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Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such technology but is sometimes dubbed a genre itself. The most popular 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; and mecha like ''Giant Robo (tokusatsu), Giant Robo'' and ''Super Robot Red Baron''. Some television programs combine several of these subgenres, for example the ''Ultra Series, Ultraman'' and ''Super Sentai'' series. is one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, but only a small proportion of films and television programs are widely known outside of Japan. Nevertheless, certain properties have attained popularity outside of Japan; ''Godzilla'' is featu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eiji Tsuburaya
was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ''Ultra'' series. During his rise to post-war fame in the wake of ''Godzilla'' (1954), it was widely reported that Tsuburaya was born on July 7, which is the high day of Tanabata (star festival), a sign of good fortune. Biography 1901–1919: Early life Tsuburaya was born on July 7, 1901, in Sukagawa, Iwase, Fukushima Prefecture (present-day Sukagawa, Fukushima), to a merchant family that manufactured malted rice. He was the first son of Isamu and Sei Tsumuraya, with a large extended family. He described his childhood as filled with "mixed emotions." When he was three, his mother died, at the age of 19, after giving birth to her second son. His father, who had been adopted into the family through marriage, subsequently left the family, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishirō Honda
was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda entered the Japanese film industry in 1934, working as the third assistant director on Sotoji Kimura's ''The Elderly Commoner's Life Study''. After 15 years of working on numerous films as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the short documentary film ''Ise-Shima'' (1949). Honda's first feature film, ''Aoi Shinju, The Blue Pearl'' (1952), was a critical success in Japan at the time and would lead him to direct three subsequent drama films. In 1954, Honda directed and co-wrote ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'', which became a box office success in Japan, and was nominated for two Japanese Movie Association awards. Because of the film's commercial success in Japan, it spawned a Godzilla (franchise), multimedia franchise, re ... [...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 human beings who don "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''. In addition to Japan, they are also popular in France, Brazil, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. During the 1990s, Saban Entertainment used some of the shows to produce programs similar to their ''Power Rangers'' series. Some of the ''Metal Hero Series'' even spawned such sequels which ... [...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 the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Robot Red Baron
is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from July 4, 1973, to March 27, 1974. It was produced by Nippon Gendai Kikaku and Senkosha Productions (Senko Planning). Its story was later retold in the anime ''Red Baron'' and it had a sequel titled ''Super Robot Mach Baron''. Plot The show is set in the early 21st century where the Iron Masked Party, led by Dr. Devilar, steals giant robots built all over the world from an exhibition and kidnap their creators to form a "Robot Empire". Scientist Kenichiro Kurenai, foreseeing his capture, turns over his own super robot, Red Baron, to his younger brother Ken Kureinai. Ken is a member of SSI (Secret Science Investigation), a highly skilled team of scientists that practice ninjitsu, and uses Red Baron to aid the team in their efforts to stop the Iron Masked Party from taking over the world. Later in the series, the Iron Masked Party is revealed to be an organization from Mars and led by the renegade super computer Garis Q and intends to des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ultra Series
''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman (character), Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman (1966 TV series), Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one of the most prominent ''tokusatsu'' superhero genre productions from Japan, along with the Toei Company, Toei-produced series ''Kamen Rider'', ''Super Sentai'' and the ''Metal Hero Series, Metal Heroes''. The series is also one of the most well-known examples of the ''kaiju'' genre, along with Toho's ''Godzilla'' series and Daiei Film's ''Gamera'' series. However, the series also falls into the Kyodai Hero, ''Kyodai'' Hero subgenre of ''tokusatsu'', a subgenre it also helped popularise. In Japan, the Ultraman brand generated in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987, equivalent to more than adjusted for inflation. Ultraman was the world's third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Effect
Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world. Special effects are traditionally divided into the categories of mechanical effects and optical effects. With the emergence of digital film-making a distinction between special effects and visual effects has grown, with the latter referring to digital post-production and optical effects, while "special effects" refers to mechanical effects. Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects) are usually accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized props, scenery, scale models, animatronics, pyrotechnics and atmospheric effects: creating physical wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds, making a car appear to drive by itself and blowing up a building, etc. Mechanical effects are also often inco ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suitmation
Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of realism. In contrast with prosthetic makeup, which is applied to an actor's skin, the wearer is not normally visible outside their movements controlling the costume, although in some cases, part of the wearer's body is still visible (such as in the case of mermaids or other half-human monsters). History Creature suits have been used since before movies were invented. As part of his circus sideshow in London in 1846, P. T. Barnum had an actor wearing a fur suit of an "ape-man", and continued to dress actors in similar costumes as attractions. They were used starting from the early days of film as practical effects, to represent animals that were too prohibitive to train or use, such as gorillas. Some films even tried to pass off costumes as rea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Sentai
is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The shows are of the ''tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorful special effects, and are aimed at children. ''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 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 her ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamera
is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. Debuting in the 1965 film ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'', the character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's ''Godzilla'' film series. Since then, Gamera has become a Japanese icon in his own right, appearing in a total of 12 films produced by Daiei Film and later Kadokawa Daiei Studio, and various media. Gamera is depicted as a giant, fire-breathing, prehistoric turtle monster, mutated by exposure to nuclear weapons. In the first film, Gamera is portrayed as aggressive and destructive, though he also saves a child. As the films progressed, Gamera took on a more benevolent role, becoming a protector of humanity, and especially children, from extraterrestrial races and other giant monsters. To date, ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'' is the only film to be released theatrically in the United States; however, it was heavily localized and retitled ''Gammera the Invin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her 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 study and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Zatanna and Doctor Strange ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film ''Godzilla'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature; Godzilla, for example, serves as a metaphor for nuclear weapons, reflecting the fears of post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Gamera. Etymology The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''Classic of Mountains and Seas''. After ''sakoku'' had ended and Japan was opened to for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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