Iron King (TBS) -- The Afterglow of High Growth and the Era of "Regional Heroes

Iron King (TBS) -- The Afterglow of High Growth and the Era of "Regional Heroes

Iron King" is a tokusatsu work that was broadcast in 1972, but it maintained its strong popularity even in reruns around 1975. Although not a huge brand like Ultraman, "Iron King" embodied the typical tokusatsu of the 1970s and well reflected the atmosphere of the youth culture of the time. The clear good versus evil composition, the appearance of giant heroes, monsters with a strong regional flavor, and location shooting in various parts of Japan. These elements made the program an appealing weekly "traveling TV" for children at a time when the country was not yet fully "connected" to the rest of the world.

In the early 1970s, Japan was in the throes of rapid economic growth, with the construction of bullet trains, expressways, and large apartment complexes progressing, but at the same time, the country was also experiencing social turbulence caused by pollution, urban overcrowding, and the lingering effects of the student movement. At this time, to children, tokusatsu heroes were "symbols of justice" that provided a respite from the complexities of the adult world, and a peaceful presence that supported evening hours at home.

The "many local filming locations" that characterize "The Iron King" are a testament to the cultural maturity of 1970s television. Week after week, rural, mountainous, and port city scenes were shown, giving children a glimpse of a Japan different from their own, and the TV served as a device that allowed them to "travel from home. At a time when people were increasingly trusting in science and technology, the scientific and mechanical images of giant heroes meshed well with society's values and supported a sense of anticipation for the future.

The Iron King" was not a blockbuster, but it was precisely this "medium-scale presence" that enriched the television culture of the 1970s. The combination of local color, travel, good versus evil, and giant heroes served to stabilize the minds of children in a rapidly changing society, and this sense of balance was the reason why the series remained so popular even in 1975, during the rebroadcasting period.