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Dennou
Keisatsu CyberCop (1987-1988)
Production: Toho
Episodes: 36
By Shadowrider
Introduction
In the year 1999, as the dawn
of a new century draws near, the members of the Zero Armed
Constables, or ZAC for short, protect Tokyo City from all
breeds of super criminal. Taking on the criminal element that
the regular police are unable to handle, the CyberCops equip
themselves with the Cyber Bit Armor and are able to access
backup weaponry called, Cyber Arms and Cyber Weapons, through
an underground system called the Black Chamber.
When the mysterious criminal organization
Death Trap appears; the CyberCops: Mars, Saturn, Mercury,
and Venus are joined by Jupiter, a former Interpol Agent.
Their new team mate wields an incredible and mysterious power,
and has a secret past he himself does not remember.
Review
My initial impression of this series after
watching the first episode was that this wasn’t anything
special. The costume designs were somewhat funky and the majority
of the special effects, while very ambitious, just didn’t
seem to quite effectively pull off what they were trying to
display. However as the series continues it does begin to
grow on you.
I came to love the costumes as the series
progressed, particularly those of Jupiter (red) and Mercury
(blue), as well as Lucifer (white), who shows up later in
the series. I don’t have much to say on the villains
though, I can only describe the original three Death Trap
scientists as “Klingon rejects.” Aside from Fuhrer,
a floating head that I would jokingly refer to as the “evil
Japanese Zordon,” the only remotely cool looking villain
was the late-comer Beast Master Luna. This of coarse doesn’t
include the two CyberCop-looking minion robots that were used
frequently throughout the series.
As far as the characters themselves, each
of the ZAC members proved to have their own individual likeability.
The early rivalry between Takeda (Jupiter) and Hojyo (Mars),
while very typical, was still an interesting aspect of the
show. I must admit, that the relationship between Uesugi (Codename:
Venus) and Takeda was not an unexpected development, but it
did come very late in the series. However things really became
interesting with the introduction of Lucifer, a man who claims
knows the truth about Jupiter/Takeda’s secret past,
but it’s only half of the truth. Unfortunately, aside
from Lucifer, who was really a free agent, none of the Death
Trap villains seemed to stand out too much. It was the previously
mentioned late-comer Luna who not only brought some life into
Death Trap, but took the series in an interesting direction.
Many of the special effects did often come
off quite badly in CyberCop, however as the series progresses
there is some improvement. After completing the series though,
I’ve come to appreciate the work done by the special
effects team on CyberCop. Much of the effects they attempted
were not only very ambitious, but also well ahead of their
time. Much of the experimenting they did, particularly with
the blue screen, proved to be a benefit to the shows that
followed CyberCop.
CyberCop is a good show to watch for its action.
While there is some interference from the special effects,
the fighting and acrobatics in the series are well done and
make what might seem like a lame show very enjoyable. CyberCop
also had some enjoyable music as well. The intro theme is
plain awesome, as is the end theme which is sung by Mika Chiba,
the actress who plays Uesugi (Venus). The background music
was also excellent, and is among the best music I’ve
heard in any Tokusatsu Hero show.
Conclusion
CyberCop is a definite must see
for any fan of the Tokusatsu Hero genre. It does take some
getting passed the initial “badness” of the special
effects, but it is well worth it. The series has both good
action and a good story, and an interesting use of blue-screen
technology. All in all CyberCop is a good watch.
Shadowrider |
