Kabuki is one of the original sources for the tokusatsu sci-fi action dramas of the Super Sentai Series.
In all the dramas in the series since "Himitsu Sentai Gorenger" in 1975, members of a superhero team strike a pose as they declare their names one by one. This was inspired by a famous kabuki classic called "Shiranami Gonin Otoko" (Five men of white waves), in which the five "heroes" strike a pose, each of them holding an umbrella in their hand. In that sense, it's not entirely wrong to look at kabuki as a heroic saga in the broad sense of the term.
In late April, I went to see the "Cho Kabuki" show during the Niconico Chokaigi festival of internet culture in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, which was organized by major video sharing service Niconico.
The leading performers of the show were kabuki actor Nakamura Shido and vocaloid virtual singer Hatsune Miku. Cho Kabuki, a new type of kabuki show, is an innovative theatrical venture in which the two perform together with the help of the latest technology. The festival has staged a new Cho Kabuki play every year since 2016 at the same venue.
The production this year was "Tsumoru Omoi Hana no Kaomise," which was inspired by the kabuki play "Tsumoru Koi Yuki no Seki no To."
When I first watched Cho Kabuki in 2016, I was somewhat skeptical about the show, though I had a little bit more belief than doubt. Hey, it's Niconico, Makuhari Messe and Hatsune Miku joined by kabuki -- it didn't seem like they would go together very well. Apparently many professionals felt the same way -- there were no paid reserved seats, nor many men in suits (executive guests from related companies) at the venue.
But this attempt turned out to be very successful.
The key was the part when Niconico users watching the show online across the country posted on-screen messages of support to the protagonists when they were in danger.
In this year's production, an aristocrat called Yoshimine Yasusada (played by Shido) is killed by a villain. To bring him back to life, a mirror fairy (played by virtual singer Kagamine Rin) calls for words of support, and Niconico users nationwide typed in messages of support, such as "Yorozuya!" (Shido's stage family name) and "88888" (denoting clapping), which flashed and undulated on a big screen at the front of the venue thanks to technology by NTT Corp. Yasusada's resurrection scene was like a tokusatsu superhero show, although this was a kabuki performance. I was thrilled.
The resurgent Yasusada appeared from the auditorium's second tier at the right-hand side of the stage holding a glow stick in his hand. "I'll lead you to the new world" -- he triumphantly declared his resurrection and walked through the aisles of the auditorium, saying, "Everyone, stand up!" and "Go wild!" In response, the audience raised their arms and went nuts like they were at a rock concert. The audience wasn't just young people. I took my 86-year-old father with me, and he thoroughly enjoyed the show, punching the air with his fist.
After the show last year, Shido revealed he had cancer. He put up a collection of get-well messages from young people who watched the Cho Kabuki production, and he eventually overcame the disease and came back to the venue. He was probably overwhelmed with many thoughts. When Yasusada announced that he was back, I could feel the actor's passion.
The cutting-edge technology to let humans and computer-generated characters perform together is brilliant, and so is the show's story, which is reminiscent of tokusatsu superhero shows. But the greatest thing is the frontier spirit of Shido and everyone involved in the production to bravely go into a field that is completely new to them. Those who have the grit to keep on tackling such challenges are the only ones who deserve to be called heroes.
Suzuki is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior specialist and an expert on tokusatsu superhero films and dramas.
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