Customer Reviews

Kikaida, Vol. 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A thousand mahalos to GenerationKikaida for making this DVD and its sequels available, for I am a charter member of the Kikaida generation. I was about 7 years old when the show debuted on KIKU in Hawaii, and was caught up in the excitement. Kikaida was one of my heroes, and when my family moved back to the mainland several years later, this show was one of the things I missed the most. Even years later, I never forgot about it. That's why I was so excited to see this DVD had been produced, and even more excited to get a copy of my own.

Of course, things look a little different from my grown-up perspective. The plotline is even thinner than I remembered, the monsters even more rubbery, the music even more repetitive (even as a kid, I knew the hightop-wearing androids were ridiculous) -- and Kikaida himself is somewhat less preposessing a hero to a 36 year old than he was to a 7 year old (for one thing, he's a lot less muscular than I remember).

But who cares? Anyone who loved the show in his or her youth will remember exactly why as soon as the theme music starts again, and the nostalgic trip is sure worth taking. Switch on!

Kikaida has a very special place in my heart. This TV show is responsible for my burning curiosity, fascination, and love of Japanese pop-culture that I've had since I first saw the show in 1975 or so. When I was in the first grade, a kid moved here (So. California) from Hawaii. One day he brought an amazing red, blue and yellow action figure (we still called them "dolls" back then) to school. "WHO'S THAT?" "He's Kikaida." "WOW HE'S NEAT!" "He's on TV every Sunday at 6 on channel 22." "REALLY????" That was how I started watching Kikaida. KWHY 22 was a local channel geared towards L.A.'s Little Tokyo populace. I soon came to love Kikaida more than Superman, Batman, Spiderman, or any other American superhero. (Kikaida basically means "Machine-man," by the way.) He rides a cool motorcycle, he plays the guitar, and he kicks butt. I remember being profoundly upset when they stopped running Kikaida episodes. The series ended and was replaced by an anime (we called them "Japanese cartoons" back then) called Brave Raideen, and after that Getta Robo G. In my wildest dreams, these series are also released on DVD here in the US.

I don't know how satisfying Kikaida would be to an adult seeing it for the first time, as the episodes are quite repetitive, always following the same formula- Evil leader creates new bad guy for Kikaida to fight, almost always named in a "color/animal" fashion. Green Scorpion, Crimson Tiger, etc. Said bad guy kidnaps one of the good guys, Kikaida goes to save them, evil leader paralyzes Kikaida with his evil flute playing, Kikaida somehow breaks free and kills the bad guy with his trademark deathblow known as "The End," and then... well, The End. Everyone lives happily ever after. Until the next episode.

At any rate, this is very fun, very classic Japanese live action superhero hub-bub. It belongs in your collection right next to Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Go Rangers.

The Kikaida dvd's are excellent. Video is remastered, subtitles are done very well, great extras. The show really good too, lots of crazy Destuctiods for Kikaida to do battle with. The story is closer to the Kamen Rider series than the Ultraman shows.

This is a dvd release that should be supported by all fans of Japanese sci fi. Kamen Rider V3 will be released by the same company in late 2005.

I was 5 years old when Kikaida first appeared on Hawaiian televisions. Eh, old timers... remember the channel? KIKU Channel 13, before they became KHNL 13. I remember Kikaida meeting then Governor Ariyoshi. I got this for Christmas from my mom... she called before she sent the DVD to me on the mainland saying, "you going get a kick outta this gift!" It just started a memory flood in my brain... I used to have the toys, the shirt, etc... also watched the show religiously, and would hate when the normal japanese programming came on. This DVD is great quality, and I remember all of the episodes. It's cheesier, because I've grown up some, but it's still as fun as I remember it. As of Christmas '03, I now own volumes 1 to 3 (Mom sends me a new volume every Christmas), and know what I'll be getting every Christmas until I have it all. Can't wait until Kikaida 01 comes out too! My kids... well... they love it as much as I did when I was their age; amazing!

Well for those in the bay area, be aware that Channel 26 KTSF will air Kikaida April 16, 2005 every Saturday at midnight. I guess it'll replace the old midnight Kung-Fu theatre.

I never saw this series since it never aired here. However, I remember watching Captain Cosmic and Creature Feature. This was a show host who would host and introduce every episode at 3:00pm. The shows would include, Ultraman (original), Giant Robot, Goldar, Spectra-man and of course Godzilla. It was a great tv era for me. Kikaida must've been the Hawaiin parallel during the early 80's tv.

I saw this show getting very high marks on netflix and amazon so decided to see what it was all about. It's hilarious. Jiro is a robot constructed by an evil genius, but rebels (with the help of a conscience circuit) and always plays his red guitar before attacking the baddies, transforming and ending with his signature moves. Jiro is very good(he's friendly, but shy). The bad guys are very bad(they're called "Dark Destructoids" for good reason.). See Jiro run up the side of a building and fly in his motorcycle. I'm a huge fan of model-effects, and this has loads of them. And first-rate explosions. Sometimes it becomes totally nonsensical, like they're fighting inside, then suddenly they're outside. What? Who cares, the music is awesome. Also has the bonus ridiculous character of Hatori Senpei, Hatori Hanzo's modern day kin working as a Bumbling private detective. It's very childish, and a goofy grin was plastered on my face the whole time. The director was a manga artist and it has a great crazy feel to it. Definately thinking about deploying currency to buy them all. (vol. 9 has a 3-D movie!) Totally cul.