Toshio Andou

Recap of episodes 1-11 of Tetsujin 28-gou, originally broadcasted between episodes 11 and 12 as a New Year special.

A case-hardened cop is pitted against a young eco-terrorist. The title "island" is an artificial construct in Tokyo Bay, a mountain of garbage, a by-product of Japan’s economic boom years. The film’s protagonist Alan works there, almost buried under society’s detritus; his growing obsession with the search for “what has been lost” turns him into a "dangerous" activist. He targets the industrialist Wada, whose chemical factory secretly discharges toxic waste into the environment. But the cop Terayama, who thought he’d seen it all, starts researching eco-activism and soon suspects the haunted, taciturn young man he’s encountered in the neighborhood.

Gigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. Jimmy Sparks controls a gigantic, powerful robot and uses it to fight crime. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers.