In a hero suit full of gimmicks
Who will the serious special effects fanatic face off against?

Since the big success of “Shin Godzilla,” classic special effects heroes have been remade one after another, such as “Shin Ultraman” and “Shin Kamen Rider” (scheduled for release in March 2023), and past works are also being spotlighted, such as the screening of “Rodan, the Giant Monster of the Sky, 4K Digital Remaster Edition.” Amidst all of this, this film depicts people who seriously tried to become special effects heroes.

The main character is Jissoji Niiya, who belonged to the Special Effects Art Research Society (abbreviated as Tokubi-ken) during his university days. Just the name is already scary. It is a combination of Jissoji Akio, the famous director of “Ultraman” and “Ultra Seven”, and Yamaguchi Niiya, a right-wing youth who stabbed to death Chairman Asanuma of the Japan Socialist Party. As the name suggests, he is a special effects fanatic who is more fanatical than stoic.

The main activity of the Tokubi Research Club is to make their own hero suits. These are not just costumes, but full-scale ones, with weapons and skill gimmicks that are activated by compressed air and other means to reproduce special effects movements. They use materials such as metal and fiber-reinforced plastic to give them “practicality,” i.e. defensive and offensive power. They call these “Gekikoufuku,” and because of their danger, they have strict rules for their use. However, an incident led to Jissouji’s arrest, and Tokubi Research Club was forced to close.

Being the author of “Kakugo no Susume,” you’d think this would be a sci-fi action movie about special effects enthusiasts fighting real monsters, or a story about serious special effects enthusiasts… but there are hints of new developments, making it impossible to predict. But what impresses me more than anything is the setting and design of the heroes in the story, who are modeled after special effects heroes from the 1970s, and the brilliant ideas for the gimmicks equipped to their gekiko suits. Special effects fans will be impressed by the names of the members of the Tokubi Research Club, such as Narita, Nakano, and Serizawa, and the episode about special effects director Ichinotani Manji, who is clearly modeled after Tsuburaya Eiji. They say that “God resides in the details,” and the depiction of such details is convincing. In this respect, special effects and manga are the same.

It is well known that the original Godzilla was a metaphor for the terror of air raids and nuclear weapons, but this film also contains references to war, nuclear power plants, and bullying. It is an ambitious work that brings all of these things together in a love of special effects, including the question, “What is justice?” It would be a lie if professional special effects people did not respond to this love. I would love to see a live-action version with the collaboration of Anno Hideaki and Higuchi Shinji!

“Theatrical Mask”
Takayuki Yamaguchi, Volumes 1-2 / Shogakukan
Currently serialized in Big Comics Superior

Where will the protagonist, Jissoji Niya’s excessive love of special effects lead…? From the character names and in-game heroes to stories about legends, this is a drama full of soul and passion that special effects fans will love!

ⒸTakayuki Yamaguchi/Shogakukan

Read on the original site