Poster for Thunder Mask
I watched the only existing episodes of this series with my buddy, and thanks to the good people of the internet, someone actually subbed them into English. Sadly, it stands only as a novelty due to its Lost Media status and lacks substantial content when compared to productions of its era, like Redman, Android Kikaider, or Ultraman Ace. You'll find plots that go nowhere (it doesn't help that we lack episodes with relevant info for those that still survive on the Internet Archive), random uses of Godzilla sound effects, and a palpable feel that this was made on a very low budget. The hero lacks personality, unique moves, or signature attacks that could give it an identity. For lack of a better word, he's just lame. Interestingly, its status as partly lost media parallels another production with an awfully similar concept, TAROMAN. This is a Tokusatsu show/mockumentary about a "long-forgotten series aired in the 70s," parodying exactly these run-of-the-mill Tokus, only remembered by a select few hardcore fans. Honestly, if you want to give this series a go, I would just watch the first surviving episodes to get your fix; otherwise, you're better off watching a 70s Ultraman production.

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