The Tokusatsu Genre: Not Exactly Much of a "Kiddie Show" to Me

I just thought of the idea that there's the teasing of "Tokusatsu is a kiddie show" or as a child, I used to count every Tokusatsu on TV as part of my "Kiddie Show Time".  However as a grownup, I just had my thoughts on that while Power Rangers can be called "kiddie" however most Tokusatsu series regardless of genre does feel in itself to be more mature than kiddie show to me...


Real hard civilian casualties.  In Tokusatsu, civilian casualties can be that disturbing in some ways.  Some civilian casualties even display blood and deaths in them.  For example in Dairanger and Kamen Rider Kuuga, both shows really showed frightening civilian casualties that would scare the shit out of a toddler.  In most American adaptations, they really just say, "And nobody got hurt..." despite the fact that the city was obviously suffering big damage.


Lots of violence and bleeding.  In Super Sentai, the action is far more outrageous than its American adaptations.  For example, in Super Sentai, real fights do happen and they usually create bruises, wounds, etc. which are far more realistically portrayed than in Power Rangers.  Some of the fights can go as far as to impalement and stabbing the enemy or blood coming from the mouth of the fallen enemy.  Many one on one fights in Tokusatsu can really be that brutal even in the lighter series like Carranger and Go-onger.


The use of guns and other deadly weapons.  Yep in Tokusatsu, there's the use of guns or even some people dying at gunpoint.  The guns shoot real bullets, show real gunshot wounds (ex. in the first episode of Bioman there were people receiving gunshot wounds) and also, there are the use of knives as well which were again never used in Power Rangers or any American adaptation.


Most villains in Tokusastu have their nightmare fuels.  In Tokusatsu, villains could really be that scary and most of their plans are far really frightening that seldom, I would say it's close to horror movie material.  As a child, the Gorgom in Kamen Rider Black would sometimes scare the shit out of me.  Fantasy Leader mentions that he was scared of Grandienne from Gogo V as a child.  Jetman's Radiguet was unreasonably frightening and dark.  The Grongi in Kamen Rider Kuuga are that scary since they play a good game of murder.  That's just a few of the many nightmare fuels Tokusatsu has to offer.


Not to mention some deaths of some of the characters can be brutal.  Some of the Toku hero and villain deaths would involve impalement (ex. Kiros being impaled by an icicle), severe insanity to the point of death (ex. Ahames going insane while destroying the EDS base taking herself along with it), death by multiple gun wounds (Kensaku Shiraishi's death in Battle Fever J had plenty of of gunshot wounds) having much blood prior to death (ex. Mikoto's heroic death in Abaranger after being a villain for some time) or even die a gory death towards the end (ex. Radiguet puking blood before he explodes).


Last but not the least, perversity and provocative scenes.  However the perversity are not without consequences like Yatsudenwani being hammered by the girls.

So that's it in my sharing of opinions.

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