, a.k.a. Moonbeam Man, is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in Japanese

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War fi ...

and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

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. Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

. Moonlight Mask's popularity resulted in the appearance of several other Japanese superhero characters soon thereafter, including ''Iron Sharp'' a.k.a. ''Space Chief'' (from 1961's '' Invasion of the Neptune Men''). and the ''

Planet Prince is a 1958 Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series created by Masaru Igami and produced by Senkosha, the series aired on NTV from November 4, 1958 to October 6, 1959, with a total of 49 episodes (comprising four separate adventures). I ...

'' TV series (1958) Kawauchi followed-up the success of ''Moonlight Mask'' with the tokusatsu superhero shows '' Seven Color Mask'' (1959) and ''

Messenger of Allah Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

'' (1960), both starring a young

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later to an international audience. Born in Fukuo ...

Japan's first TV superhero

Whereas

Super Giant is a Japanese superhero featured in a successful series of serial-like tokusatsu short feature films produced between 1957 and 1959 by Shintoho (the non-union branch of Toho). He is also known in Japan as , is known in The United States as St ...

(Starman) is Japan's first celluloid superhero, debuting in movies in 1957,Galbraith, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films''. McFarland and Co., Inc. 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; see Liability issues and cancellation below).

Identity

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-style

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

(pinned with a "moon" ornament), Moonlight Mask is armed with a whip, two six-shooters,

shuriken A is a Japanese concealed weapon used by samurai or ninja or in martial arts as a hidden dagger or '' metsubushi'' to distract or misdirect. History The origins of the ''bo-shuriken'' in Japan are still unclear, despite continuing researc ...

and moon-shaped

boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool typically constructed with airfoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight, designed to return to the thrower. The origin of the word is from Australian Aborigin ...

s, and rides a motorcycle. However, only audiences know that Moonlight Mask could very well be detective , who seems to disappear from his friends just before the caped crusader rides to the rescue on 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 TV series

The original B&W ''Moonlight Mask'' (月光仮面)

TV drama series, produced by the advertising agency Senkosha, was aired on KRTV (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 by Koichi Ose.

TV series story arcs

*''Skull Mask'' (どくろ仮面 - ''Dokuro Kamen'') - Episodes 1-71, 71 episodes (broadcast from 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 daikaiju, Mammoth Kong. *''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 six theatrical movies (1958–1959)

To coincide with the Nippon 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 the

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 by Fumitake Omura. *''Moonlight Mask'' (月光仮面 - ''Gekkō Kamen'') July 30, 1958; Directed by

Tsuneo Kobayashi was a Japanese anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. Howe ...

*''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

*''Moonlight Mask - The Claws 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 *''Moonlight Mask - The Monster Kong'' (月光仮面 - 怪獣コング - ''Gekkō Kamen - Kaijū Kongu'') a.k.a. ''The Monster Gorilla''; 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'') a.k.a. ''The Challenging Ghost''; 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'') a.k.a. ''The Last Death of the Devil''; August 4, 1959, Directed by Shoichi Shimazu

Manga adaptation

A few months after the show first aired, a

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

(comic book) 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''.

Liability issues and cancellation

Children watching superhero shows sometimes attempted to imitate the hero's dangerous feats, and ''Moonlight 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.

The 1972 anime series

The

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 JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

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 in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

under the title '' Centella''. Japanese

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

Michihiro 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.

Anime 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

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 also 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 Etsuko Shihomi, Daijiro Harada and Takayuki Godai, 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-

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 TMS-Kyokuichi, animated by Actas, and broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.COA.

Parodies

''Kekkō Kamen''

Prolific

manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...

Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of Japanese science fiction, science fiction, fantasy, Japanese horror, horror, and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', b ...

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 A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses Superpower (ability), ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, t ...

who wears a red mask, scarf, an occasional cape, gloves, boots and nothing else. She has various weapons like

nunchaku is a traditional East-Asian martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately (sticks) and (rope). A person who has pract ...

and a feather on her mask.

''Moonlight Knight''

In the anime ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

'', 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.

''Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo Masaru-san''

In the anime '' Sexy 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.

''Spectreman''

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.

''Yo-Kai Watch''

The second entry of the Yo-Kai Watch video game series produced by Level-5 features an in-universe fictional character called "Guts Kamen", or "Moximous Mask" in the English translation, who is modeled after Showa period superheroes in general, and Moonlight Mask in particular.

''My neighbors the Yamadas''

in the movie '' My 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.

References

External links

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InfoPreview
{{Actas Television characters introduced in 1958 1972 anime television series debuts 1999 anime television series debuts Fantasy anime and manga Nippon Television original programming TV Tokyo original programming Jiro Kuwata Tokusatsu films Tokusatsu television series TMS Entertainment