Henshin! Shuwatch! RAAAAAGH!!!!

I quite like tokusatsu. I got into Kamen Rider first, then spiralling out of control into Godzilla, Super Sentai, Godzilla, and countless smaller shows. They're my comfort zone - easy to watch, mostly unchallenging, with cool physical effects and formulaic storytelling. I hate sounding like one of those people who go on about how kids shows are Actually Super Deep but sometimes tokusatsu has surprised me with stories that affected me deeply. Quite possibly this was group delusion with my friends over a show for people younger than us by half, but is that so bad?

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Toku Bangers

Why I Love Tokusatsu

More than just the shows, it is the tokusatsu community that has had the biggest impact on me. I've met so many friends through toku and I cherish them so much... There's a certain joy that comes from writing brainrot fanfiction and sharing it with your friends at 3am, brought to tears because of some fuckass kid's show that stopped airing over a decade ago. I've spent hundreds on tokusatsu, made countless pieces of fanart, even made an original toku character action figure out of clay and an old disgusting Marvel Thor toy. The style, especially of Kamen Rider and its similar tokusatsu, draws me in. I love martial arts and action shows, and tokusatsu combines that with a passion for special effects. There's endless injokes and memes, and just as many fan theories and controversies. Some of my favourites:

  • "Kamen Rider Gaim is the only Kamen Rider show that I actually wouldn't mind airing in America. It has enough depth, mature themes, and emotional weight to match lots of quality shows here like Game of Thrones and The Wire, so I think it would fit right at home if it aired uncut and subtitled on a channel like HBO and Showtime."
  • TENDOU!!!!!! Your steak........ You threw it on the ground after only one bite.....
  • The fact that nobody is actually sure if Toshiki Inoue and Kohei Murakami are joking about being so lovey-dovey
  • The actor who played Kamen Rider Super-1 is currently a fugitive from the law