Television series
| Nebula Mask Machineman |
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 Seiun Kamen Machineman titlecard |
| Genre | Tokusatsu |
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| Created by | Shotaro Ishinomori |
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| Developed by | Shozo Uehara
Susumu Takaku |
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| Directed by | Takeshi Ogasawara |
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| Starring | Osamu Sakuta
Kiyomi Tsukada
Kazuhiko Ohara
Kansai Eto
Yuko Murakoshi
Joe Onodera
Hideyo Amamoto
Chiaki Kojo |
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| Narrated by | Osamu Kobayashi |
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| Composer | Yuji Ohno |
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| Country of origin | Japan |
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| No. of episodes | 36 (35 episodes + 1 roundup) |
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| Running time | 24 minutes |
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| Production companies | Toei Company
Ishimori Productions |
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| Network | NTV/NNS |
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| Release | January 13 (1984-01-13) –
September 28, 1984 (1984-09-28) |
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Nebula Mask Machineman (星雲仮面マシンマン, Seiun Kamen Mashinman) is a Japanese tokusatsu television series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei Company. It aired from January 13 until September 28, 1984. It revolves around the adventures of Nick (Nikku), a college student from the Ivy planet (located at the Pleiades) and his arrival on Earth to study the earthlings' behavior. Upon arrival, he is called in for the activities of the evil organization called "Tentacle", whose don, Professor K, wishes to eliminate all children in the world.
The series is rumored to have been inspired by the American DC Comics superhero, Superman, although this was never confirmed by either Ishinomori or Toei.
Plot
Traveling in the spaceship "Space Colony", Nick, with the help of his ball-shaped robot "Ball Boy", arrive on Earth to study the behavior and manners of human beings for his doctoral degree thesis. Under the human identity of a young man named Ken Takase, he meets Maki Hayama, a photographer at Shukan Hit newspaper, and later saves her from a building fall. Maki was taking pictures for a scoop about a building which had been mysteriously demolished. Later, she and Ken find that the evil organization "Tentacle" is behind the demolitions and other evil deeds around the world. Nick then decides to extend his stay on Earth and uses his advanced technology and superior powers to protect Maki and the children of Earth under the alter-ego of Machineman, a red- and yellow-suited superhero. Armed with an advanced technology weapons, he begins fighting Tentacle's cyborgs and protect humankind.
A few episodes later, Machineman succeeds in dismantling Tentacle; however, Professor K flees to Spain and his niece, Lady M, appears. With her aide Tonchinkan, they establish a new organization called "Octopus". Like her uncle, she is allergic to children (whenever she is near one, her nose turns red). In the beginning, she calls up various thieves and legendary criminals from around the world, but later robotic drones are assembled to combat Machineman. By the end of the series, the missing Professor K returns, bringing with him the biggest threat the hero had ever faced: Golden Monsu, a fortified version of Tetsujin Monsu.
Criminal Groups
Tentacle
Tentacle (テンタクル, Tentakuru) is the organization led by Professor K.
- Professor K (プロフェッサーK, Purofessā Kei): The leader of the Tentacle criminal organization.
- Iron Man Monsu (鉄人モンス, Tetsujin Monsu): A humanoid robot that serves as Tentacle's chief executive. In episode 17, Monsu was defeated by Machineman.
- Mechanical Parrot (メカオウム, Meka Ōmu): A robotic parrot created by Professor K, and can speak fluently.
Octopus
Octopus (オクトパス, Okutopasu) is the succeeding organization led by Lady M, after taking over Tentacle.
- Lady M (レディーM, Redī Emu): The niece of Professor K, who made her appearance in Episode 20 after her trip from Spain. She renovated Tentacle's headquarters to form Octopus.
- TonChinKan (トンチンカン, Tonchinkan): Lady M's boyfriend.
International Broadcasts
In Philippines, The series was aired on ABS-CBN in 1987 and on IBC-13 on 1992.
