WI: Japanese Batman show in the 70s?

Emperor Norton I · Oct 31, 2012

When the '66-'68 Batman show came into existence, Batmania swept the world, and one place in particular where it was big was Japan. There was merchandise and even a comic series produced specifically in Japan for a while, all of which was focused on in the collection called "Bat-Manga!" released not too many years ago.

So the idea struck me, what if the Japanese made a localized Batman series in the 1970s? It's not out of the question as a concept, as Toei made a Spider-Man TV show in the late 70s, and the Batman show from America was cancelled in 1968 leaving an opening.

Emperor Norton I · Oct 31, 2012

I'll waste my meaty bump to give my opinion on this:

I can see two ways this could go.

One would be something close to the Adam West show, taking up on the Bat-Manga version of Batman and his mythos, coming about in the very early 1970s. This could even be an animated series and not live action (though frankly, anything could be an animated series).

The Second way would be something in the later 70s which is far enough removed from the Adam West show Batmania and reimagines Batman in a proper Japanese style. That proper Japanese style being something like he's a college kid with a motorcycle who invents gadgets and presses a button on his wrist watch to turn into Batman and fight crime, or he has a giant Mech, or anything like that which Japanese media seems to do with a property. I'm inspired by this.

Zacoftheaxes · Oct 31, 2012

If it stays successful, imagine all of the possible crossovers. Batman joins a motorcycle gang in a live action version of Akira (featuring Batman). Batman vs Godzilla may happen.

This of course would probably completely butterfly away Big O however, so that sucks

Emperor Norton I · Oct 31, 2012

Zacoftheaxes said:
If it stays successful, imagine all of the possible crossovers. Batman joins a motorcycle gang in a live action version of Akira (featuring Batman). Batman vs Godzilla may happen.

This of course would probably completely butterfly away Big O however, so that sucks

Why would it effect Big O?

Zacoftheaxes · Oct 31, 2012

Emperor Norton I said:
Why would it effect Big O?

Big O was made by a guy who (I beliece) worked on Batman: The Animated Series (some work was done by Japanese studios, IIRC) who wanted to create a Batman-like anime, but with mecha. Presumably in this timeline, someone else would make a Batman anime to either continue the live action series or to cash in on it, and he'd either work on that or not bother. The entire idea was pretty much Batman with mecha and elements of Godzilla.

Emperor Norton I · Oct 31, 2012

Zacoftheaxes said:
Big O was made by a guy who (I beliece) worked on Batman: The Animated Series (some work was done by Japanese studios, IIRC) who wanted to create a Batman-like anime, but with mecha. Presumably in this timeline, someone else would make a Batman anime to either continue the live action series or to cash in on it, and he'd either work on that or not bother. The entire idea was pretty much Batman with mecha and elements of Godzilla.

Not necessarily. If it's live action, there doesn't need to be an anime series. I don't think the Japanese Spiderman spawned an anime. And besides that, the Japanese import and dub American cartoons already, among them the various animated Batman series'.

Emperor Norton I · Oct 31, 2012

I don't suppose anyone knows any actors of Japanese television from 1970-1980 that could fill the characters?

arrowiv · Oct 31, 2012

I think a Japanese produced Batman would be very similar to the tokusatsu shows of the 70s such as Ultraman, Ultra Seven, or even Kikaida. Ban Daisuke, who played the lead in Kikaida, would be a logical choice to be the Japanese Batman. In a way, expect Batman battling rubber-suited creatures!

NothingNow · Oct 31, 2012

arrowiv said:
I think a Japanese produced Batman would be very similar to the tokusatsu shows of the 70s such as Ultraman, Ultra Seven, or even Kikaida. Ban Daisuke, who played the lead in Kikaida, would be a logical choice to be the Japanese Batman. In a way, expect Batman battling rubber-suited creatures!

Yeah, It'd be a Tokusatsu show.

Hiroshi Fujioka (Kamen Rider 1) would be another good lead actor, or a decent villain.

but yeah, it'd be Rubber-suited monsters and the normal Rouge's gallery. Probably campy as fuck too.

Dathi THorfinnsson · Nov 1, 2012

NothingNow said:
Yeah, It'd be a Tokusatsu show.

Hiroshi Fujioka (Kamen Rider 1) would be another good lead actor, or a decent villain.

but yeah, it'd be Rubber-suited monsters and the normal Rouge's gallery. Probably campy as fuck too.

<pet peeve#47>Is it the villains or the good guys who are wearing rouge?</pet peeve#47>

Emperor Norton I · Nov 1, 2012

Dathi THorfinnsson said:
<pet peeve#47>Is it the villains or the good guys who are wearing rouge?</pet peeve#47>

Well, there is Joker.

Emperor Norton I · Nov 1, 2012

I had a thought recently which this inspired, and which would be part of a Batman show in Japan. I don't mean this in a racist way (I'm afraid people will take it as such because our society seems to have lost the ability to accept any comment involving race as just a straight forward thing):
Does anyone know what the Riddler is called in Japan? One issue is that that is an English name, but another is that with the Japanese dialect and lack of western "L" and "R" pronunciation it seems like that is awkward to pronounce for the Japanese.

Fenrir_Angerboda · Nov 1, 2012

Emperor Norton I said:
I had a thought recently which this inspired, and which would be part of a Batman show in Japan. I don't mean this in a racist way (I'm afraid people will take it as such because our society seems to have lost the ability to accept any comment involving race as just a straight forward thing):
Does anyone know what the Riddler is called in Japan? One issue is that that is an English name, but another is that with the Japanese dialect and lack of western "L" and "R" pronunciation it seems like that is awkward to pronounce for the Japanese.

Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico and most of Latin America just use their word for "Riddle"
Quebec, France, Germany, Denmark, and Russia will translate it along the lines of "Mystery man" or Sphinx.

So his Japanese Name could be リドラー, which would be read as "Ridora", or however "Riddle Man/Mystery Man" etc, would be translated.

unclepatrick · Nov 1, 2012

My first thought was something like Kamen Mask Rider. The costume would be similar to what we saw in the Burton movie. Build up padding under the Chest.

I don't think that the Japanese would do any thing with Batman Rogue Gallery. I think it be like the Spiderman Show, with Japanese style monsters.

Did you know that Toho writer [FONT=&quot]Shinichi Sekizawa, wanted to do a Batman vs Godzilla Movie? Batman was suppose to use the Batmoble ,and the Batplane to attack Godzilla in the movie.[/FONT]

Mad Bad Rabbit · Nov 2, 2012

NothingNow said:
Yeah, It'd be a Tokusatsu show.

Hiroshi Fujioka (Kamen Rider 1) would be another good lead actor, or a decent villain.

but yeah, it'd be Rubber-suited monsters and the normal Rouge's gallery. Probably campy as fuck too.

UltraBatMan!

(He can only fight for ten minutes before the UltraBat-signal on his chest starts blinking and he has to run back home to recharge...)