The Super Sentai franchise has not been in a great place recently, with Japanese media swirling with reports that the beloved superhero franchise may be coming to an end in its current format after 50 years. But whether or not the current entry in the series, No.1 Sentai Gozyuger, heralds the end of the franchise or its transformation, it’s going to have to abruptly do so without its history-making female star.
Over the weekend, Toei abruptly announced that the studio had parted ways with actress Maya Imamori, who plays Sumino Ichikawa—the alter ego of GozyuUnicorn and the first female actress to portray the black ranger on a team in Super Sentai history—after her agency terminated her contract, claiming that Imamori was found to have violated Japan’s strict age restrictions on drinking. In the country, it’s illegal to drink under the age of 20, and Imamori is 19 (and turns 20 in March next year, roughly around when Gozyuger would’ve wrapped up its broadcast run).
Entertainment agencies in Japan wield a considerable amount of power over the careers of performers, with a long history in both Tokusatsu and broader Japanese entertainment of stars falling from grace thanks to major and minor incidents that run afoul of their contracts. But the situation around Imamori’s dismissal is more nuanced than a case of being caught drinking underage. The actress has been the subject of multiple rumors in Japan’s weekly tabloid Shūkan Bunshun in recent months, accusing her of multiple affairs, leading to accusations by some that Imamori has been targeted by the tabloid.
There’s also the issue that the termination of Imamori’s contract happened effective immediately, leading to a scramble at Toei to alter its plans for Gozyuger. This weekend’s episode of the series, its 37th, was hastily edited to remove Imamori from as much footage as possible, including dubbing over her voice with actress Ayaka Maekawa for scenes where Sumino was transformed as GozyuUnicorn. Broadcast of the series has been put on hiatus ahead of the next episode (which impacts matters even more so, considering previews seemingly indicated that it would be a focal episode for Sumino), with no return date in sight for Gozyuger while Toei and network TV Asahi plan next steps.
The incident comes at a particularly vulnerable time for Super Sentai, after reports emerged in the Japanese press late last month revealing that the series, which has aired almost yearly since 1974, would be coming to an end after Gozyuger‘s broadcast due to low merchandise sales. Whether the series will continue under a new franchise name or with a similar, rebooted premise remains unknown, but for now, Super Sentai‘s immediate future is under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
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