Jumborg Ace (1973)

Jumborg 9 supremacy

Released as part of Tsuburaya's 10th anniversary celebration, a year jam-packed with so many different tokusatsu productions from everyone and their mothers, Jumborg Ace is a confused beast, unsure if it should be a revenge-driven thriller or embrace the goofier antics of contemporaries. Yes, it very much lives in the shadow of the better-known Silver Giant from Nebula M78; the formula has already worn thin, but the series does deserve a bit of credit for blending high-flying monster action with mecha elements years before giant robot anime would truly explode in popularity. What keeps you going more than anything is the rather emotional central storyline; revenge is always a powerful motivator, and it keeps you hooked merely to see how far these characters are willing to go, especially once Jumborg 9 gets introduced. Unfortunately, the show has more than its fair share of child-focused episodes that regularly interrupt the momentum of its invasion narrative, while supporting characters sometimes receive limited development, and a lot of the acting reflects the broad style common to children's television of the early 1970s. Still, these shortcomings are outweighed by the show's infectious energy and sincerity. The production values are pretty typical of the era with miniature cities, rubber-suited monsters and colourful pyrotechnics all on full display. Although occasionally showing their budgetary limitations, they're executed with enough enthusiasm, the action sequences are brisk, inventive and often surprisingly brutal, with Jumborg Ace dispatching enemies in ways that stand out even among his giant hero peers. While the opening perfectly captures the larger-than-life spirit of the series, I find myself once again unimpressed by a Shunsuke Kikuchi score; there's not a lot I can even say about it. Regardless, Jumborg Ace is a fine little show in its own right; its blend of giant robots, alien invaders, and heartfelt heroism makes it essential viewing for fans of vintage tokusatsu despite being another series cursed to never get a proper ending.

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