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Mar282019 by Team HJUNo Comments

THE RETURNERS: Life is Short, Unless You’re Dead

Animation, Anime, Articles, Blog, Books, Comics, Culture, Fantasy, Featured, horror, monster, News, Sci-Fi, Toku, toku, tokusatsu, Uncategorized

If you're looking for something new to get into this year, and have a mind for supernatural mayhem with a twist, look no further than The Returners, the new book from up-and-coming author Lee T. Davis. Sporting heavy inspirations from the world of Japanese anime, live-action special effects, high-flying Hong Kong action, and Hollywood sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, this tale of otherworldly antiheroes is not to be missed. As the official blurb states, 2019's The Returners (not to be confused with an older, unrelated release of the same name) gives the spotlight to uncommon protagonists for the action/adventure genre. And that's especially true if we're only counting stories that aren't a prequel, a sequel, a midquel, any-other-kinda-quel, or anything based on an existing property to beg...

Jul302018 by DocNo Comments

KAMEN RIDER ZI-O: The Twentieth Time’s the Charm

Articles, Blog, Featured, Gallery, Kamen Rider, Movies & TV, News, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized

It's that time again. The 20th entry in the Heisei Era's official Kamen Rider television series franchise is quickly approaching, and ahead of it comes a flood of new images and bits of information from which to glean early opinions. And as we feast our eyes on the new Kamen Rider Zi-O, we wonder what the future may hold for this enduring brand. And the future is very much on the minds of the show's creative forces, as the new series lead will be a time traveler, utilizing powers inspired by the heroes who came before him in the Heisei Era, which comes to an end with this incoming project. As the clock imagery in the title logo implies, this is a watch-themed hero, who changes forms based on the timepieces inserted into his henshin belt, accessing various transformations that will ...

Jul232018 by DocNo Comments

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS Trailer – His Reign Continues

Articles, Blog, Fantasy, Featured, godzilla, Kaiju, kong, monster, Movies & TV, News, Sci-Fi, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized, Video Update, Videos

Who doesn't love Comic-Con, huh? The stars are all alight, ready to spread some much-needed shine on (almost) all our favorite geek properties, soon to be set before us in the coming years as we wait with baited breath. One highly-anticipated offering is the newest entry in Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Director Michael Dougherty's creature feature promises more kaiju chaos than you can shake a spiked tail at, as we've invited a few other classic Toho Studios monsters along for this party, all featured in the first trailer. The monsterfest started a little early when a little diddy appeared on the interwebs days earlier. A clip featuring actress Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) looking distraught AF as she tries to find help, after what was no d...

Jun42018 by Bookish DelightNo Comments

Yes, It’s Still Going: A Deep Dive Into the MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC Season Premiere (Part 1)

Animation, Blog, Featured, Movies & TV, Reviews, Uncategorized, Videos

Hey there, Henshin Justice readers! I realized I didn't introduce myself proper in my Viewtiful Joe article, so let's fix that. I'm Bookish Delight, and I was grabbed by HJU from the mad, bad and crazyhouse that is the My Little Pony fandom to write about tokusatsu, one of my original loves—but with a twist. That twist being, things that go slightly out of the usual wheelhouse of UltraRiderSentaiDrama that toku fandom normally deals in. Tokusatsu-adjacent material, if you will—as well as and a look into the medium's effect on pop culture. I do a lot of writing, both professional and hobbyist, so my schedule of availability here is roughly every three to five weeks. However, when I show up, I promise to make the material meaty and memorable. Like right now. By writing a...

May142018 by DocNo Comments

The Bright-ish Future of POWER RANGERS

Articles, Blog, Culture, Featured, Movies & TV, News, Power Rangers, Reviews, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized

The Power Rangers franchise surely isn't messing around this year, is it? I can't walk three steps without tripping over some new announcement concerning the spandex-clad heroes that have filled my imagination since the early 1990s with adventure and charm. No sooner than I've let it sink in that Saban Brands has broken up with its longtime collaborator in the toy world, Bandai America, over their joint custodianship of Power Rangers, my brain is further scrambled by the news that toy company Hasbro is about to pick up the slack. Shortly after, we hear that not only will they be continuing to provide toys and merchandise for this enduring media franchise, but they'll just go ahead and take that media part too. Goodness me, what is a fan to make of all these rapid changes?! If I were t...

Mar232018 by DocNo Comments

The POWER RANGERS: SHATTERED GRID Short is Here to Save Live-Action POWER RANGERS in 2018

Articles, Blog, Comics, Culture, Fantasy, Featured, Movies & TV, News, Power Rangers, Sci-Fi, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized, Video Update, Videos

What a time to be a Power Rangers fan. A certain number of years ago, the thought of more seasons of the show would have seemed farfetched, let alone the release of a feature-length film, a live streaming show, an addictive mobile game, and a successful line of ongoing comics to add on top of that. There's a lot to be thankful for in 2018, and the hits, it seems, just keep on coming. Now, as we rev up for the launch of the Power Rangers: Shattered Grid comic event, the main writer of the BOOM! Studios publication brings to us this live-action teaser short, starring none other than original Green Ranger Jason David Frank from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (and, like, fifty other seasons) as the villainous Lord Drakkon. Kyle Higgins has been putting in work these past couple years with B...

Mar192018 by Bookish DelightNo Comments

VIEWTIFUL JOE: 15 Years Later

Animation, Anime, Articles, Blog, Comics, Culture, Fantasy, Featured, Kamen Rider, monster, Movies & TV, Power Rangers, Reviews, Sci-Fi, Super Sentai, Tech, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized, Video Games, Video Update, Videos

(Kyoryu) Brave New World Tokusatsu hero shows, and the worldwide fandom surrounding them, have changed greatly over the past fifteen years. Beyond genre, beyond formula, beyond character archetypes, beyond even cinematography and direction, the greatest way that change has manifested is cross-pollination. Super Sentai—in its original, unedited form—currently gets official DVD releases in the West. GARO went from a pet project known only to the hardcore, to a running franchise and a mainstay event for one of the biggest MMOs in the world. Kamen Rider has radically reinvented itself several times tonally, and Ultraman is finally getting significant amounts of love by way of behemoth streaming service Crunchyroll. Meanwhile, more and more properties are adopting the "live-action...

Mar92018 by ZacharyNo Comments

TOKU TROVE | Long Live the King

Articles, Blog, Featured, godzilla, Kaiju, kong, monster, Movies & TV, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Toys, Uncategorized

Happy Friday once again, Toku Trove readers! Today, we are showcasing Jen's collection focused on the King of Monsters, Godzilla. Jen mentions that what we see featured below is just one of her numerous display cases, and we hope to see more of her collection in the future! Remember, if you would like to see your collection featured on Toku Trove, send us pictures, along with a few words about your stuff at tokutrove@gmail.com. We are searching for more collections to feature soon! Now, here is Jen to introduce her collection: Here are pictures of my Godzilla collection. I only began a couple years ago after I was encouraged (and somewhat enabled) to restart my collecting by my boyfriend, Brent [featured last week on Toku Trove]. My first acquired piece was the S.H. Monster Arts...

Mar22018 by ZacharyNo Comments

TOKU TROVE | The Tip of the Iceberg

Blog, Featured, Gallery, Toku, Toys, Uncategorized

TGIF Toku Trove readers! We are updating this feature series on a Friday once again, hoping to give you another collection to enjoy and help you end your week on a high note. Today, we are featuring Brent's collection, or more accurately, just a small portion of Brent's collection--which makes it all the more impressive once you see the pictures! The tip of this iceberg is an amazing sight in its own right! Remember, if you would like to see your collection featured on Toku Trove, send us pictures, along with a few words about your stuff at tokutrove@gmail.com. We are searching for more collections to feature soon! And now I will hand it over to Brent: I started collecting Power Rangers back in '94, then Super Sentai & Kamen Rider in the early 2000s, and Ultraman just a few ...

Feb282018 by DocNo Comments

Even the Original KAMEN RIDER Loves BLACK PANTHER

Articles, Blog, Comics, Culture, Featured, Kamen Rider, Movies & TV, News, Toku, toku, tokublogs, tokusatsu, Uncategorized, Video Games, Video Update, Videos

If you're one of the five people left that doesn't yet know the greatness that is Black Panther, Marvel Studios' latest entry in their indomitable Cinematic Universe, don't worry. Even the original Kamen Rider gives it his stamp of approval. Game respects game, apparently. The first of a long legacy of superheroes in the Land of the Rising Sun, actor and martial artist Fujioka Hiroshi battled the forces of evil in 1971 as the avenging cyborg hero Kamen Rider Ichigo, and once he had made Japan safe from villainous hands (for a while anyway) he set out on a quest to free the rest of the world from the tightening grip of super-terrorism. Which brings him, seemingly, on his quest to find the mysterious land of Wakanda. No foolin! Fujioka actually states that he went on a quest to find Black ...