Two Tsuburaya Pro Veterans Perform Onstage!

Hiroshi Chiba and Mariko Matsuoka perform onstage. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Earlier tonight (Friday, November 10), I attended another live performance by Hiroshi Chiba and Mariko Matsuoka. Chiba-san came all the way from Fukuoka for the event, so you could imagine he gave it his all!

Mariko Matsuoka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Mariko Matsuoka plays android girl Carolyn in episode 24 of Ultraman Leo (1974-75), Ritsuko Okamura in Kamen Rider Amazon (1974-75), Misaki Minekawa in episode 29 of Akumaizer 3 (1975-76), episode 32 of UFO Great War Fight! Red Tiger (1978), and Jun in episode 37 of Kyoryu Sentai Koseidon (1978-79). She also appears in the Fumio Ishimori-penned Shochiku film Frozen River (1976) as Harumi Hayata.

I was able to spend more time with Matsuoka-san after the show than with Chiba-san. Matsuoka-san mentioned again that we should go to a particular pizza restaurant near where she and I live, so hopefully we can do that soon. I'm waiting patiently for it!

With Mariko Matsuoka.

Chiba-san (under the stage name Masahiro Oyake) played Pigmon as a suit actor in episode 37 of Ultraman (1966-67). He also appears in human form in episode 36 of the same series. In the movies, he played the main character Tetsugoro (who was performed by Hideki Takahashi) as a boy in the Nikkatsu actioner Family Crest: Man against Death (1969). 

Another role of his is in Tsugunobu Kotani's film F2 Grand Prix (1984), starring Ken Tanaka and Katsuhiko Sasaki. Chiba-san also played Yasohachi Yamagishi in a series of Nikkatsu films based on the risque Go Nagai manga called Harenchi Gakuen ("Shameless School"), namely: Harenchi Gakuen: Shintai Kensa no Maki (1970), Harenchi Gakuen: Tackle Kiss no Maki (1970), and Shin Harenchi Gakuen (1971).

With Hiroshi Chiba.

Due to my work schedule, I came in late. When I entered the venue, Matsuoka-san was performing onstage, and Chiba-san was in the audience. Chiba-san greeted me as I entered. When it was over, Chiba-san asked me if I enjoyed myself, which I did, particularly the part of the show that focused on West Side Story. As I was leaving, Chiba-san thanked me for coming.

And that's a wrap!