[Salaryman Zero]

Not to go too off-topic since Cybercop technically isn't Metal Heroes, but it did have a kickass theme song indeed. I'd be curious to rewatch it now too, to see if it really was a little more grown-up than the other toku shows of its era.

Anyway, I'm a little upset that the Toei channel has certain Metal Hero shows blocked here in Malaysia. I understand it's for licensing issues (curse you VR Troopers and Beetleborgs!), but I really wish I could finish Metalder (legally) and start B-Fighter as well.

Regardless, I'll probably watch the Metal Hero shows as new episodes are being released, and what better one to start with than Space Sheriff Gavan! I don't know if anyone's interested in joining me and making this a weekly thing (I think that's how the new eps are being put out?), but I just finished the pilot and here are my initial thoughts:



First off, kinda weird that Toei chose to translate Space Sheriff as Space Cop, which sounds way less cool. Also, I've always appreciated how fansubbers usually translate OPs, with all the lyrics and even cast names, but I guess I'm just being nitpicky with this official release.

Gavan's theme is pretty catchy though, with fairly distinctive opening chords. My first impression is that the Gavan suit looks dope. I love the light-up eyes, the sleek metal shell, and the RX-esque lightsaber. The bike is cool as well, with a very Jetsons touch to it. I am a little confused by "Electronic Starbeast Dol" though. Not sure how a giant blue dragon fits in thematically/aesthetically with Gavan, and it kinda feels like Supaidaman with Leopardon, but maybe this is a trope of Metal Heroes?



Which brings me to my next point, in that I don't really have a sense of what the tropes of the Metal Hero franchise are, or if it even has any. It may be just because I didn't grow up with 'em as much as KR or Ultraman, but I don't really have a sense of the franchise's identity. So far, Gavan feels like Kamen Rider in that he's a solo act plus his transformation sequence and bike, but he also reminds me of Sentai with the giant robo-dragon and the evil space empire. It seems like a mishmash of 80s-era Sentai and KR, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does leave me a little puzzled as a viewer.

I will say though that right off the bat, the pilot does do a good job of defining the bad guys. The Space Crime Organization Makuu outright states their goals from the jump. "We wanna colonize Earth and make it a planet of crime, and then use the corrupted souls as a blood sacrifice." I can dig it. I'm not super impressed by their designs (Don Horror, Hunter Killer, the BEM Kaiju, and the Crusher footsoldiers etc. all look kinda cheap, to be honest), but I understand their motives.

Gavan is similarly laid out pretty well. He's a space cop from the Planet Bird who's dispatched to Earth to stop Makuu's plans. So, a Green Lantern, basically. They even establish his upcoming rivalry with Hunter Killer by characterizing the Makuu lieutenant as a former Space Sheriff like him. But best of all, they set up deeper stakes by having Gavan's mother be a human, making his defense of Earth not just his job, but also his own personal mission.

So y'know, we're off to a strong start character-wise. Our hero and our villain(s) are clearly defined, and the plot can start rolling. After a quick space battle between Gavan's ship and some Makuu fighters (which was coo, and reminiscent of an Ultraman attack team scene), we're introduced to Gavan's sidekick, Mimi, the daughter of Gavan's commanding officer who's stowed away on his ship to go to Earth with him. Seemingly for romantic reasons. Oh, and she has a device that lets her look like a bird. I guess that's just a thing on Planet Bird?

Anyway the sheer corniness of her bird transformation sequence has me sold on her character. Mimi deadass goes "Laser! Vision!" while doing some hand gestures, and then her necklace sparkles, and after some terribly dated pixelated imagery, she becomes...a yellow bird. And I thought the talking dog in Metalder was a bit much.



Moving on, our hero and his gal Friday then arrive on Earth and assume local attire. Kenji Ohba in his prime is, by the way, a very attractive and cool dude. Meanwhile, some kids from the local Avalon Riding Club (because it's not toku without some children) follow a trail of clues that leads them to a secret Makuu base! After spotting a Makuu UFO (with some impressive miniatures work), the kids are caught by the evil aliens, but are then saved by our hero's timely arrival.

What follows is pretty much standard toku fare. Gavan beats up a bunch of henchmen as a normie, but when the kaiju of the week shows up (Shako, a trilobite-looking fella who's actually kinda cute?), he transforms into a Metal Hero! I liked the transformation sequence explaining how it actually takes .05 seconds for the combat suit to be transmitted, plus the cry of "Jouchaku" as his henshin was neat, which I gather means "deposition/equip," though the subs have it as "Metamorphosis."

Gavan then beats up more henchmen, and blows up the Makuu UFO with his "Laser Z Beam" (a frankly kinda boring-looking blast from his fingers), and then things get funky. Don Horror, from his Makuu spaceship, uses some device to...manipulate the axis of the Earth? And what this does is create a region of "Makuu Space" like a black hole? I guess it's Gavan's equivalent of "when the villain makes the monster big!" in Sentai?

So when Don Horror does this, Gavan calls his bike Cyberian, and proceeds to Kamen Rider Ryuki his way into the Makuu Space to resume his fight with the kaiju. I don't know how to feel about this gimmick for now. On one hand, I like that it's something different, and I'm always down for 80s toku fights in smoky dimensions. It is very nostalgic. On the other hand, part of the fun of toku is seeing our hero fight the baddie in different environments every week, so I am concerned that the gimmick will feel stale soon. I don't think it was a cost-cutting measure either, because while some portions of the Makuu fight appear shot on a soundstage, others are clearly the standard "toku quarry."



In the end, our hero beats Shako, uses Dol to blast away a falling meteor, and then proceeds to duel a Doubleman with his badass Laser Blade. Gavan beats him, returns to regular Earthspace, and then him and Mimi assume civilian identities at the Avalon Riding Club. Gavan becomes Retsu Ichijoji, and our hero's legend begins.

Overall...I dug it? It didn't blow me away quite like the Metalder pilot did, probably due to its similarities to other toku shows, but I still enjoyed myself for the most part. I'd be curious what other folks on here think!

Until the next episode! (Which I should watch shortly...)