Power Rangers

[@PLUGO]

According to the A.V.Club . . .

the gritty, modern reboot that it so desperately deserves … has already been slotted into a July 22, 2016 release date.

[GeneChing]

‘Power Rangers’ Movie Casts its Black Ranger



'Power Rangers' Movie Casts its Black
October 22, 2015 | 11:11AM PT
Dave McNary
Film Reporter @Variety_DMcNary

Lionsgate has tapped “Monster Hunt” actor Ludi Lin as the Black Ranger for its upcoming “Power Rangers” movie.

The studio made the announcement Thursday on Twitter and Instagram.

Power Rangers Verified account
‏@PowerRangers

Meet @Ludi_Lin who is morphing into the Black Ranger in the #PowerRangers Movie! More scoop: http://bit.ly/1OYuNIx

He’s the third actor cast for the movie, following Naomi Scott as the Pink Ranger and Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger.

Lind plays a magician in “Monster Hunt,” which has become a box office smash in China.

Dean Israelite is directing the movie from a script by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. Haim Saban, Brian Casentini and Allison Shearmur are producing.

The story reimagines the origins of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of high school kids given extraterrestrial powers who unite to save the world.

The 1993 Fox Kids TV series became a pop culture phenomenon and inspired a big-screen adaptation, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie,” in 1995.

Lionsgate and Saban Brands announced plans last year to develop and produce a live-action movie based on Saban’s Power Rangers property as the first film in a franchise.

“Power Rangers” hits theaters on Jan. 13, 2017.

I just acquired a copy of Monster Hunt and hope to watch it this weekend.

[GeneChing]

I pulled the two posts above from our Mighty-Morphin-Power-Ranger-news thread because this project just got more interesting.

Elizabeth Banks to Star as the Power Rangers Villain!
POWER RANGERS ELIZABETH BANKS MOVIE NEWS
BY SPENCER PERRY ON FEBRUARY 2, 2016



Elizabeth Banks cast as Power Rangers villain Rita Repulsa

Lionsgate has officially announced that actress Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) has signed on to play the villain in the upcoming Power Rangers reboot. Banks will play the iconic Power Rangers villain Rita Repulsa, an evil witch previously imprisoned for thousands of years with plans to conquer Earth.

Dacre Montgomery will lead the team as Jason aka the Red Ranger with RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and The Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The Martian, “Terra Nova”) as Kimberly aka the Pink Ranger, Ludi Lin as Zack aka the Black Ranger, and musician Becky G. as Trini aka the Yellow Ranger.

Screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor) wrote the screenplay for Power Rangers, which is described as a modern reinvention of the long-running franchise. In it, a group of ordinary high school kids find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world. Original creator Haim Saban is acting as producer along with Brian Casentini and Allison Shearmur.

Saban’s “Power Rangers” franchise is the brainchild of Haim Saban, creator and producer of the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” hit series that launched in 1993. Following its introduction, “Power Rangers” quickly became the most-watched children’s television program in the United States and remains one of the top-rated and longest running boys live-action series in television history. The series follows the adventures of a group of ordinary teens who “morph” into superheroes and save the world from evil. It is seen in more than 150 markets around the world, translated into numerous languages and is a mainstay in the most prominent international children’s programming blocks.

20th Century Fox previously released two feature films, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995 and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in 1997.

Set to be directed by Project Almanac‘s Dean Israelite, Power Rangers will debut in theaters on March 24, 2017.

[GeneChing]

Production Begins on Saban’s Power Rangers Movie!
BY SPENCER PERRY ON FEBRUARY 29, 2016



Production begins on Saban’s Power Rangers movie

Lionsgate has announced that production has officially begun on Saban’s Power Rangers with production taking place in Vancouver. The film is a production of Lionsgate and Saban Brands .

Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.

The film stars Dacre Montgomery (A Few Less Men) as Jason the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Becky G (Empire) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger, and Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect, The Hunger Games franchise) as Rita Repulsa.

Directed by Dean Israelite (Project Almanac), Saban’s Power Rangers is written by John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island, Real Steel), Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Dracula Untold), Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor), and Max Landis (Chronicle). Producers are Power Rangers creator Haim Saban, Brian Casentini, Wyck Godfrey, and Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner franchise).

Allison Shearmur (The Hunger Games franchise; Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Brent O’Connor (Warcraft) serve as executive producers. Brian Tyler (Avengers: Age of Ultron; Now You See Me) is the composer and Kelli Jones (Straight Outta Compton, Sons of Anarchy) is the costume designer. Set decorator is Oscar-nominated Hamish Purdy (The Revenant) and stunt coordinator is Paul Jennings (Game of Thrones, San Andreas , The Dark Knight). Weta Workshop (The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, District 9) is in charge of suit design and visual effects. Andrew Menzies (Fury, X-Men) is the production designer and Director of Photography is Matt Lloyd (Daredevil, Cop Car).

Saban’s Power Rangers will debut in theaters on March 24, 2017.

In the wake of #oscarssowhite, I'm now trippin over the fact that there isn't a single Japanese named above.

[GeneChing]

Yea, we all want a “really modern, edgy, badass, aspirational quality.”

Power Rangers first look: Get a sneak peek at the new teenagers with attitude
BY KEVIN P. SULLIVAN • @KPSULL


(Kimberley French)
Power Rangers
Posted March 3 2016 — 1:00 PM EST

It’s most certainly morphin’ time!

The Saturday morning TV staple Power Rangers (née Mighty Morphin) is coming to theaters in 2017 with a big-screen revival that will introduce a new version of the classic line-up of five alien-blasting teens.

EW has your first look at pop star Becky G, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Naomi Scott, Ludi Lin, and Dacre Montgomery as Trini, Billy, Kimberly, Zack, and Jason, respectively.

While the roster might sound familiar, director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) told EW that he wanted this superhero story to reflect the lives of teens today. The new Power Rangers is a coming of age story for these “disenfranchised and disparate” high schoolers, who are not friends when the new story begins.

The modern setting was also taken into account during the casting process. Though many of the characters have had their races swapped, the cast retains the original’s diversity—while getting rid of the more race-based color assignments. This, according to Israelite, was a conscious choice to maintain what the original meant for fans around the world.

“From the very beginning, diversity was a very important part of the whole process,” he said. “We switched all of the races around, but we made sure that the essence of each of those characters are who they were in the original show, and this really will be an origin story of those characters.”

The Rangers’ suits will also be getting a update as well, thanks to Weta Workshop of Lord of the Rings fame, who fabricated the costumes. Israelite wanted the costume to be immediately recognizable as belonging to the Power Rangers, while give them a “really modern, edgy, badass, aspirational quality.”

“We’ve really pushed ourselves to make them feel different from any other superhero costume that’s out there,” Israelite said. “One key that’s different to the Power Ranger suits is that they’re not really suits that people get into. They’re suits that morph onto our kids, so they already have this almost metaphysical quality to them.”

And the Rangers will need those suits if they’re going to stand a chance against Elizabeth Banks’ Rita Repulsa, who from the sounds of it, lives up to her insane legacy.

“It’s very exciting that we got [Banks], and I think what she loves is the opportunity to really embrace the insanity and deliciousness of Rita Repulsa in terms of how weird and wonderful that character was, and really dive into and consume that character,” Israelite said. “You should always be off-balance when you’re watching her. Is she insane? Is she totally calculated? Does she know what she’s doing? Elizabeth can toe that line really well.”

[mickey]

Greetings,

I prefer the original with ADULTS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNxDA_UPycE


mickey

[GeneChing]

The complaint grows: first Ghost, then Dr. Strange, and now Power Rangers.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Why Won’t Hollywood Cast Asian Actors?


DADU SHIN
By KEITH CHOW
APRIL 22, 2016
HERE’S an understatement: It isn’t easy being an Asian-American actor in Hollywood. Despite some progress made on the small screen — thanks, “Fresh Off the Boat”! — a majority of roles that are offered to Asian-Americans are limited to stereotypes that wouldn’t look out of place in an ’80s John Hughes comedy.

This problem is even worse when roles that originated as Asian characters end up going to white actors. Unfortunately, these casting decisions are not a relic of Hollywood’s past, like Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of I. Y. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” but continue right up to the present.

Last week Disney and Marvel Studios released the trailer for “Doctor Strange,” an adaptation of the Marvel comic. After exhausting every “white man finds enlightenment in the Orient” trope in less than two minutes, the trailer presents Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, a Tibetan male mystic in the comics. Though her casting was no secret, there was something unsettling about the sight of Ms. Swinton’s clean-shaven head and “mystical” Asian garments. It recalled jarring memories of David Carradine from “Kung Fu,” the 1970s television series that, coincidentally, was itself a whitewashed version of a Bruce Lee concept.

A few days later, DreamWorks and Paramount provided a glimpse of Scarlett Johansson as the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in their adaptation of the Japanese anime classic “Ghost in the Shell.” The image coincided with reports that producers considered using digital tools to make Ms. Johansson look more Asian — basically, yellowface for the digital age.

This one-two punch of white actors playing Asian characters showed how invisible Asian-Americans continue to be in Hollywood. (Not to be left out of the whitewashing news, Lionsgate also revealed the first images of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, another originally Asian character, in its gritty “Power Rangers” reboot.)


Slide Show | Whitewashing, a Long History White actors playing Asian characters demonstrate how invisible Asian-Americans continue to be in Hollywood.

Why is the erasure of Asians still an acceptable practice in Hollywood? It’s not that people don’t notice: Just last year, Emma Stone played a Chinese-Hawaiian character named Allison Ng in Cameron Crowe’s critically derided “Aloha.” While that film incited similar outrage (and tepid box office interest), no national conversation about racist casting policies took place.

Obviously, Asian-Americans are not the only victims of Hollywood’s continuing penchant for whitewashing. Films like “Pan” and “The Lone Ranger” featured white actors playing Native Americans, while “Gods of Egypt” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings” continue the long tradition of Caucasians playing Egyptians.

In all these cases, the filmmakers fall back on the same tired arguments. Often, they insist that movies with minorities in lead roles are gambles. When doing press for “Exodus,” the director Ridley Scott said: “I can’t mount a film of this budget" and announce that “my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such.”

When the screenwriter Max Landis took to YouTube to explain the “Ghost in the Shell” casting, he used a similar argument. “There are no A-list female Asian celebrities right now on an international level,” he said, admonishing viewers for “not understanding how the industry works.”

Mr. Landis’s argument closely tracks a statement by the screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. In a leaked email exchange with studio heads, he complained about the difficulty of adapting “Flash Boys,” Michael Lewis’s book about the Wall Street executive Bradley Katsuyama, because “there aren’t any Asian movie stars.”

Hollywood seems untroubled by these arguments. It’s not about race, they say; the only color they see is green: The reason Asian-American actors are not cast to front these films is because not any of them have a box office track record.

But they’re wrong. If minorities are box office risks, what accounts for the success of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, which presented a broadly diverse team, behind and in front of the camera? Over seven movies it has grossed nearly $4 billion worldwide. In fact, a recent study by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that films with diverse leads not only resulted in higher box office numbers but also higher returns of investment for studios and producers.

And Hollywood’s argument is circular: If Asian-Americans — and other minority actors more broadly — are not even allowed to be in a movie, how can they build the necessary box office clout in the first place? To make matters worse, instead of trying to use their lofty positions in the industry to push for change, Hollywood players like Mr. Landis and Mr. Sorkin take the easy, cynical path.

[GeneChing]

Kinda Iron Man, don't you think?

Power Rangers exclusive: Here's your first look at the gang's new suits
The alien-fighting friends leave the '90s behind in their updated looks
BY SHIRLEY LI • @SHIRKLESXP


(Tim Palen)
Power Rangers

Posted May 5 2016 — 10:00 AM EDT

Later, Lycra!

When the Power Rangers revival morphs into theaters, the five teenagers with attitude won’t be wearing the original series’ campy costumes to battle Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks). Instead, the new cast — singer Becky G as Yellow Ranger Trini, Ludi Lin as Black Ranger Zack, Dacre Montgomery as Red Ranger Jason, Naomi Scott as Pink Ranger Kimberly, and RJ Cyler as Blue Ranger Billy — will don translucent extraterrestrial armor that crystallizes around their bodies.

The sartorial update may look radical, but the outfits are visual throwbacks to the franchise’s long-running mythology. “The show was about kids coming of age, about metamorphosis,” director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) says. “These suits needed to feel like they were catalyzed by these kids and their energy, their spirit.”

For a closer look at the new suits, pick up Entertainment Weekly issue #1414, on newsstands Friday or available here.

Power Rangers hits theaters March 24, 2017.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

After 10,000 Years, She’s Free! New Rita Repulsa Photo from Power Rangers
POWER RANGERS ELIZABETH BANKS MOVIE NEWS
BY SPENCER PERRY ON NOVEMBER 28, 2016



New Rita Repulsa photo from Power Rangers

Lionsgate has released a new photo from the upcoming Power Rangers movie featuring Elizabeth Banks as the film’s villain, Rite Repulsa! Check out the new Rita Repulsa photo in the gallery below.

Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.

The Power Rangers cast includes Dacre Montgomery (A Few Less Men) as Jason the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Becky G (Empire) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger, and Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect, The Hunger Games franchise) as Rita Repulsa. In addition Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad,” Godzilla) has been announced to play Zordon with Bill Hader (“Saturday Night Live) voicing Alpha 5.

Directed by Dean Israelite (Project Almanac), Power Rangers is written by John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island, Real Steel), Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Dracula Untold), Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor), and Max Landis (Chronicle). Producers are Power Rangers creator Haim Saban, Brian Casentini, Wyck Godfrey, and Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars, The Maze Runner franchise).

Power Rangers will be released in theaters on March 24, 2017.

Banks as Rita sells this reboot for me more than any other factor.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

Bay Area ramen restaurant employees save woman from attack while dressed as Power Rangers
Ryan General
15 hours ago

On Friday evening, workers at Noka Ramen in Oakland, California, fought back against an attacker who followed a woman into the store on Friday evening.

The staff, who were wearing full-on “Power Rangers” costumes, hid the woman in the kitchen and confronted the man.

The man allegedly shouted Asian slurs and threw punches at the employees.

The employees were eventually able to throw the unruly man out.

The authorities later arrived and said the man had started another fight elsewhere.

A team of Mighty Morphin’ restaurant staffers foiled the plans of an evildoer in Oakland, California, on Friday evening.

Dressed as Power Rangers, employees of Noka Ramen became actual heroes after a woman entered the restaurant seeking help at around 8 p.m. A man who had been chasing after the woman reportedly ran into the restaurant and put her in a chokehold.

The ramen shop’s servers dress up as the beloved heroes every Friday to promote the establishment’s signature cocktail, called “The Noka Rangers.”

Customer Ploi Pirapoken, who witnessed the ordeal, documented the events in a Twitter thread that went viral on Oct. 14.

According to Pirapoken, employees dressed as the Black Ranger and the Yellow Ranger confronted the man and told him to leave. However, the man refused to go and began throwing punches, which the Yellow Ranger reportedly blocked.

The woman was ushered to safety in the kitchen before the man started spouting Asian slurs and ran towards her, but the Yellow Ranger grabbed the man by his collar and dragged him out of the restaurant. The man reportedly returned with a friend to try and force their way inside but were both kicked out.

“All of the servers, slash Power Rangers were moving towards the scene to help one another out,” Ploi said. “The patrons started getting involved in a way that was supporting and making sure everyone was safe.”

The authorities later arrived and said the man had started another fight elsewhere. Meanwhile, customers inside were reportedly told by the Pink Ranger that they would not be charged for their meals.

Noka Ramen also posted about the incident on Instagram, where they hailed the staff as “real life heroes” for “going above and beyond in our time of need.”

Power Rangers is a popular entertainment franchise from the ‘90s and early 2000s that is currently owned by Hasbro.


Featured Image via Noka Burgers

Real Life 'Superheroes'
Power-Rangers-(2017)

[GeneChing]

This Power Rangers-Inspired Ramen Shop Is Mastering the Art of Kick-Ass Noodles
Alan Chazaro
Jan 19

The classic tonkotsu (pork belly, bean sprouts, bok choy, mushrooms, seaweed, noodles, egg) is a signature at Noka Ramen. (Alan Chazaro)
¡Hella Hungry! is a column about Bay Area foodmakers, exploring the region's culinary cultures through the mouth of a first-generation local.

If you scan ramen threads on Reddit or Twitter, you’ll find the occasional hater who claims that the Bay Area’s ramen “sucks” or is “overrated" (particularly when compared to LA's offerings). I don’t completely disagree with those statements. Many times I’ve been told about a top ramen joint in NorCal only to be underwhelmed by spaghetti-like noodles or an odd ratio of toppings that overpower the actual ramen.

Occasionally, though, I’ll find a spot here that reminds me of the top-tier ramen I experienced during a trip to Tokyo, where each brothy spoonful delivered a soulful warmth that transcended any language barrier.

That’s exactly the kind of good vibe I found at Noka Ramen in Oakland’s Jack London Square. You may recall the restaurant going viral last fall, when its staff stopped a man from assaulting a woman inside the dining room — while dressed up as Power Rangers. As the story made the rounds on social media, it also brought attention to the eatery’s flamboyant staff and quirky decor. The establishment’s most essential element — its actual ramen — was given a well-deserved signal boost, too. They haven’t held back any punches since then.

Since it opened in the summer of 2022, Noka has been serving up some of the tastiest (and spiciest) ramen in the East Bay. The colorful shop has mastered the art of flavorful presentation, with its stylish Power Ranger–themed tiki drinks, anime playing in the background and over-the-top menu items like the Ikari Steak Ramen, which features slow–cooked beef rib confit, creamy spicy miso and a splash of 151 rum that’s been lit on fire ($36).


A server at Noka Ramen embodies the restaurant's stylish vibe. (Alan Chazaro)
But for me, it’s the simpler ramen dishes that keep me coming back for more. The spicy miso ramen, in particular, is one of the fiercest broths I’ve found in the Bay and packs more than enough heat (hack: order the shi****o pepper appetizer and mix some of its spicy sauce into your bowl for an extra kick).

What helps Noka stand out from the competition is the vision of Pop-Kasem Saengsawang, the creative owner of a local Thai restaurant mini-empire that includes Farmhouse Kitchen, Son & Garden and Daughter Thai Kitchen. With the help of Kenichi Ota, the consultant and teacher behind the Los Angeles-based Ramen School USA, Saengsawang is now adding his own spin to the ramen circuit.

Here’s what the two collaborators and friends had to say about serving noodles on the docks of the Frisco Bay.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

********

ALAN CHAZARO: You both grew up in Asia before immigrating to California. What brought you here, and what has been your experience with the U.S. food industry?

POP-KASEM SAENGSAWANG: I’m originally from Thailand. I moved to the States with the hope of becoming Bill Gates (laughs). I was a computer scientist and moved here to continue my studies. During college, I had to start working and learn how to live on my own. I worked in a kitchen and served as a manager for six years and fell in love with food. I opened my first restaurant back then, but only nine months later it closed down (laughs). I was 26 years old. It was a Japanese sushi restaurant. My chef taught me a lot about raw fish, sauces and to care about the traditions. It was all new to me. One day my chef didn’t show up, and I realized that I didn’t understand it well enough, that I needed to learn more. Eventually I opened Farmhouse Kitchen. It was fun. My wife [Ing Kumo] and I enjoyed that, because it was totally us.

KENICHI OTA: I came 18 years ago and started working at a Japanese grocery shop in San Jose. I eventually opened a ramen shop of my own, but I had some issues at the time and had to return to Japan, so I closed it down. Five years ago, after I returned, I wanted to enter the ramen market, but nobody was making the sort of ramen that I wanted to make. I decided that I could help others who wanted to learn how to make ramen. I thought, let’s try to support the restaurants who have a passion for Japanese food and products and who want to learn to make it. That’s when I started to do consulting and teaching.

Why did you decide to open Noka? Why ramen?

SAENGSAWANG: After the pandemic, I learned a lot about comfort food and what people wanted. I was always dreaming about a noodle bar for so long. I grew up in Thailand, [where] the two key ingredients are rice and noodles. I had time to learn and study during [the pandemic]. I went to different noodle shops, tried to get a feel, talked to the chefs. But I didn’t have the answers until I found Ken. The way he taught me is to jump in and make it your own experience. I feel like it’s something that I really enjoyed and could adapt and turn into my own recipes. With his knowledge and help, we created a beautiful broth and chewy noodles. I didn’t want my ramen shop to feel like traditional ramen, so I added lobster, short ribs, those kinds of things to the menu. I didn’t want to mix with Thai or anything else, though. I wanted it to be Japanese ramen. Over many months, Ken returned to check the recipe and make it better. I’m super grateful for him.

OTA: For Japanese people, ramen is an important part of food. I started making ramen about 14 years ago. I was working at the grocery store and making ramen there. I was working with ramen chefs to make it and started going to outside events and pop-ups as well. People think ramen is just general. But it’s a whole process with many varieties and styles. It’s about details and careful directions, but the whole process is enjoyable. It’s not stressful for me. Making ramen is simply fun.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

The Spicy Miso Ramen (spicy ground pork, chili paste, bamboo shoot, corn, egg, thin noodles) is a personal favorite for this writer. (Alan Chazaro)
Where did the whole Power Rangers concept come from?

SAENGSAWANG: The Power Rangers idea is about having fun, first of all. It’s also a good look. I grew up with Japanese cosplay, so I really enjoy the Power Rangers. The Power Rangers don’t have just one guy or person — it’s a team. That was our goal. Then my wife, Ing Kumo, created the Power Ranger cocktail. When we bring it out, the server might do the Power Ranger move (chops the air). We might as well wear it and have fun. For our shyest servers, they become different people when they wear it. Customers can’t see you. It changed the way they walked from when they would dress regularly. It just brings a unique experience to everyone — customers and workers. At first everyone laughed and didn’t want to wear it. But now they love to pick their colors each week: pink, black, green, white.

Noka Ramen went viral last year after an incident involving staff members dressed as Power Rangers — when your employees helped to end a physical altercation in public. How did you all deal with that and in what ways did it affect the community?

SAENGSAWANG: The first couple of days I told everyone I don’t want to say that we were heroes. I don’t want to twist it since we weren’t really sure what was going on with the gentleman and lady who were fighting in our restaurant. Our goal is to protect our customers, always. The cosplay heroes were the story that day by coincidence. My manager pushed the guy out of the restaurant. It’s difficult because we don’t expect our staff to fight like that. It’s dangerous. There is one instance in San Francisco where a worker was stabbed because they ran after a customer who didn’t pay. I told everyone that we didn’t want to celebrate or share what happened because it’s a tricky situation. When the media came, I didn’t want to put my workers in the spotlight. What if the man came back and tried to attack my workers? So we focused on what we serve, how we value the customers.

"Our goal is to protect our customers, always. It’s difficult because we don’t expect our staff to fight like that. It’s dangerous. ... So we focused on what we serve, how we value the customers."
Pop-Kasem Saengsawang

We went to court as witnesses, and we had to make sure the woman who was attacked got the support she needed. We hired a lawyer to make sure that one of our employees wasn’t involved [with any charges]. We were just trying to protect ourselves and everyone. That guy who attacked went to other locations nearby; he was also at Plank, and the police were involved there and arrested him. We don’t want our employees to be in those situations, but we appreciate the community that keeps supporting us because they feel like it was a heroic thing. It turned out positive. In Oakland, we have many people who are protecting the community and making sure no one gets hurt here in this city.

That incident brought a lot of positive attention to Noka and put it on many people’s radars as a ramen destination. What are your thoughts on the ramen scene in the Bay Area, and what is Noka doing differently, besides dressing up as Power Rangers, to stand out?

OTA: There is high-quality ramen in San Francisco, and there is a huge market in the Bay Area. It’s competitive for the United States. Noka is joining that market later, so Pop and I talked about concepts. We don’t need to only follow the exact authentic recipes. It’s not our goal. Our goal is to have ramen lovers come back; maybe they’re new to ramen. We focused on the mix of American people here and what we could do to make them like Noka. That’s how we approached it.

SAENGSAWANG: To my understanding, when people experience something and they enjoy it, they want to return because they liked it, whether it’s traditional or non-traditional. Some people grew up with ramen being cooked at home by mom. Noka Ramen can’t recreate that. Noka Ramen is about bringing a fun new experience. Ramen is about joy and we try our best to represent that feeling. Of course, we can’t replicate the most traditional. It can’t ever be exactly like home-cooked ramen. There are too many factors. So we focus on providing a good experience with noodles with love and joy. That’s the concept.

We don’t like to compare ourselves with others. Every ramen [shop] has their own unique story of making ramen. Some restaurants here are owned by Koreans, so they add kimchi. Some are Chinese-owned and have catfish or ingredients mixed from Chinese culture. That’s great. The generations that grew up with mixed cultures can adapt and adventure easier. But I told Ken that I wanted Noka to be Japanese without any Thai [influence].


Noka, which is the Thai owner's ode to Japanese cosplay and culinary traditions, translates into "farmhouse." (Alan Chazaro)
What’s the secret to making good ramen?

OTA: My teaching program is about making everything from scratch and using premium ingredients. Everything from scratch, including appetizers and other dishes. Lots of people use [pre-made] concentrated stuff, and the broth isn’t as good. Or [they use] cheap ingredients. We use so many steps to make our ramen that it’s almost too much to follow (laughs).

SAENGSAWANG: We probably use about 40 pounds of bones or more in each batch of our broth, and it takes about six hours just to make the broth. Ken brought his technique to Noka, which is the high-pressure machine. We use that, too. Ken imported that from Japan. Traditional style uses an open-faced pot, but this high-pressure pot pushes all the ingredients into water and makes it super creamy. That makes it different and isn’t a common technique here. Ken’s [noodle] recipe is really unique. It’s high-end flour imported from Japan. I also purchased a noodle machine from Japan. Everything is written in Japanese and I can’t read it (laughs). Google Translate didn’t help. Ken came in and showed us the steps and how to operate it.

I thought you could just buy noodles and put it in a broth (laughs). Not at all. It’s all worth it though. I want our customers to eat with love. That’s our goal.

Besides Noka, where is your favorite place to get ramen in the Bay Area?

SAENGSAWANG: My spot to go for ramen is Nagi Ramen in San Mateo.

OTA: Yes, Nagi is good. Very unique ramen. They come from Japan. I enjoy it. But also I have to say: Go Noka!




Noka Ramen is open Mon. through Fri. from 11 a.m.–2 pm and 5–9  p.m., and Sat. and Sun. from noon–3  p.m. and 5–9 p.m. The restaurant is located at 90 Franklin St. in Oakland.

Real Life 'Superheroes'
Power-Rangers-(2017)
Kung-Fu-Restaurants-amp-Bars

[GeneChing]

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