8 Man is a 60s classic of Japanese animation, coming before Robocop, Kamen Rider and the rest of the good cop killed before his time but revitalised as a new enhanced law man trend. I never saw the original but knew of it as 8 Man was on a cover of Manga Mania way back in 1995.
I knew of the show from this issue of Manga Mania
Before watching the 8 Man After series, a follow on from the old animation from 30 years prior, I did a quick article check on said Manga Mania magazine to get my head around the lore. The story is very simple: an alien machine, which ends up in the hands of good cop Azuma, is used to battle crime in his city. The powers it grants are similar to Superman’s; super speed, extra strength which enables him to stop bullets with his hands and bionic hearing. From what I gather, it was quite a wholesome show similar on style to the Fleischer cartoons.
This follow on, created in 1992, is a much harder and edgier take with lots more violence and gore. It's has the same story beats as Robocop, where gun runners and headbangers have taken over the city and crime is out of control. After being nearly killed by a cybernetically enhanced ex-cop, P. D. Hazuma becomes the 8 Man and fights injustice but he is brutal in the punishment he metes out being judge, jury and executioner. His traumas and inner turmoil affect the wholesomeness of the 8 Man and make him a brutal angel of vengeance. However, he learns to tap into his human side a bit more and becomes less vengeful but this leaves him more open to corruption due to these pesky emotions.
The 4-part series is fast-paced and the action is quick with lots of weapon arms (think Barrett from FF7) being ripped open. 8 Man himself looks like a figure-skater, all figure-hugging costume and svelte outlines but whilst the costume does look very dated it is apparently iconic for fans of the series so cannot be changed too much.
Even for an 8 Man novice like me, the series is easy to follow and doesn't tax you too much. The show is well animated and doesn't contain any fanservice which would be cobsidered cringy. In its breezy 1 hour 45 minutes runtime you get the redeeming arc of a rebel coming to realise that with real power comes real responsibility.
It's not Shakespeare, sure, but overall 8 Man After is not a bad way to while away a couple of hours on early 90s anime.
LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East
LINK- Blood, Sweat and Pixels- Book Review
LINK- The Offworld Collection- Book Review
LINK- Shadow of the Colossus- Book Review
LINK: Manga Exhibition at the British Museum
LINK- The Midnight Library and the Idea That You Can’t Go Home Again
LINK- The Transportive Nature of Objects (And the Power of Mini Consoles)