LaSalle Ishii Shows Off Quirky Style with Star Wars Bag and Ultraman Tee Before Upper House Bid

A huge fan of the tokusatsu series

In early June, coming out of the Shimbashi Enbujō after a stage performance was Issei Lasalle (69).

That day, Ishii appeared in the 11th installment of the Shimbashi Enbujō series by “Atami Gorō Ichiza,” led by Yūji Miyake (74), titled Tasogare no Ristorante: Fukushū wa Last Order no Ato de. Without a manager in sight, he exited solo from the stage door—but what caught the eye above all was his fashion.

He was carrying a bag featuring the popular Star Wars characters C-3PO and R2-D2, and wearing a loud T-shirt printed with the kaiju Gavadon from the tokusatsu TV drama Ultraman—a rather flamboyant look.

“Ishii-san is known for his love of tokusatsu series, and is said to have deep knowledge particularly of the Godzilla series. In 1992, he hosted the variety show Bōken! Gojiland, created to promote the movie Godzilla vs. Mothra. The show continued as Bōken! Gojiland 2, airing for about two years. He also appeared as an actor in the 1993 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla,” said a TV magazine writer.

Ishii has also been part of the “Atami Gorō Ichiza” since its predecessor “Itō Shirō Ichiza,” formed in 2004 by Shirō Itō (88). This year marked his 21st year with the troupe. At a press event after the opening night, he revealed:

“My front tooth suddenly chipped the day before the opening performance.”

He had it treated by a dentist the day of the show, but the anesthesia hadn’t worn off even three hours before curtain, so water would spill from his mouth when he drank—an anecdote that drew laughter from the press.

After the performance concluded on June 27, just two days later, the Social Democratic Party announced Ishii’s candidacy for the House of Councillors proportional representation race. On the 30th, he held a press conference at the House of Councillors office building in Tokyo. Although he had officially joined the party on May 20, he revealed that he had kept his candidacy secret until that day. When asked why he chose to run under the SDP, he stated:

“I think about constitutional protection, peace, and labor issues. If those disappear, this country will just keep falling apart. That’s why I decided to run with the Social Democratic Party.”

He also declared that he would put laughter on hold during the campaign. True to his word—or at least appearing to be—his daily street speeches have shown no trace of his comedian persona, and he has traded in his tokusatsu T-shirts for a sky-blue polo shirt, the party’s color.

On July 6, he delivered a speech in front of the old Alta building in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where Waratteru Baai Desu yo! (Fuji TV), a show he once regularly appeared on, used to be filmed. Supporting him were fellow comedians Takayasu Komiya (69) from the comedy trio Kont Akashingo, and Yoshiko Shimizu (67) from the comedy duo Pink no Denwa.

Only time will tell how much support these longtime comedy peers can generate with voters. The election results will be announced on July 20.

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Post-show, Lasalle Ishii quietly gets into a taxi by himself.