areaseven Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 (edited) Spider-Man ( スパイダーマン )Marvel Comics/TV Tokyo/Toei Co. Ltd., 1978-1979Watch the series now at Marvel.comNot Rated (Suggested TV-PG). Contains martial arts violence.CastShinji Todo as Takuya Yamashiro/Spider-ManMitsuo Ando as Professor MonsterIzumi Oyama as Niiko YamashiroRika Miura as Hitomi SakumaYukie Kagawa as AmazonessSynopsisA giant spacecraft known as "Marveler" has crashed somewhere in Japan. At the same time, biker Takuya Yamashiro receives telepathic messages of his destiny, which leads him to a forest. He sees that his father has been killed by minions of the evil "Iron Cross Army", but as he escapes from the army's assault, he is severely wounded. Falling into a pit, Takuya meets Garia, a soldier from the planet Spider. Before losing his human form and changing into a spider, Garia gives Takuya a special device called a "Spider Bracelet" that not only heals his wounds, but injects a fluid that gives him superhuman strength and agility, the ability to climb walls, and a sixth sense that warns him of danger. Reborn as "Spider-Man", Takuya uses his newly-acquired abilities and the giant robot Leopardon to wage a one-man war to protect Earth from the Iron Cross Army.LowdownThe 1970s was a crazy era for Marvel Comics. Sales of their titles skyrocketed, especially with the revitalization of The Uncanny X-Men in 1975. In 1977, the first live-action adaptation of Spider-Man premiered on CBS. At around the same time, Marvel invaded Japan and collaborated with film giant Toei to produce a Spider-Man series geared for the Japanese audience.The result: a Spider-Man show with the distinguishing features of tokusatsu (Japanese for "special effects") shows - laughable acting, cheap props and lots of pyrotechnics. Unlike Kamen Rider, Spider-Man doesn't do a henshin pose when he changes outfits; instead, the costume pops out of his Spider Bracelet and he zips it up. On the bright side, the Japanese Spidey costume looks much better than the one Nicholas Hammond paraded around in the U.S. series.The bracelet is also the source of Spidey's "webbing" (more like ropes than webs, though). And much like Kamen Rider's weapons, the bracelet is voice-activated (either that or Spidey just wants to tell the bad guys that he's trapping them with a Spider Net).But wait! The cheesiness doesn't stop there. When the Iron Cross Army super-sizes its monster of the week, Spidey calls out Marveler, which launches his Spider Machine GP-7 car to drive (and fly) him to the ship. Marveler then transforms into the giant robot Leopardon.Yes - you read that right. Spider-Man has a giant robot. And we actually have this show to thank for the giant robots that have appeared on all other Super Sentai and tokusatsu shows produced since then.Spider-Man is obviously not for everyone. You will either love it or hate it, whether you're a fan of the comics or Japanese sci-fi. Check out the first episode to judge for yourself. It's nowhere close to the current movie series, but it's perfect for cheap thrills.Rating: BReferencesThe Internet Movie Database Edited June 28, 2014 by areaseven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentrandude Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 lol im not sure if i should download that ep. i like spiderman but i hate power rangers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 lol im not sure if i should download that ep. i like spiderman but i hate power rangers The show is actually perfect for those who hate Power Rangers. Just download it and see it for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Come on, someone must want to buy the complete DVD boxset... Toei Video page on the complete series DVD boxset Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuey Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Thanks for the notice. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese treated Spider-man in this sentai version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UN Spacy Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Let's not forget the CLASSIC Spider Man Super Sentai Intro. Whoa whoa whoooooooooooa YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 Come on, someone must want to buy the complete DVD boxset...Toei Video page on the complete series DVD boxset Man, what a bad time for me to have no $$$ in the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikuro Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Atleast the robot isn't overly bulkey like Power Rangers robots.......but yeah 41 episodes.....no.....I'll pass on something this cheesey.....I'm not even a real big spider man fan to be really honest... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doryu2025 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 (edited) Marvel's relationship with Toei lasted well into the 80s with many of their animated co-productions, including episodes of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends just a couple of years after this live-action...effort! Marvel were promoting themselves quite a bit in Japan in the 1970s. Apart from this live action version of Spidey, there were also mangas of Spider-Man (different from the live-action version as I'm sure many will know), the Hulk and Moon Knight. Not sure if Marvel had anything else made in Japan during that time, but it is interesting to know about! Edited September 8, 2004 by Doryu2025 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 Marvel were promoting themselves quite a bit in Japan in the 1970s. Apart from this live action version of Spidey, there were also mangas of Spider-Man (different from the live-action version as I'm sure many will know), the Hulk and Moon Knight. Not sure if Marvel had anything else made in Japan during that time, but it is interesting to know about! Many of us know about the Spider-Man manga by Ryoichi Ikegami (Crying Freeman, Sanctuary), but manga versions of Hulk and Moon Knight? That's news to me. BTW, has anyone here read the X-Men manga? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghadrack Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Dude!! that show was hilariously awesome!! I saw a couple episodes last year and it was freaking hilarious. Spiderman's multi-purpose attack car also had machine guns and he was killing the hell out of some random bad guys. No namby pamby wrap em up for the cops, he was taking the baddies straight to school with a vengeance! I laughed for a solid half hour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoBe-Patt Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 wow, I remember seeing toys of that, but didn't realize it was a movie too! Nice, I wouldn't mind seeing an japanese spiderman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doryu2025 Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 Many of us know about the Spider-Man manga by Ryoichi Ikegami (Crying Freeman, Sanctuary), but manga versions of Hulk and Moon Knight? That's news to me.BTW, has anyone here read the X-Men manga? Well, I've only heard of them but never actually seen them firsthand since I don't believe they were ever reprinted. The Moon Knight manga was apparently drawn by Gosaku Sakurada and appeared in TV-Kun magazine, presumably at some point in the 1970s. Not too sure about the Hulk one though. I think it may have run at the same time as Ryoichi Ikegami's Spider-Man. The only reference I recall about the manga was a brief mention in an article one of the old UK Hulk annuals (which also contained UK originated Hulk comics), which talked about how the character was handled all around the world. Original strips in both the UK and Japan were mentioned, with an intriguing description of the Japanese version being "...more gruesome"! I liked some of the X-Men manga, but having yet another comic strip adaptation of the animated series (in addition to Marvel's US adaptations) did seem a little like overkill to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemstone Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 BTW, has anyone here read the X-Men manga? Yeah, but like Doryu already said it was just an adaptation of the 1992 cartoon series which were already adaptations. Now that you've brought it uop I should dig up my copies and get rid of them. I've have constantly wondered if Marvel would ever dare bring this Super Sentai Spider-Man to the US. I think now would be a good time since there are some fanatics out there that will buy anything Spider-Man. I love this show for it's sheer over the topness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted September 9, 2004 Author Share Posted September 9, 2004 I've have constantly wondered if Marvel would ever dare bring this Super Sentai Spider-Man to the US. I think now would be a good time since there are some fanatics out there that will buy anything Spider-Man. I love this show for it's sheer over the topness. Even though his company co-produced it, Stan Lee is not a "true believer" of the Japanese Spider-Man TV series. Besides, I'd imagine that Marvel would put the series with Nicholas Hammond on DVD first. Speaking of DVD, has anyone here picked up the 1967 Collection DVD? Regardless of how old it is, it's still the best animated adaptation of Spidey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 Thanks for sharing. So, someone in Japan paid Marvel a lot of money just to use the name and the suit in a series that has nothing to do with Spider-man? They where either afraid of a lawsuit or in those days dressing a sentai hero like Spider-man equaled big Yens 367850[/snapback] Back in the '70s, Marvel inked a deal with Toei to make Spider-Man for the Japanese audience. In addition, they co-produced the sentai series Battle Fever J, which was originally supposed to be titled "Captain Japan" (after Captain America). In return, Marvel bought the license to Toei's Super Robots (i.e. Mazinger Z, Gaiking, Com-Battler V, etc.) for their Shogun Warriors comic series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted February 8, 2006 Author Share Posted February 8, 2006 Fan sub Spider-manThis is most awesome. I found a link to this on another site and it is awesomely funny. I just wanted to share this awesomeness here. My only question is did they ever make a toy of his car or giant robot? If they did I would definitely have to add them to my collection, they would be awesome. Good times 367782[/snapback] Popy released a dicast Leopardon toy back in the 1978. And yes, it seems that Bandai will be releasing a Soul of Chogokin version soon. http://www.zincpanic.com/article/25227.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 (edited) Edited March 5, 2016 by areaseven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante74 Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Looks cool! too bad the link to the first episode download doesn't work anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister_e Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Looks cool! too bad the link to the first episode download doesn't work anymore. 422953[/snapback] It worked for me today. Also, I found an interview with Stan Lee where he discusses the Japanese TV series. It looks like it was made for the Japanese audience and, as such, it seems as if Lee is trying really hard to very complimentary about the Japanese series. Here's the link: JP Spiderman Stan Lee Interview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross73 Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I think Spiderman is great. I watched the cheesy Spiderman TV show (USA)episodes and always wanted more. I'm not sure about looking into the JP version or about getting the Chogokin Leopardon. maybe I wil who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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