Kaiju Oji

Aired: 1967

A TV anime produced by Toei Kikaku / Ikeda Production (existing materials also note Toyo Agency credits). Based on the original story concept by Ichiro Wakabayashi (script) and Daiji Kazumine (manga adaptation). Broadcast in 26 episodes on the Fuji TV network from April 3 to September 25, 1967. The boy Takeru (voiced by Kazue Takahashi), raised by dinosaurs on the remote South Pacific 'Kaiju Island,' meets an expedition team that arrives on the island and lives between nature and humanity together with his carnivorous dinosaur friend Nessie. Distinctive for its hybrid technique of compositing cel animation characters over live-action backgrounds (similar to Magma Taishi and Captain Ultra), the work participated in the contemporary children's kaiju boom. Though short in episode count, its jungle adventure format connects to the lineage of later works such as Boken Shonen Shadar and Marine Boy. (C)Daiji Kazumine / Toei Agency