Interview with Tetsuya Shima Author Bob Johnson Websites: Tetsuya Shima on YouTube and Tetsuya Shima`s Facebook Page. From all appearances, Tetsuya Shima appears to be a normal Japanese college student, growing up in Japan. He spends his time swimming, watching movies, surfing the Internet and playing musical instruments. But, it is the musical instruments that make him unique. As Tetsuya puts it, “I have absolute pitch or perfect pitch, which helps me to make sheets by ear.” These sheets include a myriad of piano interpretations of Japanese superhero theme songs. While scanning through YouTube one day, I came across a video of a piano keyboard. The person playing was not visible, aside from arms and knees, but the playing was unique and the interpretation of the themesong from KIKAIDA kept me watching and then had me searching for more. After contacting Tetsuya, I decided his story was worth telling and his talent worth exposing to an audience beyond YouTube.

SciFi Japan -Tell us about yourself. What is your background?

Tetsuya Shima - I`m a twenty year-old college student majoring in computer science. I have a part time job as a private teacher teaching science and math to a junior high school student. Now I`m trying to improve my English, for thanks to YouTube I got many foreign friends who love Tokusatsu, and have the opportunity to chat with them through MSN messenger, YahooIM or Skype. In most case we have chatting by typing text, but I`m dreaming to be able to do voice chat, Yes I want to be bilingual !!

When I was a toddler my parents found that I have a very strong interest in the piano by chance. According to my parents, one day they went to a department store. As they were passing through the musical instruments department, I suddenly made a beeline for the piano. Then I climbed on the chair and hit the key as if I went to crazy for a very long time. When my parents forced me to leave the piano to go home, I began to cry very loudly. Every time they took me the department store, this happened. Finally they bought me a small piano, and I played it almost all day everyday. After several months passed, when I was three years old, they let me enter a music school for kids. Looking back my childhood days, I was always playing catch or having fun time outdoor with my friends. As you can see on my photo album named "myself" on Facebook, I had experienced many sports activities, such as kendo, baseball, swimming, tennis and badminton. To be honest I was NOT an eager student of the piano school. In every lesson, I was always scolded by my piano teacher because I didn`t practice at all. But it doesn`t mean I dislike playing the piano. I hate practicing classical music. Instead I played J-POP and Tokusatsu song freely.

SFJ -Where in Japan do you live?

Shima - Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture. My family moved to this city from Kamakura city when I was ten years old.

SFJ - When did you start playing piano?

Shima - I began to take lessons by teacher at the age of three. However when I entered junior high school, I quit taking lessons because I became busy with club activity (tennis club) and studying. Since then I`ve been teaching myself.

SFJ - Is piano the only instrument that you play?

Shima - I also play the electric guitar, and recently I began to practice the flute.

SFJ - Did you grow up a fan of tokusatsu, anime and superheroes?

Shima - Telling truth, I never watch anime in spite of the fact I`ve posted the theme songs of NARUTO and ONE PIECE. The reason I played anime songs is to get much attention and popularity on YouTube.

When I was 8 years old, my cousin showed me a video of KAMEN RIDER, which was originally aired in 1972. Then I got to love old tokusatsu stuff. In other word, my cousin made me a Tokusatsu lover. When I was in junior high school, I was dying for being a stuntman who acts Sentai hero and Kamen Rider. I also dreamed about being a singer who sings Tokusatsu themes, such as Ichiro Mizuki, Hironobu Kageyama, Akira Kushida, Takayuki Miyauchi.

SFJ - What were your favorite TV shows and movies?

Shima - Movies of Kamen Rider and Sentai. Especially I love movies made by Toei in the Showa period. Especially my favorite is KAIKETSU ZUBAT. I have all episodes and you can see some episodes with English subtitle on my another account "kuroto2008" on YouTube. Besides Tokusatsu I love reality shows and documentaries of Discovery Channel, like AMERICAN GLADIATORS, FEAR FACTOR, MYTH BUSTERS, TAKASHI’S CASTLE and AIR CRASH INVESTIGATOR.

SFJ - How did you decide to do piano versions of your favorite theme songs?

Shima - First I simply wanted to show off my skill and to get world wide popularity. Second I wanted to know how many foreign people love Japanese Tokusatsu and anime. Third I wanted to make acquaintance of Tokusatsu lovers beyond the border.

SFJ - Do you hope to do more with your talent? Recording or performances?

Shima - Yes. I`m satisfied with the present condition more or less but I want to play other musical instruments to my movies. If there`s opportunity I want to take part in some events overseas related with Tokusatsu and want to make piano performance. Sometime I might make "Jazz version" of Tokusatsu songs; I`m planning about it now.

SFJ - Would you like to write original themes for TV shows?

Shima - No. I prefer singing theme songs to composing them. Plus what I want to do for Tokusatsu is a voice actor of villains or a narrator in Tokusatsu TV shows, because I`m often said that I have a deep and nice voice. Tetsuya Shima would like to meet and share his interests with other fans. Please look him up at his Facebook Page.