PETALING JAYA, June 20 — Tokusatsu, literally meaning special photography in Japanese, is a genre of Japanese film or television entertainment that emphasises the use of practical special effects.
The productions that often feature giant monsters, robots as well as masked and costumed superheroes, quickly earned a dedicated and steadily growing following through the decades.
The appeal of the campiness of miniatures and iconic full-body costumes, has delivered a treasure trove of tokusatsu classics like Godzilla, Ultraman, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai (which inspired the Power Rangers) and provided endless thrilling adventures and escapism for fans of all ages through the decades.
And it’s no different in Malaysia, as Malay Mail found out.
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Emergence of local content
Tokusatsu inspired some of its fans in Malaysia to create their own — such as Zirah Pendekar — Adiperkasa by Heroes Art Studio.
Led by Mohd Sany Zainal, 41, a creative manager in Selangor, he said the outfit was founded with the goal of producing new works for the industry, specifically serialised action dramas for children’s television slots.
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“We began studying various sources of foreign works, particularly from Japan.
“Our initial focus was on production, aiming to develop a new type of business model for television broadcasting in the country.
“This process required considerable time to address and overcome production shortcomings,” said Sany.
The whole project was inspired by their childhood love for shows like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and Metal Hero with the aim of incorporating native culture into storytelling.
In discussing production challenges, Sany said budget was a concern.
“It’s tough to get investors on board with our new module because they’re often unsure about integrating it into the business.
Mohd Sany Zainal, 41, is the project leader and original designer of Zirah Pendekar. — Picture courtesy of Mohd Sany Zainal
“Gaining access to broadcasting stations has been another significant challenge.”
On the design of Zirah Pendekar — Adiperkasa, Sany explained that it was meant to reflect Malaysian culture, incorporating influences like Malay fashion and traditional outfits and weapons such as the tanjak, samping and keris.
“We transformed these elements into a futuristic concept to entertain and educate children.”
Designing and creating each character’s suits took about a month, using materials such as resin, foam, and rubber casting.
As for whether there would be more tokusatsu projects from Heroes Art Studio in the future, he said, “Once we complete Zirah Pendekar — Adiperkasa, the next project will naturally come along.”
The overwhelmingly positive response from Malaysians has been a motivation for Heroes Art Studio to continue working on this project.
Lecturer Mohamad Zulhafizie Senin, 26, chose to cosplay as Ultraman Taro at his wedding. — Picture courtesy of Mohd Zulhafizie Senin
Weddings with a tokusatsu twist
If local content production isn’t enough to figure out the love for all things tokusatsu in Malaysia, how about a themed wedding?
Mohamad Zulhafizie Senin, 26, a lecturer in Sarawak, chose to cosplay as Ultraman Taro at his wedding – which went viral.
Reflecting on his love for Tokusatsu, he explained that he had been a fan for about ten years.
“Ultraman is what I watch the most, although I did watch some Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, it comes second to the Ultraman series.
“My family and my wife’s family gave us their full support for the theme of the wedding.”
Zulhafizie said that his wife, Nur Qayyimah Ahmad Rosli, in her 20s, is also a tokusatsu fan, saying Ultraman Taro (1973), Kamen Rider W (2010), and Ryukendo (2006) were her favourites.
He settled on Ultraman Taro though because of a special connection.
“Ultraman Taro is my favourite because I have fond memories of watching his episodes when I was young on my old DVD player.
“My favourite Taro moment is from the film Ultraman Story (1984).”
Apart from his cosplay, he also revealed that the cake at their wedding was inspired by Ultraman Taro, making use of the hero’s colour scheme.
“The music played during my entrance march was also Ultraman-inspired.”
The music played was the instrumental piece Promise V Sign, which featured in the 2006 movie Ultraman Mebius & Ultra Brothers.
Shawn Ngu, 36, is the founder of Accel Helper Shop that sells tokusatsu merchandise and toys. — Picture courtesy of Shawn Ngu
Merchandise and toys: The world of sellers and collectors
Zulhafizie is not alone.
Cosplayers aside, collectors of merchandise and toys grew in numbers — as did the many businesses which emerged to cater to the demand.
Shawn Ngu, 36, is the founder of Accel Helper Shop, which sells tokusatsu merchandise and toys.
His business journey began by accompanying friends to purchase items in Japan, but in 2010 he realised he could source merchandise directly from Japan.
“That sparked the idea of opening my own shop here and selling the tokusatsu toy line in Malaysia.
“Initially, I wasn’t so interested in the business during the first few years because there weren’t many people willing or able to buy due to financial constraints and other factors.”
Then Litt Tak, the original official distributor, imported a large quantity of those toys, further broadening the market.
Partnering with a friend involved in the sales of secondhand collectibles and creating Kamen Rider helmet replicas followed, injecting new life into the venture.
“We began selling Kamen Rider items at events, gradually expanding to include Super Sentai items by 2012.
“Our selling point has always been ‘from fans to fans,’ which kept our profit margins modest but attracted a lot of interest both offline (at events) and online,” said Ngu.
In 2017, he expanded the business by setting up a commercial booth to boost sales, and then registered it as a sole proprietorship.
“Since starting this business, I have cooperated with a Japanese agency that facilitates direct imports from the Japanese market to overseas.”
From 2022, he ventured into another line of business in China to acquire similar toys.
“With Japan gaining more traction in the Chinese market and the emergence of exclusive items sold only in China, I now have two avenues for sourcing goods.”
He however cautioned those who are thinking of starting a similar business to conduct a thorough research first.
“This kind of business isn’t good if you can’t manage it well.
“There have been cases where imported items couldn’t be sold in Malaysia, leading to losses.”
Chin Siew Loong, aged 47, is a businessman who has been collecting all things tokusatsu, including non-related figures. — Picture courtesy of Chin Siew Loong
Meanwhile, Chin Siew Loong, aged 47, is a businessman who has been collecting all things Tokusatsu, including non-related figures, for over 20 years.
Since 2016, Chin has been selling Tokusatsu toys through his shop, Planet M78, which was named after Ultraman’s home planet.
“It began as a small store and has since opened its first branch in Amcorp Mall, Petaling Jaya.”
Chin shared that as a kid, he vowed to buy his own toys when he grew up after his friend’s brother accused him of stealing an Ultraman toy.
“When I was a child, my family was not well off, so asking my parents to buy me toys was simply a luxury.”
“In 1996, after moving to Kuala Lumpur, I saw toy models in a mall and began collecting them crazily.
“Tokusatsu collecting inspired me to start my business.”
A significant part of his collection comes from the Kamen Rider series; however, he also collects Ultraman and Super Sentai.
“My collection is mainly movable figures, such as SHF and S.I.C series.
“When it comes to collecting, I usually focus on original items, but I don’t mind second-hand ones if they are in good condition.”
A seasoned collector such as Chin is also able to separate the quality items from the fake ones.
“I have been in this industry for many years, so I have experience in recognising which ones are original or fake.
Original toys typically come in clearer art boxes and have more detailed figures, whereas fakes use poor-quality materials and often have a strong smell.”
Chin continues to grow his collection which number at “one or two thousand, some of which are still in the box and have never been opened”, now focusing more on relatively large items which are displayed in his store.
Dylan Tading Anak Stanley, 31, one of the admins of Tokusatsu Malaysia. — Picture courtesy of Dylan Tading Anak Stanley
Tokusatsu Malaysian social media following
Tokusatsu Malaysia on Facebook is one of the many Malaysian resources online for the local community.
Beginning in 2016, it offers the tokusatsu community the latest news from series like Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Ultraman.
Dylan Tading Anak Stanley, 31, an admin of Tokusatsu Malaysia, said the page also showcases fans’ creations such as fan-made videos, art, cosplay, customised figures, magazine scans, and press conferences primarily in Bahasa Melayu, making it accessible to Malaysian fans.
Despite facing challenges, including a copyright strike and Facebook issues that hid their posts, Tokusatsu Malaysia’s Facebook page now has around 24,000 likes and 37,000 followers.
“To keep the community engaged, the page also offers weekly episode previews of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.
“This page promotes Tokusatsu events in Malaysia, aiming to encourage participation in physical events and foster friendships among fans.
“Sometimes, our admins also attend Tokusatsu events on the ground, mingling with the community and reporting back on our page,” he said.
Dylan said the aim for the page was to continue hyping and inspiring Tokusatsu fans, while striving to increase their involvement in tokusatsu projects.
“Personally, I believe that this can help keep our tokusatsu community well-informed and excited about any tokusatsu series that will be produced in the future.”
Lim said tokusatsu events have opened borders and boosted tourism, attracting attendees from Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. — Picture courtesy of Lim Kean Boon
The events
Recognising the significant number of tokusatsu fans in Malaysia, organisers have been inspired to create events centred around them.
Lim Kean Boon, 40, full-time event organiser since 2005, shares that he is also a tokusatsu fan, citing Kamen Rider Black RX (1988) and the Ultraseven (1967) series as his favourites.
He was involved in events in Penang and Kuala Lumpur that featured Japanese actor Masahiro Inoue, who played Tsukasa Kadoya in the 2009 series Kamen Rider Decade and the character Jinga in the Garo (2018) series.
When asked how these events usually generate revenue, he explained, “Through event booths, merchandise, toy lines, meet-and-greet sessions, photo opportunities, basically, from everything you can think of.”
Ticket sales hardly make a profit for these kinds of events.
When asked if these events create a cross-cultural exchange between Japan and Malaysia, Lim said, “For the fans, yes. Malaysia is quite a unique country, and I’m happy about that.”
Lim explained how the Japanese care about the Malaysian market and how their actors are willing to come to Malaysia for their fans, saying Masahiro Inoue wanted to return to Malaysia after seeing he had many fans from the Penang event.
“This tokusatsu event has opened borders and boosted tourism, attracting attendees from Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
“It draws Malaysians from the East, such as Sabah and Sarawak, who fly over for these events.”
“Everyone who is a Tokusatsu fan is united regardless of race, age, or gender; they come together with no fighting, no problems,” he said.