Number of episodes: 41
Movies: Spider-Man (Released on: July 22, 1978 Length: 24 minutes)
Stunt Coordinators: Osamu Kaneda, Junji Yamaoka
Episode Directors: Koichi Takemoto, Katsuhiko Taguchi, Takaharu Saeki, Kimio Hirayama, Hideo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Kobayashi
Episode Writers: Shozo Uehara, Susumu Takaku, Kuniaki Oshikawa, Hirohisa Soda, Mikio Matsushita
Ratings Average: 8.0%
Opening Theme: "Kakero! Spider-Man" (Run, Spider-Man!) Performed by: Yuki Hide
Ending Theme: "Chiaki no Ballade" (The Oath's Ballade) Performed by: Yuki Hide
Episode Length: 24 minutes
AKA: Japanese Spider-Man (Marvel.com title)
All right, so let's briefly discuss the movie. The film takes place roughly between episodes 10 and 11 and, in a rare occasion for a Showa-era tokusatsu movie, is actually somewhat integral to the main plot of the TV show. The movie introduces Interpol agent Juzo Mamiya and explains how Spider-Man eventually becomes an honorary member of Interpol, helping them track down the whereabouts and foiling the plans of the Iron Cross Army. So if you're interested in Spider-Man, it is recommended that you check out the movie to help flesh out one of the few plot points introduced during the series that actually sticks. As for the movie itself, it's pretty much exactly like a typical episode, but the widescreen format does somehow add an air of a grander scope.
Speaking of scope, this is a good time to bring up the actual special effects and production values of the series. Like most Toei shows of the 1970s, this show was definitely made on the cheap and it shows notably at times. Fight sequences are simple compared to the pyrotechnic-filled action scenes you'll see in other toku shows, and stock footage is used plentifully. The show makes up for it with Koga's stunt acting, and effects/camera work do an okay job masking the equipment that allows him to climb up walls. However, the show's biggest downfall in the special effects department is, without a doubt, the giant robot fights.
For starters, Leopardon isn't a bad mecha design. It's eye-catching, seems appropriately bulky, and incorporates the spider motif in its mouth shape and the design on the chest piece (although the flying mode, Marveller, has the head of a leopard as if the names were accidentally reversed). However, the suit proved to be too bulky and as a result, the suit suffered extensive damage when the actor performed. Eventually, the suit was stolen off the set, and Toei could not afford the time or money to construct another one. So, from roughly episode 12 on, there is absolutely NO new footage involving Leopardon. These restricted fights become monotonous fast, and are so brief that they hardly ever last one minute (counting the transformation scene). These fights make the mecha scenes in Liveman look like those in Go-Busters by comparison. I've heard excuses saying that Toei "was only trying to figure out the formula on how to film giant robot scenes", but that doesn't fly because they produced one of the very first tokusatsu giant robot shows (Giant Robo) 11 years prior and Daitetsujin 17 just the previous year.
Well, with almost every episode ending with these anticlimactic mecha fights, how can one bare to watch this week in and week out? Maybe it had something to do with the pretty good soundtrack, provided by Michiaki Watanabe. The show packs some catchy tunes, notably used whenever Spider-Man sneaks into enemy hideouts or when he climbs up buildings. The theme song is also very memorable, sounding similar to what you would expect from any American superhero series, live action or animated, from the 1960s. The sound fits Spider-Man well, and remains as vocalist Yuki Hide's most popular song. Unfortunately, the show does lift cues from other tokusatsu shows, namely Kikaider and Kikaider 01. The cues used are easily recognizable, and that makes Toei's cost-cutting measure all the more distracting.
Another reason the show remains somewhat watchable? Well, there are some good episodes scattered here and there throughout the series. To help you guys out, instead of watching all 41 episodes, I would recommend watching just 13 and the movie (seriously, you will miss nothing from those other 28 episodes).
-Of course, watch the first two episodes since they introduce the characters and concept of the series.
-Check out episode 6 to see Spider-Man wield a machine gun of all things (you can see it in Marvel's eyecatch on their web site).
-Watch episode 7, "Fearful Hit Tune! Song Dancing Murder Rock", just for the sheer amount of campiness.
-Then watch episode 11 to see the continuation of the Interpol storyline from the movie, as well as a continuation of a character Spider-Man meets in episode 6.
-Episode 19, ''The Phantom Boy and a Village that Doesn't Exist on a Map'', is pretty solid so I would check out that one.
-Episode 21, "Father's Love Sparkles in the Sky", is the rare episode involving a father/son relationship that is actually touching.
-Episode 22 has the first direct encounter between Spider-Man and Professor Monster.
-Episode 31 and episode 39 for the badass narcotics agent Go Tachibana, played by toku veteran Hiroshi Miyauchi.
-Episode 35 introduces the two new villainesses Bella and Rita. They never do anything, it's just important to know them for the final episode.
-Episode 36 because it introduces a (sadly) one-off villain who is ridiculously competent.
-The final episode.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
You're welcome. I would talk about this show some more, but I just found it to be really forgettable and uninteresting for most of its run. The action has several strong moments, the soundtrack is catchy, and we get some good performances from our lead actor and our lead villainess. However, the show features completely terrible mecha fights, episodic stories that get repetitive and never go anywhere, and cost-cutting measures that do the show absolutely no favors. In the end, the story behind the show and the legacy it left behind are more interesting than the show itself.
The show proved to be a success for Toei in the end, leading the studio to begin producing a second show based on a Marvel property as part of their contract. The superhero chosen was Captain America, and Toei began retooling him so that he could represent Japan instead. However, to mix things up like they did with Spider-Man, they had "Captain Japan" team up with four more superheroes representing a diverse range of countries. This move replicated the success of Himitsu Sentai Goranger, but other elements were added including a giant robot and a dancing motif. This series would eventually be renamed to Battle Fever J, leading to the beginning of the Super Sentai franchise.
Not Recommended
Next Series Review: Choujin Sentai Jetman
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