Teruo Kikuchi

Special Investigation Robo Janperson was the 1993 installment in Toei Company’s Metal Hero Series. The series revolved around Janperson, a robotic detective who patrolled the streets of Tokyo and fought against three different underworld organizations who used super technology to subjugate the masses. Unlike most Metal Heroes, a monster-of-the-week was rarely shown and most of the villains are criminals akin to television police dramas. The name given to this series by Toei for international distribution is Jumperson.

After participating to a previous show where they have to bet or be challenged to any kind of competitions, the losing members of the Gaki no Tsukai are selected to spend 24 hours in a setting which they have no knowledge of the theme nor the course of the events. They are exposed to various absurd and crazy situations nonstop for 24 hours and must refrain from laughing. If they do so, hang-men appear and hit the rule breakers with a weapon (the weapon varies every year).

Living in Tokyo, Keisuke Fujii never really considered the colour of his skin; but when he and his mother move to rural Japan, the other kids assume that he is of African descent and therefore must have AIDS. Unsure of how to address these prejudices, Keisuke sets out to find answers and confront the cruel rumours once and for all.