special film

The meaning of the word itself is an abbreviation for special effects (特殊撮影物). In Japanese, the origin of this word, 特撮物 (special effects) is read as とくさつもの (とくさつもの), and is usually called "特撮, tokusatsu", and even in English-speaking countries, Japanese special effects are imported. It is called by the common noun tokusatsu. In a broad sense, it refers to all videos that use special filming techniques, so even dramas full of special effects, such as Doctor Who or Heroes , are not recognized even though they fit the definition of special filming techniques.[1]

Therefore, the term 'special effects' is limited to certain genres of video, such as Japanese superhero films and monster films .[2][3] SFX (Special Effect), an abbreviation for special effects, is commonly referred to as the name of the entire video. Although the term refers to special effects, there is a strong tendency to think of digital special effects ( computer graphics, etc.) separately, and analog special effects usually come to mind first. However, since the 2010s, when CG technology developed, CG has been widely used in special effects in traditional areas, so the boundaries have become quite blurred.

Originally, the main purpose of special effects was to express various subjects such as monsters , UFOs , superheroes , and fantasy through images. In other words, special effects are a type of video technology rather than a plot , and if you take the literal meaning of it, no matter what form it takes, if you use a filming technique to show something that cannot exist in reality, it can be said to be a special effect. For example, using miniatures to express scenes of battleships or fighter planes in war movies is also part of special filming. Horror movies featuring zombies or ghosts can also be said to be a bunch of special effects.

In Japanese films, special effects were also used with the same meaning, but as war films and period dramas were banned immediately after the defeat, special effects technology was mainly used in the superhero or giant monster genre.[4] As a result, the ' superhero ' genre consisting of a set of thoroughly typical clichés became the mainstream of special effects, and finally, 'special effects' became a synonym for superheroes . For example, in the case of the first Kamen Rider, the budget was so low that it was called a tokusatsu film even though almost no technology was used.[5]

The generally accepted origin of this genre video is the 1933 American film ' King Kong ' .[6] and the 1954 Japanese film ' Godzilla '. Movies featuring life-size heroic characters with psychic powers were produced long before that, in the 1920s. As projectors were first imported into Japan and film production began, several action films featuring ninjas and samurai using special cinematography techniques were made.

In addition, there is Ray Harihausen as an indispensable figure in special shooting . He produced a stop motion of many special shooting films by handmade monsters and miniature sculptures from 1949 to 1981. These special photographs became popular, and since then, it has had a great influence on special shooting works such as Gojiran and the Star Wars series . The special image effect created by Harry Hausen is also the origin of various special shooting images today.

However, since the term special effects itself appeared in Japan after the defeat in World War II and the TV series was created in the 1960s, it would be appropriate to consider the origin of the giant transformation hero as Ultraman , produced in 1966, and the origin of the life-size transformation hero as Kamen Rider , which aired in 1971 . Since the 1950s and 1960s, there have been several life-sized hero works, including ' Moonlight Mask ', but it is the Kamen Rider 's achievement that made the concept of ' transformation ' take root . It may be more correct to say that it presented a ‘commercial model’ rather than its origin.

Later, in 1975, under the influence of Science Ninja University[7] The first secret squadrons of the Super Squadron series, the concept of fighting with the villain, were aired. It was originally planned for team play in the Kamen Rider series, but it was made of a separate hero and became a separate series.

The inclinations and types of works are quite diverse, but in common, they have a heroic tendency with the theme that 'the main character fights against enemies using special powers to protect the peace of the Earth .' Also, most special effects feature a final boss, and most special features also feature combatants , who are in the position of minor mobs .

It is said that in Japan, there is something called a local hero , which is a mascot character unique to certain regions . They even film superhero battles with them.

In Korea, there are many people who mistakenly refer to special effects as ' jeondae '. Even in the media, there were reporters who really believed in this false fact and wrote that the special effects work, which was a non-subject, was a sub-subject. And the wrong perception that Jeondaemul = special film[8] Because of this, the first work in the Super Sentai series, Secret Sentai Goranger , is 'the beginning of special effects.' Most people who believe that. The Kamen Rider series is representative of special effects works that often fall victim to such misinformation . In fact, an article introduced actor Odagiri Joe as ' Kamen Rider Kuuga whose debut work is a pre- debut work '. It is a proper introduction to say that it is a special effects film or Kamen Rider series, not a previous film.

That's why it can be said that in Korea, the lineage of Super Sentai special effects films starting from Earth Defense Force Flashman is strong.[9] From the general public's perspective, it is inevitable that the formula 'Favorite TV shows from childhood = special effects' will remain in their minds. Since the 1980s, Japan's Sentai and America's Power Rangers have been imported and have gained sensational popularity in Korea, and among the tokusatsu series that are still imported, the Super Sentai series is not only popular but also overwhelmingly profitable. Considering that special effects made in Korea also have many of the characteristics of Sentai-style,[10] This perception is natural, so there is no need to think strangely about it. If you can't tell the difference, just call it a special effect.

Now, Super Sentai is more familiarly known in Korea under the name Power Rangers, so there are many people who say it is something like Power Rangers, and the tokusatsu communities are openly operating with the word tokusatsu, so the word Sentai has become close to a dead word. Nevertheless, there are still people, especially those born in the early 1980s and early 1990s, who use the word sublease, but most of them are just too lazy to change their habits or simply insist that they will use sublease no matter what others say.

In fact, this problem is not unique to Korea. Even in foreign English-speaking countries , it is not uncommon for special effects fans to complain, "Why do people call Tokusatsu (Tokusatsu) works that are not Super Sentai series, such as the Ultra series or the Kamen Rider series, as Power Rangers ?" For your information, the point at which you give up the cause analysis and persuasion of why people call it that is almost the same as the cause analysis and result in Korea.[11]

The controversy over whether special filming is for children or not has become very intense in recent years. In fact, special effects are simply a method of expression, and just as movies and animations have separate versions for children and adults, special effects also exist for children and adults, so the target audience for each work must be viewed differently. However, in general, there is always a preconceived notion and label that it is for children.

TV transformation hero series started out for children, such as Moonlight Mask , Kamen Rider series , and Super Sentai series . On the other hand, in the case of monster films such as the Godzilla series and the Ultra series , they were initially seen even by adults. However, there was a time in the 1970s when Godzilla and Ultraman changed their focus to children's films.

This comes from the limitations of special effects films themselves, which cannot imitate the capital and special effects of Hollywood movies no matter how hard they try. Even if they try hard, they inevitably produce inferior special effects compared to contemporary Hollywood, and in the end, adults no longer view them as childish, and only children or enthusiasts who can make up for what they lack with their imagination see them. So, the Godzilla series and Ultra series, whose special effects levels were not much different from Hollywood's in the beginning, were initially seen by adults, but later the differences gradually widened and they were changed to children's versions. Fortunately, in the monster genre, there are a lot of special effects and a lot of fanatics, so a work targeting a higher age group has been released again.

Another problem is that special effects films require a lot of production costs.[12] It is difficult to recoup profits through broadcasting alone, and merchandising must be done in parallel by making and selling products with toys, food, and stationery. The problem is that before the 1990s, no one except children bought special feature products. Even as of the 2020s, the main customers who buy special effects toys are still children.[13] Ultimately, many special effects films have the limitation of making children their primary target. One of the ultimate goals of special films is toy promotion . In the case of special films featuring transformation heroes, various items used by the heroes, such as transformation tools, weapons, helmets, and riding robots, are shown, which is a perfect setup for selling toys. Especially if it is an item used by the main character, its popularity goes without saying. Therefore, PPL scenes for toy promotion are always included, but from the perspective of adult viewers who are not enthusiasts, such scenes are simply absurd. Additionally, sponsors are not limited to toy companies and amusement parks.[14] , tourist resorts are also sponsored, so including these tourist destinations as backgrounds should be reflected in the script. This kind of directing creates a barrier to entry for special effects.[15]

And yet we often wonder , “How is this for kids?” There are often works with serious stories and high-level expressions that can be said to be. The primary reason is that the Japanese broadcasting system at the time was lenient and allowed most of the content as long as it did not contain sexual expressions. Therefore, in the case of the Ultra series and the Kamen Rider series , there were many directings that were close to horror , and even some were quite cruel . In the case of producer Susumu Yoshikawa, he initially went into detective dramas for a while, but "there is more freedom of deliberation in special effects films." For this reason, it came back as a special film. “There’s no way something scary or serious could come out of something so childish.” This social prejudice actually gave birth to works of a high standard.

The secondary reason is that there were quite a few unusual people among the producers, directors, and screenwriters who were making special effects at the time. Tokusatsu was an underground gathering of people who were kicked out of the film industry for making difficult directing and people who were kicked out of society for political reasons. There were especially many people like this at Tsuburaya Productions and Toei . They took aim at the fact that the deliberation of special films for children was laxer than expected and reflected their thoughts and tastes in their works.[16] So, if you look at classic special effects films, there was more content criticizing society than animations or dramas.[17] Actually, since it's for children, there's no need to tell a serious story, and there's no need to worry about probability or foreshadowing.[18] They say, "Don't look down on kids. They know everything is strange." He said, “I created a lot of works that took this into account.”

As this situation was repeated, there were many works that were good to watch as adults and works with socialist scripts, which became the driving force for the survival of classic special effects films in future generations. In the future, people who saw these works entered the industry and attempted works that were fun even for adults, such as Ultraman Tiga , Kamen Rider Kuuga , and Zojin Sentai Jetman, continuing the lineage of high-quality works.

Even so, the main customers are still children, so more and more recent reviews are being made based on children's standards, and if the films are made too seriously, children do not understand them and turn away from them, which often results in box office failures. The Super Sentai series was a serious work during the time of producer Takeyuki Suzuki, but in the late 1990s, Mirae Sentai Time Ranger became an all-time commercial failure.[19] Children's routes have become mainstream. Since then, serious works such as Tokmei Sentai Go-Busters , Knightly Dragon Sentai Ryusoulger , and Avatar Sentai Don Brothers have been attempted , but they are not as serious as during the time of producer Takeyuki Suzuki . The Ultra series , which is generally targeted at a high age group , attempted to be a full-fledged horror story with Ultraman Nexus and failed, so it no longer attempts works of that level and often mixes them with works for children, aiming to attract a new generation. Due to this situation, special effects films alternate between children's and adult versions, and even works aimed at adults have both children's and adult expressions coexisting in one work. That's why special effects fans who came in after watching adult works are disappointed when they see children's works or ask why they make things like that.[20] You need to accept that you have no choice but to do both. I tried everything, but it didn't work, so I ended up in the current situation.

In the 2010s, it became possible to recover production costs through methods other than toys, such as Kamen Rider Amazons and Kamen Rider Black Sun.[21] , Unauthorized Sentai Akibaranger[22] , such as GARO series[23] Special films for adults, excluding children, are also produced. As time passed and culture changed, adult viewers began to purchase special effects products, and due to the impact of the low birth rate , works targeting adults are becoming more popular than children. ‘Anniversary commemorative works’ are often produced targeting adult fans of classic works by casting the main actors from past works.

In Korea, there is a tendency to receive criticism for being excessively childish, such as when special effects films are said to be childish for borrowing from the direction of period dramas .[24] In fact, that kind of thing also appears in historical dramas that adults watch in Japan.[25] Also, you can see somewhat exaggerated acting in Japanese dramas , but there are many cases like that in other dramas as well.[26] There is no other way to express the feeling of unfamiliarity or discomfort that one feels when seeing something like that, so many times it is dismissed as childish.[27] If you want to watch special effects, you need to understand these circumstances and enjoy them from a more lenient perspective.

Of course, this does not mean that Japan does not also consider special effects films childish. It was the same in Japan.[28] In Japan, design is usually considered childish. This is because the design has no choice but to meet the standards of children's toys, so it has limitations.[29] In Japan, as time goes by and many works have been accumulated, it has naturally been enjoyed by various age groups, and the fact that the main target audience is children is no different from the early days of special effects, and even now. Even adult otaku sometimes ignore adult special effects viewers and ask if they still watch such things. In addition, the special effects fandom is smaller than the animation fandom, so their speaking power is limited. It can be said to be an unavoidable limitation due to birth.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few adult fans who value special effects as works of art or enjoy watching special effects, which have the disadvantages of being designed for children, having poor special effects, and being awkward due to frequent PPL. In some cases, it is simply nostalgia for the past, but there are usually people who watch it for the following charms.

Since the dawn of the special effects industry, there have been many cases where screenwriters such as Tetsuo Kinjo , Shozo Uehara , and Shukei Nagasaka rather than producers or directors have brought their works to life. So, unlike the film and animation industry, where the influence of producers and directors is so strong that scriptwriters cannot do what they want, special effects films have a tradition of giving scriptwriters a lot of authority and power.[30] Since then, many famous screenwriters have been produced in the special effects industry.

In this situation, many works with strong scripts and the characteristics of the screenwriters came out, and people wondered, "How can this be for children?" There have been many works with amazing stories that make you wonder. The high point of the story of a work called a masterpiece is so high that people who don't watch special effects can hardly believe it. There are many works that are properly evaluated as science fiction.[31] . Most of the time we hear that special effects films are childish because of their design and directing, but surprisingly, many of them have serious stories. In the Japanese animation industry, where the director's influence is strong, original animations often ruin the story.[32] Although it was criticized[33] Special effects films have high credibility because over their long history, there have been more works with good stories than works with bad stories.[34] Many classic special effects films with poor special effects still retain their vitality, and this is largely thanks to their screenplays.[35] So, surprisingly, when you ask Japanese screenwriters who they respect, the names of special effects screenwriters, not movie screenwriters or animation screenwriters, are often mentioned first.

Of course, there are disadvantages, but there are many variables such as weather, actors' schedules, toy promotions, and accidents during filming, so most of the plans are not accomplished, so most scripts are page scripts .[36] Because of the tight schedule, it is difficult for the main screenwriter to work on the series structure to refine the sub-screenwriter's script.[37] The connections between episodes tend to be weak and there are strong differences in mood. For example, there may be a case where a person dies and then a joke is made in the next episode. There are also meaningless short episodes that are unrelated to the overall development. Also, unlike animation, there are physical limitations[38] , there are also budgetary limitations, so the backgrounds that appear in the work are greatly limited. So, unless you specifically shoot on location, the same places, neighborhoods, and facilities tend to keep appearing.[39]

However, there are not many works that ruin the ending as the scriptwriters use their skills to correct the work, so if you see it once, it is better to believe it and watch it until the end.

However, not all works have good stories, and they are completely children's works that do not pay much attention to the story.[40] , there are also works whose stories are so ruined that there is no real answer.[41] I recommend looking for reviews carefully and seeing works that are evaluated as having a good story or being interesting even if the quality of the work is not great .

Korea only opened up to Japanese culture in the late 1990s and tends to censor violent works, so the reality of Japanese films is not well known. However, Japan is actually a country that produces a lot of sword-fighting action films ( chanbara ) and martial arts action films, and is quite capable in these areas. Among Western action movie fans, Japanese martial arts action movies were as popular as Hong Kong movies .[42] Action dramas are also frequently produced.

Special effects are where stuntmen and martial arts action actors who appear in these movies and dramas build their careers in their early days. Kotaro Ohno (大野幸太郎), famous in the Japanese action film world.[43] , Shinichi Chiba sent his students to special effects to practice, and when they were verified, he sent them to film. At the same time, newcomers such as Kenji Oba , Junichi Haruta , and Hiroshi Watari, although new, had outstanding physical strength and skills, and some actors and stuntmen, such as Kazuo Niibori , Hideaki Kusaka , Seiji Takaiwa , and Hirofumi Fukuzawa , remained in the special effects industry, saying they wanted to give dreams to children.

So, it is a special film that children watch, but it has spectacular martial arts action that is as good as that of Hong Kong movies or Jackie Chan movies, and dangerous actions that make people feel like they are going to die. No two works feature the same action, and each hero uses a different martial art or signature move to differentiate themselves.[44] Because of this advantage , there is a group of enthusiasts who watch special effects like they watch action movies or professional wrestling . Ruin the story or oil shock[45] , there are quite a few special effects that have poor special effects due to the economic crisis, but there are virtually no special effects that ruin martial arts or even stunts.[46] People who are interested in this area can enjoy watching most special feature films, including classics.

Even though filming is so dangerous, no one has died in an accident while filming, but there are people who have retired or become disabled due to accidents. In particular, Masato Akada is recorded as a catastrophe in the history of special effects accidents .

Toei is famous for this , so Toei special effects fans are action directors.[47] , I tend to look at the work while checking the names of the suit actors . Kazutoshi Takahashi is a famous action director.[48] , Osamu Kaneda, Junji Yamaoka, Kazuo Niibori , Koichi Sakamoto , Hirofumi Fukuzawa , etc.

Tsuburaya Productions is a company that focuses on special effects, so suit actors rarely do dangerous actions.[49] Instead , it is said that they focus more on emotional acting so that the emotions of heroes and monsters who cannot speak can be expressed through actions. So, most of Toei's suit actors are stuntmen, but Tsuburaya's suit actors are sometimes actors. Because the acting skills of heroes and monsters are completely different depending on the suit actor, Tsuburaya fans also look at the suit actor's name. However, I don't tend to look at the name of the action director very often.[50]

Because it is a very 3D job, directors who direct in general do not do special effects very often. Usually, people who have a unique aesthetic and are kicked out of the mainstream film and drama industry, or people who are not able to enter, end up doing special effects. Additionally, when movies or dramas are directed in a way that is too new or unusual, conservative adult viewers find it “strange.” People protest, but because special films are watched by children, such curse words are not often used, and many people find it amusing because they find it fascinating. Therefore, special effects actively attempt experimental and avant-garde directing that cannot be seen in existing video productions. In short, special effects are a directing laboratory.

Some people try to watch special effects to see this kind of amazing directing, and these people watch it while checking the position of director (director). Directors famous for this include Ishiro Honda , Akio Jissoji , Koichi Takemoto , Yoshiaki Kobayashi , Takao Nagaishi , Keita Amemiya , Hidenori Ishida, Ryuta Tasaki , and Kiyotaka Taguchi .

Because there are so many ingenious new attempts, many cartoonists and animation directors often reveal that they get ideas for directing and study by watching special effects. Hideaki Anno is particularly representative. Even in the West, there are people like Guillermo del Toro who learned directing by watching Japanese special effects films.[51]

Since it is physically impossible to film special effects alone, multiple directors work simultaneously. Instead, there is a director who designs the basics of directing. Episodes 1 and 2 are usually called 'pilot films' and the director who filmed them is called 'pilot director'.[52] This pilot video is not only a video, but also contains directives from the director indicating various directing policies, and the pilot director also has the authority to give opinions on episodes filmed by other directors. Other directors direct similarly, reducing their own style and imitating the pilot director's direction, so special effects films are usually criticized based on the pilot director's direction.[53] This person is a director in terms of a movie director or animation director . However, there are directors like Akio Jissoji , Yoshiaki Kobayashi , Takao Nagaishi , and Kiyotaka Taguchi, who have a strong personal style and mostly ignore the direction of the pilot director and direct in their own way. Enthusiasts sometimes watch these director-directed episodes by searching the broadcast list (episode list).

But this is both an advantage and a disadvantage. There are cases where this kind of directing causes a great sense of discomfort.[54] Since there was not much criticism, even if there were problems, improvements were not made well, and the directing gradually became Galapagos .[55][56] This is an area where likes and dislikes are quite different, and it can also be the reason why special effects are said to be childish or bizarre. There is no other way to express the sense of discomfort and unfamiliarity that one feels when seeing a production that is difficult to see elsewhere, so it is expressed with the word “childish.” To enjoy special effects, you need to have a lenient attitude toward directing.

Special effects produced since the days when CG did not exist used miniatures , suits , and gunpowder to create special effects to express unrealistic scenes such as the actions of giant monsters and giant robots, and this tradition is still partially maintained even now that CG has been applied. This has a different charm from special effects created with CG.

CG is actually closer to animation, so there are unrealistic parts, but realistic gravity and physical laws are applied to scenes where miniatures are moved and destroyed, actions performed by suit actors wearing suits, and gunpowder explosions, so more realistic expressions are possible . Also, when Hideaki Anno was asked why he bothered to watch special effects when there was also CG, he said, "The texture is different." He explained. Therefore, even now that the use of CG has increased, special effects production companies show great care in creating some scenes with physical special effects.

Famous ones here are Tsuburaya Productions and Toho . Enthusiasts who watch special effects to see these miniature special effects are usually more interested in directing than directing.[57] I look at it while confirming the positions of special effects director and special effects director . This is because miniature special effects actions mainly depend on the skills of these people. Eiji Tsuburaya is a famous director in the Japanese special effects fandom .[58] , Koichi Takano[59] , Sagawa Kazuo[60] , Nobuo Yajima[61] , Bututda Hiroshi[62] , there is Shinji Higuchi .

The work of making a suit and refining the designer's design into a three-dimensional object is called 'sculpting', and people who pursue perfection in suits look to this position. People famous for suit modeling include Ryosaku Takayama and Takayuki Takeya. Also, Rainbow Sculpture Planning (レインボー造型企画) ( website ) is a famous company that makes suits .

Of course, Toei is no slouch either.[63][64] This side doesn't care that much about miniatures, but competes with the quality of the suits, gunpowder explosions, and car action.[65] However, Toei fans do not often look at the special effects director position, but this is because Toei processes most of the videos featuring miniature special effects as bank scenes , so there is a lot of reuse, and because the special effects director has less burden on filming, most of the works are made by the same people instead of using multiple people. Most Toei works have only two special effects directors: Nobuo Yajima and Hiroshi Butsuda. Toei's gunpowder special effects are mostly done by the same people, so I don't particularly check them.[66] Usually, the director decides which scene gunpowder will be used in, so people who say they watch special effects because of gunpowder look more closely at the name of the director (director). Minoru Yamada , Koichi Sakamoto , and Kyohei Yamaguchi are famous for gunpowder . For reference, scenes that use a lot of gunpowder cannot be done in places where there are private houses, so they are usually done in quarries or warehouse-type sets.[67]

Until the 21st century, special effects films had the strong character of being assigned to actors with fair faces who had not been able to get roles at entertainment offices and were assigned them as a last chance before being fired . First of all, for special effects films, actors who only receive cheap appearances have been cast with priority, and more than anything, there is a jinx prevalent throughout the industry that appearing in special effects films will end an actor's life, so even unknown actors would worry about not accepting an offer to star in a special film. In reality, the majority of actors who appeared in supporting roles in special effects films only received minor or villainous roles when the series ended and then disappeared. In fact, this was a natural phenomenon that occurred not because they appeared in special films, but because they were actors with the ability to be left out anyway, but it was enough to create a jinx. In particular , it became quite a hot topic when Hiroshi Nagano was cast as Daigo Madoka, the protagonist of the 1997 film Ultraman Tiga .[68]

However, there are many exceptions. Hiroshi Fujioka , who played the first Kamen Rider, showed great activity in investigative films such as ' Special Front Line ' and adult-oriented films such as 'Tokyo Bay Flames', and even made inroads into Hong Kong and Hollywood, although he was not very successful. In addition, Hiroaki Murakami , who gained popularity by advancing to the 'Special Kill Series' after filming Sky Rider , and Masaki Kyomoto , who appeared in a significant role in Kamen Rider Black.[69] There are also actors who are still active as voice actors, but whose faces are not often seen on TV.[70] There is a problem with blindly claiming that it is a jinx and thinking that it will disappear.

And this jinx disappeared thanks to the success of Joe Odagiri, who later appeared in Kamen Rider Kuuga , and the success of new actors who came after him.[72] Atsushi Hashimoto , Jun Kaname , and Go Ayano are currently appearing in special effects.[73] , Tetsuji Tamayama , Hiro Mizushima , Takeru Sato , Koji Seto , Masaru Nagai , Rin Takanashi , Ayame Misaki , Kanna Mori , Tori Matsuzaka , Masaki Suda , Yudai Chiba , Ryo Yoshizawa , Jun Shison , Hayato Isomura , Sota Fukushi , Yokohama As Ryusei , Arata Mackenyu , Takeuchi Ryoma , Yamada Yuki , Ryusei Ryo , Akihisa Shiono , Takahashi Fumiya , Akaso Eiji , and Tsuna Keito have grown into rising and top level actors , the number of new actors who appear in special effects and increase their popularity is increasing, and it is called a gateway for men and actresses . In the 2010s, many special effects actors tend to feature young and good-looking ikeman actors in leading roles. Among them, the Kamen Rider series mainly uses ikemen , making it popular among housewives who watch it with their children, making it a place for young handsome actors to debut.[74]

The reason why so many promising actors have been appearing in recent years is also revealed in an interview with Hiroki Iijima , who played the main role in Kamen Rider Ex-Aid . He said that if he is confirmed to appear as a regular actor, he will be able to gain field experience by filming the drama for over a year, and it will be possible to imprint his image on the main consumers of the drama, and it will be a great help in broadening his acting range through various acting experiences. And I don't consider acting skills better than other genres.[75] Even after the drama ends, it is possible to secure room for guest appearances. However, because actors are cast primarily based on their visuals, their heroism fades, and the lack of acting skills of the lead actors is often noticeable.[76]

In the GARO series, an actor who was active in the theater industry was brought in as the lead actor in order to break the limit of manpower that can be brought in with a cheap appearance fee. Ryosei Konishi , the lead actor of GARO , doesn't have much filmography in dramas or movies, but he is a very well-known actor in theater.

Unlike male actors, it is rare for actresses who worked in special effects to become successful or popular later on, so special effects can become an actress' graveyard. The reason such a rumor began to circulate in the industry was Yuriko Hishimi, who played the role of Ultra Seven 's heroine Yuri Anne . The actress who played the role of a rare heroine, who was extremely popular among tokusatsu fans, had nude photos taken in the past leaked to make money, and her image collapsed, causing her to switch to adult films for a while. In addition, many tokusatsu actresses lost popularity and disappeared, or had bad things happen to them.[77][78] It is said that there is even a rumor going around in the industry that actresses should not appear in special films. Just by looking at the incident related to Jono Emi, you can see how Japanese entertainment agencies viewed special effects at the time. It is said that most companies would not send their actresses to special filming. So even an AV actor appeared.[79]

In addition, even if you want to debut as an actress, it is difficult to get into a regular agency without connections, so there were quite a few actresses who chose to be cast in special effects through gravure idols .[81] The problem is that because they debuted through gravure, gravure shooting had to be prioritized along with special effects shooting, and even after the work was finished, there were many cases of them only focusing on gravure and then retiring because of their gravure image, so unlike other actors, it was rare for them to grow into leading actors. Eventually, in 2007, an incident occurred in which Yuriko Shiratori , who was appearing as the main heroine Hana in Kamen Rider Den-O , asked her agency to adjust her schedule and improve her treatment, but was judged as retaliatory action, and talk about improving the treatment of actresses appearing in tokusatsu dramas began to emerge.[82] After this incident, the number of actresses' gravure photo shoots began to decrease to a certain extent, and actresses who grew into casting-level actors began to appear little by little.

Since the 2010s, the perception of special effects has improved significantly, and there are many actresses who started out in special effects but have succeeded as actors. There are clear success stories such as Tamao Sato , Ayumi Kinoshita , Rina Aizawa , Hikari Mitsushima , Tao Tsuchiya , Wakana Matsumoto , Keiko Kitagawa , Yui Aragaki , and Mei Hata, and they are not ashamed of the fact that they appeared in special effects. Nowadays, it is said that entertainment agencies are very positive about putting their new actresses in special effects. On the other hand , there are cases like Masami Nagasawa who appear in a remake of a tokusatsu film even though they are already famous actors .

In any country, it is customary to feature good-looking young men and/or young women in videos targeting children for parents who must watch the work with the children. Surprisingly, the part that is seriously reviewed when selecting performers for children's programs is whether or not they have faces that are "highly attractive to women in their 30s." If parents can be induced to watch the video using these performers, the parents will be motivated to watch the movie version or participate in various events with their children, which greatly helps in sales of the video and related products.[83]

However, since the mid-2010s, both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai began to consider an actor's acting ability as an important criterion for casting, and the proportion of new actors cast has decreased compared to before. Kamen Rider No. 1 and Super Sentai Red use actors with less experience and new actors, but other main characters are unknown actors with some experience.[84] , idol[85] , model[86] People from different backgrounds are mainly being cast. Compared to before, opportunities for new actors have decreased. As mentioned above, the casting trend was changed because the acting skills of the actors in Kamen Rider Fourze and Shuriken Sentai Nininger were so disastrous.[87]

They have to work very hard and are strapped for money , and there are almost no female staff members among special effects production crews.

Special effects production is similar in nature to animation, but the conditions are worse. Since we shoot with real actors, the schedules of the actors have to match, and this means that the conditions are far more unsuitable for short-term production than animation, where everything is solved by rolling animators . it means. As a typical example , many people dislike Kamen Rider Hibiki because the development is lukewarm until the middle . In addition, since the unit cost of a single suit used for filming is several million to tens of millions of won, special effects are more restrictive than animation in terms of capital recovery.[88] In addition, since they have to shoot non-stop for a year and then shoot a new series for the following year, the fatigue of the staff accumulates, and the scriptwriters have little time to put together the settings or come up with development.

Because of this environment, most special effects screenwriters rarely think about foreshadowing or future developments. Since it is common for sponsors to change the plot, it has become basic to think about it on the fly when writing. In Japan, special effects are considered the worst assignments in the screenwriting industry, with dramas, animations, and movies being incomparably difficult to write. (Refer to the screenwriter section for detailed reasons .) Nevertheless, some special effects films that have completely recovered the rice cakes and are evaluated as good stories even by later generations are truly miraculous examples.

In particular, most of the costumes worn by actors are tight-fitting suits that clearly highlight their body lines, so it is quite difficult during filming. Moreover, if you keep rolling around while wearing clothes that are not breathable, your whole body will be covered in sweat, which can lead to heat rash and skin diseases. It is especially hellish in the hot summer. Also, if you want to upgrade and add props such as armor or weapons to the suit, Hell Gate is open.

The most infamous one is the robot suit actor . It takes a lot of physical strain to move around while wearing a heavy robot mask. If you look at robot fight scenes in Super Sentai, most of them do not move quickly and dynamically like human heroes, but rather just walk around with strides and swing their limbs and weapons. All scenes that require intense movement for visual enjoyment are processed with CG. This is because the weight of the robot suit is heavier than expected. It's a relief if you can at least breathe. You shouldn't even dream about gout. Even in monster movies, actors wearing monster suits often faint during filming. While filming Godzilla , there was a case where an actor dressed as Godzilla almost drowned when he jumped into the water to film a scene where he jumps into the sea. At the time, the suit was literally an airtight type that did not allow air to pass through. According to the suit actors, it felt like they were acting while carrying concrete on their backs .

Another problem is that production costs are quite high. Contrary to general perception, production costs are much higher than animation , so since the 1990s, only large-scale series with a strong fan base remain, and it is difficult for original special effects dramas that are not series to receive proper investment.

Although suffering from the perception that it was childish, there was a time when special effects films were popular several times, and it is a country where self-production was quite common, although not as high as in Japan. In Korea, rudimentary special effects were also attempted in children's adventure films such as X Search Team in the 1970s , and superhero films were also attempted with difficulty in the early 1980s .

However, the real start was when Earth Defense Force Flashman, released by Daeyoung Panda in 1989, gained explosive popularity, and imitators were created to take advantage of the boom. Representative works include Shim Hyeong-rae's ' Thunder Mae ' series , 'Earth Defense Hero Flash' starring Gang Nam-gil , which plagiarized Flashman, and ' Earth Hero Vector Man ' , which aired on KBS . In particular, children's dramas such as ' Magic Kid Masuri ' often show traces of reproducing the taste of special effects, but it is difficult to find works that do not feel outdated. In addition, Korean special effects generally have a strong Sentai-like feel, and while there are some that appeal by featuring multiple heroes, there is also a large reason for adults to sell toys because it is good . Among Korean special films featuring a solo hero, Max Man is the only one in which a giant robot appears.

There was a time when children's programs in Korea were quite weak and treated poorly, but in the early 2000s, masterpieces such as the Kamen Rider series and the Super Sentai series were officially imported to cable channels, and the number of children's fans who enjoyed watching them increased again, and at one time, it became an axis of cable animation channels. In particular, in the 2000s, there were not many late-night animations imported due to strong broadcasting review that was incomparable to modern times, and the quality of animation was not that high, but special effects were released so many masterpieces that it was called a renaissance, so children watched a lot of special effects. So this generation is especially friendly to special effects films. Most people active in the special effects community are from this generation. Flashman in the 1990s , Magic Force in 2006 , Dino Force in 2014[89] , there were works that gained syndrome-level popularity and even made the news, like 2017's Animal Force . At this time, producer Shinichiro Shirakura said, “Korea has good sales of special effects films,” and “ Korea is the overseas market where the Kamen Rider series is doing best.”[90] " In fact, if you look at the size of the market, it is not a market that can be ignored, and the fandom is also growing in its own way. However, as of 2026, the popularity has fallen from the level of the 2010s due to the emergence of a large number of domestically produced competing works such as Metal Card Bot , but the demand is still maintained enough to maintain its status as a major market. Although Japan, the country of origin, is also experiencing a decline in popularity.

In particular, a characteristic of the Korean market is the dubbing of the opening song . It is safe to say that most works released in Korea have adapted versions of the opening song .[91] Even in the Chosungshin series , which did not gain much popularity, the opening and ending were dubbed and released.(...) In many cases, only the first verse is adapted, but in the 2020s, there are also cases where the full version is adapted.

In fact, the opening song itself has been adapted in other countries, and in the case of Hong Kong in particular , the quality of most of the full version adaptations was quite good. However, due to various circumstances, very few countries maintain the adaptation of the opening song, and Korea is almost the only country that continues to maintain the adaptation of the opening song. Even Kamen Rider Jets, which immediately became a hot topic for its simultaneous broadcast around the world, actually adapted the opening in Korea, and only a few places in the Arab world prepared their own openings , and in fact, Korea was the only place that consistently adapted the opening until the last work of the Super Sentai series .

In Korea , a remake of the Super Sentai series was officially released. Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, a remake of Susensentai Kyoryuger . It was implied that it was a follow-up to the official Kyoryuzer, and although not actors, characters who appeared in the previous Kyoryuzer came out. The series was also aired in Japan.

After the success of Vector Man, the Hero of the Earth, Guardian Warrior Max Man and Irezaion were aired with huge capital, but failed miserably.[92] Investment in domestic special effects was cut off, and domestic special effects almost disappeared. However, in 2015, K-Cop was well-received by younger audiences and announced a second season, and Legendary Hero Three Kingdoms, which aired in 2016 , was well-received not only by child viewers but also by enthusiasts, opening up the possibility of domestic special effects. In 2019, Exgarion and Idol Ranger Powerbusters were released one after another, raising a lot of expectations, but Exgarion ended early due to plagiarism controversy and literally showed disastrous quality, and Idol Ranger Powerbusters showed no signs of progress due to the successive member replacements of the idol group Busters , which played the main character , so it is difficult to guarantee whether production will proceed properly. Armored Saurus and Nano Warrior Lokapha were scheduled to air in the 2020s . Armored Saurus , which has been aired since 2021, is characterized by being close to a mecha film that does not feature transformations, unlike existing Korean special films . It received a lot of attention and was highly anticipated, with Daewon Media , the production company , promoting it extensively before it aired. However, there are many evaluations that it is disappointing that it has reaped a certain amount of commercial profit and is separate from the airing of Season 2. Nano Warrior Lokapa was originally scheduled to air in 2020, but after the schedule was pushed back, there was no specific airing news. Then, in August 2022, it was announced that Season 1 is being filmed with the goal of finishing filming at the end of September. #

The problem is that the fandom for domestically produced special effects began to decline rapidly in the late 2010s, and from the 2020s, the market for domestically produced special effects is evaluated to have virtually completely died. There was a hope that the spark of hope would revive with Legendary Hero Three Kingdoms, but the follow-up films Exgarion , Idol Ranger Powerbusters , Armored Saurus , and Nano Warrior Rokapa were all criticized for various reasons or were not even produced at all.[93] It's been a long time since Korean tokusatsu completely gave up their expectations of domestic special effects and went back to Japanese special effects. At best, it's just a reminiscence of the past.

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