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Moonlight Mask (月光仮面,Gekkō Kamen), a.k.a.Moonbeam Man,[1] is asuperhero appearing in Japanesetokusatsu andanime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. The six theatrical films were made (between 1958–1959) in black and white/ToeiScope format.[2] Created by writerKōhan Kawauchi, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer toThe Lone Ranger,Batman andZorro.
Moonlight Mask's popularity resulted in the appearance of several other Japanese superhero characters soon thereafter, includingIron Sharpa.k.a.Space Chief (from 1961'sInvasion of the Neptune Men).[3] and thePlanet Prince TV series (1958)[4] Kawauchi followed-up the success ofMoonlight Mask with the tokusatsu superhero showsSeven Color Mask (1959) andMessenger of Allah (1960), both starring a youngSonny Chiba.
WhereasSuper Giant (Starman) is Japan's first celluloid superhero, debuting in movies in 1957,[5] it was Moonlight Mask (Gekko Kamen) who set the standard as Japan's first live-action TV superhero, and was a huge success with children. Television was new in Japan, so many children who did not have a TV set were gathered around to watch it at a friend's or neighbor's house. Children also bought toy capes, sunglasses, masks and pistols, and played Moonlight Mask in schoolyards and backyards (but as with every children's superhero, Japanese or American, Moonlight Mask was not without liability casualties; seeLiability issues and cancellation below).
Moonlight Mask's identity has always been a mystery (which is why the Moonlight Mask persona is credited as being played by "?" in the original series).
Decked out in white tights, a white and red cape, a white scarf, yellow gloves & boots, dark glasses, a cloth face mask and Indian-styleturban (pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters,shuriken and moon-shapedboomerangs, and rides a motorcycle.
However, only audiences know that Moonlight Mask could very well be detectiveJūrō Iwai (祝 十郎,Iwai Jūrō), who seems to disappear from his friends just before the caped crusader rides to the rescue on his motorcycle! Even his comical assistantGorohachi Fukuro (袋 五郎八,Fukuro Gorohachi), his friendInspector Matsuda, and childrenShigeru,Kaboko andFujiko are oblivious to Iwai's secret identity.
The originalB&WMoonlight Mask (月光仮面)tokusatsu TV drama series, produced by the advertising agencySenkosha, was aired onKRTV (now TBS) from February 24, 1958 to July 5, 1959, with a total of 130 episodes, the series being divided into five story arcs (or chapters). Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played byKoichi Ose.
To coincide with theNippon Gendai/Senkosha TV series,Toei Films produced six Moonlight Mask theatrical movies screened in theaters from 1958 to 1959. This was Toei's first involvement in thetokusatsusuperhero genre. All six movies are feature adaptations of the TV show's popular story arcs, and were filmed in "ToeiScope" (2.35:1). Three movies were released in 1958, and three in 1959. In these six movie versions, Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played byFumitake Omura.
A few months after the show first aired, amanga (comic book) tie-in was commissioned. There were different artists drawing the manga, the majority of which was done by young artistJiro Kuwata, who would later become the co-creator of8 Man.
Children watching superhero shows sometimes attempted to imitate the hero's dangerous feats, andMoonlight Mask was no exception. Because a boy in Japan jumped to his death imitating Moonlight Mask's dangerous stunts, the show was cancelled on July 5, 1959, following the ending of the final story arc,Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge. Toei's movies, however, continued to appear in theaters well into August 1959. Moonlight Mask made a return to Japanese TV 13 years later.
Theanime adaptationSeigi wo Ai Suru Mono – Gekkō Kamen (正義を愛する者 - 月光仮面), translated asThe One Who Loves Justice: Moonlight Mask, was produced byKnack, and aired onNippon Television from January 10, 1972 to October 2, 1972, with a total of 39 episodes (divided into three story arcs or chapters). The show also became very popular inLatin America under the titleCentella.Japanesevoice actorMichihiro Ikemizu provided the voice of Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask. The hero now wears an open face helmet instead of a turban, and his cape has an ornament with the scarf attached.
Thetokusatsu movieMoonlight Mask (月光仮面), produced byPurumie International/Herald Enterprises and distributed byNippon Herald Pictures, was released theatrically on March 14, 1981. Considered Japan's answer to the American box office fiasco,The Legend of the Lone Ranger (released the same year), this updated version of the Moonlight Mask legend also bombed at the Japanese box office.Daisuke Kuwahara (who, likeKlinton Spilsbury, disappeared from doing films) played George Owara (Moonlight Mask's new alter-ego), and the rest of the cast made up of veteran action starletEtsuko Shihomi,Daijiro Harada andTakayuki Godai, with none of the original characters turning up. The movie was directed and co-written byYukihiro Sawada.
The gag-anime seriesWe Know You, Moonlight Mask-kun! (ごぞんじ!月光仮面くん -Gozonji! Gekkô Kamen-kun), a very comical take on the famous masked hero, was produced byTMS-Kyokuichi, animated byActas, and broadcast onTV Tokyo from October 3, 1999 to March 26, 2000, with a total of 25 episodes. The opening theme song is an updated version of the original theme song, and is sung byCOA.
Prolificmanga artistGo Nagai made a very raunchy parody ofMoonlight Mask, titledKekkō Kamen (けっこう仮面 -Kekkō Kamen, roughly translated as "Splendid Mask"), a pun onGekkō Kamen (Moonlight Mask's Japanese name). The manga depicts the adventures of a youngsuperheroine who wears a red mask, scarf, an occasional cape, gloves, boots and nothing else. She has various weapons likenunchaku and a feather on her mask.
In the animeSailor Moon, the characterMamoru Chiba appears in theMakaiju arc as the "Moonlight Knight" dressed in a white costume and turban similar to that of Moonlight Mask.
In the animeSexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo Masaru-san, Yoroshiku Kamen and his various previous reincarnations (Bye-bye Kamen, Aisatsu Kamen, etc.) all parody Gekkou Kamen and his appeal to children.
In episode 42,Spectreman faces a mysterious new villain called Solar Mask, a reversed parody of Moonlight Mask whose looks greatly resemble the original hero.
The second entry of theYo-Kai Watch video game series produced byLevel-5 features an in-universe fictional character called "Guts Kamen", or "Moximous Mask" in the English translation, who is modeled afterShowa period superheroes in general, and Moonlight Mask in particular.
In the movieMy Neighbors the Yamadas, Takashi Yamada (the father) imagine chasing cartoon-like mobsters as the moonlight mask for saving his children from them, after that the neighborhood of the Yamadas have been disturbed by bikers. During this scene, we can hear the opening of the live-action series.
