[DreamSword]

INDEX OF SHOWS COVERED

Android Kikaider: The Animation - 6/6

Garo: The Animation - 5/6

Netflix Godzilla Film Trilogy - 2/6

SSSS.Gridman - 5/6

Detonator Orgun - 4/6

Blassreiter - 2/6

Lion Force Voltron - 4/6

Ultraman USA - 4/6

SSSS.Dynazenon - 3/6

Garo: Crimson Moon - 4/6

The Reflection - 4/6

Pacific Rim: The Black - 4/6

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go! - 5/6

Hug! Pretty Cure! - 5/6

The Iczer Franchise - 4/6

Kamen Rider Zero-One Short Anime: Everyone's' Daily Life - 5/6

Megas XLR - 5/6

Samurai Flamenco - 5/6

Garo: Vanishing Line - 3/6

KiraKira Pretty Cure a la Mode - 4/6

Godzilla: Singular Point - 4/6

Heart Catch Pretty Cure! - 4/6

Healin' Good Pretty Cure! - 4/6

Gamera Rebirth - 4/6

Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure - 5/6

Metallic Rouge - 4/6

Guyver - 2005

-------

Hola amigo, como estas?

I'm DreamSword, or DS for short. You might know me as one of the few people who actually likes Power Rangers on these boards.

But this thread isn't about that(yet)! Instead it's about something else I've seen only get rarely talked about around here, or in various Toku circles I'm a part of, really. Anime directly based on or inspired by other Toku shows.

I'm no stranger when it comes to Let's Plays(having made a few myself) and even other Let's Watch threads, and after seeing how those done by Die(who recently just finished Kamen Rider Phi's) and Fish(who did an absolutely fantastic thread on Kuuga) have done threads with solid success, I figured I could maybe give it a try in an effort to promote this sub-genre that seems to be largely ignored.

Gonna give it to you straight; I'm probably not gonna be able to offer the level of humor Die has or the in-depth analysis that Fish does, but many of these shows are some of my favorites, and I have just a deep a love for them as I do "real" Toku. So, hopefully, that will shine through here. And hey, if I get even one new person to give any of these shows a shot, that's a success in my book.

That being said, I still don't see my showings of these shows being anywhere near as popular as the Kamen Rider threads, so I figured I'd just go with one megathread for the stuff I watch and wish to present to you all. If I'm proven wrong or that seems excessive, well, I have no problem dividing this up into other threads, and I ask the mods to please help me change this one. If it remains a megathread, I'll be sure to index each anime I present.

So, let me lay down the ground rules:

1. Please don't spoil the shows I'm talking about past the episode I'm on. Or any other shows, for that matter.

If you feel you absolutely have to bring up a spoiler for the sake of the discussion, then please have the decency to use spoiler tags. A big part of this thread is to introduce these shows to a new audience, afterall.

2. Respect the opinions of others.

I'll be the first to admit, the shows I decide to highlight are most definitely not for everyone, and that's perfectly fine! A little debate here and there is fine, don't get me wrong, but don't go overboard with it. I will do my best to reply as often as I can, though!

3. Feel free to watch alongside me!

Again, a big part of why I'm doing this is because I want to introduce these shows to more Toku fans. In my experience, Toku fans tend to turn their noses up at animated versions of the genre similar to how anime fans tend to brush off almost all live-action adaptations of anime. Not saying it isn't justified in some cases, but hey, atleast give a show a fair shot, right?

4. There's no time limit on discussing any of the shows covered.

If at any point you watch these shows and have something say, even if the thread has long since moved past it, go for it! Again, looking for healthy discussion ontop of introducing new people to the subgenre.

With all that said, what anime have I decided to present to you all first? I put alot of thought into it, and in the end I chose a show that I felt not only a handful of you might have a passing familiarity with(thus making it easier to get into), but also one of my favorite anime of all time period. And that show is:

Android Kikaider: The Animation

This anime aired right at the turn of the millennium, based off a work done by a name that any Toku fan should automatically know; Shotaro Ishinomori, AKA one of the most creative people ever(also creator of a little show you might've heard of called Kamen Rider, but who watches that I mean really).

Clocking in at an easy 13 episodes(plus a 4 episode OVA), the anime version of Kikaider takes a much darker and more somber tone than what the original live-action Toku did.

I'll specifically be rewatching the dub done by Bandai, who at the time were producing absolutely killer dubs of anime(especially for the time period they'd been doing them), which they sadly don't do anymore.

I think that about covers everything, but if I left something out or you have any questions, feel free to say something and I'll get to it.

Now then, I'm off to rewatch and grab screencaps of the first episode. See you soon!

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Shows I've seen:

• Betterman
• Captain Earth
• Casshan
• Cashern Sins
• Heroman
• Iria: Zeiram
• The Skull Man
• Star Driver
• Viewtiful Joe
• Voltron Force

Shows I haven't seen:

• Brave Command Dagwon
• Casshan: Robot Hunter
• Chojin Barom-1
• Concrete Revolutio
• Devilman Crybaby
• Gakuen Tokusou Hikaruon
• Hurricane Polymar
• Japan Sinks
• Jushin Liger
• Love After World Domination
• Majin Bone
• Monster Development Department
• Mr. Villain's Day Off
• Sentai Daishikkaku
• Shikizakura
• Sonic Soldier Borgman
• Sym Bionic Titan
• Transformers Masterforce
• The☆Ultraman
• Wing-Man

Shows I don't plan to cover:

• Gatchaman
• Giant Robo
• Megaman NT Warrior
• Megaman Star Force
• Netflix Ultraman
• Ronin Warriors
• Sailor Moon
• Saint Seiya
• Samurai Pizza Cats
• Tekkaman
• Yatterman

LIVE-ACTION TOKU REVIEWS

GARO - 5/6

Saban's Masked Rider vs Kamen Rider Black Sun

Dogengers - 5/6

BIMA - 4/6

Changerion - 4/6

Tekkouki Mikazuki - 5/6

Tokusatsu GaGaGa - 5/6

Dogengers Nice Buddy - 4/6

Kamen Rider Reiwa Generations: Saber and Zero-One Get a Clue!

GARO: Makai Senki - 4/6

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

Gonna give it to you straight; I'm probably not gonna be able to offer the level of humor Die has or the in-depth analysis that Fish does, but many of these shows are some of my favorites, and I have just a deep a love for them as I do "real" Toku. So, hopefully, that will shine through here. And hey, if I get even one new person to give any of these shows a shot, that's a success in my book.

Eh, no worries. The fact that someone is willing to take the challenge of thoroughly reviewing and sharing their thoughts on a whole show gets my respect, cause again, this is not an easy task. And don't feel pressured, have fun.

[DreamSword]

Episode 1: Lonely Puppet



The show sets the tone absolutely immediately. Dark, eerie backdrops, low volume music, heck, the first six minutes of the first episode wouldn't be out of place in a horror or mystery show. It's also where right away we're given one of the biggest parallels and overarching themes the anime has; Humanity and what it means to have a conscience. Displayed via a scene of a girl reading Pinocchio to her younger brother. Even when the "action" starts, there's no loud explosions, no high energy rocking soundtrack, just ambiance and the sound of the rain.

But don't go thinking that means this show doesn't have a great soundtrack, because it so does!

The music is composed by Akira Mitake, whom I've honestly struggled finding any info about. If anyone can expand on other works he's done, please do. But speaking solely for Kikaider, Mitake absolutely nails everything here. Just listen to how beautiful that opening theme is!

It's also here that I suppose I should mention; Much like the (in)famous works of Inuoe, Android Kikaider has a tone and atmosphere that I feel will either grab people right away, or, combined with its retro artstyle, will throw them off entirely.

Like, just look at this without any context:



Speaking solely for myself, I absolutely adore shows with a strong sense of atmosphere, and this here is no exception. Heck, the art direction is also a plus for me, since it makes Kikaider really stand on its own, unique legs. That's just me, though.

Back to the episode at hand, the purpose of this first episode is simple: Set-up. The tone, the atmosphere, what the show is about, the quests of our central cast, the works. Most important though is this guy right here:



This is Jiro, our lead character. He suddenly awakens in the middle of nowhere with no memory of who he is or, heck, even what he sounds like. It's to the point that he's even surprised when a passerby makes fun of the guitar Jiro is wearing on his back(Jiro having not even noticed it was there until then).

Jiro in the dub is voiced by Dave Wiitenburg and lemme just say, he absolutely NAILED the role here. Wittenburg perfectly captures the feeling of Jiro being what he is all throughout the show; A lost boy with no memory searching for answers(in more ways than one). I honestly cannot think of anyone else that could've done the role better. Huge props to whoever did the casting.

The episode also displays something that at the time I hadn't seen much of; Despite Jiro's' good heart, his power and true nature is displayed as something that normal people would be very much afraid of. Something that will serve as a recurring element of the story as a whole.

That said, if you're under the impression that this show is going to be all drama and no action, well...

https://i.imgur.com/vrZQtp0.gifv

That's very much not the case!

I mean, LOOK AT THAT ANIMATION! The animation in this show is fantastic, especially for the time period. And that "Henshin" sequence is a huge highlight!

That's about all I can think to highlight when it comes to this first episode. What did you all think? Personally I feel it's a great first episode that gives you a taste of just about everything you could want from an anime like this, and it had me hooked immediately back when I first saw it(which is like 19 years ago now good lord). I think I'll try to cover/highlight one episode a day. Feel free to share your thoughts, opinions, all that!

[Sunred]

And Ishinomori Productions to this day deprives us of a animated Kamen Rider or Gorenger series. Seriously, the farthest we ever got to Kamen Rider in this art style were the illustrations in the Kamen Rider Eve novel and the occasional illustrations Hayase would do of Kamen Riders. It's bad enough that we will NEVER get a Kamen Rider SPIRITS anime until further notice they would not even give us the animation adaptation of the OG Kamen Rider. Sorry, had to get that outta my system.

[tomos]

Thanks for creating the thread but I don't think I particularly want to watch an anime adaptation of a toku show in general,sorry. Shows that were anime first like Sailor Moon are different (though even that I prefer the live-action one now I've seen all of PGSM) and also the anime I tend to watch tend to be their own thing but still appeal to me like for example Digimon,Cardcaptor Sakura,Shugo Chara etc. It's just that I read Netflix UK had Ultraman, I looked it up and it was an anime version and I just found that such a bummer I'm afraid!

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomos

Thanks for creating the thread but I don't think I particularly want to watch an anime adaptation of a toku show in general,sorry.

Then it's a very good thing that Ishinomori was a manga artist above all else, and a lot of his characters were pretty explicitly made to be multi-media affairs from the start! Kikaider The Animation's art style is even clearly taking notes from his drawings, and from what I understand, is also a pretty faithful adaptation of the manga's story. It's much more of an adaptation of that than it is of the live-action series.

Unfortunately, the key phrase there is "from what I understand". I've never seen the show myself, and I don't think I'll be able to watch along, but I'm still very much rooting for this thread! I think this was a pretty stellar choice for a first show. Hope you have fun doing this, DreamSword!

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

And Ishinomori Productions to this day deprives us of a animated Kamen Rider or Gorenger series. Seriously, the farthest we ever got to Kamen Rider in this art style were the illustrations in the Kamen Rider Eve novel and the occasional illustrations Hayase would do of Kamen Riders. It's bad enough that we will NEVER get a Kamen Rider SPIRITS anime until further notice they would not even give us the animation adaptation of the OG Kamen Rider. Sorry, had to get that outta my system.

I'd be totally down for a KR Spirits anime. It'd be interesting to see who they'd get to voice everyone, should it be dubbed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Then it's a very good thing that Ishinomori was a manga artist above all else, and a lot of his characters were pretty explicitly made to be multi-media affairs from the start! Kikaider The Animation's art style is even clearly taking notes from his drawings, and from what I understand, is also a pretty faithful adaptation of the manga's story. It's much more of an adaptation of that than it is of the live-action series.

Most definitely. Not sure if I'm allowed to post images from the manga here, but as someone who's read it, yeah. The anime isn't 100% the same, but a handful of scenes are ripped directly from the manga, and the tone is much more in line with said manga.

Quote:

I don't think I'll be able to watch along, but I'm still very much rooting for this thread! I think this was a pretty stellar choice for a first show. Hope you have fun doing this, DreamSword!

Thanks mate! Hope you give the show a shot in the future!

(off to watch and screencap ep 2 now, wee~)

[DreamSword]

Episode 2: Mad Machine

Hoo boy. As someone who's been a big fan of this show and also someone who tried to keep track of what people thought about it for a good few years after it had aired, the title alone low-key triggers me. Not that the title itself is a problem, mind you, but, well... we'll get to that.



We open to just after the fight of the first episode. Despite Jiro having just saved them from the Rampaging Rhino Robot, Mitsuko(big sister) and Masaru(little brother), are quite visibly shaken by the entire experience. Afterall, a giant robot just got done nearly killing them, only for another robot to come in that kill it in just one swing of its arm.

Afterward, Jiro's' origin is revealed(not that it was much of a mystery to the viewer); A robot built by Dr. Kohmyoji, the father of Masaru and Mitsuko. Jiro wonders if they were created by Kohmyoji too. Masaru takes it as a sign of kinship. Mitsuko most certainly does not.



Speaking of Jiro's' robot side, let's talk about that for a quick sec. No, not as in his specs(although that is brought up briefly with Masaru noting Jiro's' skin is really hard), but as in Kikaider's' character design.

I totally dig it! Not only does the half blue, half red body make for something striking and distinct, but it's more than just a simple swapping of colors. The right side being much more human-esque with all of its innards being covered, and the left half almost looking unfinished, with Kikaider's' inner robotics being quite visible; Barely covered by what appears to be glass. This design also ties in with another overall theme the story will touch upon; Duality. But, more on that in due time.

As for Jiro himself, his goggles actually serve a purpose. They provide night vision, which is a nice little touch, considering I've seen many a show where goggles on characters are more of a fashion statement than anything.

Oh, and total sidenote, from what I've been told, Kikaider's' name is actually a pun. It's derived from Kikai da which apparently means "[it's] a machine." Not 100% sure if that's the case, but I believe it, based on the subs for the Kikaider Reboot movie. Speaking of puns, remember Pinocchio? The system that gives Jiro his conscience is called the Gemini System. Oh, Ishinomori...

Back to the plot at hand, we not only get a nice light-hearted moment with Masaru and Jiro starting to bond, but get a look into the mind of Mitsuko, who is clearly feeling as though her late father wanted to replace his children.



This here is Dr. Hell--I MEAN, Professor Gill. And props to this being one of the few Toku(-esque) shows where I've seen the main villain actually take direct action early on, rather than just leaving their lackeys to do all the work. He's voiced by Michael Gregory, who you might know as Lieutenant Hedgecock from RoboCop! From what I've looked up, he hasn't done too many voice acting roles, but he does a great job here. Sounding like a mysterious villain and not going super over the top, despite the character design.

Continuing with great character moments, we're proven just how much Mitsuko loves her little brother; Prioritizing getting the monster of the week away from Masaru at the cost of her own well being.

It's also during the sequence that we're introduced to Jiro's' bike: The Side Machine!



Can you tell the original story was made by the Kamen Rider guy yet? Haha.

And, well, guess now's as good a time as any to bring this up, since we just mentioned Mitsuko. This episode also introduces what would forever live on as her most (in)famous moment.

"I was right! You're nothing more than some mad machine!"

See, those of you new to the show probably don't know this, but Kikaider's' old detractors tended to quote this line specifically; Making the claim that Mitsuko says it in literally every single episode of the show. Well, I'm here to tell you that that is a gross over-exaggeration. Heck, I'll even keep count for you all from now on if you want just to prove the point. So far she has said it once, in response to nearly getting strangled to death.

https://youtu.be/Fiost0PBAFU

The episode also offers some great action. From the Side Machine chase to the battle with the Mantis Robot to... well, just check this out:

https://i.imgur.com/Aa5E35u.gifv

Oh baby that is smooth.

This also marks the debut of Kiakider's' signature finisher, Electro End. Which, if you'll notice, the Mantis Robot had been spamming the entire episode, further emphasizing the connection between Kikaider and those he fights. Again, can you tell this was originally an Ishinomori work? Haa.

Aaannd that's about all I can think to highlight from this episode. What'd you all think? As usual, I thought it was great. We got some great character building, with all three of our main characters being presented as completely believable and understandable. Good stuff.

[Androzani84]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

And Ishinomori Productions to this day deprives us of a animated Kamen Rider or Gorenger series. Seriously, the farthest we ever got to Kamen Rider in this art style were the illustrations in the Kamen Rider Eve novel and the occasional illustrations Hayase would do of Kamen Riders. It's bad enough that we will NEVER get a Kamen Rider SPIRITS anime until further notice they would not even give us the animation adaptation of the OG Kamen Rider. Sorry, had to get that outta my system.

*Clears throat

https://kamenrider.fandom.com/wiki/K...%3F_Kumo_Otoko

[DreamSword]

Episode 3: Stray Sheep



This episode opens with an effect that I absolutely love. Looking and sounding as though the sky itself is cracking apart, before being revealed as a giant spider's' web. See guys, this is why you don't have sex. A giant spider will come and crush you to death!



We kick things of with Detective Zennigata--errhem, Detective Hattori, a broke detective hired by Mitsuko to find Jiro, who's been missing for some time now. Despite his somewhat bumbling appearance and manner of speech, we get a clue real quick about why exactly this guy is a detective; He's quick on the upkeep. Only to be further emphasized later on.

Hattori is allegedly voiced by Kirk Thorton, who has done a ton of voice work over time. I say allegedly because from what I've looked up there seems to be rather conflicting accounts on if it's actually him or not(and the credits of this show don't credit the English VAs). But if it is him, then I gotta say, this dude has some serious range.

Something I like about this plot is that it's left ambiguous on where Mitsuko stands during this. While you could give her the benefit of the doubt in that she's legitimately worried about Jiro, it's also just as likely she simply wants to keep him in check, still viewing him as... well, a mad machine.

Yes, she says it again this episode. 3 times if you count the flashback towards the start of the episode. So as of now, we have the counter at 2 times in 2 episodes, 4 if you count flashbacks(which I don't).



Meanwhile, Jiro ain't doing too hot! The overall comparisons to puppets is pretty blatant, even within the very title of this episode, but it's easy to feel sorry for the guy. He's lost in a world he has no clue about, with no place to call home. It's a bad situation all around, and deals with various feelings many outcasts can relate to.

Not helping is how, due to his cluelessness on how the world works, and his ability to do things most normal people can't, he's getting treated like a monster by what few people he does try to interact with. The scene where he learns guitar from the peddler? It's stuck with me ever since I saw it. That straight up hurt man.



The monster this episode is a giant spider, and man this thing makes my skin crawl. I've got arachnophobia. Not as bad as many others, but still, spiders just super gross me out and this thing is no exception. From the way it moves to how it crushes people to death... and yet, my favorite superhero is Spider-Man. Irony, that.



I know this is totally random to call out but... you guys remember when vehicles used to be hand-drawn instead of CGI? Man I miss that.

The climax of the episode isn't so much about the action, but rather dumping a bit more plot to keep things moving forward. We learn a bit more about the late Dr. Kohmyoji, Kikaider is officially name-dropped, and Hattori is officially a part of the gang now! What's not to love?

Oh, and speaking of Kikaider, he shows us how versatile Electro End can be.

https://i.imgur.com/RuVxPgj.gifv

And I guess now's as good a time as any to plug the Ending Theme of the show, Destiny featuring Yui Horie.

https://youtu.be/2hbxJf0pKTY

I straight up could not find an English translation of the lyrics anywhere, so if anyone has any idea what the song is even about, please, fill me in.

Aaannd that's about it. Not too much happens in this episode in terms of action, but it does serve as an important stepping stone for the show in general. And again, the character moments and atmosphere are more than enough to keep me drawn in. What'd you all think?