[GoldenXtreme]

I mean, gosh, where do I even start? When I first watched a tokusatsu show a few years ago, I felt like I had found something I had been looking for my whole life! Kamen Rider W was the first show I watched and it had it all: I laughed, I cried, I had a great time. I think part of what makes toku so great is that nothing else is quite like it. It draws attributes from stage acting, comics, animation, film, and has its own unique elements that nothing else really does.

There is such great variety in toku too. Even within a single franchise like Rider, it explores the central themes of the series from a huge variety of angles that makes things feel fresh every year, even if the implementation sometimes falls flat. You could say it has a degree of experimentalism that is rare in this day and age, especially considering how established so many toku franchises are. Even shows I totally hate are often interesting in their own way.

I like the variety of characters too. You can have heroes ranging from subdued and kindly to brash and loud to anything else you can imagine. You can even have giant atomic dinosaurs and moth goddesses become heroes. It is pretty rare to see such variety, and conveys a nice message that we can all be heroes in our own way. I think a lot of toku shows are good at conveying positive themes like this, while also doing deep dives on difficult subjects. My favorite toku shows hit that ideal balance of humor and drama that makes the story sing.

I could go on and on. Tokusatsu is great, and I love it and the community around it.