dee.reid
I turned nine in 1994 (in fact, according to Wikipedia, "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" debuted on my ninth birthday in 1994), and at that time back then I was still hooked on the likes of Spider-Man, Batman, X-Men, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Transformers," and "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers." So obviously, "Samurai" was a natural fit into my afternoon after-school/weekend-morning viewing habits.Unlike those other shows, however, "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" was the one show I just never got around to watching for some reason. It seemed like it was never on TV, or I always somehow missed it, and it was soon gone before I knew whatever happened (it only lasted for 53 episodes over the course of just one season between 1994 and 1995). Yet, I also collected the action figures this show inspired, and I still have at least one of them in my bedroom somewhere (it's safely stored away in a box in the corner).And thanks to the wonders of TV-on-DVD, this show is now available for the first time on home video, where those of us who grew up in the 1990s can relive all those afternoons wasted in front of the television after school (when we should have been doing our homework instead)."Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad," like "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" before it, was one of several original Japanese superhero "tokusatsu" ("special filming," or "special effects") TV shows adapted for American audiences in the early '90s and used English-speaking American actors in newly shot scenes integrated with the original Japanese footage. "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" came from the original Japanese superhero series "Denkou Choujin Gridman," which I've never seen and am unsure if it has ever been made available outside of Japan. On a side note, "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" (and its original incarnation "Denkou Choujin Gridman") were both produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which was responsible for Godzilla back in Japan.Sam Collins (Matthew Lawrence, of "Mrs. Doubtfire" fame in 1993) is a kind and caring, but otherwise normal teenager who heads his high school rock band (as its lead singer and guitar player) Team Samurai - with his three closest friends, the jock Tanker (Kevin Castro) on drums; Tanker's crush, the brainy and tech-savvy Sydney Forrester (Robin Mary Florence) on keyboards; and the curiously strange and intellectual Amp Ere (Troy Slaten) on bass; later on the in the series, Amp was replaced by Lucky London (Rembrandt Sabelis).Of course there has to be a girl in there somewhere, and Sam pines for the beautiful cheerleader Jennifer Doyle (Jayme Betcher), who seems to return his affections. Sam's only rival is the megalomaniacal teen hacker Malcolm Frink (Glen Beaudin), who also vies for Jennifer's affections. Frink later sides with the rogue military program Kilokhan (voice of Tim Curry), to create "mega-virus" monsters that later run amok in computer and electronic systems that go on to cause havoc in the real world.But have no fear, good people, help is on the way...Sam's life takes a strange turn when a power surge zaps him into his computer and he becomes the computerized superhero Servo, based on a high-tech video game character he was developing on the side. Together with Tanker, Sydney and Amp, Team Samurai becomes the Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad - here to save the virtual world AND the real world from all manner of Malcolm and Kilokhan's legion of digitized monsters. And somewhere in there, the teens of Team Samurai have to still find the time to be ordinary teenagers with ordinary teenager problems, like girls, grades, and making awesome music as a high school rock band.I guess I'll be the only person to compare this show to "The Matrix" (1999), which was just five years off at the time of this show's debut. I'll admit that this comparison is superficial at best, but it is worth noting that both the show and the film feature epic battles that take place inside of a computerized virtual world. Of course "The Matrix" had groundbreaking special effects, and this show just had people in elaborate costumes. (I should also point out that this show does remind me of the Japanese superhero shows "Ultraman" and "Ultra Seven," which I also adore.)Either way, I still get a kick out of "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad" after all these years. It makes me yearn for a far simpler time, when television was much simpler and certainly more entertaining and care-free. It was a lot easier to lose yourself for a half-hour with the Power Rangers or Team Samurai, as a kid growing up in the '90s, than it is now, unfortunately, since these kind of shows don't air on television much anymore.So gear up, and get ready to Kick Some Giga-butt, with Team Samurai and "Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad"!10/10
toastedslipers
Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (also known as Lightning Superman Gridman in Japan) was brought over to the states by DIC in an attempt to dethrone Mighty Morphin Power Rangers after Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters From Beverly Hills (which also had some very Ultraman like elements to it) had failed.The show, which at times is VERY in line with the source material, is about a young teen named Sam Collins and his three friends who play in a band called Team Samurai. One day Sam is mysteriously sucked into his computer and bonds with an anti-virus program called Servo in an attempt to take out a rouge government computer program named Kilokhan and his lackey Malcom Frink, who supplies him with digitally scanned artwork of monsters which he uses to create "mega-virus monsters" so that they can wreck havoc on the digital world.To assist Servo are "helper programs" that are piloted by his band mates. There's Vitor (a red jet fighter), Borr (a mobile unit with twin drill bits), and Tracto (a tank with two laser guns on the sides). Servo combines with these to obtain powerful armor that transforms him into "Samurai Synchro" in order to better combat Kilokhan's minions. There is also Jamb and Torb, which create "Samurai Phomo". Jamb can also be used as a projectile flamethrower, not to mention that the two can form their own independent mecha. Same with Vitor, Borr, and Tracto.Now do keep in mind that this show came out when the internet was in it's infancy. The show could hardly be called a success in it's home country, but surprisingly it did rather well here. Had it been released or conceptualized a bit later, it probably wouldn't have been just a footnote in Eastern Superhero culture.All in all though, the show is very enjoyable and I'd dare to say that it's even BETTER than Power Rangers, but that's just my own opinion So if you like Ultraman, Megaman NT Warrior, & Tron, then do yourself a favor and seek this show out You WILL NOT regret it, trust me
writing456
This was one of the shows Matthew Lawrence starred in prior to Brotherly Love and Boy Meets World. It also starred Tim Curry as the bad guy. This was an americanized version of an anime show, but it was live action. Please release it on DVD. I used to watch it after school (great time to be on), and I thought it was great. There were a bunch of high school students who would literally go into computers and a bad guy that would also go into computers and transform into robotic fighters. The good guys called themselves, the superhuman samurai syber-squad. The superhuman samurai syber-squad would fight the bad guy and others in the computer or "syber" world.
