Of course, this number is inflated quite a bit by Kamen Rider and Super Sentai. 31 of the 47 shows I've finished belong to those two franchises, and another 9 belong to Ultraman. Still, that's a lot of superhero action for one mind to comprehend.
Naturally, there are many MANY people out there who have watched far more tokusatsu than I have. I relegate myself to whatever is available subbed, I know quite a few who know Japanese well enough that they can watch just about anything. There are also others who have higher tolerance of HK subs, so they can watch shows I would love to sit down and marathon like Kamen Rider Black RX and Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger (even if they do get stuck with translation gems such as "Black Superman RX").
I bring this up because I've just finished my 46th and 47th tokusatsu shows. Of course, both of them are Super Sentai: Hikari Sentai Maskman and Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. So it's gotten me thinking: what shows among the ones I'm currently watching will have the honors of being #50? Will it be:
-Engine Sentai Go-Onger: Maybe if I had watched this show back when it aired, it'd be a distant memory. But no, I live this nightmare now. It would suck if this became my half-century tokusatsu since I'd like it to at least be a series I enjoy.
-Inazuman: I've been watching this fun little '70s toku series recently (thank you, Generation Kikaida and JN Productions) and it's certainly colorful. The scale is impressive and Ban Daisuke is charming as usual, but the story's as basic as they come. A solid "turn your brain off and relax" tokusatsu, but I doubt it'll be the 50th show I finish. I'm already up to episode 10 and the show (at least the first season) is only 25 episodes. Speaking of which, if anyone who knows anyone at Generation Kikaida reads this, Inazuman Flash would look great in my collection should it get picked up for R1 release. Just saying...
-Kaiketsu Zubat: Is it formulaic? Yes. Is it campy? Of course. Is it deep? No, not really. But this show is absolutely nothing short of entertaining. Hiroshi Miyauchi is endlessly charismatic in the lead role, plus it's a FUN formula. A different type of tokusatsu series for sure, but it keeps drawing you in. One of the best '70s tokusatsu series I've seen yet, I just hope it holds up for the last 20 episodes.
-Daimajin Kanon: It's from many members of the production staff behind two of the best Heisei Rider shows (Kamen Rider Kuuga and the first 30 episodes of Kamen Rider Hibiki), features impressive special effects and some solid acting. But I'm up to episode 8 and it feels like nothing's happening. Kanon is sympathetic, but her actress isn't very impressive and the fight scenes in almost every episode feel like an afterthought at times. It's hard to get into this series, which is why I haven't watched an episode in months. I should probably change that.
-Kamen Rider Gaim: Extremely unlikely to be my 50th unless I stop watching some of those shows for the next 8 months but I say it's still in the running. Gaim has so far met all expectations I had. It has solid characters, awesome action, a storyline that keeps you coming back for more, and has actually made me excited to see Riders and forms introduced every week for the first time since Kabuto (until that show completely dropped all the balls it was juggling). This would be a very fitting #50 since my very first finished toku series was none other than Kamen Rider 555, a show that Gaim borrows a few elements from.
If anyone who reads this would like to share their thoughts about tokusatsu they're currently watching, feel free to in the comments below! I might do a quick dual-review of Maskman and Kyoryuger later this week, plus I want to get a few thoughts about the upcoming Heisei Riders Vs. Showa Riders: Kamen Rider War feat. Super Sentai that have been gestating for quite a while out of my system. So look forward to it!
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