SHOWA HERO EVENT! A 'Zyuranger' Reunion!

Reiko Chiba. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a special event in Nakano Sunplaza, featuring a reunion of several Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (1992-93) actors. The series was shortly thereafter Americanized as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

The guest of honor (for me, anyway) was Reiko Chiba, who played Mei (Ptera Ranger) on Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Even though I'd only met her twice before, and the last time was pre-pandemic, she recognized me when she saw me. I was rather amazed by that! Our interaction was brief (as it was with all the guests this event), but Chiba-san's friendly and warmth made it all worth it. 

Shiro Izumi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Another guest was Shiro Izumi, who portrayed Change Pegasus in Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985-86) and Burai (Dragon Ranger) in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.

Izumi-san is a cool guy, and I would have liked more of a chance to interact, but, at events like these, you just don't get the opportunity.

Takumi Hashimoto. Photo by Brett Homenick.

A surprise guest who wasn't advertised was Takumi Hashimoto. Hashimoto-san played Boi (Tiger Ranger) on the series. 

And it was certainly a surprise to see him there! I was expecting only two guests but was lucky enough to get three. It was definitely a great way to cap this cool afternoon.

In the Company of a Daiei Actor!

Jun Fujimaki. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Tonight, I attended a special event with former Daiei actor Jun Fujimaki. Fujimaki-san played Kogenta Sarumaru in Daimajin (1966), Yasutaro Oki in 100 Monsters (1968), JGSDF officer Okazaki in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), and Commander Yui Ibuki in Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985-86). I met him earlier this year, but I jumped at the chance to spend an evening with him and chat with him in more detail.

I was quite pleased (and rather surprised) by how much time I was able to spend speaking with him. One thing he told me was that the reason he had so little time in 100 Monsters is that he was busy shooting the hit TV series The Guardman (1965-71) at the time. 100 Monsters was filmed in Kyoto, and The Guardman was shot in Tokyo, so the difficulty there should be pretty obvious. Also, his favorite tokusatsu production of his own is Daimajin.

Suffice it to say, it was a very enjoyable evening with a great actor from the Showa era. Fujimaki-san is a heck of a nice guy. He even complimented my terrible Japanese, and if that doesn't prove he goes out of his way to be friendly, nothing else would!

Roll with the Changeman!

 From left to right: Jun Fujimaki, Mai Oishi, and Shiro Izumi. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'm not the world's biggest Super Sentai fan, but even I know when such an event is just too good to pass up. Today's Showa Hero event was just that. The focus was Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985-86), and the presence of one guest in particular was more than enough to motivate me to attend.

Jun Fujimaki. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

That guest was Jun Fujimaki. Fujimaki-san played Kogenta Sarumaru in Daimajin (1966), Yasutaro Oki in 100 Monsters (1968), JGSDF officer Okazaki from Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), and Commander Yui Ibuki in Changeman. Suffice it to say, that is an impressive list of credits,  and Fujimaki-san's appearance is what put it over the top for me.

I brought a few items for him to sign. One was a foldout poster of 100 Monsters (already signed by composer Chumei Watanabe), and after he signed it, he spent a few moments taking a close look at it. When I brought out my DVD sleeve of the Daiei flick The Falcon Fighters (1969) for him to sign, he was pleasantly surprised and commented on how nostalgic it was for him. He also signed a DVD sleeve of 100 Monsters, which I previously had signed by the female lead, Miwa Takada. Fujimaki-san was a total gentleman, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to meet him.

Mai Oishi. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The next guest was Mai Oishi, who starred as Change Phoenix on Changeman. Even though I hadn't seen year for a while, she remembered me from the previous time we met.

Oishi-san is a great lady, and it's the fine folks like her who've made me more interesting in checking out Super Sentai.

Shiro Izumi. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

The final guest was Shiro Izumi, who was Change Pegasus from Dengeki Sentai Changeman and Dragon Ranger from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (1992-93).

And that's a wrap! It was another fun event, and a great way to spend an afternoon. Many thanks to the hard-working staff who made this event possible. Looking forward to the next one!