Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Supaidaman (Japanese Spider-Man) (Popy Chogokin)
Supaidaman
Popy Chogokin
1978
Let's go back a year ago. Fellow blogger Dex of AEIOU...and Sometimes Why posted about a vintage Japanese television show called Supaidaman by Toei. This was in fact the Japanese version of Spider-Man. Enthralled by the concept I immediately struck out on a quest to locate the series in DVD format. I found it, and immediately about faced it to walk away. I wasn't about to pay $700.00 to $1,000.00 US for it. No way, no how.
Wait, hold the phone - What? A Japanese Spider-Man television series? Yeah, that's right. As the internet rumors go, supposedly Japanese production company Toei and Marvel of America had an agreement which allowed both companies to use each other's entities however they saw fit. Apparently for the Japanese this meant having a Spider-Man character which also piloted a large mech named Leopaldon, and at times also sported a machine gun. Sounds kinda cool, don't it?
Based on Dex's post, and what I could find on Youtube - Which was a handful of episodes from the show, I had an itch which needed scratching. Fortunately I was able to find two related toys from the series which somewhat filled the void the television series now created. Check 'em out!
Aren't these hot?
Supaidaman toys are definitely difficult to track down on Western shores, so if this is something you're looking for you're going to need to dig deep among your fellow collectors for any leads.
On a side note, Dex's site is now seven years old (as of July 13th). Stop by and give him a read, and wish him a lucky number seven.
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Akira (Epic Comics)
Akira
Epic Comics
1988-1996
Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira was initially released in 1982, and chronicled in serial format in Young Magazine, which is still published today in Japan. When it concluded in 1990 the series was collected in six volumes, and released by publisher Kodansha.
The year is 1993, and a nuclear explosion which goes off in Tokyo pushes countries to their limit, starting World War III. The newly built artificial island Neo-Tokyo is the setting of anti-government movements and gang violence.
Tetsuo Shima, a member of the Bosozoku Capsule gang led by Shotaro Kaneda, is injured when his bike explodes after the "Esper" Takashi—a psychic child with wizened features—blocks his path. This awakens psychic powers in him attracting the attention of a secret government project. His powers continue to increase until they unhinge his young mind.
The series concludes with an all out war between several of the factions, and the now deformed Tetsuo who is bent on destroying everything in his path.
Since it's major boom in success in the US, secondary market prices have been generous to the series. Today a full set can be obtained for $150.00 to $200.00.
Join us next time when we take a look at The Watchmen!
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