TokuSpirits 2016:When Heroes and Fans collide!!! (By Guyferd20)

          March 27 2016 was a milestone for every Tokusatsu Fan in the Philippines. In this date which happens to be also Easter Sunday, an event called Toku Spirits was held at Party Land in San Fernando Pampanga. During this event, four actors from four super sentai programs aired in the Philippines were present in order to meet with their fans in attendance. But it was not merely an event for the fans. This is also an event in order to help several children who are having serious illness. This is indeed a heroic act of charity.

       The four actors as it was mentioned earlier represent four super sentai shows that were aired in the Philippines during the 90's. The actors are as follows:

01.Ms. Michiko Makino who played Hikaru Katsuragi/Pink 5 on the series Choudenshi Bioman.

02.Mr. Ryousuke Kaizou who played Takeru/Red Mask on the series Hikari Sentai Maskman.

03.Mr. Kenta Satou who played Riki Honoo/Red Turbo on the series Kosoku Sentai Turbo Ranger.

04. Mr. Kei Shindachiya who played Ken Hoshikawa/Five Blue on the series Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman.

       This event was the first time that Ms. Makino and Mr. Satou attended in the Philippines. Mr. Kaizou and Mr. Shindachiya had attended in a previous event last year. Ms. Makino on the other hand is also making constant visit in certain events outside Japan particularly in France. 

        The countdown to this event started in late 2015. The event was first announced in Facebook and was introduced as a tokusatsu related event where as it is also an event for charity. There is a continuous negotiation on the guests that will attend the event. Later in January 2016, there is an announcement about the guests, ticket prices and event program. There is also a continuous update about the venue, the transport service as well as the most exciting of all which is the fourth man to be a part of this event. And the fans weren't disappointed. 

        Then came the date of the event itself which was March 27 2016. As it was announced earlier, the event would take place at Party Land in San Fernando Pampanga. Kids Cancer Vibe was the primary recipient of the said event. 

      The program jump started when Mr. Kenta Satou performed the theme songs of the programs he is a part of. He sung the opening theme of Kousoku Sentai Turboranger with the same title and it's ending theme Zigzag Seishun Road. The performance is very reminiscent of with that of Super Sentai Spirits 2004 as if his level of performance is as good as what he did 12 years prior to Toku Spirits.

     After performing, the actors were introduced one by one. Along with the actors, the programs they were part of and the characters they portrayed. After the actors were introduced, the recipient of Toku Spirits event who were the children from Kids Cancer Vibe went on stage to take a few shots with the actors. 

     The actors took a short break after the having an introduction and a few shots with the event's recipients, there was an intermission number where as selected children fro Pampanga performed a dance number which is a mash up of the themesongs from Choudenshi Bioman, Hikari Sentai Maskman, Kousoku Sentai Turboranger and Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman.

      After the energetic performance from the children from Pampanga, there was another performance from Mr. Kenta Satou. This time, he performed the theme song of Kyouryu Sentai Zyuranger. After the performance of Mr. Satou, the table was set up for the question and answer portion.

         Prior to the program, the organizers made the attendees write their questions on pieces of paper. The questions were read by the hosts, the interpreters translated the question to the actors so they could understand them and then the interpreters translated the answers in order for the attendees to understand them. This part of the program is both informative and interactive.

       The following part after the question and answer portion is the auction of several items. The items that were mostly in the auction were items like magazines, autographs, calendars and others that were signed by several sentai actors that were part of several SS programs. The money that were earned in the auction would be given to Kids Cancer Vibe as the recipient of Toku Spirits 2016.

       With the auction done, the next part is when the SS actors themselves performed the theme songs of their respected programs. The fans enjoyed what they witnessed. Again, after the performance, the children from Kids Cancer Vibe went on stage to have another shot with the SS actors.

     Then the most awaited part of the program took place. This is the autograph signing and picture taking with the attendees. The fans could not be happier while having their personal items signed by their actors and having picture with them. Some of the attendees also brought their children and family with them as a way of introducing their fandom to them. The fans weren't disappointed. Then the program closed with the final pictorial with the children from Kids Cancer Vibe.

    Over-all, the event was a success. The fans were able to meet their childhood heroes and the children in need received the help they need for their battle against cancer. This event proves that not only the tokusatsu actors were heroes on television but also heroes in real life. They used everything on their disposal in order to entertain their fans and also help those who are in need. THE BEST CONVENTION IN ASIA INDEED! On behalf of the attendees of the event, the authors would like to thank the people who are behind this event like Mrs. Georgette Anne Inaba who is Red Mask's wife, Mr. Danny Torres and all the staff who made this event possible. Without you, this event would not be possible. Again, congratulations to the success of the event and more events in the future.

 Thank you  TokuSpirits, Mrs. Georgette Inaba , Mr, Danny Torres,Mr. Kazunori Inaba, Mr. Kei Shindachiya, Ms. Michiko Makino, Mr. Kenta Satou and their company who created this wonderful event.