Steel Jeeg
Encyclopedia
, more commonly known as Kotetsu Jeeg or Koutetsu Jeeg, is a super robot
anime
and manga series created by manga artists Go Nagai
and Tatsuya Yasuda. The TV anime was produced by Toei Doga. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1975. The series lasted for 46 episodes. Steel Jeeg also ran as a manga in several children's publications.
A sequel
series called Kotetsushin Jeeg
(which appears to take place 50 years after the original show) aired on the satellite network WOWOW
, beginning April 5, 2007.
Hiroshi learns about his father's death, and his legacy: after the accident, Hiroshi was turned by his father into a cyborg
, the bronze bell hidden in his own chest, able to transform into the head of a giant robot, the Steel Jeeg, created by Prof. Shiba with the purpose of stopping the Yamatai invasion of modern Japan. Jeeg is also assisted by a robot horse known as Panzeroid. The minions of Queen Himika have huge haniwa
phantoms buried thousands of years under Japan's soil, and only Jeeg can destroy them and save the world. Therefore, Hiroshi must roughly try to live his double life as his career as a racer who takes care of his mother and sister and a hero who fight to save the world.
, called "El Festival de los Robots" which translates to "Festival of Robots". Steel Jeeg was called "El Vengador" (The Avenger) along with four other anime shows including Gaiking
, Starzinger
and Magne Robo Gakeen
. The names were translated in Spanish to "El Gladiador", "El Galáctico", and "Supermagnetrón" respectively. Like many popular 70s super robot shows, Steel Jeeg has never been released in the US.
Episode Director: Kazuja Miyazaki, Masamune Ochiai, Masayuki Akihi, Yoshio Nitta, Yugo Serikawa
Music: Michiaki Watanabe
Original creator: Tatsuya Yasuda, Go Nagai
Character Design: Kazuo Nakamura
with Columbia Yurikago-kai and Koorogi '73
Ending theme: , by Ichirou Mizuki with Koorogi '73
and Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
for the PlayStation 2
.
made Jeeg and Panzeroid toys as part of their Magnemo line, making use of a system of magnetic sockets and steel ball joints for unprecedented articulation and interchangeability.
In the United States, the Jeeg and Panzeroid toys were remolded in different colors and new heads were sculpted for Mego
's Micronauts
"Magno" figures; Baron Karza and Force Commander.
In Italy, the toy company Gig Co, who had the European rights to the Micronauts at the time, made three more figures using the Jeeg toy as a basis; King Atlas, Green Baron, and Emperor. These toys (with the exception of Emperor, who was released in very limited numbers by a company called Lion Rock Toys) were never released in America because Mego went bankrupt before the toys could be unveiled to the US market, while Gig kept the Micronauts license going for a few years afterward in Europe.
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga series created by manga artists Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
and Tatsuya Yasuda. The TV anime was produced by Toei Doga. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1975. The series lasted for 46 episodes. Steel Jeeg also ran as a manga in several children's publications.
A sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
series called Kotetsushin Jeeg
Kotetsushin Jeeg
is a Japanese animated television series and retcon to the 1975 Super Robot series Steel Jeeg, created by Go Nagai. It is directed by Jun Kawagoe . The show began airing on the satellite network WOWOW on April 5, 2007 at 11:30 p.m...
(which appears to take place 50 years after the original show) aired on the satellite network WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
, beginning April 5, 2007.
Story
The story tells about Hiroshi Shiba, a car racer who is mortally wounded on a laboratory accident, but restored to life by his father, Professor Shiba, a talented scientist/archeologist, who is incidentally investigating the relics of the ancient Yamatai Kingdom. The professor discovers a tiny bronze bell with sorcerous powers, and shortly afterwards he is murdered by the henchmen of Queen Himika, the ruler of the Yamatai (sometimes translated as Jamatai) Kingdom, who wants to seize the ancient bell and its power.Hiroshi learns about his father's death, and his legacy: after the accident, Hiroshi was turned by his father into a cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
, the bronze bell hidden in his own chest, able to transform into the head of a giant robot, the Steel Jeeg, created by Prof. Shiba with the purpose of stopping the Yamatai invasion of modern Japan. Jeeg is also assisted by a robot horse known as Panzeroid. The minions of Queen Himika have huge haniwa
Haniwa
The are terracotta clay figures which were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period of the history of Japan....
phantoms buried thousands of years under Japan's soil, and only Jeeg can destroy them and save the world. Therefore, Hiroshi must roughly try to live his double life as his career as a racer who takes care of his mother and sister and a hero who fight to save the world.
Concept
Steel Jeeg is formed by combining the parts released by the jet Big Shooter, piloted by Prof. Shiba's lovely assistant, Miwa Micchi Uzuki.Production notes
Steel Jeeg was later broadcast on some European countries, and was quite successful, especially in Italy, where it still has a huge fanbase. In the 80's the series was shown in Latin America, where it was part of a giant robot show fashioned in the style of Force FiveForce Five
Force Five was a syndicated anime cartoon anthology during the late 1970s/early 1980s. In the US, this series was primarily shown only in New England and Virginia, though it did make brief appearances in other markets, such as Dallas, Texas and San Jose, California on KICU-TV 36. It was also shown...
, called "El Festival de los Robots" which translates to "Festival of Robots". Steel Jeeg was called "El Vengador" (The Avenger) along with four other anime shows including Gaiking
Gaiking
was a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation.It ran from April 1976 through January 1977 and consisted of 44 26-minute episodes. Gaiking was notable for being one of the few super robot series to take place in real places outside of Japan, and for being the first Super...
, Starzinger
Starzinger
is an anime series aired in Japan from 1978 to 1979. It translates literally to "Science Fiction Journey to the West Starzinger". In the United States it is referred to as Spaceketeers and is part of Jim Terry's Force Five series...
and Magne Robo Gakeen
Magne robo gakeen
is a Japanese anime television series that aired from 1976 to 1977 in Japan. There were 39 episodes. It is also referred to as "Magnerobo Ga-Keen", "'Gakeen Supermagnetron", "'Gakeen Magnetic Robot", "Robotman Gakeen", "Gakeen"...
. The names were translated in Spanish to "El Gladiador", "El Galáctico", and "Supermagnetrón" respectively. Like many popular 70s super robot shows, Steel Jeeg has never been released in the US.
Staff
Series director: Masayuki AkihiEpisode Director: Kazuja Miyazaki, Masamune Ochiai, Masayuki Akihi, Yoshio Nitta, Yugo Serikawa
Music: Michiaki Watanabe
Original creator: Tatsuya Yasuda, Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
Character Design: Kazuo Nakamura
Kazuo Nakamura
Kazuo Nakamura was a Japanese-Canadian painter and sculptor and a founding member of the Toronto-based Painters Eleven group in the 1950s.-Life:...
Theme music
Opening theme: , by Ichirou MizukiIchirou Mizuki
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese vocalist, lyrist, composer, voice actor and actor best known for his work on theme songs for anime and tokusatsu. For over 40 years, he has recorded over 1200 songs for Japanese film, television, video and video games. He is referred to by fans and...
with Columbia Yurikago-kai and Koorogi '73
Koorogi '73
were a Japanese backing vocals group best known for their contributions to the Super Robot series and Toei's Super Sentai series. The group was disbanded after 1990.The Japanese word means "a cricket."...
Ending theme: , by Ichirou Mizuki with Koorogi '73
Video games
Jeeg makes an appearance in 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha
, for the PlayStation 2, is the third game in the Alpha series, continuing from Super Robot Wars Alpha and Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden. The 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha, or simply Alpha 2, includes series debuts Brain Powerd, The King of Braves GaoGaiGar and Steel Jeeg...
and Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
for the PlayStation 2 is the last game in the Alpha series. The 3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha, or simply, Alpha 3, contains one of the largest casts to ever be placed together within a Super Robot Wars game...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
.
Merchandise
TakaraTakara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
made Jeeg and Panzeroid toys as part of their Magnemo line, making use of a system of magnetic sockets and steel ball joints for unprecedented articulation and interchangeability.
In the United States, the Jeeg and Panzeroid toys were remolded in different colors and new heads were sculpted for Mego
Mego Corporation
The Mego Corporation was a toy company that dominated the action figure toy market during most of the 1970s. The Mego Corporation was founded in the early 1950s by David Abrams and was mostly known prior to 1971 as a producer of dime store toys.-Golden age:...
's Micronauts
Micronauts
The Micronauts comic books feature a group of characters based on the Micronauts toyline. The title was published by Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and Devil's Due Publishing. Their first comic appearance was in Micronauts #1 with characterizations created by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden...
"Magno" figures; Baron Karza and Force Commander.
In Italy, the toy company Gig Co, who had the European rights to the Micronauts at the time, made three more figures using the Jeeg toy as a basis; King Atlas, Green Baron, and Emperor. These toys (with the exception of Emperor, who was released in very limited numbers by a company called Lion Rock Toys) were never released in America because Mego went bankrupt before the toys could be unveiled to the US market, while Gig kept the Micronauts license going for a few years afterward in Europe.
External links
- Steel Jeeg's website at Toei Animation
- JEEG, THE STEEL ROBOT at Toei's corporate website
- Kotetsu Jeeg at allcinema
- Kotetsu Jeeg at Animemorial
- Kotetsu Jeeg at the Enciclo'Robopedia website
- Kotetsu Jeeg (manga) at the World of Go Nagai webpage
- A potential realistic interpretation of Dr.Shiba's Steel Jeeg
- 3d Jeeg in CGI