Abaranger was the second Toei tokusatsu series Naruhisa Arakawa worked on as main writer, the first of course being the big smash and fan favorite Kamen Rider Kuuga. I think you can look at Abaranger and make a case that Arakawa had more freedom on the show than is usual for a writer on Super Sentai -- the show is one of the more cohesive toku productions. The episodes written by the secondary writers, from writers with as differing tones as Sho Aikawa and Atsushi Maekawa, all flow well with what Arakawa established, which always made me feel like Arakawa had a hand in their episodes, perhaps guiding them the way a showrunner traditionally would in an American production. (I think Arakawa was also instrumental in getting Carranger writer Yoshio Urasawa to contribute episodes -- don't you find it a little too coincidental that Urasawa ended up returning only for Arakawa-penned shows? And Abaranger was his first time returning to the franchise since Carranger, too.)
So, I feel like Arakawa had more leeway than the norm, not only because he was on the path of becoming one of the genre's more popular and go-to guys, but because he delivered such a hit with Kuuga, and he had more power on THAT show than is the norm as well, actually receiving a rare "series creator" credit. So, he has some pull, and writers have pet people they like to work with from project to project, whether it's directors, producers or particular actors. I don't think it's coincidental that Kuuga's Mie Nanamori went on to guest-star in a flashy role in Arakawa's Dekaranger, for example. (And Kuuga's Yuudai Ishiyama appears in the first episode.) But did Arakawa ever want to use anyone else from Kuuga?
So here's Abaranger, his first show after Kuuga. There's some similarities, enough for Toei to semi-jokingly call Abaranger "Kuuga 2" to encourage people to check it out. I wonder if there was ever any temptation, whether on Arakawa's or Toei's part, to ever include anyone from Kuuga...?
Well, when I last rewatched Abaranger, episode 46 stuck out to me like it tends to do. It's a weird episode, in which it's revealed that Evorian had sent the very first Trinoid to Earth a full year ago. The Trinoid has a human disguise, as the charismatic, eccentric fortune-teller, Master Ran. This monster plays an important role in that he's not only been active for so long -- and successfully established his plan in that time -- but also in that he's instrumental in bringing main villain Dezumozoria back in a physical form. A lot of focus is given to this character, when a lot of the monsters-of-the-day in this show are treated as just quirky cannon fodder. But this guy was insidious; he was treated a little more seriously than usual. They were making a big deal out of this character; he's supposed to stick out.
Not only were they acting like this character was supposed to be important, but it's an important episode overall -- it's the first time Nakadai's not fighting the Abaranger, but fighting the Evolian instead. So Master Ran ends up with a bit of stunt-casting, a toku vet, to help stand out more -- he's played by GoGoFive's Masashi Taniguchi.
So, Master Ran's built up as a big deal, and we have a bit of stunt-casting. I'm rewatching the episode, realizing Taniguchi's kinda similarity to Odagiri and then it hits me. "Huh. I wonder if Arakawa wished he could have gotten Odagiri to play this small, but flashy role." I thought maybe I was thinking too much about it, but then the preview for the episode flashed through my mind. It highlights a line from Master Ran, his promises of an "akarui mirai" (bright future). Akarui Mirai/Bright Future is the title of a movie Odagiri made that was released in early 2003, the first performance after Kuuga that got him attention and critical acclaim. It would certainly have been a big deal if they had gotten him to guest star in Abaranger. And Odagiri was still on the rise, though, so I could imagine Arakawa or Toei thinking he wasn't out of reach and a guest appearance was feasible, especially if it was a part written specifically for him by one of the guys who helped launched his career. But -- for whatever reason -- it fell through. (Although Odagiri was receiving rave reviews for his villainous turn in the movie Azumi, and ended up winning the Academy Award in 2004, maybe someone thought it wouldn't have been right to see him return to toku as a villain so soon.)
And so we end up with...Odagiri-like Taniguchi. (They started acting around the same time, and while Taniguchi beat Odagiri to the punch in landing his first steady gig by several months, Taniguchi never had the push of an Odagiri, his career never skyrocketed like Odagiri's. And what's even funnier is that Odagiri auditioned for GoGoFive, and I always thought if he had been serious about that audition and actually was cast in the show, he would obviously have ended up playing Nagare.)
And now, to sidetrack a bit to another topic. This isn't a kooky theory, but veers closer to one of my Wishful Casting posts. On the subject of Kuuga and Abaranger. Nakadai actor Kotaro Tanaka kinda reminds me of a younger Shingo Katsurayama. Like I've always said, Nakadai needed to be played by an older actor. Anybody with any sense would look at that role and realize it only works with an older actor. So what if, just what if Shingo Katsurayama had played Nakadai/Abare Killer? I think he could have pulled it off, and I think it would be a bit of a shock after being so used to him as selfless and courageous Ichijou. I think it can be interesting when an actor you so associate with a heroic role ends up playing a villain. (I still think Fujioka should have played G4 instead of being wasted in that walk-on cameo.)
