Classic tokusatsu fans rejoice! Iron King is here!

Iron King is a 26 episode series made in the vein of Ultraman and other such super heroes. Japan is under attack by various groups and, of course, they employ the latest monster robots. So who does Japan have to protect themselves against such treachery? Well a singing cowboy tough guy and his goofball red hat wearing sidekick who just happens to have the ability to transform into a giant robot super hero.

The show is excellent and really has a way about it that is unlike anything I've ever seen. There's tons of action and in the first two thirds of the series very interesting plot lines with bands of ancient Japanese nomads seeking revenge against the Yamato people. Later in the series the show shifts the enemies to aliens and the whole thing takes a turn downhill.

Still, despite a lackluster third story arc, I can heartily recommend Iron King to anyone who likes this sort of thing. Tokusatsu and kaiju fans will probably already own it but even if you're not a usual fan and you like weird Japanese stuff, this could be for you.

By the way, I used to be convinced that there were just some things that would never see a release here in America legally. I never thought even after the Ultraman discs were released that we'd see gems like this. What's next? Well BCI has some more series in the works including the already released Super Robot: Red Baron.

Labels: sci-fi, Tokusatsu, TV Shows