Operation: Mystery! (1968–1971) User Reviews

Scared us 10-12 year old kids breathless

[capografik · 8/10 · 5 March 2015]

In the south of Denmark many people watched German television in the seventies. It was before satellite or cable TV, and Denmark only had one channel, which was very culturally conservative. So when my redheaded playmate Jan told me about a really scary show they were showing in the children's programs on German TV, I had to watch it. And did scare me? Yes. Images are burned into my memory: An Archer who walks out of a painting and shoots a man in the room, a giant eye filling the sky and driving a man to madness etc. After a short while German TV realized it was actually made for adults (actually because of countless horrified parents calling in and complaining)and took it of.

It kind of became the stuff of legends for people my age when we talked about TV from our childhood: "Do you remember that Japanese show on ZDF - with the ghost in the lake - and the eye in the sky???", but no one remembered the name or knew what it actually was.

Along came the internet, and suddenly I found out, that a lot of people in Germany had the same fixation (probably born around 1960 all of them). They tried to get it shown on TV Again - but with no results. But a German video-company specializing in cult-TV released it on DVD, so I could watch it Again.

Did it hold up to the expectations? No, of course not, nothing can live up to the thrills you had with movies, books and comics as an 11 year old. But it has its charm - and is actually still quite creepy at times.

I give it 6 for the actual quality, and 10 for the nightmares it gave me as a child.

The stuff childhood nightmares are made of

[daedia · 9 January 2005]

This was one of those TV-Shows you probably saw as a kid and never forgot. As far as I remember it focused on some special police unit in tokio which was up to investigate strange criminal cases.

Let's say a sort of X-Files decades before Scully and Mulder hit the road. What was burned into (not just) my brain where some images of a very creepy quality and some few scenes like: A little boy hypnotized to walk to the edge of a broken bridge by a bad guy.

A really scary witchlike creature appearing from the midst of a lake turning over a rowboat.

A magician doing a "houdini" and getting squished to a bloody pulp under water - still screaming and kicking.

I can only judge from some blurred memories, but some images still appear in my most interesting dreams so it seems this show really hit a point.

And to add to the confusion - I'm a big horrorfan and nothing really shocks me anymore. I watched the Exorcist first around the same time and even if it's still one of my alltime favourite movies none of it's images haunt me like this.

So the question is - with all the crap released on DVD now where are such items hidden? :(

X Files in japan from 1960's

[scum_ghoul · 25 January 2005]

This series was actually made by Tsuburaya-Production, which is known as the creator of entire ULTRAMAN series. But Ultraman series was more for Kids, and they decided to make new series which could also attract mature audience.it is from end 60's and for TV series, so of course special effects look cheesy, but entire series has its own atmosphere. It is very unfortunate that well made series like this, has almost no chance to be released on DVD outside of japan even there are tons of trash coming on DVDs. Actually, In Japan they released the DVDs of this series,but no subtitles at all, and expensive. so far this series was Aired just once in Germany in 1971 ,but not entire 26episodes,but 13 episodes.If they release entire series on DVD with subtitle now, that would be very interesting for many audiences in Europe... by the way, episode 24 is now BANNED in japan,so even Japanese DVD doesn't have this episode.(this episode is about Schizophrenia) Well if its not suitable for Japanese audience, but maybe European audience might be more open for hat Theme,,,so please release DVD in Europe!!