#8 Man

[chernobog13]

8 Man to the rescue!

[dorothydalmati1]

Obscure Animation Subject #61: 8 Man

Originally posted on April 21, 2023.

Also known as 8th Man in the US, this anime was produced by TCJ (now Eiken) and aired on TBS from November 7, 1963 to December 31, 1964 for 56 episodes. Its based on the manga by Kazumasa Hirai with illustrations by Jiro Kuwata.

Detective Yokoda is murdered by criminals and his body is retrieved by Professor Tani. Tani takes the body to his laboratory where he attempts to transfer Yokoda's life force into an android body, an experiment that has already failed seven times. Yokoda is reborn as an android.

Renamed to 8 Man, he is able to dash at impossible speeds as well as shape-shift into other people. He takes on his former body, this time taking on the name "Hachiro Azuma." He keeps this identity a secret, known only to Tani and his police boss, Chief Tanaka.

Even his girlfriend Sachiko and his friend Ichiro are not aware that he is an android. As 8-Man, Hachiro fights crime–eventually avenging his own murder. To rejuvenate his powers, he smokes "energy" cigarettes that he carries in a case. 8 Man is Japan's earliest cyborg superhero.

8 Man was so popular for its significance, the franchise spawned two live-action films, along with a 4-episode OVA series 8 Man After, produced by J.C.Staff. The series was released from August 21 to November 22, 1993, and was later adapted in manga form in 1994.

A manga sequel, 8 Man Infinity, was released between 2005 and 2007. The show also spawned a public domain cartoon account to get its username and profile. Isn’t that cool or what?! While TCJ had bigger latter successes like Sazae-san, 8 Man was an important part of its history.

[8-billion-wishes]

This can’t just be me, right?

[livingfandomly]

Walker? Sir? Mr. Actor?

Jokes aside. That look? That anger? Percy finally having enough and being pissed off with a God who doesn’t care about his children, insulted his friends, ruined their quest and wants to start an unnecessary war where he has nothing to lose? But most importantly… Percy literally QUAKING with unchecked rage for a God who came in the way of him saving his mom?

[doomedclockworkdotmp3]

his therapist woulda had a field day at their next appointment

[lousysharkbutt]

i still had a little re8 to exorcise from my system sorry

[skitskatdacat63]

"Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn" - Il Capitano

[egophiliac]

queen of diamonds, upright + reversed 💎

I've redone this like eighty times, I have to just be done with it now and stop staring at all my mistakes oh no 🫠

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

part 1

[they-bite]

happy dannyversary! here's some of my favorite danny phantom pieces over the years

[mayasgolem]

hi

[chernobog13]

The new, more violent 8 Man from 8 Man After (1993), a 4-part OVA (original video animation) that is a continuation of the original 8 Man anime series, and a reboot as well.

I actually liked this series, even though some of the editing and story felt choppy. However, I was (and still am) extremely frustrated that a satisfactory explanation was never given as to what happened to the original 8 Man.

[digitalsnail]

big man just wants a beach episode 🏖️

[kabsey]

so lucanis is canonically mid-thirties, right? so at the end of the fifth blight, he was most likely a young teenager

can you imagine small romantic bean lucanis hearing about the crow from house arainai who fell in love with the hero of ferelden? of course the talons are furious. and even the older crows are annoyed (because now their targets are going to try to seduce them and they'll probably be terrible at it and it will just be embarrassing for everyone). illario calls aranai a sucker and a sap and possibly tells lucanis about the rumors that house arainai buys children from whorehouses for next to nothing and "you get what you pay for"

but while lying in bed late at night after a brutal day of training (i.e., abuse), maybe lucanis finds himself thinking about the stories and songs. arainai fell in love with a hero. he helped saved the world. he had friends. maybe he even saw a wyvern. it doesn't sound so bad to lucanis

but of course, he would never abandon a contract. he would never leave the crows. he would never turn his back on his house and leave caterina and illario behind

so imagine his surprise two decades later when he gets his chance. he falls in love with a hero. he helps save the world. he has friends. (and after the veil is guarded, rook absolutely took him out wyvern watching)

and he didn't even have to leave his old life behind. he doesn't have to live in exile away from treviso. he doesn't have to turn his back on caterina and illario and teia and viago. for once there is no price to pay or sacrifice to be made

for once he can just be happy

(all he has to do is share his body with a demon. but the demon is not so bad really. most of the time, lucanis thinks he's not any worse than illario)

[mischiefbuckley]

abc really said let’s go ahead and make wikipedia late night deep diving Buck who’s trying to learn all he can about current hyperfixation canon and I love it here so much

[lambf4rm]

i prefer the term ‘artificial person’ myself