Audio Glossary Vol. I
Tokusatsu: Often referred to simply as "toku," tokusatsu is a Japanese genre that encompasses a wide variety of subjects, but is unified in the respect that it is both necessarily live-action and heavily dependent on special effects, usually of the practical variety. The umbrella of tokusatsu encompasses many major Japanese franchises: Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Metal Hero, and even giant monster movies like Godzilla and Gamera fall into this category. Technically, even non-Japanese franchises can be considered tokusatsu, but our show will focus exclusively on Japanese offerings.
Henshin: a Japanese word that loosely translates as "metamorphosis" or "transformation." Most often, this term is used to describe a hero who changes form in order to gain super powers and a cool costume. These characters are frequently referred to as "Henshin Heroes" and only retain their special abilities while they remain in their transformed state. A typical tokusatsu program will feature one or more Henshin Heroes in its cast.
Super Sentai: Celebrating almost 40 years of excellence, Super Sentai is among Japan's longest running tokusatsu series. Incorporating a multi-hero team, a recurring rogues gallery, monsters of the week and giant mech battles, Super Sentai is one of the most beloved and iconic franchises in the history of Japanese media. The hero and villain roster varies from season to season, as Super Sentai employs an anthology structure. Usually centered around a unifying motif, each new Sentai team leaves a fresh mark on the series. If you've ever seen Power Rangers, you've also seen a fair bit of Super Sentai because, as you may or may not already know, the in-costume action scenes in Power Rangers have been reappropriated from select Super Sentai series since 1992.
Make sure to tune in every Thursday for new shows!
Thanks to bensound.com for the great music!
