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Moonlight Mask (月光仮面, Gekkō Kamen), a.k.a. Moonbeam Man,[1] is a superhero appearing in Japanese tokusatsu and anime television shows and movies since his TV debut in 1958. The six theatrical films were made (between 1958–1959) in black and white/ToeiScope format.[2] Created by writer Kōhan Kawauchi, Moonlight Mask is best described as Japan's answer to The Lone Ranger, Batman and Zorro.
Moonlight Mask's popularity resulted in the appearance of several other Japanese superhero characters soon thereafter, including Iron Sharp a.k.a. Space Chief (from 1961's Invasion of the Neptune Men).[3] and the Planet Prince TV series (1958)[4] Kawauchi followed-up the success of Moonlight Mask with the tokusatsu superhero shows Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba.
- ^ Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films. McFarland and Co., Inc.
- ^ Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films. McFarland and Co., Inc.
- ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. ISBN 0-89950-853-7.
- ^ Galbraith, Stuart (1994). Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films. McFarland and Co., Inc.