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.

It's Morphin' Time!

Yuuta Mochizuki, Reiko Chiba, and Seiju Umon. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I attended a special reunion of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (1992-93), which was repackaged by Saban as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. On hand were Yuuta Mochizuki (who played Geki), Reiko Chiba (who played Mei), and Seiju Umon (who played Goushi). It was a fun event, and here are the highlights.

Reiko Chiba. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Yuuta Mochizuki. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Seiju Umon. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Robert Axelrod Passes Away at Age 70

Very sad news was just announced by Robert Axelrod's agent:

Good morning. This is Roberts agent, Kelly. It is with great sadness that I write that Robert passed away yesterday at the age of 70. He was a charismatic soul whose voice created some of the most legendary characters such as Lord Zedd, Wizardmon, Finister and Armadillomon. He will be greatly missed and I take comfort in knowing his memory will on in those he met and inspired.

Most fans in the West certainly recognize Robert as the voice of Lord Zedd and Finster from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but I know and love his work from a different show.

I first corresponded with Robert back in 1995 when I fan letter I wrote to Saban regarding its recently cancelled Hallo Spencer Show somehow managed to find itself in the hands of some of the show's voice cast. The Hallo Spencer Show was a Muppets-style import from Germany that Saban dubbed into English. It aired in the U.S. from 1993 until 1994, and I'd still probably rank it as my favorite show of all time.

The images above and below this paragraph are some examples of our correspondence. We reconnected via the Internet in 2003, and I was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with him around that time, which can be found here.

I only met Robert once, and that was sometime in the spring of 2004. I drove up to L.A. to spend the day with him. I remember he called a few of his fellow Hallo Spencer cast members, and the only one he was able to get a hold of was Wendee Lee (the voice of twin sisters Mona and Lisa), so I was able to have a brief conversation with her on the phone.

Robert was reviewing local stage plays at the time, so the evening ended when he and I went to see one the plays he was critiquing. The only thing I remember is that the lead actor was playing some film noir-esque detective, and he kept stumbling over his lines. After a while, I just felt bad for the guy.

After the show, I posed for these two photos with Robert. I was always hoping to see him again at some point, and I'm very sorry to learn that I never will. Robert was a true character and a great friend, and the act of kindness he showed a young fan back in 1995 will always be remembered and appreciated.

Rest in peace, Robert.

GO, GO, POWER RANGERS! Showa Hero Hosts a Rare Reunion of the Japanese Power Rangers!

From left to right: Yuuta Mochizuki, Reiko Chiba, and Hideki Fujiwara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Today, I attended a special reunion of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (1992-93), which was repackaged by Saban as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. On hand were Yuuta Mochizuki (who played Geki), Reiko Chiba (who played Mei), and Hideki Fujiwara (who played Dan). Admittedly, my knowledge of Zyuranger and Power Rangers is extremely limited, so with that said, I'll let the photos do the talking. Enjoy!

Reiko Chiba. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Yuuta Mochizuki. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Hideko Fujiwara. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

POWER RANGERS HITS JAPAN! Go, Go, Power Rangers!

The recent Power Rangers movie is currently playing in Japan. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While in Ikebukuro today, I passed a theater that is showing the new Power Rangers movie. To this day, I've never seen an entire episode of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show (or any of its spinoffs), but since the subject matter is (slightly) related to the topics I cover here, I figured I'd share the photos I took.

It's certainly not the type of movie I'd see on my own, so its tangential connection to Japanese special effects isn't enough for it to separate me from my money, I'm afraid.

LORD ZEDD INTERVIEW! Robert Axelrod Talks Power Rangers!

Vantage Point Interviews continues rolling along with my interview with voice actor Robert Axelrod, who voiced Lord Zedd and Finster and the ever-popular Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. This interview was originally published on John Roberto's Kaiju-Fan Online in 2005, but given that the site sadly no longer exists, I thought it should publish it on my own page.

Follow this link for the interview. Enjoy!