Why tokusatsu, Power Ranger style shows, became so huge in Indonesia, and the diehard fans who made their own series
- The genre of Japanese live-action films or TV shows big on special effects and superheroes first caught on in Indonesia in the 1980s through video rentals
- One fan community still meets up for cosplay-like events and takes part in major exhibitions, and has even created its own tokusatsu series
Grotesque aliens and flamboyant robots may be the stuff of fantasy but, decades after first appearing on Indonesian television screens, they still captivate Komutoku’s thousands of members.
Short for Komunitas Tokusatsu, or Tokusatsu Community, the group is a forum and meeting space for devotees of tokusatsu – a term that translates to “special effects” and means Japanese live-action films or television series that are big on special effects and superhero scenarios. They generally appeal to a younger audience.
Stars of tokusatsu include kaiju – giant Godzilla-like monsters – and humans who turn into robot-like superheroes through the process of henshin, or transformation, such as those in the Metal Hero Henshin series. Indonesians are particularly fond of these warriors.
Heroes are either lone warriors or a group of diverse characters dubbed the Super Sentai – or “task force” – who battle monsters with gimmicky super powers and absurd moves. The monsters look like a combination of animal and alien, with sociopolitical, mythological or pop culture references.
“One of the things I loved about tokusatsu were the costume designs, both of the heroes and villains,” says Ferdi Firdaus Ahmad, 38, a Komutoku co-founder. Like many Indonesians, he fell for the genre as a young child. “But it was also the stories, which were about good versus evil, all sprinkled with drama and comedy, and sometimes even horror. The essence of the stories was relatable to people of all ages, and not just kids.”
