‘The Super Giants’ Comedy Pilot
By being the first tokusatsu TV in color, Ambassador Magma is of great importance to global pop culture, not just that particular type of entertainment. For those unfamiliar with the term, “tokusatsu” is the Japanese term that refers to any particular film/TV show that features a considerable amount of special effects. Most Japanese kaiju films—titles in Godzilla, Mothra, and Gamera series, for example—fall under this category as do those TV series with superheroes accomplishing amazing feats as they defeat various monsters—like Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Ultraman for example. These movies and shows have acted as cultural ambassadors to nations across the world, served as the basis for numerous adaptations in other countries, and influenced untold number of generations of artists. Also they are the cornerstone of this entire theme month on Neon Splatter. Therefore, Ambassador Magma being of historic importance in toksatsu means it’s of great importance far outside that corner of storytelling.
Ambassador Magma only ran for about a year, producing 52 episodes total, but it had longer lasting effects beyond that limited span of time. Renamed The Super Giants in other parts of the world, the show is a piece of entertainment history that played a significant part in shaping pop culture. Which is perhaps why it was perfect for a bizarre comedy experiment involving Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Eric Fensler.
While the absurdist/anti-comedy pioneering duo are familiar to most, the name Eric Fensler may not be immediately known—but you do know his work. Fensler was behind the re-dubbed GI Joe PSAs that were some of the earliest cornerstones of viral videos in the Internet’s history. Porkchop sandwiches; porkchop sandwiches, indeed. He later worked on Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and the trio created a pilot for Adult Swim using similar bizarre dubbing on top of pre-existing material. In this case, they lent their gonzo ideas and oddball dialogue to run over The Super Giants and created a seven and a half minute video to give a sense of their vision.
It wasn’t picked up and exists only as this thing of curiosity. So enjoy watching this curious thing…