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Ryusei Ningen Zon 26
episode 26 / Zone Fighter - Pulverize! The Garoga Gamma-X Strategy
Japan 1973
produced by Kimihiko Eto, Shunji Takahasi, Yoshio Nishikawa, Tomoyuki Tanaka (executive) for Mannen-Sha, Toho/NTV (= Nippon Television Network)
directed by Kohei Oguri
starring Kazuya Aoyama, Kazumi Kitahara, Takashi Sato, Shoji Nakayama, Sachiko Kozuki, Shiro Amakusa, Munemaru Koda (voice), Kiyoshi Kobayashi (voice)
written by Satoshi Kurumi, created by Susumu Takeuchi, music by Goh Misawa, special effects by shinichi Kanzawa
TV-series Zone Fighter
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Since all the attempts to take out the Zone family so far have failed,
Gold Garoga (voiced by Munemaru Koda) abandons all of his scientists in
outer space and instead gets the Cobalt Gamma X-Squadron to do their evil
bidding on earth. And they soon blind little Ken, so they can blackmail
his father Ishida, watchman at the World Nuclear Research Agency, to steal
the plans for neutron energy from his workplace in exchange for the
antidote - because you know, neutron energy in the wrong hands can lead to
the creation of an all powerful bomb. Ishida wills in as his son is his
everything, but fortunately Zone Fighter (Kazuya Aoyama) gets wind of it,
intercepts Ishida and fights the Cobalt Gamma X-Squadron to a standstill -
upon which they turn into giant monster Grotogauros, upon which Zoine
Fighter grows to a giant as well, gives the monster a good beating, then
drowns it in the sea until it explodes. This last ever episode
of Zone Fighter is certainly not its worst one, it's
competently handled, the monster doesn't look too goofy, the fight is
well-handled, the idea of the monster spilling some hallucinogenic mist
onto Zone Fighter to confuse him is almost inspired, and so is the idea to
let some of that fight take place in water. On the other hand, storywise
the entry has little new to offer, and the giant monster fight actually
seemed tagged on just to not break with the formula - and that's probably
pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back and sent Zone
Fighter packing after just one season, it was just too predictable
and at the same time just too much like ever so many other Japanese series
of the time, and even recurring guest star Godzilla
wasn't able to save much - the series was just same old same old
throughout with little willingness to experiment, and that's just not good
enough when something better (or at least different) is just around the
corner.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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