Identity VS Individuality in Exceedraft and Blue SWAT

Yokoyama Kazutoshi appears as a guest actor in Special Rescue Exceedraft and Blue SWAT, which are both Metal Hero shows with Miyashita Junichi as their main writer. Yokoyama's also a suit actor for these shows and previously only played bit parts in other Metal Hero shows.

In Exceedraft and Blue SWAT, the appearance of Yokoyama’s characters shed light on the histories of Ken and Shou respectively. Both of these central characters are played by physically fit actors and have names that are just one kanji, which is far more common for female characters rather than male ones in Miyashita Junichi Metal Hero shows. As the single kanji names of Ken (拳) and Shou (翔) suggest, they seem easy to figure out with their similar direct and open personalities, and a slight tendency to show off. Pairing them with Yokoyama Kazutoshi’s characters, who shares their past and skills, reveals more to them than meets the eye.

For both Yokoyama’s characters, their outfits and overall look match the look of the central character that they share a connection with. Yet Yokoyama's muscular physique is emphasised much more in Blue SWAT than in Exceedraft. A comparison of his characters' styling in both shows points to the different effect of clothes and bodies on characterisation, suggesting the difference between mutable identity and immutable individuality.

Identity, that is how a self is perceived, can be easily altered by the changing of clothes. We see that in Exceedraft's costume changes for Yokoyama's character Kogure. Kogure and Draft Keace Okuma Ken are old friends whose warmth towards each other and for Yuuko, Kogure's disabled little sister, is reflected in their behaviour and styling. Both Kogure and Ken are dressed alike in long-sleeved tops made of a soft fabric.

From their appearance, it's not obvious from the get-go that they have the athletic physiques of formidable karate fighters. The multiple layers that Kogure wears characterises him as a warm and kind older brother. In the episode, we first see him in a soft woolen sweater layered over a button-up shirt with a high collar.

The multiple coverings over his chest matches Ken's black turtleneck which presents Ken as looking more covered up than usual. The turtleneck has a higher collar than Ken's black T-shirt in the previous episode that he wears with the other pieces of his costume in E13. With Kogure and Ken dressed in a similar fashion, we can see the similarity between the two friends and perceive them as friendly, upstanding young men. Here's another essay with more about the effect of Ken’s turtleneck on his characterisation.

efore being coerced to fight in deathmatches, Kogure appears like any ordinary guy as he's always shown in clothes that hide his developed muscles. Most of his arms and chest are covered in his work clothes and we see the same in an old photo of him and his sister.

While on the job, he covers himself up further with a towel wrapped around his neck and tucked into his jacket. The layers in his look suppress any traces of his former identity as a remarkable fighter and suggests his buried potential after having to leave competitive sports karate behind to work and pay his sister’s medical bills.

Fujio's uncovering of Kogure's potential coincides with Kogure shedding his literal coverings. Under the false promise of realising his sister's recovery through the earnings from fighting in Fujio's matches, Kogure takes a drug that Fujio gives him to enhance his fighting ability. The drug turns Kogure to become like a beast as he wrecks furniture and punches the wall. Here, he's in one of the black karate gis that Fujio has his fighters wear.

The gi's top is left untied, letting us see Kogure's bare chest and defined abs, but just a glimpse of it amidst a focus on his unrestrained and destructive strength. With the clothes presenting Kogure as an upstanding member of society replaced by a uniform marking him as a tool for Fujio's deadly ends, the black gi finalises Fujio's overwriting of Kogure's identity.

Kogure's return to wearing his regular clothes coincides with him once more taking on his role as a caring older brother. At the hospital where he reunites with his sister, he's again covered in warm and soft layers like in his first appearance.

His thick white sweater is the visual opposite of the thin black gi and the contrast rounds off Ken's success in rescuing Kogure from Fujio's control. Kogure is free to display his gentleness and vulnerability in comfortable clothes that fit the identity he's comfortable with.

Changes in Kogure's outfits reflects his inclusion and separation from regular society as he becomes the victim of a criminal's scheme. These changes centre on an identity changed and defined by the perception of others. What's more permanent and harder to change is the body underlying clothes that could be easily swapped.

That brings us to the heavy emphasis on bodies in actor Yokoyama Kazutoshi's next guest appearance in a E5 and E12 of Blue SWAT. For both episodes, we get far more shots of Yokoyama's developed muscles than in Exceedraft E13.

While playing Kogure, Yokoyama's bare hands are the only part of his body presented up close. What's emphasised is not Kogure's strength but the strengthening of his friendship with Ken, whose hand he holds with both hands at the case's resolution.

In Blue SWAT, Yokoyama plays Toba Katsuya, a professional athlete and Narumi Shou's rival who represents the traits that Shou must suppress to live and fight in secret. Shou and Toba used to compete in sports events before Shou joins the titular team and fakes his death to stop an alien invasion with his teammates.

Toba's powerful build and imposing height are emphasised in his every scene. As a famous first class athlete, he towers over non-athletes and his arrogant manner further enlarges his presence.

is developed muscles are on full display when he's in sportswear but even in regular clothes, he continues to appear strong and athletic. His t-shirts show off his wide chest and shoulders and pieces like his slim fit dark pants and trench coat emphasise his long limbs.

Whether he's performing athletic feats or not, it's clear that he possesses the imposing and intimidating build of a professional sportsman.

Like with Kogure and Ken in Exceedraft, the styling for Toba and Shou suggests their similarities. Shou's bright and patterned clothes tells us that he likes standing out just as Toba does. His outfit also presents a visual contrast to the darker and plainer pieces that his teammates wear.

It reflects their different attitudes to secrecy. Out of Blue SWAT's main trio, Shou takes it up less easily than the more reserved Sig and Sara. Rather than blending in, Shou prefers shining as an individual like his former rival.

Blue SWAT E5 presents two different ways to look at the potential of Toba's body for connection and exploitation. We first see his muscular arms and legs when Shou and Sara watch him train from afar. Shou talks of disliking Toba as a person, yet holds him in high esteem as a rival.

Shou’s respect towards Toba based on their past rivalry links the exposure of Toba's muscles to the uncovering of Toba's admirable traits. It illustrates the potential for bodies to externalise qualities lying under the skin and enable individuals to know one another better.

Connection is unimportant for the Space Mafia's aliens who take over the bodies and minds of humans to invade the earth. Shots in Blue SWAT that focus on and visually isolate Toba's body parts imply the Space Mafia's influence in isolating their victims from other humans and from their own humanity.

n a facility where the aliens have gathered top athletes, we see Toba working out in a gym. Other athletes surround Toba, who ignores their compliments.

The camera zooms in on the sweat over his bare chest and its defined muscles. These, along with the next close-up on Toba's expression, show his immense focus in honing his body.

The scene in the gym ends with a full view of Toba's face and muscular upper body. The exercise machine's yellow armrests and its metal frame creates a flattering symmetry while giving the impression that Toba is totally alone despite being surrounded by others just seconds ago.

The symmetry from the machine and Toba’s posture, along with the gleaming of both the metal that matches the sheen of sweat on his skin suggests that he — or rather his body — is a tool like the exercise machine for getting stronger.

Taken together, these shots isolate Toba and parts of his body, presenting him as the prime human specimen which the aliens see him as. We take on the aliens' perspective that objectifies Toba and other humans which differ from Shou's perspective that humanises Toba earlier in the episode. Success for the aliens means a loss in the potential for humans to express both their superficial and deeper qualities that make up their individuality.

While aliens slip in and out of human bodies as if changing clothes, humans have to live and die with the one body that they have. As we see in Toba's noble sacrifice to save Shou's life in Blue SWAT E12, a human's existence is intrinsically tied to what happens to their body. Toba's death occurs after an alien uses him to transport drugs and attempt to eliminate the members of Blue SWAT. Once Toba regains control of his body and mind, he jumps into the fight before sharing one last heartfelt moment with Shou in Shou's arms.

The contrast in how they appear earlier in E12, while Toba’s under an alien’s control, and in their shared past emphasises the depth of Shou's loss from Toba's death.

While being “invaded” by an alien, Toba intimidates Shou with his powerful build while Shou stands before him fully clothed and in disguise. Shou's disguise and the alien treating Toba's body as a disguise keeps them from regaining their past closeness.

During their battle, Shou’s armour obscures his body and face, which then suppresses his ability to truly be himself around someone he shares a unique bond with. It’s a far cry from how they appear in the flashback to their shared past and rivalry.

We see them baring their athletic physiques as they compete with and support each other. Here, they display a closeness in both their appearance and their actions as Toba drinks from Shou's bottle.

When Shou and Toba are dressed alike, the contrast in their builds take on a special meaning in defining their rivalry and bond. We see that in Shou's photo of them standing side by side.

With Shou's lean build contrast against Toba's bulkier one, they form a pair fit for a destined clash to determine the best of nature's offerings for humankind. Their bodies define who they are and who they are together.

An actor's body and overall appearance are vital for creating images to develop a show's story. Depending on the story being told, a greater emphasis is placed on the clothes altering someone's appearance or on the body under those clothes. Comparing Yokoyama Kazutoshi's guest appearances in different Metal Hero shows tells us how the styling, for his characters and whoever he's paired with, develops ideas on identity and individuality; that is, what can and can't be easily changed about ourselves.