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1st-Ever Super Sentai Show Marks 50th Anniversary With Surprise Cast Reunion on Stage
posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
It's been officially 50 years of Super Sentai! The Theater G-Rosso in Tokyo hosted the "Himitsu Sentai Gorenger 50th Anniversary Secret Premium Event" on Saturday, the exact 50th anniversary date of the first-ever Super Sentai series' premiere on April 5, 1975. The event for the franchise that spawned Power Rangers ended with a stunning surprise — the reunion of all five cast members from that first series:
Voice actor Tomokazu Seki emceed the event for about 300 fans. While video footage of the full event is unavailable, the Oricon news service has posted an uncut version of the event's talk show segment:
The video features a highlight reel of a live stage show followed by the surprise appearance by cast members Naoya Makoto (Tuyoshi Kaijyo/Akarenger, 76 years old), Hiroshi Miyauchi (Akira Shinmei/Aorenger, 77), Jirō Daruma (Daigoro Kumano/Second Kirenger, 73), Lisa Komaki (Peggy Matsuyama/Momorenger, 74), and Yukio Itō (Kenji Asuka/Midorenger, 69).
The event's half-hour talk show segment introduced the cast members as they gave their thoughts on the series 50 years later and recalled memories from their time filiming. Komaki surprised the audience (and the other cast members) with her original Peggy Matsuyama costume and scripts from the 7th and 41st episodes.
The show ended with an announcement for the nationwide "All Super Sentai Exhibition" tour, the largest ever to date, that starts in August at the Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall.
Himitsu Sentai Gorenger premiered on April 5, 1975. The series ran for 84 episodes as the longest running Super Sentai series thus far. Following Himitsu Sentai Gorenger was 1977's J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai and the formal birth of the Super Sentai franchise in 1979's Battle Fever J. (Gorenger and J.A.K.Q. have since been retroactively folded into the franchise.) The 16th entry, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, was loosely adapted into the first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series in America. The Super Sentai franchise is currently celebrating its golden anniversary with the Number 1 Sentai Gozyuger television series.
Update: Peggy Matsuyama's spelling corrected. Thanks, shosakukan
Sources: Oricon, Oricon's YouTube channel, Super Sentai's X/Twitter account (link 2), Toei Tokusatsu' YouTube channel
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