I was just a little kid when I watched this series by the first time; I used to watch it religiously (But somehow I missed the final three episodes) even when several of its themes totally went over my head back then.
Sure, at first glance it might seem another Power Rangers-esque series, with all the usual conventions of the genre: Heroes with bright colored uniforms, giant combining robots, rubber monsters and eccentric-looking villains...
But rewatching it as an adult, I was somewhat surprised of how dark and dramatic the plot could get at times, despite being a show for children.
There was a lot of death, tragedies and dramatic moments, with characters having to overcome several difficulties. Even the lessons given to children at the end of the episode were a bit more complex, often dealing with the value of life and keeping your own humanity in the face of intense hardships.
In other words, it didn't talk down its audience, without sugarcoating stuff as many American shows tend to do.
Shows and movies like that are missing these days, with even the mildest kind of content being deemed "inappropiate" for kids by the censors and moral guardians.
I sincerely believe the antivalues pushed by many modern series (such as materialism, rudeness, willful ignorance, anti-intellectualism and celebrity/billionaires worship) are far worse and more harmful to children than anything featured here.
Liveman might be dark, but is the kind of "dark" show with lots of light underneath all the violence and drama, and I'm glad I had the chance of discovering it before the Power Rangers turned the whole genre into a bizarre teen sitcom.
Sure, at first glance it might seem another Power Rangers-esque series, with all the usual conventions of the genre: Heroes with bright colored uniforms, giant combining robots, rubber monsters and eccentric-looking villains...
But rewatching it as an adult, I was somewhat surprised of how dark and dramatic the plot could get at times, despite being a show for children.
There was a lot of death, tragedies and dramatic moments, with characters having to overcome several difficulties. Even the lessons given to children at the end of the episode were a bit more complex, often dealing with the value of life and keeping your own humanity in the face of intense hardships.
In other words, it didn't talk down its audience, without sugarcoating stuff as many American shows tend to do.
Shows and movies like that are missing these days, with even the mildest kind of content being deemed "inappropiate" for kids by the censors and moral guardians.
I sincerely believe the antivalues pushed by many modern series (such as materialism, rudeness, willful ignorance, anti-intellectualism and celebrity/billionaires worship) are far worse and more harmful to children than anything featured here.
Liveman might be dark, but is the kind of "dark" show with lots of light underneath all the violence and drama, and I'm glad I had the chance of discovering it before the Power Rangers turned the whole genre into a bizarre teen sitcom.