Android Kikaider (anime)

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Android Kikaider: The Animation
人造人間キカイダー THE ANIMATION
(Jinzō Ningen Kikaidā The Animation)
Genre Science Fiction, Mecha, Drama
TV anime
Director Tensai Okamura
Studio Radix
Network Flag of Japan Kids Station
Flag of the United States Cartoon Network (Adult Swim)
Original run 16 October 2000 – 8 January 2001
Episodes 13
OVA: Kikaider 01: The Animation
Director Keitaro Motonaga
Studio Studio OX
Episodes 4
Released 30 June 2003

Android Kikaider: The Animation (人造人間キカイダー THE ANIMATION Jinzō Ningen Kikaidā - Za Animeishon?), the anime adaptation of the Japanese superhero Kikaider, was produced by Sony Animation and broadcast on Kids Station from October 16, 2000 to January 8, 2001, with a total of 13 episodes.

It was followed by the OVA 4-episode sequel, Kikaider 01: The Animation (キカイダー０１ THE ANIMATION Kikaidā Zero Wan - Za Animeishon?).

The Anime followed more of the manga, with a darker nature of Jiro's reason to exist. It was followed by said 4-episode OVA series, which was the finale. Afterwards, there was also an OVA special which teamed Kikaider with Inazuman, another classic manga/tokusatsu superhero created by Shotaro Ishinomori (This latter special has yet to be seen in America).

Contents

[edit] Differences from Android Kikaider

As the Animation is possessed of fewer episodes then the Kikaider tokusatsu, and was based on the manga series, several details are changed in the overall storyline.

  • In the live-action show, Jiro (Kikaider) is created by Dr. Komyoji and Mitsuko Komyoji while they are both forced to create DARK's Destructoids, in an attempt to overthrow DARK. In the anime, Jiro was created by Dr. Komyoji in his laboratory in the hopes that Kikaider (his latest robot model) can protect his children from DARK.
  • In the anime, Jiro wakes up in some remote area of the mountains with no memory after Professor Gill has Komyoji's laboratory destroyed. He then later discovers Mitsuko and Masaru at the site of Komyogi's laboratory and saves them from Grey Rhino King.
  • The conscience circuit is given the name "GEMINI" (pronounced in the Japanese version the same as "Jiminy")
  • Mitsuko was never aware of her father's relationship with DARK or Jiro. She learns of Jiro's existence (as well as GEMINI) after she discovers Jiro's diagnostic along with a hidden message to her from her father.
  • When Jiro starts out, he is the equivalent of a newborn babe, as he knows nothing of what he is, who he is, or the world around him, and has to learn more and more about himself during his travels. In the tokusatsu, Jiro is very much aware of everything, and has no problem blending into society.
  • Like in the tokusatsu, the design plans for Jiro's conscience circuit is inside his guitar. In the anime, however, Jiro never knew this, the blueprint is discovered by Mitsuko only after Saburo destroys the guitar.
  • In the tokusatsu, the DARK robots Professor Gill sends after Kikaider are known as Destructive Army, and possess individual identities. In the anime, they are little more than mindless automatons who blindly follow Gill's orders, and are simply called robots.
  • The private detective Hanpei Hattori is more mature in the anime, and is given an assistant named Etsuko.
  • After Dr. Komyoji is found out by Gill in the live-action show, Jiro and Mitsuko lose him amidst a fire. Later, he somehow ends up with amnesia, and is constantly on the run from DARK until his capture. In the anime, he is captured right from the start.
  • The anime introduces Mitsuko and Masaru's mother, who was truthfully a spy for Gill from the first day she met Komyoji.
  • After DARK collapses, Jiro disappears, presumably destroyed along with DARK's headquarters. However, Mitsuko is hopeful of Jiro's survival, and that he will return someday.

[edit] The Boy Who Carried a Guitar: Kikaider Vs. Inazuman

This team up wraps up the Kikaider anime series as a whole. In the team up with Inazuman, it's revealed that Jiro is still fighting the left over DARK Programming within him inserted by Dr. Gill, which enabled him to kill his siblings, Ichiro and Rei. Jiro, filled with guilt, fears that if he encounters both Mitsuko and Masaru, he will go berserk and inflict harm to both of them. Hanpei Hattori is sent to search for Jiro; in order to convince him to return to Mitsuko and Masaru. During this time, he mistakes student, Goro Watari as Jiro, unaware Watari has abilities of his own. Meanwhile, Jiro is talking with Watari's girlfriend. When Hanpei is finally reunited with Jiro, he goes berserk at the presence of Watari, who then henshins into Inazuman, and the two engage in battle. During the fight, Jiro manages to purge the evil within him; unfortunately, the creature attacks Watari, Jiro henshins into Kikaider rescuing him by killing the creature with Denji End. Jiro shakes hands with Watari; however, he leaves Watari, Hanpei and the others to search for purpose in life, not ready to return to Mitsuko and Masaru.

[edit] Differences from the tokusatsu version of "Kikaider Vs. Inazuman"

  • In the live action series, Goro Watari is a college student, not a high school student.
  • In the live action series, the monsters are mutants not evil spirits and there is more than one of them. In addition, the monster that attacked Inazuman in the OVA is named "Itsutsu-Bambara" in the tokusatsu.
  • In the live action series, Inazuman's psionic abilities are greatly reduced so that he actually has to punch and kick the evil mutants. His civilian form does not exhibit any abilities at all.
  • Inazuman doesn't generate lighting bolts in the original live action Inazuman series, which doesn't happen until Inazuman Flash when he's fighting evil robots which are harder to destroy than mutants, and is done only as a last resort.
  • Inazuman has a flying car, Raijingo, in the tokusatsu.
  • Ban Daisuke portrayed both Jiro/Kikaider and Goro/Inazuman in the tokusatsu series.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Dub-Cast

[edit] Episodes

Airdates are from broadcast on Adult Swim in the US.

  1. Lonely Puppet (Originally Aired 6/9/2003)
  2. Mad Machine (Originally Aired 6/10/2003)
  3. Stray Sheep (Originally Aired 6/11/2003)
  4. Mirror (Originally Aired 6/12/2003)
  5. City Of Rain (Originally Aired 6/16/2003)
  6. Negative Fragments (Originally Aired 6/17/2003)
  7. Afterglow Of Regret (Originally Aired 6/18/2003)
  8. Blue Moon, Red Dreams (Unaired in America)
  9. Friends (Originally Aired 6/19/2003)
  10. Frozen Bonds (Originally Aired 6/23/2003)
  11. Destroyer (Originally Aired 6/24/2003)
  12. Machine That Dreams (Originally Aired 6/25/2003)
  13. End of the Dream (Originally Aired 6/26/2003)
  14. Jiro Meets Ichiro (Originally Aired 6/30/2003)
  15. Beautiful Enemy (Originally Aired 7/1/2003)
  16. Gil Rises Again (Originally Aired 7/2/2003)
  17. The Fate Of Pinocchio (Originally Aired 7/3/2003)
  • OVA SPECIAL The Boy Who Carried a Guitar: Kikaider Vs. Inazuman (not seen in America)

[edit] External links

Languages