Non-traditional Toku Recommendations

[Toku Prime]

Isn't Hakaider by Keita Amamiya? And I think Mikazuki is too, right? I hope Hakaider is stand-alone- I mean, I'm gonna see Kikaider eventually, of course, but it'd be nice to be able to watch this without too much prior knowldge.

I haven't seen Mutant Girls Squad, but I have enjoyed some of Noboru Iguchi's other films, such as Robo-Geisha, Dead Sushi, and the aforementioned DENJIN ZABORGAR.

Hakaider and Mikazuki are both directed by Amemiya and written by Inoue. Hakaider is indeed a stand-alone film (specifically an AU where the title character is a protagonist rather than an antagonist). I've not seen any part of the Kikaider franchise other than this movie and I didn't feel like I was constantly missing references.

If you've already seen those kind of films, I'd actually throw The Machine Girl into the ring as well. It's less comedic than MGS or Zaborgar, but I probably prefer it to both of them.

 

[Black Fang]

Wow, everyone recommends Zubat! After researching it I can see why. The idea of a Japanese cowboy travelling around with a 'Zubasuit' hidden inside his guitar appeals to me to know end. I think I'll watch that after I finish watching Metalder.

I just finished Zubat today. It's a rather dour show, to be honest, but that's actually part of the fun. The villains are so cruel you can't wait to see Ken appear out of nowhere strumming his guitar and saving the day. People say Kamen Rider is Japan's Batman, but I think Zubat is Batman-esque too, and Ken himself is like a cowboy Bruce Wayne. (Many Riders may have sad origins like Bruce, but I haven't seen any that I think are really comparable to Bruce.)

And what's wrong with Sazer X?

It completely deviated from the tone of Gransazer and Justiriser and upped the wackiness factor tenfold. It admittedly had a good story, but making a fledging series so silly killed it for me.

And while I liked the Ryuseishin design-wise, their "godly" status got quite diminished compared to the Chouseishin and Genseishin, becoming just soulless tools of the heroes. With Gransazer and Justiriser I always got the feeling that there was more to the mechas than just that.

Plus the Sazer suits were ugly.

 

[Dessa]

I always forget that I'm in the minority around here, being a girl. That being said, what reminded me was the lack of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon recommendation. If you have a basic knowledge of the first season/manga arc, it's a retelling of that, but a) brought up-to-date with the times, and b) changing quite a bit to give it a unique story. Though I still prefer the manga as a whole, for the first arc, PGSM is the superior version for me.