Robô Gigante

This had to be one of the weirdest shows to ever come from the Land of the Rising Sun. If anyone today were to try to promote a show featuring a ten year old kid and his flying robot, that person would either be thrown out on his ear or have the guys in the white coats come and pick him up. However, this was an enjoyable show featuring not only some crazy action, but some of the wildest monsters ever created for the whole kaiju eiga genre. The only thing that undoes this show are the poor special effects. However this show is still a cult classic and for the life of me I don't know why this isn't shown on television anymore.

How could I ever forget Johnny Socko and his flying robot! I started watching the show when in 1979 at the age of 6. I remember it being on TV for a couple of years, I suppose when I was about 8 or 9 – would have been the last time I watched the show.

Johnny Socko and his Flying Robot was my favorite TV show growing up then as a child. Among my other list of favorites (at that age of 6ish to 8ish years old): Batman, Lost in Space, Superman, Leave it to Beaver, G-Force, Incredible Haulk, Greatest American Hero, and yes even Dallas…. Put at the top of that list: Johnny Socko and his flying robot! I remember I had my own fleet of Socko Robots that I made out of Legos. I wanted my own giant robot so bad! There is one episode that seems to stick out…and that is the one where the Giant Robot loses his eyes… or they get messed up real bad and the poor giant robot can’t see anything… and he’s thrashing about knocking over any thing his arms hit. And wasn’t there a show where the Giant Robot turned on Johnny and all the good people of the world? Ha ha ha…. I remember when the Robot lost his eye sight, Johnny was crying over it. Amazing the things you remember from when your child.

I keep looking for VHS copies of this TV show to no avail. It would be nice if the SCI FI channel would re run this TV series! Also, the actor that played Jonny died in 1997.

Giant Robo was a comic which was first featured in a weekly comic magazine "Shonen Sunday" in the late '60s by comic artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, then turned into a TV series. Yokoyama drew another comic featuring a giant robot under a boy's control; the "Gigantor" (Tetsujin Nijyuhachi-go) which also became a TV series (four times). Giant Robo was supposed to be a weapon for the bad guys, but because U7 (Disuke Kusama) first spoke into the wrist watch remote control, it only obeyed his command. Like Gigantor, its first incarnation to TV was acted by a real live actors, then the second series was animated. I have memories of this series like many people who wrote here including having a crush on U5. I don't know what it is about these classic Japanese TV sci-fi but there's something that leaves a lasting impression on people. Yokoyama has another comic with giant robot obeying master's commands (Babyl II or Babyl Nisei) which also became a TV series. He is considered along the likes of Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), Ishinomori Shotaro (Kamen Ryder, Kikaida, Go Rangers, Cyborg 009), and Fujiko Fujio (Obake no Q-taro, Doraemon) as a founding father of genre we now call "Manga", and has legion of fans around the world. Just a great show from a great comic artist.

Aah, childhood, those halcyon days, all those memories associated with them are indelible. I was five years old, and our neighbors had just got a new television. In India, we had only one TV channel then and the programs were more related to news based items or were culture oriented. Watching a Egyptian mummy faced robot fighting monsters was a dream for me as well as for every other kid I knew. I remember how hard I cried when the giant robot lost his eyes and also during the episode where he was beaten badly, I envied Johnny so much. Today I know the special effects are much much better and there are a plethora of new sci- fi based programs but they cant even hold a torch to good ol' Johnny and his robot.

For the people of my generation this is as good as gold. C'mon Johnny quit playing games, come back. I miss you.

If you like Godzilla, Giant Robo, Ultraman or any other big monsters that fight and save the world then this is the best best. Sure it's old and campy...but it's a lot of fun. I have old tapes that I pull out every once in a while. Still enjoy the show. Sure they didn't have the greatest special effects but who did back then? Everyone complaining about how the monsters or explosions look shouldn't compare the show to present day shows but others from the same period. This is good.