7-Color Mask
Encyclopedia
is the name and title character of a tokusatsu
TV series, later called .
Created by Kōhan Kawauchi
(who also created Moonlight Mask
), this B&W
TV show was the first-ever superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd.
. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi)
from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes (divided into 7 segments).
Aside from being Toei's first superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba
(who was 19 at the time), who took over the title role from Susumu Wajima after Episode 32.
The hero of this series is a young detective named Kotarō Ran, who, unknown to anyone (even his friends), is a master of disguise, utilizing 7 different personalities. Most of his disguises are odd characters, like a magician and a cigar-smoking Indian, but Kotarō's 7th disguise is the 2-gun-toting caped, golden-masked superhero - 7-Color Mask!
This series was "remade" by creator Kawauchi in 1972 as Warrior of Love, Rainbowman
, and it is also considered an inspiration behind Go Nagai
's Cutey Honey.
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 series, later called .
Created by 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....
(who also created Moonlight Mask
Moonlight Mask
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....
), this B&W
B&W
-Companies:* Babcock and Wilcox, an American manufacturing company * Brown & Williamson, a former American tobacco company, now merged with R. J...
TV show was the first-ever superhero TV series by Toei Company Ltd.
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...
. It was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi)
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
from June 3, 1959 to June 30, 1960, with a total of 57 episodes (divided into 7 segments).
Aside from being Toei's first superhero show, this series was also the debut of actor Sonny Chiba
Sonny Chiba
, also known as Sonny Chiba, is a Japanese actor, singer, film producer, film director and martial artist.Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience.- Early life :Born in Fukuoka, Fukuoka,...
(who was 19 at the time), who took over the title role from Susumu Wajima after Episode 32.
The hero of this series is a young detective named Kotarō Ran, who, unknown to anyone (even his friends), is a master of disguise, utilizing 7 different personalities. Most of his disguises are odd characters, like a magician and a cigar-smoking Indian, but Kotarō's 7th disguise is the 2-gun-toting caped, golden-masked superhero - 7-Color Mask!
This series was "remade" by creator Kawauchi in 1972 as Warrior of Love, Rainbowman
Rainbowman
is the name and titular superhero of the tokusatsu TV series sometimes known as . Created by Kōhan Kawauchi, this was the first superhero TV series produced by Toho Company Ltd., and was broadcast on NET from October 6, 1972 to September 18, 1973, with a total of 52 episodes...
, and it is also considered an inspiration behind 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...
's Cutey Honey.