Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Space Sheriff Gavan is an exciting and adventurous classic Japanese television program. The series aired on television in Japan from 1982-1983. The series premiered on March 5, 1982 and was broadcast through February 25, 1983. Space Sheriff Gavan was developed for television by Shozo Uehara (Ultraman, Ultra Q).

Created by Saburō Yatsude, Space Sheriff Gavan is a superhero classic in the Tokusatsu genre. Space Sheriff Gavan is also considered by many as a space western series. The opening and ending themes are by Akira Kushida. Produced by Itaru Hotta (Space Sheriff Shaider) and Susumu Yoshikawa (Kamen Rider Black), Space Sheriff Gavan was broadcast on TV Asahi and is considered as the origin of the Metal Hero.

Space Sheriff Gavan (Kenji Ôba) is the metal hero of the tale. Transforming into a superhero with a metal suit of armor, the metal hero of the tale fights the dangerous and diabolical crime syndicate Makuu. The evil syndicate wants to rule the entire universe and it is up to the metal hero to save the day.

As the hero Space Sheriff Gavan fights against evil doers, Space Sheriff Gavan is also aided by his sweet girlfriend Mimi (Wakiko Kano). Using a powerful and legendary battleship known as Dolgiran, Gavan will stop at nothing to defeat Makuu and the crime boss Don Horror. Can Space Sheriff Gavan save the world from the syndicate before it is too late?

As the epic action-packed tale expands, a mystery involving Space Sheriff Gavan’s long-lost father also unfolds. The journey of Space Sheriff Gavan is one full of surprises. Will Space Sheriff Gavan ever be capable of finding his lost father?

Space Sheriff Gavan is certainly a compelling hero and protagonist for the series. The character is one with an intrinsic charm as the heroic lead. The character dons a fantastic metal suit and the hyper-stylized suit is a perfect element to the series.

Fans of Japanese Tokusatsu series will find this an interesting hero. Fans of Power Rangers, Kamen Rider Black, Ultraman, and the like will certainly find the character a compelling part of the Metal Hero tales. Space Sheriff Gavan is an essential piece of Japanese pop culture.

The production has a lot of entertaining action sequences. This is one of the key reasons audiences appreciate the Space Sheriff Gavan series. The metal hero action provides a lot of exciting energy. Audiences who enjoy hyper-kinetic fight scenes with plenty of energy and style will find this an entertaining and charming Tokusatsu series. Every time the metal hero Space Sheriff Gavan has transformed and is ready for a fight, the epic stakes of the battle stage make the series all the more enjoyable.

The score composed by Chumei Watanabe (Mazinger Z, Invaders from Space) is a fun and thrilling part of the Space Sheriff Gavan series. The music certainly has a sense of exciting energy that provides the series with a uproarious vibe that makes the entertainment factor all the more rewarding. Without a compelling score, it would be more difficult to be lost in the battles. The epic fight scenes work much better with a good score accompanying the duels and the music of Watanabe certainly fits the bill as required.

The special effects coordinated by Nobuo Yajima (Kamen Rider Black, Message from Space) are far better than one might expect given the often average-budget nature of classic television. This is a compelling component of Space Sheriff Gavan: exciting special effects with a lot of thrills. Take, for example, the epic dragon – or the laser beams. The effects and production work are terrific for the series.

Directed by Yoshiaki Kobayashi (Kamen Rider Black, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger), Space Sheriff Gavan is entertaining action-packed mayhem. Fans of classic Japanese television in the superhero genre will certainly want to indulge. The series has plenty to offer genre television fans.

Director Kobayashi undeniably provides a strong sense of action-packed gusto for the production. The fast-paced visuals and editing contribute to a fun and zippy energy that works well for Space Sheriff Gavan. This is one of the reasons the series works so well and will appeal directly to the core fans appreciating the Japanese Tokusatsu genre.

Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Space Sheriff Gavan is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The presentation on the release is excellent. The video encode has plenty of detail and the image is remarkably robust.

The film looks surprisingly crisp and clean for age the age of the production. Considering this is a classic Japanese television series, I was surprised with how clean the print provided on the release looks. Tokusatsu fans will enjoy the crisp high-definition visuals and the top-quality video encoding by Discotek Media.  

The superior high-definition visuals on physical media continue to be one of the best selling points of the Blu-ray physical format. Streaming bit- rates for television series are often lower and comparatively more compressed in comparison to the Blu-ray disc option. Discotek Media provides a worthwhile encode and fans will certainly be impressed with the quality of the image.

Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding is quite pleasing. The soundstage is much better sounding than it would have been if only provided with a lossy soundtrack.

The benefit of lossless is obvious: the soundstage is more enveloping and more well-rounded. The music and sound effects are a bit crisper and have a bit more "punch" during playback. Though the audio is a little less robust compared to a modern production (given the age of the source elements), the higher bit-rates of lossless audio and superior encoding allows for some extra breathing room for the release. Discotek did a solid job with the encode.

Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Discotek Media continues to demonstrate how the label is one of the best distributors working in anime when it comes to supplemental materials. Not only does the release provide fans with an attractively designed o-card slipcover but the release includes a number of on-disc supplementals as well. This certainly is a well-rounded extras package and another nice showcase for the extra effort from Discotek. The on disc extras are as follows:

Memorial Roundtable with Kenji Ohba and Director Osamu Kaneda (HD, 1:21:46) is a lengthy and in-depth roundtable discussion and fans of Ohba and Kaneda will certainly find this to be a worthwhile inclusion for the package.

Photo Gallery includes 67 click-through photo slides. This is one of the extras additions that Discotek Media excels in. Flipping through the photo gallery for Space Sheriff Gavan is akin to looking through a well assembled art book for the series. Fans of cell art and production sketches will appreciate looking through the selections as provided for the home media release.

The Genesis of Space Sheriff Gavan – Essay

Series Promo (HD, 00:30)

Space Sheriff Gavan: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Space Sheriff Gavan is a fun Japanese series. Fans of the Tokusatsu genre will especially appreciate the series. Space Sheriff Gavan is regarded as the origin of the Metal Hero. This is an enormously fun action-adventure and the classic series benefits from nice production merits and an impressive actor in the central role. Kenji Ôba was well cast as the metal hero Space Sheriff Gavan.

The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media is noteworthy. The presentation features a strong video and audio presentation. The high-definition presentation looks crisp and engaging. The action scenes are fluid and well encoded. Both dialogue and score are well reproduced with the lossless audio sound encoding benefiting the presentation.  

The release also includes a lengthy memorial roundtable discussion featuring both Kenji Ohba and Director Osamu Kaneda. Fans of Space Sheriff Gavan who enjoy roundtable discussions will find this to be a worthwhile supplement. The Blu-ray release also includes a nice and attractive o-card slipcover. This is certainly a Blu-ray collection that will appeal to fans of Space Sheriff Gavan. Recommended.