Welcome to part two of my trio of posts on the Tokusatsu Song Collections of 1985. I previously listened to the mini song collection from Kyodai Ken Bycrosser. Now we're going to dig into the Metal Hero series of the year--Kyojuu Tokusou Juspion. Of the three, this is the only one that has received and official release in the US, so check it out.
I briefly talked about these songs in my listen to Superhero Chronicle Metal Hero Shudaika Sonyuuka Daizenshuu I, which you can breeze through if you'd like.
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01. Ore ga Seigi da! Juspion / Ai Takano
Naturally this is the series theme song. I'm gonna be completely honest...I only half like this theme song. As a song itself, it's really not good at all. In context of the series...it definitely works better. I can watch the opening video and it just works better. As I'm listening to it for this review...I'm just bored with it. This is nothing new, I've never really been hot on this.
The upside is Ai Takano. He does some fine work selling this song through his voice. It just has more to do with it being a burnt-out Michiaki Watanabe tune.
02. Powerful Fighter Juspion / Akira Kushida
Some great singing from a great singer over more Watanabe lameness. I don't feel bad about not being a fan of Watanabe. It's bizarre that he's 95 years old as of this writing and still composing Zenkaiger, the current Super Sentai. He was out of ideas in 1985...
This song is alright. It has a nice splash of BGM thrown in, but it feels like it's more out of convenience. Akira Kushida really couldn't do wrong in this era...and mercifully he's around for a quarter of the tracks.
03. Itsuno hi heiwa ga / BOBBY
I like this one. It's funky little upbeat track that was strangely completely missing from the series. Some Watanabe deja vu creeps in with the music, though. This sounds like a warmed over Sharivan song.
I like the vocals by BOBBY...who seems to barely exist outside of this song.
04. Kyojuu tachi yo / Space Minstrels
This is one of the worst Metal Hero songs out there. It isn't bad in an entertaining way. It's just so anonymously bland. It goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing. Snore...this takes ballads to a new level of unconsciousness.
05. Ginga no Tarzan / Akira Kushida
Another Kushida jam. This may be my favorite of the bunch. It's a bit disco, but it also has a great pulse...which is refreshing after the last song. Kushida does his usual greatness, but the music isn't really derivative of anything else for a change. This one is good.
06. I'm Juspion / Henry
The "English Version" of the opening theme song. I love the accent and forcefulness, but the lyrics are definitely questionable. "You know you are boy. I know you are young".
Yeah...an eyebrow is definitely raised.
It's fun in that this is the earlier English version I can think of. There have been many since...
07. A Wolf in Space / Henry
...and then there's the "English Version" of the ending theme song. Like the previous track, this is the same song with new lyrics. It's also just as silly.
08. Neppuu yaro Juspion / Ai Takano
Ugh. This song kinda exemplifies what I really dislike about Watanabe. His work was great and he is a legend, but he was stubborn as all hell. This song is so dated in 1985. One of the reasons I really wanted to give Bycrosser it's own review was because those songs managed to be modern and crisp without being too flashy. Watanabe was doing flashy and dated.
This song is just blaaand. Takano sounds like he's singing from a shower. It's the same issue a lot of Hironobu Kageyama songs had in the era...which leads me to believe he was recording in the same place.
09. Ryuusei no Senshi / Ai Takano
This one is pretty decent. It kinda copies the vibe of what was going on in a lot of Changeman songs. It's upbeat and devoid of the dated cheese that a lot of other songs here suffer from.
10. Cho wakusei sentou bokan Daileon / Akira Kushida
This is the mecha song of the series. It's pretty generic...if you've heard one Watanabe mecha theme, you've pretty much heard them all. It's good, but nothing revolutionary.
11. Mabushii aitsu / Akira Kushida, Columbia Yurikago-kai
Dated, but good. I like the intro and Kushida's soothing vocals. This is before he had to lay the gruff on in every song he did. The brats come in for a nice assist as well. It's kinda refreshing to hear a nice soft song to bring this thing home.
12. Ginga ookami Juspion / Ai Takano
The series ending song. Just like the opening theme song, this one isn't that great. The drum machine that ruined a lot of decent songs of the era is present and in full-fucking-force. By far the coolest thing about this song is the title, but it all falls apart there.
Ehh...yeah.
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OVERALL: I know I have very unkind words for the composer of this series, but I think his work on Juspion, Spielban, and Jiban is where the dam officially burst. The years since have been better since he is working purely on nostalgia. This wasn't the case after the Space Sheriff series ended. Listening to this song collection (and music collection) is listening to someone who is tired, out of ideas, and refuses to change.
I probably listen to this song collection the least out of all of the Metal Hero song collections. I have always had a particular disdain for it...more so than the B-Fighter Kabuto mess.
Anyway, no...I can't recommend this one. It's helpful that it lives on a set with five better series song collections.
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That was my blistering review of the Juspion song collection. Check out my music collection page and also my reviews of Kyodai Ken Bycrosser and Dengeki Sentai Changeman song collections.
-CC
PREVIOUSLY...
Song Collection: Kyodai Ken Bycrosser
Song Collection: Dengeki Sentai Changeman
A Huge Discovery in Time for 25 Years of Gekisou Sentai Carranger!
CCLemon99 Magazine Issue 9
Can you still find a deal in 2021?
The Toei Situation
