Warrior of Love Rainbowman (TV 1972-1973)

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Kawauchi Trilogy series
None
Warrior of Love Rainbowman
Diamond Eye
Warrior of Love Rainbowman
Warrior of Love Rainbowman (1972 series)
Air date October 6, 1972 -
September 28, 1973
Directed by Takeshi Yamada et al.
Producer(s) Masayoshi Kataoka, Koichi Noguchi
Written by Tsunehisa Ito et al.;
Kohan Kawauchi (story)
Music by Jun Kitahara
Special
effects by
Sadamasa Arikawa
Production companies NET, Toho
Channel(s) NET
Genre(s) Tokusatsu
Episodes 52

Warrior of Love Rainbowman (愛の戦士レインボーマン,   Ai no Senshi Reinbōman), originally aired as simply Rainbowman (レインボーマン,   Reinbōman),[note 1] is a tokusatsu series co-produced by NET and Toho which aired from October 6, 1972 to September 28, 1973. It is the first in a trilogy of unconnected superhero stories authored by Kohan Kawauchi, being followed up by Diamond Eye in 1973.

An anime adaptation of the series was also later produced in 1982 by Tsuchida Productions.

Plot

Takeshi Yamato was an undisciplined professional wrestler who fought frivolously in the ring, putting no care into how he won a match. After being kicked off of the team for being too violent, he traveled to India to train with a yogi saint named Deva Datta. He taught Yamato discipline and granted him the ability to transform into Rainbowman. Rainbowman battles magical monsters created by the witch Iguana, hired by Mr. K, a World War II veteran who abhors Japan. Together with Mr. K's terrorist army, the Die-Die Gang, they seek to destroy Rainbowman and the whole of Japan.

Episodes

Warrior of Love Rainbowman's 52 episodes are split across four story arcs, as noted by their DVD releases.

Episode no. Title Director(s) Writer(s) Air date
Overall Arc
Operation Cat's Eye (キャッツアイ作戦編)
1 1 "The Miraculous Holy Man" Takeshi Yamada Tsunehisa Ito 1972/10/06
2 2 "The Birth of Rainbowman" Takashi Nagano 1972/10/13
3 3 "Rainbow Dash 7" 1972/10/20
4 4 "The Macanese Murder Show" Takeshi Yamada 1972/10/27
5 5 "The Die-Die Gang Conspiracy" 1972/11/03
6 6 "5 Hours of Evil Have Come!" Takashi Nagano 1972/11/10
7 7 "Operation Cat's Eye Makes Landfall" 1972/11/17
8 8 "The Lonely Battle" Takeshi Yamada 1972/11/24
9 9 "Takeshi's Gone Mad" 1972/12/01
10 10 "Kill Them All!" Takashi Nagano 1972/12/08
11 11 "Spring the Trap!" 1972/12/15
12 12 "Critical Moment!!" Takeshi Yamada Yoichi Onaka 1972/12/22
13 13 "The Great Rainbow Operation" Tsunehisa Ito 1972/12/29
Operation M (M作戦篇)
14 1 "The Horrifying Operation M" Takashi Nagano Tsunehisa Ito 1973/01/05
15 2 "The Professional Killers" 1973/01/12[note 2]
16 3 "Revenge of the Pro Killer Garuma" Hiroyasu Sahara Tsunehisa Ito,
Koei Yoshihara
1973/01/19
17 4 "Witchcraft: The Human Fossil" Takeshi Yamada Yoichi Onaka 1973/01/26
18 5 "Hoshikko's Transformation" Tsunehisa Ito 1973/02/02
19 6 "Race! The Flying Squirrel Technique" Takashi Nagano 1973/02/09
20 7 "Thwart Operation M!" 1973/02/16
21 8 "Defeat the Sparkman!!" Takeshi Yamada 1973/02/23
22 9 "Rescue One Hundred Million People!!" Hiroyasu Sahara 1973/03/02
23 10 "There's Their Base!!" Takashi Nagano 1973/03/09
24 11 "A Man's Promise" 1973/03/16
25 12 "By Dawn, the Witch Vanished" Takeshi Yamada 1973/03/23
26 13 "The Secret Base is Destroyed!!" 1973/03/30
Mograd (モグラート編)
27 1 "Revenge of the Die-Die Gang" Takashi Nagano Tatsuo Tamura 1973/04/06
28 2 "Search for the Subterrene Mograd!" 1973/04/13
29 3 "Demon Squadron DAC" Takeshi Yamada Tsunehisa Ito 1973/04/20
30 4 "The Mograd Destruction Operation" 1973/04/27
31 5 "The Terrifying Explosions" Hideo Rokushika Takayuki Kase 1973/05/04
32 6 "Cyborg Pagora" 1973/05/11
33 7 "DACer Air Force, Sortie!" Hiroyasu Sahara Tsunehisa Ito 1973/05/18
34 8 "The Hollow Tornado Technique" Tatsuo Tamura 1973/05/25
35 7 "The Shadowy Black Hand" Takeshi Yamada 1973/06/01
36 8 "Your Lover is an Assassin" Takayuki Kase 1973/06/08
37 9 "The Zone X Destruction Order!!" Hideo Rokushika Tsunehisa Ito 1973/06/15
38 10 "Detonate the ABCD Line" Hiroyasu Sahara Tatsuo Tamura 1973/06/22
39 11 "The Last Day for Tokyo" Takeshi Yamada Tsunehisa Ito 1973/06/29
The Cyborg Army (サイボーグ軍団編)
40 1 "Operation Diamond Heist" Hideo Rokushika Tatsuo Tamura 1973/07/06
41 2 "Face the First Cyborg" Tsunehisa Ito 1973/07/13
42 3 "The Thousand Kilometer Chase!" Takeshi Yamada Tatsuo Tamura 1973/07/20
43 4 "I Swear by the Sun and Earth!" 1973/07/27
44 5 "The Rainbow Combination Technique" Hideo Rokushika Tsunehisa Ito 1973/08/03
45 6 "Doctor Borg's Obsession" Tsunehisa Ito,
Tatsuo Tamura
1973/08/10
46 7 "The Cyborg Slave Force" Takeshi Yamada Tatsuo Tamura 1973/08/17
47 8 "The Black Star is a Cursed Mark" Tsunehisa Ito 1973/08/24
48 9 "Duel the Masked Devil" Hiroyasu Sahara Tatsuo Tamura 1973/08/31
49 10 "Burn Up! The Decisive Match" Tsunehisa Ito 1973/09/07
50 11 "The Wild Bullet!" Susumu Kodama Tatsuo Tamura 1973/09/14
51 12 "Mission for the Cross" Hideo Rokushika Tsunehisa Ito 1973/09/21
52 13 "On a Rainbow He Soars, Warrior of Love" Takeshi Yamada Tatsuo Tamura 1973/09/28

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

  • Directed by   Takeshi Yamada, Takashi Nagano, Hiroyasu Sahara, Hideo Rokushika, Susumu Kodama
  • Written by   Tsunehisa Ito, Yoichi Onaka, Koei Yoshihara, Tatsuo Tamura, Takayuki Kase
  • Based on a story by   Kohan Kawauchi
  • Produced by   Masayoshi Kataoka, Koichi Noguchi
  • Music by   Jun Kitahara
  • Cinematography by   Fumio Tajima
  • Edited by   Yasuo Hiraki
  • Production design by   Toshio Mamada
  • Assistant directors   Hideo Rokushika, Masami Masuko
  • Director of special effects   Sadamasa Arikawa

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Kunihisa Mizutani   as   Takeshi Yamato / Rainbowman Dash 7
  • Shobun Inoue   as   Deva Datta, Indian sage
  • Kanuko Motoyama   as   Tami Yamato, Takeshi's mother
  • Eriko Ishikawa   as   Miyuki Yamato, Takeshi's sister
  • Hiroshi Koizumi   as   Ichiro Yamato, Takeshi's father
  • Junji Masuda   as   Kyuzo Yamato, Takeshi's grandfather
  • Megumi Ito   as   Yoshie Mizuno, Takeshi's lover
  • Masao Murata   as   Shozo "Wresky" Mizuno, Yoshie's father
  • Takehiko Ono   as   Hotta, gas station worker
  • Hajime Kurata   as   Yoshioka, wrestling team captain
  • Junji Yamazaki   as   Iron Yappa, ex-gangster and oden shop owner
  • Machiko Washio   as   Sakura, girl living in Macau
  • Yoichi Sase   as   Roko, Sakura's younger brother
  • Hiroshi Nagashima   as   Detective Kitamura, Josai Police Department detective
  • Michio Kida   as   Genkichi Matsumae, man kidnapped by the Die-Die Gang
  • Hiroaki Kaji   as   Mabo, Genkichi's grandson
  • Moto Noguchi   as   Japanese cabinet minister
  • Shiro Kuno
  • Osman Yusuf   as   Daringer
  • Takashi Asakura
  • Rumiko Mori
  • Akihiko Hirata   as   Mr. K
  • Mayumi Yamabuki   as   Dianna
  • Mieko Saegusa   as   Mitchy
  • Yoko Takagi   as   Cathy
  • Ritsuko Fujiyama   as   Olga
  • Taeko Minagawa   as   Lolita
  • Toki Shiozawa   as   Iguana
  • Shuntaro Emi   as   Herodenia III
  • Ulf Otsuki   as   L-Banda
  • Machiko Soga   as   God Iguana
  • Dai Sagasawa   as   Dr. Borg
  • Enver Altenbay   as   Dr. Guld
  • Hatsuko Wakahara
  • Maria Mizuno   as   Malinda
  • Mei Jun   as   Norma
  • Chico Roland   as   Pagora
  • Akira Yamauchi   as   DAC One
  • Tetsu Nakamura   as   Calimos
  • Asao Matsumoto
  • Goro Naya   as   narrator (voice)

Appearances

Characters and monsters

Vehicles, weapons, races and organizations

Theatrical releases

Toho Champion Festival king size poster for July 28, 1973

Episode 15 of Warrior of Love Rainbowman was released theatrically on July 28, 1973 as part of the Toho Champion Festival, alongside Son of Godzilla, episode 1 of Ultraman Taro, episode 22 of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, episode 8 of Toy Shop Ken-chan, and episode 3 of Fables of the Green Forest.[1] It was the first of two Toho TV series to be given a theatrical run, followed by Flying Saucer War Bankid in 1977.

U.S. release

Warrior of Love Rainbowman was the first Japanese superhero series to be aired in Hawaii,[2] premiering on Honolulu station KIKU with English subtitles in February of 1974. It was not the first ever tokusatsu series to be broadcast there, however, as Tsuburaya Productions' Emergency Directive 10-4/10-10 beat it by five months in September of 1973.[3] The channel garnered much popularity for its special effects offerings, with Rainbowman becoming something of a favorite among the Hawaiian youth.[citation needed]

Video releases

Toho DVD (2001) [Operation Cat's Eye]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Notes: Out of print. Includes episodes 1-13.

Toho DVD (2001) [Operation M]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Notes: Out of print. Includes episodes 14-26.

Toho DVD (2001) [Mograd]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Notes: Out of print. Includes episodes 27-39.

Toho DVD (2001) [The Cyborg Army]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Notes: Out of print. Includes episodes 40-52.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 1]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet
  • Notes: Includes episodes 1-7.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 2]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet, Toho Champion Festival cut of episode 15, producer Kimihiko Eto interview
  • Notes: Includes episodes 1-7.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 3]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet
  • Notes: Includes episodes 14-20.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 4]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet, special effects director Sadamasa Arikawa interview
  • Notes: Includes episodes 21-26.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 5]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet
  • Notes: Includes episodes 27-33.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 6]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: reprinted Toho TV Mail issue, Hiroshi Koizumi interview (part 1)
  • Notes: Includes episodes 34-39.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 7]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: 6-page booklet
  • Notes: Includes episodes 40-46.

Toho DVD (2016) [Volume 8]

  • Region: 2
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese
  • Special features: reprinted signed Rainbowman art, Hiroshi Koizumi interview (part 2), Rainbowman merchandise featurette
  • Notes: Includes episodes 47-52.

Trivia

Notes

  1. While the series' title card reads simply Rainbowman, it was often marketed on promotional material by the Warrior of Love Rainbowman title. The latter title was used on the endscreen of the show's finale and has been consistently in use since, including on DVD releases as recent as 2016.
  2. Released theatrically as Rainbowman: The Professional Killers on July 1, 1973.

References

This is a list of references for Warrior of Love Rainbowman (1972 series). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. Godzilla Toho Champion Festival Perfection. ASCII MEDIA WORKS. 29 November 2014. p. 52. ISBN 978-4-04-866999-3.
  2. Godziszewski, Ed; Cassidy, John Paul (16 May 2008). "Toho's New GO! GODMAN: On the Set Report– Gaira Returns!". SciFi Japan.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Ragone, August (17 July 2020). ""Rainbowman" premiered in February 1974, followed by "Kikaida" a month later. But, the Tsuburaya series, "Emergency Command: 10-4/10-10" beat both of them by bowing in September 1973. This is according to our research, so far. Rumors of an earlier tokusatsu series need follow-up". Twitter. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020.
  4. Jmaruyama. "Cutey Honey Flash". Japan Hero. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003.

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