Ishimori Productions has officially announced a new anime adaptation of Shotaro Ishinomori’s influential manga, Cyborg 009, called Cyborg 009: Nemesis. The classic manga was initially written and drawn by Ishinomori and ran from the 1960s to the 1980s. Ishimori would also help create and design for Super Sentai, the original Japanese versions of Power Rangers, and Kamen Rider. The mangaka would have a significant impact on the manga and anime industries, inspiring numerous similar sci-fi adventure series based on his recognizable aesthetics that were a defining aspect of Japanese media in the 1960s and 1970s. The Cyborg 009 manga has received multiple adaptations, many of which were produced under Ishimori Productions, the company that handles most of Ishimori’s works.
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The production corporation also handles most of the Kamen Rider live-action shows and the early seasons of the Super Sentai franchise. Ishimori Productions would typically collaborate with anime studios to produce anime adaptations of Ishimori’s work, including operating alongside Production I.G. to create the 009 Re:Cyborg movie in 2012. Ishimori Production didn’t announce which studio will be handling the Cyborg: Nemesis anime adaptation. The new anime was announced to celebrate the franchise’s 61st anniversary, as the first chapter of the original manga was published in Weekly King in 1964.
Why Cyborg 009 is Important and Great
The original Cyborg 009 manga featured nine individuals who were given cybernetic enhancements against their will by an evil organization known as Black Ghost. The nine would escape and become cyborg superheroes, with the titular Cyborg 009, real name Joe Shimamura, being the main POV character of the series. The heroes would fight various sci-fi and fantastical-based enemies, including the leader of Black Ghost, fellow cyborgs, and the Greek Gods themselves. The original manga had a notoriously conflicting ending, with original series author Ishinomori never fully being satisfied with how he ended the story and opting to change the finale multiple times. This has led to various endings for the franchise, with the author passing away in 1998 before he could deliver his “definitive” end. Cyborg 009 Conclusion: God’s War, a manga follow-up based on Ishinomori’s notes, was published posthumously in 2012, serving as the closest thing to a true ending to the franchise.
The original manga was immediately a hit, leading to a film and television series in the late 1960s by Toei Animation. The series would later get another anime adaptation by Toei and Nippon Sunrise in 1979. However, the most recognizable anime adaptation for Western watchers is the Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier anime that aired from 2001 to 2002. Shortened to Cyborg 009 in the United States, The Cyborg Soldier was a then-contemporary modern retelling of the classic manga, centering on more emotional and darker themes while maintaining the series campy ’60s sci-fi roots. The series aired on the Toonami block of Cartoon Network, becoming the most popular adaptation for English-speaking audiences.
Several more film and OVA adaptations for Cyborg 009 were released after The Cyborg Soldier, most notably the 009 Re:Cyborg film by Production I.G., directed by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama. The franchise also crossed over with another old-school anime franchise, Devilman, in the 2015 OVA Cyborg 009 VS Devilman. Spin-off manga in the franchise have been published, including Cyborg 009 Bgooparts Delete and Cyborg 009: Ghost of the Pacific. It’s unknown whether Cyborg 009: Nemesis will be a new full-length anime series or something shorter, like a film or OVA.
H/T: The Official Ishimori Productions Website, Anime News Network
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
