[Daikaijuman54]

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.