The tokusatsu tradition of live-action Japanese science fiction shows is alive and well with one of the genre’s cornerstone franchisesKamen Ridergetting a 50th anniversary movie in 2021.Shinichirо̄ Shirakura, director of the tentatively titledKamen Riderfilm announced the project commemorating 50 years of the series during Toei’s 2021 lineup presentation in Tokyo.A specific release datefor the film has yet to be announced.
WhileKamen Riderisn’t exactly well knownoutside of Japan and Asia, the Tokusatsu genre does have a steady foothold in the US and other western countries. The term Tokusatsu refers to live-action television dramas typically in the science fiction genre.Godzillais probably the most well-known among these shows to make it out west followed bySuper Sentai(commonly known asPower Rangers) and its sibling showKamen Rider.
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The 50th anniversary film will likely be separate from the current series currently airing in Japan.Kamen Rider Saberpremieredon September 6 and had its own film open on December 18. Traditionally the latestKamen RiderandSuper Sentaiseries premiere as a double feature during summer, but COVID-19 caused production delays and the two movies to be split up. Many tokusatsu have certain tropes that set them apart from others and forKamen Rider,it’s a lone masked superhero usually following a bug motif riding a motorcycle into battle.
The latest Super Sentai movie,Manshin Sentai Kiramagerwill open in early 2021. While the latest seasons ofKamen Riderare hard to find streaming, the original series that aired in 1971 is available via Amazon Prime.Super Sentaiis much easier to find with all the various seasons ofPower Rangersavailable for streaming on Netflix. ThePower Rangerstelevision shows that air in the US are spliced together using footage from various Super Sentai series from the past and original footage shot with American actors.
With anime getting variousdedicated streaming platformslike Crunchyroll and Funimation plus many Korean dramas and movies making it to Netflix here’s to hoping that more tokusatsu shows start to make it to English-speaking viewers as well.
TheKamen Riderfilm will premiere in 2021.
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