"This summer is a special one," were the words spoken by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike when she advised Tokyoites to take measures against the novel coronavirus.
For 17 years now, I have been regularly holding the "Akamatsuri," an event featuring actors who have portrayed the red-clad leaders of the Super Sentai tokusatsu TV series. But I had no choice but to make this year's "Akamatsuri" a "special" event as well.
The event was led by Masaru Shishido, the actor who portrayed O-Red in the "Choriki Sentai O-Ranger" series. The participants included Kazuo Niibori, a suit actor who has depicted several Red heroes once they've taken on their superhero personas. In a typical year, this lineup would guarantee a big crowd, both on and off the stage. This year's Akamatsuri, however, was a more subdued festival that featured only seven Red actors, separated from each other by acrylic barriers while they spoke or recited an original play I wrote for the event.
The venue being so quiet unnerved me a bit at first, but now I think it worked out for the best because we were able to have some unexpectedly in-depth discussions on a variety of topics, such as leading ladies, the action throughout the series and TV ratings.
"At the time, we were told that if all the children in Japan watched our show, our ratings would be 11.3% and that we should aim for that figure," said Tota Tarumi, who starred in the "Choshinsei Flashman" series. Things like this, which I had never heard before, came up quite a bit. All in all, I think we were able to have quite a meaningful discussion.
Of course, a typical Akamatsuri, full of so much enthusiasm that it borders on being rowdy, is the best. But every once in a while, it's not bad to have a special event like this, turning misfortune to fortune.
In the next edition, I'd like to tell you all about the Red actors who participated in the event remotely.
Suzuki is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior specialist and an expert on tokusatsu superhero films and dramas.
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