A struggling young actor got his big break when the wife of a Japanese television producer saw his photo while her husband was casting a “tokusatsu” (live action) television series. For Ban Daisuke it was the break of a lifetime. Cast in the starring role of the heroic but flawed android Jiro in “Jinzo Ningen Kikaida,” Ban achieved international stardom when the show was distributed outside Japan as “Kikaida.”
Ban’s career continued with a prominent role in the “Kikaida” spinoff “Kikaida 01” and starring roles in other tokusatsu superhero television series.
Hawaii will see Ban in a very different type of role this fall when “Go for Broke, a 442 Origins Story” opens in local theaters. Ban portrays Hawaii fishing entrepreneur Matsujiro Otani, whose five sons fought for the United States while he was imprisoned in a mainland internment camp.
Ban, 69, was in Hawaii earlier this year for filming. He responded to questions via email from Japan.
JOHN BERGER: Everyone who grows up in Hawaii knows the story of the Japanese-American combat units — the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — in World War II. Is their story known in Japan?
BAN DAISUKE: Probably not at all. I think the Japanese should see this movie about the 442nd RCT.
JB: When you began shooting “Kikaida,” did you expect it would be such a huge hit?
BD: I never dreamed that “Kikaida” would be such a great hit in Hawaii, and I am still in awe of it.
JB: What can Jiro teach us today?
BD: Jiro is a robot. Because he is a robot, he is able to portray a human hero. Kikaida’s theme throughout the series begs the question, “What is love and the meaning of justice?” These characteristics are embedded in the character. We must think deeply about how humans must live in harmony with their natural surroundings. Jiro knew how to do this because it was programmed into him.
JB: What will your next project be?
BD: I have been tapped to play the elder in tokusatsu productions for streaming or cable television. Being that 2017 is Kikaida’s 45th anniversary in Japan, I will participate in talk shows and panel discussions.
JB: What do you do for relaxation?
BD: I do a lot of walking because I love to observe society around me. I also love the ocean.
“On the Scene” appears weekly in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Sunday Magazine. Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com.
