As bars shutter, movie theaters shut down their projectors, and most of the world heads indoors for the foreseeable future, it’s time to start preparing your cabin fever prevention kits. (Unless you work at a hospital, pharmacy, or grocery store—in which case, on behalf of humanity in general, we are very sorry for all the weirdos fighting over toilet paper.)
Streaming is stepping in to fill the at-home entertainment void, and now there’s a new 24/7 linear streaming service from Shout! Factory, TokuSHOUTsu, devoted exclusively to the wonderful, culturally specific world of tokusatsu. Literally translated as “special filming,” tokusatsu is the Japanese term for entertainment that relies on special effects. The genre includes fantasy and horror as well as sci-fi, but it’s most closely associated with TV series pitting masked heroes against giant robots and kaiju monsters like Ultraman, Super Sentai, and Kamen Rider—the last of which is making its U.S. debut with subtitled version of the inaugural 98-episode series, exclusively on TokuSHOUTsu.
In honor of the launch of this new service, we’re giving away a set of four Bandai action figures featuring characters from Ultraman and Kamen Rider, courtesy of Shout! Factory. (A photo of the set is above, and descriptions are below.) To enter to win yours, email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Henshin!,” your name, and U.S. mailing address (no P.O. boxes, sorry) before 5 PM CT today, Tuesday, March 17. We’ll pick a winner then and notify them over email.
TokuSHOUTsu launched early this morning, at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m. ET. You can find it through Pluto TV, on streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV, and on major smart TVs and game consoles.
Masked Rider Neo 2 “Kamen Rider”, Bandai S.H.Figuarts (Shinkocchou Seihou)
“Bring it on, Shocker!” Following Kamen Rider Neo 1 comes Kamen Rider Neo 2, with the Shinkocchou Seihou system that brings you the most realistically posable action figures ever made!
Ultraman (A type) “Ultraman”, Bandai S.H.Figuarts
A classic joins S.H.Figuarts! The legendary A Type Ultraman suit that appeared in episodes 1 through 13 of the original series. Sculpted down to the tiniest details: the asymmetrical face design that retains an organically hand-molded look, the distinctive proportions, and the unique coloration from the earliest stages of the show. The 150mm figure includes 4 pairs of optional hands, an optional “color timer,” and a Specium Beam effect.
Remodeled Cyclone “Masked Rider,” Bandai S.H. Figuarts
S.H. Figurarts presents the Cyclone (Remodeled Ver.) motorcycle as seen in the original 1971 Kamen Rider TV series!
Takeshi Hongou “Masked Rider”, Bandai S.H.Figuarts
Henshin!!! It’s the literal Man behind the mask, Takeshi hongou! This 1/12 scale action figure is digitally colored for incredible realism. Includes 3 left and 4 right optional hands, and “henshin” Transformation scene effect parts Made out of pet plastic to re-create transformation scenes.