Tokusatsu (Japanese: 特æ'®, "special filming") is a Japanese term for
live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special
effects. Tokusatsu entertainment often deals with science fiction,
fantasy or horror, but films and television shows in other genres can
sometimes count as tokusatsu as well. The most popular types of
tokusatsu include kaiju monster films such as the Godzilla and Gamera
film series; superhero TV serials such as the Kamen Rider and Metal
Hero series; and mecha dramas like Giant Robo and Super Robot Red
Baron. Some tokusatsu television programs combine several of these
subgenres, for example the Ultraman and Super Sentai series.Tokusatsu
is one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, but
despite the popularity of films and television programs based on
tokusatsu properties such as Godzilla or Super Sentai, only a small
proportion of tokusatsu films and television programs are widely known
outside and inside Asia.Tokusatsu has origins in early Japanese
theater, specifically in kabuki (with its action- and fight-scenes)
and in bunraku, which utilized some of the earliest forms of special
effects, specifically puppetry. Modern tokusatsu, however, did not
begin to take shape until the early 1950s, with the conceptual and
creative birth of Godzilla, one of the most famous monsters (kaiju) of
all time.The special-effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya and the director
IshirÅ Honda became the driving forces behind 1954's Godzilla.
Tsuburaya, inspired by the American film King Kong, formulated many of
the techniques that would become staples of the genre, such as
so-called suitmationâ€"the use of a human actor in a costume to play a
giant monsterâ€"combined with the use of miniatures and scaled-down
city sets. Godzilla forever changed the landscape of Japanese science
fiction, fantasy, and cinema by creating a uniquely Japanese vision in
a genre typically dominated by American cinema.
live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special
effects. Tokusatsu entertainment often deals with science fiction,
fantasy or horror, but films and television shows in other genres can
sometimes count as tokusatsu as well. The most popular types of
tokusatsu include kaiju monster films such as the Godzilla and Gamera
film series; superhero TV serials such as the Kamen Rider and Metal
Hero series; and mecha dramas like Giant Robo and Super Robot Red
Baron. Some tokusatsu television programs combine several of these
subgenres, for example the Ultraman and Super Sentai series.Tokusatsu
is one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment, but
despite the popularity of films and television programs based on
tokusatsu properties such as Godzilla or Super Sentai, only a small
proportion of tokusatsu films and television programs are widely known
outside and inside Asia.Tokusatsu has origins in early Japanese
theater, specifically in kabuki (with its action- and fight-scenes)
and in bunraku, which utilized some of the earliest forms of special
effects, specifically puppetry. Modern tokusatsu, however, did not
begin to take shape until the early 1950s, with the conceptual and
creative birth of Godzilla, one of the most famous monsters (kaiju) of
all time.The special-effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya and the director
IshirÅ Honda became the driving forces behind 1954's Godzilla.
Tsuburaya, inspired by the American film King Kong, formulated many of
the techniques that would become staples of the genre, such as
so-called suitmationâ€"the use of a human actor in a costume to play a
giant monsterâ€"combined with the use of miniatures and scaled-down
city sets. Godzilla forever changed the landscape of Japanese science
fiction, fantasy, and cinema by creating a uniquely Japanese vision in
a genre typically dominated by American cinema.
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