Official cover art for Shout! Factory's newest tokusatsu acquisition!
Shout! Factory does it again! Hot on the heels of their recent ULTRA SEVEN release, comes the eagerly-awaited and long overdue home video debut of Toei TV Productions' 1967 tokusatsu series, GIANT ROBO, adapted by American International Television as JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT, on March 26, 2013!
Back in the days when ULTRAMAN and THE SPACE GIANTS were all the rage on syndicated television, JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT struck a special cord with kids. Why? Because it's tells of the adventures of a youngster and his giant robot in their fight to save the world — the ultimate boy's wish-fulfilling fantasy.
And even after 45 years, JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT has not lost any of it's outre, mondo-offbeat style nor it's earnest, tongue-in-cheek charm — accompanied by a swingin' jazz spy soundtrack — which set the stage for the pantheon of Toei Superheroes to come, such as the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai series.
Follow the far-out exploits of Johnny Sokko, a young secret agent with the Unicorn Peace Organization, as he battles the evil forces of the extraterrestrial dictator Emperor Guillotine, and his nefarious Gargoyle Gang! Joining the fight to save the world is an atomic-powered giant flying robot — armed with a fantastic array of super weapons — which only Johnny can command with a special remote-control watch!
Take JAMES BOND, JOHNNY QUEST, and stir in ULTRAMAN, and you get JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT! Created by the makers of GIGANTOR and KAMEN RIDER, all 26 action-packed episodes of outlandish adventure, colorful special effects, wild plots, outrageous villains, and even weirder monsters, Shout! Factory brings back this mind-bending classic in one complete, 4-disc box set — in all it’s uncut and unedited, English-dubbed glory — for only $39.97 MSRP.
As with ULTRA SEVEN, Shout! Factory's release of JOHNNY SOKKO AND HIS FLYING ROBOT will include a detailed liner notes booklet on the series written by Yours Truly!
"Giant Robot, use your Megaton Punch!"
9 comments:
I never thought for a second I'd ever see Johnny Sokko on DVD. Auggie, you and Shout! Factory are a force to be reckoned with.
Doug,
Thanks — that makes two of us! But, all of the thanks should go out to Cliff MacMillan who is bringing this stuff to Shout! Factory — salute!
Cheers,
August
Len,
Thanks very much, I appreciate your kind words! As for ZONE FIGHTER, as the old saying goes, "Who can say?".
Cheers,
August
Wow this is a very nice treat, looking forward to watching this series for the first time.
VERY Excited about this! One of my favorite shows, growing up!
I second a vote for Zone Fighter, and would like to add Spectreman and Space Giants to my wishlist. :)
Just noticed this - great news even 3 weeks late!
Hey Mr. Ragone - do you know if the set is going to be English only? Sokko had one of the best toku dubs out there, but dual language and subs would be the shit.
Allow me to revise my last comment...
So I now see that the set is being released in the mother tongue with subs - awesome news - but do you know if there's any chance of it also including the English dub tracks? American International did such a great job with the show that it would be a shame if it's US incarnation was left wholly to the realm of bootlegs.
I've never seen the show, but always wondered why that robot looked like Joseph Cotten.
Cheers for your great site !
Hi
Johnny Soko and His Flying Robot was a big hit in India in the mid Eighties when it was aired as GIANT ROBOT in India's only (then) television channel- Doordarshan. As a kid aged 6- 7 years old- each Saturday evening 5:30 pm was devoted to Giant Robot.
I have with me the entire series in DVD- but did not get the booklet. Is there any way i can read this booklet online
regards
Narayan
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