You never know what will happen in your life. This autumn, I saw something I never expected to see.
Junretsu is a five-man group singing kayokyoku pop songs, with four of the members having appeared in tokusatsu sci-fi superhero dramas. On Oct. 5, the vocal group held an event in Korakuen, Tokyo, to celebrate the fact that more than 100,000 CDs of their latest single, "Propose," had been shipped.
The event's venue, LaQua Garden Stage, is part of the LaQua entertainment complex, which was built on the site of the former Korakuen Yuenchi amusement park. The park hosted many shows related to Super Sentai Series tokusatsu dramas and is still known as a hotspot for the series.
Two of the Junretsu members performed in some of those shows: the group's leader Kazuyoshi Sakai, who played Gao Black in "Hyakuju Sentai Gao Ranger," and Yujiro Shirakawa, who played Kabuto Raiger in "Ninpu Sentai Hurricaneger."
As the Oct. 5 event began, the members appeared onstage and told the audience that it had always been their wish to hold such an event. The audience was largely made up of two types: those who became fans after seeing their shows at local health centers and "super sento" spa facilities, and so-called "big friends" (adults who are fans of tokusatsu dramas or other subcultures, such as manga and anime) wearing Super Sentai Series character shirts.
"When I injured my leg at a [tokusatsu] show, my colleagues from 'Hurricaneger' helped me, and I felt that there was a strong bond between us," Shirakawa recalled.
"[Super Sentai] is about putting the five members' strengths together. We, Junretsu, have also been putting our strengths and personalities together and working hard," Sakai said emphatically.
The event also featured two guests: Nao Nagasawa, who played Hurricane Blue in "Hurricaneger," and Noboru Kaneko, who played Gao Red in "Gao Ranger." When they put on jackets from the series and began singing the shows' theme songs, the audience's excitement reached a new high.
Sakai and I have been good friends since the time when "Gao Ranger" was broadcast. Frankly, I regard him as one of the few precious friends in my life. I've listened to his problems many times, while there were also times when I ran up against a wall and he supported me. I have been on continuously good terms with other Junretsu members as well, from even before they formed the singing group. I would visit their shows, like "Gao Ranger" and "Hurricaneger," and I would report on them or bring them breakfast.
I take pride in working hard together with them. Although it was less than 20 years ago, actors who made their debut in tokusatsu dramas tended to be looked down on much more then than they are now.
Honestly speaking, I was so surprised and worried when Sakai, an actor, formed the vocal group. But, defying all doubts from myself and the public, Junretsu has brilliantly grown into a popular act.
Now they have happily appeared at Korakuen, wearing Super Sentai Series character jackets. Watching them, I was full of emotion. Their goal of performing in NHK's "Red and White Year-end Song Festival" on New Year's Eve may be within their reach. I really hope they will fulfill this dream.
Suzuki is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior specialist and an expert on tokusatsu superhero films and dramas.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
