Toei Heroes Return to the Stage!

Top row (from left to right): Narimitsu Kurachi, Shocker Ono, Toshimichi Takahashi, and Kenju Hayashi. Bottom row (from left to right): Kihachiro Uemura, Mariko Matsuoka, Yumiko Tanaka, Miyuki Nagato, and Hiroko Kojima.

On Saturday evening, April 22, I attended a play performed by various actors from the world of Toei tokusatsu. Well, I say "attended," but, due to a prior commitment, I arrived just as the play was finishing! Too bad. But there was plenty of activity after the show to make it all worthwhile.

But who are all these folks, you ask? Well, let's take a look!

Yumiko Tanaka starred in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami, but she also appears in Godzilla 1985 (1984) in a small role that was cut out of the American version.

Kihachiro Uemura plays Green Flash on Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87).

Miyuki Nagato played the villainess Wolk on Flashman.

Kenju Hayashi would be best known as Prince Megiddo on Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84).

Narimitsu Kurachi portrayed Battle France on Battle Fever J (1979-80), 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). 

Toshimichi Takahashi is an actor and suit actor who appears in numerous films and TV productions from Toei and other studios, including: Wolf Guy (1975), Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977), Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995), the Toho superhero series Megaloman (1979), and numerous Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Metal Hero series, beginning with Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77).

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.

Shocker Ono (real name: Hiroshi Ono) is a former stuntman with the Japan Action Club and appeared in small roles in a bevy of classic Toei programs, such as Kamen Rider Super-1, Denziman, Dai Sentai Goggle-V (1982-83), Dynaman, Choudenshi Bioman (1984-85), Gavan, and Space Sheriff Sharivan (1983-84). 

Hiroko Kojima former Japan Action Club member who did stunt work  in Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985-86) and episode 16 of Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop (1988-89). but is best known for playing the villainess Kilt in Flashman. 

After the performance, the cast took photos with attendees and generally mingled with the folks. I spoke to Tanaka-san and Hayashi-san the most out of the group. Not coincidentally, I picked up the autographed photos that they were selling, too. Just before leaving, Matsuoka-san and I struck up a conversation. It was my first time to meet her, and she turned out to be quite a sweetheart.

Although he wasn't acting in the stage show, Koji Unoki, who played Dyna Blue (both in and out of the suit) on Dynaman, was in attendance, and it was great to see him again after so long.

What a way to cap off a busy day!

Super Sentai Heroes Return in Style!

 From left to right: Hitomi Yoshii, Koji Unoki, Lisa Komaki, Hiroyuki Takano, and Sayoko Hagiwara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, April 1, I had the chance to do something I hadn't been able to do for a while. I was able to attend another live performance by luminaries of the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. This one had a bit more variety than usual and included singing and even guitar-playing!

One special guest was Ultraman himself, Bin Furuya. Furuya-san was only there as a signing guest (he did not participate in any of the performances), but in any case, it was great to see him again.

With Yumiko Tanaka (left) and Sayoko Hagiwara.

Sayoko Hagiwara essays the role of Ryoko Hoshi, Yullian's human form, on Ultraman 80 (1980-81) from episode 43, as well as Dyna Pink in Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84). She also appears in Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87) as the villainous Leh Nafel.

Yumiko Tanaka stars in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami and also appears in a small role in Godzilla (1984), one of my favorites.

With Eri Kanuma (left), Lisa Komaki, and Hitomi Yoshii (right).

Lisa Komaki plays Peggy Matsuyama on Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77) and is the suit actor and voice for Miss America (as played by Diane Martin) on Battle Fever J (1979-80).

Hitomi Yoshii plays High Priestess Bishium on Kamen Rider Black (1987-88).

Eri Kanuma plays 007/Yoko Kato in Goranger, as well as appearing in episodes of Kaiketsu Lion Maru (1972-73), Inazuman Flash (1974), Spider-Man (1978-79), Battle Fever J, and Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan (1981-82).

With Kihachiro Uemura (left) and Koji Unoki.

Kihachiro Uemura plays Green Flash on Flashman.

Koji Unoki portrays Dyna Blue on Dynaman.

And that's all she wrote. See you next time!

SUPERHEROES CONVERGE ON TSUKIJI! The Toei All-Stars to the Rescue!

Tsukiji Hongan-ji. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight, I attended a play near Tsukiji Hongan-ji, but the true highlight is what happened afterward. I was quite fortunate to attend a special dinner with several stars from the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series.

Sayoko Hagiwara, Yumiko Tanaka, and Koji Unoki pose for pictures. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The three luminaries on hand were Sayoko Hagiwara (Dynaman's Dyna Pink), Yumiko Tanaka (Harumi Kusanami from Kamen Rider Super-1, as well as Godzilla 1985), and Koji Unoki (Dyna Blue from Dynaman). 

To say it was a fun evening would be the understatement of the year. I had a blast. There's nothing like hanging out with people as cool as this. To top it all off, it was Hagiwara-san's birthday. That made the evening all the more special. Many thanks to all involved!

SUPER SENTAI IN A FLASH! Flashman Alums Team Up with the Toei All-Stars!

Now that's a photo that puts the "super" in Super Sentai! Who are all these actors? Keep reading to find out! 

Today I attended another performance by various alumni of the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. It was a lot of fun, as usual, and in particular I enjoyed a rather lengthy chat with actress Hitomi Yoshii. Anyway, with that said, let's get on to the photos!

A Flashman reunion! With Tota Tarumi (Red Flash), Miyuki Nagato (Wolk), Sayoko Hagiwara (Leh Nafel), and Kihachiro Uemura (Green Flash).

The ladies of Toei! Mai Oishi (Change Phoenix from Changeman), Miyuki Nagato, Sayoko Hagiwara (Dyna Pink from Dynaman), and Yumiko Tanaka (Harumi Kusanami from Kamen Rider Super-1).

From left to right: Koji Unoki (Dyna Blue from Dynaman), Mai Oishi, Hitomi Yoshii (High Priestess Bishium from Kamen Rider Black), and Kenju Hayashi (Prince Megiddo from Dynaman).

From left to right: Ryosuke Sakamoto (Red One from Bioman), Lisa Komaki (Peggy Matsuyama from Goranger), Hiroyuki Takano (Kentaro Shiratori from Barom-1), and Toshimichi Takahashi (from just about everything!).

HENSHIN! An Afternoon with Toei Heroes!

In the back row (from left to right): Hitomi Yoshii, Kihachiro Uemura, Ryosuke Sakamoto, Hiroyuki Takano, Toshimichi Takahashi, Mai Oishi, Sumiko Tanaka, Kenju Hayashi, and Koji Unoki. In the front row (from left to right): Sayoko Hagiwara, Yumiko Tanaka, yours truly, Juri Miyazawa, and Lisa Komaki. Whew!

Today I attended another special event featuring many cast members from Toei superhero series. The number of guests was by far the largest I've attended so far. Anyway, here's the breakdown.

Here I am with Mai Oishi who played Change Phoenix in Dengeki Sentai Changeman (1985-86). She also portrayed one of the young guardians of the Iga Crystal on episodes 19, 20, 31, 49, 50, and 51 of Space Sheriff Sharivan (1983-84), as well as the villainous Girl 2 (a member of the deadly Girls Army) on Space Sheriff Shaider (1984-85) from episodes 10 through 35.

On the right is suit actor/actor Toshimichi Takahashi, whose credits include: Wolf Guy (1975), Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977), Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995), the Toho superhero series Megaloman (1979), and numerous Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Metal Hero series, starting with Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77). He plays the evil High Priest Baraom from Kamen Rider Black (1987-88). On the left is Hitomi Yoshii, who acts as High Priestess Bishium on Kamen Rider Black.

Yumiko Tanaka (far left) stars in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami and also appears in a small role in Toho's Godzilla (1984). Juri Miyazawa plays Ginga Pink on Seiju Sentai Gingaman (1998-99). Sayoko Hagiwara portrays Ryoko Hoshi, Yullian's alter ego, on Ultraman 80 (1980-81), starting with episode 43, as well as Dyna Pink in Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84). She also appears on Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87) as Leh Nafel.

Finally, I'm in between two of the regulars from Choudenshi Bioman (1984-85). Ryosuke Sakamoto is Red One on the series, and Sumiko Tanaka essays the role of Yellow Four II from episode 11 until 51.

And that's it! See y'all again next time!

SENTAI HEROES, ASSEMBLE! A Great Afternoon with Toei Stars!

From left to right: Ryosuke Sakamoto, Juri Miyazawa, Hitomi Yoshii, yours truly, Kihachiro Uemura, Lisa Komaki, Yumiko Tanaka, Kenju Hayashi, Koji Unoki, and Sayoko Hagiwara.

Today, I was privileged to attend another dramatic reading performed by alumni of various Toei Super Sentai and Kamen Rider programs. I've blogged about most of the participants before, but I'll recap their most notable credits here for easy reference. With that out of the way, let's begin.

With Yumiko Tanaka (left) and Hitomi Yoshii (right). 

Yumiko Tanaka starred in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami and also appears in Godzilla (1984).

Hitomi Yoshii played High Priestess Bishium on Kamen Rider Black (1987-88).

With Ryosuke Sakamoto, Kihachiro Uemura, and Koji Unoki. 

Ryosuke Sakamoto stars in Choudenshi Bioman (1984-85) as Red One.

Kihachiro Uemura plays Green Flash on Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87).

Koji Unoki portrays Dyna Blue on Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84).

With Juri Miyazawa, Lisa Komaki, and Sayoko Hagiwara. 

Lisa Komaki plays Peggy Matsuyama on Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77) and is the suit actor and voice for Miss America (as played by Diane Martin) on Battle Fever J (1979-80).

Sayoko Hagiwara essays the role of Ryoko Hoshi, Yullian's human form, on Ultraman 80 (1980-81) from episode 43, as well as Dyna Pink in Dynaman. She also appears on Flashman as the villain Leh Nafel.

Juri Miyazawa plays Ginga Pink on Seiju Sentai Gingaman (1998-99).

With Kenju Hayashi, Koji Unoki, and Sayoko Hagiwara. 

Kenju Hayashi plays Prince Megiddo on Dynaman.

With Yumiko Tanaka, Juri Miyazawa, and Sayoko Hagiwara.

This photo, of course, is my favorite. Hagiwara-san asked me what kind of pose I wanted. I said that any pose would be fine. This was her suggestion, and the other actresses followed suit. It doesn't get any better than this!

SUPER SENTAI HEROES GATHER AGAIN! A Great Reunion of Toei Talent!

From left to right: Ryosuke Sakamoto, Lisa Komaki, Koji Unoki, Kenju Hayashi, yours truly, Yumiko Tanaka, Sayoko Hagiwara, Sumiko Tanaka, and Hitomi Yoshii. 

Today, I attended another dramatic reading performed by veterans of the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series from Toei Studios. While most names are familiar, some will be new to this blog, so let's get cracking and review who was there!

With Lisa Komaki (left) and Sayoko Hagiwara (right). 

Lisa Komaki played Peggy Matsuyama on Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77). Following that experience, she went on to be the suit actor for and voice of actress Diane Martin as Miss America on Battle Fever J (1979-80).

Sayoko Hagiwara played Ryoko Hoshi, Yullian's human alter ego, on Ultraman 80 (1980-81), beginning with episode 43 of the series, and Dyna Pink in Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84). She also later appears on Choushinsei Flashman (1986-87) as the villainous Leh Nafel.

With Ryosuke Sakamoto and Sumiko Tanaka. 

Here are a couple of stars from Choudenshi Bioman (1984-85). Ryosuke Sakamoto, of course, portrayed Red One, and Sumiko Tanaka played Yellow Four II from episode 11 until 51 of the series.

With Yumiko Tanaka. 

Yumiko Tanaka starred in Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81) as Harumi Kusanami, but she also appears in Godzilla (1984). (A genuine Godzilla movie cast member was in attendance!)

With Kenju Hayashi, Koji Unoki, and Hitomi Yoshii.

Hitomi Yoshii was again there. She played the evil High Priestess Bishium on Kamen Rider Black (1987-88). Yoshii-san made me laugh out loud when she said, "We are the dark side!" in English right before this picture was taken.

Also on hand was actor Koji Unoki. He played Dyna Blue (both in and out of the suit) on Dynaman. Furthermore, Kenju Hayashi returned as well, and he would be best known as Prince Megiddo on Dynaman.

Once again, there was so much to talk about! It was another great afternoon. Can't wait to do it again soon!

SUPER SENTAI TO THE RESCUE! Toei All-Stars Fight Bad Guys!

From left to right: Ryosuke Sakamoto, Koji Unoki, Toshimichi Takahashi, yours truly, Hitomi Yoshii, and Kenju Hayashi.  

Today, I had the privilege of attending a special event that included a Q&A session and even a couple of dramatic readings hosted by a slew of Toei actors from the '70s and '80s. There's a lot of folks to talk about, so let's get right to it!

With Ryosuke Sakamoto. 

The first actor I'll discuss is Ryosuke Sakamoto. Sakamoto-san starred as Red One in Choudenshi Bioman (1984-85) and has appeared on other tokusatsu programs over the years, such as Kamen Rider Black (1987-88). As many Super Sentai fans know, Sakamoto-san had a major health scare last year, as he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. It was wonderful to see Sakamoto-san in such great spirits.

With Lisa Komaki. 

Also there was Lisa Komaki. Komaki-san played Peggy Matsuyama on Himitsu Sentai Goranger (1975-77), the original Super Sentai series. She was also the suit actor for and voice of actress Diane Martin as the heroine Miss America on Battle Fever J (1979-80). Komaki-san is always someone I look forward to seeing at these shindigs.

With Toshimichi Takahashi. 

Toshimichi Takahashi is an actor and suit actor who appears in numerous films and TV productions from Toei and other studios, including: Wolf Guy (1975), Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977), Mechanical Violator Hakaider (1995), the Toho superhero series Megaloman (1979), and numerous Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Metal Hero series, beginning with Goranger. In this photo, I'm holding his High Priest Baraom mask from Kamen Rider Black.

Koji Unoki, Hitomi Yoshii, yours truly, and Kenju Hayashi.

As if that weren't enough, Hitomi Yoshii was another featured guest. She began her career acting in the late 1970s and acted movies for Toei and Toho, but here she is best known for playing the villainous High Priestess Bishium on Kamen Rider Black.

Koji Unoki, holding his Dyna Blue helmet, was likewise in attendance. He played Dyna Blue (both in and out of the suit) on Kagaku Sentai Dynaman (1983-84).

Last but not least was Kenju Hayashi, who has appeared on Battle Fever J, Nebula Mask Machine Man (1984), and Kamen Rider Black. His biggest tokusatsu credit is portraying Prince Megiddo on Dynaman.

Whew! So much to talk about. Everyone was very nice and a lot of fun to see. A great mixture of heroes and villains!