The 1974 sci-fi anime ‘Chargeman Ken’ is notorious among fans for “being so bad it’s good.” While its popularity waned over time, it was rediscovered in the twenty-first century and has since become a cult classic. Discotek Media plans on releasing the entire series on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States.
Created by Eiji Tanaka and Tetsuji Suzukawa, the Japanese animation studio Knack Productions (now ICHI Corporation) released all sixty-five episodes which were directed by Noboru Miura. The score was handled by Kunio Miyauchi and the episodes were written by Masaaki Wakuda, Toyohiro Andō, and Yoshio Tamado.
Discotek plans on releasing the Blu-ray on November 28, 2023, though it is currently available for pre-order on the Right Stuf Anime website.
You can take a look at the DVD box set below:
The series stars Setsuko Takemoto, Fuyuki Takahashi, Kiyoshi Kawanishi, Yuki Aida, and Noboru Sato.
AniList describes the synopsis as follows,
“It is the year 2074. In a world threatened by aliens… an unlikely hero emerges! Ken Izumi may look like an ordinary 10-year-old boy, but he secretly possesses weapons, armor, and accessories that transform him into the superheroic Chargeman Ken. Ken protects his mom, dad, little sister Caron, robot pal Barican, and the rest of mankind from the diabolical Juralians, shape-shifting alien invaders bent on terrorizing the earth with flesh-eating butterflies, booby-trapped scientists, an evil doll, a prison break, alien mummies, a kid that sets stuff on fire, a song that makes you die… basically, they have about 65 plans for world domination.
The only thing standing between the fragile human race and conquest by the Juralians is Chargeman Ken and his unquenchable thirst for fiery, atomic justice!”
The Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten released a manga version in 1974, followed by a second edition from Akita Shoten.
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