Daitetsujin 17

Daitetsujin 17
GenreTokusatsu
Superhero
Kyodai Hero
Super Robot
Created byShotaro Ishinomori
Developed byShozo Uehara
Masaru Igami
Directed byMinoru Yamada
StarringMasahiro Kamiya
Midori Takei
Tadao Nakamaru
Go Haraguchi
Shungo Mitsui
Naoyuki Sugano
Junko Otsuki
Masahiro Takashina
Hitoshi Takahashi
Mayumi Watanabe
Kaho Shimada
Akihiko Hirata
Rinichi Yamamoto
Akira Yamaguchi
Ulf Otsuki
Rushia Santo
Mio Ota
Voices ofHiroshi Mizushina
Mieko Muramatsu
Kyoji Kobayashi
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of episodes35
Production
Production companiesToei Company
Ishimori Productions
Original release
NetworkMBS
ReleaseMarch 18 (1977-03-18) –
November 11, 1977 (1977-11-11)

Daitetsujin 17[1] (大鉄人17, Daitetsujin Wan-Sebun) is a 1977 tokusatsu series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It revolves around a giant battle robot commanded by a young boy who fights the giant robots of an evil organization bent on world conquest. It is similar to Giant Robo in premise and how it ends.

The opening theme was performed by Ichirou Mizuki, Koorogi '73 and The Chirps.

Popy manufactured several toys based on the series - notably a transforming Chogokin version of the robot One-Seven (later released in America for the Godaikin line), vehicles based on One-Seven's Flying Fortress mode, the Sub Machine Flying Car, the Shigcon Tank and the Shigcon Jet, and a three-inch version of One-Seven, which was later released as "17" in Mattel's Shogun Warriors line.

Story

Brain is the world's greatest computer, and also the most intelligent being on planet Earth. One day, Brain decides to abandon its terrestrial moorings, and it is up to The Red Mufflers to track it down. Unfortunately, Brain has developed an amazing army of deadly giant robots, including one with a huge "17" emblazoned on its chest-plate, with which it plans to subjugate its creators. A young boy whose family was killed by Brain's followers manages to activate Daitetsujin 17, which thereafter comes to his rescue whenever he is in danger from Brain's minions.

International broadcast and home video

  • In its home country of Japan, the first two episodes were released on VHS on January 21, 1986, as well as preview edits. Then a laserdisc release was released from November 21, 1996, to July 21, 1997, containing all 35 episodes and spread a total of 5 volumes with 2 discs each, with 8 episodes in each volume (The last volume only holds 1 disc and 3 episodes). Then from September 21 to November 21, 2006, the series was released on DVD spreading through 3 volumes, each holding 2 discs with 12 episodes each (the last volume holding only 11). The "Knowledge Corner" that was broadcast at the time of the series' being broadcast was not included. The first episode is included in the "Shotaro Ishinomori 70th Anniversary DVD-BOX" released on July 21, 2008. All three DVD volumes were released on July 12, 2017, as part of the Toei TV Tokusatsu New Price Series to Commemorate Shotaro Ishinomori's 80th Birthday.
  • In the United States, the series received an English dub and featured several episodes edited into a TV movie shown in the region under different titles, including The Defenders and the Great Brain and Brain 17 in 1982.

References

  1. ^ "大鉄人17". 東映チャンネル. Retrieved 2023-05-14.