A seriously energetic superhero TV show has exploded onto screens in the Kyushu region. "Dogengers," a tokusatsu sci-fi superhero drama shown on KBC (Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co.) and other services, tells the story about a group of local superheroes in the region. The title is a coinage created from "The Avengers" and "dogen," which means "how?" or "in what way?" in the Kyushu dialect.
When an evil syndicate invades Fukuoka, KitaQman, Fukuokalibur and other local superheroes stand up against the villains only to be trounced by a single blow. Ohga-Man, one of the superheroes, is badly hurt in the attack and names a young man as his successor, The Rookie.
This is how the story begins. Ohga-Man is actually the superhero character of Ohga Pharmacy, which is based in Fukuoka and operates branches across the Kyushu region. His educational activities, such as promoting the recognition of yakuiku techo, a handbook on proper use of medication to reduce leftover medicine, is drawing nationwide attention.
The director is Fumie Arakawa, who is a big fan of Toei Co.'s Super Sentai Series tokusatsu TV dramas and has directed the film version of "Ressha Sentai Toqger," one of the episodes in the series.
At her request, "Dogengers" successfully invited two veteran suit actors -- actors who perform as superheroes in suits after transforming from human form -- to join the show.
The suit actor who plays The Rookie is Yoshifumi Oshikawa, whose past roles include Tokkyu Ichigo, the red-clad leader of the superhero team in "Ressha Sentai Toqger," and the suit actor for Ohga-Man is Kazutoshi Yokoyama, who played Red Racer in another Super Sentai show, "Gekiso Sentai Carranger."
Since Oshikawa had already retired from acting, his return has delighted tokusatsu fans.
The voice of Ohga-Man is provided by actor Yuji Kishi, who played Red Racer in his human persona and is now regularly appearing in musicals. What an impressive cast!
What's more, the production team dared to shoot part of the first episode, including explosion scenes, at Iwafuneyama, a mountain in Tochigi Prefecture where battle scenes in Super Sentai Series episodes are filmed.
Other names on the "Dogengers" end-title roll also fascinate tokusatsu fans who are having their fill just by looking at the lineup.
Japan, like the rest of the world, is in low spirits these days. Maybe it's a show like this, which is filled with the creators' energy, that can brighten everyone up a little bit. Those of you outside Kyushu can watch the first episode and the latest episode on the Niconico Douga streaming service. I hope you develop a real passion for watching "Dogengers."
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