Moonlight Mask
Encyclopedia
is a fictional superhero
that has appeared in Japanese tokusatsu
and anime
television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi
, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger
and Batman
.
is Japan's first celluloid superhero (i.e.: he had debuted in movies), it was Moonlight Mask who set the standard as Japan's first live-action TV superhero, and was a huge success with children. Television
was already new in Japan, so many children that didn't have a TV set were gathered around to watch it at a friend 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; See "Liability Issues & Cancellation").
Decked out in white tights, white & red cape, white scarf, yellow gloves & boots, dark glasses, face cloth and Indian-style turban
(pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters, shuriken
and moon-shaped boomerang
s. He also rides a motorcycle.
However, only audiences know that Moonlight Mask could very well be detective , who seems to disappear from his friends before the caped crusader rides to the rescue in his motorcycle! Even his comical assistant , his friend Inspector Matsuda, and children Shigeru, Kaboko and Fujiko are oblivious to Iwai's secret identity.
Moonlight Mask (月光仮面) tokusatsu
TV drama series, produced by the advertising agency Senkosha
and was aired on KRTV (now TBS)
from February 24, 1958 to July 5, 1959, with a total of 130 (or 131) episodes, divided into 5 segments.
Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played by Ose Koichi
.
TV series, Toei
produced the Moonlight Mask theatrical movies. This was Toei's first involvement in the tokusatsu
superhero
genre (although their first original superhero production was the TV series 7-Color Mask
in 1959). All movies (which are in black-and-white
, just like the TV series) are basically feature adaptations of the show's story arcs, and were filmed in "ToeiScope" (2.35:1).
For these movie versions, Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played by Fumitake Omura.
Posters for 1958 movies:
Posters for 1959 movies:
tie-in was commissioned. There were different artists drawing the manga, the majority of which was done by young artist Jiro Kuwata
(who would later become the co-creator of 8 Man
).
and Super Giant
), children themselves become victims of the many liability issues surrounding them (ie. imitating the hero's dangerous & impossible feats), and Moonlight Mask was no exception. Because of the jumping death of a boy imitating Moonlight Mask's dangerous stunts, the show was unfortunately cancelled on July 5, 1959, after the end of the final story arc, Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge. Toei's movies, however, continued well into August of that year.
Fortunately, this would not be the end of Moonlight Mask. He made his return to Japanese TV 13 years later.
adaptation Seigi wo Ai Suru Mono - Gekkō Kamen (正義を愛する者 - 月光仮面), translated as The One Who Loves Justice: Moonlight Mask, was produced by Knack, and aired on Nippon Television
from January 10, 1972 to October 2, 1972, with a total of 39 episodes (divided into three segments). The show also became very popular in Latin America
under the title Centella.
Japanese voice actor Michihiro Ikemizu
provided the voice of Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask.
movie Moonlight Mask (月光仮面), produced by Purumie International/Herald Enterprises and distributed by Nippon 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 bombed at the Japanese box-office. Daisuke Kuwahara (who, like Klinton 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 starlet Sue Shihomi, Daijiro Harada and Takayuki Godai
, with none of the original characters turning up. The movie was directed and co-written by Yukihiro Sawada.
series We 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 by Tokyo Movie Shinsha
and broadcast on TV 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 by COA.
Go Nagai
made a very raunchy parody of Moonlight Mask, titled Kekkō Kamen
(けっこう仮面 - Kekkō Kamen, roughly translated as "Splendid Mask"), a pun on Gekkō Kamen (Moonlight Mask's Japanese name). The manga depicts the adventures of a young superheroine who wears a red mask, scarf, an occasional cape, gloves, boots and nothing else. She has various weapons like nunchaku
and a feather on her mask.
, the character Mamoru Chiba
appears in the Makaiju
arc as the "Moonlight Knight" dressed in a white costume and turban similar to that of Moonlight Mask.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
that has appeared in Japanese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi
Kôhan Kawauchi
, , created various tokusatsu series, including the first, Moonlight Mask, in 1958. He was originally from Hakodate, Hokkaido. His series Rainbowman is considered to be an inspiration for Go Nagai's Cutie Honey....
, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
and Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
.
Japan's first TV superhero
Whereas Super GiantSuper Giant
is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd....
is Japan's first celluloid superhero (i.e.: he had debuted in movies), it was Moonlight Mask who set the standard as Japan's first live-action TV superhero, and was a huge success with children. Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
was already new in Japan, so many children that didn't have a TV set were gathered around to watch it at a friend 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; See "Liability Issues & Cancellation").
Who is Moonlight Mask?
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, white & red cape, white scarf, yellow gloves & boots, dark glasses, face cloth and Indian-style turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
(pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters, shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
and moon-shaped boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
s. He also rides a motorcycle.
However, only audiences know that Moonlight Mask could very well be detective , who seems to disappear from his friends before the caped crusader rides to the rescue in his motorcycle! Even his comical assistant , his friend Inspector Matsuda, and children Shigeru, Kaboko and Fujiko are oblivious to Iwai's secret identity.
The original 1958 series
The original B&WBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
Moonlight Mask (月光仮面) tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
TV drama series, produced by the advertising agency Senkosha
Senkosha Productions
Senkosha Productions was the television production arm of the large Japanese advertising agency the Senkosha Company. The Tokyo-based Senkosha Company still exists, though it has long since closed its television division, now known as Senko Kikaku...
and was aired on KRTV (now TBS)
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
from February 24, 1958 to July 5, 1959, with a total of 130 (or 131) episodes, divided into 5 segments.
Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played by Ose Koichi
Ose Koichi
was a Japanese actor famous for his lead role as Samurai swordsman Akikusa Shintaro in The Samurai . This series made a huge impact when shown in Australia in 1965. He worked in television from 1958 to 1972 after which he became a businessman...
.
Chapters
- Skull Mask (どくろ仮面 - Dokuro Kamen) - Episodes 1-72, 72 episodes (February 24, 1958-May 17, 1958)
- The Secret of the Paradai Kingdom (パラダイ王国の秘密 - Paradai Ōkoku no Himitsu) - Episodes 73-93, 21 episodes (May 25, 1958-October 12, 1958)
- Mammoth Kong (マンモスコング - Manmosu Kongu) - Episodes 94-104, 11 episodes (October 19, 1958-December 26, 1958)
- Features TV's first daikaijuKaijuis a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
, Mammoth Kong.
- Features TV's first daikaiju
- The Ghost Party Strikes Back (幽霊党の逆襲 - Yureitō no Gyakushū) - Episodes 105-117, 13 episodes (January 4, 1959-March 29, 1959)
- Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge (その復讐に手を出すな - Sono Fukushū ni Te wo Dasu na) - Episodes 118-131, 14 episodes (April 5, 1959-July 5, 1959)
The movies
To coincide with the Nippon Gendai/SenkoshaSenkosha Productions
Senkosha Productions was the television production arm of the large Japanese advertising agency the Senkosha Company. The Tokyo-based Senkosha Company still exists, though it has long since closed its television division, now known as Senko Kikaku...
TV series, Toei
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
produced the Moonlight Mask theatrical movies. This was Toei's first involvement in the tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
genre (although their first original superhero production was the TV series 7-Color Mask
7-Color Mask
is the name and title character of a tokusatsu TV series, later called .Created by Kōhan Kawauchi , this B&W TV show was the first-ever superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd....
in 1959). All movies (which are in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, just like the TV series) are basically feature adaptations of the show's story arcs, and were filmed in "ToeiScope" (2.35:1).
For these movie versions, Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask was played by Fumitake Omura.
- Moonlight Mask (月光仮面 - Gekkō Kamen) July 30, 1958; Directed by Tsuneo KobayashiTsuneo Kobayashiis a Japanese anime director affiliated with Studio Pierrot. He has directed the critically acclaimed anime series The Twelve Kingdoms.- Filmography :As film director :*Glass Mask *Midori Days*Super GALS...
- Moonlight Mask - Duel to the Death in Dangerous Waters (月光仮面 - 絶海の死斗 - Gekkō Kamen - Zekkai no Shitō) August 6, 1958; Directed by Tsuneo KobayashiTsuneo Kobayashiis a Japanese anime director affiliated with Studio Pierrot. He has directed the critically acclaimed anime series The Twelve Kingdoms.- Filmography :As film director :*Glass Mask *Midori Days*Super GALS...
- Moonlight Mask - The Claw of Satan (月光仮面 - 魔人〈サタン〉の爪 - Gekkō Kamen - Satan no Tsume) December 22, 1958; Directed by Eijiro Wakabayashi
Posters for 1958 movies:
 |
- Moonlight Mask - The Monster Kong (月光仮面 - 怪獣コング - Gekkō Kamen - Kaijū Kongu) April 1, 1959; Directed by Satoru Ainoda
- Moonlight Mask - The Ghost Party Strikes Back (月光仮面 - 幽霊党の逆襲 - Gekkō Kamen - Yureitō no Gyakushū) July 28, 1959; Directed by Shoichi Shimazu
- Moonlight Mask - The Last of the Devil (月光仮面 - 悪魔の最後 - Gekkō Kamen - Akuma no Saigo) August 4, 1959, Directed by Shoichi Shimazu
Posters for 1959 movies:
Manga adaptation
A few months after the show first aired, a mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
tie-in was commissioned. There were different artists drawing the manga, the majority of which was done by young artist Jiro Kuwata
Jiro Kuwata
is a Japanese manga artist.-Biography:A gifted artist, Kuwata started out as a manga artist at the young age of 13, when he created in 1948. His turning point came in 1957, when he created . Since then, Kuwata devoted himself to creating science fiction/superhero adventures...
(who would later become the co-creator of 8 Man
8 Man
or is a fictional manga and anime superhero created in 1963 by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Jiro Kuwata. He is considered Japan's earliest cyborg superhero, predating even Kamen Rider , and was supposedly the inspiration for RoboCop.The manga was published in Weekly...
).
Liability issues and cancellation
Ironically, as is the case with every super-hero idolized by children (especially SupermanSuperman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and Super Giant
Super Giant
is a fictional Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced by Shintoho Company, Ltd....
), children themselves become victims of the many liability issues surrounding them (ie. imitating the hero's dangerous & impossible feats), and Moonlight Mask was no exception. Because of the jumping death of a boy imitating Moonlight Mask's dangerous stunts, the show was unfortunately cancelled on July 5, 1959, after the end of the final story arc, Don't Turn Your Hand to Revenge. Toei's movies, however, continued well into August of that year.
Fortunately, this would not be the end of Moonlight Mask. He made his return to Japanese TV 13 years later.
The 1972 anime series
The animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation Seigi wo Ai Suru Mono - Gekkō Kamen (正義を愛する者 - 月光仮面), translated as The One Who Loves Justice: Moonlight Mask, was produced by Knack, and aired on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
from January 10, 1972 to October 2, 1972, with a total of 39 episodes (divided into three segments). The show also became very popular in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
under the title Centella.
Japanese voice actor Michihiro Ikemizu
Michihiro Ikemizu
is a Japanese voice actor from Kanagawa Prefecture and a graduate of Waseda University who works for Aoni Production.Among his other roles, he has performed the characters Onsen-Mark , Isao Ohta and Kinnikuman Super Phoenix .-TV anime:*Ashita no Joe 2 *Attacker You!...
provided the voice of Jūrō Iwai/Moonlight Mask.
Changes
- Moonlight Mask now wears an open face helmet instead of a turban, and his cape has an ornament with the scarf attached.
Chapters
- The Claw of Satan Series (Episodes 1-13)
- The Mammoth Kong Series (Episodes 14-26)
- The Dragon's Fang Series (Episodes 27-39)
The 1981 movie
The tokusatsuTokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
movie Moonlight Mask (月光仮面), produced by Purumie International/Herald Enterprises and distributed by Nippon 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
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
The Legend of the Lone Ranger is a 1981 British-American western film directed by William A. Fraker and starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd....
(released the same year), this updated version of the Moonlight Mask legend bombed at the Japanese box-office. Daisuke Kuwahara (who, like Klinton Spilsbury
Klinton Spilsbury
Klinton Spilsbury is an American actor, born in Chihuahua, Mexico. His lone known acting credit is the film The Legend of the Lone Ranger , in which he played the title role....
, disappeared from doing films) played George Owara (Moonlight Mask's new alter-ego), and the rest of the cast made up of veteran action starlet Sue Shihomi, Daijiro Harada and Takayuki Godai
Takayuki Godai
is a Japanese actor. He was born on July 1, 1956 and is famous as the shogun's ninja Saizō in the long-running prime-time television jidaigeki Abarenbō Shōgun...
, with none of the original characters turning up. The movie was directed and co-written by Yukihiro Sawada.
The 1999 gag-anime series
The gag-animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series We 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 by Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Tokyo Movie Shinsha
, formerly known as , is a Japanese animation studio, founded on October 1946. One of the oldest and most prominent anime studios in Japan, it has also produced numerous animated series airing in other countries such as France, the United States, and Italy. The company currently uses "TMS...
and broadcast on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
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 by COA.
Kekkō Kamen
Controversial manga artistMangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Go Nagai
Go Nagai
, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
made a very raunchy parody of Moonlight Mask, titled Kekkō Kamen
Kekko Kamen
is originally a shōnen manga series from Japanese creator Go Nagai, which spawned an OVA series and several live-action films. The manga series is about the misadventures of a student named Mayumi Takahashi who attends a boarding school called Toenail of Satan's Spartan Institute of Higher...
(けっこう仮面 - Kekkō Kamen, roughly translated as "Splendid Mask"), a pun on Gekkō Kamen (Moonlight Mask's Japanese name). The manga depicts the adventures of a young superheroine who wears a red mask, scarf, an occasional cape, gloves, boots and nothing else. She has various weapons like nunchaku
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
and a feather on her mask.
Moonlight Knight (from Sailor Moon)
In the anime Sailor MoonSailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, the character Mamoru Chiba
Mamoru Chiba
is a fictional character and one of the primary protagonists of the children's Sailor Moon metaseries. Named , he disguises himself in order to support the series' central heroines, the Sailor Senshi...
appears in the Makaiju
Makaiju
The Makaiju arc is an early set of episodes from the Sailor Moon anime series. It makes up the first segment of the Sailor Moon R series, and is unique to the anime. This arc was literally filler, made to fill the time while Naoko Takeuchi finished the first series' story arc for the manga...
arc as the "Moonlight Knight" dressed in a white costume and turban similar to that of Moonlight Mask.