[Talisman]

Watched Moon Mask Rider/Gekko Kamen (1981). It was... very much the kind of thing you'd expect to find on an episode of Best of the Worst. At 1 hour 47 minutes, it is weirdly paced, devoid of substantial characterization, questionably choreographed, and the action is rather... poorly framed.

That being said it is an absolutely bonkers ride, a beautiful showcase of late 70s Tokusatsu camp, and well worth the time if you've got two hours to kill. And it's free to watch on Toei's YouTube channel!

And yes, it is in continuity with the original Moonlight Mask, as it turns out!

[GoldenXtreme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Switchblade

Sorry you didn't like it. I found the film very fun from a visual perspective. The fight near the end in the white room is easily the part of the film that stuck with me the most: very cool idea to put red stuff under the walls to make it look like the room was bleeding as it was damaged.

I'd say it's probably about on par with ZO for me as far as Amemiya's 90s trilogy is concerned.

I did think the movie had a good deal of fun value as a visual spectacle, but the combination of Amemiya's style with Inoue going full Kamen Rider The Next on the script may have just been too overwhelming for me, haha.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

As a fan of most things Kikaider, the Hakaider movie was one I didn't like at all. It just overall felt really pointlessly edgy at best. And while the dub did try to help the script in a few ways, it wasn't enough to save anything.

I go to Tekkouki Mikazuki for my ideal Inoue and Amemiya team up.

The edginess of this movie is really odd in relation to the broader Kikaider series, which always had a much more positive outlook. Gritty, adult-oriented entries are nothing unusual for tokusatsu series, but even stuff like Shin Kamen Rider Prologue grasped the general ideas of Kamen Rider while this is so completely dissociated from Kikaider that I really question the point of it being in the same series.

[SHINOBI03]

Today (actually yesterday) I learned there was a Jump series about a Tokusatsu fanboy from the 80s called Wing-Man and subbers are currently working on it (currently at 21/47).

[Mesnick]

Speaking of something very vaguely related to tokusatsu... From 1973 to 1979, the spy series "Invisible Sight" was released in the GDR, that is, East Germany. Two episodes from it, released in 1978, were called “King Kong Flu.” In the Union they were shown in cinemas as an independence movie. The plot is that the Americans have developed a deadly virus that first acts like a regular flu, and then the patient turns into a violent, uncontrollable animal. They test it in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), one of the experimental subjects escapes, the Stasi becomes aware of him and espionage squabbles begin. The connection with King Kong is very tentative, although to confirm it, they play the 1933 film in the background. At that time, the social bloc could not agree on the screening of King Kong 1976, so it was a kind of attempt to console fans of the giant ape in Eastern Europe.

[GoldenXtreme]

I'm back again, this time having watched The Aquabats! Super Show!

Some people take a very hardline stance towards what counts as tokusatsu, only qualifying Japanese live-action Henshin Hero and Kaiju stuff along with their adaptations in other countries. Personally, I'm down with counting anything that is mostly live-action and takes strong influences from Japanese tokusatsu. Super Show definitely qualifies as the latter. To give a little background, in real life The Aquabats are a band stationed in California, known for their campy, theatrical style during their concerts, where they put on personas as superheros and fight guys in suits on stage, all very much in the vein of 70s Japanese tokusatsu shows (not so much Power Rangers like you might expect for someone in the US). This all seems likely due to the influence of the founder Christian Jacobs, who did Mormon missionary activities in Japan for a while. Somehow, in the early 2010s, they got a TV show based on this band, which ultimately combined tokusatsu elements together with campy retro US children's television sensibilities and a heavy dose of surrealism. Needless to say, this is a weird, weird thing. I truly can barely comprehend how it happened.

I've generally avoided US tokusatsu, not because I have anything against the idea, but because I'm simply not interested in market-specific adaptations like Power Rangers or Americanized Godzilla films. So it was quite exciting to give this a try and honestly I had a pretty good time. The show is very goofy and had strong parody elements, but it also has an earnestness to it that I really appreciated. It loves and relishes in what it is doing, and honestly at times they'd do a properly choreographed action scene or blow something up with real explosives and it was great. It was also 100% kid friendly while also being fun for adults, so it would probably be a great show for a tokusatsu loving parent to watch with their young kids! I do think the humor was often a little... basic? It got some good laughs out of me at times but I was generally more amused than in hysterics.

It also had a few shorts made after the television show. Generally these weren't as good, perhaps since the budget was lower it lacked a lot of the madcap tokusatsu elements and felt more like skits aimed exclusively at the younger crowd. I'd say just watch the TV series and give these a pass.

Still, what a magical thing to exist at all. I often find people in the States miss the point when they try to make something in a tokusatsu style but this actually nailed it while also feeling like something that could have only been made here, the best of both worlds! Definitely recommend giving this a shot if you ever just want something silly.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHINOBI03

Today (actually yesterday) I learned there was a Jump series about a Tokusatsu fanboy from the 80s called Wing-Man and subbers are currently working on it (currently at 21/47).

After this, toku/superhero-wise the creator of Wingman would go on to work on the Iria OVA, Zetman, Tiger & Bunny, and GARO: Crimson Moon.

[GoldenXtreme]

I watched Warning from Space! What a strange movie, though ultimately one I found charming in the end. The oddest thing about is had to be the fact that a lot of things happen and never really get resolved. We never see what becomes of the people who want to buy the formula for the new radioactive element, most of the Pairans barely do anything, etc. Still, the premise of some friendly starfish aliens trying to help save Earth from fiery destruction at the hands of a rogue planet is quite novel, and the panic and destruction later on in the film as the planet looms ever closer is quite impressive and haunting! Worth watching for and weirdcore tokusatsu enthusiasts.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I watched Warning from Space! What a strange movie, though ultimately one I found charming in the end. The oddest thing about is had to be the fact that a lot of things happen and never really get resolved. We never see what becomes of the people who want to buy the formula for the new radioactive element, most of the Pairans barely do anything, etc. Still, the premise of some friendly starfish aliens trying to help save Earth from fiery destruction at the hands of a rogue planet is quite novel, and the panic and destruction later on in the film as the planet looms ever closer is quite impressive and haunting! Worth watching for and weirdcore tokusatsu enthusiasts.

Yes, I watched it recently too. A very interesting movie for fans of retro tokusatsu.
If you haven?t seen it yet, there is also a similar movie called Gorath.

[Mesnick]

I started watching Ryukendo, already about halfway through. I liked the comedy in the beginning, but after the first ten episodes the show went into drama, although it retained the same ridiculousness. I also don’t like the fact that the main character almost collects a harem, because a third of all female characters are in love with him. On the good side: I really like the huge cast of colorful secondary characters, the atmosphere of a provincial town, the episodic nature of what is happening and the fact that the show is not afraid to embody the craziest ideas.
Also, given the year of release, I had a question: what is with the huge number of toys? For modern tokusatsu this is normal, but for 2006... They probably offered more merch than Kabuto, Majirengers, Mebius and Garo combined. What is the reason?
I also can't help but think that Ryuiino inspired Kiva.

[GoldenXtreme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Yes, I watched it recently too. A very interesting movie for fans of retro tokusatsu.
If you haven?t seen it yet, there is also a similar movie called Gorath.

I haven't tried Gorath yet but I know of it, definitely on the list of things I'll get to eventually! The thing I always remember hearing about this one is the out-of-place kaiju that shows up. Can't have a tokusatsu film without one, especially in the 60s!