51 years ago, Chargeman Ken premiered. Little did its creators know that this strange low-budget series would go on to become a cult classic in the 21st century. And next month, it will be celebrating this slightly off-kilter milestone with a cinema concert — the fourth of its kind for the show. RELATED: Ugoku! Neko Mukashibanashi Web Anime Debuts on October 15 The concert will feature background music from the series, performed by Japan's ORCHESTRA TRIPTYQUE, set to clips from the anime. Guitarist Gaku Yamada will also make an appearance, replicating the "killer" guitar solo from episode 16, "Murder Record, Melody of Terror!" Noboru Sato, who appeared in the original series in multiple roles (including Professor Volga, the scientist Ken pushed out of his spaceship), will also be present to perform some of his most famous lines. There will also be call-and-response sections for audience participation and a segment in which audience members will be allowed — encouraged, even — to make use of their smartphones. The Chargeman Ken 51st Anniversary Music Festival will take place September 21 at Tokyo's Hokutopia Sakura Hall. Crunchyroll streams Chargeman Ken , describing the series thus: Infamous among anime fans in Japan, this 1974 series by Knack Productions is known for its nonsensical plots, absurdly incompetent animation, and brutal 10-year-old hero. See young Ken Izumi gun down wave after wave of ineffectual aliens, while dealing with misaligned animation cels, repetitive music, and a near total lack of sound effects. The best joke is that none of this was meant as a joke. Source: Comic Natalie
