Kamen no Ninja Akakage explained

Kamen no Ninja Akakage
Ja Kanji:仮面の忍者 赤影
Type:manga
Author:Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Publisher:Shogakukan
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Weekly Shōnen Sunday
First:1966
Last:1967
Volumes:3
Type:Drama
Studio:Kansai Telecasting Corporation
Toei Company
Network:Kansai TV, Fuji TV
First:April 5, 1967
Last:March 27, 1968
Episodes:52
Type:live film
Tobidasu Bouken Eiga: Akakage
Director:Junji Kurata
Music:Hirooki Ogawa
Released:July 20, 1969
Studio:Toei
Runtime:52 minutes
Magazine:Weekly Shonen Champion
Publisher:Akita Shoten
Author:Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Imprint:Shonen Champion Comics
Demographic:Shonen
First:September 18, 1987
Last:April 15, 1988
Volumes:3
Shin Kamen no Ninja Akakage
Type:TV series
Director:Susumu Ishizaki
Music:Shunsuke Kikuchi
Studio:Toei Animation
Network:Nippon TV
First:13 October 1987
Last:22 March 1988
Episodes:23
Developer:Shouei
Publisher:Toei Animation
Genre:Action
Platforms:Famicom
Released:May 20, 1988
Type:live film
Red Shadow
Director:Hiroyuki Nakano
Music:Toshiyuki Kishi
Studio:Toei
Released:August 11, 2001
Runtime:108 minutes
Gross:¥700 million
Kamen no Ninja Akakage Remains
Author:Masaomi Kanzaki
Publisher:Akita Shoten
Imprint:Play Comic Series
Magazine:Play Comic
First:May 25, 2012
Last:May 25, 2014
Volumes:4
Demographic:Seinen

is a Japanese manga series written and Illustrated by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It was originally serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1966 to 1967.

The manga was adapted into a 52-episode tokusatsu series by Toei and was broadcast on Kansai TV and Fuji TV from April 1967 to March 1968, followed by a film adaptation in 1969. A 26-episode anime adaptation by Toei Animation was broadcast on Nippon TV from October 1987 to March 1988. A second live-action film that serves as a loose adaptation, titled Red Shadow was released in 2001.

Plot

The story is set in the late sixteenth century when Japan was in the midst of a long period of civil wars. While some seek to unite Japan in order to bring peace, there are others who encourage conflict in order to bring more power to themselves. Akakage, Aokage, and Shirokage are all good ninjas working for those who seek peace and unity across Japan. The ninjas use their superhuman fighting powers and high-tech gadgets to battle against evil warlords and their daikaiju (giant monsters).

Characters

Akakage

Portrayed by: Yuzaburo Sakaguchi (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Masanobu Ando (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa (1987 Anime)

is a ninja who wears a red-and-black costume and a stylized red mask. He is the best swordsman of the three and a master of disguise. The crystal in his mask fires an energy beam. Akakage appears on the scene proclaiming "Akakage Sanjō!"

Aokage

Portrayed by: Yoshinobu Kaneko (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Jun Murakami (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (1987 Anime)

is a young boy who plays with explosives and uses a chain weapon.

Shirokage

Portrayed by: Fuyukichi Maki (1967 TV Series and 1969 Film), Naoto Takenaka (Red Shadow)

Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (1987 Anime)

is an old man who is armed with a pole weapon and flies using a large kite.

Media

1967 Tokusatsu series

, was produced by Toei Company Ltd., and aired on KTV and Fuji TV from April 5, 1967, to March 27, 1968, with a total of 52 episodes (divided into four segments). Akakage was played by Yuzaburo Sakaguchi, Aokage was played by Yoshinobu Kaneko and Shirokage was played by Fuyukichi Maki.

Development

This was Toei's first color tokusatsu superhero show and Japan's first color live-action ninja TV series.[1] Aokage's footage from the series was used to create several Watari films with the titles like The Magic Sword of Watari (not to be confused with the unrelated 1966 film Watari, Ninja Boy).[2]

1987 anime series

is the anime adaptation produced by Toei that aired on Nippon Television from October 13, 1987, to March 22, 1988, with a total of 23 episodes. The complete series was released on DVD by Toei Video on June 10, 2015.

Video game

A video game was created based on the anime version. It was released in 1988, by Toei, for the Famicom.[3] The game music was composed by J-Walk.

2001 live-action film

See main article: Red Shadow (film).

is a loose adaptation of the original Kamen no Ninja Akakage series. It was released in 2001 and was directed by Hiroyuki Nakano. It stars Masanobu Andō in the title role. The story, characters, and their costumes were, however, re-designed from scratch.

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185088/ Kamen no ninja Aka-Kage (1967)
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0203665/ The Magic Sword of Watari (1970)
  3. Web site: http://syuriken.com/ninja_content/ninja-games-fc.htm . ja:忍者ゲーム 【ファミコン】 . 2011-07-05 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20090225120959/http://syuriken.com/ninja_content/ninja-games-fc.htm . 2009-02-25 . ja.