Choudenshi Bioman
(Super Electronic Bioman)
Year: 1984
Number of Episodes: 51, approximately 20 minutes each
Fansubs viewed: Grownups in Spandex
Subtitle quality: Excellent.
In a lot of ways, Choudenshi Bioman is the quintessential
Sentai series for the ‘80s. Despite subtitled versions of earlier Sentai
gaining some traction in places like Hawaii, Bioman was the first in the series
to enjoy lots of success outside of its home county. (See inset, “Bioman Around
the World.”) It was also the first Sentai that Haim Saban pitched for
Americanization, around 1987. Of course, Saban wouldn’t see his wish fulfilled
until 1993’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, which utilized footage from a different
Sentai series entirely.
It’s tough to say how the Saban adaptation would have
turned out: the pilot is missing in action as of this writing. But Bioman in
its original Japanese form is nothing short of spectacular.
Synopsis (No
spoilers)
The New Gear Empire, led by the cybernetic Doctor Man and
the cast of Phantasy Star 2 his dastardly Mecha Humans, set out to prove the
doctor’s scientific superiority to the people of Earth. But Instead of just inventing
‘80s iPhones or something, they send down wave after wave of robots to kill
pretty much everybody, even your mom. Their first target: Japan.
About 500 years earlier, C3PO wannabe Pebo traveled to
Earth after his home planet, Bio, was destroyed. Anticipating a battle in the
future, Pebo showered a small group of peasants with “bio particles,” which
they passed from generation to generation.
As Doctor Man attacks in the present time, Pebo springs
into action, locating those who carry bio particles within them. Now a group of
five teenagers with attitude upstanding young people must tap into their long
dormant Bio power to become the Biomen and put an end to the mad doctor’s
relentless onslaught.
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| Seriously, though, Phantasy Star 2 rips off Bioman's designs. HARD. |
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| See? |
Evaluation
(Spoilers)
Beneath the surface of Choudenshi Bioman’s Super Sentai stereotypes
lies something special. Maybe it’s the sleek, flashy suits that gives Bioman
its charm. Maybe it’s the badass, guitar and synth soaked soundtrack. Maybe it’s
consistency: Bioman avoids the hot-‘n’-cold
temperament of Dairanger, so most episodes are fun to watch.
Or maybe it’s Bioman’s ability to get viewers to ignore
its flaws and watch with a childlike sense of excitement.
No one is going to accuse Bioman’s heroes of being
shining examples of character development. Pink Five plays and flute, Yellow
Four is an archer, Red One is the stoic leader. That’s about it. The best
written is the original Yellow Four, who has more personality in 10 episodes
than Green and Blue have in 50. Then she dies. Bummer.
Like Battle Fever J, once the team calls for Bio Robo,
anything interesting the show had going comes to a screeching halt. It would
help if the enemy ‘bots were more integrated into the storyline, instead of
just metallic fodder for Bio Robo to cut to ribbons.
However, shifting the focus from the monster of the week
allows the show’s recurring villains to take center stage. Doctor Man oozes
with evil authority. Mason is cool and calculated, like some kind of
businessman turned assassin. Monster and Juo, despite their Bulk and
Skull-style foul-ups, are menacing adversaries. Also like Bulk and Skull, they
genuinely care for each other: if a Bioman hurts one, the other comes running to
protect his friend. You know something? Monster and Juo may actually be the
first gay robot couple on television.
I’m dead serious.
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| Why would anyone build a gay robot? Well, why not! Monster and Juo are the best. |
Bioman gets a passing grade for its underwhelming finale.
Stuff gets real in the last four episodes and the seeds are planted early
enough that plot points don’t feel tacked on. The good guys win, the bad guys
lose, and Pebo fulfills his destiny as a giant Duracell battery for Bio Robo,
so that’s all good.
Where the finale fails is the consciousness circuit
subplot, which goes nowhere. The audience is led to believe at various points that
the bad guys will get said consciousness circuits and turn good. Without
spoiling too much, that’s not quite how it goes. I’d have loved to see Mason in
an office job, Doctor Mann in a lab somewhere curing cancer, Monster and Juo
living together Ernie and Bert-style, and so on. With villains who were more
interesting than the main cast, this might be Bioman’s biggest sin.
Speaking of missed opportunities, let’s focus on Silva, the
hunter from planet Bio. Though he was introduced many episodes before the
finale, he always seemed a little out of place. Like, what’s he doing when the
Biomen aren’t around? A few times he shows up just to be a dick for seven
seconds and remind us that yes, Virginia, there is a random anti-bio robot
running around unchecked. Despite his sweet theme song and the hype when he’s
introduced, Silva winds up being nothing more than a way to push the plot
forward.
But I nitpick. In a word, Bioman is awesome.
Bioman: The Movie
The Bioman movie is notable for a largescale battle
between the Biomen and nearly the entire New Empire Gear army, but not much
else. It also introduces the Cat Army, which includes Ferrah Cat and some
numbered palette swaps that we never see again. The plot follows some kids, and
a map, and it’s dumb. I know I should go into more detail, but it’s not worth
it. If you skip it, you’re not missing much.
Overall
Of the four Super Sentai series I’ve seen so far, Bioman
is unquestionably the best. I really dig Dairanger, but nearly half the
episodes are outright duds, unfortunately including the finale. In contrast, I’m
hard pressed to think of a single episode of Bioman that had me praying for Zordon
to put me out of my misery. To put things in context, going back and subtitling
the Battle Fever J movie was a chore – not because of the work, but because I
had to watch BFJ again. That experience really drove home the fact that Bioman is
a joy to watch.
Aside from a boring movie and a lackluster-yet-appropriate
conclusion, Bioman’s a fun ride throughout. If you’re looking to get into Super
Sentai but don’t care about Zyuranger, Choudenshi Bioman is a great place to
start.
Rankings so far, from best to worst (order within tiers also reflects ranking):
GREAT
Bioman
Diaranger
GOOD
Zyuranger
FAIR
Battle Fever J
Next up: Changeman! Well, unless I watch Gekiranger
first. Or maybe something else? Hmm. I’ll get back to you on that.
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| There's just so many Super Sentai to pick from! |
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