After having my mind absolutely blown by the debut episode of Gavan, it’s finally time to dive back in. What new alien villains await our chromed out hero? How many different genres can we jam into this series? Well, wait no further! No need for an elaborate intro here, folks. Lets get down to business.
Episode 2: The Stolen Japanese Islands
This episode wastes no time. Makuu has stolen a tanker, and under the guise of a faux criminal organization called Alpha, they’re blackmailing the Japanese government. First, they extort a rocket full of diamonds but Don Horror wishes to see how far he can push the humans. The Makuu demands Mt. Fuji! With Japan unable to fulfill this, The Makuu prepare to drop the tanker on Tokyo, reducing it to a fiery inferno. Gavan infiltrates a Makuu base (a very humorous scene) and even has a Raiders of the Lost Ark moment running from a boulder (all of LucasFilm getting referenced in Gavan).
Gavan is then attacked by a new BEM Kaiju: Gamara Monster (I bet you did a double take at that name) and then sucked into space. This monster is supposed to be a toad (it even ribbits) but it also kind of looks like a green Walrus. I have to say, for as much as I love the design of Gavan, his vehicles, and the Makuu overall…I’m not the biggest fan of the BEM Kaiju so far. I’ve never been a big fan of Toei’s monster designs, they’re always a little too busy. But, in a bizarre turn of events, the monsters in this show are under-designed in my opinion. They lack the staying power (I’m sure somewhat intentionally) of an Ultra or Godzilla kaiju.
Gamara foreshadows Blanka from Street Fighter by turning into a ball and bouncing at Gavan, menacingly. Their battle shifts from relics of ancient history like pyramids and the pantheon TO FIGHTING on a RING OF SATURN before being sucked through another portal. Gamara then goes from kaiju to daikaiju, as it grows massive in size. Looks like a job for Dol! Dol got to kick some Makuu ass earlier, but now he’s in a classic one on one kaiju vs mech fight.
Gamara is destroyed but a Beast-Alien Doubleman unleashes the tanker. But Gavan chases the foe on Cyberian. Pretty cool duel aboard a moving boat. Another Doubleman is slain by the Gavan Dynamic sword strike but the tanker is still set to blow. Dol to the rescue one final time and drags the tanker into space.
Another really fun episode that really highlights Dol, lots of dragon action. This series cares little for nuance or meaningful character development but we’re still very early in. I’m enjoying the fast pace, there’s no down time. Highlight of the episode was the comedic way Gavan took out the crushers as he was infiltrating the Makuu base.
Episode 3: Oh No! Stop Dr. Kuroboshi’s’ BEM Project
Yoichi and his sister Wakaba are walking their dog, Sabu, and their goat, Mei. They’re confronted by a mysterious old man who shoots a strange net at Mei, goatnapping her. Gavan and Mimi go horseback riding and Gavan reminisces about his father, who was also a Space Sheriff. They’re interrupted by Yoichi and Wakaba. Gavan tracks down the old man. The old man hauls ass and then starts jumping and teleporting!?
Gavan is attacked by Hunter-Killer and some crushers in a junkyard, and suddenly, with no fanfare, a new BEM Kaiju appears. The wiki refers to it as the Condor Monster. Ok, so this one is a weirdo. I’m sure by the name “Condor Monster” you’re expecting a bird-like being a la The Giant Condor. You would be wrong. In its place is a truly bizarre amalgamation of a Deku from The Legend of Zelda, A Skeksis from The Dark Crystal (there’s the bird of it all), and well, Chewbacca. This thing’s design is wild. Now that I think about it, I wonder if this was a reference to the Imperial Spy Garindan from the original Star Wars. Definietly some shared DNA there.
Then a mysterious voice tells Gavan that Gavan’s father, Voicer, is in hell! Because that’s where everyone that opposes Makuu goes! Whoa. When Hunter-Killer was still a Space Sheriff, he was dispatched to Earth by Commander Qom at the request of Voicer. Voicer has been missing ever since, his death was never confirmed.
Hunter-Killer is overseeing Operation: BEM, which involves Makuu modifying Earth’s organisms to survive where the atmosphere is thinner. We see the poor goat, Mei, now tiny enough to fit into a beaker. Gavan tracks the old man to the Future Space Food Research Center. Dr. Kuroboshi, the one leading Operation BEM, IS the old man (wearing a disguise). He’s the world leader in astrobiology and won the Nobel Prize for inventing Cosmo Hustle. Don Horror wants Dr. Kuroboshi to shift his experiments to humans, specifically children. Yeesh. Wakaba is taken, along with several other kids. Mimi and Gavan sneak into the lab, or they try at least. They’re attacked by Crushers. Gavan arrives just in time to rescue Wakaba from a horrible fate. Mimi once again escorts the children out, yawn, while Gavan confronts Kuroboshi…who is in fact a Beast Alien Doubleman.
When Condor Monster gets involved, Gavan must ELECTROPLATE. As usual, the axial shift occurs and Gavan is launched into another realm with the Condor Monster. This time the realm resembles the cavernous bones of a large creature, like a whale. Fits the darker tone of the episode. Condor is killed by the Laser Z Beam, and another Beast Alien Doubleman (presumably Kuroboshi) is bisected. Gavan is dedicated to stopping Makuu and finding his father.
A much darker episode. This almost gave me Kamen Rider Black vibes, but nowhere near as body horror. When kids and animals are being kidnapped, it’s always going to darken the mood. I appreciate the juxtaposition. Condor Monster was strange looking, like a Toku Snuffleupagus. He had a cool trident weapon, though. Overall, I didn’t like this one quite as much but still a fun time.
Episode 4: The Demon Helmet That Calls for Death
First of all, that title is absolutely metal as hell.
And we open with the titular Demon Helm, and it is ALSO metal as hell.
“Cosmic legend states that anyone who wears this helm becomes invulnerable.”
I love injecting some fantasy concepts into my sci-fi. I think that is one of the reasons series like Star Wars or Masters of the Universe is so successful, a blending of two awesome things. It’s like a Reese’s cup.
A group of people including a scientist and a reporter, the recurring character Kojiro Oyama (played by Masayuki Suzuki) are attempting to decipher some seemingly alien and ancient hieroglyphics to find the location of the mysterious Demon Helm, and because these stories unfold at a rapid pace, they find it! There’s some spooky statues and bloody red cross outside a cave, this can only be a good thing right?
While the episode injects some fantasy and horror elements into our space opera, there’s also a bit more humor. The UFO obsessed reporter Oyama is so goofy in this. He’s clad in a downright ridiculous attire including a football helmet, I suppose to interact with the aliens. This of course leads to him stumbling and bumbling around the cave before being interrupted by the Makuu, specifically Hunter-Killer and this episodes monster of the week, the Sasori Monster (the subtitles call it the Scorpion Monster). He’s probably the monster so far who most looks like its namesake. Arachnid-esque body armor and stingers, pincers, the whole nine yards. I like the design well enough. It especially pops because of the red hue, but it’s still a little baffling overall.
They’re attempting to steal the device the scientist created that guides them toward the Helm. This consists of three orbs, the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. The scientist, Professor Kaminaga, initially refuses but forks over the orbs when the Sasori Monster stings one of the Professor’s comrades in the neck and he…well, he blows up…
The research team runs for it after that, but they’re soon separated from Oyama. The Makuu give chase. It must be the forest setting and the campiness of the character, but I can’t help being reminded of the paint ball scene from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (the best Friday the 13th film). Unlike the poor souls in that film, however, Oyama escapes death. The whacky photographer essentially falls right into the lap of Retsu, who (along with old man Gosuke) was taking the kids on a bit of a field trip. The stakes rise when they’re spotted by the Sasori Monster.
First fight of the episode! I love the dynamic of Retsu fighting while protecting this absolute buffoon. Incredible choreography for this brief sequence. It doesn’t take Retsu long to decide it’s GAVAN TIME. Do Henshin scenes ever get old? I don’t think so. There’s an awesome bit when Gavan begins to battle the Crushers where the camera footage is reversed, allowing Gavan to make a spectacular landing. You know, it’s almost always obvious when that trick is used, but I LOVE seeing it.
At the behest of Hunter-Killer, the Makuu escape. Don Horror is displeased, as Gavan now has the three orbs. This sets a new plan in motion and a look at the first variation of a Double Man. This one is red in coloration and its body looks like a cross between feudal samurai armor and Han Solo. This special Doubleman is going undercover and has disguised himself as Professor Kaminaga.
Meanwhile, Gavan reports back to Commander Qom and Marine. Qom explains that the orbs, the Photocompass, is an ancient device used to record locations of items across space. We get some exposition about the Demon Helm, cutting to this freaking awesome painting. Were they too cheap to film an actual flashback sequence? Sure, but I’m not complaining one bit. I would put this Demon Helm painting on my living room wall.
It’s revealed the people of planet Bird took the helmet and dropped it off on Earth around the time of cavemen. Another killer painting! This proved vital to Planet Bird, for without the evil of the Helm, Bird evolved into a planet of pure peace. Gavan must prevent Don Horror from unleashing the power of the Demon Helm once again.
Hunter-Killer’s plan begins to unfold as he wounds the fake professor (have to make this look as real as possible.) and then shoots at him, fully intending Gavan to see. Gavan, of course, springs into action. He finds the “wounded” “professor” who gives a great performance and sends Gavan right to a trap. Gavan, unfortunately, gives the professor the orbs.
Gavan is enveloped in a poison gas and tumbles down a rocky hillside. This is really the first time our hero has been in true peril. I think its essentially that sometimes the bad guys have to one up the hero, if a hero is constantly defeating their antagonist with barely any fight, it creates a boring dynamic. It’s my problem with a lot of older Ultraman (mind you, I still love it) but Showa Ultraman rarely struggles. Now, so far, Gavan hasn’t really “struggled” per se either, but he’s also not annihilating his foes in a matter of moments.
This time it’s Mimie to the rescue! Yay! She’s finally doing something other than evacuating children. Gavan quickly realizes this was all a ruse and jumps back into action. The fake professor finds The Demon Helm. This thing rules, it gives off Frank Frazetta Death Dealer vibes. Like Shao Kahn meets The Shredder before either of those things existed.
Gavan arrives just in time, though. And tricks the trickster by causing the fake Professor to confess what Gavan already knew, that he is indeed a doppleganger. A battle ensues of course, with the Sasori Monster showing up again. But have no fear, it’s time for another ELECTROPLATE!
Once again, Don Horror manipulates the Earth’s axis to send Gavan through to another dimension. Gavan does his best Chris Redfield impression and punches a boulder into the Sasori Monster’s face. He tanks a few laser beams and then gives the monster a giant swing off a steep hill but it vanishes. Quick on his feet, Gavan fires up the scope and decimates his foe with the ZETTO BEAM.
But things go from bad to worse, as the Doubleman dons the Demon Helm! He looks so cool, I wish this guy got an action figure. Despite all the extra power, despite all the lore, despite the entire plot of this episode, the Doubleman is no match for the Laser Blade and the Gavan Dynamic. The reasoning for this? Well, of course, after 5,000 years the magic of the helmet has faded. Huh, how about that.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Gavan debuts a new vehicle. The Gravion is an enormous tank that would make Bale Batman jealous. It’s complete with a drilling vehicle called Scooper and that’s what’s used to rescue the real professor. Just as Gavan and Mimie are celebrating, Gavan spots Hunter-Killer escaping on a motorcycle. We end with this immortal line
“As long as Space Crime Organization Makuu continues its intrigues, Gavan does not have time for dates.”
What an episode. It was silly and baffling at times, especially with the way the final battle wrapped, but I think this may have been my favorite episode after the pilot. Gavan continues to deliver impeccable toku effects while absorbing and secreting western influences to concoct a wonderful sci-fi fantasy sandwich.
That’s all for this article, I’ll be back next time with another batch of episodes. I hope you’re enjoying these pieces as much as I am watching and writing about this series. It is a hoot and a half.
