Line #11 Series/Mirrorman


1	[[quoteright:217:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mirrorman.png]]
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3	''Mirrorman'' is a {{toku}}satsu series from Creator/TsuburayaProductions, the same company behind the ''Franchise/UltraSeries''. It ran from 1971-1972 with 51 episodes on Creator/FujiTV and was the first superhero series by [=TsuPro=] to not star any Ultra heroes.
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5	In [[NextSundayAD the 1980s]], a race of malevolent aliens known only as [[ADogNamedDog The Invaders]] are attacking the Earth using their army of {{kaiju}}. Assigned to investigate the threat are the Science Guard Members (SGM), but there is another hope for the world. Young photojournalist, Kyotaro Kagami, has just learned from his adopted father, SGM's leader Professor Mitarai, that he is in fact the son of an alien man from the 2nd Dimension and a human woman (both of whom are missing). As a result, Kyotaro has inherited the powers of his father, who took on the form of a giant hero named Mirrorman to battle The Invaders in the past. Now it is Kyotaro's duty to take the mantle of Mirrorman, transforming into the title hero by looking into any reflective surface, flashing his Mirror Pendant, and shouting "Mirror Spark!"
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7	Described by Tsuburaya Productions as being the Moon to ''Series/{{Ultraman}}''[='=]s Sun, ''Mirrorman'' was a very dark Toku series (at least initially), going places that [=TsuPro=] had never gone before. While it never achieved the same level of success that ''Ultraman'' did, the series proved popular enough that a short series called ''Mirror Fight'' was broadcasted on Creator/TVTokyo in 1974. Mirrorman was homaged in the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' with the introduction of an {{Expy}} called Mirror Knight, who debuted in ''Film/UltramanZeroTheRevengeOfBelial''.
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9	In 2005, a DirectToDVD series called ''Mirrorman REFLEX'' was released, and while it was more in tone with the early part of the series, was also pretty much related InNameOnly.
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11	To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2021, a ContinuityReboot [[https://twitter.com/heros_1101/status/1401735665390211080 manga]] by Masato Hisa (''Manga/{{Nobunagun}}'', ''Manga/Area51'') has been revealed; ''Mirrorman 2D''. It is serialized on Tsuburaya's streaming service ''TSUBURAYA IMAGINATION'' starting on July 30th.
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14	!!''Mirrorman'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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16	* ByThePowerOfGrayskull: "Mirror... SPARK!!"
17	* ClearMyName: Murakami's backstory.
18	* DarkerAndEdgier: Than anything Tsuburaya had done before.
19	* DownerEnding: Happens quite a lot in the earlier episodes. Is downplayed as the show progresses, but still occurs from time-to-time.
20	* LukeIAmYourFather: Koutarou does not take the reveal of his true heritage well.
21	* {{Retool}}: Episode 26 had Mirrorman gain a color-timer, and SGM get a serious upgrade, with them becoming more in-vein to the attack teams of the Ultra Series.
22	* SinisterShades: The Invader's agents usually wear those due to their high sensibility to light.
23	* WhamEpisode: Mirrorman Annihilated!/Total Attack! SGM and S.G.M vs. Mirrorman/S.G.M Special Attack Operation.
24	* WrongfulAccusationInsurance: Kyotaro in Mirrorman is Ensnared in a Trap. Even if he was innocent, he still resisted arrest and broke out.
25	* {{Zeerust}}: Takes place in a 1980s in which humanity is in contact with aliens.

Context Series / Mirrorman