5.4 /10 1 Votes
Episodes 65 Final episode date 28 June 1974 Cast Noboru Sato | 6.5/10 MyAnimeList 5.7/10 IMDb Original network TBS First episode date 1 April 1974 Genre Science Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Original run April 1, 1974 – June 28, 1974 Network Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings Characters Caron Izumi, Ken Izumi, Papa, Mama, Barikan, Maou Similar Hoshi no Ko Poron, Astroganger, Artificial insect KABUTO, Redman, Ai Mai Mi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chargeman Ken! (チャージマン研!) is a Japanese science fiction anime series created by Knack Productions. It consisted of 65 5-minute episodes and originally aired from April 1, 1974 to June 28, 1974.
Contents
Plot
The show takes place in a futuristic city, where science has greatly progressed. A race of aliens called the Jurals invade the Earth to steal its resources, and Ken Izumi must become the superhero Chargeman Ken to stop them.
Production and cult status
Most of the staff had previously worked on Knack’s Super Robot anime Astroganger, which had a very similar plot and character design. Due to lack of credits, the identities of its voice cast (save for the main villain) remain unknown to this day.
After its initial broadcast, the show remained obscure until 2007, when it was released on DVD and uploaded to the video sharing site Nico Nico Douga. The show quickly gained a cult reputation as “so bad it’s good” due to its ridiculous dialogue, limited animation and sound effects, the ineptitude of the villains and the cruelty of Ken, the “hero” of the show. It then became a popular internet meme, leading to dozens of video remixes and MADs. An original soundtrack was released in 2010.