Tokusatsu

[GeneChing]

I was raised on tokusatsu, and I don't just mean Ultraman and Giant Robot. I was more into Kikaida (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okdY02TUxL8) and Rainbow Seven. There's this new wave of tokusatsu satire that's really intriguing me now, like Miike's Zebraman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_EpbCwFNcw&feature=related). Anyone seen it?

More to the point, anyone seen Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTAoxSspBJE&feature=related)?

[GeneChing]

more fighters should wear miniskirts.

Akina Minami to appear in new 'Kamen Rider' movie (http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/akina-minami-to-appear-in-new-kamen-rider-movie)
Monday 09th March, 05:18 AM JST

TOKYO —
Akina Minami will appear in the film “Kamen Rider Deno & Decade” as a mini-skirted fighter. The new film is set in the Muromachi period in the 15th century, with Kamen Rider battling assorted monsters.

Minami, whose character is an archer, said, “I have been interested in archery for a long time. So I’m very happy to try it. My biggest challenge was the language. Since the time period of the film is different from now, the dialect is also different and difficult to master.”

The film will be released nationwide from May 1.

[SimonM]

I like archery.

[Lucas]

I like miniskirts.

[Shaolinlueb]

i like japanese gilrs in mini skirts shooting bows and arrows, then turning into super powered bug monsters that kill aliens.

sounds like something the japanese would do. win

gene

never been a fan of kamen rider, but i did like power rangers when i was younger. i loved ultra man. check out hakaider (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAMZAOQiMdY). this is based off a villian from the Kikaider series.

i have a couple of miiki movies but never saw zeebraman.

you ever hear of kaiju big battle? it started in boston around 2000/2001 i believe.

[GeneChing]

Matt Mullins: The New KAMEN RIDER (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=810) by Dr. Craig Reid

[Zenshiite]

Trailer (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809865291/video/12910812/20090410/99/12910812-100-wmv-s.83413725-,12910812-300-wmv-s.83413726-,12910812-100-flash-s.83413734-,12910812-700-wmv-s.83413728-,12910812-300-flash-s.83413736-,12910812-1000-wmv-s.83413729-,12910812-700-flash-s.83413738-,12910812-1000-flash-s.83413739-,12910813-10300-qtv-s.83413489-,12910813-2700-qtv-s.83413484-,12910813-6800-qtv-s.83413486-)

Looks interesting. Nice Kaiju spoof.

[GeneChing]

Not a good review, but I still want to see this...

Review: 'Big Man Japan' (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/29/MVE417ROE1.DTL)
G. Allen Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, May 29, 2009

SNOOZING VIEWER LMAN4
Comedy. Starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ua. Directed by Matsumoto. (PG-13. 103 minutes. At the Opera Plaza in San Francisco and the Shattuck in Berkeley.)

The concept of the comedy "Big Man Japan" is simple enough - superheroes are people too, with pets, messy houses and failed relationships.

But the film written, directed and starring stand-up comic Hitoshi Matsumoto has, like most superheroes, a tragic flaw: It isn't funny.

In fact, it's quite dull. Most of the movie consists of Daisato (Matsumoto) sitting - yes, sitting; hardly visually interesting - at desks, restaurant tables and park benches talking about his life and his alter-ego. It's done in mockumentary style, with an unseen filmmaker asking questions, and Daisato occasionally going, "turn the camera off."

It's now time, folks, to stop making mockumentaries. What a tired approach.

Anyway, when monsters attack Tokyo, Daisato takes a huge jolt of electricity, swells to enormous skyscraper-size and becomes the title character, a bizarre, tattooed, shock-haired hero who looks amusingly like a cross between a sumo wrestler and that funny-haired guy of Kid 'n Play.

His agent sells advertising space on his expanding chest, and tells him when he fights, "don't cross your arms so much; the sponsors don't like it."

The monsters are ridiculous riffs on the old Toho monsters of the '60s; Matsumoto's creations are creatures such as the Staring Monster, with an enormous eye used as a weapon; and the Stink Monster, and we'll leave that to your imagination.

The effects are cheap and cheesy, like it was made by a sixth-grader on a Mac, and in some quarters that would be a compliment.

It's possible that some of the humor just doesn't translate, but nevertheless the fact remains: "Big Man Japan" has about 15 minutes worth of monster mashing and 90 minutes of lousy mockumentary navel-gazing, never a good thing.

-- Advisory: Gross, disfigured, slimy computer-generated monsters.

[Zenshiite]

I'll wait until I can get it on DVD... like most things. It costs too much to go see movies these days.

[GeneChing]

Enter to win BIG MAN JAPAN (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html) on DVD. Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 10/13/09. Good luck everyone!

[TenTigers]

I thought tokusatsu was a breaded porkchop...

[Pork Chop]

I thought tokusatsu was a breaded porkchop...

huh?
that's tonkatsu, i think
tokusatsu 特撮 【とくさつ】special effects; SFX

[GeneChing]

Pork Chop just gave away the answer to our sweepstakes question. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

Hilarious trailer for ‘Machi Action’ featuring Bolin Chen (http://www.avirtualvoyage.net/2013/01/hilarious-trailer-for-machi-action-featuring-bolin-chen.html)
January 15, 2013
by Kaptain A

Heeee! This looks really cute. I see many conflicting comments of this production. Initially, some say it’s a rip-off of Kamen Rider, but now that they’ve read the plot, it’s more of a parody/tribute to Toku superheroes, focusing on the life of an actor after his superhero show is axed due to low ratings. Watch as Bolin Chen unveils his superhero charisma on the big screen! The film is also highly anticipated because of writer and director, Giddens Ko, who was in charge of last year’s surprise hit You’re the Apple of My Eye.

【變身－－全新變身版】正式預告...Machi Action (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib8hZ9Q9Mu0)


Enter to win BIG MAN JAPAN (http://www.kungfumagazine.net/index.html) on DVD. Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 10/13/09. Good luck everyone! I just realized I never posted a link to our winners of this contest here. My bad. Here it is. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55623) Better late than never. :o

[GeneChing]

If he did the robberies in costume, that would have been truly epic.



Kamen Rider stuntman applies skills to thievery (http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/09/10/kamen-rider-stuntman-applies-skills-to-thievery/)
Anime News Network 2 days ago

http://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/img_0.jpeg?w=580&h=476

Yasutomo Ihara, a former stuntman known for his participation in the Kamen Rider franchise, has since turned his training to nefarious ends. In a story seemingly grafted from a J-drama, he was arrested on September 8 by Saitama Prefecture’s Criminal Investigations Unit for 43 separate counts of theft. His method involved scaling walls by slipping his fingers into tiny indentations and entering houses through their second-floor windows, earning him the nickname “Spiderman” from the investigators. His targets were in the neighboring Saitama Prefecture cities of Warabi and Toda.

Ihara’s career as a stuntman came to an end five years ago when he hurt his knee. Since then, he’s pursued an acting career, but the costs of acting lessons drove him to shady means of earning a living. Ihara trained for his burglaries in a park during the day and could be seen biking around the area scoping out empty houses, earning him a reputation as a “tall, good-looking man on the prowl.” Investigators traced his footsteps in the park, eventually uncovering some of the stolen items.

Ihara’s crimes spanned the period from November 2013 to June 2014. He stole 6.7 million yen in cash (about $63,600) and 450 possessions, totaling 8.2 million yen overall (about $77,800). Factoring in his indictment, Ihara owes 8.9 million yen (or about $84,500). He admits to the charges.

Ihara’s filmography includes Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core, Kamen Rider W Returns, and Tensou Sentai Goseiger, another tokusatsu series.

[GeneChing]

I never knew who created those robots, but I've seen both of them close-up in-person and the craftsmanship was excellent.



Robert Kino****a, 'Lost in Space' robot creator, dies at 100 (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-robert-kino****a-robot-dies-20150113-story.html)
http://www.trbimg.com/img-54b5e9bb/turbine/la-lost-in-space-20150113/750/750x422
Robert Kino****a, creator of the robot in "Lost in Space," died in December at 100.
By Ryan Parker and David Colker

Robert Kino****a, an art director for television and movies who is best known for his creation of the "Lost in Space" robot that yelled "Danger, Will Robinson!" on the 1960s show, has died, a family friend confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.

Kino****a died Dec. 9 at an assisted living center in Torrance, said Mike Clark, a family friend. He was 100.

"Lost in Space," which ran from 1965 to 1968, is about the Robinson family's extraterrestrial adventures. A 1998 film based on the series starred William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and Gary Oldman.

The “Lost in Space” robot -- which has become a pop-culture icon -- was similar in look to a robot named Robby that Kino****a helped create for the classic 1956 sci-fi movie "Forbidden Planet." Robby showed up in several productions after that, including an episode of “Lost in Space.”

Kino****a also worked as an art director or set designer on shows including "Sea Hunt" and "Bat Masterson."

A complete obituary will follow at latimes.com/obits.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjOvth3O2Vs

[Jimbo]

Is this new Ultraman movie a Japanese or American production? There doesn't seem to be much info at all on it. I googled and only got "starring Will Smith"(?). God, I hope not. That trailer looks good, but if it is some Amercan acquisition of another beloved Japanese character, and starring Will Smith (or any American or European actor as Ultraman), I'll skip it.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3VV28QO72E

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umnSg6IV6HE

[donnyir]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umnSg6IV6HE

Nice ! Watched the anime, however the costume is supposedly to be very skinlike instead of more kamen raider like.

[GeneChing]

I never realized we had so many Kamen Rider posts on the Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu) thread. I'm going to make an indie Kamen Rider thread (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70755-Kamen-Rider).


Kamen Rider, one of Japan’s greatest heroes, arrested for groping woman’s breasts in Tokyo suburb (https://soranews24.com/2018/04/07/kamen-rider-one-of-japans-greatest-heroes-arrested-for-groping-womans-breasts-in-tokyo-suburb/)
Casey Baseel 3 days ago

https://sociorocketnewsen.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/kr-1.png

Actor’s arrest parallels his character’s story arc, and also has elements from Cinderella.

Tokyo. March 4. 1:35 a.m.

A thirty-something woman stands at an intersection in Taishido neighborhood of the city’s peaceful Setagaya Ward, waiting for the signal to turn green so she can cross the road. Suddenly, a man grabs her from behind, groping her chest.

Luckily, Kamen Rider Duke, one of the characters from seminal tokusatsu (costumed superhero) franchise Kamen Rider, is on the scene! Surely he’ll defeat the evildoer, right?

Oh, wait. It was Kamen Rider Duke who was doing the groping.

On April 5, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police formally placed 30-year-old actor Tsunenori Aoki under arrest for indecent assault. Aoki, also a resident of Setagaya Ward, has admitted to the charges, saying ”I’ve been really busy with work, and I had too much to drink and got carried away.”

▼ Tsunenori Aoki (wearing glasses)


View image on Twitter (https://twitter.com/tsunenori_aoki/status/975711373907775488/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoranews24.com%2F2018%2F04%2 F07%2Fkamen-rider-one-of-japans-greatest-heroes-arrested-for-groping-womans-breasts-in-tokyo-suburb%2F)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYpsURqV4AAFh1y.jpg

青木玄徳
@tsunenori_aoki
パタリロ！
本日もご来場賜りました皆様
誠に有難うございます！
三津谷亮くん
自分のデビュー作
テニミュで共演以来です
しかも歳も一緒で
いつの間にかお互い30歳
それでも相変わらずなみっちゃんに
時々励まされますよ^_^
明日も頑張るぞぉ〜！！！

5:31 AM - Mar 19, 2018
3,158
916 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
Aoki (who in addition to Kamen Rider Duke has portrayed anime characters in stage musicals such as Prince of Tennis’ Keigo Atobe and Princess Knight’s Captain Blood) had been drinking by himself at a nearby restaurant until about 1 in the morning. An examination of security camera footage showed him groping four different women within a 30-minute span after leaving the restaurant, and the woman he grabbed at the intersection suffered minor injuries to her neck and back.

In an odd parallel, Kamen Rider Duke, who initially appears in the Kamen Rider Gaim arcs of the franchise as a force of good, turns out to have a sinister, hidden darkness, eventually meeting an untimely death. While Aoki’s life is in no danger, it has been announced that he’s stepping down from a planned role in stage production Messiah, which opens in Tokyo on April 14. His scheduled appearance at the premiere of movie Yamikin Dogs 8, which also premiers on the 14th, has been cancelled as well

▼ Kamen Rider Duke


特撮HERO��仮面ライダー動画
@kamen_ridr (https://twitter.com/kamen_ridr/status/980681343691608064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoranews24.com%2F2018%2F04%2 F07%2Fkamen-rider-one-of-japans-greatest-heroes-arrested-for-groping-womans-breasts-in-tokyo-suburb%2F&tfw_creator=NatsuKazeOtoko)
特撮HERO！『仮面ライダーデューク』
変身シーン カッコイイと思ったらRT

10:40 PM - Apr 1, 2018
147
76 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
While Aoki’s actions on March 4 were far from heroic, one male passerby who saw what he was doing displayed a more gallant heart, attempting to subdue the actor. Aoki managed to shake him off and fled on foot, but not before dropping a packet of personal promotional documents he’d been carrying, including a photo of himself, which made it easy to determine the culprit.

Adding one last layer of irony, Aoki’s casting as Kamen Rider Duke is part of a broader trend in tokusatsu TV series; in recent years, producers have been stocking their shows with smooth-faced young men to appeal not just to the elementary school-age boys who make up their core audience, but also to their 30- and 40-something mothers who are also near the TV while their sons are watching. But while there are plenty of women who’d ordinarily be thrilled at the prospect of a chance encounter with Kamen Rider Duke, Aoki’s behavior means he’s definitely lost at least four potential fans.

Sources: Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko, Yahoo! Japan News/Daily
Top image: Pakutaso

[GeneChing]

I was a huge Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu) fan growing up. Still am actually so these new anime versions of Ultraman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman) don't quite do it for me. Although I must confess that I really enjoyed the new Godzilla animes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?67348-Godzilla&p=1303772#post1303772) (I should review those on the forum some day).

Being Asian, the only role models on TV that were my race were Mr. Sulu, tokusatsu characters like Ultraman and of course, Kung Fu movies. Much of my family is in Hawaii so when growing up, I visited often. There was a whole expanded world of tokusatsu there because Hawaii imported a lot of Japanese TV. So I was more of a fan of Ultra-Seven and the extended Ultra family because it was cooler. But truly, it was all about Kikaider for me. There was a live-action reboot of that a few years ago, but I still have yet to see that.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjHnaahVo8I

[GeneChing]

Is Ultraman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman) still Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu) when it's anime?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbRBOq8jajg

[GeneChing]

JAN 09 2020
Shozo Uehara, writer of Ultraman and Japanese Spider-Man, passes away (http://www.j1studios.com/?p=26225)
By BrianM in Television

http://www.j1studios.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/shozo_uehara.jpg

Super Sentai fans, there is sad news coming from Japan. Legendary tokusatsu writer Shozo Uehara has passed away due to complications with liver cancer. He was 82.

Uehara is best remembered as the main writer for Ultraman and one of the original writers on Ultra Q, the series that preceded Ultraman. He was later contracted by Toei Productions and created his first Super Sentai series, Himitsu Sentai Goranger (known as Five Rangers in the West).

Shozo Uehara was born in Okinawa, Naha, an island in the far south of Japan on February 6, 1932. His family survived World War II after fleeing a Japanese occupied Taiwan in 1944. They returned home only to find it had been destroyed in air raids and drifted in the seas for two weeks before reaching the Kagoshima Prefecture. Uehara’s family would eventually return to Naha, Japan in 1946.

Uehara joined Tsuburaya Productions after graduating from Chuo University after his work was discovered by the company heads who read his writings about the war in Okinawan dramas. He would make his debut as lead writer for Ultra Q in the series’ 21st episode. From that point, he worked as lead writer for the fourth Ultraman series, The Return of Ultraman. Uehara joined Toei Productions in 1973 and created the Super Sentai series “Himitsu Sentai Goranger“, which likely served as inspiration for Saban’s Power Rangers franchise. He also led the writing team for the tokusatsu Spider-Man series (which is rumored to be featured in the second Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse film). He has also worked in several anime series including Dororon Enma-kun, Fist of the North Star, and Space Pirate Captain Harlock.

Shozo Uehara passed away January 2 and his death was made public after private services were held by his family. Uehara’s inspiration lives on in Saban’s Power Rangers franchise and Netflix’s Ultraman series.

Himitsu Sentai Goranger opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbuEg2v9Arg continued next post

[GeneChing]

Tokusatsu Spider-Man opening theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1PePr8hAsc

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Ultraman 1966 opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I75PmJQVxc8

Sources: Yahoo! Japan



THREADS
Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu)
Ultraman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman)
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71576-Spider-man-Into-the-Spider-verse)
Mighty Morphin Power Ranger news (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?38034-Mighty-Morphin-Power-Ranger-news)

[GeneChing]

TOEI TOKUSATSU WORLD OFFICIAL (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7pddu3yyzkzFEiXfQLex3w/featured?app=desktop)

https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AAUvwnhk_LFYMUSKhOCcV4aRJ6LJP9njSd7uSIDEudtG=s176-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj

[GeneChing]

Tsuburaya Productions' Optical Photographer Minoru Nakano Passes Away at 82 (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-04-06/tsuburaya-productions-optical-photographer-minoru-nakano-passes-away-at-82/.171510)
posted on 2021-04-06 13:30 EDT by Alex Mateo

https://cdn.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max400x400/cms/news.4/171510/minoru-nakano.jpg

Nakano did optical photography work on Alien Baltan in Ultraman series

Optical photographer and visual effects technician Minoru Nakano passed away on Monday from liver failure. He was 82 years old. His funeral service will be for close relatives only with his eldest son Ryū as his chief mourner.

Nakano was born in Tokyo. He worked at Tsuburaya Productions for nearly 30 years, and he was a disciple of the company's founder Eiji Tsuburaya.

He was known for his optical photography work on Alien Baltan in the original Ultraman series. He worked on Tsuburaya Productions' early series including Ultra Q, Monster Booska, Ultra Seven, and Mighty Jack.

Image Source: Asahi Shimbun

Sources: Yomiuri Shimbun, Yahoo! News via Yoink's Twitter account

Baltan
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/ultra/images/b/be/OriginalBaltan.png/revision/latest?cb=20190922074851

Threads
Tokusatsu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?53001-Tokusatsu)
Ultraman (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71094-Ultraman)