/> The Australian Japanese punk band [[Mach Pelican]] also released a cover of the song on their 1999 self-titled album.

* The ''Gigantor'' theme is parodied in the ''[[Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain]]'' episode "How I Spent My Weekend".

* The [[Gigantour]] music festival, created by [[Megadeth]] frontman [[Dave Mustaine]], is named after ''Gigantor''.

* [[7L & Esoteric|MC Esoteric]]'s 2008 release ''Esoteric vs. Japan – Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo'' extensively samples both the theme song and various episodes.

* In the film ''[[Night at the Museum]]'' and its [[Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian|sequel]], JedidiahJedediah calls Larry Daley "Gigantor".

* In the film ''[[Speed (1994 film)|Speed]]'', a man on the bus refers to another man on the bus as "Gigantor".

* [[Styles of Beyond]] sampled the original theme song for the hidden track "Gigantor" from the album ''[[Megadef]]''.

* The series was parodied as ''Torboto'' in a 2007 ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' ''[[TV Funhouse]]'' sketch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxqapxhOvjg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/nxqapxhOvjg| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=TV Funhouse: Torboto – SNL |publisher=YouTube |date=September 2, 2013|access-date=April 8, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==See also==

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==External links==

*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000929031552/http://www.gigantor.org/ ''Gigantor'']}}

*[http://www.toonopedia.com/gigantor.htm ''Gigantor''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240527223643/https://www.webcitation.org/6k6weg3N4?url=http://toonopedia.com/gigantor.htm Archived] from the original on August 28, 2016.

*{{anime News Network|anime|1293}}

*{{IMDb title|0058807|Gigantor}}

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