One common theme in the Tiger Mask series is the hero forced to watch brutality and cruelty from outside the ring, unable to lend a hand. (Sorry, I still haven’t gotten over my obsession with this amazing, well-drawn Anime series and the dramatic story-lines and beautiful scenes of pro wrestling it provides.) In the above scenes, we see a fat, hapless jobber in a red mask being brutalized by a mysterious shrouded man in dark gear. Tiger Mask and his pal Ken are watching at ringside, and Tiger Mask is wearing his mask, so the killer in the ring certainly knows who he is.
To send a message, to frighten Tiger Mask and get inside his head, the brutal Heel actually kills his helpless victim with a Backbreaker. So wait — wasn’t this cartoon intended for kids? Should we really be showing graphic images of sadistic murder to our young ones??? Oh well, things were different back then, especially in Japan, and cartoons were compelling and great to watch, especially Tiger Mask.
After witnessing the death of the wrestler in the red mask, Tiger Mask has a dream that he’s battling a masked opponent. I think it’s a dream because the colors are off. In the dream (or nightmare), the masked wrestler gains the advantage over Tiger Mask and places him in the same fascinating Back-Breaker hold that was used to kill the jobber with the red mask.
Clearly, the mysterious villain has gotten inside Tiger Mask’s head, giving him a case of post traumatic stress disorder resulting from the in-ring murder. Now poor Tiger Mask’s sleep is disrupted by nightmares of his own punishment and death. This is some really deep, dramatic, disturbing content for a cartoon — it’s great really. American action cartoons like the Superfriends or the Transformers just can’t touch the level of sophistication and psychological tension in Tiger Mask.
Next, it was Ken’s turn to wrestle the mysterious killer. (Ken is Tiger Mask’s friend, or partner, or training buddy, or maybe homosexual love interest). Again, Tiger Mask is watching the action in brooding frustration, but is not wearing his mask so nobody can tell he is Tiger Mask — they just think he’s some really good looking dude at ringside.
Tiger Mask, and his buddy Ken, are drawn to be really strikingly handsome — with angelic streamlined features, thick unruly hair, huge expressive eyes (like a cute panda bear), and childish features. That’s how you can always tell who is the good guy in an Anime cartoon — the heroes all look like toddlers in the face, but with perfect bodies.
The reason the heroes are so beautiful is to inspire the viewer’s compassion. Just as people are outraged when they see baby seals getting clubbed (because baby seals are so darn cuddly), so too do they respond to the suffering of a gorgeous cartoon hero. In this case, Ken’s perfect body is left beaten, broken, and bloodied on the mat, and you can bet Tiger Mask is none too happy about that as he watches from the cheap seats. I love it.
Nice piece, do you know any way of getting hold of the cartoons? My fascination w Tiger mask started when I was a little six-year old toddler visiting my relatives in Japan. Indelible impression, but ever so hard to find in Sweden.
Thanks for the comment, Pike. No I don’t know how to order the videos, I just saw them on YouTube and liked them. I can imagine the impression they would have on a youngster — or how much I would have been excited and entertained by these cartoons.