8 Man

Aired: 1963 - 1964

A TV anime produced by TCJ Doga Center. Based on the manga by Kazumasa Hirai (script) and Jiro Kuwata (art) serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine (1963-1965). Broadcast in 56 monochrome episodes on the TBS network from November 7, 1963 to December 31, 1964. 8 Man (voiced by Sakae Takayama), a super-high-speed cyborg with the transplanted brain of slain detective Hachiro Azuma, cooperates with the Metropolitan Police's Special Investigation Squad under the guise of private detective Hachiro Azuma to confront bizarre criminal cases in this SF action work. Wielding Mach 7 super-speed running and combat enhancement via cigar-shaped booster devices, he battles aliens, psychics, and international crime organizations. With urban and stylish SF settings utilizing limited animation techniques, the work differentiated itself from contemporaneous boys' anime and became a pioneering Japanese SF anime. A sequel OVA 8 Man After (Ishimori Pro/Sunrise) was produced in 1991, followed by a live-action film 8 Man in 1992. (C)Kazumasa Hirai/Jiro Kuwata