PHASE 2 IN THE JAPANESE INVASION
They may have lost the war but the Japanese won the peace and won the hearts of kids like me in the early to mid 1960's.
The Samurai was easily the best and most successful live action Japanese show on Australian TV and whilst The Phantom Agents was nowhere near the production quality, the target audience was primed and ready to accept this cross between the aforementioned Samurai and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
I've rated it a 9 more for the affect it had on me than for it's artistic merits. Samurai swords - check! Star Knives - check! Ninja skills including leaping backwards 100's of meters - check! Really cool uniforms - check and the voice of William Ross as narrator (the voice of Shintaro) for the nostalgia factor - check!
Joe Mizuki was capable enough as Fantar. The theme music was very secret agentish, and the gadgets were up there.
There are a couple of episodes on YouTube but they aren't the greatest examples of the show. I have not seen collections available so it's very much a matter of "you had to be there." I'm sure there'd be many of my contemporaries who would give The Phantom Agents a giant thumbs up maybe just for the sheer fun of it.
The Samurai was easily the best and most successful live action Japanese show on Australian TV and whilst The Phantom Agents was nowhere near the production quality, the target audience was primed and ready to accept this cross between the aforementioned Samurai and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
I've rated it a 9 more for the affect it had on me than for it's artistic merits. Samurai swords - check! Star Knives - check! Ninja skills including leaping backwards 100's of meters - check! Really cool uniforms - check and the voice of William Ross as narrator (the voice of Shintaro) for the nostalgia factor - check!
Joe Mizuki was capable enough as Fantar. The theme music was very secret agentish, and the gadgets were up there.
There are a couple of episodes on YouTube but they aren't the greatest examples of the show. I have not seen collections available so it's very much a matter of "you had to be there." I'm sure there'd be many of my contemporaries who would give The Phantom Agents a giant thumbs up maybe just for the sheer fun of it.
- steve-667-10190
- 17 déc. 2017