#Jumborg Ace and Giant

[virovac]

When the villain is accidentally the hero

This nameless monster-of-the-week in Jumborg Ace (later called Giant Robot Zero in merch) succeeds in its mission in preventing humans from testing a planet-destroying superweapon they built before fighting the hero.

You may have done it for evil reasons mr robot,, but like it or not you did good.

[cina-full-moon-xanadium]

Jumborg Ace is a 1973 Tsuburaya toku where the MC is not only not part of the defense team, but has a grudge against them, blaming them for the death of his brother, anyway he's about to kamikaze his plane a kaiju until these definitely-not-Ultras called the Emerald Seijin give him the ability to turn his plane into a giant robot he can pilot, he later gets another one called Jumborg 9.

Oh that is fascinating actually…

[himitsusentaiblog]

You think that's crazy? Sompote Sands illegally sold the rights to Jumborg Ace and Giant to a Taiwanese film company to produce Mars Men, which has a large following in France and Italy.

WOW!

A Taiwanese Lobby Card for the film:

The Italian Movie Poster!

Another Taiwanese Lobby Card!

The Turkish Poster!

Thanks for the info!

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

And here’s an unbelievably cursed image to complement the last post! Sompote Sands and three unidentified suit actors on the set of Jumborg Ace & Giant (1974).

[atomic-crusader]

RIP Sompote Sands

Yesterday it was reported on Twitter that Sompote Sands passed away. Many of us know him as a controversial figure who attempted (and for a while, successfully) to steal the Ultraman franchise. However he has made other films, and outside of his Ultraman projects, he also worked on the 1979/1980 film Crocodile. As far as I know, the last we had heard from Sands was when he had lost an appeal with the Thai Supreme Court Division in 2020 that cost him the rights to Hanuman vs 7 Ultraman and Jumborg Ace and Giant.

[yojimbo965]

TOKUSATSU TREASURES-07 MIRRORMAN (1971) “If Ultraman is the sun, Mirrorman is the moon, shining in the dark of night...” After successfully restarting the Ultra series with Return Of Ultraman and Ultraman Ace, for their next trick Tsuburaya Productions tried a different kind of Kyodai hero: Mirrorman! A first glance there are a lot of similarities between the Ultra shows and this new Giant of justice, however, there were some differences, mostly in tone, at first. At some point in the 1980’s, Earth is under attack from a race of extraterrestrials known only as the Invaders, who dress in black and wear sunglasses, while commanding a variety of kaiju. Against these alien foes, stands the SGM (Science Guard Members) lead by the impressively sideburned Dr. Mitarai. To aid in this struggle, he informs his foster son, Kyotaro Kagami (Kagami = mirror), of his true nature as the son of a human mother and the original Mirrorman, an alien from a 2-D world. After coming to terms with his alien heritage, Kyotaro uses his father’s Mirror Pendant and with the words “Mirror Flash!” fights for the Earth as the new Mirrorman. This series was darker than the earlier Ultra shows. Kyotaro is a more reluctant hero, feeling alienated by the secret of his heritage. The Invaders are mysterious and scary. The stakes seem both higher and more grounded than a lot of other shows. At least for the first half of the 51 episodes. Sponsor/network demands resulted in changes to more closely align with the Ultra shows, including, a lightening of the tone and the addition of a Power Timer to Mirrorman. Even with those mandated changes, this is still a really fun show. Mostly because of lead actor Noboyuki Ishida. He gives Kyotaro both an optimism and realism that makes him extremely relatable. This is a really fun series. It has ties to Jumborg Ace, with three SGM members appearing there, and Ultraman Zero, as the inspiration for Mirror Knight. For those interested, the entire series can be streamed from the TOKU site - LEGALLY! I need to decide on the subject for my next piece. Help me choose between Toei’s Spider-man, Kikaider or Akumaizer 3. #mirror-man #inktober2021 (at Fields Family Funhouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO9b17vJK-l/?igshid=hfpv3v1vflry

[rustybottlecap]

A dramatic reading of the thai legend Tha Tien (ท่าเตียน), about two giants who had an argument and fought causing a lot of devastation, thought I don’t know the details.

Some of you may know these giants from the tokusatsu crossover movie with Tsuburaya “Jumborg Ace & Giant”. That’s because said giant (based on a real life statue from Bangkok) first appeared in a movie that losely adapted the legend in modern times, titled (how else) “Tha Tien”, and it was the debut of Sompote Sands himself as a director after coming back from Japan.

[cultfaction]

Cult Movie Essentials: Mars Men (1976)

Cult Movie Essentials: Mars Men (1976)

Directed by Hung Min Chen, Mars Men (aka Huo xing ren) is a bizarre sci-fi movie whose creation is almost as weird as the film itself!

In April 1974 Thai Burin Films (a subsidiary of Productions Chaiyo) and the Japanese company Tsuburaya Productions released the movie Giant and Jumbo Ain Thailand only. The film featured the…

[dougmeet]

Top rated The Gate (1987, Canada / USA) 7 votes, average: 4.43 out of 57 votes, average: 4.43 out of 57 votes, average: 4.43 out of 57 votes, average: 4.43 out of 57 votes, average: 4.43 out of 5 (4.43 out of 5) Eyeball (Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro) (1975, Italy / Spain) 38 votes, average: 4.37 out of 538 votes, average: 4.37 out of 538 votes, average: 4.37 out of 538 votes, average: 4.37 out of 538 votes, average: 4.37 out of 5 (4.37 out of 5) Halloween (1978, USA) 95 votes, average: 4.35 out of 595 votes, average: 4.35 out of 595 votes, average: 4.35 out of 595 votes, average: 4.35 out of 595 votes, average: 4.35 out of 5 (4.35 out of 5) Entrails of a Virgin (Shojo no harawata) (1986, Japan) 63 votes, average: 4.29 out of 563 votes, average: 4.29 out of 563 votes, average: 4.29 out of 563 votes, average: 4.29 out of 563 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5 (4.29 out of 5) Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982, USA) 38 votes, average: 4.29 out of 538 votes, average: 4.29 out of 538 votes, average: 4.29 out of 538 votes, average: 4.29 out of 538 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5 (4.29 out of 5) Sweet Sixteen (1983, USA) 14 votes, average: 4.29 out of 514 votes, average: 4.29 out of 514 votes, average: 4.29 out of 514 votes, average: 4.29 out of 514 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5 (4.29 out of 5) The Case of the Bloody Iris (Perché quelle strane gocce di sangue sul corpo di Jennifer?) (1972, Italy) 11 votes, average: 4.27 out of 511 votes, average: 4.27 out of 511 votes, average: 4.27 out of 511 votes, average: 4.27 out of 511 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5 (4.27 out of 5) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, USA) 47 votes, average: 4.26 out of 547 votes, average: 4.26 out of 547 votes, average: 4.26 out of 547 votes, average: 4.26 out of 547 votes, average: 4.26 out of 5 (4.26 out of 5) Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Häxan) (1922, Denmark / Sweden) 38 votes, average: 4.26 out of 538 votes, average: 4.26 out of 538 votes, average: 4.26 out of 538 votes, average: 4.26 out of 538 votes, average: 4.26 out of 5 (4.26 out of 5) The Crimson Stain Mystery (1916, USA) 35 votes, average: 4.26 out of 535 votes, average: 4.26 out of 535 votes, average: 4.26 out of 535 votes, average: 4.26 out of 535 votes, average: 4.26 out of 5 (4.26 out of 5)

Poster for Mars Men (aka Jumborg Ace and Giant) (1974, Thailand / Japan) - Wrong Side of the Art

[yuican48]

Shin Ultraman Retsuden quick summary 1

Due to Shin Retsuden being heavily tied in with the shows going on at the time, there are substantially more episodes I could consider to be part of an overall narrative. OP: Focus on Man, Seven, Zoffy, Taro, Zero and Ginga. Later on there are shots of Cosmos and Mebius. End shot is just of Ginga. 01: After Seven wonders about Zero at the Land of Light, Man and Zoffy meet him to discuss first encounters of the Light with humans, such as when Man accidentally killed Hayata Shin and had to possess him to save his life, or when Seven saved the self-sacrificing Satsuma Jiro and took his form as Moroboshi Dan, when Shunichi Maki became the Next, and later Komon Kazuki joined that light as Nexus and became Noa, How Higashi Kotaro merged with Taro, how his student Mebius first met Aihara Ryu, and how as a boy, Haruno Musashi first met Ultraman Cosmos. Hikaru, Misuzu, Kenta and Chigusa appear at the end to promote Ginga. 02-07 is the first run of Ginga, with associated Spark Doll Theatre clips starring Black King, Thunder Darambia, Kemurujin, King Pandon, Ragon and occasionally Taro. Some episodes during the break served to build up to the theater special. Some episodes during the breaks had parts of Ultra Frontier included. OP: New footage is limited to a shot of, of all things, Black King, then near the end, in order, Zoffy, Man, Seven, Jack, Ace and Taro. End shot is just Ginga. 08: Fairly minor story content, essentially just showing that Hikaru picked up Valkie Seijin's Spark Doll. Valkie talks about the first appearances of Black King, Neo Darambia, Kemurujin, King Pandon, Giant Ragon, Doragoris, himself and Dark Tiga. 09: After a 2 month absence, Zero and Glen return to first talk about the Jean Brothers, since Jean-nine is the secondary hero in Ginga. Zero apparently says this Jean-nine isn't there's, but why? Taro is clearly the same. They also give a look at heroes of justice in other worlds, Jumborg Ace, Jumborg 9, Mirror Man and Fireman. 10: Because Hikaru is thinking about the troubles his friends have had recently, Taro tells Hikaru about how his first student, Mebius, had his friendships tested in the Roberuga episode. Icarus Seijin makes his first appearance at the end. 11: The lead up to the Theater Special really begins with Zero telling us about the Icarus Seijin episode of Ultraseven. At the end Icarus Seijin is shown watching him and Glen. 12-13: After Hikaru returns an Eleking to being a Spark Doll, using Ginga Thunderbolt, Taro decides to tell him about Tyrant and it's constituents, while Icarus Seijin secretly listens in. They discover him between parts, forcing him to flee. OP: this change in the OP seems to highlight problems with my insistence on only mentioning new footage. There is some though, first Leo, then Seven and Zero, then the same sequence of the 6 Ultra Brothers, a shot of Hikaru and Ginga. End shot is still Ginga. 14: Zero teaches us about his master, Leo, as well as Astra and King. Pretty sure the footage of Zero and Leo training is new. 15: Each of the Spark Dolls does a Kaiju spotlight. King Pandon covers the duo from Max's first episode, Ragon covers Snowgon, Thunder Darambia covers Silvergon, and Kemurujin does Kanegon. Because of Daikaiju Rush they run out of time for Black King. 16: The Spark Dolls tell us about the first series of Ultra Galaxy and the inter-kaiju battles within. Doragoris appears to talk about one fight in particular. 17: After thinking about the Dark Spark War and wondering why they arrived on this world, Taro thinks back to the second time Ultraman fought Red King. 18: Hikaru and Taro discuss Ginga's techniques and compare them. Ginga Thunderbolt is compared to Dyna Miracle Type using Revolium Ray, Ginga Fireball to Taro's Ultra Dynamite, Ginga Saber to Mebius Braves Mebium Knight Blade, Ginga Slash to Nexus Junis using Core Impulse, and Gaia SV using Photon Stream is mentioned by Taro, and Hikaru compares it to Ginga Cross Shoot. Ginga Comfort is compared to Cosmos Luna Mode using Full Moon Rect. Taro explains that even if his techniques resemble others, that's not important, what is important is how he uses them. 19: Zero and Seven relate the Godola Seijin episode of Ultraseven. At the end Zero teases his dad about Anne. 20: Taro explains another of Mebius' battles to Hikaru, this time from the Mates Seijin episode. 21-25: The second act of Ginga. Episode 26 actually just uses the second opening sequence for Ginga. 26: After being defeated during the finale, Hikaru inside the immobile Ginga struggles to remember recent events, as well as the original battles of Zaragas, Jashrain and Grand King. We rejoin the action as Taro battles, and review the final battle. I'm not sure if Ginga's words near the end to Hikaru were in the episode or not. Also I started working on this post like 4 hours ago what the hell.

[himitsusentaiblog]

It is with mixed feelings today that I learned about the death of Thai director and founder of Chaiyo Productions Sompote Saengduenchai a.k.a Sompote Sands who passed away yesterday, August 26, 2021 at the age of 80. Sands was a controversial figure to put it lightly in the tokusatsu field.  He worked briefly with Eiji Tsuburaya and teamed up with Tsuburaya Productions in the 1970s to co-produce the Thai films Jumborg Ace and Giant as well as Hanuman and the 7 Ultramen.

He would later go on to produce the totally unauthorized by Toei Hanuman and the 5 Riders.

He was also responsible for the decades long attempt to claim international distribution rights to the Showa Ultra series which was only finally resolved in Tsuburaya’s favor in 2018.  He attempted to create his own Ultra Heroes for the Thai market but was beaten down in court as that was never part of the supposed agreement that ‘gave’ him distribution rights. He also produced his own films such as The Magic Lizard 

And Crocodile

[himitsusentaiblog]

I am doing a panel on Tokusatsu Outside Japan for this year’s Ushicon in Round Rock Texas.

These are the topics I have for the panel so far:

Hong Kong- Inframan and Mighty Peking Man Taiwan- War God and the Super Riders movies. Indonesia- Bima Satria Garuda and it’s sequels Thailand- Jumborg Ace and Giant, Hanuman vs 7 Ultraman, Hanuman vs 5 Riders Mainland China- Armor Hero and the Battle Strike Team series. South Korea- Yongary, their Super Sentai adaptations plus Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, Legend Heroes, Hwarang Fighter Maru and K-Cops North Korea- Pulgasari The Philippines- Zaido

Anyone know of any others I can mention?  I’d prefer to skip talking about straight dubs and discuss local productions or co-productions with Japan. I am trying to limit it right now to Asian Tokusatsu productions as I want to avoid dealing with Western shows for this iteration.

[himitsusentaiblog]

Unlike Thai company Chaiyo Productions two 1974 co-productions with Tsuburaya of Japan (Jumborg Ace & Giant and Hanuman vs 7 Ultraman) their 1975 film, Hanuman and the 5 Riders was utterly unauthorized by Toei, who controlled the rights to Kamen Rider. It was such a blatant ripff that it even incorporated footage from the Toei film 5 Riders vs. King Dark.

[himitsusentaiblog]

Can you tell us about Tsuburaya's other heroes? And Booska?

SURE!  Though the Ultra Series is their most well-known, they have had several other shows that did well.  I’ve mentioned their 1970s Dinosaur Trilogy (Dinosaur Expedition Born Free, Dinosaur Great War Izenborg and Dinosaur Squadron Koseidon) before.

I have also talked about Mighty Jack and it’s follow up Fight! Mighty Jack.

These were more science fiction than superhero shows, though Izenborg did have a giant hero and Koseidon a human-sized one. When it comes to other heroes of Tsuburaya, a couple of names come instantly to mind especially in the early 1970s.

1973 was the 10th Anniversary of the founding of Tsuburaya productions and they celebrated with three series, Ultraman Taro, Fireman and Jumborg Ace.

Fireman feels very similar to the Ultras with a hero taking human guise and joining a defense agency to help humanity fight monsters and aliens.  Fireman’s human name is Misaki and he transforms into a giant hero using the fire stick.

The other 1973 non-Ultra giant hero from Tsuburaya was Jumborg Ace. Again, this is the story of person who can transform into a giant hero though this time, the man himself does not transform, it is his airplane that becomes the giant hero with the young man piloting it. He gained his powers from the Emerald Alien which rescued him from a monster attack and modified his plane and his watch to grant him his new abilities.

Two years before that, there was Mirrorman.  This series is another similar to the Ultras (though to be fair a LOT of the Kyodai Hero genre is very similar to the Ultra Heroes). Mirrorman is a half-alien, the son of the original Mirrorman who was defeated by aliens known only as The Invaders who use giant monsters to take over planets. He was raised in secret as a human but when the Invaders threaten the Earth, he joins with the SGM (Science Guard Members) to fight them off.  He has inherited his Father’s abilities as well and as the new Mirrorman, helps his allies in their struggle.

As a side note, the current hero Mirror Knight who is part of Ultraman Zero’s Ultimate Force Zero, is an homage to Mirrorman.

I would be rather remiss if I didn’t mention one of Tsuburaya’s other ‘heroes’ here.  A very, very low budget entry was the almost plot-less Redman. This was what could generously be called poverty-level tokusatsu and featured Ultra Monsters from the various series getting basically slaughtered by the title character.

This entire series is available to watch streamed on Tsuburaya’s Youtube page X.

Booska is NOT a superhero show. However, this child-friendly sitcom character is almost as old as Ultraman himself, first appearing in November of 1966 in the series Kaiju Booska.

Booska started life as an iguana before it was fed an experimental food by its owner and mutated into something else.  Booska is friendly and curious, leading to all kinds of shenanigans and humorous events.  It has become something of a mascot for Tsuburaya in general and remains a popular character to this day.

I know I am missing a TON of non Ultra Heroes here but these were the ones I could remember off the top of my head.  I intentionally left out Andros Melos because that one falls into the realm of being an Ultra Hero series with the main characters being Ultra Heroes wearing special armor.

I also left out Gridman because he’s rather famous and I’ve covered him before.

Thanks for the question!