SPECTREMAN: Coming to the Rescue at a Train Station Near You!

A Spectreman toy dispenser in Shibuya Station. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While messaging a friend of mine in the U.S., he told me about the Spectreman (1971-72) toy dispensers that are currently making the rounds in Japan. I hadn't seen one but was intrigued. My buddy, with whom I'm doing a trade, asked for one of the toys from one if I could one.

Well, as luck would have it, I had to pass through Shibuya Station today, and, as I was about to get on the Yamanote Line, I noticed a whole row of toy dispensers. So I took a quick look-see, and I instantly found one of the Spectreman dispensers.

Naturally, I got one for my friend, but he'll have to open it and tell me what it was. I didn't get one for myself, as cool as these things look, because, well, I'm really trying to cut down on clutter. Besides, I only had enough change in my pocket for one. Ah, well. At least I have these photos to look back on!

'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. 

Anime x Tokusatsu!

In between scriptwriter Masaki Tsuji and anime voice actress Fuyumi Shiraishi.

After attending the Nobuo Nakagawa event, I immediately joined another one, this one attended by scriptwriter Masaki Tsuji and anime voice actress Fuyumi Shiraishi. I was particularly interested in meeting Tsuji-san, as he wrote episodes for Captain Ultra (1967), Spectreman (1971-72), and Dinosaur Corps Koseidon (1978-79). Shiraishi-san, despite being best known for her anime work, has a couple of tokusatsu credits herself, as she voice-acted in episode 40 of Ultraman Leo (1974-75) and episode 17 of Super Robot Red Baron (1973-74). 

It was a fun (albeit brief) evening.

BAROM-1 TAKES THE STAGE! Hiroyuki Takano Returns with a Performance in Shinjuku!

Henshin! Actor Hiroyuki Takano and I strike a familiar pose onstage shortly after his most recent live performance in Tokyo.

Thanks to my friend Yasushi, I had the privilege of meeting actor Hiroyuki Takano earlier today. Takano-san was starring in a play at Theater Brats in Shinjuku, and following the performance, Yasushi introduced us. Even though our meeting was brief, I could tell that Takano-san was the type of actor who enjoyed meeting his fans.

Hiroyuki Takano co-starred in the Toei superhero series Barom-1 (1972) as Kentaro Shiratori. Takano-san has also appeared in episodes of Ultra Seven (1967-68), Fight! Mighty Jack (1968), Operation: Mystery (1968-69), Spectreman (1971-72), Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Kamen Rider (1971-73), Silver Mask (1971-72), and Submersion of Japan (1974-75).

Also of note was that the performance was also viewed by actress Yuriko Hishimi, one of the stars of Ultra Seven and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Hishimi-san and I had a pleasant chat as well.

I look forward to meeting Takano-san again in the future!