Zaido

Okay so I was born at the height of Voltes V, Voltron, Bioman and Shaider. I admit to be addicted to such shows and fancied myself as one of those Japanese superheroes trying to fight off evil. But time passed and so did these shows which were later replaced by those 2D-not-so-cartoon-adult shows called anime. I didn’t get hooked up on them as much as I did on the shows of the 80s. Anime is too complex for me. They run on a myriad of story lines which my 80s brain couldn’t handle. Suffice it to say, the kid in me is satisfied about stories that deals with heroes just fighting for what is true and what is good. Enough said.

The local channel 7 a couple of months back got the rights of one of my favorites, Shaider, and Filipinized the story starring local artists. The story takes off from Shaider’s 3 grandsons (Blue, Red and Green) taking over his fight against Fuuma. The three are called Zaido policemen. Unlike the original Shaider with only one superhero plus the sidekick, Annie clad in a yellow short skirt, this one is more believable with 3 heroes taking in the bad guys. I mean come on; it must have been pretty taxing for Shaider to fight all Fuuma’s henchmen and the beast of the week. What’s fun for me is how the Pinoys were able to get all the props made for the show. They’re not as clean cut or as believable as the gadgets you’d see by Spielberg or George Lucas. You just know that they’re all painted GI sheets and styro with the colors a bit dull. Although some of the effects leave much to be desired, overall, I think the effort put in by the production and cast is excellent.

I can’t believe the 80s came back with a vengeance!