"Tekkaman Blade" after years

Hello, another archived text. This time about anime, which was quite popular in the world when I was little. I hope to refresh your memories;)!

"Tekkaman Blade", more specifically "Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman Blade", was created in 1992. It has gained quite a lot of popularity both on the American and Polish market (it was broadcast on Fox Kids and TV 4 stations). This is a kind of remake of the original "Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman" from the '70. I don't know the original, my knowledge of this topic is limited to the series, sequel, and two short OVAs discussed here. I saw all 3 anime versions. The American one I liked the least, the native release had quite good voice actors (my favorite anime dubbing, which was released in Poland), the default is of course the Japanese one. Not only because of the soundtrack (although the American one was not the worst) but above all the "full release". Why full Because this western one was somewhat stripped of some of the threads. For example, the names of the characters were changed and not only (which in plus cases came out as positive in my opinion), the transformation process into Teknoman destroyed the characters' clothing (which was decided to cut), as many as 7 episodes were removed (!), The atmosphere of the story was slightly reduced. Even the gender of one of the characters (who was hermaphrodite or transsexual in the original) was changed, I don't remember exactly how it was emphasized. Don't be afraid, they are not bullshit, Levin thread is very natural and tastefully guided. The title, despite many years behind its neck, still maintains the same rating in my personal ranking. I update grades at MAL relatively often (or rather update, I don't feel like it now, I have more interesting things to do ... for example doing the same on IMDB xD!), And "Tekkaman" belongs to this small group of anime that I like them no matter the time perspective. And this one, in the text I will use alternately English and original names, for which I am sorry. Some names just got better in my memory and I don't have to look for synonyms in the gugel. I will also add that there will be some spoilers here but do not be afraid, none will spoil the joy of watching (if you have not really seen it and you want it). Well, all in all, but one, but he won't be particularly severe either.

My adventure with Blade began with watching cartoons at Fox Kids station. I was terrified. Since childhood I liked fights, robots, I was interested in the subject of the coexistence of machines and human (something like in "Robocop"), creating such a "super-human". Teknomany is an interesting variation of something like this (although in climates closer to "StarCraft"). A warrior who fights well in all conditions is super strong and extremely maneuverable. Like the "Dragon Ball", "Captain Tsubasa" or "Batman TAS", I ran as a young boy home for the next episode to learn this exciting story to the end. The beginning is fairly standard, not specific. Just from the sky falls a stranger who has lost his memory and gradually remembers who he is and knows nothing, except that he must protect humanity above all else. With each subsequent episode, we discover with the D-boy his past, why the evil Teknomen want the destruction of humanity, who are Venomoids, etc. The solution is not particularly revealing. Oh, we've seen most of the scenes from "Tekkaman" somewhere else before. In movies, series, animations or fairy tales from the sci-fi genre (or individual motifs in other genres). The creators, however, gave it a very cool atmosphere and sensibly put it all together into a single, sticky story.

This is not a story that will take you away, make you think about certain things, etc. It's just a solid action man, though the characters (Heinrich von Freeman, creator of the Space Knights, Balzack Asimov, the one who looked like a Cuban from Fidel Castro at the beginning of the anime, Aki Kisaragi, D-Boy, Tekkaman Evil), solving some of the threads (most of them concerning the Aiba family, with particular emphasis on the fragment with D-Boy's sister stories of individual characters), as well as themselves, can be intriguing, and their level does not go below a certain level. However, if you would like to watch some typical anime for the '90s (in terms of climate, characters, its overtones, envelope, etc.), then "Tekkaman Blade" is one of my most recommended items. The animation and the plot have stood the test of time quite well. I don't know if I would change my mind now (although I remember this anime quite well), but I don't remember any particularly painful slip-up from the creators. Maybe for individual matters, some issues that may have caused a slight irritation, but you know, this is a "problem" that affects many works. It does not bother me as long as the series is consistent in its assumptions and does not cheat the viewer. It is worth giving him a chance also because of the rather interesting solutions in the final episodes and quite unusual, for many anime, endings. It still fits the somewhat "gray" tone of the anime and in retrospect, I can't imagine another.

Speaking of the tip, I don't recommend watching the second series. When I saw it myself from 8 years ago, I reacted more or less like Roman Sklepowicz to Black protest [Context for non-Polish readers - one of the commentators on YouTube, commented on the feminist march in more or less this way. "I was there, I saw all those ugly women and I was wondering which one I could have sex with. The first - oh, no, oh, God, the third Christ ... And then I asked myself - who wants to fuck them? I don't think anyone.] From a pretty cool fairy tale for 16-year-olds (more violence, not little blood, slightly more mature threads for young people who are looking for something "difficult" and meeting the needs of their age) they made some cheap series with boobs, Venomoid rejections, and Blade himself behaved strongly out of character. Just as the first part took roughly the best of this type of creations, so the sequel is one of the worse series of this type in the history of anime in my opinion. Animation, plot, completely senseless, and poorly implemented idea. Only the opening is really cool ... and that's it. I don't know why the story was almost over.

A discussion of music, with particular emphasis on openings and endings, deserves a separate paragraph. Yumiko Kosaka, who is responsible for all 4 (2 openings, 2 endings), has a beautiful voice. Strong, inspiring, adding epicness to intense clashes. Masquerade, for which the singer is also responsible, is an equally emotional song and is one of my favorite elements of the soundtrack. Speaking of favorite songs, it is impossible to mention the outstanding scene of torture Miyuki, in the background of which the 1st Energy of Love ending flies. Even today, when I refresh this scene on YT, you feel that you have applied to the implementation of this thread and did not do it "overwhelmingly". I have a slightly weaker feeling about the sequence when Blade changed for the first time into his developed form (at the end of the anime) with the 2nd op in the background. The American intro (as well as the their soundtrack) was also extremely successful and further strengthens my associations with the game "StarCraft". Do not get me wrong, I'm not saying that Blizzard was inspired by this when creating the soundtrack, ot you can see such sounds match the soundtracks of works that take place in space. The soundtrack itself gives advice. It is true that many songs do not memorable, but they match the action that we observe on the screen.
In one sentence, if you are looking for a fairly solid title (one from the 1990s) that touches on slightly more mature threads, with quite interesting characters (both male and female), then I can do nothing but command you "Tekkaman Blade ". Just in time for nostalgic holidays;).