Jiro...chengee...

So an exciting time has come for me as Kikaida will be coming out on DVD October 15. I just never realized that the majority of Kikaida fanaticism only existed in the Japan/Hawai`i/West Coast (?) area until yesterday. While visiting several DVD stores in Manhattan which are supposed to be "exclusive" stores for anime and Japan type show sales, I asked around to see if they were going to get the DVD. ALL of them had no idea who Kikaida was! I was truly shocked. I've resorted to asking a friend back home to buy the DVD for me.

Kikaida is now another item I've put on the list of things I miss about home. Go...go...go!

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While in San Francisco a few years ago, I spent a lot of time in an anime store on Clement Street (if you've not been there, it's sort of a mellower, smaller Chinatown), where I purchased for my friends little Robocon figures.

I asked the guy behind the counter if they had Robocon videos (the store had a service where, for a small membership fee, it would make dupes of Japanese superhero videos for you), and he said he'd been looking but hadn't found any.

I mentioned that, besides Kikaida, Robocon had been my childhood favorite (I know, I know...but something about the whole trying-your-best-to-do-a-worthy-deed-and-constantly-failing-at-it theme really connected with my martyr complex, even as a young boy). The guy said, "You must be from Hawaii."

We were pretty lucky, those of us who are old enough to have experienced that KIKU golden age. Those anime geeks in San Francisco could only get into it second-hand--they don't have the same memories we have, and they certainly don't have the nostalgic ties.

"Generation Kikaida" really is a great way to define us local people who were there.

In 1991, I attended the Midnight Ohana at Klum Gym. It was Halloween night, and there was a costume contest. The guy who showed up in the home-made Kikaida costume won the audience's vote. Easily. The emcee--clearly not someone from Hawaii!--during one of the clap-off rounds, said, "It looks like it's going to be a showdown between Chun-Li and the Blue Guy."

My friends and I, and people around us, just laughed. Poor guy.

Well, I did it. The ad in the paper said that Ban Daisuke would be at Shirokiya between 4:30 and 5:30, signing DVDs purchased at the store. My friend and I got there at about 5:45, and the line for autographs stretched to the end of the building. So we purchased our DVDs and joined the line, and were told that Jiro was determined to stay until everyone had an autograph.

Most people were getting their DVD sleeves signed, but I asked Jiro to sign the DVD itself (much, much cooler, if you ask me), and had even bought a gold paint-pen for that purpose (Sharpies rule, but you need a paint pen for signing actual CDs or DVDs), but he already had a silver one, and the silver one looked cooler, so he signed my DVDs.

Yes, I bought two. One is for a Christmas present for a friend.

I shook his hand, and said, "It's an honor to meet you." He said, "Thank you."

I'm hoping to post a review of the DVD after I've seen it.

:)

Wow, Mitchell, I'm jealous! A special piece of history there.

I saw the DVD at Costco today for $17. I might pick up a few for nostalgia-prone friends on the Mainland.

Oh darn, I paid $19 from Tower Video. I didn't think a place like Costco would sell stuff like that.

Anyone picked up Volume 2 yet?

I wacth kikaider on adult swim every night I want to but the dvd but I cant find it any where! I live in kentucky and no one has heard of it! and most people dont like but i LOVE IT!

does anyone no of any good kikaider sites?

by the way i am talking about kikaider the animation!

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