weird & kinda scary tokusatsu girls

[@NoGoodNik1]

As someone who works in the archive world, i am endlessly ingratiated to how much hard (hehe) work is done to preserve media just because someone had a very niche fetish

[@willowsnsakura]

I've said for YEARS that if you want to track technology, you gotta track porn. Those rocks ***will*** be got off by any and all means available XD

[@drpibisback7680]

​@@willowsnsakuraNot only that, but the means they use to get those rocks off _will_ be the means used for everything else. VHS versus Betamax wasn't entirely about the porn, but it's telling that the side the porn industry landed on was the successful home video format.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

@@willowsnsakura I've always thought the same thing. You can trace the evolution of handheld cameras across the careers of long lasting pornstars.

[@kingcrimsonwashere8736]

I remember hearing about how major leaps in the world of 3D animation was achieved because someone wanted to make Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite porn.

[@anthonylucero6650]

You’re a mook😒

[@FrecklesOpenMic]

When we got to the "how did i not find this earlier" i groaned. All Internet search is so fucking broken now that the only way to find anything more obscure than Pokemon is to dig into Twitter follow lists until you fall upon the stuff you're looking for. It breaks my heart - we have the library of everything but the halls connecting the wings are floating on a bed of lava that will ultimately eat them and we will lose (and do lose) so much information and media, even when it still exists.

[@BobbinRobbin777]

That, or you have to go the hellsite that is Reddit to hear answers made by _actual human beings_ than some AI slop generator. (Also, why the hell would you use Twitter to find information? Hasn’t Elon and his gaggle of clowns made that endeavor hard enough?)

[@projectmessiah]

New Hazel uploads are like actual highlights of the year.

[@yur1831]

Frfr

[@sakarain]

Plus this one is a whole hour long

[@heart4brainzz]

big agree

[@literally-me-fr]

Can't wait for the Scott Pilgrim video

[@hellspawn32x66]

Based Lain fan, I hope you have a blessed day

[@c_y_n_i_c]

i love falling asleep to sentences like "the man who brought you such titles as Crab Goal Keeper, Executive Koala, Naked Female President Manyuki, and Nipple Drill Counterattack...". hazel is indeed a great script writer. 🖤

[@yeehaw5889]

Crab Goalkeeper is unironically a great movie if you can find it

[@nicklambert4781]

Your drops are like defunctland for weebs.

[@Jayfive276]

One part defunctland, one part Kenny Lauderdale, one part Sarah Z.

[@Dr.PicklePh.D.]

YEAH. And that's a high compliment to them both.

[@AC-gm6dr]

except she a better person than he is lol

[@natty1115]

REAL

[@soup5309]

​@@AC-gm6drGirl you cant just say that and NOT elaborate

[@solarisengineering15]

5:58 "I like girls. It's fun to watch girls to pretty much anything, so it's what I'm talking about." - Hazel These videos are always worth the wait.

[@pisscvre69]

i love girls and watching hazel talk about girls doing things cuz she gets it

[@shadowwwwwwwwwww]

that closing out of the opera browser before your parents walk in joke was like hearing fireworks and remembering the war for me.

[@TomWonderful]

Even in my 30's, the alt+tab reflex is still etched into the muscles of my left hand.

[@ViridianCrisis7]

I had the opera browser thing happen with both the wii and my DSi and that line immediately thrust me back 13 years

[@CarelessFoolFallsFlat]

That monologue at the beginning about consuming media that does a poor job of hiding how artificial it is reminds me of how I do that, but with things that are actually good. I have a tendency to get distracted and admire the craftmanship of what I'm enjoying and such. Anyway, that newscaster girl *is* cute and deserves her own series. Common hazel W.

[@chris-the-human]

The idea of a band made up of robot girls kicks so much ass It's a joy to know they exist

[@lynnwalker377]

It reminds me a lot of like, TWRP and Halyx, y'know?

[@chris-the-human]

@@lynnwalker377 I hadn't heard of them twrp looks like a power rangers esque group of crime fighters, and halyx looks like a bunch of characters from a space opera Very good aesthetics!

[@Alchemistmerlin]

Reminds me of Cybertronic Spree the transformers themed band

[@anthonyslaptheknee9344]

41:32 I love how since these films are basically indie projects, you see them having to cut corners in fun and weird ways. I love how when they need a variety of things that can represent technology, they most likely went around asking for anything they got. Like someone may have found an old bit a circuitry, someone had a clock, of course a keyboard, and my personal favourite, most likely someone who was really into fighting games a fight stick, so you could tell this guy was hardcore wanting arcade feeling controls for his fighting games. Knowing this team it was probably some weird anime fighter that you could barely pronounce the name of.

[@markmagronejr.4882]

Honestly Hazel could make a video essay about the most niche and foreign to my tastes topic and I’d watch it day one. Best KZbinr imo

[@SoloDust]

that’s almost all her videos for me 😭 ❤️ ive no clue whats going on but i love it all

[@David-uc4hc]

Honestly Hazel could make a video about why they find paint drying delightful, and I'd be here for it

[@Atem4780]

Hazel and Sakura Stardust really do well to maker the most bizarre, niche, topics entertaining

[@willowsnsakura]

I know there's something to be said for the camera work, but all of those outfits are ***legitimately*** friggin' gorgeous. Not even just design-wise--the construction is absurd. Like....like making armor have organic curves and fit well is hard, making the undersuits not look terribly awkward is hard, having helmets with accessories that stay on in the right orientation is hard, getting completely smooth edges or totally even paint jobs is extremely hard... But then doing all of that in a way that it'll stand up to rolling around in dirt, mud, sweat, fog, explosions, AND WATER???? That's such an unbelievably subtle flex that I wouldn't be surprised if most of the budget went to building them, especially 'cause they'd need extras on hand in case something happened to a part of the suit. They *deserve* the niche kink corner for how incredibly they were put together.

[@brownout100]

Easily one of the best episodes of any anime EVER is the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya which is entirely their high school production of the main casts' Tokusatsu short film. The one thing that somehow makes it better yet is that in the original - and utterly insane - airing order, it was the very first episode, in which you had zero context for the characters or what was happening or why they were flubbing their lines in a cartoon with a VHS filter for the whole deal.

[@brownout100]

whoa, lynch's comic as segue is a deep cut

[@SnakebitSTI]

IMO, it's a mildly amusing episode if you're aware of the context, and a waste of 20-some minutes if you aren't. I guess on rewatch it's better than the baseball episode at least?

[@tahunuva4254]

​​@@SnakebitSTIAnd it's absolutely rage-inducing as the finale, and the "payoff" for the endless 8

[@Bighomie39]

​@SnakebitSTI as someone who wasn't there for Haruhi and never saw it, everything I've heard about it makes it endlessly more confusing why Haruhism happened

[@JBOboe720]

Akibaranger literally has a joke episode about the gynoid obsession, where AkibaRed is unable to fight one because he, quote, "totally has a fetish for super-smooth shiny robotic girls"

[@RadikaRules]

Cue the "You're a man of culture" image

[@shirleymaemattthews4862]

​@@RadikaRulesHOW IS HE A MAN OF CULTURE FOR HAVING A FETISH? If ut was INFLATION, y'all be saying NOTHING.

[@FaelumbreProject]

36:00 the combination of the music and "fruit ninja in real life??" as the lady just fucks up the shot COMPLETELY broke me in a way I can't explain

[@deltaflowers5365]

Honestly I couldn't help but be touched by the fact eiyuclub was even a thing! Like, its clear there was a super niche scene for this kinda stuff and I just love the insistence on doing something you think is cool and forming a community around it, fully knowing you will never make any profit from the process. Artistic passion is just the best, especially for shit that like 4 people on the planet enjoy.

[@drpibisback7680]

That last sentence really struck me - how many people outside eiyuclub were even watching these movies? Were the members of the club themselves the primary audience? Were they making these movies for the underrepresented gynoid fanatics or were they themselves essentially the fan community for this kind of movie?

[@Grey-i2o]

@@drpibisback7680the crazy thing is that I genuinely don’t think so, it may have started as just a small fetish community that they did for meetups. But looking at their channel, the uploads have upwards of 20k views for every video. There’s an audience for this stuff, niche of course but it baffles me that this stuff is even that well known.

[@SpellboundWolf]

That's how a lot of communities started out. :) Furries began with just hotel room parties at geeky cons & now they get their own conventions. Tumblr has EVERYTHING too. The internet is beautiful because it brings us together.

[@sanity000-x2r]

Hazel and Toku?????? Now this is the greatest crossover in the history of all media.

[@yun3685]

I KNOW I got so excited seeing this in my sub box

[@sommeone]

It's definitely up there with TAIMAN

[@justcasris6991]

this video literally re-instilled my will to live, like i'm not even joking... this video showed me that there's so much more weird shit out there for me to find and that i probably haven't even scratched the surface of the iceberg of what media there is out there, there's still new things to discover and there's still the artistic passion projects of countless an artist to engage with

[@Rodney17302]

"Why couldn't they wait for the plane to pass..." Are you kidding? That plane just put millions of dollars of production value into the film! KEEP IT!

[@momocommander9531]

I really think the Eiyu club girls are cute to me because they're not really trying to make them look too humanoid. They're just artificial enough that they can't really fall into the uncanny valley for me. Suzuka straight up looks like that Creamy Mami robot dojin version Pony Metal Ugaim. I can't be the only one that sees her there. Maybe I just don't think it's weird because I already like some kigurumi photographs. Also the pure passion that bled into these projects is beautiful. I think there's something fantastic about movies made by people that watched a ton of media but probably haven't gone to film school or thought seriously about tailoring their works to a mass market. It's admirable in a way that feels more genuine and seems like a true passion for film-making that is easy to lose down in the trenches making films.

[@theguywholiksanime3697]

WAKE UP (NON EXISTENT, IMAGINED) BABE! Hazel uploaded another incredibily studied niche nerd subject that gripped her brain today!

[@quantumblur_3145]

May you find your awesome anime babe someday

[@dracenines]

god i haven't broken out grinning like I did at the reveal of the robot band in a while. absolutely incredible. the world is truly beautiful sometimes

[@kellyengle8307]

Jumped out of my chair hooting and hollering when Hazel took a trip to Scarecrow for research material. Hands down one of the best places for researching and watching any kind of foreign thing put to film, I've been a supporter there for years and it's one of the best institutions in the pnw

[@chameleonhrt]

The fact that this is an obscure niche of an obscure niche that I only have a passing knowledge about did not dissuade me from sitting here for around an hour to stop what I was doing and just watch. Hazel is so good at talking about things on the utter fringes of geek culture and somehow making it feel like it's either something you should have deep nostalgia for, or crave to immediately go searching for. Case in point, I only know about Tokusatsu due to growing up during the Power Rangers boom and watching pretty much everything else that got localized during that time. Yet I already want to go searching for these shows just to marvel at the utter cheeziness (and possibly creepiness) of them.

[@voidaspects9173]

I love your videos because like... 90% of the time, i genuinely go into them knowing literally nothing about the topics. Like even the basics. And the way you explain it always, without fail, does an amazing job of making me invested and feel like there's a whole new world of stuff to experience. I cannot stress enough how invested i get in this stuff. It always makes me feel like my new favourite piece of media is something I've never even remotely heard of that's still waiting to be found.

[@NICKtendoReviews]

My favorite part about this video is the crappy quality of the Malcolm in the middle clip on screen for a few seconds, chosen to to fit the aesthetic of the rest of the video. ❤

[@JeanRodo]

Or to avoid a copyright strike

[@SerAbiotico]

I made general TIMESTAMPS for anyone interested in future, deeper investigations of the titles mentioned, or simply for a sectioned navigation of the video: 00:00 Introduction to amateur/low budget filming 03:58 About early tokusatsu girls home videos 06:02 "All about mighty lady" 10:14 "Earth defense force girl iko-chan" 11:32 "Miracle Bunny" (named) 11:54 "Star Virgin" 16:11 V-Cinema 17:51 "Big boobs buster" 18:47 " _Monster Commando_ " trilogy 20:19 "Space hunter miki" 20:50 "Cosplay Warrior Cutie Knight" 21:32 ScarecrowVideo (rental shop) 24:25 "Akiballion" 25:50 Revelation! Commentary about the Visuals of the films presented 26:59 "Kamen Rider" 30:02 "Cyber sentai justy one" 30:54 "Love warrior pantheon 2000" 32:50 "Yukihime" 34:50 "Koakuma: My sweet devil part2" 37:51 Revelation! (again?): Gynoids 39:52 "Cyber Lady Suzuka" 42:28 "Red Lilac" 45:32 "Evaroid Seria" 47:43 "Ausencia Memoria" 49:26 "Battle Holographic Wind" 50:25 Ending thoughts 53:59 Almost ending 57:38 "Gko-chan" (a bit of "Robot 8-chan") 58:43 Kinda closing 59:32 "Supportroid Yurika" 1:00:32 "Ayako Robo" 1:00:55 "Taiman" 1:02:57 NyoRobotics 1:07:47 Finally... the end?

[@athy8763]

as soon as you started talking about how friends of yours have been put off by the blank expressions and lifeless eyes, and then described how you like vocaloid, i knew that you understood the appeal of hatsune miku in the same exact way i do. subscribed instantly.

[@chilledoutcat1571]

By the time I'm writing this I'm about half way in and really gelling with this whole video. Love gals in goofy outfits and acting in bizarre and/or fascinating movies. Love the focus on media with less polish that allows you to gleam what was happening behind the scenes in a humbling and charming light and appreciating their efforts regardless on how "good" said media was. It's fantastic. Also the sorta whispered bit about your views on people talking about girl smell was hilarious and made me do a double take lmao. Also gosh yeah some of these do look a bit wack with their joyless voyeurism but I do love most of these costumes though. They're very fun. robot gals having winged eyeliner may be silly but I love it.

[@josepholiveira2873]

Among the many other virtues of this video, it feels like a master-class in finding the exact line where the Uncanny Valley becomes too much. "The smaller eyes are generally less creepy... Except for one of the girls in the band! Her big eyes work because her face isn't humanoid." Fascinating stuff.

[@joaomarques4030]

As someone who found you through a deep dive into spotify reccomendations starting on a japanese punk duo, and a year and a half after found you on a list of youtubers, nothing makes me happier than to see a video deep diving into really niche media tou got into, great stuff :)

[@pumpkinsoup-e9k]

i love all of these designs so much oh my god i wanna learn to draw just to see more of them

[@pumpkinsoup-e9k]

i just got to the nyorobotics part and i imagine this must be what humanity felt when prometheus gifted them fire

[@quantumblur_3145]

Carry on, stalwart soldier

[@werewolfwebsite]

the passion put into projects like this is just so heartwarming to me. being reminded of the intrinsic human instinct to create art and be a part of art and collaboration to tell stories that mean something to someone, even if that someone is just one person, means a lot to me. personal films like these mean so much more to me than huge blockbusters that are sanded down to appeal to as many people as possible, because there isn't the finger pointing directly at one person that says "I know you love this, I love it to, so I am making it". even if you aren't the target audience (which by definition most people aren't), the extremely direct passion and passive communication between artist and audience is palpable, and you can learn a lot about the people making the art as well, because they are much more individual than whoever is directing the latest marvel movie.

[@robertoferri9092]

this channel has slowly become my favourite on this platform, the sheer amount of knowledge that you amass and hoard is like a dragon with its treasure and I always feel like a puny little lizard trying to sneak away with a little jewel, amazing stuff, from the editing to the script, this really speaks to me on so many levels, not for the content itself, but for the passion that you put behind it, I dream of one day actually being confident enough in my writing to make edit some videos about niche or obsucre topics to infodump on online peeps, keep up the amazing work

[@babyfacenavigator]

you always get me obsessed with things i didn't even know i could be obsessed with

[@Milaminyan]

I guess the fact that people enjoy movies like these is very telling of why AI cannot make art. Amateur or professional, the human element is the most important part of all media. AI bros can spend their days arguing that AI will take all creative and entertainment jobs over, but in the end we're here to communicate and to connect with each other, not to reach algorithmic peak of engagement.

[@UENShanix]

hey i need you to know that entire segment on nyorobotics actually broke me and twisted something in my brain. i cannot believe they exist. i cannot believe the dedication they put into their work. i will forever be humbled by them. holy shit.

[@Arzamol5]

If you want the closest american equivalent, look into Steam Powered Giraffe. They use makeup and pantomime to pull off a goofy robotic vibe while singing their songs in-character.

[@quantumblur_3145]

_DON'T FALL FOR IT, STEAM POWER GIRAFFE IS THEATER KID GARBAGE, BUT IT'S ALL THE STEAMPUNK COMMUNITY HAS SO THEY OVERHYPE IT_

[@LesMisLover15]

Hazel not only are your videos aesthetically incredible and extraordinarily well researched, you’re the FUNNIEST person on youtube

[@LesMisLover15]

LIKE THANK GOODNESS FOR QUEER NERDS

[@LazKoal]

I just wanted to say you’re one of my favorite KZbinrs and your videos have brought me joy in dark times. Thanks!

[@HoneyDoll894]

Its nice to see other people who kinda like the uncanny valley, like I often hear people saying how weird some things look, and like I go like "no its cute actually"

[@juliasz.1017]

Another banger hazel! Seeing those deadstare robot girl masks has definitely awoken something in me. Learning about stuff I'd never EVER come across even in my wildest dreams is such RUSH! Partially because half of the names u rattled on just fly over my head , but oh well, more mysterious puzzles with answers I will just randomly stumble upon one day :3

[@gnaat]

I want nothing more in this world than for the robot girl band to succeed and flourish

[@maserpatrol8716]

Awesome stuff! As a long-time cheerleader for Star Virgin and All About Mighty Lady, I'm glad to see someone bringing attention to them. For some other titles that may be of interest (for anyone looking further), I'd recommend Sailor Fight, Koichi Ohata's V Monster: Mega Ladies, Shinji Nishikawa's Sexy Rangers, and Yuichi Fukuda's Joshi-Zu. There was also a whole TV movement around the turn of the century with midnight heroine shows like Rosetta, Vanny Knights, and Wecker.

[@mattfrank85]

I keep coming back to this video, because I think Hazel does a wonderful job putting words to something that tokusatsu fans have been struggling with for literal decades: the inherent "humanity" in handmade live-action low-budget filmmaking. I really appreciate how younger generations (yes I'm just old enough to use that term) are embracing the fact that there doesn't have to be a uniform quality or style or standard when it comes to enjoyment of a medium, nevermind enjoyment of life itself. Considering how badly every single major studio in Hollywood desperately wants to just make entire movies and tv shows that all look exactly the same and made entirely by algorithms and computers and underpaid effects artists, embracing the sheer brazen self-indulgent chest-out nature of tokusatsu is more important than ever in my opinion.

[@noahpauley]

Your deep dives into different worlds of beautiful and niche media is so fucking inspiring. It makes me want to learn every little aspect about things I love and go down every rabbit hole to broaden my understanding of the world.

[@deejus_e]

Hazel is the only channel on KZbin where I can get jumpscared by a god damn Brian Eno reference. That shit made my day he’s a super underrated producer

[@15cola]

this entire video concept is like catnip to me, even though i’m something of a beginner toku fan & haven’t heard of much of any of this. i love obscure untranslated media and am always so glad to see other people feel the same way about it! also i was super interested to hear about scarecrow, i live in tacoma now and even though it’s a bit of a drive to get to seattle, i think something like that is definitely worth a day trip

[@a52productions]

I had never seen any of these before and I'm obsessed with them now. The mix of slightly creepy and very cute draws my brain towards them over and over. I love them so much

[@meimoose]

Lacunosa Town is my favorite Pokemon song, I got way too happy to hear it come up!

[@etenby699]

8:27 "Boom! A girl starts crucifying a Garfield plush!" Nothing has prepared me for this sentence.

[@spaceycarchasey6656]

so im watching this at work (i work in one little shack, all alone except for when campers come by) and going from an earnest discussion about star-virgin to interacting with an amish family gave me such a weird moment of whiplash, lol. love the content, as always!

[@rebelliouscottoncandy]

I’m so glad Drawfee talked about your videos. I adore the niche subjects you get into and I should definitely check some out. Thank you for bringing these gems to light!

[@neuroatypicalkirby2]

drawfee did??? omg when

[@HistoryTwistedInc]

I don't know how many other creators are using the CRT aesthetic to blend in the commentary but as someone who's wanted to see it for a while, it's nice to see it be put to good use here.

[@rejamrejam]

Only one I can think of is brutalmoose!

[@DestinyTrioInc]

I love the aesthetic of the shots of you played on the CRT. It's a really.... YOU aesthetic

[@GELTONZ]

I am SO GLAD you made this! I stumbled across a couple random DVD listings for this stuff online and was always curious...to say nothing of the fact that for a hot minute KZbin kept recommending me random Japanese videos of a girl in bikini armor hopping around in a river (kinda need to find those again). So finding out more about this genre is great and I absolutely need to see Mighty Lady. The one thing I always wonder about though is the girls themselves. As you said, it's uncomfortable when it gets too sleazy but I legitimately wonder how much of this is girls doing it for a buck (yen?) or if there are girls out there who just really love dressing up in spandex and robot heads. Based on the existence of that band at the end...I'm starting to think there are and thus they are the coolest girls ever. Also I think I really like the blank eyes on the masks. It works for the robot look and it's MUCH better than painted on anime eyes. Oh but one interesting thing: I recently got a Laserdisc player and grabbed the first disc of the anime Hyper Doll and on the reverse side is a fully subbed in English low budget live action version of Hyper Doll! This extra is not on the VHS or DVD release of the anime. I should probably rip it and post it to KZbin shouldn't I? ...and now I'm wondering if these have a videogame parallel because I'm now thinking of the Japanese PS1 fighting game Twin Goddesses...hmm...

[@GELTONZ]

FOUND IT! It was Narumi Okawa's channel and her series was Fighter of the Sun Leona. Seems she's a Gravure Model who decided to have a superheroine in peril series or something. Most of the videos seem to be her tied up and struggling for an extended period of time. Still, at least she seems to be into it. Meanwhile on the official Mighty Lady channel, we have villains using Virtual On Twinsticks to control their giant monsters. You're right, it IS interesting seeing this medium alive and well.

[@Hallogenex]

Hazel, Jenny Nicholson, and other video essay creators are what fuel my drive to live

[@triplehearts914]

Hazel and Jenny are my two favorite video essay creators! :D

[@Two-ToneMoonStone]

I don't think I anticipate a creative dropping something as much as I anticipate Jenny talking about literally fucking anything. The only essayist I can get my friends to watch.

[@wpbn5613]

ThorHighheels has a similar vibe too imo

[@Zofuture]

Hazels videos mean so much to me, I've grown such an appreciation for niche media because of this channel

[@finn4786]

Absolutely love the fact you are putting in the work to make "Shooting the Rodeo" actual verbiage for cinematic review. Excellent video as always!!

[@fishwiki_]

your videos are so comforting & informative. i love learning about the history of film & anime subcultures sm & you format ur videos so well ^^

[@moshikito4717]

Out of morbid curiosity I found and started to watch "Big Boobs Buster" and it is absolutely insane. Within two minutes the protag gets turned down by her crush, and then out of no where (most likely due to me not knowing Japanese) it cuts to a man going straight on to a nipple for like a second, not once but twice it cuts to this. Just after eight minutes it is the aforementioned "spongebob pushing though metal, but with boobs" scene, complete with comically large protruding nipples. I have never laughed so hard, not even 10 minutes in and its amazing

[@ampersandra-tj]

so excited to watch this as a fan of weird & kinda scary girls AND tokusatsu.... everything id ever want hazel to talk about

[@Aratovi]

Watching hazel on a monitor talk to hazel filming the monitor is a weird feeling

[@kellyrowe4075]

F-ing amazing Hazel thanks for this I love the opportunity these videos give me to dive down new rabbit holes. This one especially makes me wish I was better at kanji I feel like this one would lead to insane things if you could fully understand Japanese.

[@frost8077]

I loved this video more than I thought I would. I never got into tokusatsu but it reminds me of a local anime and comic book store in the 2000s as they played some obscure movies on their TVs. The art for Megaman Zero is still one of my favorite game art styles. Malcolm in the Middle really is an American gem.

[@ACameronUK]

Everyone sit quietly in a circle, Hazel is talking ☺️

[@KitCabaret]

This video made me think back to Haruhi Suzumiya Episode Zero - the memory of that episode had buried itself in my subconscious because I always got the feeling it was parodying something but couldn't quite grasp what.. now over a decade later it all makes sense

[@sheridanlefanu.]

Hazel dropping a video is a call to drop everything and watch.

[@frecceyboi9134]

hazel I gotta confess your channel is the entire reason I’m going to school to become an archivist

[@ROAD-HORROR]

man... always always a treat to have a new hazel video AND its about tokusatsu!? i fuckin love you hazel for being into the best niche things! Plus, it's nice for once to hear someone that can appreciate low budget productions AND think all of their masks (lifeless eyes and all) are endearing and cute. This was an absolute treat of a video, thank you so much. Really helped boost my spirits and give me a comfy day.

[@gargledmesh8374]

This is a really good video and I love to see creative people bring interesting approaches to showcasing weird and non obvious media like this. Made me a fan of your channel.

[@anthonyprapp]

"I NEED TO CLOSE THE OPERA BROWSER" just activated some deep memory in me like a sleeper agent

[@ibbandflow]

"it's fun to watch girls do pretty much anything" thank u to hazel for being so real

[@hollyjh3147]

This is such an excellent video. I’m obsessed with the tokusatsu cover group, I love the sculpts so much, I wonder how many are custom! I remember learning about the tokusatsu genre when I was a kid looking up Phantasy Star Portable robot girls like 12 years ago. I loved their designs so much that I wanted to draw them. I’m sure I thought at the time it was just meant to be a cosplay of their Phantasy Star OC’s lol. I had limited understanding of Japanese back then though so I figured tokusatsu was just a trendy word for robot girl. Live and learn.

[@uraalice]

Hazel mentioning the Sleepaway Camp sequels brought the biggest grin to my face, I love those two movies so much!

[@wormwoodroadshow]

I found out about Mighty Lady via a thread on /m/ some while ago and I like the faceplate design for the same reason I like the "Easter Island Head" look of the original Transformers cartoon. It's abstract enough to look alien and "mythic" (for lack of a better term), but still humanoid enough not to be alienating.

[@thegeekclub8810]

This video is honestly so inspiring. Like, seeing that there are people who can not only look past amateurish filmmaking but actually love it *because* of those eccentricities makes me want to make my own stuff. Because now I know that if I put my heart into it-even if it sucks-one day, someone may stumble across it and appreciate it.

[@trendy_gwendy]

Fun Fact: I’m married to all of these Toku girls

[@daedalus6796]

Where do you even have room for them?

[@yami_yomiel]

Tokurizzsu

[@virgilepiaux150]

RyusoulGold is that you

[@quantumblur_3145]

Do they all smoke weed

[@trendy_gwendy]

@@quantumblur_3145 you know it

[@Rakhamon]

Great video! So one of the reasons they historically did full masks for toku actors was the very utilitarian reason of obscuring that the suit actor was not the same person as the regular actor. Pretty natural. This of course extended to female characters but due to a number of cultural factors which have loosened up significantly during the 90s onwards, it was fairly common for female characters to be played by male suit actors. Just get a suitably athletic and effeminate man, dress him up in a full-body costume with molded boobs and put a smily anime girl face on top and voila. It wasn't always the case, but it did happen and was one of the reasons those smily, uncanny mask-faces were so common. Looking forward to your next deep dive!

[@cydrixar]

its always interesting to see people i would never expect to talk about tokusatsu, well, do that. really appreciate you shining a light on these, the fact similar projects like them are still being made to this day and barely anyone cares is a shame, but understandable i suppose, a good chunk of it is pretty nsfw.

[@azur1o]

my weekly random video essay sprawl brought me here. ty for this gem. i came to stay

[@LilianeHirudo]

always excited for a new hazel video ^^. i found the discussion of the charming quality of films that are unimmersive interesting and i always love hearing about weird girls. the robot girl band owns

[@KeysAndCrumbs]

it makes me very happy that you score your videos as deliberately as you do, that use of honey punch was just 🤌

[@restinte]

i am so far removed from most of the (sub)cultures that you make essays on, yet i watch every video and am completely captivated. thanks for always making top tier content on shit i didn't know i needed to know

[@drnickfury]

The shot of Charlie Sheen when you brought up the Guinea Pig series made me choke on my drink. Great video.

[@erminmesinovic2552]

SHE'S BACK

[@eduardoparanagua1031]

The hazel suzumiya haruhi video is something that I'll always be looking for

[@ggggfan1]

Honestly was kinda shocked when the nyorobotics stuff got brought up, recognized the designs but never woulda guessed they had this much of a history, or even that they were a musical act

[@MarsHottentot]

I get the feeling your preamble conveys in the extreme when watching Ray Dennis Steckler films (which, having shown a bit from Blood Shack, you clearly do, too). The fact that so many have the same people - his friends, mostly - makes it feel more like you've been invited to watch them stage a play than watch a film. Absolutely love it

[@MarsHottentot]

So fucking compelled by the blackout eyes!!

[@hhhazel]

100%. his episode of the incredibly strange picture show is so wonderful. although im admittedly more of a doris wishman gal

[@MarsHottentot]

@@hhhazel I know her but, rather amazingly, I haven't seen any of her work! What do you suggest as a good starter (though not her 'best', I want something to look forward to!)?

[@sigmundschwartz6434]

The legacy created by Colon from Liveman has been a long and oddly interesting one. Great vid, Hazel. EDIT: Also, fun bit of Nyorobotics lore: Their 8th member, Sonnet, is part of a legit tokusatsu production [albeit a Local Hero but it counts], Tryoh, so it all comes full circle.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

There are local heroes and mascots for every prefecture in Japan. Kyushu’s Kumamoto has the legendary Kumamon and Okinawa has Majimun (Okinawan Yokai) themed ones too.

[@kotyara85]

This subgenre is so fun. I've always known that tokusatsu was a whole otaku thing, but that it had this much underground/handmade stuff? That's fascinating! And their costumes are so cute! I'd buy a figurine if there were any.

[@nicos6728]

Blessed a notification for a new Hazel video while I'm bummed at work. Thank you oh obscure video goddess lmao

[@markingatlightspeed]

All of the Red Letter Media refs are giving me life. As if I needed more reasons to adore your work, Hazel.

[@undeadalph]

hazel's writing makes me feel super happy and inspired. love this channel a lot

[@Ddot5ky]

Been eagerly waiting a new hazel vid and this was absolutely worth the wait

[@juneb2395]

Holy shit you are my fucking hero for that scarecrow video recommendation. I'm moving to seattle and had no idea a place like that was there, thank you so much!

[@tuffghost2598]

hazel u are one of my favourite youtubers, a lot of the times i dive into ur videos without knowing anything about the subject matter but i always learn something interesting at the end, ur like my big sister who just infodumps on me n i love it. pls keep making videos tht u love n i hope u take care of urself!

[@mantahurrah7400]

Hearing Hazel use the term “Old Guard” in the context of kink/fandom spaces was like hearing someone say my name in a crowded space public space. I guess I understood that people outside of Leathermen used that, but to actually hear it out loud felt like an audial whiplash. I adore your work; I would be forever indebted to you if you ever actually brought up Leathermen/the leather community in a video.

[@angelickewpie]

oh my godd this video took me back to my childhood my dad studied abroad in japan in the 90s and got really into tokusatsu during that time praise be hazel for shining light on all of the obscure media coverage that we didn't ask for but carnally needed

[@mattfrank85]

Oh wow, I didn't realize there was an explicit connection with Eiyuu and Nyo Robotics! I've met them in Japan a few times already! I've been at cons with "Brownie," the purple and white rabbit robot with the, uh..."Impact Cushion Armor." Those gals always impress me with their ability to actually move around in-costume without bumping into everything!

[@Unquestionable]

I adore seeing the passion that goes into making these videos, introducing me to all these things I never knew I needed in my life.