Giant Robot

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

This is a clip of Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot.

The show was made by Toei studios in 1968 and made into a condensed version of the series in the same year by AIP, titled "Voyage Into Space."

This show had it all-giant monsters, Cold War era spies allied with aliens, AND something that would make parents drop dead today-a 10 year old kid who packed a handgun!  Johnny was a member of a peacekeeper group called UNICORN, and they all packed sidearms.

Anyhow here's the clip of the opening. And yes, this show was also made into an anime called Giant Robo, and also has it's roots in Gigantor.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI8X3AfW1Ss

[venomx]

This is my favorite episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psUnocLvXZ4

The funny thing is - I the 1st time I watched Johnny Sokko was about 2 months ago. I like it, it's all 60's and 70's chez, love it. Know what else? I just found out about Zone Fighter maybe like 5 years ago. I like that too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I_4jXpsi4k

I LOVE Japanese monsters and robots!

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Sadly, I found out that Matsubundo Kaneko (Johnny Sokko) passed away in his
mid 30's  sometime in the early 1990's.  The cause of death was never officially released as many Japanese families refuse autopsies upon family relatives.

However, Akio Ito (Jerry Manno, aka U-3)  and Shozaburo Date (Chief Azuma) are alive and well and do appearances at conventions.   I feel cheated, I never got to meet Johnny Sokko 

Nucleon, I remember that one well. I remember an extended scene of Johnny and Jerry flying thru the air with their rocket packs. That was always cool to watch!

[venomx]

Hey don't you want an avatar? I noticed you don't have one.

If not no big deal, I just wanted to help out.


johnnysokko

Umaril

afraidofthedark

Andrew has alot on the site as well.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Thanks man, nice pics!  I never thought about it until now. I'll have to choose one and take it from there.  Thanks for reminding me. Now, which one....

[inframan]

I wish they would have released all of them on VHS. Just lucky they released any I guess.

Spectreman is my personal favorite.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

I wish they would have released all of them on VHS. Just lucky they released any I guess.

Spectreman is my personal favorite.

I remember Spectraman. He used to get his orders from that ship that only he could see, and he looked like the love child of Ultraman and Jet Jaguar. He had a goldish tint to him.

His main opponents were a set of ape-like creatures out to destroy the Earth using it's pollution to create monsters.  All this off the top of my head 

[Monster Jungle X-Ray]

Spectreman is my all time favorite of the shows although I grew up on Ultraman, and Space Giants before that. I liked it enough to name a band after it in the '90s that was all based on horror/sci-fi films. I still have a fondness for the American version's theme song. Dr Gori comes from a the school of blond long-haired Japanese characters despite being an alien apeman.

I still have never seen the Johnny Sokko series despite loving the Giant Robo anime, and having for many years a production drawing from it on my wall. I will have to make a point to check it out. After watching Big Man Japan I have been on a Daikaiju kick lately, going back and revisiting some of the Toho films I loved as a kid.

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

Spectreman is my all time favorite of the shows although I grew up on Ultraman, and Space Giants before that. I liked it enough to name a band after it in the '90s that was all based on horror/sci-fi films. I still have a fondness for the American version's theme song. Dr Gori comes from a the school of blond long-haired Japanese characters despite being an alien apeman.

I still have never seen the Johnny Sokko series despite loving the Giant Robo anime, and having for many years a production drawing from it on my wall. I will have to make a point to check it out. After watching Big Man Japan I have been on a Daikaiju kick lately, going back and revisiting some of the Toho films I loved as a kid.

If you like the Toho movies, definitely pick up the double feature of Rodan and War Of The Gargantuas.  There's a fantastic mini feature in the set called Bringing Godzilla Down To Size that has interviews and in-depths with the surviving members of Toho's golden age of monster film and FX.  It's a true masterpiece to hear the surviving members of Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya's crews telling their tales and backstage anecdotes.

[Flu-Bird]

Can anyone remember FRANKENSTEIN Jr the kid BUZZ CONROY with the giant robot FRANKENSTIEN Jr he could summon him with his RAIDAR RING and even bounce the beam of a sattlelite,BIG BEN,LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA,EIFFLE TOWER,a LIGHTHOUSE. And what about MIGHTY ORBOTS with CRUNCH,BO BOO,BORT,TOR, and ONO and ROB SIMMONS their inventor the sort of science nerd

[JaseSF]

Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot = Awesome!