Reviews: "Kikaider" - Week Two [6/17 - 6/20]

[DianaGohan]

One question: When will Hakaider show up?

Well, I know the latest he will show up is in the first OAV Episode (after the first 12) but I think he'll pop up sometime before then. I'm estiamting... Episode 9 or 10 for some reason.

Minor nitpick... his name is Hanpei Hattori. ^^; Not Hitomi, which is, last I checked, a girl's name.

Well it's one of those cases of going by what it sounds like then checking what the actual speaking is kind of deal.

Why has no one in the show questioned why Dr. Gill's flunkies keep calling Jiro "Kikaider"? They're the only ones that do. We first heard it from the spider android in episode 3, and that's all they've ever called him since. On the other hand, Mitsuko only found the name "Jiro" in her father's files, and that's all she, Masaru, Hanpei, and Etsuko call him, right?

It's probably the nickname that Dr. Gill has given him, and programmed all his androids to call Jiro Kikaider. It was Dr Komyoji who named him Jiro so Dr Gill probably wouldn't want to call him that.

 

[EightOh]

I dunno if I'm the only one who's brought this up, but... am I the only one who thinks the Gemini System is kind of a play on Jiminy Cricket? I dunno. ^.^;

That's what I've thought since the first episode, as well. I just figured it had been mentioned before and I'd missed it.

 

[Midou Ban]

It seems like I can't last past midnight anymore due to the weight training. So can someone tell me if I missed something important last night?

 

[Nexus810]

Gill is German?? Hmm i never knew

Edit: Hmm i guess hes actually a robot? am i getting this right?

Anyone think Gill's mustache looks like the Batman sign? or the Robin sign from Batman and Robin lol)

 

[Rikou]

Anyone think Gill's mustache looks like the Batman sign? or the Robin sign from Batman and Robin lol)

Actually, I think he and the Golden Bat look awfully alike.

All I know is, I want Golden Bat's eyebrows.

 

[Nexus810]

Hakider yay his voice is well done by wahts his name..

 

[Rikou]

SPIKE!

I mean...

HAKAIDER! Finally!

(For all of five seconds, but still.)

 

[RedBoot]

Wow...now that was good.

Golden Bat was a great character...and we get a glimpse of Haikaider.

And more guitar action...we love guitar action.

Waiting til tomorrow...

 

[EightOh]

Another night, another good episode of Kikaider. Golden Bat was portrayed as a sympathetic character in the previous episode, and he finally ends up proving that he was good deep down inside after all. Tragic but fitting end to his story.

Nice to finally see (and hear) the much-ballyhooed Hakaider at the end, too.

One thought that entered my mind while watching: If it weren't for Ichiro's "accident," Mitsuko and Misato would have never been born. Be careful what you wish for.

 

[Solitude1]

More yummy goodness from Kikaider tonight. The Golden Bat will be missed. I had a feeling he would die but like that....how sad

Whoa, so this is Hakaider. Way to make an appearance.


Anyone else glad we actually got to see Jiro use the guitar in battle, so to speak?

WANT MORE KIKAIDER NOW!

Later

 

[DianaGohan]

The Backstory is Finally Filled In! (For The Most Part Anyway, It Seems) in the "Afterglow of Regret" Kikaider Episode Review

Well, it looks like we have what appears to be the backstory (as of know). When Dr Komyoji's first wife died, he began to work on androids with the help of his son Ichirio, who died in one of these accidents. It was a short while later when he met Professor Gill and his second wife. Gill gave him a letter his son wrote before he died asking about the andriods he was working on, leading Gill to ask Komyoji to build him a wave of andriods to use for military uses, which Komyoji agreed to. Komyoji also fell in love with the second wife and had Mitsuko and Masasto, who didn't know until too late that she was a spy for Gill. While he was too late to stop Gill from using the robots, he implanted a concionce chip in two of the Andriods: One in Kikaider, and one in the Bat Vampire of today's episode. A lot of intresting character development too: Jiro not want to transform in front of Mitsuko so she won't see his "ugly" andriod form, the bat vampire feeling moved by Mitsuko's words about humans also having complex and confusing feelings just like him and Jiro about their feelings (which also led to a nice cameo of what appears to be Hikaider ((voiced by Stephen Jay Blum)) aka the robot that you see fighting in the credits with Kikaider. Didn't know he'd appeared this early, even as a cameo) and the end where Mitsuko looks upon Kikaider (who accidentley went in andriod form) and didn't want him to leave and embraced him. A lot of drama and great character moments (and a scene where Jiro manages to use his guitar to make the cyborg bats not attack him, and the fight with the Vampire Bat Andriod) give this episode an A.

 

[Rikou]

Something I just realized. When Golden Bat died, it dounded like... He was actually dying, you know?

But when that other android died (I can't remember which one, was it Orange Ant?), it sounded like a computer malfunctioning and shutting down.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[MattThomasM2B]

........

Yeah it was a great episode. Too bad tomorrow's episode looks like a recap ep.

 

[ToonamiFanatic]

alot more backstory which is getting very interesting.the golden bat lasted two episodes think its the only bot to do so far.I think mitsuko and jiro are going to end up liking each other if something doesnt happen to jiro.Haikider looks interesting I knew from this thread that the person who did spikes va from bebop is in this but at the end didnt expect him to show up I give it a A.

 

[ClockStomper]

One centeral theme that's been brought up is free will. While all of the androids so far have had good enough artifical intelegence to feel and think like humans, they lack the free will to not follow orders.

So despite the inteligence and feelings, that's what seperates them from humans. That's why Golden Bat and now Kikaider are attempts to give robots humanity through free will, but ultimatley their Gemini's are flawed because they are still controlled by Gil's whistle (that's what all this talk about the Gemini being unperfected is all about.)

But as we saw with Golden Bat's death, they can overcome control and use free will. Hopefuly Jiro can gain full free will before he ends up dead. Perhaps, even though he'll never be made of flesh and blood, free will is all he'll need to be human.

 

[SSJ_Gogeta]

More wierdness...

Dr. Kohmyoji's 2nd wife was a spy for Gil, and had 2 children with him... then just left.

Freaky, and sad .

 

[NewLib]

Glad to see Hakaider/Spike/Roger Smith/Shishio

 

[RedTail]

This episode caught my attention like no other before. The whole "free will" theme adds a lot more to the series. As does Mitsuko discovering the circumstances behind her brother's death and her parents' marriage. I had all but given up hope for this show last week, but I think I'll keep watching...

- RedTail

 

[Arxane]

Hey, just wanted to point out that it seems Adult Swim will be doing us a favor by skipping the recap episode. It's not found anywhere on Adult Swim's website schedule.

 

[DarthNuriko]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone give me a *detailed* summary of last night's ep. I'm begging you. I was ill and fell asleep and missed the entire Adult Swim block last night. I missed Gold Bat's end AND a cameo by Hikaider... I'm extra sad.