Monday, February 11, 2013

Sentai writers: an analysis

Now that we know which writers have written which sentai series and episodes, here is a little more information about those writers's background

1) Major sentai writers (head writers of more than one sentai series)

Shouzo Uehara (Goranger, JAKQ, Battle Fever (with Takaku), Denziman, Sun Vulcan
Shouzo Uehara is probably one of the most important, even perhaps the most important tokusatsu writer of all time, being involved in the most famous toku franchise. First, he's been involved in the Ultra series franchise since its beginning, being a secondary writer of Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Ace and Ultraman Taro, and the main writer of "The Return of Ultraman". After Taro he left the Ultra franchise, coming back years later to write some episodes of Ultraman Tiga, Dyna, Max and Ultra Q Dark fantasy.
After leaving the Ultra franchise he's been writing for the Inazuman series, being head writer of Inazuman Flash, and also being the head writer of the "Ganbare Robocon" series.
He's been then the first head writer of the Super Sentai franchise, having been head writer of the first five sentai series, Goranger, JAKQ Dengekitai, Battle Fever J (with Susumu Takaku), Denziman and Sun Vulcan. After Sun Vulcan he left the Sentai franchise, only to return years later, as a secondary writer of Ohranger.
Among other toku of that era, he's been the main writer of the Spiderman toku series, and a important writer of Kyodain.
After leaving the sentai franchise, he went  to work on the newly created Metal Hero franchise, being the head writer of the first five Metal Hero series (the Space Sheriff trilogy, Juspion and Spielban), and as such, THE head writer of the "Space sheriff" era of the Metal Hero franchise. After Spielban, he wrote also one episode of Metalder and much later of Blue SWAT. He also has been a secondary writer of Machineman.
His last major contribution to toku has been hos involvment in Kamen Rider Black, as the writer of 5 episodes, including the first four episodes of the series.

Hirohisa Soda (Goggle V, Dynaman, Bioman, Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Turboranger, Fiveman)
If Uehara is a major writer of the tokusatsu genre as a whole, the most important Super sentai series writer is without a doubt Hirohisa Soda.
Hirohisa Soda has been involved in the sentai franchise since Goranger, being a secondary writer of all the sentai series penned by Uehara. He has also being previously involved as a secondary writer in Kikaider 01, the two Inazuman series and the Spiderman toku.
When Uehara left the sentai franchise to work on the Metal Hero franchise, Hirohisa Soda became head writer of Super Sentai and he's the one who stayed the longest as a sentai head writer, being head writer of no less than 9 sentai series in a row (Goggle V, Dynaman, Bioman, Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman Turboranger and Fiveman). During his time as head writer, he brought a lot of changes in how sentai series were written : more focus on story arcs, rather than merely an episodic format; more focus on the main characters, with more fleshed heroes, and more complex villains who can sometimes show a sympathetic side. During the Soda era, the storytelling in sentai became much more complex than before.  It was also during the Soda era that the fitst teams with two girls appeared.
However, at the end, Soda showed signs of burn out, and his last series, Fiveman, showed obvious weaknesses (Turboranger already showed some signs of Soda's burn out).
After Fiveman, he left the sentai franchise. He became for a little while a secondary writer on the Metal Hero franchise, writing episodes of Janperson and Blue SWAT.
He then came back to the sentai franchise as a secondary writer of Kakuranger, Ohranger and Carranger, and then, left for good the sentai franchise, in which he left an unforgettable legacy.

Noboru Sugimura (Zyuranger, Dairanger, Kakuranger, Ohranger)
Once Soda left, and after Inoue has written Jetman (which had a great success), the sentai franchise needed fresh blood and new ideas.
Toei decided to bring to the sentai franchise the writer who had already successfully brought fresh ideas in another toku franchise, the Metal Hero franchise: Noboru Sugimura.
Sugimura's first toku series were as writer of some episodes of Machineman. He then came to the Metal Hero franchise, writing some episodes of Spielban, and Jiraiya. He also had been a secondary writer of Kamen Rider Black.
Starting with Jiban , he became head writer of Metal Hero series. After Jiban, he has been the head writer of the two first series of the Rescue Police trilogy: Winspector and Solbrain. Those series were groundbreaking in the Metal Hero franchise, starting the era of the "Rescue police" theme in Metal Hero, a theme that would have a lasting influence in the Metal Hero franchise.
After Solbrain, he left the Metal Hero franchise for the Super Sentai franchise, and became the head writer of four sentai series in a row: Zyuranger, Dairanger, Kakuranger and Ohranger. During that era, Sentai, which was until then mostly a sci fi toku franchise, became more fantasy oriented with Zyu, Dai and Kaku having a big focus on mythology, and fantasy tropes. During the Sugimura era, comedy in sentai became even more wacky, with often a satirical tone.
Interestingly, Sugimura has never been a secondary writer in a sentai series, and after Ohranger, left the sentai franchise.

Junki Takegami (Megaranger, GogoV, Gaoranger, Go-onger)
Junki Takegami has been, with Yasuko Kobayashi, the most important sentai writer that started during the Takatera era. Unlike Uehara, Soda and Sugimura, Takegami had much less experience writing toku, being mostly an anime writer. He had written some Shushutorian (a Fushigi comedy series) episodes, and he has also been a secondary writer of early  Heisei Ultra series (Ultraman Tiga, Dyna, Gaia and Cosmos).
However his major contribution to toku has been in the sentai franchise, having been head writer of no less than four sentai series, Megaranger, GogoV, Gaoranger and Go-onger. He's been the most active during the late 90' early 00', being head writer of Megaranger GogoV and Gaoranger, and secondary writer of Gingaman. After Gaoranger, he came back as a secondary writer of Dekaranger, then came back to write a few episodes of Boukenger, and, at last as the head writer of Go-onger. 
Unlike most sentai head writers, he's never been involved in the Metal Hero or the Kamen Rider franchise. However, he's the main writer of Ryukendo.

Yasuko Kobayashi (Gingaman, Timeranger, Shinkenger, Go-Busters)
The second major writer who came to work in the sentai franchise during the Takatera era. She started writing toku episodes in the Metal Hero franchise, writing an episode of Janperson and then, becoming the secondary writer of Blue SWAT, B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto. Her first work in the sentai franchise was as a secondary writer of Megaranger. The next year, she became head writer of Gingaman. She was involved in all sentai series between Megaranger and Timeranger, as head writer of Gingaman and Timeranger, and secondary writer of the Takegami penned  Megaranger and GogoV.
After Timeranger, she left the sentai franchise and was involved in the Kamen Rider franchise, writing an episode of Agito and then being head writer of Ryuki. She was also the head writer of the Sailor Moon live series. She came back in the sentai franchise as a secondary writer  for Boukenger, and then, came back to the Rider franchise as Den-O's head writer, and also wrote some episodes of Decade. Her big come back in the sentai franchise has been as head writer of the very successful Shinkenger, and then, she again went to work in the Rider franchise as head writer of OOO. Then, she came back as head writer of Go-Busters.
Kobayashi is remarkable by the fact that she regularly switched from Rider series head writer to Sentai series head writer.

Naruhisa Arakawa (Abaranger, Dekaranger, Gokaiger)
Despite being head writer of only three sentai series so far, Arakawa has been involved in the most sentai series of all sentai writers, except Soda.
His first work as a toku writer has been one Kamen Rider Black episode. He started working in the sentai franchise as a secondary writer of Jetman, and then has been a secondary writer of every sentai series from Jetman through Gingaman, except Ohranger. After Gingaman, he left for a little while the sentai franchise, writing an episode of Changerion, but, most importantly, becoming the head writer of the first Heisei Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Kuuga. However, after Kuuga, he hasn't worked much in the Rider franchise, having only written two episodes of Kamen Rider W years later. However, he came back to the ssentai franchise with Hurricanger, and, the following year, became for the first time head writer of a sentai series, Abaranger. He was also the head writer for the following sentai series, Dekaranger. After Dekaranger, he remained as a secondary writer in every sentai series, except the Kobayashi penned Shinkenger and Go-Busters, and became again head writer for the big anniversary sentai series, Gokaiger. Among his other toku works, he has been also a writer for Daimajin Kanon, and he's been the head writer of the unofficial sentai series, Akibaranger

Michiko Yokote (Gekiranger, Goseiger)
Yokote (pen name of a team of three writers) hasn't been involved in many toku series, being secondary writer of Dekaranger and Magiranger, and then head writer of Gekiranger and Goseiger.

2) One Shot Writers
Those writer shave only been head writer of one sentai series

Susumu Takaku (head writer of Battle Fever J with Uehara)
Takaku had worked in various toku series like Captain Ultra, Spectreman, the two Inazuman series, as a secondary writer. He's written episodes in every sentai series penned by Uehara, and was even head writer of Battle Fever J with Uehara. Afterwards, he worked in the Metal Hero series, first, as secondary writer of Gavan and Sharivan, and then, as head writer of Metalder and Jiraiya. He has also been head writer of Machineman. Following Metalder, he became a secondary writer for series penned by Noboru Sugimura. He first worked in Jiban, Winspector and Solbrain, then, came back to the sentai franchise and worked as a secondary writer in all Sugimura penned series (Zyuranger, Dairanger, Kakuranger and Ohranger, which is his last work in toku).

Toshiki Inoue (Jetman)
Inoue has been one of the most influencial toku writers. Surprisingly, his first work in a toku franxhise has been one episode in the Fushigi comedy series Dokincho ! Nemuri.
Afterwards, he became a important secondary writer during the Soda era, having been involved in every Soda sentai series starting with Flashman. After Soda left, he became head writer in the following sentai series, Jetman, which ended up as a very popular sentai series. Afterwards, he worte some episodes of Zyuranger, Dairanger (the Jin arc) and Ohranger, but after Ohranger, hasn't been involved in sentai series anymore, except two episodes of Timeranger and the Jetman tribute episode of Gokaiger.
Following Ohranger, he's been the main writer of the toku show Changerion. However, his most important work in toku has been in the Heisei Kamen Rider franchise. He started writing in Rider series as a secondary writer for Kuuga, and then, became head writer of the following Rider show, Agito. Inoue has worked in almost every Rider series from Kuuba through Decade (except the Kobayashi penned Den-O), as head writer of Kamen Rider Faiz, the second half of Hibiki, Kiva, and secondary writer in Ryuki, Blade, Kabuto and Decade. Among his other toku credits, he's been the head writer of "Cutie Honey, the Live" and has also written an episode of Garo

Yoshio Urasawa (Carranger)
Carranger being an unusual sentai series, it needed an unusual toku writer. To be the head writer of that parody sentai series, Toei hired Yoshio Urasawa, whose major work has been ... in the Fushigi comedy franchise, Urasawa having worked in every Fushigi comedy series, as head writer for all series of the franchise but three, where he worked as a secondary writer (he also was head writer of Panchanne, a parody of the Fushigi comedy series Poitrine) . After his work as Carranger, he worked in as a secondary writer in the kid friendly Metal Hero series Kabutack and Robotack. He came back in the sentai franchise as a secondary writer of Abaranger, and then, in two episodes of Gokaiger (the Carranger tribute episode and its sequel), both series penned by his Carranger secondary writer ... Arakawa

Junichi Miyashita (Hurricanger)
Before writing for the sentai franchise, Miyashita has been one of the most important writers of the Metal Hero franchise. After having worked as a secondary writer for Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX, he then started working in the Metal Hero franchise, first, as a secondary writer in Winspector and Solbrain, and then, as head writer for all the following Metal Hero series until B-Fighter Kabuto (Exceedraft, Janperson, Blue SWAT, Juuko B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto), and as such, the most important writer involved in the B-Fighter era of Metal Hero.  He also has been secondary writer in the last two Metal Hero series, Kabutack and Robotack. He then came in the sentai franchise, first, as GogoV's secondary writer and then, as head writer of Hurricanger. He also came back to the Rider franchise, as secondary writer of Blade, annd also has been a secondary writer of Go-onger

Atsushi Maekawa (Magiranger)
He's not been involved in many toku series. He's first worked as a secondary writer of Ultraman Cosmos, and then became secondary writer of Hurricanger and Abaranger, and then, eventually, became head writer of Magiranger

Sho Aikawa (Boukenger)
His earlier toku work has been as a writer of a Spielban episode. His first work in sentai has been as secondary writer of Abaranger. The next year, he worked in the Kamen Rider franchise as head writer of Kamen Rider Blade. Two years later, he came back to the sentai franchise as Boukenger's head writer, and then, worked as a secondary writer in the two following sentai series, Gekiranger and Go-onger. He's also been involved in Kamen Rider Decade.

3) Kunio Fujii: an important secondary writer
Despite he never has been head writer of any sentai series, Kunio Fujii deserves to be mentioned because he's been involved in many sentai series as secondary writer. Starting with Bioman, he's been the major secondary writer of the Soda era, being involved in every sentai penned by Soda from Bioman through Fiveman. He's also been a secondary writer in the Metal Hero franchise, writing episodes of Metalder, Jiraiya and Jiban, and one episode of Winspector. After the Soda era, he's written one episode each for Zyuranger and Kakuranger, but, more importantly, he's written the episodes of Dairanger involving the Daigo/ Kujaku storyline.








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