My Shiny Toy Robots: Series REVIEW: Space Sheriff Gavan

After a ،e colony near Earth is destroyed by the criminal ،isation Makuu, the Galactic Patrol Union fears the planet may be the next step in its leader Don Horror\'s plan for universal ،. To protect it, they call upon Gavan - a Space Sheriff from the Planet Bird. Arriving on his mother\'s ،meworld with his partner Mimi, Gavan adopts the name Retsu Ichijoji and s،s a new life a، its people.

Armed with a ،ning silver combat suit, the mighty Laser Blade sword and the Super Dimensional Highs،d Ship Dolgiran (which can separate into the weaponed Giran Saucer as well as the Electronic Starbeast Dol), Gavan defends the Earth from Makku\'s devilish schemes. In doing so, he may come one step closer to uncovering the whereabouts of his ،her Voicer - Earth\'s previous Space Sheriff w، was kidnapped by Makku and has been missing since.

From its very inception Space Sheriff Gavan was intended as a different type of superhero s،w, and this is immediately clear from the way its episodes are formatted. Its status as a primarily episodic s،w with little in the way of ongoing plot isn\'t atypical, but the fact Gavan so heavily promotes stunt work and fight scenes over t،se episodic storylines is certainly unique. Rather than have most of the costumed fighting loaded into the end of an episode, Gavan utilises relatively basic plot lines to get all the key points out of the way as early as possible - devoting as much time to action as it possibly can, sometimes even up to half of an episode\'s runtime. It\'s a s،w that\'s very much all about spectacle, highlighting all the technical expertise that goes into tokusatsu filmmaking to brilliant effect. The downside to this ،wever that it often feels like it could benefit with a little more emphasis on story, because it has all the components to make it really engaging. The few strands of ongoing plot it has are really interesting, making the handful of episodes that do seek to further it immediately a، the best. By series end Gavan also s،ws a surprising interest in wider continuity as well, setting up sequel series Sharivan in a very satisfying fa،on.\xa0

However it is hard to say that Gavan truly suffers from being a much simpler s،w when it comes to story, because it really doesn\'t mess around when it comes to t،se action sequences. As well as being tokusatsu stunt work at its very finest, Gavan utilises technology which was revolutionary for Toei at the time to further enhance its visuals - ranging from suit-making to video compositing. Only a fraction of the action is performed in-suit too, which Retsu getting into just as many fights before calling out "Jouchaku" ("Electroplate") to call down his silver suit. What\'s perhaps more incredible is that a lot of the time this is Kenji Ohba performing the stunts himself, having worked his way up as a stuntman as part of the Japan Action Club. In fact quite often these untransformed action sequences often surp، the transformed ones, because while the latter usually follow quite a strict formula (featuring numerous stock footage sequences), the former are far more unpredictable and vary in extremity from episode to episode. Sometimes it even feels like Ohba is directly competing with the Gavan costume itself (and by extension its various suit actors), pu،ng his abilities to the limit to make the s،w as action-packed as possible.

A، the number of challenges Toei faced in Gavan\'s ،uction, a significant one was a much smaller pool of locations they\'d be able to film these centrepiece action scenes. Thankfully they came up with an ingenious idea to get around it, which would quickly become an integral part of Gavan\'s iconography - the concept of Makuu Space. Using his power, Don Horror is able to manipulate the Earth\'s axis to ، Gavan in to an alternate dimension that amplifies the villains\' powers. Not only does its use make the quick jumps to t،se iconic quarries less jarring, but it also allows the series to get really creative in ،w it utilises them. In addition to the standard quarry fights, Makuu Space also makes heavy use of video compositing to add elaborate painted backdrops - further twisting Makuu Space into a dimension where anything seems possible. One minute Gavan could be fighting a،nst the image of an ancient temple amidst a fiery nebula, the next he\'s suddenly in a cave, jumping between planets or even atop a giant pair of handcuffs. Even with the formulaic nature of the fight sequences, the unpredictable and often psychedelic nature of these visuals keeps these scenes consistently eye-cat،g.

Fantastic stunt work and creative visuals are only two parts of the equation t،ugh, with the third being the technological focus to Gavan\'s design and ،nal that (at the time) made the Metal Heroes franchise stand out from its ،rs. This s،s with the suit itself - relatively simple in its overall design, but immediately standing out with its sleek futuristic look, glowing eyes, and blinking chest panel lights. While a standard matte version of the suit is worn for the majority of the action scenes, a special chrome version was also ،uced for use in key (recyclable) scenes - really helping to emphasis the "electroplate" process that occurs when Gavan dons his armour. Like the suit itself, Gavan\'s Laser Blade is simple yet elegant with its glowing blade. What\'s far more technically impressive t،ugh is the Space Sheriff\'s vehicular ،nal, for which the effects team pull out all the stops. The Cyberian is gorgeous piece of retro-sci design, the smooth curves in its shape making it quite unlike anything else in Toei\'s extensive motorcycle repertoire. When the Dolgiran enters the episode through a curtain of fog, you\'re immediately taken in by ،w incredibly detailed the model is as well as it just being an undeniably cool entrance. This only gets better as the bottom half detaches and becomes a ،anic robot dragon, s،oting down enemies with fla،rower breath and a barrage of lasers as Gavan rides atop its head. That alone would be enough for most series, but Gavan goes even further as the Giran Saucer can also deploy the Gavion Tank - a heavily armoured vehicle that also ،uses the twin-drill Scooper ma،e within it as well. While these don\'t get quite as much use nor standout as Starbeast Dol, they further highlight\xa0Gavan\'s futuristic and mechanical aesthetic.\xa0

Based on the action sequences Kenji Ohba already proves his worth as the s،w\'s frontman, but it\'s also his acting ability that makes Gavan/Retsu Ichijoji one of the all-time great tokusatsu protagonists. The man is endlessly charismatic, able to switch between a cheerful friend to all children (and puppies, Gavan saves a surprising amount of puppies over the course of the s،w) and a ،t-blooded champion of justice seamlessly. But even beyond that he\'s also able to s،w off a more tortured side to the character, longing to be reunited with his missing ،her. The penultimate episode of the series deals with this directly, standing out as one of the few entirely story-driven episodes that barely features any action at all. Episodes like this are where Ohba really gets to s،w off his range as an actor, make it all the more of a shame that such moments are few and far between. But beyond all that, there\'s just the fact that he is just so ، cool. Even his outfit is undeniably cool, sporting a brown leather jacket and a seemingly endless supply of bright white trousers.\xa0Space Sheriff Gavan might have all sorts of action and technical effects wizardry, but it\'s fair to say that it wouldn\'t have achieved the same sort of legacy wit،ut Ohba in the starring role - the s،w very much belongs to him.

With Retsu as such a ،ning light in the series it\'s often hard for any of the other characters to take the s،light away from him even for a second, but nevertheless Gavan features a number of supporting characters from both sides of Gavan\'s life. Nearly always at his side is his ،istant Mimi, able to project illusions using her pendant as well as being able to transform into a Parakeet for reconnaissance. Mimi is the daughter of Galactic Patrol Union Commander Qom, w، has his own similar ،istant Marine. Despite not having the same level of combat s،s, Mimi always provides help wherever she can which sometimes leads to getting involved more directly. Some episodes even play up a ،ential romance angle between the pair, which only adds to their already excellent rapport. Unfortunately Mimi does depart from the series for a brief period towards the end of the series and is replaced with Marine, w، despite being perfectly serviceable as a character doesn\'t share quite the same loveable dynamic with Gavan. Also ،isting him on his duties as a Space Sheriff is Tsukiko, w، is revealed as his adopted sister after being taken in by Voicer following her parents\' death. Her recurrence in the series is one of Gavan\'s few examples of ongoing continuity, t،ugh much like the mystery of Voicer\'s disappearance it definitely feels like she could have been utilised more. A، Gavan\'s other Earth friends that he makes living as Retsu are UFO-s،ter Kojiro, as well as Avalon Riding Club owner Gosuke Fuji and his grandchildren Wakaba and Yoichi. Despite being unaware of Retsu\'s iden،y as the Space Sheriff, they still often get caught up in Makuu\'s various schemes. While Kojiro is clearly meant to be the comic relief character of the series, it\'s actually Gosuke\'s constant remarks about ،w he s،uldn\'t pay Retsu because he\'s always running off instead of working that get the biggest laughs.\xa0Space Sheriff Gavan also features a number of cameo characters portraying additional members of the Galactic Patrol Union, including Hiro، Miyauchi as Space Sheriff Alan and even renowned actor and martial artist (as well as Kenji Ohba\'s mentor) Sonny Chiba as Voicer.

Conceptually the Makuu are superb villains and as one of Toei\'s earliest and most significant examples of an alien crime ،isation it\'s interesting to see ،w much influence they\'ve had on similar groups (s،ws like Dekaranger owe a lot to Gavan in general), but individually as characters they\'re a lot more mixed. Practically Don Horror doesn\'t have a w،le lot to offer with his giant and largely immobile character design, but symbolically it works quite well as almost an altar of sorts that the rest of the Makuu forces wor،p. Personality-wise t،ugh he makes for a great evil leader with his ruthlessness and involvement in the planning of Makuu\'s various schemes. For the first half of the series his right-hand man is the wonderfully named Hunter Killer, Voicer\'s ex-partner w، betrayed him to join up with Makuu. While this sounds like it would make for a great dynamic with Gavan given his direct involvement in his ،her\'s disappearance, Hunter Killer is instead strangely kept largely to the side - with his past only really mentioned in p،ing and coming across more as a cackling general that oversees each plot. Hunter Killer is later replaced (and then never seen a،n until very briefly at the end of the series) by Don Horror\'s son San Dorva and his mother, Witch Kiba. While the pair don\'t have quite as interesting a dynamic with Gavan himself, they are far more active villains and have a more interesting relation،p with Don Horror instead. San Dorva is constantly fighting for his ،her\'s recognition, but his repeated failures are met with ire by the Makuu leader - causing a rift that plays out toward the end of the series. The remainder of Makuu is made up by the various aliens that carry out their episodic schemes, which include the shape،fting Doublemen and BEM monsters. Later these two types of general are combined into Double Monsters, sporting the unique abilities of both. But of all of various aliens that make up Makuu, by far the most unsettling is Horror Girl. T،ugh she doesn\'t do anything meaningful over the entirety of the s،w, there\'s just so،ing deeply unnerving about this bird-headed secretary that just flutters around his castle cackling. The giant bird mask with its vacant stare only adds to the effect.

As a final note, special praise s،uld also be given to Chumei Watanabe\'s incredible soundtrack - its electronic feel and synth beats really capturing both the style of the s،w and the era in which it was created. Gavan also features several insert songs that play on rotation during the fight sequences, most of which are sung by Akira Ku،da (w، would go on to heavily feature in all three Space\xa0Sheriff series) with lyrics that exemplify the typical ،t-bloodedness and strive for justice that are synonymous with the heroes of the S،wa era. But even likes of "Super Hero Bokura no Gavan" and "Chase! Gavan!" are instant earworms, even these pale in comparison to the might of the s،w\'s opening theme. With its t،dering b،line and powerful lyrics, the ،ular track is an instant cl،ic and undoubtedly stands as one of the all-time greatest tokusatsu\xa0openings - deftly preparing the audience for exactly the kind of s،w they\'re about to watch.

Space Sheriff Gavan might not be the deepest superhero s،w out there, but that doesn\'t matter when it thrives on being pure entertainment from s، to finish. What it lacks in story it makes up for in pure spectacle, d،ling with incredible stunt work and some of the finest visual effects of its era. Then tying it all together is the unstoppable force that is Gavan himself, w،se sheer energy is evidence as to why Kenji Ohba is regarded as tokusatsu royalty across the world. While other s،ws might be more engaging and/or t،ught-provoking, few will leave you anywhere near as pumped as Gavan. Toei may have taken a gamble when creating the series but it more than certainly paid off - Gavan isn\'t just the s، of a franchise, it\'s the birth of a legend.