How to Get Into Toku (And Why You Should) - A Newcomer's Newcomer Guide

[@craftsdwarf]

Thoughts as of September 2022: So, this is still a video I’m satisfied with. I’m glad it got at least a few more people into tokusatsu and I hope no one suffered too much trying out my randomizer (I got Kamen Rider V3! ...I did not like Kamen Rider V3). However, I now know several things that I could have better explained or outright got wrong in this video. In my more recent Kill la Kill video (or more specifically, the sources linked) you can find some interviews with the author of Sailor Moon that discusses its influences, which include tokusatsu, something I honestly understated here, due to not really understanding what magical girl series were like before Sailor Moon and why it was so important in synthesizing tropes and thematics from both magical girl works and the kind of action shows like Super Sentai it drew from. I bring up Evangelion’s influence with SSSS.Gridman, but honestly that was harshly understand because I hadn’t seen SSSS.Gridman at the time and thus wouldn’t have known about the Shin Seiki/Neon Genesis Middle Schoolers, which are a rather blatant reference. I still stand by my feeling that comments like the one shown were likely made out of likely ignorance of the toku influence on SSSS, but that’s no excuse for underselling the Evangelion influence that is still relevant and worth commenting on. Another reason I stand by the point of my video in regard to Gridman was what I discussed in my Gridman Problem video, where I share a perspective on SSSS that could only come from having watching the original show, something no one on KZbin had discussed, which I think is an example as to how to my point in this video stands, in that anime fans can potentially get more out of the shows and series they like with more knowledge regarding the space and subculture they come from. I also want to add that I bring up Megaranger as being notable to me for its use of special effects in a time period of increasing technological dominance with a young cast, but all of these are also present in the original Gridman that predates Megaranger by about 4 years (though I still prefer Megaranger as a show). Lastly, I want to add a third hard recommendation alongside Sh15uya and Ressha Sentai ToQger, one I used footage of in the video despite not having seen at the time. Tokusatsu Gagaga is an adaptation of a manga in which the office lady main character has to live while hiding her massive toku love from her coworkers (and mother). It’s a phenomenal show that uses the conformity culture of adult life in Japan as a setting for adult otaku still finding enduring enjoyment in media made for children, and given that it’s about a love for tokusatsu, while also being a tokusatsu in its use of costumes/suit actors, it strikes a neat middle ground of professing love for shows like ToQger while also being shorter and a bit offbeat (thought not completely) in the vein of Sh15uya. It's my second favorite toku after Lupinranger VS Patranger and only 7 40 minute episodes long. Highly recommended especially if you like any media that's aimed at children (like shounen manga or cartoons, it even references PreCure!). Edit as of October 2024: As I found out from some tweets by ehoba on twitter, my statement that Ultraman influenced the appearance of crucifixions in a bunch of media, including tokusatsu, is highly overstated. I came to that realization because of someone I knew who watched mecha and tokusatsu and noted how oddly common they were, and Ultraman seemed like a particularly notable title as it was. One confirmed influence was Anno finding that episode memorable, and Ultraman may have been an influence on the heavy Christian theming in Evangelion, but beyond that crucifixions were heavily used in jidaigeki period dramas, which ehoba notes that some scholars observe as an influence on tokusatsu in general. One erson responded with a film (Jiraiya the Brave, 1921) that even uses suit actors, so it seems much more reasonable to me than 'Ultraman inspired this one thing in everything'. Sorry if someone corrected me on this already I didn't want to sift through 4 years of comments.

[@mdo7]

OK, here's a quick question: we know that K-dramas are very popular and mainstream in the US thanks to Netflix, and other streaming sites (Squid Game also contributed to K-dramas popularity too). But here's the problem: people that watch K-dramas and other foreign-language dramas like from Taiwan, Mainland China won't crossover to tokusatsu!!! Several Korean dramas on Netflix have used toku-like special effect to the point where they might be considered tokusatsu in definition. Several K-dramas on Netflix have gone toku like for example Sweet Home, The School Nurse Files, Kingdom, and The Uncanny Counter will look a lot like a high-budgeted toku shows. The problem is from what I've seen is that toku fans won't crossover to K-pop despite whatever I said, and K-drama fans won't crossover to tokusatsu. So how do you get people that watch Kamen Rider and Super Sentai to watch Sweet Home, and Kingdom, and how do you get those fans of those fantasy K-dramas I mentioned to branch out to Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai?

[@hombrelagartoenemigod]

Another thing to add about Tokusatsu GaGaGa is that the story structure fits a Sentai one plot wise, the story starting and ending with the fictional Sentai-like show the main character is currently watching and contrasting things happening in her life with plot points of the show.

[@zipperman6045]

>Starts watching Gundam 0079 begining the 40 year gundam catchup >Crafts uplods the tokusatsu beginner video I've been looking for I see a lot of late nights in the forceable future

[@cruelcumber5317]

Literally me, but I'm also trying to read through Homestuck before chrome stops supporting flash.

[@gutsmcgordan4184]

0079 is so good

[@djtlite138]

Good luck. I'm caught up on gundam except for the new gundam breaker battlogue. Kamen rider is where i started my japanese toku journey and have barely put a dent in it. I plan on watching Garo soon as well as a handful of Super Sentai series.

[@Aceshot-uu7yx]

Don't worry bud. You don't have to watch every show. The only one you need to watch is AGE

[@TimAquila]

Never thought I would learn more about the theming of Dark Type Pokémon.

[@crimzon16]

Bisharp

[@roxyroxas1313]

If you're knowledgeable on toku you can literally count the references in samurai flamenco. It's a full blown love letter. That's why I love the show so much. I love toku and anime.

[@udhayveersingh1855]

Toku should be as famous as anime.

[@KiwamiClaud]

Aside from the strange pronunciation of Garo, this was a *damn* solid video. It really helped remind me of just how awesome tokusatsu is, and I might give some of these other shows/movies a try sometime soon. Keep at it my guy

[@Chen-vw5nc]

I love the stories of kamen rider and cool suits along with amazing cinematography, action, and henshin sequences. I have a feeling that I will be taking inspiration from zero one's asthetic in the future.

[@TheClayHarrison]

the pokemon type-interaction weakness was kinda off the mark.bugs are associated with the heroic archetype in japanese folklore, which is why they are super effective against dark. its not that the bug type's effectiveness is an homage to kamen rider, its that both kamen rider and pokemon are drawing from the same traditional japanese motifs.

[@weedleisopcute3626]

Yeeeeee

[@Decubitus]

Even then, many individual bug types take inspiration from toku in their design, the most obvious examples being Ledian and Lokix.

[@xtopher174]

Hi I know this is a comment from 2 years ago, but I need to know your sources on this. I am currently researching about Icons of Heorism. Aside from your comment I couldn't find anything about this ajapanese bug motifs. I couldn't find any bug-related folklores and I am more inclined to believe that Pokemon typing is referencing Kamen Rider because the lack of evidence otherwise.

[@TheClayHarrison]

@@xtopher174 sorry i dont have any particular citations but the insect-lore of japan can be traced back to ancient china as well. insects, especially beetles, crickets and katydids, were seen as auspicious and powerful and kept as pets and for fighting. it makes sense culturally, as farmers would mark the coming of seasons by the crickets beginning to sing. do some digging into the history of cricket and beetle fighting in asia and im sure you will find something scholarly. suffice to say there is a common thread that runs through kamen rider, but the insect motif being associated with heroism did not start there.

[@xtopher174]

@@TheClayHarrison thank you for your response. I have found links for Bug and Heroes, and it has led me to sources that are helpful for my research. But to respond to your initial post I'm afraid there are nothing that suggest Pokemon Bug typing isn't inpired by Kamen Rider. From what I've read Kamen Rider being a bug superhero doesn't have anything to do with anything inherent about bugs, it is moreso because Japan just like bug fights that they make Kamen Rider into a superhero and not the other way around. Pokemon catching mechanic being inspired by Ultraman 7's Capsule led me to believe that when designing the Dark type they may take more Toku inspiration, this is also supported by introduction of Ledian and Tyranitar-2 Pokemon that are inspired by Toku in Gen 2. Even to this day, Dynamax has some Toku motifs and Gen 9 has Baxcalibur and Lokix.

[@raitodeadakard3109]

Anime Fan: We Waste Money For Waifu Toku Fan: We Waste Money For Toy

[@TheMatchaDen]

yes we do

[@darkone5973]

Worthed

[@DToTheB]

toku fans are just anime fans but for live action tv superheroes

[@moodyjunior867]

Karmen rider dragon knight is honestly top tier

[@laoaidan2400]

I got the urge to relive some childhood nostalgia and finished the series a few days ago. It’s a masterpiece and no one can change my mind

[@bushidotestu1997]

Was certainly a better attempt of Kamen rider adaption then show that will not be named

[@shadowtheimpure]

Decade was my introduction to Kamen Rider, and it gave me a curiosity to check out the other featured Riders.

[@grid8032]

I am no newcomer but this is a good guide for people who are new to toku

[@theshield8174]

My first Kamen rider was Kamen rider zio, at first I didn’t understand it because it was an anniversary but because of it I was able to understand most of the past Kamen rider. Now I’m obsessed with it especially collecting the belts

[@patrickholt8782]

I’ll never get tired of seeing the original kamen rider.

[@Miraihi]

Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger is soo funny. I recommend it to anyone who's only familiar with Power Rangers and wants to tickle that nostalgia, while not ready to embrace a full-fledged tokusatsu series.

[@Toasted_Bag3l]

Just remember That Seiji takaiwa was the same suit Actor that played the main kamen rider for years

[@melancholicfool792]

17:34 "Less serious series like Den-O or Ex-aid" "or Ex-aid" "Less serious" Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... Merry Christmas?

[@icebreaker913]

That was the biggest goof in this video that I could find (not that familiar with Ultraman) But things like that are inevitable and at least Craftdwarf admitted that he was the least versed on Rider. Still funny though. Like seeing art for Madoka and assuming it's a cute and happy SoL series

[@melancholicfool792]

@@icebreaker913 yeah I'm not holding it against him considering he prefaced that section stating he wasn't as familiar with Kamen Rider. Just found it a funny mistake.

[@DanVideos]

@@icebreaker913 It wasn't a goof, Craftsdwarf is just evil.

[@boxstory3756]

@@icebreaker913 He did that on purpose, he's watching Ex Aid atm. It's just a cruel joke lol.

[@icebreaker913]

@@boxstory3756 Well damn. He played us like a fiddle

[@abrahemsamander3967]

Didn’t know Eiji Tsubarya until now. Very cool he was catholic. I grew up loving the Godzilla films.

[@dominicfoster8129]

I think Gokaiger is a perfect introduction season for sentai fans who watched power rangers, it’s familiar with suits you recognise and eases you into the unfamiliarity of super sentai

[@murmunster1761]

I just went straight to kiramager after shinkenger 😂

[@burakbektas4327]

I was having a shitty day then I saw this. Thanks for making my day better.

[@rpmblack7892]

Hope youre doing great even 10 months after this comment bro

[@maingamer6846]

Considering there all legal, I’d personally recommend Choujin Sentai Jetman, Ultraman Tiga and Kamen Rider Kuuga

[@TimAquila]

Visually, GARO's action looks very appealing to me from the scenes you've presented. Ressha Sentai ToQger made a fun appearance on me, so I might give it a try as well.

[@MrSecretSentai]

Even if the show is bad the costume design in the shows are almost always amazing and makes we wish I was apart of the show

[@TheMDB123]

Funny how you make this video just as I'm about to dive into the Ultraman series. Also thank you for mentioning Kinnikuman it's a legendary series that needs more love.

[@maxmustermann9058]

Not much of a live-action series guy, but I might give Lupinranger vs Patranger a watch some time.

[@MrRobot-0]

Well i ho you like their style i peraonaly dont trough.

[@abhilashmehera3813]

Man i think you should watch build first you would enjoy it very much

[@TheHiphopson]

Long time power ranger fan and iv been finally able to watch super sentai since it so readily available theses days. Currently watching Megaranger and kamen rider kuuga.

[@airtag1116]

@@abhilashmehera3813 yes if you are coming to toku from anime Build is a good start

[@abhilashmehera3813]

@@airtag1116 yeah

[@Mate397]

I planned to watch super sentai for a while now (along with Kamen Rider nad Ultraman) but I still have a fairly long anime backlog to chew through. One day I'll get there.

[@blakedavis2447]

Oh so it’s live action anime

[@qualityexs6295]

Yes.

[@PauloJrchannel]

Yes.

[@keodiozubu8670]

.....isn't that an oxymoron

[@keodiozubu8670]

@Nill Null true

[@upg5147]

And we all know how that usually turns out....

[@TheHiphopson]

I'm currently watching Megaranger an Kamen Rider Kuuga it's a fun trip an I recommend it.

[@Fenoverse]

DUDE I LOVE SAMURAI FLAMENCO! I think it’s an awesome show, thank you so much for bringing it up !

[@SeaweedAmbassador]

This is exactly the video I wish was around when I started getting into toku. It very well captures what's great about toku while also giving legal options and focusing on key series that would be great for beginners. While my personal recommendations for starting places (at least for Ultra and Kamen Rider) are Ultraman Mebius and Kamen Rider W, the other series you mentioned were fantastic and are good pieces to show what each of the big 3 franchises are about. Also, Thank you for having the title for each series shown on screen. I've got a couple outside of the main sphere that I definitely need to check out.

[@Scerttle]

Holy poop Samurai Flamenco looks amazing how did I not hear about it until now???

[@horhito93]

Great video the only thing I would add is mentioning Writing staff like Kazuki Nakashima the Head Writer for Gurren Langan and Kill-La-Kill also was the Head Writer for Kamen Rider Fourze

[@anthustenebris9202]

My top picks for the 35+ seasons of Sentai I've watched so far include ToQger, Jetman, Kirameiger, Megaranger and Flashman. I've only watched 3 seasons of Kamen Rider but I've enjoyed them greatly: Den-O, Gaim and Ex-Aid.

[@mixdberries]

If you ever get to go to Kyoto, go to the Toei Kyoto Studio Park. It has a samurai village similar to the ones they use for their period pieces and there’s a line up off all the Sentai outfits.

[@HordikaNate3821]

I'm always really glad to see more people get into this stuff, it embodies the "rule of cool" being super wacky yet potent and being able to take itself seriously. So welcome to the Toku zone If I had to give recommendations For Sentai I'd recommend: Megaranger, Timeranger, Abaranger, Shinkenger, and Donbrothers For Ultraman: Gaia, Mebius, Orb, Geed, and Z And for Rider: ZO, Den-O, W, OOO, Fourze, and Build Or, OR alternatively what looks good to you, don't let anyone gatekeep any seasons from you

[@RadikAlice]

My biggest takeaway from this is that ShoutFactoryTV finally has Jetman, loved the show since I first learned about it and was bummed it wasn't available to stream yet. That said, for being 2yrs old, this video has aged rather well. Solid recommendations with footage that speaks for itself. Mad props for giving Garo so much attention, it and Metal Heroes often get relegated to footnotes at best. So it's good to see them get their due

[@JanizMakudomaru]

I'm proud to have gotten the Toku reference and praise show Samurai Flamenco was when I was watching it.

[@RayOfTruth]

Pokemon was going to be called "Capsule Monsters" but was changed to Pocket Monsters to avoid legal issues with Ultra Seven's capsule monsters which Pokemon was inspired by.

[@mixdberries]

I find Tokusatsu to be such a unique series of Franchises. With most Franchises, you have to be into them whether each iteration is good or not, otherwise the fandom can condemn you. Whereas, even though it’s an annual series, if there’s a Tokusatsu series that isn’t doing it for you, you can just wait next year. You can even grow out of it, but then come back to it with your own kids. Gokaiger vs Gacan being an example, no 10 year old would know who Galvan is, but their parents might! I wasn’t a fan of the Minecraft-esque Zyuohger, or the Train series ToQger. But Lupinger v Patranger slaps!

[@haldir108]

Since i generally enjoy Urobuchi Gen's work in anime and puppet shows, i gave Kamen Rider Gaim a try, and i ended up watching all 50~ish episodes in just over a week. In Gaim, there are a lot of the "butcher bingo" squares getting crossed off, and so on a purely "databasing urobucher" level, it is very enjoyable. One of the things i didn't expect to be as strong an element in the series, is the finality of consequence. If you, or your friends fuck up, that can write you out of the series for good. There are some real tragic moments before the end, in true Urobucher fashion. It feels like there was a massive rewrite during production, as a bunch of surface elements draw direct paralels to the Sengoku era, and samurais, but after briefly establishing a terretorial conflict, it is largely abandoned in favor of a mish-mash of genesis, the story of orpheus, and most likely some japanese story i am not familiar with. Overall, the episodic structure of it makes it better suited for smaller chunks than i experienced it in. The writing has moments of greatness, but is mostly passable. The action choreography and cinematography is generally unremarkable, and seems to be done quickly almost every time, aside from a few bigger setpieces in the episodes leading up to the finale. Overall i'm glad i watched it, and i'd say it isn't a bad place to start with toku, especially if you, like me, find mapping Urobuchi's tendencies to be interesting.

[@redx589]

Just finished watching Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. In the middle of watching Ressha Sentai ToQger. Gonna keep going till I catch up and then do the same with Kamen Rider.

[@mistergremm735]

My eyes are currently set on experiancing many of tatsunoko properties since even that brand seemed to be quite underlocked by many anime fans due to mostly it's age and time period, i have been think to tune in some kumen raider and ultraman just so i can at some level understand earlier kinnikuman jokes and references Might plan out soon marathon after i get good vacation

[@PsionicMonk]

Its so fascinating that Pokemon would draw (in the thesis of the video) inspiration from Kamen Rider and related media even after it had exploded and was a craze in it's own respect. Dark type wasn't introduced until Gen 2 and Fairy type wasn't around until Gen 6. Both were more of a balance measure than anything. Psychic type in gen 1 was hilariously busted (It had one type weakness; bug, which had very few passable pokemon, more importantly bug type moves were trash) so Dark was introduced as another weakness. Ironically after Dark came out it also was pretty overpowered, (ghost/dark type had no type weakness) hence the introducing of Fairy type as a hard counter to dark types. I love stuff like this

[@xtopher174]

To add to this, the Pokemon catching mechanic is heavily inspired by Ultraman capsule monsters.

[@JustHoum]

"Kamen Rider has lighter series like Den-O and Ex-Aid." >Ex-Aid ......hehehehehe

[@randot6675]

What? It is* light.

[@Delfino711]

I haven't seen much toku myself but I highly recommend Kamen Rider Kabuto and Ex-Aid (both have absolute banger OPs btw)! And thanks to this video I may have to check out Garo and Thunderbolt Fantasy.

[@petrolandcoffee]

I remember watching power rangers samurai and for the longest time i didn't get why there were so MANY reboots until i rewatched it with my little brother.

[@NQG420]

crazy how what became garo was thaght of way way back before all this

[@Chen-vw5nc]

Guys I actually watched samurai flamenco and its really wild ride and dumb fun lol. I really recommend this anime

[@seshiria_4290]

i would have discovered this anime way more later without this comment so thank you

[@crissdues4330]

I haven’t watched an excellent video on toku in a while. Nice work!

[@djugedead]

So, I am a big Metal Heroe fan, If you want a long storyline with character meeting throughout their history, go for the Space Sheriff Trilogy of shows (Gavan, Sharivan & Sheider) this trilogy even have movie still coming out today If you want a show to watch on you'r own, not taking too long go for Jaspion If you want to experience Ninja / médiéval action go for Giraya And last, if you want Space opera, go for SanKuKai

[@TokuNorth]

I can't recommend this video enough!

[@cybersaur7394]

While Fourze is definitely one of the strongest recommendation for a first Kamen Rider, the 2016-2017 Amazon produced webseries Kamen Rider Amazons (localized in the west as Amazon Riders) would also be an excellent starting off point. While the goofiness inherit to the medium of men jumping around playfighting in costumes will always exist, Kamen Rider Amazons provides easily the most serious, adult-oriented toku experience from the big three ongoing franchises. Not to mention that it is also magnitudes shorter than other Kamen Rider series, standing at roughly half the episode count. Kamen Rider Amazons is available for legal English streaming through Amazon's prime video service, though the epilogue movie that takes place at the end of season two is currently only available through fansubs.

[@akumaten]

I recommend W, Fourze, Build and Zero One. I need to check out Kuuga. For Super Sentai, check out Dekaranger, Go-Busters, Kyuuranger and Kiramager I heard of Tiga back in the 4kids days

[@PauloJrchannel]

Watch Juspion and Jiraiya for Metal Heroes, btw.

[@PauloJrchannel]

Also, the Space Sheriff Series isn't really the only one to note, since there is also the Rescue Police Series (Winspector, Solbrain, and Exceedraft), and the B-Fighter Series (Juukou B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto).

[@WatTheWut]

Toku? Never heard of her

[@crimson_sky]

I would also recommend Kamen Rider W. The parels to neo noir is very clear, which will be familiar to Americans especially

[@_Claus_]

Great video, but I'm surprised you didn't mention Gaim, considering it was written by Gen Urobuchi.

[@n.s4122]

I don't think you need to watch power rangers after watching Tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider.

[@criticalspectrum8383]

Diaranger 😏 I can't wait for that video

[@233j]

how to get into toku step 1. watch godzilla step 2. watch other stuff like pacific rim or gamera now you're a kaiju fan step 3. watch ultraman you're watching it for kaijus but its introducing you to sentai

[@thatspecialguy3291]

Which episode of Lupinranger that has the fart monster? I want to see THE FART MONSTER

[@Aceshot-uu7yx]

So hold on a minute, a catholic was one of the creators of ultraman? What a strange world Japan is.

[@priscilam.9808]

Im sorry for being picky but I speak Japanese. Tokusatsu is short for the words Tokushu Satsuei. Toku doesn't mean what westerns think it means. So for short it IS tokusatsu.

[@weirdofromhalo]

While it's awesome you showed Thunderbolt Fantasy, it's not toku satsu. It's Taiwanese puppetry, and if you like it, you should watch more from Pili!

[@cardinalhamneggs5253]

Ultraman Geed is on Crunchyroll?

[@mrbowserm5071]

Lol the moment I saw some legend hero clips I started to appreciate more high budget suit and mech designs wayyy more, not to call legend hero bad or anything

[@liesureleeminis8268]

Do you know where I can find the English dubs of any of the Kamen rider shows?

[@murozaki3547]

My guide: Watch Kiramager because it has Juuru in it. That's it, afterwards watch i dunno, whatever youu want man.

[@MrRobot-0]

Juru is ok, but i dont like the "the red one is special because i said so" trope usef on him.

[@egz3637]

Kiramager entire cast is good.

[@Emerardo]

Yo Craftsdwarf I was just wondering if you know what happened to the Bulli Sentai Assholeger podcast or whatever. The reason im wondering is I wanted to watch that one episode that featured Mumkey Jones but all the videos are deleted now

[@metaj9278]

Nice video

[@theiceking1035]

Based

[@lenieldelatorre480]

wait Tokusatsu's available on CrunchyRoll?

[@user-mf8oy4xd8i]

They removed most of the Ultraman shows though

[@kibichukai]

I liked the Ginyu Force

[@refaelsason9148]

Where is the toku randomizer?

[@ktt3171]

Anyways Stan Power rangers jungle fury 💅

[@thetruewisegamer]

if i may recommend a youtube channel des shinta someone who reviews many tokusatsu and is really damn knowledgable of the genre in general help me get into it if anything. though what sort of hellscape does one want to show off toqger rather than........anyother series. sorry i really despise toqger. i mean there a reason why there a nickname for the main character who suck just suck sorry. honesty watch megaranger or time ranger......or jetman again it was decent

[@hopper4729]

Garo pronounced GAH-ROW

[@any13th]

For me, gettin into Toku seems tough because the genre just seems so child-ish/-focused, and it seems like I'd find it hard to take it seriously/getting really into it. That said, I also don't want something really dark and serious, like a madoka magica of toku. I'm not that into the special effects(although the surreal ones look cool)/mechs/kaijus which makes me believe that I'm incompatible with the genre. I also am not much of a fan of mecha anime/very much prefer on foot combat, so I imagine that'd extend to Toku. Episodic shows are also really hard to get right for me, as I really have to like the basic rhythm. JJBA3 kept me engaged with the interesting fights, Natsume with the emotional stories, Detective Conan for the mysteries and Nichijou with the comedy. (I know Part 3 isn't actually episodic, but it's p close.) On the other side is stuff like Aria, Kino no Tabi, SKET Dance, and Stand Alone Complex, shows I couldn't get into a rhythm with or find a reason to stay engaged. Basically, I'm just not sure I'll be engaged from episode to episode by virtue of Toku being Toku, and I'd definitely prefer a show with some sort of ultimate goal than a vague notion of "protect everyone". My only experience is watching a few random episodes of Power Rangers as a kid, which is a feat I could never do nowadays. That said, I'm not as opposed to watching live action stuff as I used to be, since I've recently watched a handful of K-dramas and was surprised by how good they were. I hope I'm just being all sorts of presumptuous here about the genre, and I'd be very down to be proven wrong, but for now, none of the shows in the video stood out to me. (Maybe one will on a later rewatch) At the very least, I'm glad to have learned about the impact Toku has had on anime/manga.

[@qualityexs6295]

If you want something a tinge darker, try Kamen Rider Ryuki as it inspired Madoka's creator, and then try Kamen Rider Gaim as it was made by the guy who created Madoka, so there's like 3 levels of inspiration that are kinda satisfying to realize. Although neither of the two shows are as dark or brutal as Madoka, which is good.

[@FilthyGrandma]

Check out Kamen Rider Kabuto or Kamen Rider Gaim. For Super Sentai, Dairanger or Jetman. You could try watching Power Rangers in Space, or Power Rangers wild force. For Ultramen, try Ultraseven. This is based your comment earlier. Or just watch the show with the coolest suits.

[@any13th]

Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll look into em ^_^

[@hunterking4228]

Hmm

[@mcspctr7726]

Too bad no one said a word about Kaiju-Eiga or the old tokusatsu war movies.

[@christinawalker101]

power rangers are the goat

[@ph0to.]

"Guh-roh" ..... That pronunciation pained me

[@Esirre]

I have a weird memory around 2007 of stumbling upon a power rangers episode with a creepy atmosphere. They go to some kind of dimension where everything is in black and white and they are getting beaten really badly. Now I'm super curious as to how its handled in the original Japanese version, (given they are fighting in their suits in this B&W world I'm guessing this is from the original Super Sentai) anyone know which Super Sentai I'd be talking about? Given the time period I kind of think it was in 'Mystic Force'

[@briancarles7284]

In my experience Metal Heroes is talked about as much as Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, but then again I am amongst the generation that grew up with Beetle Borgs and VR Troopers alongside the original Power Rangers...

[@vergelml4805]

No subtitles bruh

[@kylereece5511]

>Compares Hajime No Ippo to Ultraseven >Doesn’t mention that Big O’s OP is a blatant shout-out/parody of Ultraseven’s

[@clairvauxbrnrd]

He wasn’t meaning to say Hajime no Ippo is similar to Ultraseven it’s that Hajime no Ippo has an Ultraseven reference in it.

[@therealsirdj5934]

man: Why is every website you mentioned geo blocked for me... Even the oficial TOI Taku channel is geo blocking pretty much everything over here... what a shame... Guess I gotta stay with the Power Rangers

[@zuffin1864]

sometimes i hear you talk but cant fuckin tell when a word ends or starts, idk wut it is

[@Solavation]

Wow youre super sleeping on kamen rider, cant believe youd make a toku video and be like ive only watched build. Please please watch Gaim. Its a complete subversion of expectations on the toku genre and director is highly regarded

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

If I could offer some constructive criticism, I think you throw out too many examples/make comparisons without properly laying the ground work for what you mean. I'm trying to keep track of a lot of new information in a 24 minutes span of time and a lot of your examples are not properly explained I feel. I.E. when you reference the conductor, I have to intuitively figure out that within the shows narrative the puppet IS an actual puppet, cause with a genre like toku, literally everything is crazy and outlandish edit: what i mean is that you say he needs both his hands so he removes his assist, with 0 context i have NO idea what that means. I can figure out what you mean from context clues and the visual aid of the clips you're showing, but when i'm already trying to figure what series i might want to check out, the pros and cons of them, there names, and what your opinions are of them all over the course of 24 minutes. having to figure out what exactly you mean when you're using examples is just more shit to the cluster of information i'm trying to keep track of. Or when you reference Kabuki acting, I know what that is because I'm a filthy weeb, but I'm certain if I didn't that comparison would mean nothing cause comparing one thing I'm not aware of to another thing I don't know, doesn't help me properly understand what the toku is like. It's like if you were explaining rocket science to layman by saying "oh it's like thermodynamics but more involved" I'm familiar with a decent amount of toku series and influences, and this was hard for me to keep up with (granted I'm ADHD AF so maybe this is a me problem) but I can't imagine trying to keep up with all this info with 0 knowledge of any of this.

[@Chen-vw5nc]

I am not so much a tokufan but more of a kamen rider fan so one series that I can recommend that has AMAZING story is Kamen rider Gaim and guess who is the main writer, fkn Gen Urobuchi. I believe the main themes that I always notice in every kamen rider series is self sacrifice and I believe kamen rider gaim explores that theme the most and the best.

[@brevin630]

Can I just say that that pronunciation of Garo hurt me. Gah-row. Not Gahro

[@digimonrockers6732]

Talks about good stories then puts Kiramager That's a big oof

[@RegalPixelKing]

Toku has always seemed a bit too cheesy to me. It looks a like anime but live-action and the problem with that is that if your characters are animated it's okay if they act super eccentric with how they speak their line and with their grand gestures. That translates to something that is just ridiculous looking in live-action.

[@MrSecretSentai]

I feel you I love comedy but a lot of the comedic characters are just super annoying most of the time

[@Skyfighter64]

I have a slight counter proposal for your "how to get into Toku," which is a little easier imho than trying to set up a PRNG, then hunt down your selection. At least in the USA, there's a "television" streaming service free of charge, called "Pluto." You can even get this service through a browser on your computer. Set your channel to TokuSHOUTsu (A SHOUT! Factory sub-channel), and let it play in the background while you do something else. A second screen while you play a computer game is an easy choice I like to use. They move through multiple different Toku series, from Ultra Q, through most of the old Sentai series (at least through Hurricanger), and even modern Ultraman series. You don't have to pay attention to it directly, but when it catches your eye, and it probably will, it will help you figure out what you want to look for in Toku. For me, the series that really got me into watching un-adapted Japanese toku, instead of say, Power Rangers, was "Kamen Rider Kuuga." from there, I found I liked watching Sentai episodes, heck, where I NEVER was interested in the X-files, I really got hooked by Ultra Q.

[@mdo7]

How do we get people that watch K-dramas like people that watch Squid Games to crossover to tokusatsu? I mean I've been in both tokusatsu and K-drama fandom, and I noticed that both of these fandom don't crossover to one another. Several K-dramas have started to employed toku-like special effect like for example Sweet Home, The Uncanny Counter, School Nurse Files, and Kingdom (all of these shows I mentioned can be watched on Netflix) do border-lined to tokusatsu territory, and yet many K-dramas fans that watch them won't crossover to toku shows like Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, etc... At the same time, wuxia shows do have the same appeal as tokusatsu shows, so those fans can crossover to toku. But I find that hard to believe that K-dramas fans won't crossover to tokusatsu shows. I don't know why, and it baffles me.

[@Skyfighter64]

@@mdo7 If I had to venture a guess, it's because of a certain level of stigma attached to Power Rangers, and anything that looks like Power Rangers, kind of how EVERYTHING that even remotely looked like Pokemon, even if you had to squint really hard and turn your head just right to see the resemblance, immediately got called a rip-off of Pokemon (talking about Digimon). Bright, colorful spandex costumes marks these programs as being "kiddy shows," with a complete lack of regard to the quality of the show itself. K-Drama doesn't have that stigma. Since the first big exposure to K-drama for most of my co-workers was "Squid Games," All other K-dramas are going to be viewed from that perspective, and as a result be automatically deemed more mature than "Power Rangers," or anything resembling Power Rangers. But that's just a guess on my part.

[@mdo7]

@@Skyfighter64 I'm not sure if you're an anime fan, but did you know several anime were adapted into K-dramas, and Taiwanese dramas? Did you ever watch Boys over Flowers, or Playful Kiss (the latter was based on Itazura Na Kiss). Did you ever watch Liar Game, a 2014 K-drama based on the manga? Beside Squid Game, did you ever watch any other K-dramas??

[@Skyfighter64]

@@mdo7 I myself never did get into Squid Games (I dropped Netflix a long time ago), I do enjoy Anime (mostly Shonen, tbh, goes right with the Toku I do enjoy watching) Honestly, I just don't find myself wanting to watch television at all lately. If I do, 90% of the time it's either Jeopardy or other old gameshows (usually on Buzzr).

[@mdo7]

@@Skyfighter64 Have you never watch any other foreign content beside Japanese? Don't you ever watched any Korean or Chinese stuff???