Mirrorman

Mirrorman (ミラーマン, Mirāman) is the title superhero of a tokusatsu science fiction/kaiju/superhero TV series, Mirrorman. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra superhero (even though there were concepts that were similar to Ultraman, which became Tsuburaya trademarks). Like Ultra Seven, Mirrorman was more of a dark and brooding science fiction drama than most other shows of its ilk, but by Episode 26, after major changes were forced upon the series by the network (making the action lighter and the hero more like Ultraman), it became a typical action-oriented superhero adventure of its era.

Mirrorman
GenreSuperhero
Science fiction
kaiju
Kyodai Hero
Created byTsuburaya Productions
Developed byBunzo Wakatsuki
Hiroyasu Yamaura
Directed byIshiro Honda
StarringNobuyuki Ishida, Junya Usami, Takako Asai
Country of originJapan
No. of episodes51
Production
Running time24 minutes (per episode)
Release
Original networkFuji Television
Original releaseDecember 5, 1971 –
November 26, 1972

There was a spin-off, a short series titled Mirror Fight, broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 1, 1974 to September 27, 1974, with a total of 65 short episodes. It was similar in concept to the earlier Ultra Fight.

Over the years, there were several sequel series rumors. In 2005, this somewhat came true in Mirrorman REFLEX, a straight-to-DVD series that would be later compiled into a film. Featuring no characters or connection to the old series, REFLEX has a darker tone on par with the first half of the original television series.

In July 2018, the series finally had its premiere in the United States, after 47 years, on the television channel Toku. A month later, the series was added to its streaming platform.[1]

Plot

In 1980, an evil alien race known simply as the Invaders are about to take over the Earth, using assorted daikaiju (giant monsters) and other fiendish plots. Assigned to investigate this threat is an organization called the Science Guard Members (SGM). But another hope comes from someone, unbeknownst even to himself, possessing otherworldly power. Professor Mitarai, the leader of SGM, finally shares a secret with his foster son, a young photojournalist named Kyôtarô Kagami ("kagami" = Japanese for "mirror"), a secret only he himself knows: Kyôtarô is a half-caste of an alien father and a human mother (both of whom are missing — captives of the Invaders). Kyôtarô discovers that he is actually the son of Mirrorman, a superhero from the 2nd Dimension.

However, the original Mirrorman was defeated by the Invaders' toughest monster King Zyger (explained in Episode 14), but his son Kyôtarô survived, and shares the same powers as his namesake. Naturally, the young man had difficulty accepting his destiny, but he soon realizes that he is the only one who can save the Earth from the Invaders, when they try to assassinate him. In order to transform into Mirrorman, Kyôtarô must stand in front of any reflective surface (mirrors, water, etc.), and flash his Mirror-Pendant, and utter the words "Mirror Spark".

Production Crew
  • Supervisor: Hajime Tsuburaya
  • Producers: Toyoaki Tan, Kazuho Mitsuda, Koji Bessho, Tsutomu Yatai
  • Script: Bunzo Wakatsuki, Keisuke Fujikawa, Hiroyasu Yamaura, Shigemitsu Taguchi, Toyohiro Ando, Showa Ohta
  • Music: Toru Fuyuki
  • Directors of Photography: Takeshi Goto, Toshiyuki Machida, Senkichi Nagai
  • Lighting: Kazuo Kobayashi
  • Production Designer: Akira Kikuchi
  • Assistant Directors: Hiroshi Shimura, Takeshi Kitamura
  • Props: Moriaki Uematsu
  • Progress: Une Honkou, Yu Iwatsubo, Terukichi Kokubo

Special Effects Unit
  • Director of Photography: Katsutsugu Furuichi
  • VFX Unit Cameraman Kunihiko Kimizuka
  • Lighting: Yasuo Takakura
  • Production Designer: Tetsuzo Osawa
  • Assistant Director: Yoshiyuki Yoshimura
  • Synthesis Technology: Minoru Nakano, Sadao Iizuka
  • Practical Effects: Shoji Ogawa, Sadashige Tsukamoto, Fumio Nakadai, Kame Ogasawara, Eiji Shirakuma
  • Mechanical Effects: Shigeo Kurakata
  • Optical Photography: Kaneo Kimura, Michihisa Miyashige, Bunzo Hyodo, Kazuo Matsumoto
  • Production Manager: Kazuo Ohashi
  • Scripter Girls: Mihoko Kuroiwa, Keiko Suzuki, Haruyo Matsumaru, Kunie Nakanishi, Chieko Sawada, Masako Hisamatsu, Yoshie Yaguchi, Fumie Fuji, Settsu Kamiya
  • Editing by: Yoshihiro Yanagawa
  • Effect: Kiyasu Hara
  • Production Managers: Masahiro Tsukahara, Masayuki Shitara
  • In Charge of Production: Masahiro Tsukahara
  • Recorded at: Central Recording
  • Film Processing: Tokyo Lab

Live Action Unit
  • Toshihiko Nakajima, Nobuo Ishiyama, Noriaki Yoshino, Shoichi Shinokawa, Tsuneko Ozeki, Takako Sekizawa, Kumiko Takagi

VFX Staff
  • Kiyotaka Matsumoto, Masao Sekiguchi, Kenichi Amano, Kazuo Takano, Yukitsu Kanno, Shuichi Kishiura

Special Thanks to
  • Sea Museum
  • Hotel Shoto
  • Yongda Boats
  • Nagashima Onsen

The nickname "Mirrorman" was applied by the mass media and internet to Kazuhide Uekusa, an economist who was arrested in 2004 for sex offences involving peeping under girls' skirts with a hand-held mirror.

Cameos and other appearances
  • The characters of Chief Murakami, Yasuda and Nomura would later return in Jumborg Ace. A bank of Mirrorman can also be seen in one episode.
  • The monster Gorgosaurus also appears in Ultraman Taro.
  • The monster Dustpan would appear again in the Thai/Japanese co-production The 6 Ultra Brothers vs. the Monster Army.
  • Mirror Knight, an homage to Mirrorman, appears in the film Ultraman Zero The Movie: Super Deciding Fight! The Belial Galactic Empire.
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References
  1. "Ultraman Orb Will Air On TOKU Starting In July". The Tokusatsu Network. 2018-06-30. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
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