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Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects. Credited to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, ''tokusatsu'' mainly refers to science fiction film, science fiction, War film, war, fantasy film, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such technology but is also occasionally dubbed a genre itself. Its contemporary use originated in the Mass media in Japan, Japanese mass media around 1958 to explain special effects in an easy-to-understand manner and was popularized during the ":ja:第一次怪獣ブーム, first monster boom" (1966–1968). Prior to the monster boom, it was known in Japan as or shortened . Subgenres of include ''kaiju'' such as the ''Godzilla (film series), Godzilla'' and ''Gamera'' series; superhero such as the ''Kamen Rider Series, Kamen Rider'' and ''Metal Hero Series, Metal Hero'' series; Kyodai Hero, ''Kyodai'' Hero like ''Ultra Series, Ultraman, and Gridman the Hyper Agent, D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamera
is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' film series. Since then, the franchise has become a Japanese icon in its own right and one of representatives of Cinema of Japan, Japanese cinema, appearing in a total of 12 films produced by Daiei Film and later by Tokuma Shoten and Kadokawa Daiei Studio (Kadokawa Corporation) respectively, and various other media such as novelizations, manga, video games, and more. Gamera is depicted as a giant, flying, fire-breathing monster, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle. In the series' first film, Gamera is portrayed as an aggressive and destructive monster, though he also saved a child's life. As the films progressed, Gamera took on a more benevolent role, becoming a protector of humanity, especially children, nature, and the Earth from Extrater ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eiji Tsuburaya
was a Japanese special effects director, filmmaker, and cinematographer. A co-creator of the ''Godzilla (franchise), Godzilla'' and ''Ultraman'' franchises, he is considered one of the most important and influential figures in the history of cinema. Tsuburaya is known as the having pioneered Japan's special effects industry and introduced several technological developments in film productions. In a career spanning five decades, Tsuburaya worked on approximately Eiji Tsuburaya filmography, 250 films—including globally renowned features directed by Ishirō Honda, Hiroshi Inagaki, and Akira Kurosawa—and earned six Japan Technical Awards. Following a brief stint as an inventor, Tsuburaya was employed by Japanese cinema pioneer Yoshirō Edamasa in 1919 and began his career working as an assistant cinematographer on Edamasa's ''A Tune of Pity''. Thereafter, he worked as an assistant cinematographer on several films, including Teinosuke Kinugasa's ''A Page of Madness'' (1926). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Godzilla (film Series)
is a Japanese Monster movie, monster, or ''kaiju'', franchise centering on the Godzilla, titular character, a prehistoric reptilian monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. The films series are recognized by the ''Guinness World Records'' as the "longest continuously running film series", having been in ongoing production since 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. There are 38 ''Godzilla'' films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd., and five American films; one by TriStar Pictures and four films (part of the Monsterverse franchise) by Legendary Entertainment, Legendary Pictures. The original film, ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'', was directed by and co-written by Ishirō Honda and released by Toho in 1954. It became an influential classic of the genre. It featured political and social undertones relevant to Japan at the time. The 1954 film and its special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya are largely credited for establishin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Robo (tokusatsu)
, also known as ''Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot'' in the United States, is a manga and tokusatsu series created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. It is similar to Yokoyama's '' Tetsujin 28-go'' (known as '' Gigantor'' in the U.S.), but ''Giant Robo'' has more elements of fantasy. The original 26-episode tokusatsu TV series, produced by Toei Company, aired on NET (later renamed TV Asahi) from October 11, 1967 to April 1, 1968. Plot Earth is invaded by an interstellar terrorist group, Big Fire (the Gargoyle Gang in the American version), led by Emperor Guillotine. Guillotine spends most of his time in a multicolored space ship hidden at the bottom of Earth's ocean, from which he issues his orders. The group has been capturing scientists to create an army of monsters to help them conquer Earth. A boy named Daisaku Kusama (Johnny Sokko in the American version) and a young Unicorn peacekeeping agent named Jūrō Minami (Jerry Mano in the American version) are shipwrecked on an island after t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their powers to help the world become a better place, or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime. Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films, film serials, television and video games), as well as in Japanese media (including '' kamishibai'', '' tokusatsu'', manga, anime and video games). Superheroes come from a wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Some superheroes (for example, Batman and Iron Man) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use, while others (such as Superman and Spider-Man) possess non-human or superhuman biology or use and practice magic to ach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Sentai
The is a Japanese superhero team media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the '' tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorful special effects, and are aimed at children, teens and young adults. ''Super Sentai'' airs alongside the '' Kamen Rider'' series in the Super Hero Time programming block on Sunday mornings. In North America, the ''Super Sentai'' series is best known as the source material for the '' Power Rangers'' series. Series overview In every ''Super Sentai'' series, the protagonists are a team of people who – using either wrist-worn or hand-held devices – transform into superheroes and gain superpowers – color-coded uniforms, signature weapons, sidearms, and fighting skills – to battle a group of otherworldly supervillains that threaten to take over the Earth. In a typical episode, the heroes thwart the enemies' plans and defeat an army ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kyodai Hero
is a television subgenre in ''tokusatsu'' that involves Japanese superheroes or robots either with the ability to grow to immense heights to fight kaiju, giant monsters or who are originally giant as a part of their lives. The Kyodai Hero is the mainstream superhero genre that is widely popular in Japan. One of the earliest and most famous Kyodai heroes is Ultraman (character), Ultraman who made his debut in 1966. Since then, Ultraman has helped spawn the Kyodai hero genre with countless shows, franchises and films such as ''Ike! Godman, Go! Godman'' and ''Iron King''. 1960s The inception of the Kyodai hero genre initially began with Godzilla in the film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Godzilla is portrayed as a personified natural disaster at first but over the course of the film franchise's many monster battles, he is gradually put into the position of protector of the human race, a key Trope (literature), trope of the Kyodai Hero genre. Though Godzilla established the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metal Hero Series
The is a metaseries of tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toei for Japanese television. The protagonists of the ''Metal Hero Series'' are mainly space, military and police-based characters who are typically either androids, cyborgs, or humans wearing metallic armored suits. Henceforth, most of the Metal Heroes are also referenced as another example of the "Henshin (transforming) Heroes" genre. Usually, the genre revolves around a technological theme where technology, in the right hands, can be used for the greater good. The shows were produced by Toei from 1982 through 1999 in conjunction with their other Tokusatsu superhero shows, ''Kamen Rider'' and ''Super Sentai''. Initially only 1993 '' Janperson'' and the series released between 1985 and 1989 ('' Juspion'', '' Spielban'', '' Metalder'', '' Jiraiya'' and '' Jiban'') were considered part of the ''Metal Hero'' franchise while '' Gavan'', '' Sharivan'' and '' Shaider'' were part of the ''Space Sheriff'' franchise a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamen Rider Series
The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until '' Decade'' and except Thailand), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media usually revolves around the titular defined group of motorcycle-riding superheroes with an insect motif who fights supervillains, often known as . The franchise began in 1971 with the ''Kamen Rider'' television series, which followed college student Takeshi Hongo and his quest to defeat the world-conquering Shocker organization. The original series spawned television and film sequels and launched the Second Kaiju Boom (also known as the Henshin Boom) on Japanese television during the early 1970s, impacting the superhero and action-adventure genres in Japan. Bandai owns the toy rights to Kamen Rider in Japan and other Asian regions. Bandai Collectables, a subsidiary of Bandai Namco, distributes Kamen Rider merchandise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ultra Series
The , also known as ''Ultraman'', is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series ''Ultra Q'' in 1966. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, films, comic books, and other media publications, becoming one of the most prominent productions in the Japanese ''tokusatsu'' and ''kaiju'' genres and pioneering the Kyodai Hero, ''Kyodai'' Hero subgenre. The ''Ultraman'' series is centered on a fictional alien race of superheroes who often combat ''kaiju'' or other aliens. In Japan, the Ultraman brand generated $7.4 billion US dollars in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987. This makes it one of the List of highest-grossing media franchises, highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Ultraman was the world's third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia. References to Ultraman are abundant in Japanese popular culture, much like references to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction Film
Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses Speculative fiction, speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as Extraterrestrial life in fiction, extraterrestrial lifeforms, List of fictional spacecraft, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, Mutants in fiction, mutants, interstellar travel, time travel, or other technologies. Science fiction films have often been used to focus on politics, political or social issues, and to explore philosophical issues like the human condition. The genre has existed since the early years of silent cinema, when Georges Méliès' ''A Trip to the Moon'' (1902) employed Special effect, trick photography effects. The next major example (first in feature-length in the genre) was the film ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis'' (1927). From the 1930s to the 1950s, the genre consisted mainly of low-budget B movies. After Stanley Kubrick's landmark ''2001: A Space Odyssey (film), 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiju
is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' film genre by creating the ''Godzilla (franchise), Godzilla'' franchise and its spin-offs. The term can also refer to the monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other creatures. ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'' (1954) is often regarded as the first ''kaiju'' movie. When developing it, Honda and Tsuburaya drew inspiration from the character of King Kong, both in its influential King Kong (1933 film), 1933 film and in the conception of a giant monster, establishing it as a pivotal precursor in the evolution of the genre.King Kong’s influence on the giant monster genre: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * During their formative years, ''kaiju'' movies were generall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
