FAQ

Q : What is "Return of Jetman"?

A : "Return of Jetman" ("ROJ" for short) is a non-profit fanfiction series based on the Japanese superhero TV series Jetman.

Q : Wait, so what exactly is Jetman?

A : Chojin Sentai Jetman (鳥人戦隊ジェットマン ; "Birdman Task Force Jetman") is a 51 episode TV series produced by Toei Company, Ltd. (東映株式会社) that aired on Japan's TV Asahi (テレビ朝日) network from Feb. 15, 1991 to Feb. 14, 1992. It was the 15th installment in the long-running "super sentai" series (スーパー戦隊シリーズ) which began in 1975 with the 84 episode Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森 章太郎) creation Himitsu Sentai Goranger (秘密戦隊ゴレンジャー ; "Secret Task Force Goranger").

Q : Why base a fanfiction series on Jetman?

A : Jetman is regarded by many fans (including ROJ's creators) as the best of the super sentai series, due to its slightly unconventional stories and memorable characters. This is likely a result of the influence of designer/occasional director Keita Amemiya (雨宮 慶太) and principal writer Toshiki Inoue (井上 敏樹).

Q : Why does this sound like Power Rangers/Battle of the Planets/G-Force/Eagle Riders/Gatchaman stuff to me?

A : The various "Power Rangers" series are based on post-Jetman sentai series, so the similarity is to be expected. The classic Tatsunoko Pro. anime series Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman (科学忍者隊ガッチャマン ; "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman"), which ran for 105 episodes from 1972-1974, seems to have been a strong influence on some of the Jetman designs, but no connection has ever been acknowledged by Toei. Gatchaman was made available outside of Japan in altered form under the titles Battle of the Planets and G-Force, while its sequel series Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F were released abroad as the hybrid Eagle Riders.

Q : I know nothing about Jetman/Japanese superheroes. Will I understand Return of Jetman?

A : We hope so! While there are plenty of elements in ROJ for the fans, the intention is for it to accessible to everyone. Whether we have succeeded or not is strictly up to you.

Q : How did Return of Jetman get started?

A : ROJ began its existence in 1995 and was originally published in the pages of the fanzine OWARI. Early versions of the first two stories appeared in issues #2 (May 1996) and #3 (November 1996), but plans to continue the series were derailed by OWARI going on hiatus for over two years following #3. There were a few attempts at reviving the concept, but none stuck until the official launch of the original ROJ Homepage on August 20, 2002 (not Nov. 18, 2002, as has been stated in past versions of this FAQ). ROJ continued as a part of the OWARI site until it finally outgrew that home and moved to www.returnofjetman.com in 2004. When that domain name was allowed to expire, this blog became the permanent archive of ROJ.

Q : Why was Return of Jetman converted into a blog?

A : As stated, the Return of Jetman site originally came online in 2002, and its design had gradually become obsolete. The site had grown to the point where continuing in this fashion would have been difficult to maintain long-term. Converting the site into a blog was an effort to keep it online and vital for the foreseeable future - even though the continuing story has been wrapped up.

Q : Does Return of Jetman tie in with the Jetman sequel manga that originally appeared in the magazine B-Club?

A : Not exactly. We were unaware that such a thing existed when ROJ was first created in 1995. When we learned of its existence, we made a deliberate effort not to copy it, but some similarities were inevitable. The manga and ROJ are simply two different looks at possible futures for the characters of Jetman. However, certain elements of the manga series will be referenced during the course of ROJ. If you would like to learn more about the Jetman manga, Jill Sylvan has an excellent overview of it on her Jetman Graphic Novel page.

Q : Isn't there a canonical "Gai Tendo"?

A : Yes! On October 25, 1993, Toei released a video retrospective entitled Toei TV Hero Zukan Vol. 2 - Chojin Sentai Jetman (東映テレビヒーロー図鑑 Vol.2 鳥人戦隊ジェットマン ; zukan = "encyclopedia"). In this video, a now married Ryu and Kaori Tendo reminisce about their days in Jetman. At the end, the viewer is introduced to their infant son Gai Tendo. Toei included this retrospective on Vol. 5 of the official Jetman DVDs. While we did not know about this development in 1995 either, the Tendos naming a son "Gai" seems like an obvious idea. There is nothing in the TV Hero video that explicitly contradicts ROJ, though the Tendos are only shown with one son and not two. Perhaps Ken was staying with relatives?

Q : Will Toei make a sequel to Jetman? Will you guys create it?

A : To the best of our knowledge, there are no plans for any sequel series or movie based on Jetman. If there are, we will almost certainly not be involved. We are American, not Japanese, and "Return of Jetman" is intended strictly as fanfiction. We have zero input with Toei, except for purchasing, watching, and enjoying their products.

Having said that, it should be added that the 28th episode of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (海賊戦隊ゴーカイジャー ; "Pirate Task Force Gokaiger") features the return of Toshihide Wakamatsu (若松俊秀) as Gai Yuki in a Jetman-themed episode. Gokaiger as a whole is something that could only have been imagined in fanfiction before it became reality. It is highly recommended.

Q : Can you recommend some other Japanese superhero fanfiction stories?

A : We don't read a lot of other people's fanfiction - partly because we don't have as much time as we'd like, partly because we don't want to inadvertently swipe someone else's ideas. However, we can point you to Paul "Igadevil" Sullivan's ambitious Kamen Rider Sigma (whenever it relaunches) and David Anderson's Cosmic Squadron Stellarman as excellent series well worth your time. And while we haven't read it ourselves, a lot of people still swear by Dairenn Lombard's Galaxy Task Force Astroranger (which dates back to 1997!), so you might want to give that one a look as well. The original site is defunct, but apparently the entire series is still available at the Internet Archive.

Q : Can you read/speak/write/understand Japanese?

A : A little bit of all of those, but not enough of any of them to say we "know" Japanese. We're just armchair linguists. The Japanese on this site is intended to reflect the language's usage in Japanese superhero shows just a little, and isn't an attempt to "show off." Trust us, we don't pretend to be experts.

Q : Can you explain Japanese to me?

A : Even if we could (we can't), that would be beyond the scope of this FAQ. Start here and here, and do research from there.

Q : If you're not an expert, how do you have Japanese on your site?

A : Well, as stated, we do know a little. We also have friends who are knowledgeable about the language, and there's always handy webtools to help, too. We recommend the Excite Online Translator and the Japanese<->English Dictionary Server. Neither are perfect, but they are a good starting point.

Q : How are you writing Japanese names? It seems backwards.

A : Proper Japanese names are rendered in Japanese with family name first. Proper Japanese names are rendered in English with family name last. For example, the name of the principal writer of Chojin Sentai Jetman listed above is "Toshiki Inoue" in English, but "井上 敏樹" ("Inoue Toshiki") in Japanese. This is not the only method of transliteration, but it is commonplace, and this site's preferred method.

Q : What does (fill in the blank) mean?

A : We feature both notes covering all episodes in the ROJ series and a glossary of Japanese terminology used in the series. Your answer is probably in one of those places.

Q : May I include your original characters in a story I'm writing?

A : We'd prefer if you didn't. It's flattering, but ROJ isn't exactly an "open-ended" type of story and there's a good chance you might accidentally contradict something. Of course, we can't stop you if you really want to use them - after all, this is just fanfiction. Just please try to be respectful of our characters and our goals for ROJ.

Q : May I do fanart of your characters?

A : Absolutely! In fact, please let us know if you do. We will link to your artwork if it is already online, and it may be included on the site itself.

Q : Can we do a link exchange?

A : Sorry, but Return of Jetman's current link policy is to feature only those sites maintained by principal site contributors. Guest contributors, however, will definitely be linked in the body of pages featuring their work.

Q : May I "borrow" material from your website?

A : That depends. If you ask permission and properly credit the creators of that material, we have no objections. Hey, free publicity! If you just take things and/or don't properly credit the writer or artist, that's when there's a problem. Has the latter happened in the past? You bet it has. Don't be that person.

Q : Hey, I had an idea just like (fill in the blank)! Did you rip me off?

A : No. As we said above, we don't read a lot of fanfiction. If there is an idea or plotline in ROJ that is similar to something you wrote, it was arrived at independently. We have no desire to plagiarize the work of other fanfiction authors.

Q : Who's responsible for this?

A : Glad you asked!

Christopher Elam (b. July 25, 1972) is the writer and webmaster of ROJ. He self-published 12 issues of the fanzine OWARI from 1995-2005 and issued a series of Godzilla film cast lists (compiled with Ronnie Burton) under the title THE KAIJU DETECTIVE BOOK ONE in 2000. He has written for G-FAN, KAIJU REVIEW, ORIENTAL CINEMA, and XENORAMA. His other interests besides Japanese sci-fi include old comic books, music (especially Blue Öyster Cult), writing, sleeping, general oddness, and Naomi Morinaga. He can be found blogging at Christopher Elam's OWARI. Your indifference only encourages him.

Lewis Smith (b. Feb. 11, 1975) is the creator and primary designer of ROJ. He is the writer/illustrator of the fantasy series Seven Spheres Legend and the science-fiction series Gunmetal Black. He self-published GUNMETAL BLACK #1 in 2002, and has also written for ORIENTAL CINEMA. In the five minutes a day he's not working his guts out on something, Lewis likes very much to stare at blank walls, sleep, and spin around in circles chanting. He also enjoys screwing with people's minds with egregious lies exactly like that one. He calls his blog Witless Prattle, but that is definitely a misnomer. When asked for a quote, he worryingly replied, "i eAt yOuR bAbIEs!"

Q : Did anyone else make this site happen?

A : Yes! Special thanks go to the following people for their contributions and support - David Anderson, M.Y. Chong, Jeffrey Couto, Gillian Davies, Sara Duffield, Amy Elam, DJ Nebulous, Wandering Kotka, Lesa from Lesigns, Erin McBride, David McRobie, Derek Pryor, & Paul Sullivan. A big thanks also goes to everyone out there who has been reading ROJ through the years or who has done artwork of the characters. And of course, none of this would be possible without the men and women who have brought Japanese live action science-fiction to life.

Q : You didn't answer my question. What do I do?

A : Well, you could drop us a line at returnofjetman [AT] gmail.com and we'll see what we can do. We can't make any promises about replying, but we'll do our best.

LAST UPDATED : October 9, 2019