My Ideas For an 8-Man Reboot

         

In the past, I've covered the live action 8-Man film from 1992, and the 1993 OVA 8-Man After. And in my review of the latter, I briefly mentioned the side-scrolling platforming game by Neo-Geo based on the series. I might go over the original 60s cartoon sometime later on, and if I ever manage to get my hands on the manga 8-Man Infinity, I might go over that as well. But I may never be able to find it since it's so rare and obscure. But for now I just want to explore the idea of what a new 8-Man anime could be like. Because aside from the manga 8-Man Infinity, there hasn't been any other adaptations of the franchise since 1993. So anyway, as I was brainstorming the other day, the idea came to mind; what if 8-Man was to have a new reboot done in a slightly different manner? I can picture it being dark and gritty like 8-Man After, but more faithful to the source material. Now for those of you who remember watching 8-Man After sometime ago in the past, you may remember that Eddie Schmidt stated that Azuma was erased from the brain's memory, even though he had no physical evidence that he really was erased. So, what if the reboot was a mix between the original 60s series and the OVA? In other words, what if it consisted of a mixed cast of characters and ran for 40 plus episodes? I can imagine the storyline going like this. The story begins in a similar fashion to how it started out in the original 60s cartoon, and once again focuses on Hachiro Azuma, the original 8-Man. Similar to the original TV show, Hachiro Azuma gets mortally injured and or killed in the line of duty (classic Robocop story if you will), thus leading to his rebirth as 8-Man. And from there, things get more interesting. 8-Man goes around fighting evil scientists, rival cyborgs (e.g. Ken, Samantha 7 and Jupiter to name a few), saving people's lives, etc. And throughout his battles he has some close calls, but always manages to prevail. And then half way through the series, he goes missing (similar to the events of 8-Man After), and Hazama Itsuru comes along to fill in his shoes. Only instead of being dubbed as 8-Man, he is called "9-Man" since technically he'd be the 9th experiment. And here's a twist I would add; Azuma was alive the whole time, but he didn't return until after Hazama came into the picture (as I imagine he'd still be alive despite what Eddie Schmidt claimed). So anyway, he does eventually return. And as Azuma and Hazama meet for the first time, the two cyborgs clash and remain hostile towards each other until they can resolve their differences in a more civil manner. I can picture there being sort of a love triangle between Azuma, Hazama, and Sachiko. But Sachiko tends to lean more towards Azuma because he's sweet and gentle in contrast to Hazama who is more violent tempered and brutal. And from time to time they argue on who is the better man for her. For the remainder of the series, they decide to put aside their differences and work together to fight against their respective enemies. And also, I think this could be a good opportunity to explore the previous 6 robots that came before the central characters. Because remember, the reason for the number "8" in 8-Man's name is because he's the 8th experiment. And I think it would be interesting to learn of the previous other experiments. So this reboot can also use some material from the original manga as well. I can picture this as either a trilogy of movies, or a TV series. Of course, it doesn't have to follow exactly as the 60s series or the OVA. It can be an entirely different and original story in itself. But think about this for a moment; this would be another way to expand on the franchise. The characters can include the following;

1. Hachiro Azuma/8-Man
2. Hazama Itsuru/9-Man
3. Sachiko Yokogawa
4. Tony Gleck
5. Ken Tani
6. Samantha 007
7. Mr. O'Connor
8. Sam O'Connor
9. Ichiro
10. Eddie Schmidt
11. The Earlier Experiments
12. Chief Tanaka
13. Professor Tani
14. Enon X05
15. Jupiter
16. Kozuma (one of the bosses from the 1991 Neo-Geo arcade game)

So think about it, the real 8-Man is back, while the person who replaced him in the 1993 movie is back as 9-Man, and they are at first rivals who fight each other, but then they work together (although reluctantly) to fight the villains of the show. And I imagine them being in a love triangle with Sachiko (8-Man's love interest).

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