Kikaida & Ban Daisuke Return to San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- Legendary Japanese action star, BAN DAISUKE www.bandaisuke.com , will attend WonderCon www.wondercon.org at the Moscone Center, February 19 and 20, to promote the return of his hit 1972 superhero series, KIKAIDA, to Bay Area airwaves this April on KTSF Channel 26 www.ktsf.com .
Riding astride his sidecar superbike, Jiro, a young man clad in blue denim with a guitar slung across his back, swings his arms and transforms into a red and blue combat android known as "Kikaida." The yin-yang patterned android, with exposed circuitry flashing under his glass-domed head, smashes through hordes of monstrous automatons created by the mad Professor Gill, in order to save Mitsuko and Masaru, the children of the scientist who created him, Dr. Komyoji. But, like all legendary heroes, Kikaida has a flaw: an incomplete "Conscience Circuit," which keeps him from being the "perfect android" -- a flaw that Professor Gill can exploit...
While KIKAIDA wasn't allowed the budget to realize the full ambitions of its producers, the series still captivated audiences with action, spirit and kinetic energy. KIKAIDA also had something more important: a plot full of heart and soul, well-defined characters whom you cared about, engaging subplots, and an amazing jazz-influenced score.
Created by the late comic book author, Shotaro Ishimori ("Cyborg 009"), the English-subtitled cult sci-fi adventure became a phenomenon in Hawaii when broadcast there in 1974, spawning an article in Time magazine. Soon afterwards, KIKAIDA was aired on Japanese-language stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. While it did not achieve the same impact on the Mainland, the series still managed to garner a legion of fans who remember KIKAIDA fondly to this day.
In 2001, Honolulu-based JN Productions www.jnproductions.com brought the series back to Hawaii under the promotional umbrella "Generation Kikaida". The return of KIKAIDA was a resounding success, attaining an 8% ratings share in its Sunday Evening timeslot on KIKU-TV. JN Productions subsequently has released the entire 43-episode series on DVD under its own label, selling 10,000 units per volume.
At WonderCon, Mr. Ban, who played the lead hero "Jiro", will be signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans at the Super 7 booth from 2:00 pm on Saturday February 19th and Sunday, February 20th. Kikaida, the super-powered android himself, will also make special appearances at WonderCon.
WonderCon will also host a special Kikaida panel discussion, "The Return of Kikaida," on Sunday, February 20th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, moderated by August Ragone of Henshin! Online, with special guest Joanne Ninomiya, president of JN Productions. This will include an interview with Mr. Ban, who will also take questions from the audience.
Mr. Ban will also be making two special appearances in San Francisco during and after WonderCon: First, there will be an autograph session at Japan Video & Media Inc., located in the Japantown Mall at 1737 Post Street on Saturday, February 19th from 11:00 am to Noon. Kikaida will also be in attendance for photo ops. Then, on Monday, February 21st, there will be a special meet-and-greet with Mr. Ban at the Super 7 Store www.super7store.com , 1630 Post Street in Japantown, starting at 6:30 pm.
Mr. Ban's WonderCon and San Francisco appearances are co-presented by August Ragone of Henshin! Online, Super 7, and Generation Kikaida www.generationkikaida.com .
Riding astride his sidecar superbike, Jiro, a young man clad in blue denim with a guitar slung across his back, swings his arms and transforms into a red and blue combat android known as "Kikaida." The yin-yang patterned android, with exposed circuitry flashing under his glass-domed head, smashes through hordes of monstrous automatons created by the mad Professor Gill, in order to save Mitsuko and Masaru, the children of the scientist who created him, Dr. Komyoji. But, like all legendary heroes, Kikaida has a flaw: an incomplete "Conscience Circuit," which keeps him from being the "perfect android" -- a flaw that Professor Gill can exploit...
While KIKAIDA wasn't allowed the budget to realize the full ambitions of its producers, the series still captivated audiences with action, spirit and kinetic energy. KIKAIDA also had something more important: a plot full of heart and soul, well-defined characters whom you cared about, engaging subplots, and an amazing jazz-influenced score.
Created by the late comic book author, Shotaro Ishimori ("Cyborg 009"), the English-subtitled cult sci-fi adventure became a phenomenon in Hawaii when broadcast there in 1974, spawning an article in Time magazine. Soon afterwards, KIKAIDA was aired on Japanese-language stations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. While it did not achieve the same impact on the Mainland, the series still managed to garner a legion of fans who remember KIKAIDA fondly to this day.
In 2001, Honolulu-based JN Productions www.jnproductions.com brought the series back to Hawaii under the promotional umbrella "Generation Kikaida". The return of KIKAIDA was a resounding success, attaining an 8% ratings share in its Sunday Evening timeslot on KIKU-TV. JN Productions subsequently has released the entire 43-episode series on DVD under its own label, selling 10,000 units per volume.
At WonderCon, Mr. Ban, who played the lead hero "Jiro", will be signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans at the Super 7 booth from 2:00 pm on Saturday February 19th and Sunday, February 20th. Kikaida, the super-powered android himself, will also make special appearances at WonderCon.
WonderCon will also host a special Kikaida panel discussion, "The Return of Kikaida," on Sunday, February 20th from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, moderated by August Ragone of Henshin! Online, with special guest Joanne Ninomiya, president of JN Productions. This will include an interview with Mr. Ban, who will also take questions from the audience.
Mr. Ban will also be making two special appearances in San Francisco during and after WonderCon: First, there will be an autograph session at Japan Video & Media Inc., located in the Japantown Mall at 1737 Post Street on Saturday, February 19th from 11:00 am to Noon. Kikaida will also be in attendance for photo ops. Then, on Monday, February 21st, there will be a special meet-and-greet with Mr. Ban at the Super 7 Store www.super7store.com , 1630 Post Street in Japantown, starting at 6:30 pm.
Mr. Ban's WonderCon and San Francisco appearances are co-presented by August Ragone of Henshin! Online, Super 7, and Generation Kikaida www.generationkikaida.com .
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