Anime Jungle Welcomes KIKAIDA Star Ban Daisuke to Los Angeles

Ban Daisuke, star of KIKAIDA, KIKAIDA-01, and INAZUMAN, will make a special appearance at Anime Jungle in Los Angeles next month. Photo courtesy of Generation Kikaida. © 1972 Ishinomori Production Inc. and Toei Co., Ltd.

Autograph Sessions, Parade, Dinner, and More During Nisei Week Festival, August 14-15 Source: Anime Jungle, JN Productions and Generation Kikaida Special Thanks to Tetsu Shiota, Yoichi K, and Joanne Ninomiya

Anime Jungle, purveyors of everything anime in Japantown is proud to present an autograph session with Mr. Ban Daisuke, star of KIKAIDA (Jinzo Ningen Kikaida, 1972), KIKAIDA 01 (1973), and INAZUMAN (1973) at the upcoming Nisei Week Festival in Los Angeles. KIKAIDA took the Hawaiian Islands by storm over 35 years ago, and still going strong in Hawaii and the mainland due to the successful English-subtitled version of the DVD Box Sets. KIKAIDA, based on an original story by manga artist and writer Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider), was produced as a tokusatsu (live action) by Toei Movie Company for television in the mid-seventies. A classic good-versus evil tale, the show pitted a guitar-playing, denim-clad young biker named Jiro, played by actor Ban Daisuke, against the evil DARK, a shadowy criminal organization bent on wreaking havoc upon Japan and the world. Professor Gill (Ando Mitsuo), the mastermind behind all the evil plots, has kidnapped brilliant robotics scientist Dr. Komyoji (Izu Hajime) and forced him to build a battalion of android monsters to serve Gill`s malicious ends. The only one who can save Japan from Gill`s evil designs is Jiro, himself a Komyoji creation. Jiro, actually the human form of an android, can transform into the mechanized superhero Kikaida. KIKAIDA premiered on the Japanese channel NET (Nihon Educational Television, now TV Asahi) on July 8, 1972 and ran for forty three episodes. In February 1974, the series debuted in Hawaii on the Japanese-language station KIKU-TV. KIKAIDA was followed by the sequel series KIKAIDA-01 (1973) which was also shown on KIKU-TV.

Meet Ban Daisuke at various events in Los Angeles` Japantown, August 14-15. Photo courtesy of Generation Kikaida.

In addition to his roles in the KIKAIDA and INAZUMAN series, Ban Daisuke can be seen in films and TV series such as NINJA CAPTOR (Ninja Kyaputaa, 1976), BATTLE FEVER J (Batoru Fîbaa Jei, 1979), SHINTARO KATSU`S ZATOICHI (1989), GRIDMAN (Denkou Choujin Guriddoman, 1993), BLOOD OF THE SAMURAI (2004), and PREMONITION (Yogen, 2004). He also had a recurring role as Dr. Heihachiro Ikuma in the hugely popular RING J-Horror movie franchise, with appearances in THE RING (Ringu, 1998), SPIRAL (Rasen, 1998), THE RING 2 (Ringu 2, 1999), and RING 0: BIRTHDAY (Ringu 0: Basudei, 2000). WHAT: Mr. Ban Daisuke and Cosplay Kikaida WHEN/WHERE: Sat. August 14th 3:00-4:00 pm Autograph Session at Japanese Village Plaza Sat. August 14th 6:30 pm Dinner & Talk Show ($40.00 Admission) at Salon de Cafe Focus Sun. August 15th 5:30 pm Nisei Week Parade with Cosplayers Sun. August 15th 8:00-8:30 pm Autograph Session at Little Tokyo Village KIKAIDA 01, INAZUMAN, and KAMEN RIDER V3, all fully-subtitled Box Sets produced by JN Productions in Honolulu, will be on sale with other superhero-themed goods. Tickets for the Dinner & Talk Show will be soon available for purchase at the Anime Jungle store in Los Angeles as well the Jungle website. Seating is limited, and tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Anime Jungle is located at 319 East 2nd Street #103, Los Angeles, CA 90012. For further details call 213-621-1661.