Tokusatsu Year in Review 2021 - Everything's an Anniversary edition
 

Hey, it's that thing I do.

It's once again time yet again for my annual tradition of 90% copy/pasting a look back on the previous year and the shows, characters, and moments that stood out to us. It was a better year for tokusatsu than 2020. The only hiatus we got was for the Olympics and only Ultraman had to deal with more clipshows than usual. We also got new shows to celebrate the anniversaries of Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Ultraman Tiga. Power Rangers, meanwhile, probably also did stuff.

As always, for releases of this year I'm counting any series that aired any episodes during 2021, including:

Kiramager
Zenkaiger
Kamen Rider Saber
Kamen Rider Revice
Ultraman Trigger
Power Rangers Dino Whatever

And again, for movies I'm counting anything that came out this year as well as anything that came out last year but wasn't available as a dvd/fansub until this year. I've also expanded this category to include one-off specials and online miniseries, since both have become increasingly common in the last few years.

Favorite New Show of 2021

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

Favorite Male Lead Character

Favorite Female Lead Character

Favorite Male Supporting Character

Favorite Female Supporting Character

Favorite Villain

Favorite Returning Past Character

Favorite Actor

Favorite Actress

Favorite Writer

Favorite Director

Favorite Suit Design

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

Favorite Fight Scene

Favorite Dramatic Scene

Favorite Comedic Scene

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

Favorite Song

Favorite Piece of Merchandise

Biggest Surprise of 2021

And finally, because sometimes tokusatsu does something like hire a highly problematic actor to voice the "Mom says we have Momotaros at home" version of Momotaros, we have the traditional downer categories:

Biggest Disappointment of 2021:

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu:

This is the first year in a long time where I've kept up with both currently airing KR and Sentai series. However, having dropped Saber at the 10 mark and Kiramei at the 22 mark, I don't have strong opinions for either series, very much limiting my options.

Favorite New Show of 2021: Easily Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. An anniversary series that isn't just a parade of "Hey, look, it's [insert actor]!" It strides by having fun with what Sentai is all about, rather than just throwing old suits on screen again.
I love you, Gokaiger, but this is more like what I wanted.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger. Aside from some rather odd choices with the reasoning for the Gouraigers to start off evil, it's a fairly solid series in general. Energetic and exciting. Much like it's predecessor, Kakuranger, it just oozes style and coolness.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021: I didn't rewatch any series this year, only stuff I haven't seen before. I did watch some films, though, so I guess Power Rangers (2017) through default? :lol

Favorite Movie of 2021: GODZILLA VS KONG BAYBEE LET'S GO

Favorite Male Lead Character: Zyuran. In an age where the key Sentai cast are all youngin's, it's nice to have a cool dad style character be a main member again. While this character type has never left Sentai, they tend to be either late additions or just don't appear as often as I'd like.

Favorite Female Lead Character: Magine is precious and I love her. A cute design, and a character type I can relate to, she's wonderful. I hate her verbal tick of "mu-mu-mu-mu-mu" since she can sometimes over-do it, but otherwise, she's great.

Favorite Male Supporting Character: A tie between Hiromi and George, from Revice. There's just something to Hiromi that really makes me love the guy, and makes me genuinely interested in his story. Meanwhile, George is such a smug ass that it's kind of looped back around to him being enjoyably smug. Granted, it does have the chance of him once again becoming annoying again, but for the time being, I like him.

Favorite Female Supporting Character: Yatsude. That gentle grandma that everyone loves, it's hard to not see how she's basically a Zenkaiger in everything but suit. The one who can even pull Kaito out of his funks, who first showed Stacey what kindness was, she's a no nonsense sweetheart!

Favorite Villain: STACAESAR! For a character who wasn't supposed to be in the show, he certainly stole it. I love the Zenkaigers, but man, Stacey's journey is on par with Gekiranger's Rio and Mele for how much it captivates me.

Favorite Returning Past Character: The kid who became Shinken Red in Gokaiger. Formerly nameless, 10 years later we learn his name was Masatoshi Niwano. I know this is an odd choice to make, but I was legit wondering, when I first started Ten Gokaiger "I wonder if the Shinken Red kid will ever return" and yeah, wish granted.

Favorite Suit Design: Gotta give it to Kamen Rider Evil. Looks so swoosh with the zippers and spray paint thing it's got going on. Damn, straight outta the 90's and I'm here for it.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha: I like the Zenkai-Oh combos, but there's just something to them that really keeps me from putting them up top along some of the other main mecha that really wow me. However, ZenKaiju-Oh is a beauty! The second Dragon Caesar and V-Rex fusion reference (If I had a nickel...), it's just a show stopper

Favorite Fight Scene: Although Zero-One aired back in 2020, I technically didn't watch it until this year. So I'm going to select Shining Hopper's first (Proper) fight, once properly tuned to Aruto's higher power level than initially thought. I love the speed effect, giving me a nice mix of Kabuto and Drive, alongside the visual style of where he could possibly appear before where he actually does.
If this is disqualified because it's not technically from this year, then the Hong Kong battle between Godzilla vs Kong in the titular film. Between the neon lit city at night, two kaiju duking it out without restraint or interference was awesome. Made me feel like a kid again watching it.

Favorite Dramatic Scene: Ikki learning he's basically the reason for everything Daiji is going through, including Kagerou's existence. Guy needs to learn that by butting in so much, he's constantly devaluing everyone else. Shame it's not led to any lasting consequences.
I wanted to put a moment involving Stacey, but literally everything involving Stacey is my fav, so I couldn't just pick one :lol

Favorite Comedic Scene: Zenkaiser learning that the Battle Fever Gear's power is...Dance! Turning his and TwoKaiser's showdown into a dance off!

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: A toss up between the school episode of Zenkaiger, or the episode where Vroom discovers what love is

Favorite Song: Super Sentai Hero Getter ~Ten Gokaiger Ver.~

Favorite Piece of Merchandise: I haven't had the funds to buy much any toku merch this year because Transformers have been killing it. However, I am salivating for an SMP GaoKing and I so desperately want one!

Biggest Surprise of 2021: OOO 10 year anniversary being announced. I'm so excited!

Biggest Disappointment of 2021: Between the lack luster CG and an overall poor design, Zenryoku Zenkai Oh. The Zenkaiger's mech system has so much potential, that the fact that we need to rely on a sequel series to get another half is incredibly disappointing. So for this to culminate in a final form that looks so bad is just a disappointment.

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu: Vice needs a vice.

As always, I'm skipping actors and behind the scenes stuff simply because I don't know jack about the writers and etc.

Oh boy, what a year for Tokusatsu it has been indeed. Well, I'll fit whatever I can say about onto the list. Let's bring out the nominees:

Favorite New Show of 2021 No question, Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. This is where I honestly feel like I might like Sentai more than Rider, between those two. This show is not only a great anniversary, but a great cast, story, music, and probably the funniest shows I've ever seen.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021I don't know if this counts as a show, but Bima X: The Return of Darkness. This was my first experience watching an Indonesian production, much less Tokusatsu Hero Show from somewhere other than Japan. Honorable mentions would be Garo: Versus Road, as my first Garo season, and Kamen Rider Shin: Prologue, for being one of the most bizarre, yet interesting Tokusatsu media I've seen.

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 It's a bit difficult, since I haven't seen much recent movies this year (or at least, none that interested me). Godzilla Vs Kong was the only new movie I saw this year, and I haven't finished the first episode of High-Speed Hero Gundeen. I'm honestly tempted to count the Godzilla Vs Hedorah 50th Anniversary short, for rekindling the magic of Godzilla's Tokusatsu roots.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021 Kamen Rider Fourze X OOO: Movie War Megamax. When it appeared on the Toei Tokusatsu World Official, I had to see it. Not the greatest Tokusatsu Movie, but still a lot of fun, and I was happy to have seen it again after when I first started watching Tokusatsu.

Favorite Male Lead Character Jyuran. This character is such a great addition to the Zenkaiger cast, from supporting his friends in battle to aiding Kaito in times he's troubled, and just being a great guy altogether make him top pick here, just nudging him over Kaito.

Favorite Female Lead Character I honestly didn't want to pick any of these characters because everyone is likely to pick them, but here's Magine. Out of all the female leads I've seen in Toku, it all came down to Sentai's, and of course, Zenkaiger (I know everyone's probably picking Zenkaiger characters, so I feel a little cheap doing this). After the episode with the Daikon Monster, her position is unquestioned.

Favorite Male Supporting Character Akito from Ultraman Trigger. He lands this position instead of Ignis, since if you've seen it you already know. But Akito is a supporting character unlike anything we've seen in Ultraman, and for that, he deserves this spot for me. Shoutout to Yuri and Hiromi, who were both amazing in their respective Kamen Rider Seasons!

Favorite Female Supporting Character Yatsude. Once again, I can't escape the fact that Zenkaiger is just that good. She's not a fighter, nor is she creating power ups for out our heroes, but simply watches over their home and provides words of support and comfort to those troubled.

Favorite Villain Oh boy, this is a tough one, since I there were some good ones this year. Kamen Rider Saber's Storious, the perfect villain and parallel for the show and it's protagonist. Hakaiser, the most cheerful, fun villain to grace my vision. Stacaesar, the man who can make a sympathetic villain work. I don't know who takes the cake here.

Favorite Returning Past Character If I'd seen Super Hero Senki, it would be Takeshi Hongo hands down. But here, I'd say Haruki Natsukawa/ Ultraman Z's reappearance in Ultraman Trigger. It's always a joy to see Z and Haruki together, so this was a treat for me.

Favorite Suit Design Zenkaiser, Hakaiser, Trigger Dark, VR Garo, Calibur Jaoh Dragon, Kamen Rider Vice, Demons, and Kamen Rider Century are all some of my favorite designs here. If anything, I feel like it's between Century, Demons, and Zenkaiser.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha Either of the ZenkaiOh combos, ZenkaijuOh, Nursedessei, or Trigger's Glitter Blade, probably one for each category here.

Favorite Fight Scene I feel like Ultraman Trigger had an abundance of these, but the highlight that comes to mind would probably be Trigger and Tiga vs. Kyrieloid. From both of them using all their forms, to the dynamic action while Tiga's Soundtrack plays, was simply brilliant.

Favorite Dramatic Scene My top pick would be Ren and Dezast's final duel. These two characters are where Saber peaked for me, having one of the best character arcs in Toku (as far as I've seen), and an amazing fight and soundtrack, as he battles the monster who helped him find true strength, and a friend after his tumultuous parting with the people who were his family. Another good one would be Vice giving Ikki advice about how he treats his family, ultimately allowing him to save those close to him, which he himself cast away. I want more scenes like this of Vice.

Favorite Comedic Scene Any episode of Zenkaiger could fit here. One of the ones that comes to mind would be the Jetman Gear's power, creating one of the funniest parody scenes yet.

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment The Yoddona Special. Haven't seen it yet, but the trailer has that very same energy. Of course, I haven't seen Akibaranger yet, which I plan to see shortly.

Favorite Song Zenryoku Zenkai Zenkaiger, or Jyuragaon's theme, for it's Showa feel, are high picks for me. Of course, Kamen Rider Beyond Generations' theme, Promise, is another contender. I also forgot Inside Out came out this year, which is absolutely phenomenal in blending the two music styles of Decade and Zi-O.

Favorite Piece of Merchandise Honestly, didn't get any Toku merch this year (I'd really like to), but if by going off what looked cool, it would be the Geartlinger, TwoKai Geartlinger, or Battle Caesar Stacey's figure.

Biggest Surprise of 2021 The Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary Projects. Kamen Rider W: Fuuto Detective Anime, Kamen Rider Black Sun, and Shin Kamen Rider. The first, I probably wouldn't be surprised too much by, the second is and interesting choice, but the third, I had no idea that was being planned since before Shin Godzilla.

Biggest Disappointment of 2021 As much as I wish Ultraman Trigger did better with what it was dealt, it's still a fun watch every week. But Sentai going full CGI for Zenryoku ZenkaiOh, is probably the biggest thing I'd call a disappointment. Especially with it's amazing design.

The Biggest Joke (bottom tier) of 2021 Tokusatsu: Power Rangers Cinematic Universe. Because it's totally never been done to death already.

I don't have much else, but it's been quite a year for Tokusatsu (you made this list almost impossible to make!), and next year, looks like it might have some interesting new things getting thrown around, and lots of stuff to look forward to, like Shin Ultraman and the Kamen Rider W Fuuto Pi Anime.

Edit: Missed opportunity to show off a Kamen Rider Revice Illustration for the 666th post. I'm so smart.

Having now done the list, I'm thinking I didn't do that good a job and it's too Sentai-dominated! I think despite the late KR resurgence at the end of the year for me I kind of miss when it was Kiramei,Zero-One and Beast Morphers IMO!

Favorite New Show of 2021

Kirameiger if I can have it or Zenkaiger.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

Choujinki Metalder. It was just so good, sorry if it's a spoiler but the ending was sad though, but I just loved how every little thing felt really majestic, like when God Neros is saying some absolutely horrendous plan while that dramatic music plays!

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

I suppose Kirameiger Bee-Bop Dream although perhaps if Ryusoul vs Lupin vs Pat is allowed that might just edge it!

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

I'm not sure I will keep going to quite the same degree with rewatches as I have been given in the past I haven't done it much, but probably my anniversary rewatch of Power Rangers Time Force, yeah!

Favorite Male Lead Character

I suppose Kaito from Zenkaiger.

Favorite Female Lead Character

I think Sena from Kirameiger.

Favourite Supporting Characters

Maybe Zox and Flint from Zenkaiger? I definitely like Flint anyway.

Favorite Villain

I suppose Yodonna from Kirameiger though her ending was a bit weird if I remember rightly.

Favorite Returning Past Character

(My first thought was did any?!) Some suit in a teamup movie lol

Favorite Actor

Masayuki Deai from Revice, it's a tough decision but I just like that role for him a bit better than Tessai and it's a kind of 360 going from an anti-establishment figure in Boukenger to 15 years later almost a bit like Satoru Akashi, although I admit I don't like how the story with him is going now!

Favorite Actress

I might just go for Sena(Yume Kinjo?) again, tough decision but yeah.

Favourite Writer/Director

Did Yasuko Kobayashi do Kirameiger? Whoever did Kirameiger anyway!

Favorite Suit Design

Possibly Magine or Zyuran either transformed or not?

Favourite Fight/Dramatic Scene

That Zenkaiger cliffhanger involving loads of different mecha being summoned to start a big fight was pretty cool.

Favorite Comedic Scene

Maybe the line when Secchan in Zenkaiger said not to answer a question with another question "tune" lol

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

In a recent Revice episode when Masayuki Deai's character has seemingly gone bad and he goes quite over the top being threatening lol Perhaps an honourable mention for the Zenkaiger beach episode though!

Favourite Song

If I can have Kirameiger I suppose the theme song could stay at the top of the chart for another year lol

(I rarely actually buy merchandise so I don't feel like I can really comment on that, sorry!)

Biggest Surprise of 2021

Zenkaiger was a surprise too, but I think I might give it to Revice (especially being as it's too much of a Sentai list anyway!) for just the level of improvement in my book.

Biggest "Not-So-Good Thing" of 2021(Marginally less negative lol):
Although the controversy of course with Vice's V/A playing an anti-hero sort of character while in real life having a dodgy past is not ideal...I think I will give it to Power Rangers Dino Fury or as I like to call it: Turbo Wild-Force! It just is disappointing to go from 6 years of relatively high quality to a flawed show with IMO an inferior counterpart of Gaisorg and a bit of a disappointing execution of quite a few firsts too!

Yay, this is my second time and I think I understand the format a little better now!

Favorite New Show of 2021: Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger
After 2020, I felt like Zenkaiger should be a show that reminds people about the heart of Super Sentai. I wasn't disappointed!

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021: Kousoku Sentai Turboranger
Great start to the Heisei Era. I enjoyed the drama between the Turborangers and the Wandering Bomas.

Favorite Miniseries or Special of 2021: Saber/Blades x Ghost/Specter
A Desast focus episode disguised as a crossover. Of course, the crossover part was cool as well, with the continuation of the plot from Specter Rebirth.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021: Kamen Rider Ghost
I love this show even more now. It's such an inspiring and emotional story with great characters!

Favorite Movie of 2021: Kiramager VS Ryusoulger
Worth it just to see Canalo do a swordpile with his actual sword. But I also loved seeing Koh return and the interactions between the two Sentai.

Favorite Male Lead Character: Juran
From the moment he saved that kid in the first episode, he immediately set the standard for heroism and justice that Zenkaiger stands for!

Favorite Female Lead Character: Sudo Mei
My second favorite heroine of any KR season! Deserved to be a Rider, but was very useful and independent despite that.

Favorite Male Supporting Character: George Karizaki
Pretty much everything about him is a delight to watch!

Favorite Female Supporting Character: Flint Goldtwoikar
I already liked her before, but Episode 37 elevated her to a new level for how she selflessly helped that kid find her doll!

Favorite Villain: Stacey
A lot of Zenkaiger's emotional drama is probably from his internal conflict and I really want to see if he can turn his life around.

Favorite Returning Past Character: Tenkuuji Takeru
After his show came last in several polls, I have to praise Nishime's courage for coming back as Takeru. Definitely worth it for the people who truly appreciate him. Humanity's potential is infinite!

Favorite Actor: Yamaguchi Takaya
Eclair man totally sold Rintarou's suffering from being torn between his friends/family and his loyalty to SOL.

Favorite Actress: Hunter Deno
That eyebrow quirk she does as Amelia whenever she gives a one-liner to the bad guys is so expressive!

Favorite Writer: Komura Junko
I mentioned recently that she is my new favorite Sentai writer. She really knows how to write characters with real personal problems and I think she's improved even further with Zenkaiger.

Favorite Suit Design: Kamen Rider Revi
That cool pink, blue and purple combo totally appeals to me!

Favorite Weapon: Geartlinger
A gatling gun voiced by Anna Williams' VA!

Favorite Vehicle: Vice Ptera Genome
A real life hoverbike with a Faiz motif!

Favorite Mecha: Zenkaiju Oh
A lot of firepower!

Favorite Fight Scene: Blades Tategami Hyoujyu Senki VS Zooous Predator
I love seeing fights outside of Japan, so this climactic fight in the North Pole is an awesome conclusion to Rintarou's arc.

Favorite Dramatic Scene: Gaon saving his friends from Togyu Wald
Gaon finally overcoming his prejudice to realize how important his friends are and putting his own body at risk to protect them long enough for Kaito to perform the finisher.

Favorite Comedic Scene: Jetman Gear
[spoiler character] is so bad*ss that even his heroic death can be used as a weapon 30 years later!

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: Kamen Rider Genms The Presidents
It gives a little development for Gai, but otherwise, I'm not sure why this even needed to exist?

Favorite Song: Taju Rokou
Probably for the same reason I love ALMIGHTY. Tokyo Ska Paradise can make some cool songs for sure!

Favorite Piece of Merchandise: Hasbro's DX Dino Fury Megazord
Not that Bandai's DX Kishiryu Oh was lame or anything like that, but I appreciate Hasbro's improvements.

Biggest Surprise of 2021: Trio of Deep Sin
The trailer has me excited for sure!

Biggest Disappointment of 2021: Shindai Reika
The female equivalent of Kureshima Mitsuzane.

I already told you before, Magine's verbal tick is "Nu-nu-nu-Magine" with nu being the last syllable of her name. There is no mu. Please remember this from now on, okay.

Good to know somebody else watched that! It really is an awesome movie for sure. I would recommend Bima and Bima-X as well.

Huh, Deai's in Revice?!

Shinjo Yume. She was my choice for last year. For Kinjo, you might be thinking of Kinjo Mana, who portrayed Ui in Ryusoulger.

That would be Arakawa Naruhisa.

Before I start, thank you Switchblade for making these threads every year! I was looking forward to this one.

Favorite New Show of 2021

Kamen Rider Revice.

Zenkaiger is really good, probably my favorite Sentai after Zyuohger right now, but I always preferred Kamen Rider over Super Sentai and Revice hits all the right notes for me.

The characters are great, the suits are fun, the gimmick is cool, and the story makes me want to see what's next. It heavily reminds me of the time when I started watching Kamen Rider and discovered so many great shows, like OOO for example, which I loved and binge watched in days.

Now, I'm not saying Revice is similar to OOO; it just invokes the same feeling of a show that I can't stop watching for me. In fact, I look forward to giving Revice another watch already, and that doesn't happen too often for me with currently ongoing shows.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

Choukou Senshi Changerion. I actually didn't know this show existed until Sentinel put the figure up for pre-order a few weeks ago, but I fell in love with it very quickly.

Don't get me wrong, it sucks. It's really bad. Completely insane plots with an unlikeable main protagonist and the suit battles are reduced to awkward flailing around at the end of the episode when one side-character reveals they were the monster all along.

But! It is never boring. Not once. It's brutally hilarious actually, even though probably unintended it makes for a fantastic parody of the genre.

My favorite twist on a genre-classic story so far is that when the main character's secretary leaves and he searches for a new one, a whole slew of strong bad guys go after him all at once, so his support crew wants to get him a "power-up". So far so good, we know this kind of plot. A magic crystal is bought out of storage, and it's up to the newly hired secretary to deliver it.

Now, quick detour: The main protagonist, being the absolute dick he is, chewed out the new secretary earlier for not doing anything but complain. While being rightfully hurt, she realizes he's not entirely wrong so she makes him a lunchbox, because that's what she wants to do to help. The support crew is attacked by the bad guys, they can only get the magic crystal to the new secretary, who rides away on her bike, crystal and lunchbox with her.

She crashes in her hurry, both the crystal and the lunchbox fall to the ground, a hungry dog approaches and she tries to get the animal away in panic.

Meanwhile, our hero is getting ganged up by the bad guys and is about to lose. The new secretary arrives, here's your power-up!

...

It's the lunchbox, the dog ate the crystal. What the fuck :lol :lol :lol

Our hero is confused and angry, but after new secretary tells him she made the lunchbox to help he's touched by her feelings. The bad guys are pissed about the holdup, one approaches and smacks the lunchbox away, spilling the inside all over the ground. Our hero becomes so mad because of this that he easily beats all the bad guys, no power-up needed.

Changerion is full of stuff like this, and most of the time it is much more insane than this. In fact, I was tempted to open a thread as I watched the series and only share one single screen cap for each episode, that one being the weirdest line of dialogue. My laziness got the better of me, as usual, and I ended up not doing it, but have a quick glimpse anyway:

https://i.imgur.com/hOgNjUT.jpg

It's fun. Simple but effective fun. I can only recommend this absolute mess of a show.

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

The home media release was this year so I hope it counts: I really liked REALxTIME. I think it was fun.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

Okay confession time: I dropped Zenkaiger around the time Twokaiser appeared. Didn't care much for his antics and was bored with the show overall.

I decided to pick it up again later and instead of picking up where I left of I decided to start fresh. And a good decision it was, I already kind of liked this show but that rewatch made me love it. It's really good early on, around the time Twokaiser appears it drops a bit for me but it goes right back up after. What a fun show.

Favorite Male Lead Character

As much as I like Ikki I think I give it to Kaito. He's a great Sentai leader and I think the actor makes it work. He's the type of childish hotshot who's actually likeable and has his moments where he calms down and shows some serious feelings.

Favorite Female Lead Character

Sakura Igarashi 100%. What a fantastic character and Rider. I like her a lot. Valkyrie was awesome, but Jeanne is probably the best female Rider we ever had IMO.

Yua walked so Sakura could run.

Favorite Male Supporting Character

I like the dad from Revice, he's fun. Quirky but lovable.

Favorite Female Supporting Character

I agree wholeheartedly with Matrixbeast on that one, Yatsude rules. She's so wholesome, a great support to the team.

Favorite Villain

I personally don't count Stacey as a villain even though he probably is, and while Revice has cool villains they don't stand out to me that much so... okay, I'll go with the underdog pick: Boccowaus. Simply because the concept of this giant wall face that bangs its fist on the ground when it's mad, which in turn makes everyone around bounce like crazy is funny to me.

Favorite Returning Past Character

I really liked Tsuruhime coming back in the Zenkai Red special, I always thought it was cool that she was the leader of her team, and seeing her giving a great talk to Kaito how not every Sentai leader has to be red, how in fact appearance and gender don't matter, only your heart, that was fantastic.

Favorite Actor

I like Kiita Komagine as Kaito, as I've mentioned before, he really makes the character come to life with a great performance every episode.

Favorite Actress

Ayaka Imoto as Sakura Igarashi. Very nice variety of emotions on display, she's awesome in the role of a teenager being confronted with her own weakness and also as a kickass Rider.

Favorite Suit Design

This one's hard. Zenkaiser is perfect, a great homage to his predecessors and I like that they didn't give him a single color, in fact that he isn't referred to by a color at all, he's only "Zenkaiser". So cool. Similarly, Stacaesar, amazing suit design.

But I give it to Kamen Rider Revi. I didn't like the design at first but seeing it in motion quickly changed my mind. Now I just adore the helmet, the sculpted Cheshire Cat-grin is so cool.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

I like the Ohinbuster50. A fun weapon that works surprisingly well as a gun.

Favorite Fight Scene

Kamen Rider Jeanne going ham in her first fight was epic.

Favorite Dramatic Scene

There's probably better ones but Kaito being crushed about Secchan forgetting him was so well done, it got me good.

Favorite Comedic Scene

Zenkaiger had lots of funnies, I don't remember any particular ones though.

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

Similar to the answer above. Although, Changerion overloaded my WTF-sensor many times so that trumped everything the currently ongoing shows had to offer.

Favorite Song

Both Zenkiager and Revice' OP's are great; I think I prefer liveDevil though.

Favorite Piece of Merchandise

I bought a lot Figuarts, all of them great, none really stand above the rest though.

Biggest Surprise of 2021

Sentai Figuarts coming back, at least in some capacity.

Biggest Disappointment of 2021

Ultraman Trigger sadly. Usually I can talk about a lot of cool stuff Ultraman did this year, but 2021 is different in that regard. The show is just "meh" to me, I don't hate it, I can enjoy the great effects and miniature work, but the show itself cannot capture my interest.

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu

I'm afraid I have to give one final big middle finger to Kamen Rider Saber I guess. I just don't like this show, at all.

Favorite New Show of 2021

Kamen Rider Revice - I have a blast watching this show week to week. Great action, amazing form changes paying homage to past riders, and a rich supporting cast that all pull their own. I love the strong family focus, it?s such a refreshing angle from our usual dead/evil parents. Mama and Papa are adorable and I love how supportive they are of their children?s heroics. And speaking of, sibling Riders? Hell yes! I think we?re in store for some really intriguing storylines down the road with this show and I?m here for it


Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

Kamen Rider Kiva - I didn?t really get to finish as many past shows as I would?ve wanted, but I?m giving it to Kiva for being the most consistent of the ones I finished (Den-O, Kiva, Decade). All in all, I found it to be a very solid and enjoyable series, really fun supporting characters with great suits & action. Inoue Forever indeed

Working my way through Fourze now, and so far it?s a fun, wholesome show. The focus on the school and students is a great anchor and I can?t wait to see how the rest unfolds


Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

Kamen Rider Zero-One The Movie: REAL X TIME - HOLY CRAP THIS MOVIE DOES NOT HOLD BACK. Action thriller told in real time, amazing choreography, fun twists and turns, all with the Zero-One and Rider flair. Guys, the transformation scene at the church! This has got to be one of the best Rider movies by a long mile.

Honorable Mention: Both of the Zero-One Others films. I can see how the story decisions were not to everyone?s liking, but I thought the angle they took made for some really thought provoking and dramatically rich themes


Favorite Male Lead Character

Juran- A great counterpart to the energetic and non-stop (ha) Zenkaizer. His Roger Murtaugh ?Maybe I?m too old for this sh*t? energy is a welcomed changeup to the usual character tropes we see in Sentai, but still fills the wise mentor role very effectively


Favorite Female Lead Character

Magine - What else can be said about Magine that hasn?t been already? An incredibly endearing character bursting with joy and earnestness. I think we can all relate to Magine?s dedication to her passions/hobbies, even if we?re not always the best at them. Plus, Yume Miyamoto does an amazing vocal performance, IMO the best of all the Kikainoids


Favorite Male Supporting Character

Yuri/Kamen Rider Saikou - My MVP of Saber. What makes Yuri work so well is he can do all the exposition and fights without the burden of being the protagonist. While his job is to help everyone move the story along, the moments his action and humor shine hit very hard for me. And the cherry on top: COMIC BOOK RIDER!

Honorable Mention: George - Look at all those Figuarts


Favorite Female Supporting Character

Yatsude Goshikida - While we couldn't get Grandma Zenkaiser, she?s still a fun character that brings a wholesome and lively energy to an already packed cast. Her storyline with Stacey has been incredibly endearing to watch unfold


Favorite Actor

Junya Komatsu as Hiromi Kadota/Kamen Rider Demons - Dude was so good not only did he get a promotion, he upended Bandai and Toei?s release schedule to get in the spotlight


Favorite Actress

Yume Miyamoto (Voice) and Ayumi Shimozono (Suit Actress) as Magine - I?m giving recognition to both of these actresses for bringing Magine to life. Yume?s voice over work can go from shy and earnest to hot headed and passionate in an instant, and doubled with Ayumi?s physical acting in both civilian and Zankai mode makes for a fun character to watch


Favorite Villain

Stacey/StaCeaser - On top of having a great suit, Stacey might as well be our second protagonist with all the development he?s received. I feel he?s the most interesting of the villains we?ve gotten this year, with how he?s much more at conflict with himself rather than our protagonists. I hope there?s a great payoff (or sendoff) as we near the end of the series


Favorite Returning Past Character

Haruki and Z - I loved Ultraman Z, so any chance to see these two again is always going to be a treat for me. Just look at these two goofballs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySZj8Zfhx6s

Favorite Writer

Junko Komura (Zenkaiger) - Major recognition for not only writing a bulk of the series, but also for making consistently funny and engaging episodes. A real highlight of her writing has been all the character arcs sprinkled throughout the series, with Gaon and Stacey being the standouts


Favorite Suit Design

Zenkaiser - A bit unconventional for what we usually get, but making him an encapsulation of Sentai with the core elements of Goranger was the perfect choice for an anniversary design

Honorable Mention - Revi?s form changes. Blending the animal motifs with past Rider suits was an absolutely inspired choice. We probably won?t get all 20 Heisei tribute suits in the show, but I really, really wish there?s concept art released later on


Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EzYGJuTV...pg&name=medium


Favorite Song

LiveDevil - I dig the K-Pop influence ( at least I think that?s going on, I don?t know all that much about current music trends, sorry ! ) It?s unique enough for me and it gets me pumped to get on with the show (though sometimes I'll rewind the song and listen again before starting ! )

Honorable Mention - Zenkaiger OP. Listening to the intro during each episode always gets me pumped for the show, but it is just not a song I would listen on repeat


Favorite Piece of Merchandise

So-Do Chronicle Gaim - This is the year I jumped on the So-Do train with Chronicle Gaim. I already loved the Gaim suits, but what really sold it for me was the seamless arms change feature you can pull off with most of the line. I had a blast swapping around the armors and seeing all the different looks each figure could have. To sweeten the pot, we got some of the remaining characters & arms change officially distributed to the US. Great little figures, but an even better gimmick


Biggest Surprise of 2021

Shin Kamen Rider - I really hope Toei?s expansion plans pay off in the long run, but at the very least it made way for exciting projects. Never thought I?d see a theatrical Rider movie released in my neck of the woods (and how great is that suit ?). I haven?t watched Shin Godzilla or Evangelion yet, but I?m really fascinated to see an interpretation of Rider from someone outside the Toei roster

Fuuto PI - I loved Double, and an anime adaptation of the sequel manga is the perfect way to revisit that world. I hope the show does well enough to open up more unique anime projects for Rider, just like Tsuburaya with Ultra. Release the concept art for Cyclone/Joker already !!


Biggest Disappointment of 2021

Kamen Rider Den-O - Finally got around to watching the series, and I gotta say I was let down despite all the hype and praise people give it. I think it has some really strong elements going for it, but the last couple episodes were such a drag to get through that it really soured my experience. I?m starting to think people only really love the characters, and rightfully so, or just that the most die-hard Den-O fans are the most vocal.

------------

All in all, I think it was a solid year for Toku. Zenkaiger has been an absolute treat and I commend Toei for shaking things up this year. Rider didn?t do anything radical but Revice has been an absolute blast so far.

I wish Trigger held my attention past the Z team up, but at least Shin Ultraman looks interesting ?

Godzilla vs Kong was badass

As always, thanks to you all on Tokunation for being awesome! Here's to another good year for our favorite masked spandex heroes in 2022 !

Might not be the right place to ask this question, but where did you find the subs?

Google "Big Nova Subs" :)

Thank you.

You echo the sentiments of a series review, which makes me think it's terrible, but just charming enough in some such fashion.

https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2021/09...hi-changerion/

Favorite New Show of 2021

Easily Zenkaiger. Show's a blast and never lets things get stale. Cast is just lovely and the show is just fun! Probably will end up my second favorite Toku anniversary show after ZI-O. It just hits that right spot.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

Kyoryuger. Very fun show and pallet cleanser after Go-Busters. Lovely cast and Sanjio once again is a master of character work. Man know what makes characters likable and it's in full force in this show. I'm not done yet, but it's shaping up to be a fun ride.

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

Probably 10-Gokaiger thanks to the lack of really good other movies or specials I watched. Saber's were pretty solid, but I gotta give it to Gokaiger since this has to be the best use of the Gokaigers as characters as a whole. Which is actually pretty impressive since I never found them that interesting of a team and mostly only shining with another cast to play off of. But here? Nah, they carry the movie on their own and pretty damn well at that! Though, it's kinda amusing how similar it is to Go-Onger 10 Year Grand-Prix, down to the return of a child character from the first few episodes and the evil politician.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

Don't rewatch much Toku, but I started W, which more or less makes it my only viable pick. Fantastic show still.

Favorite Male Lead Character

Touma. He's a good mix of sparking development in others and grows on his own while staying true to who he is. He also earns every bit of the chosen one mantra the show puts on his shoulders. It's clear why he was chosen, given his unbreakable will and determination, as well as his kindness. The amount of times he drags himself to a battlefield, injured, to save the day is great! That's how you make your characters earn their happy ending! Make them work for it and Touma sure as hell worked for it! He's probably one of my favorite Main Riders.

Favorite Female Lead Character

I guess Magine. She's just a very likable and charming character you just wanna hug every time she is on screen.

Favorite Male Supporting Character

Ren. Love his arc how he finds his inner strength through the show and the fact it's not negated almost instantly by getting stomped, but he gets to kick some major ass which just makes it work so well!

Favorite Female Supporting Character

Mei. Lovely woman with so much life and energy that is infectious. Always tries her best and never gives up!

Favorite Villain

Bahato. While he didn't get much screen time, he used every second to great extend. I especially loved the verbal beatdown Touma gave him in the end. Great capstone

Favorite Returning Past Character

Makoto in the Specter special. It carried on strong from his V-Cinema, which actually made me like this character. And we got to see Sin Specter again, which is just nice!

Favorite Actor

Syuichiro Naito. His growth through Saber was great to follow and he gave it his all and it clearly shows.

Favorite Actress

Asuka Kawazu. She always brought so much energy to her role that she just made me love seeing her.

Favorite Writer

Junko Komura. Woman knows how to write comedy. She made me laugh so much this year, there is no other person I could give this to.

Favorite Director

Kazuya Kamihoriuchi. His work on the Primitive Dragon and Kenzan arcs was just great. man knows how to present drama and I love it! So many great shots!

Favorite Suit Design

Probably Cross Saber. Really found the color scheme appealing and it just looks so cool.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

The Geartingler. Fun transformation device that just screams fun!

Favorite Fight Scene

The entirety of the Sword of Logos against the 4 Lords of Wise. These fights are brutal and just carry so much emotion and pay of so well! That#s how you cap of a series with such a huge cast!

Favorite Dramatic Scene

The final showdown of Ren and Desast... Just... Wow! So much crammed into one fight and the journey to its inevitable conclusion was a great one! Cheffskiss!

Favorite Comedic Scene

The entirety of the Vacation World Episode. I don't care if it's breaking the rules, it just is the only answer. I have not laughed this much in a long time!

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

Vacation World.

Favorite Song

Rewrite the Story.

Favorite Piece of Merchandise

The release of the Yujou Burst Eyecon after so many years! Like, this is so great!

Biggest Surprise of 2021

Just.... Just OOO's announcement... I'm still in disbelieve at that one!

Biggest Disappointment of 2021:

Revice in its entirety has to be the worst first arc of Rider I've seen... The show has been a miserable experience for me, existing in that spot where it wants you to engage with you, but too afraid you'll miss something and shoves it in your face, repeatedly. Most episodes feel rushed, not fully thought through, and with some truly awful scenes only here to move the plot along with atrocious dialog. Added on is the incredibly weak cast, that just can't get any emotional reaction from me and the occasional broken Asop that the show has and... Yeah... No other way to say it for me, it's bad.

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu:

Vice. Just, Vice...

Favorite New Show of 2021

https://animecomicbook.com/wp-conten...escription.jpg

A lot of these categories are going to leave me very conflicted, but... oh, man. There's just no question in mind here AT ALL that Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger sweeps the year for me!

Not to insult any other series from this year, I have to add - I loved Kiramager, and Revice has been pretty fun and interesting so far - but Zenkaiger is a show that is determined to hit the beat of, like, every single thing I love about Super Sentai and turn it up to 11, and do it so consistently well that every time I think "well this is great, it's amazing; but surely they can't surprise me this time like 30 episodes in", no, they pull it off! It's a show of charming characters, of clever writing, of high energy, of absolutely nuts comedy, of compelling drama, of a group of completely different random people from different worlds (literally!) bonding together into the most heartwarming family written and produced by people who clearly love everything this genre stands for...! I could go on forever. This is a love letter to Sentai, but it might as well be a love letter to me. This show got me damn good!

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0oHIrNC-...h25m36s901.png

Aaaand there's that conflict!

So. Uh. As the thread says, 2021 is the Everything Is An Anniversary year. Kamen Rider, Ultraman AND Super Sentai are all celebrating either significant anniversaries or choosing this year to celebrate it in full force, and I thought... fuck it, why not go all out and hit upon a bunch of significant stuff from these franchises that despite being a superfan of all three I've never truly dug into; particularly the Showa stuff? So that list includes:-

- Kamen Rider
- Following that, V3 through Stronger
- Amazons and The First
- Ultraman
- Ultraseven
- Tiga
- Goranger
- Dynaman
- Liveman
- Timeranger

And... okay, I didn't fully vibe with Kamen Rider X or The Next or Goranger; but there's so much in here I cannot possibly choose, or even narrow down to a top 3! I can certainly say that Kamen Rider, Ultraman and Tiga all immediately made it to the tip top of my list of favourite Toku shows ever; all of them showing a deep imagination or passion for what they're doing and truly going all out to bring something new to the kids watching at home. Dynaman was something I watched on a whim and ended up being a darkhorse favourite, V3 took everything I liked about Kamen Rider and took it to the next level, Timeranger was a great reminder of what I love about Kobayashi's writing (particularly Shinkenger), Amazons Season 2 hit me out of nowhere...

Like, again, you can't make me choose here! I'm just going to cheat and say '2021' for this category, because just about everything I decided to watch ended up being special or significant to me in some way!

i haven't actually watched Kamen Rider vs Ultraman yet

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...190/latest.png

Ten Gokaiger got me and I'm excited for Senki, but I'm gonna have to keep repping 01hers!

These took a bit to grow on me and for me to really consider what they were saying, but overall I can genuinely say the duology makes one of my favourite Kamen Rider movies and my favourite piece of 01 media. It takes everything I liked about what Zero-One was doing early on with the Humagears and in my mind far more effectively linked that conflict with the character drama and the idea of malice as an overarching throughline. It directly takes the development of characters like Jin and Yaiba where they left off mid-series and sensibly, naturally expands upon them and their role in the story overall; and at the center is my main man Fuwa bursting through it all with his usual bluster and outlook on life. It's a tragic ending, but one that's very fitting and is up there with stuff like BLACK for me as one of the more brutal tellings of Kamen Rider's story. There's low points, but the high points are stratospheric, and they just keep giving me food for thought the more I look back on them. Zero-One at its best!

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...1-fullview.png

This is a double cheat, right? It's two shows AND it was my answer last year too? But the bulk of it was this year, including when I actually finished both damn shows; so I have to give my all to my weekly rewatches of both OOO and Ghost. This was my big anniversary celebration thing with not just the 50th round the corner, but both series celebrating their 10th and 5th; and the two represented what were at the time my favourite Kamen Rider show and one of my least favourite, despite the two having a lot in common and that I watched them both early. I wanted to mark the occasion by seeing how my views of the two had evolved since I first watched them years ago, and experience them in a way I've never done for anything pre-Build: a watchthrough where I watch each episode weekly as if it were coming up; even going so far as to match exact airdates. So, how'd it go?

Well, OOO is no longer my favourite Kamen Rider show between Kuuga taking up a bunch of space in my brain and finding a lot more flaws in what I had previously considered a perfect show; and Ghost is one I still have quite a few problems with and am ultimately a little mixed on. And yet I love both more than I ever did before! OOO's main draw in Eiji and Ankh's relationship shines through as one of the highlights of Kamen Rider's 50-year history, and while Ghost can be clunky at times in delivering its message Takeru ultimately proves a wonderful protagonist for a show that uniquely looks at the series' ideals through a Buddhist lens. What I used to think was one of the worst Kamen Riders I'd now put among my favourites like W, Amazon and Hibiki; and what used to be my favourite show has still managed to reaffirm its place in my heart.

And this is still ongoing, too! I'm not matching airdates anymore but I'm working my way through a bunch of 'bonus content' in movies and specials and the like; and that included going through a bunch of favourite and/or memorable movies to me like Megamax, Heigen Final, SHT... I even got to discover their excellent Final Stages, and watching through their Zi-O stuff right now is bringing me back to the joys I had with that show, and then a bunch of merch and new media got announced for these shows as I was doing all this?! This is the one that just kept winning for me, basically, and I'm so so glad I went through with it

Favorite Villain

https://i.imgur.com/YBNaDhf.png

Oh, man, I love this guy?

Much like the movie itself, ZAIA takes everything I liked about Thouser's early showing and turns it up to 11 as he shows himself to be an utter megalomaniac who advances the themes of malice, pushes past them and unearths true fear all to make a profit, and does it all before turning into a supervillain with hilarious body language and dialogue. He's kind of got it all! Thouser's late-game writing was a big disappointment for me in the series itself, so to see this alternate direction for the character was just wonderful.

Favorite Writer

Can we just get back Junko Komura every few years? Pretty please? I liked Zyuohger and Lupat but even those feel like mere drafts for her masterpiece this year and I am so excited to see what she does next at this rate! I know of course it's not all on her and that a lot of the show's overall direction will have been down to Producer Shirakura, but I just can't help the feeling that Komura has truly come into her own now. Great job!

Favorite Suit Design

Hi, hello, you're asking me to choose between winners like Zenkaiser, Twokaiser, Vulcan Lone Wolf, Revice, Century and Jeanne?? You're asking me to yet again look at a category I can't even narrow down to a top 3??? You're cruel! You're too cruel! This year has been IMMENSE for suit design and I'm just gonna have to mass produce trophies to throw at everyone at this rate!


Favorite Comedic Scene/Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

Zenkaiger Episode All Of Them. I'm not a person that typically laughs or cries physically? I'm the sort of person who has a bunch of trouble expressing their emotions physically even if what I'm feeling inside is very strong, and yet Zenkaiger is a show that had me laughing not once, not twice, but at least a solid 90% of episodes so far! Their brand of wacky bullshit is everything I needed this year, so yes, this is kind of another copout; but it's one a lot of people here have already made and rightfully so! You can't choose a single good funny moment with this show because you'll be crawling through the list for 45 years trying to boil it down!

Favorite Piece of Merchandise

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...638/image0.jpg

Shinkocchou Seihou S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider OOO Tajador Combo!!

If you're the type of person to drink a lot on New Years, do not try saying that three times in a row. I've been on a mission to pare down my Figuarts collecting this year (I've sold off so much) for a number of reasons, but Tajador is like... c'mon. You can't not have that. It's the Final Form of Final Forms, it's the physical representation of everything I love about OOO and one of the standout moments of the franchise, so I NEEDED this thing so much it goes without saying. And thankfully, holy shit they nailed this design! And yeah sure it's Seihou of course they did but it's an absolutely immaculate beauty that knocks even other Seihous I have or had like Amazon, Kuuga and Tatoba out of the park and he makes a stunning centerpiece to my shelf display. There's really nothing else to it! Tajador is one of the best things ever and this is a perfect rendition of it! Well done Bandai!

Biggest Surprise of 2021

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...resdefault.png

Ultraman Trigger is a show I was tempted to put under 'biggest disappointment' - it's certainly my low point of the current slate of shows as even aside from giving itself tough competition by following up Z and calling itself a Tiga remake/reboot/tribute/whatever, it's a show I'd also say is very much on the blander side of things and bores me to the point I've decided I'll probably skip its sequel next year. But the thing is - I can't really be disappointed because I expected this to not be great! No matter how you try you cannot remake a show like Tiga in the current set-up of Ultraman in a truly satisfying way, and while it's a little surprising it's as dull as it is, the trailers were hardly getting me excited and I'm not too shocked that there's nothing here I really like.

... ALMOST nothing, which is where we get to the surprise of all this -- Ignis!! I really wasn't sure what to make of this guy as from the outset, he's the one element you could say is not derivative of a superficial element of Tiga and so was a bit of a wildcard; never mind the fact I knew the actor as Gokai Red's ex. And, hey, turns out you can do a lot worse than bearing similarities to Basco because a flamboyant treasure hunter with a serious edge to him deep down is exactly what this show needed! From screwing around with GUTS-SELECT to bickering with Barossa to being a Gacha addict out of nowhere he was a joy to watch... and then you dig the knife in with his backstory connection to Hudram with a deep tragedy to it all? Not everything about it works 100% and he's not one of my favourite Ultraman characters or anything, but this is an absolutely solid and entertaining character with a bunch of wonderful moments and I'm glad to say I could get something out of a show I wasn't expecting even a single thing from

I honestly don't have much knowledge of actors and Writers and the like, but I can definitely say Zenkaiger has some great writing, along with parts of Saber and Kiramager.

I actually was going to put Kaito on best male lead, but Jyuran just slightly puts him over for me, though he and Stacey's actors are high picks for me. I'd also like to give a shoutout to Ren's actor and Koki Uchiyama (Voice of Desast).

Pretty wild seeing Zenkaiger on a lot of people's lists and the differing opinions of Saber and Revice (I'll admit, I missed out on it recently because of issues, but I'm going to be catching up tomorrow), but 2021 was certainly a wild ride, and brought some amazing things to the table, and I'm still slightly conflicted with my picks! Looking forward to seeing more Toku into 2022!

It's an irrelevant point. I find it annoying. Who gives a shit that I used the wrong letter?
Also, when she's stressed or surprised, she won't use her name. She'll just repeat the [Letter]u in repetition. I think she only uses her name when she's fortune telling.

Favorite New Show of 2021

This actually ended up being a bit of a close call between the year's two Rider shows. I'm waffling back and forth even as I type this. I'm going to go with Revice. Saber ended up being really good, especially compared to how it started, but Revice has really impressed me. It feels really different for a Kamen Rider series, which is something that I always appreciate. Saber ended well, but at the risk of making the Zero-One mistake again, I have to give the nod to Revice.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021

It's probably a bit of a cheat, but The Ultraman. Haven't finished it - haven't even gotten that far - but it's really impressed me in a short time. I had no idea what to expect from this, but I really like how it handles the classic Ultraman format without the restrictions of physics. The animation also gives me very strong nostalgic vibes for the cartoons of my youth, particularly He-Man.

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

Technically this started in December of 2020, but most of it aired this year. Ultraman: Absolute Conspiracy, primarily for the first arc. It was so much fun to see Ultraman dust off some of the most obscure suits in its history. Xenon was in this. Freaking Xenon.

Favorite Rewatch of 2021

As fun as it was going back through the end of the OG Heisei era with Kamen Rider Die, I also rewatched Ultraman Orb this year and that is a no-brainer.

Favorite Male Lead Character

Ikki from Revice. After the last several years of Rider leads, it's so nice to have a character that's more serious, dedicated, and mature for a change. Nothing against Touma, at least, but he only got good after time. Ikki has been really enjoyable from the start.

Favorite Female Lead Character

Revice's Sakura. I have to echo what Kiwami said: she's a really good character and easily the best female Rider we've gotten since Gaim. Honestly, I'm loving all of the Igarashi siblings.

Favorite Male Supporting Character

Ignis from Ultraman Trigger. Almost went with Yuuri from Saber, but last week's Trigger put Ignis over the top. I don't have a lot of great things to say about Trigger (but also few truly negative ones, in fairness), but Ignis has been genuinely delightful for most of its run. I especially love the era where he just starts randomly hanging out on the Nurse Dessei.

Favorite Female Supporting Character

In possibly the biggest surprise on this list, Mei from Saber. I did not expect much from the perpetually crouching third-rate Shunpei we got when Saber started, but as the show went on (and writers other than Fukuda worked on her), she ended up becoming a really engaging character.

Favorite Villain

There honestly haven't been a lot of villains that really impressed me this year. Never cared for any of the boy band guys from Saber, Trigger's villains aren't terribly interesting, and it's a bit too soon to have a good sense of Revice's. I guess I'll say Aguilera, even though I'm not entirely sure where the show is planning to go with her.

Favorite Returning Past Character

I almost want to say Ultraman Max from Absolute Conspiracy, but that feels like a cheat because we're just getting the suit and not the human host (and the voice is a completely different dude). So I'll go with my second choice: I haven't actually gotten around to watching the Gokaiger reunion yet, but I am always happy to see those idiots again.

Favorite Actor

Tomohiro Ichikawa (Yuri from Saber). I'm always a big fan of tokusatsu actors who can do good humor that's also really subtle.

Favorite Actress

Ayaka Imoto, who is absolutely crushing it on Revice as Sakura.

Favorite Writer

Keiichi Hasegawa. Not Saber's head writer, but he did most of my favorite episodes (and probably more episodes than Fukuda did, too).

Favorite Director

We didn't get as much Kiyotaka Taguchi this year, but he still did a few episodes of Trigger.

Favorite Suit Design

Until a few weeks ago this was going to be a slam dunk for Ultraman Trigger, Power Type. Then we got Kamen Rider Jeanne, which is just a fantastically designed and executed suit.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

Bit of a cheat, but she does turn into weapons, so I'm willing to count it: Lovekov. I adore that ridiculous little blob.

Favorite Fight Scene

Kamen Rider Jeanne's debut. I gushed about it at the time and it still holds up for me. After so many years of Riders fighting with weapons and CGI attacks, it was so good to see one just cut loose with actual martial arts.

Favorite Dramatic Scene

The final battle between Ren and Dezast. I don't like to say anything good about Ren because he was absolutely the worst. I also never cared much for Dezast, either. So the fact that their final showdown was so good almost feels like the show was cheating.

Favorite Comedic Scene

There was a scene in the Ultraman Trigger/Z team-up where Ignis and an alien are trying to swap random Ultra trinkets. That was a lot of fun. I had something for this a few months ago and completely forgot what it was. I really should take better notes.

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment

The bit in Zero-One REALxTIME where Gai forcibly strips and tortures a ZAIA exec.

Favorite Song

Will Save US, the song that plays during Ren and Dezast's fight. I am a sucker for Nier music and this song is Nier-ish as all hell.

Favorite Piece of Merchandise

I didn't get anything that wasn't just a video boxset this year.

Biggest Surprise of 2021

There were a lot of big surprises about upcoming programs in 2022, including the Kamen Rider Black reboot and the OOO reunion, but nothing smacked my gob like finding out that Toshiki Inoue is writing next year's Super Sentai.

Biggest Disappointment of 2021:

I don't like to complain about Ultraman Trigger, as I genuinely don't think it's a bad show. Tsubaraya has set such a high bar, though, that a show that comes in under it feels more disappointing than a bad year of Rider or Sentai. It didn't help that Trigger came after Z and is constantly making the viewer compare it to Tiga. Again, I don't hate it, but it's not at all what I hoped it would be.

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu:

This one's easy: after literally decades of ignoring them, 2021 was the year that Toei cracked down on fansubs. Technically it's within their right, especially under Japan's more aggressive new copyright laws, but it still sucks. If they'd followed Tsubaraya's lead and provided an international broadcast then that would be one thing, but two episodes of old Rider shows, some Ryuki blu-rays, and fuck-all for Sentai is not a fair replacement. Obviously, fansubs still exist, but the community has definitely taken a knock and I know that there are some diehard TV-Nihon fans, in particular, who got a really raw deal out of this.

I didnt watch enough toku to do this, but love reading y'all's posts.

Freed myself from the holiday celebrations to do a bit o this!

Favorite New Show of 2021


It's pretty obvious wherever you might find me. Twitter, Pixiv, in here, I am a big fan of Kamen Rider Saber. My banner on each sites are splattered with Saber art. I drew Saber stuff for a year and a half goddamnit! It's clearly not the best of course, but regardless of that fact it goes up in my list of my beloved shows that I'll fondly remember. That list being Blade, Faiz, and Decade.

Maybe it's because of the fantasy theme, maybe it's because he's literally just named Saber and I am also a Fate fan, maybe it's how Xross Saber just looks gorgeous to look at, maybe I'm simply just a fan of Touma, but I absolutely blew through the show's issues and Saber just becomes my favorite show of the year.

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Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021

I would put here RealxTime since that kinda counts as I got to watch it in 2021, but I would just be repeating what I liked about it, so....

Kamen Rider Saber x Ghost/Blades x Specter

Hell yeah! It's such a surprise that should have been obvious. These specials actually got me to check out Ghost's show properly and I fairly liked that show too. Rewatching these as well in the holidays made some things more understandable, but it was still a really fun neat crossover for Fukuda's two shows. Unfortunately, there is no Espada x Necrom in any sight so far, but what are you gonna do when Alain-sama is hard to get.

Sakamoto's directing and harsh contrast use of lighting is so good to see, explosions and effects, Kanon Specter is a great form, and the Saber riders' extra forms are neat in that they just wear the jackets.

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Favorite Rewatch of 2021

N/A


Favorite Male Lead Character

Ah, Kamiyama Touma. Some may say he's too bland, too generic, his acting is a bit off, whatever, whatever. Background noise to me, I love Touma. His writing schtick can be empathetic because I used to do some writing, but I also have a brother who's also a writer so I can understand Touma a lot. I love his suits, I absolutely love his wardrobe that changes each episode, it's ridiculous and it's great. But most of all, I just really love cut-and-dry heroism.

I guess was burnt back in 2020 with reading and watching a bunch of shows about subverting the hero trope or something, that watching Touma act like any kind of hero you see in a story book, it's so fresh to me.

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Favorite Female Lead Character

Sudo Mei

Another Saber character, yes! She's literally Akiko II and that's great. I love how despite not being a rider she's still finding a way to help out the riders. Honestly, I feel like her impact as a character would be lessened if she was a rider. Sorry MeiSpada fans. Her at the start insisting that the story is about the four of them, later coming into conclusion with her being the one last hope that the swordsmen had in saving the world is such a good set up.

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Favorite Male Supporting Character

I can put so much in here. From Akamichi Ren and his amazing arc with Dezast, Kento or Rintarou in their own respective mini arcs, but it's a bit tough and I already stated what I liked about these three (four?). So...

Yuri! From being shown in the magazines as a floating sword, to being introduced as a mysterious guardian of Avalon, to finally showing up at 2020's last episode of Saber, Yuri set into motion my rapid love into Saber.

I love his mini arc of going from a jaded hero, learning from Touma's own learning period about understanding pain, to an actual super hero. All encapsulated by how he felt towards a small comic book.

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Favorite Male Supporting Character II

I'M GOING TO CHEAT! The absolute legend, Hiromi Kadota!

Going from a Die-to-the-main-belt character to becoming his own rider with singlehandedly the best sounds, design, and suit in the show, Hiromi as Kamen Rider Demons is a joy to watch anytime he shows up, regardless of what he does. He leaves me on the edge of the seat honestly any time something happens to him. Hiromi is a pretty simple character, maybe a call back to Showa times especially with how his stamps work, but he makes it work! Junya Komatsu breathes life into his relatively minor role and I am looking forward to his insert song!

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Favorite Villain

Esu

He's just really cool. He technically counts since I watched his movie in 2021. He's got a great suit, good motivation, and I kinda teared up during his wedding scene. That was cute. His actor is pretty based too.

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Favorite Returning Past Character and Favorite Actor

Takeshi Hongo/Hiroshi Fujioka: Super Hero Senki
(Can't find a good image lol)

The legend himself, he's such a joy to watch. A really earnest man both in and out of being a Kamen Rider. Touched my heart when he called the young Shotaro Ishinomori "Sensei!"

Favorite Actress

Angela Mei here's a pic of Reika instead, because googling Angela Mei leads to some nice content.

Anyway, simply seeing her on Twitter have a mental breakdown about Magine to actually getting an episode where she could showcase her obsession on Magine is a joy to watch. I know not many are a fan of her being reduced to "Onii-sama!", because it's fine to me, her previous personality still shines through sometimes.

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Favorite Director

Kazuya Kamihorouchi. Every episode of Kamen Rider really becomes a treat to watch with this guy. I love his using of dynamic harsh lighting, symbolic camera angles or scenes. My favorite from him is either the obvious Ren vs Dezast or the lawyer episode in Revice. For the latter, the final scene where Fudo argues to Ikki in a dark lighting as he turns around waiting for the cops to come, Ikki nodding by a tiny bit, it's such good directing.

Favorite Suit Design


Saber: Dragonic Knight. My banner is pretty telling it is Xross, but I'd like to dedicate this one to one I haven't talked about too often. Dragonic Knight! My absolute favorite upgrade form for Saber, I really love the knight aesthetic and the "sunglasses" eyes that's unique to this form and this form only! Shame about its fragility in the show causing it to not be showcased often and eventually beheaded for SHS. What I would give to have it rebuilt and/or repainted into Xross' colors. It's SHF is such an exquisite release, too.

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Favorite Fight Scene

Talking about Kenzan and Dezast's final fight would just be, again, repeating stuff. So, the fight after that, Kenzan's stand against the Lords of the Wise, both fights actually, are so good. Ren utilizing the fruits of his training and understanding of himself made him the only swordsman that managed to almost solo a Lord by himself. I heard some say that Kenzan using Calamity Strike is a disservice to his training of becoming his own swordsman, but it's literally a call back to how he and Dezast were one in the same, so him performing it with Dezast's sword was brilliant showing.

The second fight, along with Espada, is great. Showing that he doesn't need to rely on Kento anymore, joking to him to not hold him back. It's great! He looks to Kento as an equal now, no longer as his higher up, their desperate gamble of swapping main books is great too.

Favorite Dramatic Scene

Kamen Rider Saber - Episode 21: Failure of rescue

It's the scene before the image. Two moments come to mind, one was Touma talking to various victims of the Megid before coming to the conclusion that he really couldn't save everyone as he is currently. And the entire scene of Mei attemping to cheer Touma up, the latter only giving a miniscule sign of a smile before being visited by Daishinji and Ogami. They are great moments for his character and if I remember it right, it's this episode going forward where he swaps his use of "Yakusoku" for "Kanarasu". No longer going by promises, he will do something for certain.

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Favorite Comedic Scene

Durandal and the Zenkaigers

From Ryoga crossdressing, to having forced to make an entrance, and then to arguing to Zox about who killed the Waldo, the Zenkaiger crossover episode did something to Ryoga. It turned him into a character and gave a chuckle out of me.

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Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment


Anytime Revice makes a remix form

Cut and dry. It's pretty obvious why.

Favorite Song

Rewrite The Story

Basically, what if they made a sequel to Spinning Wheel! :lol
I love Rewrite The Story, really made Xross's debut and it's an amazing fact that it's sung by the Saber trio. Revice just had an insert song with the Igarashi siblings, so I have high expectations on that one.

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Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha

Edit: Accidentally deleted it!

Ankokuken Kurayami!

What? You thought I'd put Haouken. Well, I don't have a proper toy of it yet so I can't appreciate it fully. But I have Kurayami from Jaou Dragon's SHF, so I'll pick that one. An exquisite primordial sword that's tied to some of Saber's best and also some good lore. Also connected to amazing suits, users, and probably Saber's best belt. It was so good they had to use it three times.

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Favorite Piece of Merchandise

Ooh, I don't know yet. It's a hard choice between my SHF Dragonic, Jaou Dragon, or Saikou. They're all really solid release. I might just pick all three.

Biggest Disappointment of 2021 and The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu:

If you told me back then that there was a way that, a show that I loved, would get flipped into something that I hate in just two hours, I would tell you that you're a mad man. There's no way that could happen!

Oh boy.

Zero-One: Others

What an absolute trash fire that proceeded to destroy almost the entire cast's characters save for one of my favorites in Gai Amatsu/Thouser. Lol, he gets a neat special because of this, that's hilarious.

Horrible directing with its sluggish and hardly believable fights, disappointing showing of certain forms, screwing with the character arcs of certain characters, and topping it off with a non-conclusive unfittingly-dark ending on a supposedly conclusive part of Zero-One, you get a this malformed abomination two sets of movies that may or may not have set a horrible precedent for V-cinemas going forward.

So far, however, the trailer for Saber: Trio Of Deep Sin hasn't shown anything that might attempt the same that Zero-One did. I still have my faith in a great combination in Kamihorouchi and Fukuda.


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I always say I'm bad at picking favorites, but man, I'm doing an extra awful job of that this year!

Favorite New Show of 2021
Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger is the best toku show of 2021, without a doubt. Fortunately for me, though, Switchblade no longer asks what the "best" is, so I get to say this instead:

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Kamen Rider Saber is my favorite toku show of 2021, without a doubt. Actually, if I said it was my favorite toku show ever, I might even believe myself for a second before remembering Go-Busters still exists. So does that at least make Saber my favorite Kamen Rider, then? I don't know anymore! For about five years, I've managed to keep a simple and consistent stance that Ghost took over as #1 from Wizard, which became #2, but now Saber comes along combining all these things I like about both those shows and all these other things I like and I just don't even know what numbers are for anymore alright. Maybe I'll sort that out someday, but for now, the important thing is that Saber, a show so appealing to me at every turn I made a running gag out of saying Toei must *actually* have made it for me, ended up being just as much of a winner this year as the last. More of a winner, even. Saber is the show that just wouldn't stop winning for me. There aren't many Rider shows I was this absorbed in during their run, and I'm always going to look back fondly on all those weeks and months of fun... especially when I'm inevitably rewatching Saber, or even just obsessively thinking about it for no particular reason at all. This one is real special to me.

Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021
I finally watched the original Ultraman early this year! ...I think that might actually be the only old show I got around to watching this year, but it's not like this show wouldn't still be likely to take this award anyway. I'm still utterly astonished by the completeness of Ultraman right out of the gate. This is a series that has held up unbelievably well for something over half a century old at this point. The storytelling and the effects alike consistently kept me legitimately entertained, and the beauty of that anthology format is that it's like watching a ton of small, individual masterpieces, rather than just one. As soon as you think "man, that episode was amazing!", there's probably another one like that right around the corner.

Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021
Oh man, these are all lumped into one category...? I give up! There's no way I can even remotely narrow this down. We got a Saber and Ghost crossover – twice – and if we're talking movies? We got the home release of the Zero-One movie, which was breathtaking; the Saber short film, which was just as impressive in its own way and also Saber; Super Hero Senki, a heartfelt tribute which I adored, even if it's too early to say how my feelings will settle; that Zenkai Red miniseries was rather delightful; and hey, there was even Ten Gokaiger, which ended up being pretty great, as should be expected of Arakawa. It's too much! It's too good! I refuse to make a choice here!

Favorite Rewatch of 2021
Only about half of it actually happened this year, but I definitely want to acknowledge my rewatch of Kamen Rider Kabuto. It was extremely fun just to be writing about the show alongside Die the way I did in his thread, first of all, but like, it actually changed my opinion on Kamen Rider Kabuto. It's specifically because it's been so long already since that rewatch that I can say for certain what an effect it had. I keep finding myself thinking of Tendou quotes and stuff now and just going "wait, when did I become a fan of Kabuto?" When I rewatched it! Duh! It's just hard to internalize that, because it's rare for me to reevaluate a toku show to this degree. (Plus, you know, it reunited me with Hiyori, which makes it even more worth it.)

Favorite Male Lead Character
I mean, it's gotta be Touma, you know? I mean, he really likes stories and writing stories... I really like stories and occasionally writing about stories... pretty relatable lead for me! I adore everybody in Kamen Rider Saber, but the man himself stands ~just~ above the rest. His constant heroic determination made him as awesome as can be, with countless epic moments to his name, but it's the way he wears his emotions on his sleeve that I truly adore about him. The show makes it a point that all that strength comes directly from those strong feelings, and that's my kind of hero right there. I'm sure the constant heroic speeches wore some viewers out, but I'm going to be remembering quotes from this guy for life.

Favorite Female Lead Character
It's Magine. It was never going to be anyone but Magine. I keep making jokes out of my obsession with her in the episode threads for Zenkaiger, but sometimes I myself don't know if I'm playing the bit up, or playing it down. I also don't care either way? No, all I care about is Magine. Zenkaiger probably wouldn't even be any good without her. Is that an exaggeration, or not? Again, it doesn't matter; the point is that I really really like Magine.

Favorite Supporting Characters
Look, if you won't give me categories I can pick a winner in, I'm not going to try! Do you know how many swordsmen from Kamen Rider Saber alone could all fit here? It's a lot! The closest I can get to narrowing this down is to just pick of all them as a single group entity. My pick is every character in Saber with a holy sword that isn't Saber. There's no way I'm deciding between Rintarou and Yuri, and I'd inevitably feel bad about not giving Kento and the rest their due. So this is what you get. Have I mentioned how much I liked Saber yet?

Favorite Villain
I'm tempted to bring up Storious from Saber (and I am bringing him up), who really came into his own by the end of that series... but, even though he's less of a straightforward *villain*, Stacey from Zenkaiger is probably the one who belongs here. Really great conflicted antagonist with a great throwback suit design. What's not to love? He's the only character in his show that even comes close to competing with Magine for my attention, and I think that says it all.

Favorite Returning Past Character
Yup, still not trying! I got Kamen Rider Ghost back this year, and he brought Specter with him, as well as Kanon Specter, one of the unexpected coolest parts about that whole crossover with Saber. But then, like, Hiroshi Fujioka made his one scene in Super Hero Senki count for a ton, and it becomes this question of whether the fun the Ghost cast was having can beat out the weight Fujioka lends his role after fifty years. And that's a question I'm not looking to answer! (Aruto was great in Senki too, by the way!)

Favorite Actor
Shuuichirou Naitou as Touma Kamiyama. There's a moment in Saber's Final Stage, right at the end, that I hope I never forget. Touma's directly addressing the audience to give the usual heroic speech, talking about how you've got to live out your own story no matter how hard it gets and all that, and Naitou is very clearly fighting back tears while he's saying the words. You can even hear the sniffling being picked up by his mic. Seeing that cemented for me beyond all doubt that the earnestness I love so much about Touma is also Naitou's own earnestness, and I'm grateful for what he brought to the role, because it truly is something only he could've brought to it.

Favorite Actress
I wouldn't have thought to do this until somebody else in the thread did, but yeah, I think I'll also take this opportunity to give credit to Yume Miyamoto and Ayumi Shimozono for being two halves of my favorite Zenkaiger character. I like to think of Miyamoto's excellent and extremely natural vocal performance for Magine as her flexing all that experience from SSSS.Gridman's very precise yet loose direction, and Magine also made me appreciate how emotive Shimozono actually is as a suit actor. In spite of my theory about good suit actors using their necks, she's using her arms, mostly, and it's insane how much she can get across that way. If Switchblade didn't ditch the category for suit actors a few years back, rest assured she'd be right there.

Favorite Writer
It's tough not to give this to one or more of Saber's writers... but not *that* tough, when Junko Koumura is an option again. I said back when I gave her this same award in 2019 for Lupinranger VS Patranger that I've been a huge fan of her since I realized how much of Kamen Rider Wizard was her work, and how great it was seeing her really come into her own in the intervening time, and a few years later, she's still doing that. Zenkaiger is all the nerdiness of an Arakawa show, all the heart of a Kobayashi series, just enough of Inoue's insanity to be helpful, mixed with the bohemian touch the three of them have been known to have, along with the admirable refusal to rely on guest writers (that you mostly get from the latter two). She's basically some sort of super robot combination of all Toei's best and most prolific writers at this point, and I am so darn proud of her for it.

Favorite Director
Hm. This one is also just a bit too hard to decide for me. I saw the Zero-One movie this year, and that alone is a pretty staggering achievement for Teruaki Sugihara, who also did some great work on Saber... but then, Kazuya Kamihoriuchi, despite not having a killer movie this year, probably did even more memorable work on Saber, and then they've also both done great stuff on Revice to boot, so... I mean, really, these two are very much the twin kings of Rider direction at the moment. They've each got their unique strengths, and I'm always happy to see their names pop up in the credits for an episode. That's all that matters here.

Favorite Suit Design
The simple thing to do here is give this one to Zenkaiser, which is maybe like, the definitive Super Sentai suit, and just a plain appealing design in its own right. Yes, it's simple to do it that way, because I can say that's one suit I like, versus trying to decide which of Saber's forms is my favorite, which is not going to get anywhere. You might think it'd be Super Hero Senki, the one made from a Ghost suit for the purpose of making Touma look like Zenkaiser, but like, all of Saber's suits are so good. I sort of want to be cheeky and say Almighty Saber as an excuse to give the award to Brave Dragon again, but at that point, why not Xross Saber? It's Brave Dragon, but in a neat blue color! What about Primitive Dragon? It's got the cool bone thing going for it! Elemental Primitive? With a handshake for armor, it'd be Fourze's favorite suit, at least! Dragon TV-Kun??? Sure, I'm that crazy!

I guess my pick is Zenkaiser, because I've wanted it to be since I saw it, but like, look at what I ended up actually writing; these categories are too tough for me.

Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha
Amazingly, in spite of everything I've been saying so far, this one easily goes to the GUTS Sparklence from Ultraman Trigger. The original from Tiga has always been the definitive Ultra transformation item in my mind, so the second I saw a super slick modern version of it that's also a gun that loads collectible items like magazines, I was completely in love. Look at what show that had tons of cool weapons this year I'm not directly mentioning on this list for once; that's how I know I really do adore this thing.

Favorite Fight Scene/Favorite Dramatic Scene
Both of these would be something from Saber, but it's not like I can make any particular choice. I guess some easy highlights are Saber and Slash's fight from episode 21, which could qualify for both of these categories at once, any number of extremely well done fight scenes such as the debuts for Tategami Hyoujuu Senki and Xross Saber, not to mention pretty much everything from the final few episodes, and then for dramatic scenes? Touma getting through to Primitive Dragon in 27 and the use of those viewer-submitted clips in 47 are pretty monumental moments for the series – scenes that demonstrate more than any others what makes Saber so unique as a Rider show – but still... just saying those are my favorites feels like a disservice to countless moments over the past year that left an impact on me.

Favorite Comedic Scene
Zenkaiger. Like, as a whole. If I can't even pick a favorite scene from Saber, how the heck am I expected to pick a favorite gag from this show?

Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment
When the final boss of the Yodonna miniseries turned out to be Hideo Ishiguro going Super Saiyan. I laughed harder and longer at that than anything else I saw in anything toku-related this year, but because of the pronounced tonal issues this series had, I don't actually know if I was supposed to find it funny, and thus it goes here. (In spite of the problems, I did like the miniseries overall, by the way.)

Favorite Song
Ultraman Trigger may not be on my list much, but when it is, it's there without question! I have a feeling it wouldn't be most people's first choice, but Nanairo no Tane, the show's first ending theme, *seriously* struck a chord with me. New Generation Ultraman EDs are, as a rule, amazing, so when I watched Trigger's first episode, I mostly thought it was "just" another good one. Then right after that, I watched the music video for the full version and realized it hits literally all the points that make for a great song in my book. Which is only like two things, but they're important things! The lyrics are telling a very clear story, and the composition has a really considered escalation in service of that same story. I still remember hearing for the first time that bit at the end, where it sounds like it's going to stop for a second before continuing with an instrumental part, and being like "oh man, I think I love this?" And I do! Absolutely beautiful song that's always soothing to listen to, which I'll probably still be doing long after Trigger is done airing.

Biggest Surprise of 2021
A crossover between Kamen Rider Saber and Kamen Rider Ghost!!! Twice!!! Of all the crossovers out there Rider fans probably dream of, the one only I would care about became a reality out of nowhere, and I still don't know what I did to deserve that kind of present. (And then those specials actually turned out to be good, too!)

The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu:
Now, ordinarily I'm not one for negativity, but somebody needs to speak the 100% honest truth here. To have the cast of Kamen Rider Ghost returning without Onari, objectively the single greatest tokusatsu character of all time, is nothing short of an insult to his countless adoring fans. Toei had an obligation, a duty, to showcase the further adventures of this legendary figure, and my friends, Toei let us down. What will humanity do without more Onari? I can't even begin to imagine what kind of monster could ever be content living in a world where we aren't constantly being reminded of Onari's greatness at every opportunity. This ruined my entire year, and I have no doubts it ruined everyone else's too.

...

...Okay, I had my fun at the end there, but it feels weird leaving on a joke, so let me do a bit of a wrap-up and say that, yeah, in terms of tokusatsu, this was a great year in my book. There really was just so much stuff on the air I enjoyed immensely, and that probably comes across in how many of my picks here are me trying to pick everything at once. Saber gave me a new one of my favorite Rider shows ever, Zenkaiger was fantastic, and even though I haven't made the time to talk about them here, I've very much been enjoying Revice and Trigger week after week as well. Here's looking forward to the next year!

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