It occurred to me a few weeks ago that talking tokusatsu is all well and good but what would be the best places to start for the uninitiated? Granted, I’m sure everyone has seen a Godzilla movie but the likes of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Garo and Ultraman are completely different beasts. Except maybe Ultraman… That’s pretty close to Godzilla.

So what kind of toku is suitable for newbies? Naturally, it depends on individual taste and thanks to nearly all of them being around for around 50 years, most franchises have more than one series that should appeal to you but for the sake of an article, here are my personal choices on the easiest toku to get into for noobs.

Kicking off with one of my top five Kamen Rider series; Kamen Rider Fourze. If you remember the article I previously wrote, you’ll remember that while its mostly presented as a kids show, it actually has a lot of valuable morals and stories to tell, especially for a young teenage audience. It has that fantastic distinction of being a fun kids show at heart but is unafraid to play with morality tropes and tell the kind of high school redemption stories we all love.

The enthusiastic protagonist is also such an endearing goof that you’ll love him in no time, much like the rest of the cast who are equally great to watch. If you want a space-fuelled adventure that dips its toes into adult themes, then this is the series for you!

On the other end of the spectrum, with a newer show that I covered earlier this year and another of my Top 5 Rider shows… Kamen Rider Amazons. This is a deeply flawed show, sadly, that was an exclusive to Amazon Prime Japan. This choice is more based on people maybe remembering the Guyver movies of the early 90’s or who have a fondness of Marvel’s Netflix shows. It’s a darker tale that is a nice contrast to the positivity of Fourze and is a much shorter watch at just 13 episodes.

When it comes to Super Sentai, there’s a common misconception that it will be of the same ‘quality’ as its adaptation, Power Rangers, and while there are cases like that, there are twice as many that aren’t and to showcase the best Super Sentai has to offer I recommend watching Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger!

Gokaiger is the 35th Anniversary series and is an unabashed celebration of the franchise up to that point and the best part about it? The Gokaigers aren’t even good guys! They are literally pirates who steal the powers of previous Sentai in pursuit of a grand treasure. It’s an absolute blast and a loving tribute to the franchise’s long history.

Now, since I’ve little to no experience with the two other big TV toku franchises, I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of Josh from CollectionDX and Alex from My Shiny Toy Robots. Take it away, boys!

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Ultraman X is a really solid place to start in terms of the Ultraman franchise. It carries the spirit of the original, easy to follow on its own and has some cameos from other Ultras should you feel like checking more out afterward. It’s definitely worth mentioning that Ultraman is pretty much the godfather of henshin heroes. He might not be the first or the most prominent any more, but I’d definitely go as far to say he’s probably the most iconic in Japan. The show really puts an emphasis on craft, with both the miniatures and suits a cut above what you see in other toku shows.

Personally, I’d say the real best place to start is definitely the original series (and with it so cheap on Amazon, there’s really no reason not to), but with a pretty sizeable back-catalogue on Crunchyroll now newcomers will be perfectly fine jumping in on any that take their fancy. Some will have crossovers with older Ultras, but it’s never done in a way that requires background knowledge beforehand so you can effectively jump in anywhere.

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“Where there is light, shadows lurk and fear reigns. Yet by the blade of Knights mankind was given hope.”

If the above quote sounds super weird and/or interesting, then you might be into Garo. Garo is the story of a bunch of dudes called Makai Knights who fight monsters called Horrors. In a nutshell, Horrors are from another dimension called the Makai, and can be born in our world from the malevolence of humans. At this point, there are three distinct timelines for Garo: the original, the anime, and Ryuga’s timeline.

The original, main timeline consists of the three series (1, 2 & 4), two movies and several TV specials. If that seems convoluted, don’t worry. After a single season of the show every single one of those things will make sense. This timeline is all about Kouga, the Golden Knight Garo. Well, at least in seasons 1 and 2. And two of the movies. In season 4, the story shifts and follows his son, Raiga, who has inherited the title of Garo. Season 4 is amazing.

The anime timeline is stupid and garbage. Don’t watch.

The Ryuga timeline consists of two more seasons (3 & 5) as well as the Goldstorm movie. The entire existence of the Ryuga timeline is confusing and incredibly offputting for some people. However, if you are well-versed in the lore already, the deviations make sense and the shows and movie are ridiculously fun. Just watch Ryuga’s transformation from the first episode of Season 3. You’ll get what I’m saying.

If any of what I said interests you, you should watch Garo. If nothing that I said interests you, you should definitely watch Garo. Now’s the best time, too, since the first season is being broadcast in an HD Remastered version (since the original came out in 2005 and is a bit dated).

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A massive, massive thank you to both Alex and Josh for the opinions of Ultraman and Garo, respectively, and for contributing to this article since I don’t know dick about those shows so this is a learning experience for me too! Please go check out their respective sites and follow them! If any of these shows have peaked your interest, there are certain avenues you can find to watch them subbed if you look so I’ll leave the choice to you and I’ll see you all next Toku Tuesday!

Last time I covered Japan’s attempt to adapt a western property but for most of the 90’s, the reverse was much more prevalent. Haim Saban’s adaptation of Super Sentai into the long-lasting Power Rangers franchise but, being the media mogul that he was, he didn’t stop there and others even attempted to steal the formula for themselves. This is going to be a brief history of the rise and fall of tokusatsu adaptations in the west.

Naturally, emboldened by the success of Power Rangers, Saban was quick to rush another series into production. Capitalising on the early 90’s fascination with the emerging VR technology (oh, how times have changed), Saban created a team of teenagers using footage from three separate Metal Hero shows to create VR Troopers.

The show proved successful at the time but pulling footage from Space Sheriff Shaider, Superhuman Machine Metalder and Dimensional Warrior Spielban proved exhaustive and soon they ran out of footage to use. VR Troopers ran for 92 episodes before going offline.

All was not lost on the toku-hero-in-cyberspace front though as Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad was in development at the same time, a venture between Tsuburaya Productions (the studio behind Ultraman), Playmates Toys and DIC Entertainment to adapt Denkou Choujin Gridman for western audiences.

I’ll be honest; I never even heard of this show growing up, as my entire world was dominated by Saban’s shows, but from finding clips on YouTube I can see that this was a quick and cheap production. Clearly it was born out of the rapidly exploding toku adaptation genre and it only lasted 53 episodes.

The next show to appear spun directly out of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and was the truly atrocious Masked Rider. Masked Ri-DURR, an adaptation of Kamen Rider Black RX, appeared in the three-part MMPR Season 3 opener, ‘A Friend in Need’.

As soon as Arnold Rimmer look-a-like Prince Dex made the jump to his own show, however, no further mention of the Rangers are ever made and the show became a bumbling ‘comedic’ mess. Masked Rider ran for 40 episodes and left a legacy that is both depressing and uplifting as no one would attempt bringing another Kamen Rider show to our screens for another 14 years but most of Masked Rider’s background music was later used in Digimon Season 1-3 and Digimon: The Movie.

Once Masked Rider was done, Saban didn’t rest on his laurels for long and put out Big Bad Beetleborgs. Adapted from the Metal Hero series Juukou B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto, Beetleborgs was focused on a younger audience and was heavily merchandise-driven thanks to plot being about kids who becoming popular comic book characters.

Much like VR Troopers, Beetleborgs suffered thanks to a lack of footage and ended after 88 episodes. Out of all the non-PR shows Saban did, I think Beetleborgs was my favourite growing up, even if it was the silliest of the bunch — often having Batman ‘66 comic book effects to cover more violent scenes or having the Jay Leno-esque Flabber as the source of their powers.

After Beetleborgs had ended and with Power Rangers still the juggernaut franchise, Saban went a different route and produced a wholly original tokusatsu for the west based on Irish mythology but that’s a story for another time as it’s not an adaptation.

Earlier I said it would take 14 years for someone other than Saban to bring Kamen Rider to the west but in 2009, Adness Entertainmint adapted Kamen Rider Ryuki for the CW Network as Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.

The reason why the team chose Ryuki was that the series had 13 Riders in total (one of which was the first female Kamen Rider in the franchise’s history) and had lots of marketability. However, due to the Bandai toyline’s failure and flagging ratings, the show was pulled before the final two episodes could air, though CW was nice enough to air them online.

Even though the show had critical success (even winning a Daytime Emmy in 2010) and seeing DVD releases in Europe, South America, Mexico and East Asia (even a Japanese Dub!); Adness did not release it in the US and the plans for a feature length movie, a second season or even an adaptation of another Kamen Rider series have not come to pass.

Hell, 7 years have passed since and Adness Entertainment are more interested in Kpop and Korean fashion if their website is any indication so more Kamen Rider from them is highly unlikely.

As of 2016, Power Rangers is still going strong after 22 years while all the others I’ve talked about above have faded into obscurity and nostalgia so what does that mean for tokusatsu adaptation in the west? Regrettably, it seems that we’re unlikely to see more adaptations in the future and that’s just sad in this humble reviewers opinion. Personally, I have a ton of ideas how some of the newer Heisei-era Kamen Rider shows could be adapted but in the current climate of television production; would they succeed?

A question for the comments, perhaps but for now, thank you for reading this little retrospective and I’ll catch you all next Toku Tuesday!

Yes, dear readers, your eyes do not deceive you! I’m covering Marvel’s friendly neighbourhood web-slinger in my article series about the wacky programs from Japan but why would I do that?

Well, gather round tomodachi because Sharp-O-dono is about to school you on the Iron Cross killer; the man who sheds tears for children without homes! The destroyer of mushrooms; a man moved by the dog whistle! The emissary of hell, himself — Spider-Man!

Yeaaaaaaaaah, buddy! We’re balls-deep in the late 70’s! It’s the Japanese Spider-Man! While Nicholas Hammond was playing Parker States-side, the Toei Company were creating their own adaptation of the wall-crawler thanks to a three-year licensing agreement with Marvel that allowed both to use each other’s properties in any way they wanted. Sadly, this did not result in Kamen Rider V3 punching Doctor Doom but what a world that would be!

Naturally, being adapted for a Japanese audience, the Spider-Man of this series is Japanese but stays faithful to the origin. Tell me if this sounds familiar…

Takuya Yamashiro, youthful motorcycle rider, witnesses the crash of the extraterrestrial warship ‘The Marveller’ and follows his father to the crash-site. After his father is murdered, Takuya discovers Garia: the last son of Planet Spider. Granted the powers of a spider thanks to a blood transfusion from Garia and given control of the Marveller via use of the Spider Bracelet, Takuya now defends Earth from Professor Monster and the Iron Cross army as… Spider-Man!

See? It’s the same, tired, old origin stor—what? Alright so it has nothing to do with the source material barring the same costume and an assortment of powers but let’s face it; this origin would make Spider-Man: Homecoming even more distinct from the previous movies.

But yes, Toei’s Spider-Man ran for 41 episodes and involved such wacky plots as Amazons being resurrected to uncover Spider-Man’s identity, becoming an Interpol agent, and getting his own Batusi; the Spider-Man Boogie.

The show was praised by Marvel for it’s effects and stunt work, despite initial reservation with the liberties taken. One such liberty was Spider-Man swapping his web-swinging for a slick set of wheels in the form of the Spider Machine GP7 and The Marveller’s alternate form — Leopardon!

Oh yeah, Spidey had a giant mecha! And you know what the ironic thing is? Due to the popularity of the show, Toei decided to include giant robots in their revived Super Sentai series. That’s right, Spider-Man is actually responsible for the trend of superheroes having giant robots in Japan. Marvel, unknowingly, created Power Rangers. Mind. Blown.

So what is the legacy for our favourite emissary of hell? Well, aside from influencing Super Sentai and leading to the creation of Battle Fever J, Takuya Yamashiro would sadly languish in obscurity, only rearing his head for a parody dub on YouTube and for meme material until March 2015.

In the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, during the Spider-Verse event, Takuya and Leopardon arrived to assist their fellow Spiders in what is quite possibly my favourite moment in comics last year. It came out of nowhere and yet was the perfect stage for Takuya to get the recognition he deserves. So-much-so that Marvel streamed episodes of Toei’s Spider-Man for a short time on their website.

And that’s the secret origin of Supaidaman! An utterly bonkers take on Marvel’s web-head and, surprisingly, a trend-setting cult favourite in retrospect. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you all next Toku Tuesday when we dive into the West’s efforts in adapting tokusatsu as we get Lost in Adaptation.

I think I’ve established previously that the two big tokusatsu mainstays — Super Sentai and Kamen Rider — have a 52 episode run every year but, as way to celebrate Kamen Rider’s 45th anniversary, Toei Company not only produced their regular TV offerings for TV Asahi but also a Amazon Prime exclsuive mini-series.

Why mention this? Because I’m going to be looking at both of them and highlighting why one sucks and one is awesome. Let’s start with the basic premises:

When his life is tragically cut short, Takeru Tenkuji enters a Faustian bargain to regain his life by gathering 15 souls of historical figures. Along the way, he must contend with malevolent spirits intent on annexing the human world as well as his childhood friend who is attempting to gather the very same souls to restore his sister to life.

Sickly shut-in, Haruka Mizusawa, is thrust into a secret war against an army of beasts with a thirst for human flesh and is torn between two worlds when he discovers he is one of them. He strives to find his humanity as part of the creature-hunting Extermination Team while the mysterious Jin Takayama hunts the monsters for his own reasons. They’re two side of the same coin; the Alpha and the Omega.

Both sound pretty awesome, right? Unfortunately, the reality is much more black and white.

Kamen Rider Ghost is the TV Asahi series and while the ghost-hunting premise and suit are both great, the writing is sub-par at best and fucking atrocious at worst. Head writer for the show, Takuro Fukuda, has previously worked as secondary writer for Ultraman Max and Ultraseven X. The fact that I’ve never even heard of those series tells me his work isn’t note-worthy and the fact that I gave up on Ghost after 16 episodes speaks volumes. I haven’t given up on a Kamen Rider series since Wizard (and I’m constantly told I should give it another shot because it’s better than I initially gave it credit for).

I would say that part of the problem is the time-slot and the primary audience. Airing at 8:00am on a Sunday, naturally the audience is children and Bandai is a major sponsor of the show, therefore pushing merchandise is priority but does this mean that the show should be nothing more than a half-hour toy commercial with paper thin characters and awful slapstick? Short answer: no.

Long answer: Fuuuuuuuck no!

Kamen Rider Fourze, which I covered before, was written by the head writer of Kill La Kill and the series composer of Gurren Lagann, making it an emotional tour-de-force about friendship, acceptance and parental abandonment. Kamen Rider Gaim was written by Gen ‘Urobutcher’ Urobuchi; a man known for the critically-acclaimed Puella Magi Madoka Magica and the dystopian crime thriller Psycho-Pass and he made a series about fruit-themed samurai into an interesting dark story of betrayal, futility and acceptable losses.

That’s just two examples; aired in the exact same time-slot with the exact same sponsors for the exact same demographic and they did not talk down to their audience like Ghost does. It’s a narrative mess, every character is comic relief and there is no real threat at any point. Light fluff is good but you can only really appreciate it if you equal it out with a harder edge.

Speaking of the harder edge, we have Kamen Rider Amazons, an Amazon Prime exclusive mini-series for Amazon Japan. Yes, that’s a lot of Amazon but you can’t deny it’s a cute marketing gimmick.

As a quasi-reboot of the original 70’s series of the similar name, Amazons takes a leaf out of Marvel’s playbook by offering a darker, more compelling miniseries that stands apart from it’s mainstream fare on a streaming platform. It worked for Daredevil and it works for Amazons!

Now who could they get to write such a show? Something Kamen Rider but with a much darker edge? Hmmm. Oh! How about veteran writer Yasuko Kobayashi? Head writer for Kamen Rider Ryuki, Den-O, OOO, a half dozen Super Sentai shows and Attack on Titan. Sie sind das Essen und wir sind die Jäger!

While the first episode could be considered a 45 minute slog, it at least sets up the world pretty effectively and establishes the tone of the series. This is a show for adults, not the kiddies. The darker vibe even extends to the look of the show as not only are people and monsters eviscerated on a regular basis but the entire show seems to be shot day-for-night. Is there no sun in this accursed country?

Also — Amazons shits all over Ghost in the theme song department. The use of Armor Zone by Taro Kobayashi at the end of every episode has shades of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Roundabout to it. Which Yasuko Kobayashi was also head writer of. Seriously, this series just exudes pedigree.

So what is my point? Is this just another toku weeaboo complaining that a children’s show isn’t made for him? Partly, yes, but not in the way you think. I wrote this article to highlight the difference between two shows that belong to the same franchise airing concurrently.

It’s not about the disparate audience demographic, it’s about the actual quality of the product. While Ghost has some of my favourite suit designs of all time; that’s all it’s got as the effects are cheap, the characters bland and the product pushing is egregious while Amazons is content to let the engaging story play out with characters you can easily get attached to.

You can currently find both Kamen Rider Ghost and Kamen Rider Amazons subbed for free by Overtime Subs.

What are your thoughts on either Ghost, Amazons or both? Any suggestions for the next Toku Tuesday? Leave your comments below and I’ll see you all soon!

Just like Drive before him, Mach is presented in a rather stylish matte black box that’s much thinner than previous S.H. Figuarts releases. Unlike Drive however, Mach packs a ton of goodies into this slender package!

Included in the standard release are five paris of interchangeable hands, two interchangeable scarves, the Zenrin Shooter – Mach’s signature weapon, and the Margarl Signal Bike and Signal Koukan plate. A big step up from Drive right out of the box.

Kamen Rider Mach is just gorgeous. His matte white makes all the other paint details pop even more. Every application is fine and crisp and the palette is spot-on to his onscreen counterpart. The details of the figure are even up to the S.H. Figuarts standard. The Mach Driver Honoh has great silver paint apps and even has a functioning chamber for Signal Koukan goodness!

Articulation wise, he’s much the same as Drive but with the added hand count, you can pull off some really expressive poses, which suits the character to a T.

The Zenrin Shooter (Front Wheel Shooter) can be held in either hand and is nicely detailed and is one solid piece. I’m sure someone would’ve liked the wheel to spin freely but that person is crazy. I might have liked some blast effect parts but considering the playability here, I can live without it.

For the Signal Koukan parts, the change between the default load out and the included Margarl parts is pretty simple but due to the small parts involved, it can be fiddly. Still, it’s pulled off well and you’ll have Mach pulling of bending shots in no time!

Next to his partner in crime-fighting, Mach looks fantastic! The balance of colour and contrasting vehicular themes make them quite a pair to own.

And as I race to the finish of this review, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of Mach’s most interesting features, executed perfectly in Figuarts form – the V-Helm. Since Mach is clearly based on a motorcycle racer, his visor lifts, allowing Mach to vent excess energy from his faceguard. It looks so cool in motion and I’m happy they included it on the figure.

Overall, Mach is highly recommended! Even more-so than Drive even because Mach beats him in nearly every way in my eyes. He looks better, he has more accessories and his design is more conducive to pulling fun poses. But Drive isn’t completely shafted by Mach because he was nice enough to bring a present.

The First Run Bonus that comes with Kamen Rider Mach is the Funky Spike tire for Drive. While nothing outlandish cool, it’s one of the series’ mainstays and part of Drive’s default loadout.

TIRE KOUKAN! FUNKY SPIKE! The tire lives up to it’s name by being a fantastic metallic green but also really spiky so watch your fingers. It’s not my favourite tire but it’s still nice to have it.

Again, Kamen Rider Mach is a must-buy, both as a stand-alone figure and as part of Kamen Rider Drive’s trio of heroic Riders!

One thing I love about the packaging for this figure is that the window motif mimics the given fruit theme of the Rider, in this case, having a segmented orange pattern while the back has a very ornate, Japanese theme to it.

The tray inside houses five pairs of interchangeable hands, a closed Orange Lockseed, a Musous Saber and Orange Arms’ signature weapon, the Daidaimaru.

Kamen Rider Gaim is my favourite S.H. Figuarts release to date, and that just by messing with him straight out of the packaging. This is a brand new style of figure with a fantastic detailing, gorgeous paint and some new quirks to the articulation. His hips are more akin to Marvel Legends and the posts for his interchangeable hands are smaller yet feel much sturdier. Unfortunately, the holster for his Musou Saber isn’t as sturdy and is prone to popping off the belt.

Accessories-wise, I better talk about the smallest first with the Orange Lockseed. Gaim’s ‘open’ hands can hold it comfortably with a little coercing or it can be stored on the Lockseed holster on his right side. There’s an open version on his Sengoku Driver, which features tons of detail and chopping action with the knife, allowing you to replicate actions from the show.

The Musou Saber is the standard side-arm weapon for a quartet of Riders on the show and has some great paint apps. It’s a combination sword/pistol, much like the Ixa Calibur from Kamen Rider Kiva. The Daidaimaru is the signature weapon for Orange Arms, looking like a segmented orange slice as a blade.

You can combine the Musou Saber and Daidaimaru into its Naginata Mode by plugging one into the hilt of the other. This combined weapon can be further added to by plugging the Orange Lockseed into the blade’s cross guard.

Compared to the Arms Change line, the S.H. Figuarts release is a gorgeus delight which is superior in all but one way, the AC gimmick. Yup, no swapping armours between figures but you know what? I can live without it when they look THIS good!

As a whole, I LOVE Kamen Rider Gaim and having a Figuarts this gorgeous and this poseable is the cherry on the cake and this release gets a massive recommendation!

Module Set 03 is possibly my overall favourite. Not only does it include two of my favourite modules, but the others are pretty awesome too! Let’s take a gander!

Chain Array is a right arm mounted spiked flail! It may be old fashioned but it gets the job done! The flail is attached to the arm via chain link and the spiked flail itself  is weighty enough to give the illusion of a 120kg flail. I really like that, despite how high-tech Fourze is, he sometimes just needs to twat someone in the face with a heavy metal object. This set also includes a brand new pair of hands just for this module.

Winch speaks for itself, it’s a powered winch that attaches to Fourze’s left arm. There’s no moving parts to this but you can swap out the Boost Hooker (Yeah, I laughed too) for another which has a malleable wire so you can get a great sense of motion with your poses. It’s not too long but being poseable is a big plus!

Module 17 (Flash, aaaaaaah) is included with Fourze’s motorcycle, the Machine Massigler, so we’ll move onto…

Shield, which is one of Fourze’s true defensive options. It’s designed after the Lockheed Martin X-33 and, despite it’s small size, is more than capable of fending off the most brutal assaults. In fact, one of the only times I remember it failing was when the Cancer Zodiarts (one of the lieutenants, dubbed Horoscopes) cleaved it in half with his powerful claw. It’s shuttle-like appearance makes this aesthetically perfect for Fourze and I really dig it!

Gatling is another in our sub-theme of “Fourze has awesome shit stuck to his legs” and it’s a GATLING GUN! It may be painted in a lovely blue but it’s packed full of DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA! Much like other modules, there are no moving parts present and that is a crying shame for this Module. A rotating barrel would have been great.

Finally, we come to Stealth! No, not the movie, the module! Based on the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, the Stealth module is a useless lump of plastic but is meant to allow Fourze to become invisible for 5 seconds once activated. Might sound very limited but it’s been very useful on a number of occasions.

Module Set 03 is my favourite set so far, with many of my favourite switches and lots of character! But we’re not done just yet!

Module Set 04 is the last of the mass release Module Sets, with the Module Set 05 being an online exclusive in Japan and fetching a high price on the secondary market! Set 04 has some of the weirder and more useless modules but let’s see what we got!

*BONK*

Hammer is a very basic addition to the arsenal and it looks like a squeaky hammer. That’s it. This is the weakest out of all the modules I’ve reviewed in my opinion. It is literally a lump of plastic with no character to it other than looking slightly like a squeaky hammer. Next…

Water, water, everywhere so let’s drink from my leg! The Water module adds a big tap (faucet to you yanks) to Fourze’s left leg to shoot intense jets of water. It’s silly looking but I actually like this compared to Hammer and it’s not completely static, with a rotating tap head.

Medical is just what every Kamen Rider needs, a first aid kit comprised of cosmic energy-infused medicine. No way that stuff could give you cancer or make you trip balls! The kit can be opened, revealing an assortment of medical equipment, with removable syringe, and a medical readout of the lid. It’s nice that they included that detail!

The Pen switch is a giant calligraphy brush. For his leg. Yes, that’s a brush leg AND THAT’S NOT CRAZY ENOUGH so the ink produces three-dimensional streaks of pure carbon that can act as improvised shields. It’s so cumbersome and silly in its concept that I can’t help but love it.

Wheel is our last module, and despite its misnomer (It has two wheels, not just one) is a Segway-looking travel module that gives Fourze an extra boost of speed without relying on the Machine Massigler. It’s especially useful indoors since it has no trouble riding on walls.

Module Set 04 is definitely the weirdest and weakest of the sets I’ve reviewed thus far but it’s not without it’s charm.

And I fear this is where we leave the manliest of men, Gentaro Kisaragi, as I am out of Kamen Rider Fourze toys to review. If nothing else, this has helped me go pack and watch the show again so I’m thankful for that and if you’re interested in getting in some Space Time yourself, head over to HobbyLink Japan, where you can find all the Modules Sets I’ve reviewed, as well as some other Fourze goodies!

Kamen Rider Fourze is a tokusatsu show from 2011 that commemorates not only Kamen Rider’s 40th Anniversary (Four Zero, Four Ze, geddit?) and the 50th Anniversary of spaceflight. Written by Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann) and with creature designs by manga artist Kia Asamiya (Martian Successor Nadesico), Fourze is one of my top three Kamen Rider series for its aesthetic, its gimmicks, its characters, stories, drama, use of music, EVERYTHING comes together to create a wonderfu– You know what? I think I’ll save the gushing for Toku Tuesday (It’s coming back, don’t worry!) but suffice to say that I love this series and I’m going to show you why at a later date!

But first, a major rant! This is how I received my Kamen Rider Fouze S.H. Figuarts. In a GOD DAMN plastic baggy! I got it second hand from eBay but seriously? The seller didn’t even keep the tray but you know what REALLY grinds my gears?

He TORE the back of the packaging off and felt the need to include THAT! No packaging at all I could tolerate since it came with all the pieces but this is just… Weird. I mean, what kind of savage does this to their Figuarts? Who throws out the majority of the box and the plastic tray to keep the accessories in? If I ever meet the guy, I’mma rip his bloody ankles off!

Launching into the orbit of the man who will befriend everyone at Amanogawa High School, Gentaro Kisaragi’s youthful form is given a more stylised rendition in S.H. Figuarts, coming across smaller and more cartoonish than his predecessors but I kind of dig it. It gives him a more distinct profile against some of his fellow Kamen Riders! His brilliant white “Base States” is nicely highlighted with blacks, golds and silver, with distinctive colours for his Module ports on each limb. His astronaut theme is wholly original in the 40 years Kamen Rider has been around and they’ve nailed the look perfectly!

I’ll level with you, this mould is known to have issues with his hip joints, where the balljoints are far too tight. I was afraid to do this review because his legs would creak and take far too much effort and I was afraid of breaking something but thanks to a little surgery where I sanded down the housing for the balljoint (but the problem can also be fixed with some 100% silicone shock oil) he’s already for…

Uchuuuuuu…

KITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

His signature roll call! It’s Space Time! His joints only squeak a little now but they move freely and I don’t fear any breakages.

Given that this is my first Kamen Rider review, I thought I’d also highlight Fourze’s beautiful compound eyes. These are a mainstay of the Kamen Rider designs, tracing all the way back to the 70’s and Fourze’s are especially nice.

The Fourze Driver, Gen-chan’s transformation device and what allows him to access all his space-age gadgetry, is rendered in translucent blue plastic. Each of the SUPER TINY Astro Switches on his belt are removable and an absolute pain to lose so I suggest thickening the pegs just to keep them in place. All of the Astro Switches can be swapped out for others and one included with this set is the Drill Switch in it’s On position. This is an superfluous addition to the set, adding a detail that many fans have said they can do without. Having multiples of these tiny Switches with minute differences is just asking for them to be lost.

Fourze is light on extra hands, only coming with three pairs total but all match Fourze’s repertoire of moves. He has fists for punching Zodiarts and making buddies!

Slightly pointing fingers for switching powers and challenging fools!

And calm open hands that can comb his dome (like Gen-chan combs his pompadour) or looking shocked! All of the hands add a lot of variety to his posing but there’s a reason he’s light on hands and that’s because of his Modules!

Fourze comes with the Rocket and Drill Modules! Because of Fourze’s modular abilities, allowing you to swap out a forearm or lower leg for one of his unique weapons was some brilliant foresight on Bandai Japan’s part! Both Modules have some lovely panel-lining to them and come off very well. Probably would have liked a spinning drill-bit but it serves its purpose.

His included Modules allow you to recreate Gen-chan’s Base States “Limit Break” finisher, the Rider Rocket Drill Kick! Unfortunately, this release doesn’t include a tamashii stage so it’s lucky I got one some time ago!

*Explosion to be added later

I absolutely adore Kamen Rider Fourze! I could have gotten his Elek or Fire States some time ago because of how cheap they are but I wanted the Base States because this is how he spends the majority of the series. It’s a gloriously iconic look and despite all the trouble I’ve had with him, I love him and recommend picking up him or any of his other States if you’re a fan of the series!

But we’re not leaving Fourze’s orbit just yet as a payload from HobbyLink Japan arrives to boost Fourze’s armaments into the far reaches of space! Take my hand in friendship and we’ll go there together!

This video is a fan-based non-profit review. Any and all materials used in this video are for critical and comedic purposes only and are protected under FAIR USE. Godzilla, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Ultraman are owned by Toho Company Ltd, Toei Company Ltd, and Tsuburaya Productions, respectively. Please support the official releases of all these properties.

S.H. Figuarts are Bandai Japan’s action figure line du jour, it covers a wide range of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and anime series past and present. The line is defined by its tag line; Simple Style and Heroic Action. What this translates to is detailed paint apps, lots of articulation and more accessories than you could possibly use at one time! But enough rationalising and setup.

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Kyoryu Red was released earlier this year and is also my very first Figuart. Prepare for an immense amount of gushing.

The packaging is great, it’s a window box which showcases the figure and many of the accessories and evokes the overall aesthetic of the show and team.

The back features many of the poses this figure can pull off and before you even get it out of the box, you know this trounces most of Bandai of America’s efforts.

The tray inside is clam shelled so those pesky small bits don’t fall out but just look at the amount of stuff you get! Four pairs of interchangeable hands, an Armed-On arm, Gaburevolver, Gabucaliber, Gabutyra Fang and a tiny little Zyudenchi (Beast Battery) that I’ve only taken out once for a pic then put right back in the tray for fear of losing it.

Out of the package and I am in looooooove. Just the feel, the weight and the details are perfect. Unlike Bandai of America’s ‘roided up Power Rangers, Figuarts go for authenticity and how the suit actors look, even moulding clothing wrinkles. If I have one thing to knock, it’s a personal issue with the left knee. When I move it, it squeaks. That’s it. That is the only complaint I have and I’m sure it’s not a wide spread issue.

When dealing with Figuarts, the accessories really add so much bang for your buck! Ever messed with an action figure and thought “It’d be great if this figure had something other than this dumb weapon holding hand.” Well, you can swap that out for a fist or a posed hand or even an alternate weapon holding hand and the various combinations can reveal some fun poses.

The weapons have just as much detail as the figure, with intricate moulding and show accurate paint applications.

The Gaburevolver is the Morpher and sidearm for the series and has a fun aesthetic to it. It’s counterpart, the Gabucaliber is the standard sword and favoured weapon of KyoryuGreen, it’s pointy and sharp so watch out!

When the cylinder chamber of the Gaburevolver is rolled against a Kyoryuger’s right arm, this unlocks their Armed On forms and grants access to their signature weapons, in this case, the Gabutyra Fang. This T-Rex themed knuckleduster is equally as detailed as the other weapons and even gets a cool glossy red. Word of warning though, the first couple times swapping the arms out was pretty harrowing but if you apply an even pressure of bicep and torso, you should be fine. Also keep in mind the positioning of the joint assembly. First time I did it, the assembly ended up upside down and the articulation in that shoulder was a little screwy until I put it right.

Hear my roar! As my introduction to the line, Kyoryu Red is a fantastic entry point into a world of dynamic poses and exquisite detailing. You pay for quality and that’s what you get in spades. You can find many Figuarts online for pretty cheap so if this review has piqued your curiosity, be sure to check those out and if you’re on the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 20th Anniversary kick, there’s Figuarts available right now for the Red, Green and Pink Rangers on Amazon!

Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you guys next time on Mint in Box!