What is Tokusatsu: A Fact Based Definition

[MechaGolem]

A few days ago I posted a lengthy comment in the HJU thread "Is Ninja Turtles: TNM considered a Toku show?" dealing with the question of what exactly Tokusatsu is. Unfortunately the internet appears to have eaten that post as it was never published much to my chagrin. Now having the free time to come back to the topic I see that people appear to be done that particular thread so I'm starting a new one designed to address the same issue in a much more succinct fashion.

This is a subject I feel strongly about since I believe that definition do matter and that the term "Tokusatsu" is both widely misunderstood and abused by its own western based fandom.

It is my contention that like the terms "anime" and "manga", "tokusatsu" should be understood as a distinct Japanese medium of storytelling. In this case involving a specific aesthetic philosophy with regard to SFX technology.

Often in discussions I've seen regarding the issue of "What is Tokusatsu?" one of the central issues seems to be the dilemma as to whether "Tokusatsu" should be understood as referring only to Japanese made SFX productions or if it can (and even more importantly "should") be used as a broader term encompassing any and all SFX productions regardless of country of origin. Supporters of the later POV often use the argument that "tokusatsu" is simply a generic Japanese word meaning "SFX" with no distinct cultural markers.

However, this later view is simply not true.

Part of the problem at hand is that people seem to be lacking a solid definition for the term "tokusatsu" from an authoritative source. In hopes of remedying that problem here is such a definition curtsey of Japanese scholar Hirofumi Katsuno of Doshisha University via his 2006 essay "Kikaida Forever!" on the classic Toei tokusatsu series Kikaida:

“Although tokusatsu literally means “special effects,” it is generally used to refer to live-action cinema or TV show kaiju (monsters, such as Godzilla and Gamera), henshin (transforming superheroes such as Kamen [Masked] Rider and Kikaida), and sentai (battle team shows such as Go Ranger or Battle Fever J). Subgenres include robotto (robot) fantasy series (e.g., Robocon) and metaru (metal) heroes (e.g., Space Sheriff Gavan and Galaxy Wolf Juspion).”

As one can see, though Katsuno notes that "tokusatsu" has a generic meaning ("special effects") it nevertheless has a "general" culturally specific context and Katsuno limits the shows and films he includes under this nomenclature only to those produced in Japan including such familiar sub-genres as Kaiju Eiga, Henshin Heroes, Sentai and Metal Heroes.

More recently acclaimed director Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) teamed up with longtime creative partner Shinji Higuchi (Gamera) to curate a special tokusatsu exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. In a special guide book produced for the exhibit Anno described tokusatsu as a uniquely Japanese form of SFX “craftsmanship” which is decidedly “distinct from VFX or CG" used in Hollywood productions.

In a July 2012 interview with the Japanese newspaper Front Runner Anno elaborated on this noting that “CG doesn't produce the feeling of presence where you are looking at something there without mediation. A miniature is something that is actually there, so that even as an image on a screen it produces a feeling of presence. I think that human perception actually grasps this difference.... I think that, even more than anime, Japan should first of all be proud of Godzilla."

Anno's distinction between Japanese tokusatsu and Hollywood VFX is a point I feel is worth drawing out.

Often the assumption amongst western viewers as to why Japanese tokusatsu productions look the way they do with their emphasis on rubber suits, miniatures and CG that - when employed - is never quite as photo-realistic as what one would see in an American production is that the Japanese lack the monetary funds necessary for SFX more on par with those seen in the west.

Again this is simply not the case. Rather the difference in Japanese tokusatsu SFXs comes down to a difference in aesthetic philosophy.

As noted Japanese film critic and historian Donald Ritchie points out in his book A Hundred Years of Japanese Film (2nd Ed. 2012) Japanese art embraces what he calls a “presentational” aesthetic while western art embraces a “representational” one. The difference is that “representational” art aims to represent, or recreate, reality as we know it on the screen, so as to fool the audience, as it is, into believing what they are seeing is real, even if it’s a giant monster or the destruction of an iconic city they know full well is still standing. In contrast, art which is “presentational” aims to present, or create, a reality rather than try to recreate our own.

Pop-culture critic Erik Davis likewise agrees with Ritchie’s assessment and in his 1994 article Half Japanese (which deals with the Power Rangers) addresses how this difference between the Japanese and western definitions of realism has affected the development of tokusatsu in particular. Davis writes...

“Even more subtly, the low-budget quality of the Dinozord and Megazord special effects is a ritualized repetition of the Japanese tradition established decades ago by Godzilla…. Unlike America's reigning media ideology, which holds that ‘good’ effects--like Terminator 2's morphing--are simulacra dependent on the latest technological developments, the Power Rangers present an old-fashioned, tacky futurism that is sufficient unto itself.”

The idea of SFX which are “sufficient unto themselves” may seem like a strange idea to many westerns, but it makes perfect sense with couched within the idea of Japanese art as "presentational." Rather then needing to look photo-realistic the suits and miniatures which populate the worlds of Japanese tokusatsu productions simply need to be sufficient examples of what they are; i.e. suits and miniatures.

Japanese author and actor Shiro Sano (Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack [2001]) puts it even more frankly in his discussion of the topic: "Realism is not the point. It's about style; it's about mood."

It is this uniquely Japanese artistic ideology that I feel comprises the heart of the tokusatsu medium and is essential to understanding it.

Hopefully as I have endeavored to show the terminology of Tokusatsu has a specific cultural identity which needs to be better understood by the fandom at large if we hope to communicate to others outside it what exactly it is and why we love it.

It should also hopefully help put an end to endless abuse of the term Tokusatsu in reference to such non-Japanese SFX productions as Star Trek, Star Wars, Hollywood superhero movies, etc...

As far as shows like Power Rangers or films like the King Bros 1961 faux-kaiju movie GORGO are concerned, I would maintain that these things are also not Tokusatsu despite their attempt to imitate the medium. At best they could perhaps be thought of as psudeo-tokusatsu productions instead.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

I'm not sure how calling things like Power Rangers, or heck, even Star Trek and Doctor Who, all shows that have relied on practical effects for the majority of their existence, is abusing the term. And there are instances of those shows doing the term justice. The original opening sequence to Deep Space Nine is beautiful and composed almost entirely of miniatures, as were some other really cool shots in the shows.

I can see how, much like the word "anime" it's come to mean something different to audiences that what it was initially describing though. It just strikes me as one of those things that isn't worth arguing either side of to any great extent because it is a word that's taken on various different meaning thanks to those people who stick to the literal definition and those who see it as something else. Japan's special effects film industry isn't the only one in the world that still uses miniatures and practical effects, even if it is the one that relies upon it heavily and takes them to a level other countries chose to ignore.

In my mind, tokusatsu is just...tokusatsu, I equate it to saying "special effects heavy,". Since special effects isn't a term limited to meaning practical or CGI effects, it's a nice enough term that covers most, if not all shows I like to talk about.

 

[KingRanger]

It is my contention that like the terms "anime" and "manga", "tokusatsu" should be understood as a distinct Japanese medium of storytelling. In this case involving a specific aesthetic philosophy with regard to SFX technology.

It should also hopefully help put an end to endless abuse of the term Tokusatsu in reference to such non-Japanese SFX productions as Star Trek, Star Wars, Hollywood superhero movies, etc...

As far as shows like Power Rangers or films like the King Bros 1961 faux-kaiju movie GORGO are concerned, I would maintain that these things are also not Tokusatsu despite their attempt to imitate the medium. At best they could perhaps be thought of as psudeo-tokusatsu productions instead.

1. The Japanese would disagree.

2. That is just rather stupid. Telling people that the way they use a word is abuse. I mean you lable this thread as "fact based" but there are really no facts being used. You have just gone on about your own personal opinion. I mean that is fine and all, but where do you come off telling people they are abusing a word?

3. It's good you maintain your opinion, but many other people can and will disagree.

 

[MechaGolem]

I'm not sure you read anything I wrote....

1. The Japanese would disagree.

Well apparently not since the bulk of the primary sources I cited - Hirofumi Katsuno, Hideaki Anno, Shiro Sano - are Japanese or are western scholars - like Donald Ritchie - who have spent their entire careers studying Japanese culture and they all maintain that "Tokusatsu" should be understood as something culturally distinct and separate from non-Japanese forms of SFX.

2. That is just rather stupid. Telling people that the way they use a word is abuse. I mean you lable this thread as "fact based" but there are really no facts being used. You have just gone on about your own personal opinion. I mean that is fine and all, but where do you come off telling people they are abusing a word?

Those sources mentioned above, by the way, are my facts. None of them are my opinion. If I have an opinion about how one should define and use the term Tokusatsu it is because of those facts. So your contention that I cited no facts is simply untrue.

As far as your claim that one cannot tell another they are abusing a word, I simply disagree. While it is certainly true that many words are polysemic in nature there are nevertheless limitations. Literary philosopher William Irwin has made the argument that one strays into the realm of semiotic abuse when one uses the term "Coca-cola" to refer to "Bleach" which is obviously dangerous as it may lead to confusion by which one might imbibe bleach or try to whiten their clothes with coke. Therefor one has an obligation to make sure that words are being used responsibly both by oneself and others.

Obviously disagreements over the meaning of the term "Tokusatsu" are nowhere near as serious as issues involving people consuming cleaning chemicals because they were mislabeled as soda, but all things are relative and I think that within the fandom the clarification as to meaning of such foundational terms is very important.

3. It's good you maintain your opinion, but many other people can and will disagree.

Obviously people will disagree and are free to. However I don't believe people are free to be wrong especially in the face of hard facts.

 

[KingRanger]

Obviously people will disagree and are free to. However I don't believe people are free to be wrong especially in the face of hard facts.

You let us know when you state any facts. Until then I am out of this thread. It's just a repeat of the other. People giving an opinion. Others giving counter opinions. Then some one saying what they think is fact etc.

 

[LaZerwolfX]

MechaGolem I'd like to buy you a beer. :thumbs:

 

[MechaGolem]

I'm not sure how calling things like Power Rangers, or heck, even Star Trek and Doctor Who, all shows that have relied on practical effects for the majority of their existence, is abusing the term. And there are instances of those shows doing the term justice. The original opening sequence to Deep Space Nine is beautiful and composed almost entirely of miniatures, as were some other really cool shots in the shows.

I can see how, much like the word "anime" it's come to mean something different to audiences that what it was initially describing though. It just strikes me as one of those things that isn't worth arguing either side of to any great extent because it is a word that's taken on various different meaning thanks to those people who stick to the literal definition and those who see it as something else. Japan's special effects film industry isn't the only one in the world that still uses miniatures and practical effects, even if it is the one that relies upon it heavily and takes them to a level other countries chose to ignore.

In my mind, tokusatsu is just...tokusatsu, I equate it to saying "special effects heavy,". Since special effects isn't a term limited to meaning practical or CGI effects, it's a nice enough term that covers most, if not all shows I like to talk about.

Aoi, this isn't just about Practical Effects vs. CGI but rather the underlying philosophy behind the application of such SFX.

Obviously there have been a great many non-Japanese shows and films that have used practical SFX work, I mean they pretty much had to before the invention of CGI. However the only reason the 1981 CLASH OF THE TITANS was made using stop-motion animation is because that was seen as the best SFX technology available at the time when it came to replicating realism on the silver screen. When they remade CLASH OF THE TITANS in 2010 they didn't stick with stop-motion but went with CGI because, as Erik Davis notes, the "reigning media ideology" said that CGI was more realistic in the year 2010.

When modern day SFX artists talk about old school practical SFX what you usually get is something along the lines of how the SFX artists of yesteryear did the best they could do with what they had, the implication being that the technology available today is unquestionably superior.

Now contrast that with this quote from tokusatsu director Yuichi Kikuchi (GMK [2001], Godzilla X MechaGodzilla [2002], Ultraman: The Next & Ultraman Nexus [2004]) when asked why the Japanese still use suitimation instead of CGI for their films....

“The reason we continue to use costumes instead of going for full CG like they do in America is because the first Japanese giant monster, Godzilla, was done that way. It’s a kind of part of Japanese culture.”

Again Kikuchi's comment sets up a clear dichotomy between Japanese Tokusatsu and American Hollywood SFX. It also indicates a level of respect for one's artistic forefathers not seen in the Hollywood SFX industry. Film makers like Peter Jackson may talk all day about how the stop-motion work of the late Ray Harryhausen paved the way for their SFX heavy sci-fi and fantasy films, but Jackson didn't shoot LORD OF THE RINGS with stop-motion because Harryhausen did, while Kikuchi fully admits that the reason why he and his colleagues still use suitimation is because that is what Eiji Tsuburaya - the "God of Tokusatsu" - used when filming the original GODZILLA and Ultraman TV series.

As I hope is evident there is a completely different way of thinking about art in general and film in particular going on here.

As you allude in your second paragraph the Hollywood SFX industry has all but put the practical SFX industry out of business because those kinds of SFX are seen as being out of date and not realistic enough for modern audiences. But in Japan the practical SFX industry is still going strong because the aesthetic and cultural sensibilities there are different and representational realism is not an overriding concern for either SFX artists or movie and TV audiences. In fact, as Anno noted there is actually a preference for practical SFX because they are seen as being more real.

 

[MechaGolem]

You let us know when you state any facts. Until then I am out of this thread. It's just a repeat of the other. People giving an opinion. Others giving counter opinions. Then some one saying what they think is fact etc.

King, is deference to your objections if you would like to state exactly what kind of facts you are looking for I will be more then happy to try and accommodate.

 

[spamac]

That was a good read. There was some parts that I agree and some that I don't, but your post expanded my knowledge nonetheless.

So from what I understand, you're trying to prove and make a point that the term "tokusatsu" is and should be only about products from Japan, thus those that uses similar techniques like Gorgo or even one that is made up with 50% of Japanese footage ie Power Rangers are not Tokusatsu ? And the SFX shows from Western countries like Doctor Who, Star Trek or Terminator, etc. are not ?

Frankly speaking, the term "Tokusatsu" is not a define term. It was created by the press back in 1958 to call movies like Godzilla and other kaijuu, Japanese sci-fi, special effects at that time. Even the definition of the word still contains many contradiction because from the start, it is not the name for a movie genre ie horror or romantic comedy. From the beginning it was just a term used by the Japanese press to easily call sci-fi movies at that time, nothing more, nothing less. What I'm trying to say is to clearly define which movie should be typed as Tokusatsu is kind of a tiring and useless job, 'cause it's not a genre in the first place.

However, I agree with you about how important the technique, cinematic effect is in Tokusatsu. If there's a unique essence about Tokusatsu, it must be about the technique the Japanese people use in their movies. The miniature, suitmation, the explosion and camera angles, etc. But hey, if any movies that heavily use special effects can be called Tokusatsu then even in Japan there would be a bunch of movies like that, let alone the entire world. Besides, tv dramas like Super Sentai Series and Kamen Rider don't use that much of special effects unlike those cinematic released films so consider special effect as a standard to define Tokusatsu wouldn't give satisfying results either.

On the other hands, if we type Japanese super hero movies and Kaijuu as the pure and true Tokusatsu then we would leave out many other films which don't have those characters but have enough traits to be considered as Tokusatsu, such as Tokyo Sinks. Even though this method would narrow down what Tokusatsu is, it still has a lot of weakness.

All in all, I agree with you about the importance of technique in Tokusatsu, but to clearly define the meaning of Tokusatsu, imho it is impossible when even the term itself originally doesn't have a solid meaning. So in conclusion, I say sure, we know Sentai and Kamen Rider and Ultraman and other Tokusatsu Heroes as...Tokusatsu, but then Power Rangers, Big Bad Beetleborgs, maybe even The Avengers, Doctor Who, etc. could be considered as Tokusatsu. It is a free term, even the Japanese themselves don't even know the term exists let alone define its meaning. If there's any reasons other programs can not be specified as Tokusatsu, it is because they're not Japanese enough and that is so racist lol.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

As you allude in your second paragraph the Hollywood SFX industry has all but put the practical SFX industry out of business because those kinds of SFX are seen as being out of date and not realistic enough for modern audiences. But in Japan the practical SFX industry is still going strong because the aesthetic and cultural sensibilities there are different and representational realism is not an overriding concern for either SFX artists or movie and TV audiences. In fact, as Anno noted there is actually a preference for practical SFX because they are seen as being more real.

I wouldn't say it's "going strong" even though it's what you mostly see. I know that as far (recent? I dunno) back as Final Wars, Ryuhei Kitamura had to deal with the idea of making Godzilla CGI. That was one of the reasons he didn't want to take on the project at first. He was under the impression that, even in Japan, the use of practical effects is only really appreciated by film buffs and people who work on films. This is a quote of his from an old issue of Otaku USA in 2007:

"When they first asked me to do Godzilla, I said the same thing I did with Midnight Meat Train, "Why me?" I told them, "Sorry, but I'm an honest man. I don't go see Godzilla movies anymore. They were great back in the day, but after the 80s, they're all ****. You guys forget to update and you just keep doing the same thing again and again. And now even kids don't want to go. They've seen The Matrix and Lord of the Rings. You can't fool them. Of course it looks like a man in a suit! You shoot everything with that bright light! Why can't you just shoot it more like a Matrix kind of thing? I'm sorry if that's the direction you guys want to stay in, but I have to tell you that I don't like it. I never say to my girlfriends, 'Hey, let's go check out the new Godzilla movie.' But if you ask me, that's the kind of movie I want to make. I want guys 17-20 to say to their girlfriends, 'Hey, this time Godzilla looks cool. Let's check it out.'" "

Little by little, I think that deference to tradition and the supposed culture attached to it is going to fade away because American films do have the global and influential reach. There's always the ideal that the American market and imitation of it and its films is something to be striven for in the Japanese film industry. (that debacle with the recent Space Battleship Yamato comes to mind) Anno is very close to the medium, and as much weight as what he says might have, he's not going to be the most objective person in the world regarding the subject.