It looks like Janperson was NEVER going to run out of Robocop references right? There was the Robocop 2 movie and appropriately called so. Robocop 2 featured the Robocop-2 model which was rather impractical. This is also the episode where Clarence Boddicker ahem Ryuzaburo Tatewaki decides to take things into his own hands. This also has Junpei Morita guest-starring as a mad scientist Kogoro Tokizane. We also have the return of roboticist Keiichi Narumi.
This is where things get rather intense. Tatewaki knows he can't handle Janperson on his own. One thing worth thinking about in the Robocop movie was where Boddicker couldn't handle Robocop and ratted Dick Jones out. Jones himself is pretty much that generic corrupt villain. I guess Toei Ltd. never cared about him and gave Boddicker the honors. Unlike Boddicker, Tatewaki knows that in order to taken on Janperson, he has to become somebody else. This is where the Bill Goldy project kicks in. It's time to create a biological cyborg or a bio-borg. Bioborgs in science fiction does have different versions. It's pretty much Status Dependent on Version.
The episode also introduces us to R-Zico. I have a feeling that R-Zico was meant to be the show's version of Harry Boy from Jiban. This always had me wondering why we never had regular cast members from Jiban show up? I think that it'd be cool if Hajime Izu or Akira Ishihama were Kogoro. It's not that Morita was bad. Morita was pretty cool as Ryuon's voice (and human form) in Boukenger. Strangely, Ryuoun was once a human who decided to GIVE UP BEING HUMAN to take revenge on humanity, Bill Goldy is pretty much like that! Even funnier is how Morita's character dies in the flames in both Janperson and Boukenger. Though, Morita's character in Janperson died regretting he practically created an abomination.
The reference to the Robocop movies were somehow made (again). It wasn't enough that Kaoru Saegusa was practically Marie Lazarus from Robocop 3. Marie defied an order as much as Kaoru. Kaoru became the maintenance personnel for Janperson. I think one worthy reference is how Robo Cain was brought in except with a more practical design. I felt that OCP's other peace-keeping droids have very weird designs. For instance, Jones' peacekeeping droid design was too bulky in contrast to Robocop. Robo-Cain's model is pretty much too bulky. Here, Bill Goldy practically takes itself to create a sleeker, more practical design of a Bio-Cyborg. An interesting note is that Tokizane is practically a former colleague of Kaoru and has access to the MX-A1 project to create a Bio-Borg.
Unlike Robo-Cain, Bill Goldy gets a more practical design. Tatewaki could don his cybernetic alias any time he pleases. It's almost like how Jiban uses his former human identity as Naoto Takizawa as a civilian disguise. The Bio-Borg project to create Bill Goldy with a sleeker, more practical design puts Robo-Cain to shame. Juliette Faxx probably had no real common sense when she created such an impractical design or chose Cain's brain for her project. I think Reiko Ayanokouji would've probably took over OCP if she were part of it.
Bill Goldy goes out to an all-out-war. The second half has Bill Goldy starting to make people question if Janperson upholds the three directives. Serve the public trust, Protect the innocent, Uphold the law. Bill Goldy pretends to be Janperson and helps CRIMINALS instead. We know how Tatewaki has some common tropes with Boddicker such as For the Evulz and Laughably Evil. I think Tatewaki is pretty much Large Ham, Sadist, and Sociopath. "Cops don't like so I don't like cops!" pretty much summarizes why Bill Goldy starts framing Janperson by KILLING COPS.
Janperson and Gun Gibson obviously fear this new foe. There's even a throwback to the Space Sheriff Trilogy when a hyperspace is created for the battle with Bill Goldy. I guess Toei Ltd. was poking fun at the idea that Gavan's design inspired the Robocop design. Fortunately, Kaoru was able to prevent Bill Goldy from hacking Janperson's equipment. At this point, Bill Goldy is pretty much the Arch-Enemy to Janperson the same way Boddicker is to Robocop. Tatewaki went from Badass Normal to becoming something more deadly than Robo-Cain. Janperson uses some weapons to weaken Bill Goldy. However, the fight against Bill Goldy has JUST BEGUN.
And a couple of thoughts regarding Tatewaki's character development
I simply can't resist comparing Tatewaki to Boddicker to the point it's a corny running gag. So, one must think that Janperson's design is pretty much Robocop. Though, Janperson is more of Robot Detective K since he has no human past. I guess a human past was planned but was somehow removed at the last minute. I wonder if it was really planned that Tatewaki was going to be the man responsible for it. Meanwhile, I felt that Toei Ltd. probably hated Jones and decided to give Boddicker the role.
As I love to mention - Janperson is MORE VIOLENT than the Robocop cartoon and the Robocop TV series that came after it. The Robocop cartoon did make Boddicker the final antagonist. Heck, Boddicker wasn't even killed off in the cartoon. If anything, it seemed that the producers of the cartoon hated Jones too. Jones was just a Corrupt Corporate Executive who relied too much on crime lord Boddicker. Without Boddicker, Jones would be practically just a sitting duck! I guess Toei Ltd. hardly had any intention to make Jones the model for Tatewaki. The only thing in common that Tatewaki and Jones has is the role of a Corrupt Corporate Executive.
Instead, Tatewaki displays traits more similar to Boddicker. Boddicker is pretty much an insane man. Tatewaki is also an insane man. Tatewaki has his gang. Boddicker has his gang. Tatewaki kept throwing fits of rage every time he was defeated. Boddicker did the same. Both characters have the "I hate cops so I hate them" motive going on. Jones was just a boring Man Behind the Man. Heck, Jones was so easily defeated. Boddicker tried to fight to the last until he was defeated. I even felt Boddicker's death somehow inspired how Bill Goldy eventually got destroyed.
IMHO, I think Toei did the right thing not to make Tatewaki a boring corrupt villain. Instead, Tatewaki has been defined in his quest to become the biggest crime lord in Japan. Robocop's clash with Boddicker is more personal. I guess that's why we have our Boddicker. Now, Toei decided it'd be cool to make Boddicker a cyborg so we have Bill Goldy!
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