8th MAN Produced by Gene Prinz. 8th Man created by Jiro Kuwata and Kazumasa Hirai.

This early entry into American syndicated 'toon animation was a clever combination of manga meets U.S. 'know how,' with a resulting smashing success of what was otherwise a theretofore unknown quantity in America. But wherever 8th MAN debuted (aka Tobor the Great), the audience of appreciative tykes was sure to grow.

But for those not in the know about 8th MAN (and given how rare these episodes are to find, it is no wonder!), it should be noted that though obscure by today's standards, 8th MAN was the pathway paver for such later genre mega-efforts as ROBOCOP.

No joke, the basic set-up is identical, except herein our former police officer's brain is installed into the "8th Man" project, which is basically a super robot with our deceased hero's brain and face. Again, the similarities are beyond coincidence, but still, that's just one of 8th MAN's charms: it was an inspiration for a whole generation of soon-to-be loyal manga readers.

The three episodes contained in this reviewed assembly include: "Baron Stormy," which showcases the supernatural powers of Baron Stormy aka The Weather Wizard against 8th Man's cybernetic advantages; "Attack of the Horrible Honey Bees," an amazing take-off of the classic giant ant flick THEM!; and "Pounce the Robot Tiger," with Dr. Spectra and his robot tiger taking on 8th Man.

An intriguing but admittedly unverified tidbit is that Ralph Bakshi may have done the opening animation sequence, which was -- unlike the rest of the series -- made in America. Supposedly Bakshi did it while still living in New Jersey very early in his career, and years before he went on to doing FRITZ THE CAT and WIZARDS. True or not, 8th MAN's opening was clearly done by a different studio, as the figures, style and animation fluidity all spell American budget.

CRITICAL FEEDBACK

"The original Japanese name for 8th Man in his human form was Detective Yokota. (Special Agent Brady was his American Name). After he was rebuilt his new identity was Private Detective Hachiro Azuma. The original name for Chief Fumblethumbs was Chief Inspector Tanaka."-- 60's ANIME

"A classic cartoon with great start/stop animatiom (the way cartoons used to be made). Fascinating plots between good and evil and the obsession of using power to generate one's selfish ways." -- EXCELSIS.com