TOKUSATSU GAGAGA Episode 1

Tokugami1 Comment

tokusatsu gagaga - 01v2 (nhk-g 1440x810 x264[10-b] aac 30fps) [39f9565a]_001_17536

Well this is two firsts for Big Nova: The first show we’ve done that’s less than 20 years old, and our first weekly project!

This is a tokusatsu-adjacent J-Drama in the ilk of After V, Kamen Teacher, and Blue Blazes. Much like the latter two, it’s adapted from a manga and like all of them, it airs at a late-night timeslot. The show is absolutely enjoyable by non-toku fans, but if you are one, then it gets a whole lot better.

We’re doing this as a collaboration with Lovegen Subs, known for their tokusatsu-adjacent dramas like Sh15uya.

We’re shooting to release these episodes the Monday after they air, so check back next week for the next episode!

A couple of TL notes before we go:

  • Jushowan’s full title is 獅風怒闘ジュウショウワン (Shippū Dotō Juushouwan). The “Shippū Dotō” is a really obtuse pun on 疾風怒濤, the Japanese name for the German term “Sturm und drang” (“Storm and Stress” or “Storm and Drive”). Since it incorporates a kanji for “lion” in the pun, we’re going with “Bestial Storm”.
  • The character called “Ninkyō-san” will be called “Mr. Yakuza”. “Ninkyō” is a nice way to refer to the yakuza, sort of a way of saying it without saying it. The shop he runs is implied to be a front for the yakuza too. The scanlations of the manga that are out there used this too.
  • “Charahiko” is a play on “Charao”, sort of a name for a frat-kid. But the “o” (man) is replaced with “hiko” (boy). He’s a very minor character in the comic, so we’re just ignoring it.

HD Torrent | SD Torrent

HD DDL | SD DDL

SEIUN KAMEN MACHINEMAN Episodes 19-36

Tokugami1 Comment

BallBoy-Gun.png

61 days. That’s what it took from pitch to finished product to get Machineman done. I’m so happy to see this complete, and I’m sure fans of the show are too. In addition, This release is being put out on the 35th anniversary of Machineman itself!

The second half of Machineman introduces a new villain group: Octopus, led by Professor K’s niece, Lady M, and her bumbling sidekick Ton Chin Kan, whose name literally means “absurd” or “ridiculous”. Given that Kameta exists, it seems weird to add another character to serve as a vehicle for slapstick, but at least he has some agency in the story. Their tactics are a little different than Tentacle. Lady M calls in a lot more favors from bad guy friends, but she still gets assistance from K later on. Of the 14 episodes where Octopus is the sole villain, only 6 of them feature android monsters.

Sadly, the last episode is a clipshow. There’s no new stuff in it, so it’s entirely ignorable.

Some highlights: Episode 28 is one of my top 3 episodes of the show (8 and 21 being the other two, in no particular order). Sugimura really hit a home-run with the writing on it, and I might be mistaken, but there’s a particular shot that references The Graduate.

I was facing a bit of slowdown, so I had to call in a backup timer, Nemet. He was more than happy to do it, and I have a few words from him about his impressions on the show:

“When Tokugami asked if I’d help out with timing Machineman, I said yes right away. I knew nothing of the show beforehand, but I was eager to help. What I didn’t expect was that I’d find a show whose charm would have me hooked even before I could undertsand it. The good guy being a fairly normal looking man with glasses, Masaru always sounding like a loud-mouthed brat, the voice of the incomparable Machiko Soga as Ball Boy, and the antics with the villains and their schemes all added to the charm of this show for me, and made it a really satisfying show to watch. It’s got it’s goofy moments, it’s got some genuinely creepy moments, but most of all it made me laugh and smile, and that’s why I love these shows. I hope you find what I found in this absolute gem of a series.”

And of course, I have some additional words from the translator, BluePhlash:

“I didn’t know what to expect from this project, but I really enjoyed it! Machineman is a fun show that should definitely be given a chance. I probably wouldn’t have, honestly, but I’m happy I did. I want to thank you, the fans! Your cheering us on is what keeps me going making these subs. I also want to thank Tokugami for taking a shot in the dark and asking if I wanted to collaborate on this project. This project wouldn’t have happened without him. Well-well-well-well! Enjoy the show!”

You can read more of his thoughts at the Metallic Fansubs website.

And a big thanks to everyone who watched from me. I’m so glad people can now easily experience this real forgotten gem of a show. If you haven’t heard about it, give it a shot.

Download the episodes at the Releases Page!

SEIUN KAMEN MACHINEMAN Episodes 1-18

TokugamiLeave a comment

Seiun Kamen Machineman - 01 [96606BBC]_001_16342

Well, time to make the Brazilian and Filipino toku fandoms explode with joy.

Yes indeed! We’re starting a new project: 1984’s NEBULA MASK MACHINEMAN!

If you’re familiar with Bycrosser, this is a similar show from the previous year. It had a similar low budget, action by JAC, mechanical designs by Katsushi Murakami (below), a Kamen Rider alumnus in the role of main villain, and Shotaro Ishinomori credited as creator. If I were to choose three key influences it draws from, they would be Kamen Rider, Superman, and Zorro. The influence of Superman runs deep, to the point where lead actor Osamu Sakuta said in an interview: “I went in with an awareness of Clark Kent from Superman“.

 

I’ve wanted to sub this show ever since I learned how to make subtitles. For the longest time however, all I could find was the Portuguese dub. And when I came across DVD ISOs with the Japanese audio, there was an issue that would crash the DVD when you tried to play the episode! So eventually, I bought the second DVD volume in order to rip, with intent to buy the first and third volumes later on. However, back in February, GuSTaVauM burst out of the blue having completely ripped the show!

I also said that I wouldn’t try to do it without either a professional translator or captions from Toei Channel. However, Toei Channel hasn’t aired this show since 2014, and even then, without captions. But then, I got on a sudden kick to watch the show and was recommended to get in touch with Metallic Fansubs, the fantastic group that appeared out of nowhere back in June and completely subbed Spielban AND Metalder in the space of about 5 months! I got in touch, and now we’re doing a joint release!

We’re planning to do 2 releases of 18 episodes: basically splitting the show in half along the two villain arcs.

I’m not dropping Kyodyne, just taking a break. Think of this as a simultaneous project, like Strada 5 was.

UPDATE: Episode 4 was muxed with a pre-revision script, leading to incomplete subtitles. If you have a file with CRC E95866C7, please either download the revised file from MEGA or apply the patch here. Either way, the correct episode 4 file should have CRC 1406B932.

Translation: Bluephlash

Timing/Typesetting/Editing: Tokugami

Download the episodes at the Releases Page!

 

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Kyoryu Sentai Koseidon Episode 38

TokugamiLeave a comment

Koseidon-Image

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to do some sort of holiday release, and why not an episode that has Frankenstein’s monster in it?

There’s a chance you may have heard of this show for the sole reason that it contains the words “kyoryu sentai” in its title. This show came out in 1978, a full 14 years before Zyuranger! If I had to come up with a premise for the show, it would be “What if the Science Patrol from Ultraman had a time machine?” Sadly, if you’re looking for a well-thought-out time travel story, turn back here. This show’s approach to the Butterfly Effect is “What’s a butterfly effect?” Turns out, staging huge alien battles in the Cretaceous Period does nothing to the present day. If you can get past that, then this show is awesome! Nothing else combines dinosaurs, robots, spaceships, and superheroes together like this. Interestingly enough, this is the one show in Tsuburaya’s Dinosaur Trilogy that isn’t half-animated. Also, the Koseidon ship prop in this show was repurposed as the Time Tansor in Tansor 5!

Speaking of anime and Tansor 5, huge props to GANGO for helping me with the translation on this episode! I’m glad to be working with them again on another special collab. On their end, we worked on Mashin Hero Wataru Episode 8: The Vampire Is A Crucifix Collector.

Download the episode at the Releases Page!

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodyne Episodes 18-21

TokugamiLeave a comment

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodain - 21 [F8BE0984]_001_14365

Since it’s October, I see no reason not to release the next 4 episodes of Kyodyne! Since it’s spooky-time, it’s fitting that these episodes have werewolves, killer plants, a vampire mummy, and… crocodiles. I do have plans to release something special for Halloween, however!

Episodes 18 and 19 are a two-parter connected only in that they share a monster. It’s quite cool too! They mark the first time in this show that Miki Wakabayashi has directing duties. They don’t have a Japanese Wikipedia page, so I can’t get a full list of works beyond 11 episodes of this show, a baker’s dozen episodes of Daitetsujin 17, two episodes of Message From Space Galactic Wars, and 3 episodes of The Gorilla Seven.

Episodes 20 and 21, as mentioned in the 20’s trivia, appear to function as advertisements for tourism in Miyagi Prefecture, with episode 20 being more overt about it. Episode 21 serves as a bridge point between the first and second half of the show, before the villain switch-up. This episode concludes the Doctor Kaido arc of the show, and the secret of “Mandarin” is left ambiguous.

Next time, the show shifts gears with a new villain and a new scope!

Download the episodes at the Releases Page!

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodyne Episodes 10-17

Tokugami4 Comments

Kyodyne-13_001_22012

To compensate for the dearth of content from the group, I’m releasing the next 8 episodes all at once.

Episodes 10-12 complete the first part of the Flower-Blooming Song arc. These episodes are great, with armored magnet-samurai, badly-dubbed French, and a soccer ball with a knife.

dpvmn45xcaail1j

I think the best part about that is that it isn’t the craziest thing in this show.

Episodes 13-14 are fairly standalone, but super-enjoyable. Despite it being a Toei toku series from the 70’s, these episodes are the only ones featuring voice acting by Ritsuo Sawa, everyone’s favorite robot medusa-head from Bycrosser. If this clip doesn’t convince you to watch, then nothing will:

A bit dark for a show made for pre-schoolers, but it WAS the 70’s. And again, it’s not the craziest thing in this show.

Episodes 15-17 introduce a lasting change for the show: Skyzel and Grounzel taking on human form. This change is not really one made out of necessity, but more of an Akumaizer 3-style “Make them human so we can pay the suit actors less” change. It allows for a cool transformation sequence, but it’s just not the same. Also keep an eye out in episode 17 for Gozo Soma, who played Akemi’s father in Bycrosser!

Download the episodes over at the Releases Page!

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodyne Episode 9 And Movie

TokugamiLeave a comment

Kyodyne-09_001_4338

I’m noticing that when this show needs a name for anything, it just takes a pair of Roman letters and add a word to it, e.g. BN Subs.

Back on with Kyodyne, and the show’s first standalone episode. This is the first episode that I’d really call filler. The flower-blooming song isn’t mentioned at all in the episode itself! It’s a fine enough story though, just a bit generic.

In order to compensate for just releasing one episode this time, I’ve included the Kyodyne movie! Don’t get too excited though, as this is a “blown-up” version of Episode 3. It was shown at the 1976 Toei Cartoon Festival alongside the Goranger and Kagestar movies. The cut content from the episode consists of everything from before the title card, and one section of the final battle with Tankuda. If you’re watching the show, the movie isn’t at all necessary. But if you just want a sampler of what Kyodyne is, I’d say to go for it!

Matsuri76

Download the episode over at the Releases Page!

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodyne Episodes 7 and 8

TokugamiLeave a comment

Kyodyne-07_001_12122

Hey, it’s not Big Nova Subs without a 3-month gap in releases!

Back behind the wheel after a hiatus for school! Episodes 7 and 8 are a two-parter nearing the climax of the Flower-Blooming Song arc! Honestly, there isn’t too much to say! Download the episodes over at the Releases Page!

Also I got sent this on Discord: It’s a pamphlet used by Toei in the 70’s and 80’s to sell their shows overseas!

Kyodyne-Pamphlet

APRIL FOOLS: Kagaku Boukentai Tansor 5 Episode 1

Tokugami7 Comments

mv

April Fools!

Yeah, I know some of you are eagerly awaiting Kyodyne, but college is hell. Anyway, what the hell IS Tansor 5?

Beats me. The show came in the wake of those weird anime-tokusatsu fusions that Tsuburaya did in the late 70’s, like Born Free, Izenborg, and Azteckaiser. Tsuburaya apparently didn’t have anything to do with this. The closest thing is that the live-action effects were directed by Kazuo Sagawa, who started with the effects for Mighty Jack, and leaving after Ultraman Cosmos. The anime parts were done by Sunrise, beginning only a few months after their soon-to-be hit Gundam.

This release marks our first joint project! Translation for this episode was done by the fantastic Good Anime Never Gets Old. They’re doing great work on Bonobono, Sei Juushi Bismarck, and Gutsy Frog, among others. I pitched it to them because it’s a fusion of what we both love: old anime and old tokusatsu!

Also thanks to GuSTaVauM for procuring the episode’s raw for me! He’s getting Kyodyne ripped from the DVD9s, so I’m very grateful!

Head over to the Releases Page to download the episode!

Uchuu Tetsujin Kyodyne Episodes 4-6

TokugamiLeave a comment

Kyodyne-05_001_4474

This show has a gatling gun robot smoking six cigarettes at once. Need I say more to convince you that this show is insane?

Episodes 4-6 are the next villain arc in this show, with two robots: Dykirai and Gatlingar. Dykirai’s name is a Japanese pun. He’s themed after a naval mine. “Big Naval Mine” and “I hate you” have the same pronunciation in Japanese: “daikirai“. Gatlingar’s theme is a gatling gun, no surprise there.

Sadly, episode 6 marks the end of the gigantic vehicle fights. They still use the giant vehicle modes, however!

But these episodes are great fun, and start to really kick the plot into gear.

Download it over at the Releases Page!