All language subtitles for Daisuke Ban Interviews (480p BluRay x265 Bluespots)_track3_[eng]

Thank you for consenting to this interview.

Thank you for having me.

Jun Mizunoe (Mitsuko) has
quite a few fans in Hawaii.

That's right.

And | read somewhere that
you had feelings for her.

Me?

Yes.

Well, | never read that anywhere.

Actually... well... how should I put it...

From what | heard, Shun
Ueda, who played Hanpen...

In the book Kikaider Sanka,

commemorating the 25th
anniversary of Kikaider...

| was interviewed with Ueda for that.

It was during the interview that Ueda told me...

that Jun had come to him once for advice

because she had a crush on me.

That's why | was surprised and asked
him why he waited so long to tell me.

If he had told me at that time,
| could've...

Well, | could've responded to it.

But it was so long afterwards, so what could | do?

Twenty... twenty-five years later?

Yes. So that's what | heard.

And we shared a few chuckles over it.

You know, maybe,
Ueda carried a torch for Jun.

It's possible... And that's why
he kept silent for so long.

Oh, really?

That's what I heard.

Why do you think
Kikaider was such a big hit?

Well... my impressions now...

After thinking about it rationally...

| believe the story itself was
written in a complete, unified style.

It was a very balanced work.

I mean...

The casting...

Each character was well cast...
and so clearly defined.

That's what I mean by balanced.

For example,
Professor Gill and Dr. Komyojji.

Dr. Komyoji looks very ordinary.

And Mizunoe was cute... very pretty.

And Masaru was a child, yet
he had a maturity about him.

And Hanpen played the role of the comedian.

| called him Japan's Chaplin... he
played that role extremely well.

Also, Kikaider...
The discord he feels within himself.

Because of his incomplete conscience circuit.

And there's Saburo who's
handsome, cool, and rational.

And that's just so...

Oh, and eventually, Saburo becomes Hakaider.

But the entire story has a
great balance of characters.

Among the monsters, is there
one that you particularly liked?

Hmm... the one that made the
deepest impression on me

is the one | first encountered,
Gray Rhino King.

| remember that so clearly.

And the reason is...

The fight scene coordinator,
Mr. Mishima, said to me,

"It's a monster. So act really scared."

So | looked directly at Gray Rhino King.

And saw him as a real monster.

| remember that clearly.

And as we did more episodes,
perhaps | got more lax.

That's why | remember
Gray Rhino King so vividly.

Oh, really?

The writer, Ishinomori,
was a man before his time.

He was able to read the future very clearly.

Absolutely. Take the recent movie, A./.

There are stories going around that
Spielberg saw the Kikaider series in Hawaii.

Anyway, Ishinomori created the story
30... well, 20-some-odd years ago.

But the validity of the work still holds up.

He really thought out the story.

He imagined a robot able to express
human emotions and feelings.

It was extremely close to his heart.

And he wrote a story about it.

A story that was years ahead of its time.

That he was able to create a story
with artificial intelligence as its theme,

so long ago... he was amazing.

Your first trip to Hawaii was
at the end of 1974,

and you stayed through the new year.

Do you remember anything about that visit?

Well... the children...

In children's eyes...

The character Kikaider and
the various monsters...

How should | put it...?

Battling each other in action sequences...

Now that's something
children everywhere revel in.

The battle between good and evil...
rather, what's right and wrong.

For the children, the impact was great.

The monsters were scary, yes.
But the good guys were good.

It's a universal reaction.

They cried and screamed
when the monsters appeared.

And they cheered for the
good- when justice prevailed.

So no matter where,
whether it's Japan or Hawaii,

for the children, the story of
Kikaider transcends boundaries.

That was my first impression
when | came to Hawaii.

Were you surprised that
Kikaider was so popular?

Hmm... | did wonder about it...

Whether it was me personally
or the story of Kikaider.

There were other action stories out there...

So | really wondered about
the popularity of Kikaider.

Regretfully, Gaylord Cambra
passed away in September 2001.

Gaylord was the one who
constantly called me

to bring Kikaider back on KIKU-TV.

And he was a great, great fan of yours.

He truly loved Kikaider, Kikaider 01—
Ikeda-san and you.

If he could hear you now,
what would you say to him?

Well... it's truly regrettable that he died.

But he had such a sincere love for Kikaider.

He passed away shortly after | saw him.

So the only thing I can say

is that he lived in a world of
Kikaider and passed away.

What a wonderful thing

for a person to have died
doing what he truly loved.

The work, Kikaider, was that great a story.

So... how should I put it...

I'm sorry.

I've come to understand the true
power of the story of Kikaider.

| was able to meet Gaylord

and see the kind of person
he had matured into.

It's astonishing, the impact
that Kikaider had.

It is an amazing piece of work.

So to Gaylord, | just want to say...

May you rest in peace.

Finally, | have one more question
before ending this interview.

What would you like to say to
Hawaii's Generation Kikaider?

Well... Gaylord is gone.

However, Kikaider...

| just explained that Gaylord died
embraced by something he loved.

I can say with confidence and pride that
Kikaider is a beautiful piece of work.

So please watch Kikaider
over and over again.

And as you watch,
please ponder the questions:

"Who am I?" and "What is love?"

Keep in mind these questions,
and your answers.

What you will do with the
rest of your life, how you live,

what it means to love.

| hope that through Kikaider,

you find some sense of
purpose and fulfillment.

Thank you for taking time to talk to us.

Thank you for having me.

Thanks for coming in again.

Thanks for having me.

The action scenes in Kikaider
have a very choreographed look to them.

"Chanbara style" - Sword fighting/samurai films.

They're choreographed in
the old “chanbara” style.

There's a beauty to them.
Can you comment?

Actually, the fight scenes in Kikaider
were arranged

in a more modern way rather than
the old samurai action styles.

So trampolines were used...
more like gymnastics.

But take the androids.

| don't want to use
the word "well-behaved,"

but they waited their turn

and their pace was choreographed.

Like their movements were planned
and practiced.

That's where I see the beauty
of the choreography.

I see... well, it was Mishima...

Mishima-sensei was the instructor

and choreographer of
the fighting scenes.

And he did the choreography
in samurai movies.

Many of the fight scene coordinators
started out in samurai movies,

"Tachimawari" - choreographed fighting.

and tachimawari originated
from period dramas.

So Kikaider definitely has retained
the old action styles, in that sense

How to put it...

The fight scenes sort of flow
like a dance sequence.

I sense a touch of sadness in
Kikaider and Jiro.

Perhaps because Jiro was "incomplete,"
we feel compassion for him.

We root for him.

The usual action heroes
are always strong.

But in Jiro,
we feel compassion for him.

| really didn't feel it too much
when doing the role.

But the script itself...

Rather, | think the scriptwriter of
the series tried to bring that out.

The theme focuses on

the incomplete conscience circuit
and the devil circuit.

They're like the different planes
of the human psyche.

And there's bound to be...
some pathos... in that story.

In 1973, NET, currently known
as TV Asahi,

first aired Kikaider, the children's series,
in prime time at 8:00pm.

Were Kamen Rider and Ultraman
also airing at that time?

Rider aired just before Kikaider
at 7:30pm for 30 minutes,

but it was on a rival station.

So at that time, there was Kamen Rider
and Ultraman...

Both very strong heroes.

“Shiro Kazami" - Main character
and titular Rider in Kamen Rider V3.

Your Jiro and Hiroshi Miyauchi's
Shiro Kazami were opposites.

- Sure.
- Are you that way in real life?

Miyauchi and | spoke about that...

Well, we are complete opposites.

Miyauchi is very physical.

And | was the more...
how shall | put it... cerebral.

Although it's not like
| wasn't active.

But we were both aware
of our differences.

So | thought it was fine that
he was strong and physical.

| decided to concentrate on
some other attributes.

Even when we did talk shows together,
we worked it out between us.

There were many action scenes
with explosions and so on.

Kikaider also had vivid scenes
with monsters.

Did you feel any rivalry at that time?

Not too much...
we weren't very competitive.

| was focused on my work on Kikaider,
so | was proud of it.

And Kamen Rider...
and other programs like Ultraman...

You really focus on your own world,
your own program you're working on.

So we didn't really think of the others.

| believe | read in your book that

Masaru's real mother often
stood in as an extra.

The other week, | was watching Kikaider
episode three or four

and I'm sure I saw Toshiaki Kikuchi,
who played Kikaider in the suit.

Did things like that happen often?

We worked together all the time

with the same people
at the studio and on location.

So whenever we needed extras,
we'd just look within the group.

We'd call out to Kikuchi,

"Hey, can you take off your mask
and costume and help in this scene?"

And if Masaru's mother
was on the set,

we'd ask her to walk through
as a passerby.

Even Mishima-san
appeared a few times.

I see. How interesting.

Let's go now to
the popular Kikaider music,

the background music
and the theme songs.

No matter when you listen to it,

then and now, thirty years later,
it's great stuff.

l agree... the music was fabulous.
Chumei Watanabe was the composer.

And he composed “Haru Kureba" for me.

Overall, the music was appropriate
for the series.

All these years later,
I'm in awe of it.

I've noticed that there were quite
a few songs for Jiro.

Listening at the soundtracks and CDs...
this is rather unusual.

To have the song for Jiro
be the springboard

for other songs about him.

That means that Jiro made enough
of an impact in music

that many songs were composed
about him.

Now, what about Saburo's theme?
Hakaider/Saburo was extremely popular.

And the underlying emotion in Saburo's
theme is once again, sadness.

So to match all these
different characters,

there are different types of music...

That shows the brilliance of
Chumei-sensei,

who created music to match
and enhance the images.

And | go back again to
the character and story

of Kikaider which was so complete...

It all starts with the basic story.

You were Daisuke Ban, then
changed your name to Naoya Ban.

But you changed your name
back to Daisuke Ban.

Why is that?

Now you've put me on the spot.

Daisuke Ban is the name that
Ishinomori-sensei gave me.

| completed the Kikaider series in one year.

And | began work on the
next series right after that,

it was called Inazuman.

Since | had ended Kikaider as Daisuke Ban,

I thought it was a good idea

to start off Inazuman
with a name that | chose.

That was my feeling.

I didn't want to continue into
another series with the same name.

| thought it would be better
to make a clean break

with Jiro for the new series.

To start afresh.

| think that was the overriding reason for it...

So I changed to Naoya.

Did you prefer Daisuke Ban?

Well, my mother... until the day she died,

kept insisting that
Daisuke was better than Naoya.

And | didn't change back my
name simply because of that,

but I guess, | knew deep inside
what a great work Kikaider was.

And | went back to Ishinomori-sensei

and told him that | wanted to go
with the name Daisuke, after all.

Of course, Ishinomori-sensei
was very happy.

So it wasn't because my
mother kept telling me

that Daisuke Ban was a good name...

but it stayed with me
and became a part of me.

Kikaider has many stunt scenes.

Did you ever get injured?

Well, | did have a few... not very serious.

I did have about three stitches
on my head once.

And that's on the light side.

So compared to other work I've done,

the injuries sustained on the
Kikaider set were pretty light.

Many fans are asking...

Daisuke Ban,
Shunsuke Ikeda, Jun Mizunoe,

Masahiro Kamiya, and Shun Ueda...

How were the other stars?

Off the set and out of
character, what were they like?

I think you can picture them
just as they were on the series.

They aren't much different.

Oh, really?

But what about Mitsuo Ando, Professor Gill?

I've heard that he really got into the role?

Well, in order to play such a role...
to throw yourself into that role...

You have to be a very
powerful type of person.

And that's how he is.

And he's the type to
pay attention to details,

to the point of getting the
role absolutely correct.

So it fit his personality.

Is Ueda-san like Hanpei Hattori, too?

Yes, he's just like that.
Even out of that role, he's like that.

The guitar, the Sidemachine,
and the Kikaider costume.

Did they need to be replaced or repaired often?

Yes... the guitar was required
in many action scenes.

So... | believe during the one year
in which | played the character,

| went through five guitars.

So | used to think, back then,
why must we use the guitar?

Why not take it off and fight?

| remember asking the director about that.

I mean, you never had enough
around, because they broke so easily.

Why do you think Kikaider
was such a hit in Hawaii?

| believe that the people of
Hawaii have strong feelings.

So they're very sentimental...
they feel emotions very strongly.

Like Kikaider... he's portrayed
as a very sensitive being.

So | think that the people of Hawaii were
able to accept and understand that.

They didn't just absorb it with their heads,

they saw and accepted it with their hearts.

And that goes for the actors, too.

Thinking back about myself,
Mizunoe-kun, Ue-chan, everyone...

We played the roles with our hearts.

I think that the people of Hawaii were
able to understand and feel our efforts.

I think so...

When | mentioned to people in Japan

that Kikaider was a big hit
in Hawaii, they laugh.

However, in Hawaii, when we mentioned
that Kikaider was coming back,

they took it seriously.

So you're right about what you just said.

| agree.

There's one thing | dislike
about grown-ups in Japan.

When it comes to children's
programming or works,

they tend to look down on them.

They'll say, "Well, I'm an adult.
I don't watch monster programs."

And from that point, there's
a break in communications.

It makes me want to ask them,
"Well then, what is an adult?"

Children and adults are alike... we're
all humans- with hearts, feelings.

| want to tell them, try viewing
the programs as adults.

But the Japanese aren't as
accepting of that, not as open.

That's what it feels like.

In that sense, the people
of Hawaii are so different.

They're so open and easy to approach.

That's where | see a difference.

Hello, Ban-san.

Thank you for consenting to
the interview today.

Your visit to Hawaii makes
this interview possible.

But I'd like to ask more questions
for the Kikaider DVD.

Certainly.

About the Kikaider script...
and how we perceive it.

It seems as though the actors were
given the freedom

to develop and define
the characters as the drama unfolded.

What do you think?

Well, now that's quite
a difficult question.

We're getting into a deep topic.

Your point that the characters
in the story

came alive one by one...

| think that's how the work itself
came alive.

The character personalities developed

and various conflicts arose from that.

It gradually gave the story
more and more depth.

Was that the screenwriter's
intention?

Or Ishinomori-sensei's?
Or the director's?

Whose idea was it?

Well...

The creator, Ishinomori-sensei,
didn't have that much control.

Maybe the producer...

I think you had to be on
the set to control such things.

But looking back...

There's one director whom
| really remember.

He was Director Hatakeyama.

And we'd definitely... um...

After a day's shooting,
we'd stop by a pub

and talk about what we'd just shot,
over a few drinks.

And we'd talk about our interpretation
of the story and characters,

and feel each other out about that.

| have memories of
conversations like that.

So | think the director
had a lot to do with that.

And myself included,
and people like Hanpen...

| think we all contributed
to creating the characters.

So Jiro's character...

After a day's shoot,

you'd further develop Jiro's character
with Director Hatakeyama?

Yes. Things like that left
a big impression on me.

As for what we discussed...
well, how can I put it...

The android... the robot...
having human qualities.

The, sort of, sadness of being a machine...

It put me on the opposite
end of the spectrum.

Because | was a robot,
| had to act even more "human."

| remember discussions
along that line.

Masaru's mother, Mrs. Kamiya,

and at times, even
the fight scene choreographer...

We see them in episodes from time to time.

Did that happen often?

Yes, well...

When we shot on location,
it was difficult to get people to be extras.

So people who had come
along on the shoot,

like Masaru's mother...
were used as extras.

That did happen quite often.

In 2001, you had an autobiography
published titled,

"A Pause in My Journey."

Was there anything in this journal

that made a great impact or
surprised the Kikaider fans who read it?

Hmm... | think I'd have to
read it over again to say.

Well... Rather than being about
Kikaider in particular,

it's more a history of my life.

It is more a story of my life...
my take on life.

My relationship with my father
and my mother.

And about the days of my youth.

So it's really about my life and
not so much about Kikaider.

It explains who Daisuke Ban is...
that this is the life he's led.

So for Kikaider fans, it may not
be very enlightening.

l also read the book.

It was written for Daisuke Ban fans,
about Daisuke Ban.

And | think the fans
probably enjoyed reading it most.

You think so?
You're probably right about that.

About your fans and fan clubs in Japan...

You visit Hawaii quite often.

So the Generation Kikaider fans
have quite a few opportunities

to see and meet you.

Are there any differences?

Well... | think they're exactly the same.

And | wonder why.

As far as "generation,"

the fans in Japan and
Hawaii are no different at all.

The way they view Jiro and Kikaider...

To me, their perception of
the characters is identical.

So | believe,

as far as Kikaider and Jiro are concerned,

the fans have the same feelings.

| agree.

However... | notice a cultural difference.

For instance, the Japanese
fans are more reserved

than their Hawaiian counterparts.

And the fans here are, how can | put it...

They're a bit different when they're all together.

Do you also sense that
when you view them

as someone on the outside looking in?

Of course, the way they perceive
the series itself is identical.

| agree. So | think that's just...

Well, the Hawaiian...

..-even the American style.

A characteristic of being from here.

| think there's that slight difference.

For example, in Japan...

I'm sure there's a desire to get together

and have camaraderie.

But | think the reticence in expressing

that desire is part of Japanese nature.

Let's talk about the locations
where Kikaider was shot.

Famous places, places of interest...

Are there any famous places
or easily accessible places

that fans who go to Japan can visit?

Let's see...

There are quite a few famous places.

But as for an easily accessible place...
maybe Yokohama Dreamland.

It's right in Yokohama,
very close to Tokyo.

But Dreamland no longer exists...

Yes, it's gone.
There are places that no longer exist.

What else?

The sand dunes in Tottori.

Although lately, you don't hear
much talk about the dunes.

And | haven't been there
in recent years either.

Other than that...

I guess there are hotels...
the hot spring hotels.

Are there any that are still in business?

Quite a few, | believe.
Like Dan Ko-en Hotel...

But Namekawa Island may be gone.

I think it is.

| understand that the Kikaider
fans in Japan

do their own checking of
location spots and

will visit places of interest close to Tokyo.

In Japan, a few fan clubs— some
people that I'm acquainted with—

had a gathering at a place called
Oizumi where we shot Kikaider.

On the Kikaider set...

On location, you were injured.

| believe it was during a diving scene.

That's right.

Was that the only time you sustained injuries?

Besides that, there was one
other time. What was it?

| was riding the Sidemachine...
the motorcycle.

| remember! And | rammed into
the camera tripod.

With the Sidemachine?

Yes. The tripod broke, although
the camera was undamaged.

And... | believe the assistant
director was slightly hurt.

A few minor scrapes, | think.

| remember feeling relieved that that was all.

But you have so many action scenes.

What about the other actors?

The actors who are in the suits?
Was anyone ever hurt?

Hmm... Nothing major.

Cuts and scrapes come with the job.
But nothing serious.

I've been hurt, but | can't remember
others being in accidents.

You're probably asked this often.

The summer of 2001
at the All Collectors Show,

the Kikaider Brothers
returned to Hawaii.

Kikaider was also there in costume.

And on KIKU-TV,

Kikaider returned to the
airwaves in the autumn of 2001.

This has led to a resurgence
in Kikaider's popularity.

How do you feel about that?

Well...

I'm quite surprised that a
project in which I was involved

has been so well received yet again.

I mean, really surprised.

So... how can | put it without sounding trite?

I'm glad | had the role... that | was the actor.

And at the same time,

I'm full of gratitude for the enthusiasm

with which Kikaider has been accepted.

Thank you for sitting down
and talking to us today.

My pleasure.