Tsuburaya Productions Celebrates Mirrorman’s 50th Anniversary

For Mirrorman’s 50th anniversary, episodes will be uploaded to Tsuburaya’s Ultraman Official YouTube channel starting June 7, and a manga reboot has been announced to begin on July 30.

Mirrorman, a Tsuburaya Productions tokusatsu show, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Starting June 7, episodes of this classic show will be uploaded with English subtitles to Tsuburaya’s Official YouTube channel every Monday at 6:00pm (Japan Standard Time). (Regional restrictions may apply.)

Mirrorman aired from 1971-1972 and was Tsuburaya Productions’ first original hero program outside of the Ultraman series. The protagonist, Kyotaro Kagami, is the son of a man who lives in the second-dimensional world and a human mother. By using a mirror’s reflection, he can transform into Mirrorman in order to protect Earth from invaders.

Reboot Manga “Mirroman 2D”

In addition, a manga reboot, titled “Mirrorman 2D” will begin serialization on July 30, 2021. Written and drawn by Masato Hisa, this manga will available to read on Tsuburaya Imagination, Tsuburaya’s media subscription service (for subscribers at the Ultra level), and on Comiplex, an online manga website managed by the publishing company Hero’s.

Summary (from Tsuburaya Productions)

It is the year 2021, and invaders have targetted Earth. Unseen by people of the three-dimensional world, they plot to take over the planet, but two men stand in their way.

The stage is set in Yokohama, the invaders’ target, and this will be a duo-action story that will transcend dimensions! After fifty years, welcome this reboot of the legendary hero Mirrorman!

About the Artist

Comic artist Masato Hisa made his debut in 2003 with the series “Grateful Dead”. Well-known for works such as “Nobunagun” and “Ninja Batman”, Hisa is currently writing “Kamuya Ride”, a story of a tokusatsu hero set in ancient Japan.

Concepts of “Mirrorman 2D” began in 2019 after attending Tsuburaya Convention. While he enjoyed the event as an audience member, part of him wished he had also been on stage presenting a new work for Tsuburaya Productions.

Hisa says, “After all, it was Tsuburaya’s works that inspired me to start drawing when I was a child, and from a very young age, I think I always wanted to be involved with a Tsuburaya production someday. I won’t let anyone say that that dream is gone.

“I re-examined my drawing style, wondering what I could draw, and I thought that Mirrorman would be a good subject that I could show from a new angle. I pitched a story and characters to my editor from when I was with Hero’s and asked them to send it to Tsuburaya Productions.

“I’m overjoyed that they accepted the project and agreed to serialize it! And timing it to Mirrorman‘s 50th anniversary is too good to be true! I’m so excited, but I’m writing this so calmly. Tsuburaya’s works are just that special to me.

“And they must be so special to others too. I will draw an engaging manga that won’t disappoint those fans and readers. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

Source: Tsuburaya Productions, Masato Hisa (Twitter)