When many
people, outside of the fandom, think of Super Sentai or power rangers several
clichés and tropes come to mind. Things like “Monster of the week” and the
rarity of two part episodes is very frequently attributed to early Tokusatsu.
Over the years though Tokusatsu has adapted more to a serialized approach to
writing as oppose to an episodic one. Does this mean that Tokusatsu is changing
for the better? Was it broken and cliché to begin with? Personally, I believe
that the changes in writing are very welcome, but they cannot be considered a
“fix”. The writing in Tokusatsu was never bad, it just changed styles over
time.
The first
thing to understand is the difference between serialized writing style and an
episodic one. An episodic writing style has either no greater story arc or a
very loose one. There can be an end goal, but the episodes do not follow a
linear path. They act like random events along the timeline. Some great
examples of this are old shows on Cartoon Network, like Kids Next Door. It was
made clear the kids were trying to stop the “adult menace”, ergo we have an end
goal. The show, however kept its episodes as their own contained story. They
related to each other in theme, characters, goal, etc., but rarely did the
events of one episode directly lead to the events of the one right after. This
method can work if the individual stories and characters are memorable. In the
case of Tokusatsu, Japanese drama has a way of making good characters that are
easy to connect with so it wasn’t a challenge at all.
Serialized
writing is often considered better and preferable by most viewers of any genre,
even lovers of Tokusatsu. The best way to think of Serialized writing is to
think of a scripted narrative. Every episode connects. They are either lead
directly into by the previous episode, lead directly into the next episode or
they contain an element that becomes vastly important later on. Almost everyone
thinks of Avatar: The Last Airbender when they think of a good serialized
story. The simplest way one can explain this writing style; Every episode has a
purpose. Nowadays, in Tokusatsu, most series take this writing approach. Kamen
Rider, in particular, took this approach strongly when the series returned from
its hiatus with Shin Kamen Rider, Kuuga, Agito, etc.
Over time
the writing in Tokusatsu has evolved to be a blend of both, in a manner of
speaking. Modern Sentai, for instance, is usually episodic at first. Time is
taken to introduce and lightly develop the characters in episodes that are
one-time events. It is common for the first fleshed out “arc” in Sentai to be
either a major play of the villains or the reveal of the next member of the
team. Once the series hits this point, it feels more like a fully fleshed out
drama from that point on. Now that we know the characters, almost every episode
directly follows the previous in tone, setting and plot. There are still episodes
that are very much filler that have that episodic feel, but in an odd twist, it
is filler with a purpose. This purpose can be anything from much needed levity
before or after a battle, to establishing a minor detail that will become very
important later on.
Other
shows have blended the two styles in other ways beyond that. Some shows even
continue to resort to a fully serialized approach. Modern Tokusatsu has very
much prioritized serialization when it comes to their writing, though many writers
still throw in some episodic elements. In older Tokusatsu shows, it was very
much the opposite. The original Kamen Rider is well known for having one of the
most timeless plots of any Tokusatsu, or many other shows for that matter. That
being said, many seem to forget that while the beginning and end were very
serialized and focused, a lot of the series was episodic. There were always a
lot of “monster of the week” episodes between important events. This is in no
way bad, but it does serve to show why modern writers are prioritizing
serialization. The viewers remember the broad story. The majority of viewers do
not remember, say, Abugomens and his needle spray or arm launch gimmick.
If it is
true that serialization has the better fit for telling a story, then why do
many modern Tokusatsu still rely on episodic writing styles for things like
filler, character development or just for fun? I believe there are two main
reason for this. First would easily be anime. In the last few decades’ anime
stories are less about a broadened story for everyone, and have become much
more divided by dozens of categories. Since anime and Tokusatsu are known to
draw influence from each other it was likely inevitable for creators to start
singling out anime categories that relate more to what their product is. For
most writers, this tends to be Shounen manga and anime. To draw in girls,
writers drew influence from magical girl anime and manga. The other genres and categories
and far from forgotten but are very seldom used compared to the similar
demographic of what is commonly found in Shounen Jump.
To me,
anime only explains why certain stories are going a certain way but does little
to help influence an episodic writing style. The biggest influence for this, in
my opinion, was none other than Power Rangers. This show was a game changer for
a long list of reasons, and truthfully one day I’d like to write about everything
good and bad Power Rangers has done for its counterpart across the sea. One
important thing it absolutely did, though, is get western audiences fascinated
with Tokusatsu. Mighty Morhpin Power Rangers was to America; what Kamen Rider
was to japan in a sense. In the 90’s it became a cliché in Power Rangers, and
arguably where the term originated, that “monsters of the week” were the only
thing the show had. Fans of the show argue to a point, but cannot deny just how
episodic the series was before Power Rangers in Space. Over time the fans of
Power Rangers began to become aware of the Japanese Sentais that came before
it. The fan base of Tokusatsu had grown,
and the reasons why were clear.
Creators
of Tokusatsu began to realize the power episodic writing actually had. Smaller
stories could help the viewer to understand and relate to characters. To put it
simply, episodic writing made it easier for more people to tune in and
understand their characters. I believe this is the reason many modern writers
of Tokusatsu use an episode by episode format in the beginning. A strong base
is made from the episodic approach and helps to reinforce the story as they
build a larger serialized drama.
It truly
is amazing how much the writing of this genre has evolved over time. Though
many would be unable to notice the difference, the writing style of modern
Tokusatsu has changed what it emphasizes drastically. It can, arguably, be
considered a complete change in direction. In any event I believe this mixing
of styles has only made the already underrated writing of Tokusatsu even more
great.
I hope
you all take some time to appreciate some great Tokusatsu stories. I have
another grab-bag in the works for you, to be posted before New Year’s eve. Have
a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays my fellow Kaijuphiles
After seeing the trailers for both of these I was as hyped as many Tokusatsu fans likely were. As the year got closer and closer to its end, I began to wonder what became of these films. I did some research and I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is; the Gamera film is still happening! The filmmakers are hard at work as the film was in very early developmental stages when that trailer was released. As of now, The film is likely to happen we just need to wait. The bad news, however, comes from Ultraman. It seems that movie is not happening as that was only a test short made for the anniversary. There is no solid evidence saying that Ultraman movie will be out at all, but Ultraman Orb is doing well and the more we support the franchise, the more likely such a thing could exist in our lifetime!
