Tokusatsu Gargleblaster!

While reading up on Matsushita yesterday I learned of their involvement with National Kid, a live action hero show from 1960 that I'd never heard of (news flash: I didn't grow up in Japan in the late 1950's) so I went to YouTube et viola, he's the first in a string of heroes in this brain-meltingly cool montage. After watching these cut scenes set to OP themes I'm convinced that the Toku shows post 1989 tend to bite. I'm also reminded of how weird Brazil is.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You just gotta love National Kid's helmet.

Bruce Lewis said...

National Kid is actually an advertising character, like Reddy Kilowatt or the Jolly Green Giant. He was created in 1960 for the Matsushita Denki electric appliance company in Japan, makers of National Brand appliances. (They're still in business. Their products are sold here under the Panasonic brand.) The Kid was created by Minoro Takesegawa and Juzo Umino, and had kis own live action TV show. “He is faster than a jet aircraft, stronger than the steel! The invincible knight of peace and justice.... National Kid!" MOAR

He also had his own manga.

Anonymous said...

Are you sure that manga wasn't drawn by D. Merrill? Because I swear...XD