Gigantor (originally Tetsujin-nijūhachi-gō 鉄人28号, literally "Iron Man #28") was a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama published in 1958 which was later made into several anime series, the first in 1963. It was the first "giant robot" series. A live action motion picture with heavy use of computer generated graphics was produced in Japan in 2005 based on the old comics as opposed to the newer version in "New Gigantor" which was translated into many languages including Arabic. Image File history File links Gigantorvol1cover. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Mitsuteru Yokoyama (横山 光輝; Yokoyama Mitsuteru) (June 18, 1934 Kobe, Japan - April 15, 2004 Tokyo, Japan) was a famous Japanese mangaka or comic artist. ... Kobunsha (光文社 Kōbunsha) is a Japanese publisher of literature and womens magazine. ... Shōnen. ... Tankōbon ) is the Japanese term for a compilation volume of a particular series (such as a manga or a novel series, magazine articles, essays, craft patterns, etc. ... “TV” redirects here. ... “Animé” redirects here. ... Fuji Television Network, Inc. ... The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... For Cartoon Network outside of the United States, see Cartoon Network around the world. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Mitsuteru Yokoyama (横山 光輝; Yokoyama Mitsuteru) (June 18, 1934 Kobe, Japan - April 15, 2004 Tokyo, Japan) was a famous Japanese mangaka or comic artist. ... “Animé” redirects here. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Plot And Symbolism

The series is set in the "future" year of 2000. A boy named Jimmy Sparks (Shotaro Kaneda - 金田 正太郎 Kaneda Shotarō - in the Japanese version) is the nephew of Dr. Bob Brilliant (Dr. Shikishima, 敷島博士 Shikishima-hakase) and lives with him on a remote island. Jimmy usually wears shorts and a jacket, carries a firearm and occasionally drives a car. Jimmy fights crime around the world with the help of a huge remote-controlled robot, Gigantor. The robot is made of steel, and has a rocket-powered backpack for flight, a pointy nose, eyes that never move, and incredible strength, but no intelligence. Whoever has the remote control controls Gigantor. A Glock 22 hand-held firearm with internal laser sight and mounted flashlight, surrounded by hollowpoint ammunition. ...

There is a notable resemblance between the characters of Jimmy and Gigantor and the characters of the boy Hogarth and the giant robot in Ted Hughes' well-known children's book The Iron Man, which was published in 1968. It is not known whether Hughes ever saw the Gigantor series. 1 Aspinall Street, Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, where Ted Hughes was born. ... The Iron Man is a 1968 novel written by Ted Hughes. ...

In post World War II and then Cold War era Japan, it is likely that the plots for the episodes were symbolic of the things going on in the world at the time. This assumption can be made given how many plots revolved around one oppressive country invading another peaceful one, requiring Gigantor's aid to save them. It is debatable whether or not the writers meant for the oppressive country to be representative of the United States (Like many writers of the time did in the Japanese genre of giant monster and robot heroes) or of the Soviet Union, or even both. The same is true in the reverse, as peaceful countries could be the United States or symbolic of a country under the 'Iron Curtain' (Both would fit with the Soviet Union being portrayed as the oppressor) or as Japan itself (Which would fit if the oppressing country was the United States). Curiously, Gigantor's size, facial features & European knight-style armor suggest that the robot itself may have been inspired, at least in part, by Japanese perceptions of foreigners. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it — blue. ...

History

In 1963, Fred Ladd, while working on the animated feature Pinocchio In Outer Space and on the animated TV series The Big World of Little Adam had seen artwork of Mitsuteru Yokoyama presenting a giant robot remote-controlled by a young boy. The Tokyo-based artist had designed the robot for a Japanese shonen manga series Tetsujin 28 and later a black-and-white animated TV series called Tetsujin-28-go. Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Shōnen. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ...

Ladd, who had produced the successful international, English-language adaptation of Astroboy, and Al Singer formed a corporation called Delphi Associates, Inc. in order to produce and distribute an English-language version of Tetsujin-28-gō. They took only 52 episodes of the Japanese series for the American market, and renamed the series Gigantor. Peter Fernandez wrote much of the English script, and participated in the dubbing. The series became an immediate hit with juvenile audiences, though adult reactions were sometimes hostile. Astro Boy is the American title for the Japanese animated series Tetsuwan Atom , which roughly translates to Mighty Atom and literally to Iron-arm Atom) first broadcast on Japanese television from 1963 to 1966. ... Al Singer (b. ... Speed Racer and his Mach 5 Speed Racer originally started in Japan as the manga and anime series Mach Go Go Go (マッハGoGoGo) from the legendary anime studio Tatsunoko Productions. ...

It was playing at 7:00 p.m. on New York's WPIX-TV in January of 1966 when Variety gave it a particularly scathing review, calling it a "loud, violent, tasteless and cheerless cartoon", which was "strictly in the retarded babysitter class". WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ...

Even this reviewer, however, had to grudgingly admit the popularity of Gigantor, writing, "Ratings so far are reportedly good, but strictly pity the tikes and their misguided folks". ^[1]

Gigantor became a popular Japanese export during this time. The series was shown on Melbourne television in January 1968 through Trans-Lux, on Channel 10 at 5:00pm. It was described by the TV Week as an "animated science fiction series about the world's mightiest robot, and 12-year-old Jimmy Sparks who controls the jet-propelled giant." The series was also screened in New South Wales (presumably around the same time) on the 0-10 Network's Sydney affiliate Channel 10. This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... Trans-Lux is a major manufacturer of real-time displays, and became known for their stock market tickers. ... ATV-10 is a television station in Melbourne. ... TV WEEK is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in 1957 (as TV-Radio WEEK) and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV-9. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... “NSW” redirects here. ... This article is about the metropolitan area in Australia. ... Ten Network logo Network TEN so called because it broadcasts on Channel TEN in most cities, is Australias third but possibly most profitable television network. ...

Gigantor was one of a number of Japanese TV series that enjoyed strong popularity with young viewers in Australia during the 1960s. The first and undoubtedly the most successful of these was the hugely successful live-action historical adventure series The Samurai, the first Japanese TV series ever screened in Australia, which premiered in late 1964. It was followed by a contemporary ninja-based live action espionage series, Phantom Agents, and a number of popular Japanese animated series including Astro Boy, Prince Planet, Marine Boy and Kimba the White Lion, the cartoon series which is reputed to have been the uncredited basis for Disney's The Lion King. The Samurai was a Japanese television historical drama series of the 1960s made by Senkosha Productions, the television production arm of the Senkosha Company, a large advertising agency based in Tokyo which still exists, though it has long since closed its television division. ... Jiraiya, ninja and title character of the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... This article is about the 1960s series and manga. ... Prince Planet is the name given to one of the earliest of the anime, namely, Planet Boy Popi, when it was shown in America in the early 1960s. ... Marine Boy was one of the first anime cartoons shown in the U.S., in the 1960s. ... Kimba the White Lion , lit. ... This article is about Disneys 1994 film. ...

Voice acting

Jimmy's voice was that of Billie Lou Watt (who was female, not male as many people are led to believe). She was also the voice of Astroboy and Kimba. The voice of Inspector Blooper (Dr. Otsuka, 大塚署長 Ōtsuka-hakase), an imitation of comic actor Harold Peary, ("The Great Gildersleeve") was Ray Owens, who also played Dr. Elefun (Professor Ochanomizu, later known as Dr. O'Shay) from Astro Boy and Dan'l Baboon from Kimba. Gilbert Mack was the voice of Dick Strong, who also played Mr. Pompus from Astro Boy and Pauley Cracker from Kimba. Peter Fernandez was the voice for many characters as well. In the 2004 version dubbed by Geneon/Ocean Group the voice of Shotaro Kaneda is played by Reece Thompson. Billie Lou Watt (June 22, 1924 - September 7, 2001) was an actress in theater and television, including several voice acting roles for commercials and animated series. ... The name Kimba can be applied to a number of things: Kimba Wood (born 1944) is a U.S. federal judge Kimba Kano is a web search software tool Kimba the White Lion was the first color TV animation series created in Japan Kimba, South Australia is a town on... Harold Hal Peary (born Harrold Jese Pereira de Faria, July 25, 1908 - March 30, 1985) was an American actor and comedian in radio, film, television, and animation, best known as the original portrayer of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, aka The Great Gildersleeve. ... Professor Ochanomizu (お茶の水博士 Ochanomizu-hakase), also known as Dr. Packadermus Elefun, Professor Peaboy, and Dr. OShay, is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Astro Boy. ... Speed Racer and his Mach 5 Speed Racer originally started in Japan as the manga and anime series Mach Go Go Go (マッハGoGoGo) from the legendary anime studio Tatsunoko Productions. ... Geneon Entertainment Incoporated ) (formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment, or Pioneer LDC - Pioneer LaserDisc Company, a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation) is a Japanese anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise. ... Ocean Group is an organization located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that purchases anime for English dubbing. ... Shotaro Kaneda can refer to: Shotaro Kaneda from Akira Shotaro Kaneda (Jimmy Sparks) from Gigantor This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Reece Thompson (born November 22, 1988) is a Canadian actor. ...

Characters

The names were all whimsical with characters such as Dick Strong who was a secret agent, and a funny policeman named Inspector Blooper who joined with Jimmy, Bob and Gigantor on their adventures against enemies such as the Spider, Ungablob, General Von Que Ball, Dubble Trubble, Dr. Katzmeow, and Prince Abdul ben-Hothead, and there were plenty of other robots that Gigantor had to defeat.

Secret Valley

In the last episode titled "The Secret Valley", the Gigantor team decide to holiday in Australia. They end up in the bush on a sheep station. They call the natives "savages" and, instead of being Aborigines, are Native Americans with feathers on their heads, riding horses. It showed what little the Japanese knew of Australia at that time. The dubbing team tried to imitate the Australian English phonology but did not come close. Languages Several hundred indigenous Australian languages (many extinct or nearly so), Australian English, Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol Religions Primarily Christian, with minorities of other religions including various forms of Traditional belief systems based around the Dreamtime Related ethnic groups see List of Indigenous Australian group names Indigenous... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ... Australian English is a non-rhotic variety of English spoken by most native-born Australians. ...

Sequels and Spin Offs

The 1980-81 Iron Man #28 (Tetsujin-nijūhachi-gō) series was created with 51 color episodes based on a modernized take upon the original concept art. In 1993, Ladd and the TMS animation studio converted the series into The New Adventures of Gigantor and broadcast it on America's Sci-Fi Channel from 9 September 1993 to 30 June 1997. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... SCI FI (originally Sci-Fi Channel, sometimes rendered SCI FI Channel when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

There was also a sequel series, Iron Man #28 FX (Tetsujin-nijūhachi-gō-Efu-Ekkusu), about the son of the original controller operating a new robot (with Daddy and the original, FX-less #28 appearing from time-to-time to help), which ran in Japan in 1992.

An American made Gigantor comic book series was released in 2000 by Antarctic Press. The comic lasted for twelve issues and was later collected in 2005 in trade paperback form. The comic used elements from the anime Giant Robo as well as Marvel Comics references though the later issues became closer to the original animation. Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Antarctic Press, a San Antonio-based company, publishes comics in a style they call American Manga. Founded by Ben Dunn in 1984, their earliest titles were Mangazine and Extremely Silly Comics. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A trade paperback can refer to any book that is bound with a heavy paper cover that is generally cheaper than the hardcover but more expensive than the regular paperback version. ... Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still ) is an anime OVA series written and directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa, (G Gundam, Seven of Seven) inspired on Mitsuteru Yokoyamas manga series of the same name. ... This article is about the comic book company. ...

2005 saw a rebirth of the Tetsujin-28 franchise. Unlike the past attempts to modernize the franchise, a live action motion picture and accompanying TV anime series (broadcast 4 April to 29 September 2004) were produced one year earlier in the retro-style of the original manga/anime series (with the TV series even taking place ten years after World War II, approximately the same time as the manga debuted). The new TV series has been released in the United States under its original name Tetsujin-28 by Geneon and in the UK by Manga Entertainment, the first time a Tetsujin-28 property has not been localized to "Gigantor" in America or other English speaking nations. The live action movie has been licensed for a UK release by Manga Entertainment, however no date has been set. ^[2] Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Retro is a term used to describe the culture of the past. ... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... See TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band European networks National In much of Europe television broadcasting has historically been state dominated, rather than commercially organised, although commercial stations have grown in number recently. ... Geneon Entertainment Incoporated ) (formerly known as Pioneer Entertainment, or Pioneer LDC - Pioneer LaserDisc Company, a former subsidiary of Pioneer Corporation) is a Japanese anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise. ... Manga Entertainment is a licensor and distributor of Japanese animation (anime) in the United States and United Kingdom. ...

Creators behind Gigantor have unveiled plans for another updated design, a "Gigantor for the New Millennium." This newest form of the giant robot is called G3 and differs from past designs. The new Gigantor is a meld of robot and cyborg. According to the main site: "Driven by a complex neuro-system of DNA-impregnated neurochips, Gigantor G3 is a living Cybot!" [1]". For other uses, see robot (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Cyborg (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

• Gigantor seems capable of significantly altering his size depending on the situation. This is obviously due to animation problems. He may go from the size of Jimmy Sparks to the size of a ship without warning.

• Gigantor was a favorite childhood cartoon of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, and as such influenced the name of Gigantour, a heavy metal music festival created by Mustaine in 2005.

• American actress Vanessa A. Williams referenced Gigantor in one of her scenes from the movie, New Jack City.

• Gigantor was also referenced in the movie, Speed

• The theme song of the show was covered by Los Angeles based punk band The Dickies on their album Dawn Of The Dickies.

• Both Shotaro Kaneda and Prof. Shikishima share their names with Shotaro Kaneda and Colonel Shikishima in the movie Akira. A professor Shikishima & his murdered student Shotaro Kaneda also appear in the manga 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa.

• Although the series is set in the year 2000 none of the things mentioned exist so far as of 2007.

• Gigantor was politically parodied on Saturday Night Live's TV Funhouse as "Torboto: The Robot that Tortures People". The main robot "Torboto" looked nearly identical to "Gigantor", yet was built by the United States Government, controlled by Dick Cheney, and used to humiliate and torture prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The introduction of the sketch patterned itself both visually and musically after the American "Gigantor" theme.
  • It should be noted that the name "Torboto" was an amalgam of the words "torture" and "robot", and included the suffix '-tor' from "Gigantor" in its name.

• The leader of the miniature cowboys (played by Owen Wilson) referred to Ben Stiller's character as Gigantor in the film Night at the Museum.

• The video games Xenogears & Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra both feature "mecha" which bear a resemblance to Gigantor.

• Also the name of Mr Floppay's "long" time friend. Seen in such films as "Waiting for the Client" and "Mouthsplit"

• Gigantor is the name of a german punk rock band from Hannover

Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961 in La Mesa, California, United States) is the lead/rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and singer for the speed/thrash metal band, Megadeth. ... A Gigantour 2005 web banner, before Anthrax was announced to join the festival. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ... Vanessa A. Williams (born May 12, 1963) is an African-American actress who has appeared in several TV series such Melrose Place and the Showtime cable TV show Soul Food. ... For the Father Ted episode, see New Jack City (Father Ted). ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The Dickies are a punk rock group formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977. ... Dawn Of The Dickies was The Dickies second 1979 album and included the UK hits, Nights In White Satin (a high-speed cover of a Moody Blues song) which reached No. ... Shotaro Kaneda can refer to: Shotaro Kaneda from Akira Shotaro Kaneda (Jimmy Sparks) from Gigantor This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Colonel Shikishima (しきしま Shikishima) (first name unknown) is one of the main characters in Katsuhiro Otomos popular anime movie and manga, Akira. ... Akira may refer to: Akira - an anime and manga series Akira - a London three-piece alternative rock/post-rock band Akira class starship in the Star Trek fictional universe A female Scottish name, a Japanese given name or surname — See below: Akira as a common name Akira is a female... Serialized in Big Comic Spirits Original run 1999 – 2007 No. ... Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹 Urasawa Naoki) is a mangaka born on January 2, 1960 in Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... This article is about the American television series. ... The government of the United States, established by the United States Constitution, is a federal republic of 50 states, a few territories and some protectorates. ... Richard Bruce Dick Cheney (born January 30, 1941), is the 46th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President George W. Bush. ... Guantanamo Bay may refer to: Guantánamo Bay (Cuba), a bay located in Guantánamo Province at the south-eastern end of Cuba Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the United States Naval base located there Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, the detainment camp on that base, terrorists are held there Category: ... Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and writer. ... Benjamin Edward Stiller (born November 30, 1965 ) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, actor, film producer and director. ... Night at the Museum is a 2006 American adventure comedy film. ... Xenogears ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square Co. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Variety, January 26, 1966
2. ^ Tetsujin 28 volume 1 insert

Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ...

External links

• Geneon's Tetsujin 28 website
• Fred Ladd's Official Page
• / Torboto, the robot that tortures people.
• Gigantor (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia