Rainbow Mask
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Rainbow Mask
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| Episodes: | 57 |
| Year: | 1959-1960 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Seasons Breakdown: | (1) 57 |
| Category: | Superhero |
| Colour: | No |
| Format: | Series |
| Company: | Asahi |
| Creator: | Kōhan Kawauchi |
| Run Time (mins): | 30 |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Type of Show: | Live Action |
| Status: | Ended |
| Broadcaster: | TV Asahi |
| First Aired: | June 3, 1959 |
| Last Aired: | June 30, 1960 |
Summary
Private detective Kotaro Ran (initially portrayed by Susumu Namijima) operates under several concealed identities, the most prominent being the Seven Colored Mask, a figure capable of adopting different powers through the use of specialised masks. Created by Yasunori Kawauchi, the originator of Moonlight Mask, the Seven Colored Mask appeared across a year‑long run in which he confronted seven principal adversaries, each endowed with distinctive abilities or commanding unique criminal enterprises.
The first major antagonist, Cobra Mask, is a former wartime victim whose fortune was stolen by a group of children. Using the misappropriated funds, he later amasses considerable wealth. Possessing control over snakes, Cobra Mask abducts the now‑adult former thieves in an effort to exact revenge. This initial narrative arc is structured more as an adult detective mystery than a conventional superhero confrontation.
Subsequent storylines adopt a more traditional crime‑fighting format. In the second arc, the Seven Colored Mask pursues King Rose, a master thief, counterfeiter, and jewellery robber. The third arc centres on the international Red Jaguar crime syndicate, while the fourth depicts his efforts to apprehend the masked criminals known as the Three Aces. Reflecting the tone of adventure serials such as Harimao and The Samurai, the fifth storyline pits the hero against Holden Kin and Phantom Butankan, thieves seeking a map that reveals the location of buried treasure.
The final two arcs adopt a darker tone. The Poisonous Spider storyline features serial killer Don Noh, who attempts to assemble a macabre collection of grisly artefacts. The concluding Dark Empire arc portrays the Seven Colored Mask’s struggle against a group of foreign investors intent on seizing control of Japan.
Cast
Kotaru Ran/Seven Colored Mask SUSUMU NAMIJIMA, MITSUO ANDO, KENJI TSUSHIO, RIKI IAWAKI, MITSUKO KAYAMA, KEN HASEBE, Kotaru Ran/Seven Colored Mask SHINICH "SONNY" CHIBA.
aka: Seven Color Mask , New Seven Color Mask, Nanairo Kamen and Shin Nanairo Kamen
Tags: Superhero, Japan, 1959, Japanese
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