Line #6 Anime/EightManAfter


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4	''8th Man After'' is a 1993 {{OVA}} anime that serves as a sequel to ''Manga/EightMan1963'', animated by J.C.Staff. It's also a DarkerAndEdgier {{Revival}} to attract new viewers to the franchise.
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6	The OVA takes place years after the original manga and anime, where Hachiro Azuma's a well-established superhero as 8 Man. Sachiko Yokogawa, Azuma's love interest and secretary, was shocked by the [[RoboticReveal revelation in the prologue that Azuma was 8 Man]]; Azuma runs away and is never seen again.
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8	Years later, Sachiko moved on and was recruited to the [[MegaCorp Biotechno Corporation]] in order to start over, working in public relations. One day, a private detective named Itaru Hazama was recruited by Professor Tani to investigate what seemed to be theft of cyborg-related parts; the two meet when Hazama tries to sneak in to interview the Biotechno CEO, Daigo. Hazama later learns that the trail leads to a criminal syndicate led by a Mr. Halloween. And among those working under him is Tony Gleck, a DirtyCop who's responsible for killing Hazama's sister many years ago prior to his PI work. To work the case (and survive being the new 8 Man), Hazama needs to navigate the New York City-esque city while trying to avoid being killed by Mr. Halloween's goons. Or by Tony, who has a bone to pick with him.
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10	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. 8 Man is resurrected to fight them, fueled by SuperSerum.
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12	8th Man After was released in English by Creator/StreamlinePictures in the Nineties; Creator/DiscotekMedia re-released it on DVD in 2016 with both the original Japanese language track and Streamline's dub.
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14	There is a manga adaptation that lasted for one volume, which was published by Kodansha from 1994 to 1995 under Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
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16	----
17	!! The OVA contains examples of:
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19	* BrainInAJar: A scientist mentioned in the first few episodes is revealed to be Tony Gleck's EvilGenius, who has been providing support for his growing collection of cybernetic enhancements. The scientist is able to avoid the risks of the PsychoSerum the other cyborgs in the series use because of his immobile condition. [[spoiler:However, the only solution he can offer Gleck is to [[GrandTheftMe steal 8 Man's body and use it as his own]].]]
20	* 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. 8 Man, being a ({{Bishonen}}) PhlebotinumRebel with "good cybernetics" is able to escape these effects (mostly) and battle the evil MegaCorp producing them.
21	* DragonAscendant: [[spoiler:After sabotaging the football team, Tony Gleck is able to stage a hostile takeover of the Biotechno MegaCorp, and force his former boss Mr. Halloween (Daigo) to be turned into a cyborg suicide bomber.]]
22	* 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. 8 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/sister)'s murder.]] The metaphor becomes a little on-the-nose when 8 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]].
23	* DubInducedPlotHole: In the first episode (or act of the CompilationMovie), Tanaka mentions that Hazama's fiancee was killed. Much later, when Hazama actually flashes back to the incident, several characters mention that his ''sister'' was the one killed.[[note]]The Japanese script made it clear that it's his younger sister who got killed.[[/note]]
24	* FlashStep: 8 Man's superspeed is portrayed as this trope, with the sparks of his footsteps often the only sign that something struck an opponent.
25	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: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.]]
26	* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Tanaka ("[[DubNameChange Fumblethumbs]]") from the original series (and his rookie cop nephew Ichiro) have noticeably more cartoony designs than the other characters.
27	* PoliceAreUseless: The city police have a hard time taking on heavily armed cyborg terrorists and criminals because their cyborg parts give them the edge over them with built-in small arms. It takes a lot of firepower to take on the bad guys.
28	* PutOnABus: Azuma disappears not a minute into the OVA, never to be seen again.
29	** [[spoiler: We later discover that Hazama isn't a totally new 8 Man, but inhabits the original body. Azuma's mind had been deleted by persons and methods unknown.]]
30	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: In "Mr. Halloween", Hazama remembers the night his sister ([[DubInducedPlotHole or fiancee?]]) was murdered [[spoiler:by Tony Gleck]], and how he promptly hunted down and killed those responsible, despite the risk that he can be arrested. The memory of the murder unfortunately can trigger UnstoppableRage.
31	* SuperSerum: Used in the OVA; Professor Tani has a higher-quality serum that allows Hazama to function without going crazy. [[spoiler: At least, without going ''as'' crazy.]]
32	* TagalongKid: Tony - not to be confused with TheDragon Tony Gleck. Tony is a SatisfiedStreetRat who is basically Hazama's sidekick.
33	* ThatManIsDead: Professor Tani advises the new 8 Man to use this as a coping mechanism after Hazama's transformation.
34	* VisionaryVillain: Daigo, the CEO of the Biotechno corporation, dreams of making the city great under his guidance -- including the cyberpunk crime wave he causes as the crime boss "Mr. Halloween". [[spoiler: Gleck is able to depose Daigo after his plan to create a championship football team by using cyborgs ends in a massacre.]]
35	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Hazama still has this ability as the new 8 Man; however, besides changing to and from his secret identity, he only uses it to distract Sachiko from discovering his secret. When she realizes that Hazama had been stabbed before his EmergencyTransformation, Hazama uses his powers to produce the scar that Sachiko expected.

Context Anime / EightManAfter