Shirakura has a second interview with Asahi Shimbun about Project...
Joel@toku_gami
54 views
Dec 01, 2025
~2 min read
Advertisement
1
Shirakura has a second interview with Asahi Shimbun about Project R.E.D., and here are some of the highlights:
asahi.com/sp/articles/AS…
asahi.com/sp/articles/AS…
2
Project R.E.D. is NOT a revival of the Metal Hero series, and it will not be like the old Gavan. It will carry on aspects of the OG (he specifically mentions the shining metallic suit and the battles in hyperspace), but it will take Sentai's baton while being new and different.
3
- "The color red" is a broad constraint that's difficult to wrangle
- Red used to be a feminine color, but Sentai is the reason everyone associates it with superheroes now.
- The new Gavan will be highly compatible with Sentai fans; it will still have giant robot battles.
- Red used to be a feminine color, but Sentai is the reason everyone associates it with superheroes now.
- The new Gavan will be highly compatible with Sentai fans; it will still have giant robot battles.
4
- OG Space Sheriffs had robots too, but this will follow on from Sentai's depictions of them while incorporating Space Sheriff DNA.
- Sentai has a problem where kids "graduate" from it before they do from Rider, so the age range will be broadened to make global expansion easier.
- Sentai has a problem where kids "graduate" from it before they do from Rider, so the age range will be broadened to make global expansion easier.
5
- Each R.E.D. series will be in a loosely-connected Toei tokusatsu world
- Sentai's parallel-world structure is simple and flexible, but this will be like the MCU or Star Wars: a more complex and rigid connected world, but allowing for greater depth and richness in its stories.
- Sentai's parallel-world structure is simple and flexible, but this will be like the MCU or Star Wars: a more complex and rigid connected world, but allowing for greater depth and richness in its stories.
6
- Heroes from other shows may or may not show up, but that's not the main goal.
- They don't have concrete plans for the show after Gavan, but they do know that after this, they want to deviate from Sentai even more, maybe not even being a superhero show at all.
- They don't have concrete plans for the show after Gavan, but they do know that after this, they want to deviate from Sentai even more, maybe not even being a superhero show at all.
7
- R.E.D.'s rivals are Rider and American comics heroes, but to compete on a global stage with Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man, the scope of live-action battle series will have to deviate from superheroes eventually.
8
Some things that I personally want to note:
- Toei's global expansion has a target date of 2033, which is after Shira-P's hypothetical 10-year Sentai hiatus
- Gozyuger's un-suited robot fights may be a testbed for doing a show akin to a live-action robot anime?
- Toei's global expansion has a target date of 2033, which is after Shira-P's hypothetical 10-year Sentai hiatus
- Gozyuger's un-suited robot fights may be a testbed for doing a show akin to a live-action robot anime?
9
When you say "tokusatsu", people's minds immediately go to henshin heroes, but toku has so much potential outside of that. Sentai may just not work on a global level because its popularity is inertial and Japan-specific. PR is a laughingstock in the US, just face it.
10
Meanwhile, there are so many ways to make live-action kids' dramas that couldn't flourish in the framework of Sentai.
It's easy to imagine a kids version of Tokyo MER with more toyetic super-vehicles, or a show with the craft of Sentai's robot fights, but with robot anime inspo.
It's easy to imagine a kids version of Tokyo MER with more toyetic super-vehicles, or a show with the craft of Sentai's robot fights, but with robot anime inspo.
11
I think R.E.D. has serious potential to be something great; you just have to expand your horizons beyond henshin heroes.
12
Embrace the extraordinary, people.
