Tokusatsu

[Angilasman]

Not sure I'm supposed to post right after myself (help me out here mods).

But anyway, big news coming from Anime Expo!

We're finally going to see that Fiveman DVD release, plus a Blu-ray set of Kamen Rider Kuuga. Also, Ultraman had a big presence there. There was a live show, plus they announced a Marvel/Ultraman crossover comic.

Really looking forward to owning Kuuga on disc! The Ultraman suit performances looked super cool. Great to see both franchises having a presence at the event.

(Editl
And let's not forget that Mediablasters is putting out a blu-ray set of Kamen Rider movies later thus year, too (Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO, Kamen Rider J, Kamen Rider: The First, and Kamen Rider: The Next). We're gonna have two substantial Rider releases!

[AdamFTF]

(Editl
And let's not forget that Mediablasters is putting out a blu-ray set of Kamen Rider movies later thus year, too (Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue, Kamen Rider ZO, Kamen Rider J, Kamen Rider: The First, and Kamen Rider: The Next). We're gonna have two substantial Rider releases!

[Shrug] I can't forget what I never knew.

I just found out that the Ultraman suit performances were this great big thing where the aliens Dada and Baltan were supposed to be on the loose in the convention and people were encouraged to take pictures and tweet their locations and a couple defense team members and Ultraman and Ultraseven would show up to "chase them down." They would even "crash" panels (It was really just the Ultraman Connection panel, but still points for the dramatics). It sounds wild.

[Frontier]

[Shrug] I can't forget what I never knew.

I just found out that the Ultraman suit performances were this great big thing where the aliens Dada and Baltan were supposed to be on the loose in the convention and people were encouraged to take pictures and tweet their locations and a couple defense team members and Ultraman and Ultraseven would show up to "chase them down." They would even "crash" panels (It was really just the Ultraman Connection panel, but still points for the dramatics). It sounds wild.

Ultraman's still got to wipe out those Baltan's...

[Angilasman]

In addition to all the other tokusatsu on home video action we've been getting, now Discoteck Media (who've put out the odd toku release here and there for a few years) has announced a new sub label called Toku Time that will specialize in tokusatsu! First releases will be Blu-rays of the movie Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birds and the complete series of Space Sheriff Gavan!

So, in regards to distribution in the US for this stuff we have...

- Mill Creek putting out almost the entirety of the Ultra series
- Arrow releasing the Daiei/Kadokawa library of toku movies (Gamera, Daimajin, Yokai, etc.)
- Criterion has released the Showa Godzilla series and is apparently in the process of acquiring the Heisei films as Sony's rights for all the '90s and '00s films have already expired or will expire in the next few years.
- Media Blasters have consistently been releasing toku movies like Zeberman and Zeiram. Soon to put out a Kamen Rider movie set.
- Shout Factory is finally resuming their Sentai sets and is just starting to put out Kamen Rider series sets.
- and now, Discotek's Toku Time

[Angilasman]

In case you haven't heard: the R rated Rider reboot, Kamen Rider Black Sun, is available for streaming worldwide on Prime right now!

... and it just so happens that Discotek has licensed the inspiration for the reboot, 1987's Kamen Rider Black, and will be releasing it on Blu next year!

[Huntsman Spider]

In case you haven't heard: the R rated Rider reboot, Kamen Rider Black Sun, is available for streaming worldwide on Prime right now!

... and it just so happens that Discotek has licensed the inspiration for the reboot, 1987's Kamen Rider Black, and will be releasing it on Blu next year!

Thanks. I should check that out sometime. Maybe Amazons, too, if it's still up there.

[Agent Z]

[Huntsman Spider]

Thanks. Having watched all ten episodes of Kamen Rider Black Sun on Prime, I thought it was quite the retelling of Kamen Rider BLACK. Having kaijin be persecuted by humanity at large, even reminiscent as it was of the classic X-Men status quo, was an interesting touch, though it got hard to watch in places due to how it displayed the brutality and viciousness of bigotry, especially with the sad fate of that one innocent kaijin kid. Kamen Rider Shadow Moon as a Magneto-inspired antagonist, to continue the X-Men parallel, was an intriguing revamp of his character, too, defending his people "by any means necessary." However, that the kaijin turned out to be the products of a super-soldier experiment by the Japanese government 50 years prior to the start of the series . . . that reminded me of Ultimate X-Men. All in all, pretty good watch, even if it hit harder than expected sometimes.

[Angilasman]

Ultraman Blazar episode 1 is up for free on YouTube with multiple language options. It's a totally newbie friendly, standalone reboot so you can jump right in with no knowledge of the franchise.

It's also cool as hell. Episode 1 is essentially one big action setpiece, and when Blazar finally appears? I don't want to spoil it, but he's much different from your preconceived notions of Ultraman.

[Bruce Wayne]

Thanks. Having watched all ten episodes of Kamen Rider Black Sun on Prime, I thought it was quite the retelling of Kamen Rider BLACK. Having kaijin be persecuted by humanity at large, even reminiscent as it was of the classic X-Men status quo, was an interesting touch, though it got hard to watch in places due to how it displayed the brutality and viciousness of bigotry, especially with the sad fate of that one innocent kaijin kid. Kamen Rider Shadow Moon as a Magneto-inspired antagonist, to continue the X-Men parallel, was an intriguing revamp of his character, too, defending his people "by any means necessary." However, that the kaijin turned out to be the products of a super-soldier experiment by the Japanese government 50 years prior to the start of the series . . . that reminded me of Ultimate X-Men. All in all, pretty good watch, even if it hit harder than expected sometimes.

Black Sun was basically their attempt at doing Logan for Kamen Rider ("Black Sun est notre Old Man Logan" | https://www.linternaute.com/livre/ma...-du-tokusatsu/). However it should be noted, monsters as mutants ala X-Men goes back to Kamen Rider Faiz and Black Sun despite trying to appeal to fans of the original is very much a child of those early Heisei Shows like Faiz, Agito, Kuuga, etc.

[Frontier]

Ultraman Blazar episode 1 is up for free on YouTube with multiple language options. It's a totally newbie friendly, standalone reboot so you can jump right in with no knowledge of the franchise.

It's also cool as hell. Episode 1 is essentially one big action setpiece, and when Blazar finally appears? I don't want to spoil it, but he's much different from your preconceived notions of Ultraman.

It gave me very Legendary Godzilla vibes, which was cool.

I wonder if he'll use an Ultra Beam at some point of if they'll reserve that for the Final Form.

[Angilasman]

^ Blazar may not have another form. Director Kiyotaka Taguchi (showrunner of X, Orb, and Z) wanted to go back to basics and make a series that didn't feature much of the toy commercial stuff that takes up so much screentime in modern toku shows, and apparently that means form changes and the collectable toyline gimmicks that they're related to. His focus is to go back to the core Ultraman concept and do this military sci-fi thing he's always wanted.

There are collectable tokens kids can buy for the Blazar transformation device in Japanese toy stores, but there's no indication they'll be in the show.

[Frontier]

^ Blazar may not have another form. Director Kiyotaka Taguchi (showrunner of X, Orb, and Z) wanted to go back to basics and make a series that didn't feature much of the toy commercial stuff that takes up so much screentime in modern toku shows, and apparently that means form changes and the collectable toyline gimmicks that they're related to. His focus is to go back to the core Ultraman concept and do this military sci-fi thing he's always wanted.

There are collectable tokens kids can buy for the Blazar transformation device in Japanese toy stores, but there's no indication they'll be in the show.

I know he won't have form changes but I expect at some point he will get an upgrade/Final Form ala Gaia Supreme.

[Huntsman Spider]

Black Sun was basically their attempt at doing Logan for Kamen Rider ("Black Sun est notre Old Man Logan" | https://www.linternaute.com/livre/ma...-du-tokusatsu/). However it should be noted, monsters as mutants ala X-Men goes back to Kamen Rider Faiz and Black Sun despite trying to appeal to fans of the original is very much a child of those early Heisei Shows like Faiz, Agito, Kuuga, etc.

Thanks for the info there.