Maybe I’m being Mr. Obvious. Maybe it’s a “duh”. But I got a very strong sense after watching 5 episodes. And yes, that means I believe there is only one connection among all these seemingly random people.

We get hints that during each episode, and a give-away during in the ED eyecatcher. However, with that said, the story flow, the character interaction and the subconscious factors help the audience to realize that there really is only one key to the whole story. Even without the eyecatcher at the end, I believe viewers can get a sense of that connection. On the other hand, small hints are dropped in difference places that affirms our suspicion – that everything and every character in this show are linked by one thing. That’s right, one thing. Not two, three, or four. There seem to be many subplots following the individuals and/or factions, but unlike other stories, which often creates 3 or 4 or more plotlines surrounding each person or at least each faction, there is only one plotline; one current under the rushing streams of things in Ikekuburo.

I think I will stop here. I know all of our readers and the rest of our writers are much smarter than I am, and I will leave the mystery up to y’all to reflect and solve. I will only say that I’ll continue on the journey following Mikado, and I may write a series review only after I’ve watched everything. In the meantime, please follow Matt’s coverage and his quest to solve this mystery.

Additional Notes: There is a super funny punchline near the very beginning of the episode. Do not miss it!

シスター萌え〜！それも強烈な萌えの一つです。シスターとはカトリック教会の尼僧ですね。その代表的なキャラは「かんなぎ」のざんげちゃんでしょう。上の写真はそのざんげちゃんが抱き枕になったヤツです。『かんなぎ』自体が宗教観に基づいたアニメですからね。そしてざんげちゃんが私にとってストライクだったのです！あのときの恍惚感はことばでは表せない。とくに、ほっぺたの傷をペロリとしたときのシーンは、体全身が「ぎょえぇぇええええ！！！！」ってハリネズミ状態になっちゃいました！私のシスター萌えが目覚めた瞬間でした。このシスター萌え、つまり巫女萌えの西洋版ともいうべきこの偉大なる萌え、宗教的な意味合いが込められているこの萌えを解析していきたいと思います！

さて世界でもっとも有名なシスターはマザー・テレサでしょう。「ええ、マザーテレサに萌え？うげぇ、キモい・・・」と判断されるのは早計です。まぁ、まずは私の言い分を。マザーテレサ、つまり「聖母テレサ」です。彼女の本名はアグネス・ゴンジャ・ボヤジュ、そしてミドルネームのゴンジャというのが英語でいうRosebud、つまり「薔薇のつぼみ」という意味です。そして動詞の「to bud（つぼみが出る）」を日本語のシノニムで「萌える」と言うのです。そう、バラ萌えなのです。

『マリみて』はまさにバラ萌えなのです。リリアン女学園はカトリック系ですからね。なにしろシスターが経営してる学校ですからね。そして、とくに山百合会（生徒会）の会員にはバラの称号が与えられ、三年生は「薔薇様がた」と呼ばれます。山百合会では三年生が「薔薇様」であり、二年生が「薔薇のつぼみ」であり、一年生が「薔薇のつぼみの妹（プチ・スール）」となります。プチ・スールはフランス語で「妹」です。そう、スールとはまさに英語でいう「シスター（姉妹）」という意味なのです。リリアン女学園でもっとも人気の高かった小笠原祥子さまの『マリみて第一期』のときの称号は「赤バラのつぼみ」いわゆるフランス語で「ロサ・キネシス・アン・ブートン（ Rosa Chinensis en bouton）」でした。そして、「ブートゥン」はフランス語で「つぼみ」のことですからですから「萌え」であり、もっとも萌える時期、その女の子がもっともニンフ的、それは高校二年生の女子高生、そう、１７歳の美少女に相当するのです。だから、１７歳こそが永遠の美を体現しているという教義を１７歳教団は信奉し、布教しているのです。その教祖井上喜久子も「１７歳」をもっとも萌えが体現される時期としているのでしょう。よってアン・ブートゥンこそが「萌えっ子」であり、１７歳が萌えっ子の理想の年齢となるのです。

それはさておき、ローズバッドはニンフ的キャラクターを示唆するものがあるようです。オルソン・ウェルズの大作『シティズン・ケーン』のモデルとなった新聞王のウィリアム・ハーストの十代の愛人のニックネームが「ローズバッド」だったそうです。そして、ナボコフの『ロリータ』のヒロインであるロリータの別称である「ニンフェット」は「ニンフ（妖精）」の指小辞であり、「ニンフ」がギリシャ語でいう「バラのつぼみ」という意味なのです。そしてローズバッドは英語の俗語で「美少女」を意味します。ここで萌えっ子の驚くべき共通点にお気づきになったかと思います。美少女、薔薇のつぼみ、ニンフェット、ロリータ、シスター、すべて萌えにつながるではありませんか！そして、その極めつけはロリータは「ローラ」の指小辞であり、「ローラ」の正式名が「ドロレス」。そしてドロレスの愛称が「ローラ」で、そしてそのドロレスは「マリア・デ・ドロレス（悲しみの聖母マリア）」から来ているのです。そう、聖母マリアの称号の一つなのです。つまり、あの小悪魔的美少女のロリータの元は聖母マリアだったのです！つまり聖女だったのです。『マリみて』のマリア様だったのです！そう、マリア様本人がニンフ、つまりアン・ブートゥンだったのです。そしてその応身が小笠原祥子なのです。それはまさに聖母マリアのカルトから処女マリア、乙女のマリアへのカルト、つまり崇拝対象が母から乙女・適齢期の美少女、嬶（かかあ）から娘に変わったということです。それはマリア・カルトの大転換であり、コペルニクス的大転換以来の歴史的事件だったのです。聖母マリア、つまりマザー・メリーからシスター・メリーへの転換です。そして、マザー・テレサもシスター・テレサへと変わるのです。そして萌えの矢に刺された聖テレサはエクスタシーに達するのです。それこそシスター・ゴンジャ（アン・ブートゥン尼）の法悦（萌え）です。聖テレサは「萌え〜！」となってるのです。このショータともいえるエロス（キューピッド）の矢、天使の矢、それが萌えの矢を表しているのです。まさに萌えこそが宗教的体験！それは太古のメソポタミアや日本で見られた女性神託者を復活させたものだと言えるのでしょう。そして、それを最高級に体現したものが「かんなぎ」のざんげちゃんだったのです。私はざんげちゃんの萌えの矢に貫かれた！

さて、ロリータの由来であるマリア様。マリア様は日本では観音信仰と結びつきました。そして『マリみて』の乙女たちが集う庭のマリア像もどこかしら観音像に似てるところがありますね。そしてこの観音様、その正式な名前は「観自在」でサンスクリット語で「Avalokiteśvara」と言います。Avaは「下」 lokitaは「みてる」 iśvaraが「主、支配人、マスター」です。よって、意味は「下界を見てくださっている主」つまり「私たちを見守ってくださる主」となります。そして、リリアン女学園の主は聖母マリアですから、「マリア様が私たちを見守りになる」、つまり『マリア様がみてる』となるのです！そう、マリア様はまさに観音様だったのです！つまり「マリみて」の題名そのものが「観音様」ということだったのです！そしてそれをもっとも体現していたキャラが小笠原祥子さまだったのです。だから「マリみて」はシスター萌えアニメのなかで最高傑作だと思うのです！

さて、なぜ小笠原祥子さまが最上のシスター萌えキャラとなるのか？それはボッティチェリの名作『春』のヴィーナス（アフロディーテ）の位置を占めるのが祥子さまだからです。それはこの『マリみて』の壁紙からもわかります。そして、アフロディーテの子がエロスです。祥子さまはマリアであり、ニンフであり、シスター（スール）でもあり、さらにアフロディーテでもあったのです。そして、祥子様から福沢祐巳ちゃんへのロザリオを渡す儀式もマリア像の前で行われました！あぁ、あまりにも美しい姉妹愛・・・。いと美し！そして、ロザリオもラテン語の「Rosarium（薔薇の園）」から来ています。リリアン女学園の山百合会の本部は「薔薇の館」と言われます。そしてリリアンの温室も薔薇だらけです。そう、リリアン女学園自体が薔薇の園であったのです。そして、その薔薇の園の守り主がマリア様、スール（シスター）たちの守護聖だったのです。

ざんげちゃんも「かんなぎ」の主人公のナギの妹です。つまり、プチ・スールなのです！そう、ナギとざんげちゃんは姉妹なのです。つまり、スールなのです！ざんげちゃんは正真正銘のシスターなのです！シスターこそこんな惨めなどうしょうもない私を救ってくれるのです！

今こそシスター萌えを世界に知らしめるときです！またスールは姉妹でありますから、妹萌え、姉萌え、シスター萌え、すべて共通するのです。シスターフッドことが萌えの醍醐味なのです。姉妹愛という最高境地。それを体現してるのは「マリみて」の女学園世界。ジョン・レノンの限界はヨーコという偉大なフェミニストを妻に持ちながらシスターフッドを再発見できなかったこと。彼は自称フェミニストでしたが、やっぱり「イマジン」の限界がそれを物語っています。「イマジン」の歌詞には、A brotherhood of man、つまり「人類同胞」を「兄弟」という言葉で表しています。「姉妹」ではないのです。それはオトコを基準としたファロゴ的言葉だったと言わざるを得ません。まるで女性がオトコの一部であるようような。聖書にも女性はオトコのあばら骨から作られたとあるような。そこがジョン・レノンの限界だったのです。それは法蔵菩薩が４８の願において変成男子の思想から脱却できなかった限界と共通するものがあります。しかし、それをさらに改革していくのが、このシスター萌えなのです。それこそが世紀の大革命となるのです！変成女子とも言えそうな「マリみて」世界のシスターフッド、つまりシスター萌えとは、古代女神崇拝の復活なのです！

ああ、「かんなぎ第二期」はやんないのかなぁ？ざんげちゃんへの萌えを再び！！！

This is an episode filled with tension, drama and intrigue…is what I’d like to say. Truth is, for a high profile show, everything in this story seems underwhelming. Why doesn’t it grab me like it should? I’ve gotten over the misfired mockery in episode one and I’ve been enjoying Mina as a character – she’s charming, strong, crafty, and quite likable in many aspects. She’d be just fine if she weren’t so loli-fied. Then again, that’s the draw point of the show – having a loli-vampire with hundreds of years of wisdom and brain power but acts like a little kid from time to time. Throw in some girly temper tandrum and fan service shots and you have a perfect moe-formula.

To be fair, there are strong tensions in this episode. Mina the queen VS the Prime Minister, Mina the jealous princess VS the Yuki, the childhood friend, and Mina the kind-hearted monster, who hates violence VS Mina the determined, who must get her way. The drama is certainly there. Did Mina order the vampires to attack the student president? It seems quite likely because she orders the kidnap of the prime minister’s grandson, or so it seems. However, she hasn’t shown anything about the disappearance of the student president, but she appears to be remorseful for the order of kidnapping the prime minister’s grandson.

The intrigue is there. There are other vampire factions inside the school and they are wrecking havoc on the relationship between humans and the vampires. It is far more likely that they attacked the student president out of fanaticism disguised as loyalty for Mina. They are probably the same group of vampires that attacked Akira and Yuki.

What is Miha’s role (the mysterious girl who unleashes her Musou Ougi with candy and kicks some vampire ass) here? Akira never told Mina about meeting Miha and Mina hasn’t said a thing about her.

Who’s the woman in the portrait and appeared to kiss Akira in the beginning? Mina’s mom?

The drama of Yuki and Akira being naked in the same room is also interesting to note.

I think I know why. I’ve found no memorable music pieces in this show. The soundtrack is severely underwhelming for me. The dialogue is also unimpressive so far. I’ve found no lines that stick out as memorable. The interactions among the cast is bland – I blame Akira for being a big part of the blandness – and there’s a lack of chemistry – I also blame him for sounding so out of it all the time. The narration isn’t doing it, either. Saito Chiwa’s voice is beautiful, but here, she’s only a supporting character. She performs better as an emotionally instable and vulnerable character, such as Louise in Gundam 00, or as an emotionally vulnerable girl that likes to tease, such as Senjogahara in Bakemonogatari. Aside from playing characters such as Becky in Pani Poni Dash or Hazuki in Tsukiyomi, her voice is low-key but brings pleasant surprises to my ears. In this show, however, her low-key style reduces her importance and I’ve been treating her as another plain harem character.

I hope it will surprise me or does something to change my mind. So far, the reactions around the blogsphere have been mixed on this one.

The show is finally starting to pick up the pace, as of episodes 4 and 5. What’s taking it so long?

Ookami Kakushi, the third work by Ryukishi07 to be adapted into an anime after Higurashi and Umineko, seems in some ways like the offspring of those two earlier works. It has the same 1983 rural setting as the former and the mystery trappings of the latter, and the plot aims to reveal the dark, knotty secrets behind its placid setting.

What made the anime of especially Higurashi successful, however–despite its middling animation quality by Studio DEEN–was its superb atmospherics. Was it histrionic at times? Yes, but the emotions matched the extreme cruelty or horror of the situation being presented. (Pulling out fingernails, human sacrifice, child abuse…calm and subdued does not describe such situations.) The build-up to many of the arc endings was steady and unrelenting, even when the outcome was not in question. The viewer was often shown the ending in the very first scenes, but somehow, the suspense and terror was barely lessened.

Ookami Kakushi uses much the same formula at its start: from its opening scene, we know that there will be a showdown between Isuzu (who has the red, wolf eyes), the scythe girl/exorcist of wolf spirits, and that Hiro will be caught in between. This seems to give too much away compared to the opening scenes of Higurashi–where we see Keiichi murder Shion and Rena with a baseball bat. We don’t know why, or what led to the insane gleam in his eye–whereas the essential problem and relationships in Ookami Kakushi are obvious from the start: Isuzu is some kind of supernatural being, as is the scythe girl, and they are opposed. The secret is largely out, because as soon as we find out more about the red eyes and the wolf spirits, we know just what is wrong with Isuzu and where all of her annoying cute advances are going to end, and we know who is going to fight her.

Hence, the subsequent scenes where we see the brigade of hunters chasing after possessed people seem devoid of fright or surprise. They feel tacked on, especially since they are usually placed at the end of a relatively unrelated episode. Only when one encounter is elaborated in episode 4 does it begin to deliver the chills that are supposed to happen, and only in episode 5 does the shouta-molesting Issei show the full extent of how awful the wolf-spirit powers can be. (They were telegraphed earlier a bit thickly with his overtly sexualized advances toward Hiro, which provided the first “creepy” moments in the show.) Finally, in episodes 4 and 5, we get some well-done chase scenes and a real atmosphere of menace. Nothing along the lines of the utterly bone-chilling close of Higurashi episode 3, but a significant improvement over before.

I’ve struggled to figure out why the pacing and the feel of the show seems so limp at times, and I think it’s because these kinds of scenes are not very well integrated into the more typical school life, semi-romantic scenes at first. It may be a function of time–it seems this series will only tell one story as opposed to multiple arcs, and thus things feel a bit more stretched out–or it may be an issue with the directing/writing of the anime itself. Has anyone played the PSP game and felt similarly with the source material?

Ryukishi07 stories thrive on a rich layer of backstory, and those elements are beginning to gel by the most recent episodes. The wolf spirits and their relation to the hassaku fruits are of course just the tip of the iceberg: the division between the old and new towns, Nemuru’s rich old family having a hand in things, the secret committees taking away possessed people before they do damage, Kaori Mana and her suspiciously kind demeanor–Higurashi taught us to watch out especially for those people….The conspiratorial mode works because it presumes a depth of secrets, which the protagonist (and the viewer) is expected to slowly discover to keep him or her going through the narrative. As the mood finally begins to shift toward something a bit more taut and suspenseful as of episode 5, the show may have much more to reveal about the Kushinada family, for instance, or just who the exorcists are, since they seem to be an independent group. Secrets make you want to know more.

I ultimately stuck with this show in part because I trusted Ryukishi07 to deliver, and after a slow start, the payoff seems to be happening. The above-average soundtrack, led by the excellent Yuki Kajiura-penned OP, also shines and makes things more than watchable. (Kajiura seems to be the perennial composer of shows that aren’t as good as their soundtracks, with the Kara no Kyoukai films being a glorious exception: at last, animes that match the Gothic vision of their music!.) In a way, the series is a test as to whether this kind of story can be told effectively in a single cour as opposed to the spiraling, interconnected mini-arcs of Higurashi. It often plays as a minor variation of the formula that that great show established, but even those can be enjoyable, especially in a typically lackluster season like winter.

This is all the cosplay you people are gonna get!

Remember that Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya event I was at a couple of weeks ago? Well, apparently the TV Tokyo/Cine-tsu segment that was being filmed for it has now gone live, and the friendly folks at 2ch (via Cartoon Leap) have posted some screenshots…which, uh, include yours truly up there. It’s kinda weird to see yourself surrounded by Japanese text, which I can’t read, but flattering too. I guess it’s official now: to the otaku watching the segment, I am the gaijin fanboy in the Kyon suit.

Some more pics here:

In other news: I should probably lose weight.

UPDATE: guess what? There’s video after all! My bit, which is very short, is around 3:01. You can also see me, iPhone in hand on the far right, around 3:16 or so.

Thanks again to ultimatemegax from Cartoon Leap for bringing these photos, and the video, to my attention.

Crucified on the cross, Jesus Christ knew profound suffering.

Therefore, Jesus Christ is profoundly moe.

This, along with a few other propositions of dubious logical merit, forms the basis of Let’s Bible, a tale of Biblical proportions that toes the line between being bizarrely funny and simply wrong. Perhaps, as James Wood said, the Creator cannot be reified, but in Let’s Bible, Jesus is certainly moefied.

The story, as such, is that Jesus of Nazareth is taking a vacation on earth. Just as with Fate: Stay/Night’s Arturia Pendragon, it seems that history got her gender wrong. Along comes a fisherman determined to make her his, and rounding out the cast are a disciple and a demon – not the originals, but their descendants. Civilian extras appear as well, but have no substance or continuity.

What Let’s Bible lacks in coherence and dignity, it makes up for with irrepressible enthusiasm. Unnecessary panty shots? Sure. Showing Jesus groped by a horny, teenage boy? Why not? Even as Sekirei mocked modern dating habits by proposing that women are treated as collectibles, to be gathered up like so many Pokémon, Let’s Bible suggests that a male presented with a female Jesus would see her as a desirable conquest, rather than an object of genuine devotion.  While in a realistic setting this might go over as vile or repugnant, such extreme lechery is depicted here as heroic and manly, or simply as a funny personal quirk.

Let’s Bible is not going to win any awards for theological accuracy. Still, if you want to watch a man monologue about why he wants to lose his virginity to Jesus, or a demonic flamenco guitarist make vending machines and billboards rain from the sky, In-Wan Youn and Kyung-Il Yang have produced the manhwa for you.

Ai Cherie and Yoshi on stage.

Here’s Hydra’s review of the multi-artist concert that took place on the first night of PMX 2009. Pictures are by our photographer, cat, except for the UchuSentai NOIZ pics, which are by Valerie Durham and JRockRevolution.com. –Mike

The concert began with Ai Cherie, who brought her angelic voice to American audiences for the first time.  Ai Cherie, born in Los Angeles, had just recorded her debut single “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss Ai Cherie,” which was scheduled for Japanese release in December.

The concert from Ai Cherie was unplugged, with guitar performed by the guitarist Yoshi from the local band Cherry.  Ai Cherie sang 3 songs for the audience, each performed with passion and power.

Ilan and Natz share a moment together.

Next up was another local band, Rusika, with vocal Natz on guitar, Ilan on bass, and Alfred on drums.  The band combined Japanese rock, punk, pop, ballads and a touch of metal to create their unique sound.  Rusika performed several powerful songs on stage at PMX, and their energy wowed the crowd.  Rusika performs at anime/j-rock cons nationwide and also hosts a monthly j-rock night in Downtown Los Angeles.

The concert incorporated the Hangry & Angry fashion show at half time. Special guests Miri and Nagi of the new Sakedol group Papillon joined with few other models showcased Hangry & Angry’s latest outfits and designs. Papillon then performed their set afterward.

After Papillion’s set, Hangry & Angry did an encore fashion show.  Miri and Nagi were on stage once again with the same group of Hangry & Angry models, followed by the special appearance of the Hangry & Angry designer Gashikon.

UchuSentai NOIZ then took the stage next. They are a visual-kei rock band from Japan and are famous for their energetic music, wild outfits, and amazing live shows full of energy.

The current members of UchuuSentai NOIZ are:

Angel Voice – Angel Taka

Relived life on the third planet of the solar system but lost his mortal life at a young age.  It was Shiva’s intention that he be combind with nanomachines.  As half-man, half-machine, he began life anew and bringing his angel-voice to earth.

Hyper Sonic Guitar – Masato

An android created by earthlings with no will of his own, he follows the orders of his master.

Neo-Eccentric Guitar – Kotaro

A knight from planet Rosen, he is a qualified Space Police Officer.

Super Vibrator – Kyo

Member of of a secret special force from planet AB-Nine, currently standing under the banner of justice in compensating for his past faults.

Machine Gun Beat Grappler – Yamato

He is a creature from a dark comet.  He joined Noiz for the sake of peace on Earth.

I’m pleased to introduce to everyone our newest staff member Monsieur LaMoe. He’s a real Japanese moe otaku and he’ll be writing in Japanese for the site at least once a month! This video is subtitled in English, however, so you should be able to get this one at least :) In either case please join us in warmly welcoming him!  –Mike

どうも、世界のオタクの皆様、私の自己紹介のビデオをお届けしたいと思います。縁あってアニメダイエットに参加することになりました。それも私のアメリカの最良の友人のひとりでありかつ知識人であり文化人でありアニメオタクでもあるマイケルの善良な計らいによるものです。この場をかりてマイケルをはじめとするアニメダイエットのスタッフ一同、そして最後にアニメダイエットの読者の皆様方に感謝の意を申し上げます。萌えからの視点でアニメを語り投稿していきたいと思うので、皆様が楽しんでいただければ、幸いです。こんな私ですが、どうぞよろしくお願いします！

北米萌え萌え委員会教祖　ムッシュー・ラモエ　２月４日　２０１０年

Is the average Japanese Otaku in love with traps???!!! There are man-maid cafes in Akiba and now there is a dude that looks like a lady in Chinese dress in this show, what the hey?

What’s your breakfast for today? Akihisa had breadcrumbs this morning, thank you. This just goes to proove that there are starving kids in Japan, so eat it! Just eat it!

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What’s heaven for our Peeping Kota (forget Tom, or even Fred)? The girl’s locker room, of course! He faces his toughest challenge in life when locker doors automatically open and reveal the items owned by Japanese high school girls. Can he keep his sanity? Can he keep his cool? Can he keep his…blood inside his nose?

Of course, the moe-moe Hatsuki makes moelicious apparences and of course Akihisa saves the day after finally winning the prize. All is good when you can help a cute girl, right?

For yuri fans, of course Minami gets groped because the secret is hidden under…

Oh yes, even if you know very little Japanese, as long as you know something about below the tree (木下), you’ll be just fine. But don’t confess to a trap in real life, though. It won’t bring you happiness or love!

It’s one punchline after another that has me down and out and laughing on the floor without booze. The refree has counted to ten and I’ve fallen. The absurditiy of it all is silly but funny. I highly recommend keeping up with this show.

Our guest correspondent Hydra was at PMX 2009 late last year. A J-Rock specialist, she was able to get an interview of Uchu Sentai NOIZ alongside the folks with JRockRevolution. Hydra also translated this interview from Japanese.

Cat, a photographer, took our photos of the band. All photos that don’t have our watermark on it are courtesy of Valerie Durham and JRockRevolution.com.

More long-delayed PMX coverage to come over the next few days! Watch for some exclusive video footage too. —Mike

Anime Diet is honored and proud to be able to have the chance interviewing one of our biggest guest from Japan, representing the Jrock and visual-kei “Uchu Sentai NOIZ”. From their press release: “UchuSentai NOIZ is the cutting edge of Japanese rock. They have toured extensively throughout Japan and released numerous albums and maxi-singles, DVDs, videos, and books. UchuSentai NOIZ’s visual kei style inspires their fans to cosplay and emulate the band’s costumes.”

We were able to present in front of the band, bringing you some exclusive information to you.

Q: What is the concept behind each of your battle suits?

Kyo: There is no specific concept but “Asian Culture”, or “Japanese.”

Masato: X-Men. I like X-Men!

Angel Taka: There is no specific for me, but my image is “Asian beauty.”

Yamato: Creature.

Kotaro: Final Fantasy.

Q: Not only are you guys wearing your battle suits when performing, you’re also posing in various gestures on stage. Are you all very influenced by sentai dramas in Japan when you were young?

Angel Taka: Instead of being influenced by the dramas, I’d rather say we “are” the space rangers.

Masato: I like the Kamen Rider Series.

Everyone: Yeah Kamen Rider!  And Gaoragner, Zyuranger, Dekaranger!!

Angel Taka: There are just too many to count…

Q: Other than being space heroes, what are your strengths and weaknesses?

Angel Taka: Being positive is my strength, but my weakness is that I act before I think.

Masato: Once I decide to work on something, I can work on it forever and ever.  But my weakness is that I can’t stop and can’t do anything else when I’m focusing.  That means I don’t pick up the phone, don’t shower, or eat.

Angel Taka: Oh…what an artist…(other band members nod and laugh)

Yamato: I can hold on and endure, but I can’t voice out my opinions too much.

Kotaro: If I decide to do something, even if it takes 4 years, 10 years or forever, I can still keep on working at it until I accomplish it.  My weakness is that I can be very indecisive, for example, when I’m picking up bread at the convenience store. It might take more than 20 mins…I’m very very on my own pace.

Kyo: I’m good at cooking, but I’m bad at keeping track of expenses…

Masato: How auntie-like.

Q: Looks like each individual has his own specific colors in his costume. How do you decide the colors you wear?

Angel Taka: They’re more of our image colors really…

Masato: To me it’s simple: I like my orange color…

Angel Taka: Me too, I like pink!

Kotaro: Well, I actually took Kyo’s favorite color away, it’s my favorite color too, and I believe I had a blue aura in my past life, so I took the blue color.

Q: If each person of the world could do something to help Ucho Sentai in their quest of protecting peace and happiness, what would you want them to do?

Kyo: Please keep on smiling.

Masato: Me too: please keep on smiling.

Angel Taka: Please listen to our music.

Yamato: Everyone work together to make a big bridge around the world so UchuSentai can cross it and go to all the countries all over the world.

Kotarou: I want everyone in the world to be constantly feeling the love.

Q: How long does it take each of you to put on your elaborate makeup and costumes before each performance?

Kyo: 0.8 light years….about 20 minutes.

Masato: 35 minutes at the fastest.

Angel Taka: 3 hours.

Yamato: I was born this way.

Kotarou: Usually…the real time is about an hour and half, but it’s about 20,000 years in my mind.

Q: What would a boy or girl have to do to catch your eye during live performances?

Masato: My eyes go to the people with big smiles and going crazy in the crowd.

Kyo: The more ugly you look when you smile, the more you will attract my attention.

Angel Taka: Sexy costumes. I feel like if someone has fun in whatever they are wearing, we will notice it more.

Yamato: Their voices calling for us.

Kotarou: (napping)…eh? Oh…smiling, and letting out their spiritual and natural attractive aura. And someone that will keep looking at me, AND someone feels the same way as me…and that’s the sleepy Kotarou’s answer.

Q: What attracts each of you to play the instrument you are playing now in the band?

Masato: I used to be a drummer before; I actually wanted to play the bass, but there was only a singer and myself. Since it would have been hard to play bass without a guitarist, I started to play the guitar.

Kyo: I wanted to become Komura Testuya when I was young: I wanted to play the Key-tar, but it was too expensive.  So I thought about the guitar, but guitar has so many strings…so I got a bass, because a bass only has four strings.  And now, I’m playing five strings, so it just gets harder and harder.  But in short, I started the bass because I thought it was easier!

Angel-Taka: I was not with any other band before NOIZ. I was playing guitar at first, but I ended up switching part with the singer because I really want to sing, so that’s how I became the vocal person for the band.

Yamato: I started playing the guitar, and then later on my friends and I formed a four-person band.  Two of my friends from the band said that they really wanted to play guitar, so even though I wanted to play the guitar myself, I told them that I was okay to do the drumming.

Kotarou: When I was in the fifth grade back in elementary school, my older brother bought a guitar, so I started to play the guitar thinking that might help me to attract girls.  Almost around the same time, I joined the school choir, and since I was pretty good at singing, I thought maybe singing could help me to be even more popular with the girls.  Once I was into the visual-kei scene, it seems that the guitarist gained lots of popularity, so I started to play the guitar again.

Thanks to Jinnie at PMX for helping us get an interview at the last minute.