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This work employed techniques highly unusual for television hero Tokusatsu, specifically “Anicreation”—a puppet animation technique—or “Stop-motion animation methods.” While this technique was also used in foreign science fiction films at the time, unlike suit puppets, it resulted in movements that were quite stiff and unnatural.
00:22This work used an extremely unusual technique for a TV superhero special effects film: AniCreation, a puppet animation technique, or stop-motion animation.
00:39This technique was also used in foreign science fiction films at the time, but unlike mascot costumes, the movements were quite awkward.
00:48Now, let's take a look at this work.
00:52Majin Hunter Mitsuru was produced by Kokusai Housou and aired a total of 12 episodes in 1973.
01:06The story begins during the Edo period, when Tokugawa Ieyasu was still alive and well, when a scorpion demon suddenly appears from the constellation Scorpion, which shines red in the night sky.
01:16The Scorpion Demon formed the Space Ninja, the Scorpion Corps, and expanded the world with his magic and giant monsters.
01:26Upon learning of this, the elder of the Mitsuru clan, Tonohan, orders the three brothers Ginga, Mercury, and Gekko to thwart Scorpion Demon's ambitions by giving them each of the clan's three flying islands - land, people, and love - in order to thwart Scorpion Demon's ambitions.
01:47From then on, the three brothers cross these three flying islands to combine and transform into the giant god, the Three Swords, and fight against the space monsters sent by the Scorpion Demon.
02:04Now, let me explain about the main characters, the Three Sword Brothers.
02:09First, there is the eldest son, Sanken Ginga, who wields a bloody sword and wears a blue scarf. He is always calm and collected, and gives precise instructions to his brothers.
02:22The second son, Mercury, carries the Jin sword and wears a yellow scarf, but he has a straightforward personality and is very impulsive, often taking reckless actions.
02:34And then there's Gekko, the younger sister who wields the Sword of Love and wears a red scarf. She obediently follows the instructions of her two older brothers, but her personality also makes her easily deceived.
02:49In addition, the elders and companions who summoned these brothers know many of the secrets of the Three Swords and One Paw, and have given the three brothers techniques on how to deal with the Scorpion Demon in battle.
03:01In addition, Hattori Hanzo, also a ninja, supports the three brothers and also protects his master, Tokugawa Ieyasu, from the Scorpion Demon using the garden board and other tools.
03:16However, the drawback was that it was not possible to communicate freely with Sanken Ippoku, who prioritized secrecy.
03:23These three sword brothers cross their three flying swords and combine to transform into the giant god, the Three Swords. Immediately after transforming, the surrounding area is enveloped in darkness and they appear along with lightning.
03:39The specifications were a total length of 20m and a weight of 40,000 tons.
03:46Their weapons are mainly divine swords and shields, but their fighting style is similar to that of the superhuman Barom Bay, as each of their personalities remain from before they transformed.
03:57The three brothers discuss strategies as they face off against the space monsters and defeat them.
04:05The giant god, Three Swords' greatest weapon is the flame bullets that are fired from the crest on his chest.
04:12However, in the battle against Beladon in episode 9, he is unable to stand up to the flying enemy and is defeated at first.
04:21With the help of the elder Tohan, he gains the secret art of flight and defeats Beladon.
04:26Then, suddenly, they flew in from space to conquer Japan in place of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
04:36We will explain about the Scorpion Demon who fights the Three Sword Brothers.
04:41The Scorpion Demon is not only a space invader from the constellation Scorpio,
04:46With many things still unclear, the Scorpion Corps was formed.
04:52He challenges the Three Sword Brothers to battle by using various magic spells and monsters.
04:58Its appearance is like a side shrine, half skeleton,
05:03In almost every episode, he appears alone.
05:07What was impressive was that he spoke with high tension and thoroughness, using his catchphrase, ``I'm so glad you're here.''
05:13These are the Scorpion Ninjas, or combatants, under the command of the Scorpion Demon.
05:20Ninjas usually wear white bandages on their faces, and the leaders wear red masks.
05:27Although he is able to use magic, it has almost no effect on the Three Sword Brothers and he is quickly defeated.
05:35In addition, the space monster summoned by the Scorpion Demon is
05:45Usually, they appear in the second half of the show, after the Scorpion Ninja battle has finished.
05:51There is one in every episode, for a total of 12.
05:56Many of these monsters are based on animals and insects.
06:02Many monsters appeared, wielding swords and spewing flames.
06:07However, in order to use AniCreation's filming techniques,
06:12It's not a smooth video,
06:14All the monsters move in a rather awkward manner.
06:17The giant god Mitsurugi, apart from the flame bullets from his chest,
06:20There was no special move, just a sword slash to finish.
06:25This was how the main monsters were defeated.
06:27Also, the monsters appear in almost every episode.
06:31It was also common for them to burst into flames and be defeated.
06:37Here, as an aside,
06:39The demon hunter, Mitsurugi, has 12 episodes,
06:43It ended after a very short broadcast.
06:47At the time of broadcast, especially sponsors,
06:50The external environment has not deteriorated,
06:53The reason why the series ended after only 12 episodes was
06:56It wasn't talked about much.
06:59Rumor has it that it was a very unusual period drama superhero show,
07:04It was said that it was not popular and was cancelled.
07:08However, since the broadcast period was from January to March,
07:12Apparently, it was broadcast during the program reorganization.
07:16It is believed that there is a high possibility that this is an experimental program.
07:20Simply put, it was introduced for the convenience of the TV station.
07:25To fill the three months,
07:27It must have been an experimental program.
07:30But among enthusiasts,
07:32It also has a strong following,
07:34Then the full episode video,
07:37Laser disc,
07:38And it was also released on DVD.
07:41Now, finally, it's the final episode.
07:48One day, a strange phenomenon occurs in which the moon becomes eclipsed.
07:52The elder and his companions said that the mysterious phenomenon was
07:55We believe this is due to the Moon's orbit becoming distorted.
07:59And that is,
08:02With the Scorpion Demon,
08:03It also gave a glimpse of the final battle.
08:07Afterwards, important figures of the shogunate
08:09By Amma
08:11They are killed one after another.
08:14The murdered important person had a
08:16A red scorpion mark was left behind.
08:19By the Scorpion Demon,
08:20I confirmed that it was a job,
08:22In front of the three brothers,
08:25The monster Magnessy appears,
08:27By magnetic force,
08:29They are trying to take over Sanbi Island.
08:31Somehow I managed to get through the situation,
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