Last time on Dalton's Macro-Blog, I foreshadowed creatures on bikes. It was an imperfect foreshadow, but it'll do. I was alluding to Kamen Rider, a tokusatsu series. What is tokusatsu? Let me explain . . .
I'm not on Twitter, but I do stalk a few accounts. @dril. @tde_wrestling. @NextOnTCM.
One account that came back from a brief hiatus is @tokugifs. I found out about the account from this io9 article. And this other io9 article better explains tokusatsu and Super Sentai than I ever could. I grew up on Power Rangers, and Tokusatsu GIFs expanded my appreciation of the (unedited) genre.
As is a macro-blog tradition, this post will be majority photos. But I figured out how to post GIFs!!! So I've picked out four shows I've discovered through the account. I hope this serves as your gateway to tokusatsu like Tokusatsu GIFs was my gateway:
Like anime, you can generalize tokusatsu into a "Big Three." Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai are all imposing franchises. I've yet to crack Ultraman, but Kamen Rider W introduced me to its respective franchise. The theme here is noir, which is a good starting place if you like detective novels as much as me.
Once you get into the genre, you'll find that most tokusatsu shows get made for kids. For a dark, adult-oriented outlier, check out Golden Knight Garo. Warning: some of the first seasons' CGI hasn't aged well. But if you dig this, there's a whole franchise to get into!
Look at this GIF. Need I say more about Kyodai Ken Bycrosser? The motorcycle is a laser gun!
Ressha Sentai ToQger may be my favorite discovery from Tokusatsu GIFs. Instead of a dinosaur or pirate theme, this Super Sentai series tackled TRAINS. If you grew up a Thomas the Tank Engine mark like me, you'll love this goofy extravaganza (see above). One interesting note is that Saban passed over this series for a Power Rangers adaption. Even more reason to check it out!
Speaking of pictures . . .