I've just finished holding this year's Tokusatsu Bijukujobu Matsuri, which could be translated as "the festival of slightly middle-aged ladies appearing in tokusatsu special effects superhero dramas." It is a talk event I organize with four women who played leads in Super Sentai Series sci-fi action dramas. We also invite guests with ties to these heroines and talk with them.
The four members are Michiko Makino (Pink Five in "Chodenshi Bioman"), Sumiko Tanaka (Yellow Four in the same show), Mai Oishi (Change Phoenix in "Dengeki Sentai Changeman") and Yuki Nagata (Yellow Mask in "Hikari Sentai Maskman"). I am somehow the group leader. Belonging to the same generation, the five of us get along surprisingly well with each other. We often dine out or go out together for fun, calling the outings "school club activities." The latest festival is an extension, or perhaps the pinnacle, of these activities.
Thankfully, this year's event was again joined by many guests, including "suit actors" who have played tokusatsu heroes and heroines during the current Heisei era. The highlight was the appearance of two actresses, Naomi Morinaga and Yukari Oshima. Morinaga played space detective Annie in "Uchu Keiji Shaider" (Space Sheriff Shaider), while Oshima played Farrah Cat, an antagonist in "Bioman," and is also an Asian action star -- she has played main characters in a number of films in Hong Kong, the Philippines and other Asian countries and regions, sometimes under the screen name Cynthia Luster. She came to the event all the way from Fukuoka, where she currently lives.
The two guests are former members of the Japan Action Club (now Japan Action Enterprise), and so are Tanaka and Oishi. Nagata used to belong to Toei Action Club. That is why I asked them to perform a little drama with action at the event.
What Oshima showed on the small stage of the venue, Shinjuku Loft/Plus One, was simply amazing. Her kicks and punches looked straight out of a Hong Kong movie. She can perhaps be described as a powered-up version of Farrah Cat making a comeback after training as a warrior in other Asian countries. Her action was so superb in sharpness and elegance that I did not even notice the passage of time.
Tanaka and Oishi struggled during the rehearsals because they had not done action scenes for a long time. Even so, action director Michihiro Takeda -- who used to be a suit actor for Pink Five -- helped create a fun show by affectionately adding combat scenes.
Morinaga was not able to join the rehearsals and came to the venue shortly before the performance. But instead of action, she gave the audience a big treat by singing "Annie ni Omakase," a song used in "Uchu Keiji Shaider."
In fact, Morinaga and Oshima also belong to the same generation as us. Thirty or so years ago, they were performing on TV. Now in the 21st century in the Kabukicho district in Tokyo's Shinjuku, we stood on the same stage. It was a bit bizarre evening, but very enjoyable.
Suzuki is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior specialist and an expert on tokusatsu superhero films and dramas.
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