Denkou Choujin Gridman (1993-1994)
Production: Tsuburaya Pro.
Episodes: 39
By Shadowrider

Introduction

In 1993, the team of Tsuburaya and Takara brought a different kind of Giant Hero show to TV. Known as BIGMAN at one point during its development, Gridman would become an interesting take on an Ultraman-like hero.

For American fans, they will recognize Gridman as “Servo” from Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad. A show made using footage from Gridman in an attempt to ride the coattails of the strangely successful phenomenon known as the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Personally, I think the toys were the best thing about Superhuman Samurai. So after becoming fanatic about the series, I’ve ended up searching out some of the Superhuman Samurai toys as the original Gridman toys are scarce. But I digress.

Story

The Computer World is a hidden world connected to our own. When the Devil King, Khan Digifer, enlists the aid of ne’er-do-well loner, Takeshi Todo, to send computer invading Kaiju rampaging through the Computer World, the devastating effects are felt in our own. In order to stop Khan Digifer, Hyper Agent Gridman arrives from the Hyper World, and joins forces with Naoto Sho and his friends Yuka Inoue and Ippei Baba. The fate of two worlds rests in their extraordinary young hands.

Review

Gridman is a special kind of show that leaves you with an overall good feeling inside. I loved this show so much that as the final episode came to a close I was quite sad that it was over. The one thing that stands out most to me about Gridman is the overall light-hearted nature of the show. That is not to say that it doesn’t have its dark moments, but those are usually balanced with some nice form of levity. I find this style of show to be refreshing after seeing a few shows that just take themselves far too seriously.

Another of the great things about Gridman is that this series has practically everything you can think a toku hero show could have. It’s almost as if it were an amalgamation of every other toku hero show you can think of. You have a giant Ultraman-like hero, who has energy weapons and conventional weapons. Plus, not only does he have an arsenal of mecha at his disposal (one of which, the robot God Zenon, bears a striking resemblance to the Transformers’ Optimus Prime/Convoy), but Gridman can also combine with those mecha which form protective armor around him. Then there’s the action. You’ve got classic giant hero kaiju grappling, the acrobatic fighting of your typical henshin hero, plus sword and shield combat. The main villain, Khan Digifer, is one of the best designs I’ve seen. And he has such and evil voice that suits him perfectly. Plus the monsters were really cool, despite being typical of the giant hero genre. The Computer World sets I’d have to say were a real accomplishment as well. The digital cities and landscapes were just incredible and beautifully constructed. What more can be asked in a hero show.

Gridman has to be, by far, one of my favorite Tokusatsu hero series. The cast of characters are fun and endearing, and the story is sweet and uplifting. Despite my love of this series, I know it isn’t perfect. Though the only major gripe I have with this series is the lack of attention given to the Compoids, the residents of the Computer World. There was only one lone episode which featured a young female Compoid. I would like to have seen more of the Compoids, especially considering it’s their world wherein these great battles are taking place. With all these fantastic digital cityscapes we see throughout the series, you’d think we’d see a little more of the city’s inhabitants. This is really the only area of the series that I felt was truly lacking.

Conclusion

Gridman was a real adventure, the core of the story being the friendship between the three young people, Naoto, Yuka, and Ippei. Their friendship is tested and strengthened through the course of the show, and you know that together, no matter what obstacles they face, they can come out on top. Then there’s Takeshi, the poor lonely kid who became Khan Digifer’s servant because he was starved for attention and friendship. Takeshi was the type of character one doesn’t know whether to hate or feel sorry for. He’s so wicked and devious, but it’s clearly in response to his lack of social skills, and the fact that he’s been emotionally abandoned by his parents.

Despite the silliness of the series at times, it isn’t any sillier than its American counter part, except that it is lacking the mentally disturbed individual who is later replaced by the abhorrent stereotypical surfer dude. So that’s a definite a plus. In summary Gridman is a positive series that is a good change of pace from those doom and gloom angst filled anti-hero series some people like nowadays.

Shadowrider