Ask John: What’s the Background on Kikaider?

Question:
What is Kikaider on Adult Swim? I’ve watched it a few times, but it’s all still kind of fuzzy. And why is it called Kikaider the Animation? Was there a live action version?

Answer:
Created by Shotaro Ishinomori, the creator of Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider (Masked Rider), Jizo Ningen Kikaider (Artificial Human Kikaider) aired as a 43 episode live action super-hero show on Japanese television between 1972 and 1973. The series was broadcast to great success on Hawaiian television, originally in 1974 then again this year. If you find yourself interested in Kikaider, the original live action television series is currently being released on American DVD.

Kikaider (or Kikaida, as it’s also spelled) was revived in Japan as a 12 episode TV series in 2000, and a follow-up 4 episode OAV series titled Jizo Ningen Kikaider 01, released in 2001.