Tekkaman: The Space Knight Blu-ray

With Earth approaching environmental collapse, humanity’s hope lies beyond its dying home. A migration plan using leap navigation offers a possible future, but the invading Waldaster forces intend to conquer the universe. After his father is killed, Joji Minami uses the transformation system inside the support robot Pegas to put on reinforced armour and become Tekkaman. As a member of the Space Knights, he fights for humanity’s survival.

Tatsunoko’s science-fiction adventure sets its heroics against pollution, ecological destruction and the threat of extinction. Its visual approach includes battles expressing weightlessness, airbrushed special effects and an opening created with Scanimate technology. The volatile relationship between the hot-headed Joji and the alien Andro Umeda gradually develops into friendship, adding a personal dimension to the struggle.

Originally broadcast on NET Television from July 2 to December 24, 1975, the complete 26-episode series is presented across two Blu-ray discs in its 4:3 framing with pillarboxing and Japanese mono audio. The voice cast features Katsuji Mori, Miyuki Ueda, Yasuo Yamada, Kan Tokumaru, Kazue Komiya, Kenji Utsumi, Junpei Takiguchi, Takeshi Kuwabara and Shinji Nakae.

The original concept comes from Tatsunoko’s planning department, with planning by Jinzo Toriumi and Satoshi Suyama and science-fiction consultation by Rei Kozumi. Writers include Toriumi, Akiyoshi Sakai, Suyama, Toshio Nagata and Keiji Kubota. Episode direction is handled by Hisayuki Toriumi, Hiroshi Sasagawa, Hideo Nishimaki, Seitaro Hara, Ippei Kuri and Nobuo Onuki. Yoshitaka Amano designs the characters, Kunio Okawara the machinery and Mitsuki Nakamura the art. Yasunori Honda and Arts Pro handle recording direction, with music by Bob Sakuma. Sasagawa serves as chief director for episodes 1–13 and Hisayuki Toriumi for episodes 14–26, in a production by NET Television and Tatsunoko.

The set includes the thirty-second and fifteen-second advance programme announcements, textless opening and ending sequences, and an explanatory booklet.