The Lesser-Known Toku Discussion Thread

[SamuraiEchidna]

Wow. Three pages in, and no one has mentioned the short Tokusatsu one-shot movie called Specter.

 

[Bigdog]

You guys need to stop what you're doing and get your hands on the Daimajin trilogy. You can pick up all three movies on Blu-ray for $10. They are totally worth it. Daimajin normally doesn't show up until the last fifteen minutes of the movie or so, but, boy, is the wait worth it! Unlike some of the earlier kaiju stuff, Daimajin's special effects are about quality rather than quantity. For its time, and even now IMO, it boasts some awesome effects.

Each movie has a strong story with believable characters. Most plotlines are similar in that some evil, greedy ruler is exploiting innocent people and thumbing his nose at the mountain god, whom the villagers revere but the ruler has no belief in whatsoever. They actually play out very similarly to samurai films...but with a sprinkle of kaiju destruction! My personal favorite of the trio is the second film.

I got it, and luckily my dad got one for us for Christmas so it was a no brainer and on time. Now I need to make time to watch it. :laugh: I am tempted to repurchase Gojira from Criterion, now if they had the others in HD....:castlerock:

 

[MattComix]

We've reviewed the Daimajin movies on our podcast as a warm-up for Kanon which we plan to do very soon. Really all 3 were a pleasure to watch but I think I'd have to go with the second one as my favorite even though the first is probably the most pure version of the idea.

 

[Toku Prime]

Wow. Three pages in, and no one has mentioned the short Tokusatsu one-shot movie called Specter.

Because...I've never heard of it. Tell me more!

Oh, and has anybody ever seen 'Tekkouki Mikzauki'? I can't find out anything about it really except each "episode" is about 75 minutes long.

 

[MattComix]

Because...I've never heard of it. Tell me more!

Oh, and has anybody ever seen 'Tekkouki Mikzauki'? I can't find out anything about it really except each "episode" is about 75 minutes long.

You mean Mikazuki? It's been a long while since I saw it and I can't quite remember if I finished it or not. Still though if anybody ever wondered what it would be like if the creator of Garo did a mecha show, there ya go.

 

[Shougo B'Stard]

Mikazuki's been on my list of shows to check out, even though it's about mecha -- it's an Inoue-penned series falling between Changerion and Agito, so maybe it's good. Also, I read that Shinji Kasahara's in it.

 

[Mr G]

Wow. Three pages in, and no one has mentioned the short Tokusatsu one-shot movie called Specter.

I've never heard of Specter either. What's it all about?

Because...I've never heard of it. Tell me more!

Oh, and has anybody ever seen 'Tekkouki Mikzauki'? I can't find out anything about it really except each "episode" is about 75 minutes long.

I've never seen Tekkouki Mikzauki, but I thought it looked interesting.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

Specter was subbed, if I am not mistaken, by the now deceased fansub group Elite Justice Fansubs. Good luck trying to find it on the net after all this time. It came out somewhere between 2005-2008.

It wasn't too bad, honestly. Felt like I was watching a premise for a first-person shooter or something. It had a very western appeal to it, which makes it even weirder that it wasn't picked up for an American release by Media Blasters or something.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

It also starred TimeRed's actor and Smart Lady's actress...not that she's the bigger draw between the two. It's a pretty fun one off movie, I guess it never lead to anything more though.

 

[Mr G]

Does anyone know anything about Gigazeus? It seems to be some sort of toku comedy, but I can't find any English information on the series.