History Anime / EighthMan

* ArtShift the American theme song, mentioned Below, looks considerably more western-looking than that of the series itself.

* ArtShit the American theme song, mentioned Below, looks considerably more western-looking than that of the series itself.

Although the animation was average for a TV series of its time (it ran from November 7, 1963 to December 12, 1964 in Japan), by modern standards it is laughable and crude. In addition to being in black and white, its production crew had almost no experience with cel animation and took several episodes to gain any skill with the form. Even then it was of low quality, with a minimal frame rate, low detail, and wooden movement.

* WhatTheHellHero: Sachiko chews out Eight Man for using excessive force in killing a rampaging cyborg football team, going so far as to call him scarier than the cyborgs he killed. [[MoralDissonance The cyborgs that were in the midst of slaughtering dozens of innocent fans in the stands and were just about to do the same to Sachiko before Eight Man arrived.]]

It also prompted a DarkerAndEdgier {{Revival}} {{OVA}} series in 1993, ''8th Man After'', which was released in English by Creator/StreamlinePictures. This has joined its originator as a CultClassic due to its unique blend of dark CyberPunk and over-the-top SuperHero themes. It is also remembered for its mock-worthy DrugsAreBad themes - CyberneticsEatYourSoul because they are unusable without PsychoSerum. Eight Man is resurrected to fight them, fueled by SuperSerum. Just Say NO to PsychoSerum - Use SuperSerum! This could have all been avoided by [[FridgeLogic simply distributing the "safe" serum.]] Then lots of people could have cybernetics. But ReedRichardsIsUseless. [[MST3KMantra It's just an anime, I should really just relax]] and enjoy the ultraviolence.

* ISurrenderSuckers: How the whole thing started. The leader of the gang that Azuma was going after pretended to surrender so that his other henchmen can gun him over with their car while he was distracted.

* DrugsAreBad: Used by the OVA in place of CyberneticsEatYourSoul: it's not the cybernetics per se that drives the users crazy, but the massive quantities of PsychoSerum they have to take to use the implants effectively. Eight Man makes do with good-old SuperSerum. [[spoiler:Which turns out to be closer to "I Just Get These Headaches" Serum, because of the overreaction Hazama has to the memory of his fiancee's murder.]] The metaphor becomes a little on-the-nose when Eight Man has to fight a football team that was augmented, [[spoiler:and later help his sidekick's DisappearedDad, a team member, fight through withdrawal symptoms]].

* DrugsAreBad: Used by the OVA in place of CyberneticsEatYourSoul: it's not the cybernetics per se that drives the users crazy, but the massive quantities of PsychoSerum they have to take to use the implants effectively. Eight Man makes do with good-old SuperSerum. [[spoiler:Which turns out to be closer to "I Just Get These Headaches" Serum, because of the overreaction Hazama has to the memory of his fiancee's murder.]] The metaphor becomes a little on-the-nose when Eight Man has to fight a football team that was augmented.
* FlashStep: Eight Man's superspeed is portrayed as this trope, with the sparks of his footsteps the only sign that something struck an opponent.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In ''After,'' Hazama remembers the night his fiancee was murdered and how he promptly hunted down and killed those responsible. The memory of the murder unfortunately can trigger UnstoppableRage.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Cyborgs routinely run rampant because the cybernetic link to the nervous system along with the massive boost in strength unhinges most people's minds. Eight Man, being a ({{Bishonen}}) PhlebotinumRebel with "good cybernetics" is able to escape these effects and battle the evil MegaCorp producing them.
* DrugsAreBad: Used by the OVA in place of CyberneticsEatYourSoul: it's not the cybernetics per se that drives the users crazy, but the massive quantities of PsychoSerum they have to take to use the implants effectively. Eight Man makes do with good-old SuperSerum.

Along with ''Anime/AstroBoy, {{Gigantor}}'' and ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', ''EighthMan'' is historically significant as one of the first anime series to be distributed in the United States. The American version's [[ImportationExpansion newly animated]] [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening sequence]] was the first professional animation work done by Creator/RalphBakshi.

Any similarities to another story about [[RoboCop a dying cop revived by Science]] are purely coincidental.

* WhatTheHellHero: Sachiko chews out Eight Man for using excessive force in killing a rampaging cyborg football team, going so far as to call him scarier than the cyborgs he killed. [[InformedWrongness The cyborgs that were in the midst of slaughtering dozens of innocent fans in the stands and were just about to do the same to Sachiko before Eight Man arrived.]]

!! Eight Man After contains examples of:

!! This series contains examples of:
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Cyborgs routinely run rampant because the cybernetic link to the nervous system along with the massive boost in strength unhinges most people's minds. Eight Man, being a ({{Bishonen}}) PhlebotinumRebel with "good cybernetics" is able to escape these effects and battle the evil MegaCorp producing them.
* DrugsAreBad: Used by the OVA in place of CyberneticsEatYourSoul: it's not the cybernetics per se that drives the users crazy, but the massive quantities of PsychoSerum they have to take to use the implants effectively. Eight Man makes do with good-old SuperSerum.

* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: In ''8th Man After'' it's revealed that Azuma was deleted from his cyborg body with no explanation as to how or why he was deleted, the only remaining trace being his name, and his successor Hazama inheriting the body. However, combining statements from Sachiko and Professor Tani suggests that Azuma eventually wasn't able to cope with his situation and died. Since Tani had the body to begin with, it's possible that he ended up ''euthanizing'' Azuma.]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In ''After,'' Hazama remembers the night his fiancee was murdered and how he promptly hunted down and killed those responsible. The memory of the murder unfortunately can trigger UnstoppableRage.
* SuperSerum: Used in the OVA.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In ''After,'' Hazama remembers the night his fiancee was murdered. He promptly hunts down and kills those responsible, since that memory can trigger UnstoppableRage, to settle his grief and anger.

* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal: In ''8th Man After'' it's revealed that Azuma was deleted from his cyborg body with no explanation as to how or why he was deleted, the only remaining trace being his name, and his successor inheriting the body. However, combining statements from Sachiko and Professor Tani suggests that Azuma eventually wasn't able to cope with his situation and died. Since Tani had the body to begin with, it's possible that he ended up ''euthanizing'' Azuma.]]

It also prompted a DarkerAndEdgier {{Revival}} {{OVA}} series in 1993, ''8th Man After'', which was released in English by StreamlinePictures. This has joined its originator as a CultClassic due to its unique blend of dark CyberPunk and over-the-top SuperHero themes. It is also remembered for its mock-worthy DrugsAreBad themes - CyberneticsEatYourSoul because they are unusable without PsychoSerum. Eight Man is resurrected to fight them, fueled by SuperSerum. Just Say NO to PsychoSerum - Use SuperSerum! This could have all been avoided by [[FridgeLogic simply distributing the "safe" serum.]] Then lots of people could have cybernetics. But ReedRichardsIsUseless. [[MST3KMantra It's just an anime, I should really just relax]] and enjoy the ultraviolence.

Along with ''Anime/AstroBoy, {{Gigantor}}'' and ''Anime/SpeedRacer'', ''EighthMan'' is historically significant as one of the first anime series to be distributed in the United States. The American version's [[ImportationExpansion newly animated]] [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening sequence]] was the first professional animation work done by RalphBakshi.

* ExpositoryThemeTune: The theme to the English dub combines this trope and NeverTrustATrailer, as the theme and ([[ImportationExpansion American animated]]) opening sequence described Eight Man fighting aliens (which he never does) and flying (which he can't do). A very young RalphBakshi was responsible for the new (and OffModel) opening.

* ExpositoryThemeTune: The theme to the English dub combines this trope and NeverTrustATrailer, as the theme and ([[ImportationExpansion American animated]]) opening sequence described Eight Man fighting aliens (which he never does) and flying (which he can't do).

Now empowered beyond ordinary men, Azuma becomes (all by himself) the secret 8th division of the Tokyo Police. His only superior is bureau chief Tanaka (called Chief Fumblethumbs, of all things, in English). Now called 8-Man ("Eighth Man", in English, because according to the dub he was the eighth cyborg attempt -- and the first one to work!), he has the [[StockSuperpowers usual array]] of powers: SuperStrength, SuperSpeed, plus the unusual ability to [[HelpingHands detach and remotely control his limbs]]. In a detail that would never get past kid-vid censors today, 8-Man recharged his power supply using "special cigarettes". He spent much of his time fighting an array of goofy enemies ranging from communist spies and robot bats to gangsters with bizarre names right out of ''DickTracy.''

* RunsOnNonsensoleum: 8 Man recharges his super-batteries or whatever by smoking radium-laced cigarettes.

It also prompted a DarkerAndEdgier {{Revival}} {{OVA}} series in 1993, ''8th Man After'', which was released in English by StreamlinePictures. This has joined its originator as a CultClassic due to its unique blend of dark CyberPunk and over-the-top SuperHero themes. It is also remembered for its mock-worthy DrugsAreBad themes - CyberneticsEatYourSoul because they are unusable without PsychoSerum. Eight Man is resurrected to fight them, fueled by SuperSerum. Just Say NO to PsychoSerum - Use SuperSerum! WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis [[FridgeLogic simply distributing the "safe" serum.]] Then lots of people could have cybernetics. But ReedRichardsIsUseless. [[MST3KMantra It's just an anime, I should really just relax]] and enjoy the ultraviolence.

Along with ''Anime/AstroBoy, {{Gigantor}}'' and ''SpeedRacer'', ''EighthMan'' is historically significant as one of the first anime series to be distributed in the United States. The American version's [[ImportationExpansion newly animated]] [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening sequence]] was the first professional animation work done by RalphBakshi.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lt/eighthman.jpg

Along with ''AstroBoy, {{Gigantor}}'' and ''SpeedRacer'', ''EighthMan'' is historically significant as one of the first anime series to be distributed in the United States. The American version's [[ImportationExpansion newly animated]] [[ExpositoryThemeTune opening sequence]] was the first professional animation work done by RalphBakshi.