Mysterious Pen-Friend
|
Mysterious Pen-Friend
 | |
|---|---|
| Episodes: | 9 |
| Year: | 1974 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Seasons Breakdown: | (1) 9 |
| Category: | Aliens on Earth |
| Colour: | Yes |
| Format: | Series |
| Company: | NHK |
| Creator: | Taku Mayumura |
| Run Time (mins): | 25 |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Type of Show: | Live Action |
| Status: | Ended |
| Broadcaster: | NHK |
| First Aired: | April 15, 1974 |
| Last Aired: | May 1, 1974 |
Summary
Junior high school student Akihiko (Yamaga) believes he has unexpectedly acquired an ideal pen‑friend when he receives a letter from Reiko (S. Kato), an Osaka girl four years older than he is, who encloses ten thousand yen with her correspondence. His classmate Kumiko (Ikegami) receives an almost identical letter, prompting Akihiko to grow suspicious. He returns the money, only to learn that the listed address does not exist. A subsequent letter from Reiko requests his clothing measurements, and Akihiko is soon confronted by unidentified men dressed in black, who photograph him before being driven away by Kumiko.
In Osaka, Akihiko’s father becomes convinced that he has seen a double of his son entering a local factory. When news arrives that the mysterious Reiko intends to visit, Akihiko and his brother Kazuhiko (Hironaka) go to the station to meet her. Akihiko narrowly avoids capture by the men in black and returns home, where he discovers that a boy identical in appearance to himself has arrived at the house. Akihiko is subsequently seized and transported in a flying truck to a remote facility, where he finally encounters Reiko. She is revealed to be an android modelled on Megumi, a shop assistant whom Akihiko secretly admires. Reiko explains that she and other Inorganic Creatures have come from space and intend to conquer Earth by replacing human children with android duplicates.
Kumiko is also abducted as part of an experiment designed to study human emotional behaviour. However, Reiko begins to develop an understanding of human perspectives and defects from her group. Other androids decide to observe human family life under laboratory conditions and dispatch the men in black to kidnap Akihiko’s relatives. Upon arrival, they discover that the police, alerted by Akihiko ,are waiting for them, and they flee in confusion. Reiko guides Akihiko and Kumiko to safety as the factory self‑destructs, triggered by the escaping androids to conceal evidence of their activities.
Cast
Akihiko YUJI YAMAGA, Kazuhiko MASAHI HIRONAKA, KAZUO KATO, KAUKO AOKI, Kumiko KIMIKO IKEGAMI, Reiko SAYOKO KATO
Tags: Aliens on Earth, Androids, Japan, 1974, Japanese
Links: