Mirrorman (TV series)
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Mirrorman (ミラーマン Mirāman?) is the title superhero of a tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, Mirrorman. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra superhero (even though there were concepts that were similar to Ultraman, and became a Tsuburaya trademark).
Like Ultra Seven, Mirrorman was a serious sci-fi drama. But by Episode 26, when the series had major changes (which made the title hero even more Ultra-like), it became your typical action-oriented superhero adventure.
There was a second series, a short series titled Mirror Fight, which broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 1, 1974 to September 27, 1974, with a total of 65 short-episodes. It was similar in concept to the earlier Ultra Fight.
The complete collection is to be released on DVD by the end of 2005. A movie adaptation of the series title Mirrorman Reflex is a new take on the character.
Mirrorman also became the namesake for lewd economist Kazuhide Uekusa, who became infamous for using mirrors to peek under young girls' skirts.
[edit] Plot
An evil alien race known simply as the Invaders are about to take over the Earth, using assorted daikaiju (giant monsters) and other fiendish plots. The only force that can cope with this threat is a patrol team called the Science Guard Members (SGM). But another hope comes from someone with a force from the unknown. Professor Mitarai, the leader of SGM, finally shares a secret with his foster son/newspaper photographer Kyôtarô Kagami ("kagami" = Japanese for "mirror"), a secret only he himself knows: Kyôtarô is actually the son of Mirrorman, an alien superhero from the 2nd Dimension, and his mother was human. However, Mirrorman was defeated by the Invaders' toughest monster King Ziger (explained in Episode 14), but his son Kyôtarô survived, and shares the same powers as the first Mirrorman. Naturally, the young man had difficulty accepting his destiny, but he realizes that he is the only one who can save the Earth from the Invaders, especially after they tried to break into his home and attack his friends. To transform into Mirrorman, he must stand in front of a reflective object (mirrors, water, etc.) and flash his Mirror-Pendant, thus transforming him.
