Ban-Dai

My new home in Asakusa is located within walking distance from Ban-Dai's headquarters. For those who don't know, Ban-Dai Entertainment is responsible for just about every beloved Japanese character - such as the Power Rangers, Tamagotchi, Gundam, and many many more! Nowadays, Ban-Dai makes all sorts of TV shows, music, toys, and videogames.

Judging from the signs written in Japanese and the locked doors, the headquarters is not open to the public. However, there are life-size statues of many of Ban-Dai's most famous characters on the street outside the massive skyscraper. I stood in line next to the Japanese five-year-olds tugging on their parents' sweaters and took pictures of all the characters (though I didn't know who they all were).

One of my new co-worker friends from Columbia that I ate lunch with the other day, Nakashima-san (who said she was 41 but looked 25), randomly brought up using the "I am slime" form of Japanese, how she "humbly" produced virtually every "mediocre" Gundam motion picture in Japan during her decade of work as a Ban-Dai movie producer.

I told Nakashima-san that I used to love watching Power Rangers when I was little and bought all of the toys. She told me that this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the "Ranger" series in Japan. The series is still in production at Ban-Dai with a new movie coming out this summer. The latest series is entitled, "Bohken-Jah" or "The Adventure Rangers." There is always a "Jah" sound in each series title that comes from the Japanese pronounciation of the English word "ranger." Regarding "Rangers," the anime and TV music division of Columbia is working jointly with Bandai to put out a four-disc set featuring 30 years of "Ranger" theme music this summer.

Enjoy the pics below!

B.E.W.