National Kid

I too am Brazilian and as a kid loved National Kid. I too until this day can sing the song, even tough I have no clue what the words are or what they meant. When I was in grade school I used to put my fingers and hand making like a mask over my eyes and use some kind of cloth for a cape and run around pretending to be National Kid. I am so happy that there are other people that remember it too. I immigrated to the USA more then 30 years ago, married an American man and no one I ever met and asked about it here ever heard of National Kid. If anyone out there knows where to buy it in either VCR or DVD form please post it on this site.

Great entertainment indeed! Here in Brazil, in the 60's, National Kid was a big hit. Created by National Electronics (today Panasonic) Inc, as a propaganda-show, this character seems to have had success only in Brazil! Around 1994, my brother-in-law, who is Japanese descendant, traveled Japan and looked for some tapes of this old TV program and never found it. Japaneses only had eyes for Ultraman and Jaspion. Sad, unfortunate. For a young kid, the show were fantastic, intriguing, amusing. But never better than Superman. This is naturally impossible. I enjoyed it as a 10 year old boy and, 30 years after, i had the opportunity to review it in a VHS tape (i have the "National Kid against the Venusians Incas, part 1"). The acting and the dialogs (in Portuguese) was awful, the props and special effects were poor, but the plot and the overall ambient (noises and electronic music) still seems fantastic. The musical title theme(singed in Japanese!) still is one of the best in any show, as is the "Fight theme". One great touch was the reasons why the Venusians Incas or the Abyss Beings attack the Earth: the humanity are using atomic weapons and destroying the oceans, so someone has to stop them. And no gigantic monsters appears to destroy puny humans, what is a exception in the Niponic tradition on films. Only on the last story arc, The Zarrocos, we see a classic Japanese monster playing havoc. Great fun! For anyone interested, I can email a mpg clip with the introduction theme in Japanese. Or anyone can get it at :http://www.infantv.com.br/national.htm

Just for comparison sake, my favorite TV shows are Star Trek (original and Voyager), StarGate SG1, Roswell, Buffy, Seinfeld and Battlestar Galactica (the new version)

UPDATE on Feb/5/2011: Found a Collectors Edition with 7 DVDs (Region 4) at livrariasaraiva.com.br website for R$99.00 plus R$84.00 ship and handling to USA.

Thanks for the other reviewer who mentioned the DVDs.

P.S.: I still think it is way better than Superman... ========== Original 2005 review below >>>>>

Saw this series when I was a child back there in Brazil, where it was a great hit.

Everybody, even the kids who were not Japanese, knew how to sing the songs from this series.

Later on, I heard there was a VHS collection of this TV series that was produced in Brazil but never found it.

Better than Superman, in my opinion.

Being a Japanese descent in a predominantly Caucasian country, this movie made me feel proud of my Japanese heritage.

I do recognize, though, that it is not much of American taste; although people who enjoyed Modzilla and other Japanese disaster movies may appreciate this series.

Or perhaps the Anime fans, particularly of the Star Blazers (Yamato) series, who knows?

This was a hit in Brazil in the mid to late 60s (?). Particularly in southeastern Brazil, there's a large concentration of Japanese descendants. Interestingly, National Kid was popular among all children. I wonder if people in Japan remember the series.

For some reason, the story lines grabbed one's attention, even though they were rather formulaic (that good and evil thing; good always prevails in the last moment). The special effects were very rudimentary.

The audience knew it, but loved it anyhow! I can still sing the title song almost forty years later! Yikes!

I wish there were a way to download some episodes. I'd definitely add them to my video collection... for its historical value obviously.

In the 60's, the Japanese National Electronics Inc. (presently Panasonic) developed a successful strategy of marketing based on the superhero National Kid, the protector of the peace and justice. I believe in 1962, National Kid was broadcast in Brazil and I could not even imagine losing any episode. The poor special effects of this series were amazing for a child in the 60's, with an invincible hero that could fly, become invisible, cross closed doors and fight against the enemies of Earth with a wonderful choreography. I dare to say that most of the Brazilian children of my generation worshiped National Kid, the first great Japanese hero.

National Kid is from Andromeda and his secret identity is the scientist Professor Massao Hata. He lives with Thiako and the children Goro, Curazzo, Yiukio, Kioko e Tomohiro in Tokyo. He faces the threat of the Venetian Incas, the Abysses Beings and the Underground Empire.

The lyrics of National Kid song is: "Kumo Ka Arashi Ka / Inazuma Ka / Heiwa o Aisuru Hito no Tame / Morote o Takaku Sashinobete / Uchu Ni Habataku Kaidangi / Hei, Sono Na Wa Kido - Hei, Nationaro Kido / Bokura No Kido - Kido! - Nationaro Kido".

His saga begins with "National Kid Against the Venetian Incas" ("National Kid Contra os Incas Venezianos") (1) "The Attack of the Unknown Flying Saucer" ("O Ataque do Disco Voador Desconhecido"): airplane pilots see a flying saucer of the Venetian Incas in the sky of Japan. National Kid protects the little secret agents from the Incas and gives a magic radio to them for emergency. (2) "The Abduction of Dr. Yamada" ("O Rapto do Doutor Yamada"): Dr. Yamada is researching nuclear energy and is kidnapped by the Venetian Incas. He returns brainwashed with an Inca personality. (3) "The Terror in the Great Metropole"("O Terror da Grande Metrópole"): The Incas poison the food and liquid on Earth. Dr. Mizuno and Dr. Hassegawa are kidnapped by the Incas. (4) "The Brain Alteration" ("A Alteração dos Cérebros"): The leader Aura and the Incas change the brain of Dr. Hassegawa and uses the X Radiation to destroy him. National Kid arrives in the flying saucer to save Dr. Mizuno. Aura blows the flying saucer to destroy National Kid. (5) "The Revenge of Awika" ("A Vingança de Awika"): The Incas hijack a train and lure and abduct the little agents. (6) "National Kid in Danger" ("National Kid em Perigo"): Massao Hata receives a message from the Incas informing that they have kidnapped the children; he follows a trail of whitewash and the children use the magic radio to summon National Kid. He saves the children, but the combination of X Radiation with a ray vanquishes National Kid. (7) "The Fire" ("O Incêndio"): Dr. Mizuni heals National Kid using electric current. The Incas use the Uraton Stone to set fire to a powder factory. (8) "The Attack of the Escal Ship" ("O Ataque da Nave Escal"): The Incas discover that National Kid is weak and they use toxic substances in the rain. The Incas give an ultimatum to Earth to stop with the research of nuclear weapons. National Kid uses a powerful ray to retrieve his powers and save Earth from the Incas.

"The Return of the Venetian Incas" ("O Retorno dos Incas Venezianos") is edited in such a way that the running time of the first episode is less than 3 minutes and the total running time of the five episodes is only 58 minutes. Therefore it is completely mutilated in a total irresponsibility of Focus Filmes.

In Brazil, Focus Filmes Distributor has recently released a four-DVD Box with the thirty-nine episodes of National Kid. Unfortunately the DVDs are copied from the edited VHSs released by Sato Company Distributor a few years ago, with low-quality image and the episodes are awfully dubbed in Portuguese and neither the original sound in Japanese nor in Portuguese are used. The salutation "Awica", for example, becomes "Ávica" in this dreadful DVD. The fans of National Kid do not deserve this shameful release of Focus Filmes. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "National Kid"