Author / Filmmaker S. Craig Zahler's tokusatsu show list (from favorite to least favorite)
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- StarsGaku SanoSeiji HiratokoHôchû ÔtsukaYggdrasill Corporation transformed Zawame City into a feudal-like city. To escape the city authority, many of the youth formed dance crews along with the rising of a game that uses the mysterious Lockseeds that can summon Inves monsters.Surprising turns, cool speculative concepts, and a big likable cast make this my favorite tokusatsu series to date.
Despite the inherent silliness of the fruits concept, Kamen Rider Gaim is an emotional, exciting, and philosophically deep fantasy adventure.
An incredibly ambitious fighting science fantasy show only hindered by some pretty nutty fruit costumes and the overacting typically found in tokusatsu, though some of the cast is very solid--Kouto and Mitsuzane in particular. It's not surprising that this show was scripted by Gen Urobuchi, who also was behind Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a truly boundary pushing, beautiful, and superb magical girl anime.
Kamen Rider Gaim is wholly unpredictable and smart--this one's a great gateway into tokusatsu for those who wonder at its merits, though I've not yet seen it's equal. - StarsAtsuhiro InukaiEiji AkasoKaho Takada10 years ago when the Pandora Box was discovered on Mars and brought to Earth, it's activated and creates a Skywall which divides Japan into Touto, Seito, and Hokuto resulting into untold chaos.
- StarsTôri MatsuzakaHiroki AibaShôgo SuzukiFor eighteen generations, samurai of the Shiba Clan have suppressed the evil intentions of the Gedoushu, malevolent spirits that enter the world of the living from gaps between buildings and other structures. Now, Takeru Shiba, the youngest head of the Shiba Clan must gather his four vassals in order to battle the Gedoushu under the revived Doukoku Chimatsuri as the Shinkengers.A very likable cast, some surprising turns, and an atypically strong final ten episode arc make this show worth the investment of time. Robots are preposterously clumsy and clunky, but kudos to the creative team for bringing to (stilted) life an origami robot lobster that turns into a four headed samurai. The twists in the final ten episodes, the group dynamic and the deftly woven philosophies about servitude and responsibility evince the skills of the prolific tokusatsu and anime writer Yasuko Kobayashi.
- CreatorShotaro IshinomoriStarsKatsuhiro SuzukiRyôma BabaArisa KomiyaIn the year Neo AD 2012 the city runs on massive energy source enetron The Go-Busters young Spy's fight to it and innocent people from the evil Vaglass.Without question, Go-Busters has the best robot battles I have seen in an tokusatsu show---really well done suits and staging with the mecha. The series might crescendo twice, but the likable cast and the mystery of the central premise keeps things fun in every single episode, even if it is a bit sillier than most of my other favorites. Tons of great mecha with multiple forms and a more modern take on the sentai suit designs. Yet another thoughtful well planned work by writer Yasuko Kobayashi.
Beware of chickens! - StarsKensuke TakahashiAkane SakanoueYoshihiko HosodaA solar flare has awakened Spark Dolls from the depths of the earth and the ocean. Fifteen years later, Daichi Ozora transforms into Ultraman X to battle threats from both aliens and monsters.Ultraman X is perhaps the most consistently enjoyable tokusatsu show of the 30+ I've watched in their entirety, though it lacks the engrossing larger narrative and emotional crescendos of shows like Gaim, Go-Busters, and Shinkenger and even the dramatic highs of less solid shows like Jetman, K.R. W, Kuuga, and Fourze.
The protagonist/Ultra-partner Daichi looks and acts a bit too slack-jawed and clueless throughout the show, but the rest of the cast is earnest and likable, especially the two commanding officers.
The original monster designs, classic creature reinventions (esp. Red King, Mecha Gamora, and Cyber Gamora), ultra-armor, occasional forays into slice of life drama, and 24 episode length make this show a pleasure to watch from the very first episode. The sense of scale is quite good, and the miniatures constructed for the city buildings and cars are especially good---though I wish the Xio Team vehicles were all practical objects as well (they resorted to CG for these).
Ultraman X is lots of fun, and a good entry point for anybody who wants to see what tokusatsu shows are about. - StarsMikiko MikiKôtarô TanakaRika KishidaIn the late 90's, an orbiting Earth space center run by the Earth Defense Force Sky Force has commissioned a ceremony on the "J-Project". Lead by Commander Aya Odagiri who has selected five officials to be exposed to "Birdonic Waves" a newly developed technology that can give a human super abilities. Among the subjects to the project is Ryu Tendoh who is the first volunteer to be exposed to the Birdonic Waves and thus becomes the first nominated member of the newly established Jetman team. The other four subjects were about to be exposed to the same waves as Ryu did until the space center was attacked by the Vyram, an evil outer-dimensional organization bent on inter-dimensional domination. The Vyram successfully destroy the space center along with killing most of the humans on board. After the destruction, the remaining Birdonic Waves that were meant for the now dead four officials got scattered on the surface of the Earth. Hitting four different civilians who were going about their daily lives. Odagiri and Tendoh who had successfully escaped the doom space center soon began searching on Earth for the four remaining humans with Birdonic Waves in order to fully form the Jetman team. Forming the team will be no easy task as the four civilians had no prior training in military tactics and must learn to work together and look pass their personal problems if they are willing to save the Earth from the Vyram which was being lead by the cruel Count Radiguet.Okay heroes (excepting Gai, a really good hothead biker) and great villains (especially the robotic Grey) and more than a little bathos distinguish this older series, which is quite violent and dark for a Sentai show. Some tedious and risible stuff in the monster-of-the-week treadmill that is the first half (eg. the Cup o' Noodles monster), but once things get more serious, this show proves to have some philosophical depth and more than a few violent surprises.
- CreatorShotaro IshinomoriStarsTetsuo KurataShôzô ÎzukaToshimichi TakahashiKidnapped foster brothers Kôtarô Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki were turned into cyborgs by the evil empire Golgom. Having managed to escape, Kôtarô transforms into Kamen Rider Black, dedicated to fighting Golgom, and searching for Nobuhiko.This one has some great relationships between the Rider...and his motorcycles. Long live Battle Hopper! (And Roadsect ain't too shabby either.) It's nice to see a Rider rip wings, karate chop pincers, and punch off heads from the villains rather than just knock them over and wait for them to explode. Monster suits are made of a variety of materials, rather than the plastic/vinyl of later Heisei years. And like Kamen Riders V3, X, and Kuuga, the vibe of this show is that of of a horror movie (albeit one that is family friendly) rather than fight fantasy.
- CreatorShotaro IshinomoriStarsRen KiriyamaMasaki SudaHikaru YamamotoA detective, Hidari Shotaro, and an unknown library-boy, Phillip, combine to become a half-green half-black hero to protect Fuuto City by using Gaia Memories.The villains are pretty interesting in this one, and the lead monsters are good, as is the gradually revealed back story. The concept of the dual rider opens up a lot of possibilities, some of which are explored, and the two lead guys are pretty decent, though the female sidekick is annoying. The emotional climax of this series is heartbreaking and elevates the quality of the entire show.
- StarsPeter FernandezEarl HammondCorinne OrrAn English language version of Ultraman: A Special Effects Fantasy Series (1966) following a man named Hayata who transforms into a giant superhero named Ultraman to fight alien invaders and giant monsters that threatened earth.
- CreatorShotaro IshinomoriStarsRyô HayamiShinji NakaeAkiji KobayashiFrom the dark corners of the world comes another fanatical terrorism group, this time it's the Government of Darkness, aka G.O.D. Keisuke Jin is transformed into the next generation cyborg, the Kai-Zorg with the help of his father. He was given the name Kamen Rider X. King Dark, leader of G.O.D, didn't count on Kamen Rider X coming to ruin his plans of pillaging, rape, and destruction of Earth. Armed with riddle stick, and ridel whip, Kamen Rider X kicked everyone's butt, who stood in his way. Every G.O.D. cyborg from Neptune to Chronos, fell before the might of X. But his toughest opponent was Apollogeist. Their battle lasted 13 episodes. Seeing how useless and unworthy his Cyborgs were against Kamen Rider X, King Dark began to create new soldiers,combining animals, like Starfish-Hitler, and Spider-Napolean. In the last episode, X finds out that King Dark was created by Dr. Jinau, a friend of his father's, but now his brain resides within King dark.
- StarsJoe OdagiriShingo KatsurayamaKazumi MurataHaving himself telepathically linked to a mysterious stone belt, Yusuke Godai believes that he is fated to be the warrior Kuuga, who fights the Gurongi monsters that keeps murdering humans.Great mood, strong characters, and badass music are hampered by clumsy early CG, mediocre fights, and a very unsatisfying conclusion. Sorta closer to Garo than Kamen Rider in tone. Seems like they ran out of money and time to realize what they had set up.
- StarsSôta FukushiRyûki TakahashiFumika ShimizuA high school student uses a mysterious belt to fight the Zodiarts, who plot to take over the world.
- StarsRyû ManatsuYû FujikiKeiko YamadaAfter being brutally maimed by evil aliens, Dan Moroboshi (Ultra Seven) takes under his wing a fierce young Ultra-like being from L-77, and christens him "Ultraman Leo," to continue his mission to defend the Earth.The first dozen episodes of Ultraman Leo are quite special. These have great Showa era kitchen sink monster designs with tons of textures and spew real fire or vapor or soap. The fights end with lots of violent dismemberments---Leo often rips out fangs and fins and then stabs his enemies with these weaponized bits. And the drama portions of these shows are largely brutal martial arts training sequences akin to those found in Lau Kar Leung's Enter the 36th Chamber and 8 Diagram Pole Fighter.
BUT then the show progresses to more toddler-centric story lines with shrill kids shrieking and overacting and making the non-fight stuff a bit of a chore to sit through. The monsters remain cool, though the battles get a bit less violent by the last third as well. - StarsTakuya NegishiTakuya KusakawaHiroya IshimaruAll of the Ultramen and monsters have been turned into figures known as Spark Dolls and became scattered throughout the universe. A young man named Hikaru Raido finds an item called the Ginga Spark which not only allows him to become Ultraman Ginga, but also allows him to Ultraive with the figures to change them to their rightful size and become one with them.
- CreatorEiji TsuburayaStarsKenji SaharaYasuhiko SaijôHiroko SakuraiThe first entry of Tsuburaya Productions' "Ultra Series," in which an aviator/amateur sci-fi writer, his plucky assistant, and a young female newspaper reporter investigate strange phenomena, usually involving aliens and giant monsters.
- CreatorKeita AmemiyaStarsYuriko HishimiMika HijiiRei Fujita
- StarsToshiki KashûTakeshi MasuJun KanameAn amnesiac, happy go lucky boy uses the power of Agito to battle the Unknowns and unravel the mystery of his past.
- StarsTakeru SatohRina AkiyamaToshihiko SekiRyotaro Nogami transforms into Kamen Rider Den-O traveling to different times using the time-traveling train DenLiner to battle the Imagin monsters and preventing them from altering the past to affect the present and future.
- StarsSota AoyamaKai ShishidoHitomi HasebeIn the very first episode a strange visitor from space notices Toma's bravery when the young man risks his own life to help save a lost little boy from danger. The alien gives Toma the power to become the mighty superhero Ultraman Max, a towering red and silver giant 40 meters tall. When two gigantic monsters threaten the world, Toma uses his new powers to destroy them.
- CreatorSteve DitkoStan LeeStarsShinji TôdôMitsuo AndôYukie KagawaMotorcross racer Takuya Yamashiro battles the evil forces of Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army as the superhero Spider-Man, aided by the transforming mecha Leopardon.
- CreatorShotaro IshinomoriStarsHiroshi MiyauchiAkiji KobayashiHizuru OnoAs Masked Rider V3, Shiro Kazami carries on for Riders 1 and 2, and fights the evil Destron organization.
- StarsHiroki SuzukiMina FukuiManpei TakagiRinJyuDen, the evil Jyuken school led by Rio, turns the city into chaos by gathering people's screams and despair. Opposing them are the Gekirangers, who fight in justice to protect. Although they are still in training, they do not give up until they master the jyuken. Once they get stronger, Rio, who seeks the ultimate power, challenge them to find out who is the strongest in jyuken.
- StarsHiroshi NaganoTakami YoshimotoAkitoshi OhtakiA high-tech squadron protects Earth from evil monsters and aliens with the help of a giant super-being named Ultraman Tiga.
- StarsMika HijiiRyosei KonishiAnri OkamotoGaro focuses on Kouga Saezima, the current possessor of the title, Golden Knight Garo, who protects humanity against dark demonic infestations called Horrors. One day he meets a young girl named Kaoru whom he saves from a horror, but gets stained with horror's blood. The makai knights have the rule that those that have been stained by the blood of a horror shall be executed before experiencing a painful death after approximately 100 days.
- StarsKôji MoritsuguYuriko HishimiSandayû DokumamushiAn alien superhero from M-78 protects Earth from extraterrestrial threats in this popular classic follow-up to the original "Ultraman" TV series.
- StarsKenta IzukaSeigo NoguchiHarunoIn 2008, disasters beyond the common sense of mankind "super disasters" were occurring frequently all over the world. It was the work of the evil organization Neo Terror that plans to destroy the Earth. In order to counter the super disaster, the United Fire-Defense Agency gathers five young elite members and forms a special rescue unit Rescue Force. Wearing reinforced suits, equipped with super vehicles and Rescue Tools, they explosively suppress the super disaster and protect people from the evil hands of Neo Terror. The keyword for the rescue's success is "Bombing completed!" (Bakuchin Kanryou!).
- StarsFumiya TakahashiRyutaro OkadaNoa TsurushimaHumagears, robots equipped with artificial intelligence. Will they bring hope or despair to humanity? A young president of a new company specializing in A.I. technology fights to bring his dreams to life.
- StarsRyoma TakeuchiRio UchidaRei YoshiiWhen he is chosen by the Drive Driver and Tridoron, Shinnosuke transforms into Kamen Rider Drive and is tasked with battling the Roidmudes who wish to take over the world by eliminating humanity.
- StarsMitsunobu KanekoToshiyuki TsuchiyamaKôichi ChibaA young boy aids in the fight against a terrorist organization as the sole controller of a prototype giant robot.
- StarsYôsuke OkadaHisashi KatôRei MakiSuper Science Institute member Ken Kurenai pilots the giant robot Red Baron, entrusted to him by its inventor, his older brother, to avenge his murder at the hands of the Iron Mask Party, led by the evil President Deviler.
- StarsKeiichi WadaTatsuya NômiEi HamuraAngered by the Dairanger's lack of confidence in each other in dealing with the Key Jester, Master Kaku forces the team to learn a history lesson regarding the Gorma and the consequences of their failure.
- StarsYuuta MochizukiSeiju UmonHideki FujiwaraKyōryū Sentai Zyuranger is a Japanese tokusatsu television series and the sixteenth installment in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of superhero programs.
- StarsToshio FurukawaJay BenedictMikio TerashimaCreated by Go Nagai, this sci-fi/fantasy puppet series sees heroes Shiro Ginga, Bongo Heracles, and Bigman Lee protect a girl named Lamia from the evil Gelma Armada, with the supership X Bomber and its giant robot component, Big Dai-X.
- StarsEriku YozaSaki KagamiTomohito WakizakiA re-imaging of Ultraseven (1967), a man name Jin who has amnesia has the ability to transform into a giant hero to fight against aliens and save the world