A Celebration of Kikaider at 50!

Daisuke Ban. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The legendary Toei superhero program Kikaider (1972-73) enjoys its 50th anniversary in 2022, and what better way to celebrate this milestone than with the program's star himself, Daisuke Ban? That's exactly what a few of us lucky fans got participate in on Saturday, August 20, at a special event in Shinjuku.

Ban-san not only starred in Kikaider but also Inazuman (1974) and went on to play Battle Cossack in Battle Fever J (1979-80). I first met Ban-san at a similar event in Los Angeles way back in 2010, but thankfully our paths have crossed several times in Japan, too.

Daisuke Ban. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Not only did Ban-san share some memories of Kikaider, as well as the other tokusatsu programs he acted in, but he also sang, too! What a rare treat for us to enjoy.

It was a lot of fun to see Ban-san again. He's always in great spirits when I see him. What a cool way to celebrate the show's 50th anniversary!

'Machineman' Star Osamu Sakuta Passes Away at Age 62

Osamu Sakuta in May 2017. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Word has been circulating on Japanese social media that actor Osamu Sakuta has recently passed away at the age of 62. No further details are available at this time.

Osamu Sakuta was born on July 9, 1958, in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and began his professional acting career in 1971 after his family moved to Tokyo while he was in elementary school. He is best known for starring as Ken Takase, the titular character in Nebula Mask Machineman (1984), for Toei Studios. Prior to that, he could be seen in guest appearances on a variety of television tokusatsu programs as a child actor, such as episodes 38 and 39 of Spectreman (1971-72), episodes 31 and 48 of Kamen Rider (1971-73), episode 24 of Barom-1 (1972), and episode 7 of Kikaider (1972-73). He also appears as Lieutenant Oe in the Toho war epic The Imperial Navy (1981) and as Okada in the Ken Takakura drama Kaikyo (1982), directed by Shiro Moritani. In the 1990s, he became a voice actor for both TV anime shows as well as Japanese releases of American movies and TV programs.

I met Sakuta-san at an event held in May 2017. He was very friendly and approachable, and since we were connected on Facebook, I’d hoped that our paths would meet again someday. It’s a shame it was not to be.

Rest in peace, Sakuta-san.

UPDATE (12/8): Osamu Sakuta died of pancreatic cancer on December 4 at 11:59 p.m. 

SHOWA HEROES ASSEMBLE! Kikaider and Moonlight Mask Join Forces in Tokyo!

Daisuke Ban (left) poses with fellow TV hero Koichi Ose. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday morning, October 6, I headed to Nakano, Tokyo, for a special event headlined by two of television's greatest heroes: Daisuke Ban and Koichi Ose. 

Koichi Ose. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Ose-san starred in Moonlight Mask (1958-59) as the titular hero. He later starred in another Senkosha-produced series called The Samurai (1962-65) as the heroic Shintaro Akikusa, the samurai of the program's title

Daisuke Ban. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Ban-san starred in Kikaider (1972-73) and Inazuman (1974) and went on to play Battle Cossack in Battle Fever J (1979-80).

It's also worth noting that both heroes have strong international followings. Kikaider was a big hit in Hawaii and still has a sizable fandom to this day. In Australia, The Samurai is still remembered well by many fans. In recent years, both Ban-san and Ose-san have made trips there to meet their respective fan bases.

I was especially pleased that Ose-san remembered me, as I'd met him two times before. All I know is, when I get to be his age, I hope I look half as good as he does.

Toei Heroes Back in Action!

Daisuke Ban. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Thursday, August 29, I attended a play in Shimo-kitazawa starring two legendary TV heroes: Daisuke Ban and Sayoko Hagiwara. Well, to say "starring" is a bit of an exaggeration. Actually, they had extended cameos. The bulk of the show featured actors I was completely unfamiliar with.

Anyway, on to the stars. Ban-san starred in Kikaider (1972-73) and Inazuman (1974). Ban-san went on to play Battle Cossack in Battle Fever J (1979-80). I've met him a few times in the past -- most notably in Los Angeles in 2010. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Ban-san remembered me from that meeting.

With Sayoko Hagiwara.

Also on hand was Sayoko Hagiwara. Hagiwara-san played Ryoko Hoshi, Yullian's human form, on Ultraman 80 (1980-81) from episode 43, as well as Dyna Pink on Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84). She also appears on Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87) as the villain Leh Nafel.

The show itself wasn't that amusing, but getting a chance to see Hagiwara-san and Ban-san made it all worth it.

Chumei Watanabe Interview on VPI!

Composer Chumei Watanabe during his July 2018 interview. Photo by Brett Homenick.

My interview with Japanese film composer Chumei (a.k.a. Michiaki) Watanabe is now live at Vantage Point Interviews. Mr. Watanabe composed the scores for numerous Nobuo Nakagawa horror films at Shintoho in the 1950s and early '60s, as well as entries of the Starman (a.k.a. Super Giant) film series. At Daiei, Mr. Watanabe composed the scores for the yokai classics 100 Monsters (1968) and Along with Ghosts (1969). It's a Q&A full of history, so please enjoy.

SUPER FESTIVAL 77! Returning to Tokyo's Premier Toy Show!

Kikaider star Daisuke Ban signs autographs. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I made a special trip to Super Festival 77, and while it was nice to do a bit of looking around, once again I found the experience a bit lacking. Naturally, I showed up in the afternoon (no way am I waking up early on a Sunday morning for toys!), so it's entirely possible that I missed all the good stuff by the time I wandered in. Still, I was in and out in what seemed like record time. Other than bumping into director Minoru Kawasaki and a few others, gone were most of the familiar faces I'm used to seeing there. Ah, well. Maybe the next one will be more to my liking. Anyway, here's what I saw.

SHOWA HERO EVENT IN NAKANO! Battle Fever J Cast Members Reunite for Their Fans!

Battle Fever J alumni Kenji Ohba, Narimitsu Kurachi, and Daisuke Ban converge on the Nakano Sun Plaza for a special reunion event! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Sunday, April 10, saw a special event that reunited principal cast members of the hit Super Sentai program Battle Fever J (1979-1980). Held in the Nakano Sun Plaza in Nakano, Tokyo, many fans of Super Sentai gathered for this extraordinary event. The official title of the meeting was Showa Hero Talk and Sign, and it was a big hit with attendees.

Actor Narimitsu Kurachi poses with fans of Battle Fever J for photos. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Narimitsu Kurachi portrayed Battle France on Battle Fever J, but he also appears in Toho's The Imperial Navy (1981) and Toei's The Imperial Japanese Empire (1982). On television, Kurachi-san can be seen in guest appearances on Toei's Spider-Man (1978-79), Denshi Sentai Denziman (1980-81), and Space Sheriff Gavan (1982-83).

Kurachi-san was a very friendly and personable guest. He even performed a bit of flamenco dancing onstage! Of the three guests, I spent the most time speaking with Kurachi-san. He's a true gentleman!

Actor Daisuke Ban gives a thumbs-up to Battle Fever J and its many fans! Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also in attendance was Daisuke Ban, a prolific tokusatsu star who is well known among American fans for his starring roles in Kikaider (1972-73) and Inazuman (1974). Ban-san went on to play Battle Cossack in Battle Fever J.

Ban-san was likewise very friendly, but having already met him at a special Kikaider event in Los Angeles in 2010 and (very briefly) at a Super Festival a couple of years ago, I already knew that! It's always great to meet this legend of tokusatsu.

Kenji Ohba poses with two different generations of fans! Photo by Brett Homenick.

The guest who seemed to attract the most attention was Kenji Ohba. Ohba-san's resume could easily take up the rest of this blog post. He appears in Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977), Legend of the Eight Samurai (1983), and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), among many other credits. Ohba-san started as a suit actor on such classic Toei programs as Kamen Rider (1971-73), Kikaider, and Robot Detective (1973). As a regular performer, Ohba-san appears on Battle Fever J (as Battle Kenya), Denshi Sentai Denziman, Space Sheriff Gavan, and Space Sheriff Sharivan (1983-84).

Ohba-san took his time with his fans, giving each person quite a bit of attention. Many fans brought multiple items for him to sign. Even though he is not as well known in the West as the Toho stars, the Japanese fans certainly are aware of his accomplishments, and it was great to see their reaction to him.

Many thanks to Ms. Kojima for staging another great event. I hope to attend the next one!

Kikaider is back, and Anime Jungle has him!

Dave Chapple, August Ragone, me, and Ed Holland, about to order our meals at a Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo.

Anime Jungle in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo hosted the one and only Daisuke Ban, the popular star of the 1970s-era superhero shows Kikaider and Inazuman, to participate in autograph signings and the Nisei Week Japanese Festival's Grand Parade. Mr. Ban also participated in a dinner Saturday night for which Anime Jungle was selling advance tickets (limited to 30 people).

August Ragone and I eagerly await the dinner with Daisuke Ban.

Before the dinner got under way, I spent all my time with August Ragone, Ed Holland of Monster Attack Team, and fellow Coachella Valley resident Dave Chapple. We shopped in Anime Jungle, went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch, and just hung out and shot the breeze about a slew of topics. There was never a dull moment!

Daisuke Ban and Joanne Ninomiya examine a copy of G-FAN #91, as August Ragone tells them about the magazine and G-FEST.

At 6:30 pm, the dinner with Daisuke Ban began. After making some introductory comments, Mr. Ban sat at each table with Joanne Ninomiya of Generation Kikaida for about 10 or 15 minutes to spend time with each attendee. Mr. Ban graciously answered questions, signed autographs, and posed for pictures.

Mr. Ban seemed impressed with the copy of G-FAN I gave him (August told him all about G-FAN and G-FEST). Mr. Ban noticed the interview with Yukiko Takayama, Terror of Mechagodzilla's screenwriter, and asked if I knew Tomoko Ai. I mentioned that totorom interviewed her in a previous issue, to which Mr. Ban replied that the two are friends. So remember that Katsura Mafune knows Kikaider!

"Say, Kikaider, need a sidekick?"

All in all, it was a great event, with fans coming all the way from Japan for the occasion! Anime Jungle might be hosting more such events, so be on the lookout for them in the future. Kudos to Anime Jungle for bringing this event to the West Coast!

Meeting the legendary Daisuke Ban for the first time.