Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
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- Lord Death Man
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:03 pm
Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
A while back I had promised Mr. John Drew that when I returned to Japan I would post some of my Japanese 1960's Batman items. This is one of my favorites, a Batman Sonorama (a combination storybook and flexidisc record with actors and music that 'plays out' the storybook) dated May 26, 1966 (Showa 41). As you can see, it uses the costuming, Batmobile, Batcave, and characters from the TV show along with (kind of ) the likenesses of Adam West and Burt Ward. In America much of the merchandising done in conjunction with the show used generic art based on the look of the character from the comics (usually the 'New Look' Batman but even using the 'black bat' pre-yellow oval/short cylinder utility belt look at times). In Japan, though, most everything released when the show started airing was based on the TV show characters. I was particularly happy to see the Batmobile be the George Barris version.
The sonorama is taken from the 1st season "Zelda The Great/A Death Worse Than Fate" episodes nine and ten. It follows them rather closely up until the ending...you can see how things turned out here in the photos .Also, Zelda and Eivol Ekdol were never referred to as such, instead being called simply the "Bank Gang".
There are many items shown in Batman's "arsenal" that Westerners might find puzzling. There is the regular stuff like the Batzooka, All Purpose Rope, Speaker (Megaphone), and Searchlight. There are familiar things with stranger names, like the Bat Lock (Batarang with rope). And then there are things like the Laser Gun, Dynamite (the thing that looks like a pen shooting out a ray), and the delightful Magic Lighter . Because every hero in Japan needs an energy weapon, something that blows things up, and a lighter. ;P
I love all iterations of Batman (Batman Vs. Superman was great...oh yes it was!!!), but my favorite is the 1943 Serial Batman followed by the 1949 Serial Batman and the 1966 TV Batman. When comic book site IGN had a Batman trivia app that let you go head-to-head with players from around the world, I was in the top 500 worldwide even playing against native English speakers, and within Japan I was ranked #1. I was not only the fan Batman needed, but the one he deserved
The sonorama is taken from the 1st season "Zelda The Great/A Death Worse Than Fate" episodes nine and ten. It follows them rather closely up until the ending...you can see how things turned out here in the photos .Also, Zelda and Eivol Ekdol were never referred to as such, instead being called simply the "Bank Gang".
There are many items shown in Batman's "arsenal" that Westerners might find puzzling. There is the regular stuff like the Batzooka, All Purpose Rope, Speaker (Megaphone), and Searchlight. There are familiar things with stranger names, like the Bat Lock (Batarang with rope). And then there are things like the Laser Gun, Dynamite (the thing that looks like a pen shooting out a ray), and the delightful Magic Lighter . Because every hero in Japan needs an energy weapon, something that blows things up, and a lighter. ;P
I love all iterations of Batman (Batman Vs. Superman was great...oh yes it was!!!), but my favorite is the 1943 Serial Batman followed by the 1949 Serial Batman and the 1966 TV Batman. When comic book site IGN had a Batman trivia app that let you go head-to-head with players from around the world, I was in the top 500 worldwide even playing against native English speakers, and within Japan I was ranked #1. I was not only the fan Batman needed, but the one he deserved
He flies and fights-BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
- Lord Death Man
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- Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:03 pm
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
And the rest of the story
He flies and fights-BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
Wow! Love these! Amazing graphics!
When I was in Mandarake in Shibuya last year (six floors underground and loaded with AMAZING collectibles) they had a Showa with Adam West on the cover-- I couldn't bring myself to shell out the $200USD for it but man was it tempting.
Makes me think it's time to go back.
When I was in Mandarake in Shibuya last year (six floors underground and loaded with AMAZING collectibles) they had a Showa with Adam West on the cover-- I couldn't bring myself to shell out the $200USD for it but man was it tempting.
Makes me think it's time to go back.
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http://WWW.ANDYTFISH.COM
- Jim K, Bat fan
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:42 pm
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
Thank you so much for posting this, Lord Death Man!
Simply incredible! Is the soundtrack in Japanese?
Simply incredible! Is the soundtrack in Japanese?
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
What great artwork! I've always been intrigued by the fact that the 60s merchandise had such an array of illustrations. While some of it may have been off-model, I really miss that aspect in today's merchandising, which repurposes the same style guide graphics across multiple brands. Mind you, I love Jose Luis Garcia Lopez's work. If you look on his Facebook page, there are plenty of images that he created for the 66 merchandising that never were used. It seems only a limited number of stock shots are repeated on that orange background, bringing a certain genericism to the brand.
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
Thanks for posting, these drawings are just super!!!
- Lord Death Man
- Posts: 0
- Joined: Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:03 pm
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
Yes, the voice acting is in Japanese.Jim K, Bat fan wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2017 6:37 pm Thank you so much for posting this, Lord Death Man!
Simply incredible! Is the soundtrack in Japanese?
He flies and fights-BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
- Ben Bentley
- Moderator
- Posts: 1284
- Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2012 2:31 pm
Re: Batman 1966 Japanese Sonorama
That is some rather spectacular illustration work! Thanks for sharing, Lord Death Man. I always get a kick out of seeing stuff like this for the first time.