What I didn't bother to write about (at first) was Discotek's release of other Toei-created media. I got too focused on Shout! Factory releases such as when Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger had its licensed release. Now, Shout! Factory Super Sentai DVD releases are currently with Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger. Kidou Keiji Jiban is getting its June 2024 release and turned 35 this year.
Sure, I didn't find myself a huge fan of this series. I may enjoy the theme song but I'm not a big fan of it. It can be attributed to my incredible favoritism for Tokosou Robo Janperson. Toei doesn't shy away from American pop culture references despite cultural differences. 1978 became the year when Toei dared to create its own Spider-Man with a Marvel license. However, Toei may have decided they were better off creating Japanese superheroes inspired by American superheroes than adapting them. IMHO, I still think Saban Entertainment adapted Spider-Man better than the strange concoction Toei came up with.
Sure, I didn't find myself a huge fan of this series. I may enjoy the theme song but I'm not a big fan of it. It can be attributed to my incredible favoritism for Tokosou Robo Janperson. Toei doesn't shy away from American pop culture references despite cultural differences. 1978 became the year when Toei dared to create its own Spider-Man with a Marvel license. However, Toei may have decided they were better off creating Japanese superheroes inspired by American superheroes than adapting them. IMHO, I still think Saban Entertainment adapted Spider-Man better than the strange concoction Toei came up with.
Jiban's pop culture references can be BLATANT. The main hero Naoto Tamura was killed in the line of duty by a Bioron monster. Dr. Igarashi had a big mistake he wants to correct. Naoto is converted into the mobile cyborg Jiban. Unlike Robocop, Jiban could still don his human identity and interact with people. How Naoto can still eat in human form is logically baffling. Points to Orion Pictures for not making Robocop eat human food! Later depictions of the Japanese pop icon Megaman (or Rockman in Japan) have him eating human food. The reference to Robocop is there except Naoto is single. Too bad Naoto lost his human biology before he could have the chance to marry and procreate. I guess Naoto was planned to be a family man but was scrapped for some unknown reason.
Unlike Super Sentai DVD releases - most of them are very non-linear. Only the first two Ucchu Keiji Trilogy entries have an official release. The first Metal Hero series to be released is Megabeast Investigator Juspion - which came AFTER the Space Sheriff Trilogy. Gavan and Sharivan have their releases but not Shaider. I felt Shaider was a weaker entry compared to its predecessors. I still think Shaider deserves a DVD release. Skipping Ninja Seiki Jiraiya for Jiban can sound weird. Didn't Jiraiya even get a Power Rangers Ninja Steel counterpart? Why not release Jiraiya after that?
In turn, I do think releasing Jiban could give Toei more options. Should they release Jiraiya next? Maybe yes or no. However, probable better options would be like on anything AFTER Jiban. Maybe, they can consider releasing from what I dub as the Rescue Police Quadrilogy. Officially, Tokkei Winspector, Shirei Solbrain, and Tokosou Exceedraft are a trilogy. Exceedraft was supposedly independent but it got retconned for some strange reason. Janperson usually stands alone but it was integrated into the special three-part crossover with Juuku B-Fighter and Blue SWAT.
IMHO, releasing Janperson instead of Winspector or Jiraiya may be the next best move. My reason is that Janperson was the second Toei-created character that was blatantly inspired by Robocop. Heck, ABC-5 even advertised Janperson as the Asian Robocop. The tagline was, "If America has a Robocop - Asia also has a Robocop." in Tagalog. Janperson carried a more mature tone even if children can be heard singing in the opening theme. What I enjoy about Janperson more than Jiban is the more mature execution. Not even the older Super Sentai series reached that level of maturity and heavy drama. I could enjoy Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive but I'd still rewatch Winspector over it. Janperson feels like a primetime show for older people even when it was geared towards children.
IMHO, releasing Janperson instead of Winspector or Jiraiya may be the next best move. My reason is that Janperson was the second Toei-created character that was blatantly inspired by Robocop. Heck, ABC-5 even advertised Janperson as the Asian Robocop. The tagline was, "If America has a Robocop - Asia also has a Robocop." in Tagalog. Janperson carried a more mature tone even if children can be heard singing in the opening theme. What I enjoy about Janperson more than Jiban is the more mature execution. Not even the older Super Sentai series reached that level of maturity and heavy drama. I could enjoy Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive but I'd still rewatch Winspector over it. Janperson feels like a primetime show for older people even when it was geared towards children.
I still think releasing Jiban is a good move. Hopefully, Toei will negotiate with Discotek to release Janperson next.
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