Japan Synopsis
SF新世紀 レンズマン
“Shadow of the Lens”
In this animated adaptation of E. E. Doc Smith's groundbreaking science fiction serial "Grey Lensman" from the 1930s-1950s, Kimball Kinnison, a young man from the agricultural planet Mquie and his Valerian companion, Buscirk find a dying man with a legendary crystal lens embedded in his hand. As the man was dying, he mysteriously passed on the Lens to Kim. With more companions to come by, Kim must find out the purpose of the Lens before the Boskone dynasty does.
Other Titles From TOHO
Animation + Action in Japan
1178 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Animation and Action genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Lensman itself).
The 1983–1985 Japan Window
In the crowded 1983-1985 Japan release window, Lensman sits at #57 of 70. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Lensman premiered alongside 17 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 17 other Japan films in 1984.
The 615th Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
20 audience reviews — more than 36% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 16th percentile among Japan films.
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Lensman, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- suicide mission · 3
- slave labor · 2
- reptilian · 1
- crystal · 1
- space · 32
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,621 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (21st percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.7 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Animation productions specifically: #2,183 of 2,532 (top 86%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | TOHO, EE Doc Smith MK Company, MK Productions Ltd., Madhouse, Kodansha |
| Runtime | 1h 47m |
| Release Date | June 7, 1984 |
| IMDb | tt0088028 |