Robot Detective

The Murderous Salesman of BAD (バドーの殺人セールスマン)/The Eye-Witness is a Zero (目撃者はゼロ) – A decent two-part opener that certainly sets up the show’s premise and characters well enough, though there are some flaws. The plot involves a perpetrator in a 1 Billion Yen robbery being enlisted by the mysterious BAD organization (who wouldn’t trust a group with an acronym like that?) to find his fellow perps who refuse to share the money with him and locate the loot for themselves. Whether or not the other two really did refuse or if this was merely made up by BAD to get the robber on their side is never made clear. Veteran detective Shiba is none-too-pleased about having to work alongside a robot, while rookie Shinjo is a bit more optimistic, though still believes it to be a human’s job first and foremost. This view is thanks in no small part to his older brother, a freelance cop-turned-lawyer. He’s played by the late great Sonny Chiba (Jiro Yabuki’s real-life older brother), appearing sporadically during these first two episodes before disappearing. No doubt was his inclusion done to boost ratings, but a bit of an explanation as to why we’ll never see him again might be nice. And while K certainly tries his hardest, he’s certainly not prone to mistakes, including his handling of the money. “Mother”, whom K calls to for advice and repairs, certainly leaves an intriguing presence.

The Insanity Watch Scandal (時計発狂事件) – An intriguing enough episode, even if the plot is rather undercooked. This marks the first time we see BAD engage in their self-proclaimed “robot rental” service, serving as contract killers for other parties. In this case, it’s a man, working on behalf of an unnamed country himself, out to kill the heads of a rival clock company. As stated, it’s rather undercooked and feels a bit low-stakes (the other company perhaps having some dirt on his bosses might have raised things a bit), but the whole “industrial spies” premise is an interesting one that reminds me a bit of early 60s Japanese noir films like Yasuzo Masumura’s Black Test Car or Kihachi Okamoto’s Blueprint of Murder. Shiba’s daughters seem to have taken to K quite a bit, with the son of the one of the attacked company heads even calling him their new mother (gay robots FTW).

The Murderer Disappears in the Wall (壁に消えた殺人者) – Like the previous episode, an entertaining enough affair with some very solid character moments (mostly for K, but some good bits for Shiba too) but a so-so procedural plot. BAD’s latest employer has Chameleonman killing a set of businessmen with familial ties to their boss. It’s a pretty messed up plot and the episode really could have provided us with a great, sleazy villain, but it’s sadly pretty undercooked. What is good are of course the character moments, including K writing his feelings and Shiba’s continued disdain for machinery.

The Mystery of the Double Criminal (二重犯人の謎)/The Terrifying Execution Machine!! (恐怖の死刑マシン!!) – Another two-parter involving a noted jewel thief back in the game, targeting a crown. This time though, he has some help from BAD. Shiba’s still distrustful of K and refuses to believe there’s any robot involvement, something that later comes back to bite him, prompting him to rethink his career. Linda Yamamoto’s “Sharpshoot” can be heard at the bar early during the first part. The museum housing crown is the Former Tama Seiseki Memorial Hall. The jewel thief (and his assailant) rather unsurprisingly learn the consequences of dealing with BAD, albeit it is their own greed that’s partially to blame. A pretty decent pair of episodes with some nice development for the aforementioned thief, but nothing too spectacular.

The Overheaded Terror!! (頭上の恐怖!!) – A very standard, but mostly polished episode. The plot is about as typical as they come, with BAD being hired by a company executive to kill his higher-ups. But the main focus in on a boy who witnesses the first murder, losing his uncle in the process. The fear implemented in the boy and K’s dedication to protecting him are the episode’s definite highlights. The BAD robot Aviatorman bears a resemblance to the titular character of the 70s made-for-TV movie Exo-Man.

The Thunder Kills?! (雷が殺した?!) – Another episode with the disturbing premise of ousting family members. Though unlike in The Murderer Disappears in the Wall where BAD was directly hired to do the deed, here they snoop in on an aunt’s prayers for her nephews to die (in order for her to inherit their fortune), and commit a murder for her without even asking. Slightly questionable from a business standpoint, but hey. Shinjo’s refusal to believe K and Shiba is starting to get old, though it fortunately lasts only one scene early-on.

The Electric Chair Spy!! (電気椅子スパイ!!)/BAD’s Massacre Strategy!! (バドーのみな殺し作戦!!) – A two-parter that probably would have worked fine as just one, but is still pretty entertaining. Once more, industrial spies play a role, with a group of crooks (on behalf of someone much higher up) enlisting a BAD robot to steal the blueprints for a jet capable of flying Mach 8 speed. Said robot is possibly the goofiest yet, having the ability to disguise itself as a chair (one the eccentric inventor of said jet apparently ordered some time ago). The inventor’s son is played by prolific child actor Tomonori Yazaki. The headquarters housing the blueprints is the Nagasawa Filtration Plant, featured in countless Tokusatsu programs. The second part definitely drags a little, with a lot of scenes involving the crooks being coerced into confessing. Shiba threatens one with the death penalty if he does not confess, which is…ethically questionable. K is blinded by his second foe at the end of the first part, only for him to be repaired quickly by the start of the next. Perhaps a bit of wasted potential.

The Secret of BAD Base!! (バドー基地の秘密!!)/Aiming for the Mother! (マザーが狙われる!) -A two-parter that opens with BAD dropping a bag of their money, falling into the hands of a boy (whose name, Isamu, K somehow knows). Shinjo is once again badly injured and left out of much of the action. K is largely on his own, tracking down BAD’s headquarters, only for him to be trapped and used as ransom for Mother. BAD’s Lockerman looks goofy, but has a pretty freaky power; incinerating any one or thing by throwing them in his body. How does K know Isamu’s name? We certainly learn a lot about BAD, including a possible supernatural element to them; merely drawing their skull-like logo will summon a salesperson. (Thanks to dumb little Isamu draing one to impress his friends) Shinjo and Shiba use this to their advantage, with Shinjo’s brother even being mentioned (but not seen). There’s a lot of good action and character moments, but the two episodes are being too disjointed to really be considered a great two-parter.

Watch out for the Devilish Smoke! (悪魔の煙に気をつけろ!) – A perfectly serviceable, albeit very simplistic episode. In a nutshell, a boy photographer snaps a photo of a BAD robot in action, and the robot tries his best to retrieve said photo. The BAD robot, Poison Gasman is definitely one of the cooler bots design-wise and commits some pretty violent kills. His benefactors are merely two robbers who hire him to assist in robberies. Shiba seems to be warming up to K, even telling his daughters that his disliking of the detective is a lie.

Lighting Eyes of Terror!! (光る眼の恐怖!!) – An episode that pretty much checks all of the right boxes, in spite of its simplicity. BAD once more force their way into a scheme, with Ganrikiman forcing two petty jewel thieves let him do the robbing in exchange for half the profits. Ganrikiman is easily the coolest BAD robot up to this point, and, in a rare feat for 70s Tokusatsu monsters, even has a moving mouth. K is once more blinded, though it plays a bit of a role here, with him needing a special pair of glasses to see. Shiba is once more salty with K, after appearing to warm up to him in the last episode. Shiba cites the sudden appearance of BAD robots coinciding right with K’s arrival to the force, thinking there must be a connection. K takes note of this, and even asks Mother just where BAD is from. We don’t get an answer.

Target is Atom Number 79?! (標的は原子番号79?!)/Snatch Away from BAD!! (バドーから奪え!!) – Yet another two-parter, that while entertaining enough, simply does not have enough plot to warrant its length. This is easily the worst offender, with both episodes being a very basic “cops and robbers” chase, with BAD stealing 4 Billion Yen worth of gold. There are fun moments, such as BAD’s liquidfication of said gold and the second robot’s introduction (in which he shows no remorse for his comrade), but there’s very little of substance. Hell’s Ear, a character I haven’t even mentioned due to how little he features, plays a slightly big role in the second part, being captured by BAD and used as leverage for Shinjo and K. It’s Shiba this time who’s rendered immobile, with his daughters using the opportunity to grill him as to why he dislikes K so much.

The Demonic Suds in a Disappearance?! (魔の泡に消されるな?!) – Another episode with the plot of K trying to stop the latest BAD robot from…doing things. It’s about as basic as things get. It is a shame, as there are some good set pieces, namely the opening where an entire school bus of children are melted by the BAD robot’s foam. It’s beyond grim and is largely glossed over. The climax set at the reservoir is also cool. But the lack of any real plot (the BAD robot threatens his way into some generic robbery scheme with two guys) sadly makes this a dull effort.

BAD’s Frozen Strategy!! (バドーの冷凍作戦!!) – Another episode involving BAD being hired to kill the heirs to a fortune, this time a kindly old philanthropist’s. The episode’s arguably more polished than The Thunder Kills?! , but it feels way too repetitive, especially in a show consisting of only 26 episodes. The culprit is immediately apparent, albeit they do come across as slightly more sympathetic, implying BAD forced them to sign a contract. There is a nice scene, where after being scolded by Shiba for the millionth time, Shinjo assures K that he will always be his friend. Other than that, there just isn’t much to say.

Pursuing the Mystery in the Seas of Okinawa!! (沖縄の海に謎を追え!!)/The Hydrogen Bomb Blimp Heads to Tokyo! (水爆飛行船 東京へ!) – A fairly large-scale pair of episodes, with BAD enacting their biggest scheme yet: nuking Tokyo with an H-Bomb. At least, that’s what they plan to do if the city doesn’t pay a hefty ransom. Wouldn’t nuking Tokyo kill a lot of potential clients for BAD? It’s off to Okinawa to stop them, and while the location shooting is nice, it undeniably feels like they were just giving the case/crew a vacation. It’s apparently Shiba’s birthday, with his daughters waiting at home with cake, unaware of his escapade to Okinawa. BAD are allied with a terrorist organization called “Zero” in this scheme. Zero’s Caucasian leader is played by prominent gaijin Osman Yusef. The humanoid BAD android has a few decent moments of action, but her face-heel turn towards the end feels pretty abrupt.

The Terrifying Electrothermal Man: Mother Blows Up and Sinks!! (恐怖デンネツマン マザー爆沈!!)/The Terrifying Missile Man: BAD’s True Colors!! (恐悪ミサイルマン バドーの正体!!) – Quite the game-changing pair of episodes, which reveal a lot about K origins and hints at BAD’s true nature…if you can get past the first part, which is business as usual. That’s not to say it’s bad, with BAD (how many times can I used that word here?) luring K, Shiba and Shinjo to one of their lairs, with the intention of reprogramming K into their own and turning Shiba and Shinjo into cyborg soldiers. The dark, shoe polished faces of their cyborg soldiers are…unfortunate. BAD has evidently really had it with these guys, going on to capture Shiba’s daughters as bait. Shiba’s finally taking their threat seriously too, especially after Shinjo ends up in the hospital for the umpteenth time. A fine enough romp, but the second part reveals quite a bit about K, with Shiba and Shinjo not only coming face-to-face with Mother for the first time, but even getting a trip inside her inner workings, meeting her and K’s creator. A lot of backstory is provided not only for K, but also some hints at BAD’s nature. It’s all very interesting, but it’s a shame it took this long for it to be revealed.

Diving Man: Underwater of Terror (センスイマン 水中の恐怖!!) – A standard, but competent episode that’s mostly notable for its guest star; Susumu Kurobe…as a BAD cyborg agent, meaning he dons that horrible blackface makeup. The plot is pretty basic, but effective enough, with BAD extorting a scientist to hand over a deadly chemical formula, threatening his son if he does not comply. Easily the highlight of the episode is the additional details about Mother’s relation to BAD, further confirming what we told last time.

Depth Charge Man: Scorching Strategy!! (バクライマン 焦熱作戦!!) – Another episode that’s probably most notable for its guest stars; Hideki Kawaguchi and Takehisa Yamaguchi…the latter of whom also dons BADface. The plot is pretty undercooked, with BAD setting fire to multiple buildings, which puts a fire insurance company on the verge of bankruptcy unless they pay a certain amount to BAD…which doesn’t really add up. If BAD wants their money, what good will making them lose more do? BAD isn’t shown to be working on behalf of someone either, which is odd. This must mean the organization is in need of some dough. Yamaguchi’s BAD agent really takes center stage, with the MOTW taking a backseat role. In spite of its impressive guest stars, there isn’t much to this episode.

The Atrocious Gatling Man’s BAD Virus Strategy!! (兇悪ガトリングマンのバドービールス作戦!!) – A serviceable enough episode, but one that really doesn’t seem to indicate the show is nearing its end. BAD has gone full Shocker, unleashing a deadly virus in Tokyo, and kidnapping a scientist who has created a vaccine. Exactly why BAD would want to create a lethal virus is anyone’s guess; wouldn’t that just kill potential clients? It’s safe to assume their days as a for-hire contract killing service are over, and now they’re just trying to take over the world (perhaps saving saved up enough money to do so).

BAD Dies in Mars!! (バドー火星に死す!!) – An…interesting finale that feels like a pretty standard fare, but with a totally random Mars element, presumably to give it a bit more of a grander feel. BAD’s ultimate scheme involves contaminating the water supply of not just Tokyo, but apparently the whole world, with nuclear radiation. In order to properly fulfil this, they need a McGuffin being safeguarded by Shiba. So they kidnap his daughters once more as a form of ransom, with Shiba yet again being hospitalized. It’s all very typical stuff, but being the finale, BAD reveal this to be their final scheme, with them planning to flee to Mars and live there while the Earth meets its doom. It’s very out of the blue, albeit the notion of rich jerks fleeing to Mars while the Earth burns is somewhat relevant in the 2020s. Why Mars has a blue filter rather than a red one is anybody’s guess. We finally see BAD’S head, and he leaves very little of an impression. More interesting s the final BAD robot, Gearman, who has some serious admiration for K. There are some nice scenes of Shiba treating K with kindness, after acting like a jerk to him throughout the show. K’s a great ‘bot. There are some fine elements to the finale, but much like this show as a whole, things are just too undercooked to be considered truly great.