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is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that features considerable use of special effects (''tokusatsu'' literally translates as "special filming" in Japanese). ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment often deals with science fiction, fantasy or horror, but movies and television shows in other genres can sometimes count as ''tokusatsu'' as well. The most popular types of ''tokusatsu'' include ''kaiju'' monster movies like the ''Godzilla'' and ''Gamera'' film series; superhero TV serials such as the ''Kamen Rider'' and ''Metal Hero'' series; and mecha dramas like ''Giant Robo''. 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 most ''tokusatsu'' movies and television programs are not widely known outside Asia. ==History== ''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 Ishirō 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 suitmation—the use of a human actor in a costume to play a giant monster—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.〔''Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination'', pp. 47–8. ISBN 0-520-24565-2〕 In 1954, ''Godzilla'' kickstarted the ''kaiju'' genre in Japan, which remained extremely popular for several decades, with characters such as the aforementioned Godzilla, Gamera and King Ghidorah leading the market.〔''Meet Godzilla''. ISBN 1-4042-0269-2〕 However, in 1957 Shintoho produced the first film serial featuring the superhero character Super Giant, signaling a shift in popularity that favored masked heroes over giant monsters. Along with the anime ''Astro Boy'', the ''Super Giant'' serials had a profound effect on the world of ''tokusatsu''. The following year, ''Moonlight Mask'' premiered, the first of numerous televised superhero dramas that would make up one of the most popular ''tokusatsu'' subgenres.〔''Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture'', p. 262 ISBN 0-7656-0560-0〕 These original productions preceded the first color-television ''tokusatsu'' series, ''Ambassador Magma'' and ''Ultraman'', which heralded the Kyodai Hero genre, wherein a regular-sized protagonist grows to larger proportions to fight equally large monsters.〔 Porter, Hal. ''The Actors: an image of the new Japan'', pg. 168 ISBN 0-207-95014-8 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tokusatsu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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