Anna Daniels
Since we’re all going to be stuck inside our houses for at least a couple weeks, we’ll be relying on every possible outlet for entertainment. But sometimes Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime don’t always have what we’re looking for, especially if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned tokusatsu programming from Japan. That’s where Shout! Factory TV‘s new streaming channel TokuSHOUTsu on Pluto TV comes into play.
For those who don’t know, tokusatsu is a Japanese entertainment genre known for its unique special effects and epic battles between superheroes and kaiju monsters. We’re talking about shows like Super Sentai (which inspired all the iterations of Power Rangers), Ultraman Leo, and Kamen Rider, all of which will be available on Pluto TV starting this week.
Here’s a video announcing the arrival of TokuSHOUTsu by Jason Navary, who played “Skull” on Power Rangers:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua4MESRGWmA?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]
Shout! Factory TV is bringing TokuSHOUTsu to Channel 681 on Pluto TV starting at 12am PT (or 3am ET) on Tuesday, March 17. The launch will include the official United States debut of Kamen Rider, starting with the first 98-episode series from 1971. Plenty more episodes will be made available in the future. But there’s plenty more coming to TokuSHOUTsu at launch. Here’s what the channel will include:
- Kamen Rider: Season 1 – The original Japanese television series follows the exploits of a masked, motorcycle-riding hero who fights the forces of evil.
- Ultraman Leo – The series features the survivor of Planet L77 of the Leo constellation, who takes the human form of 20-year-old Gen Ootori.
- Super Sentai –A number of series on which Power Rangers is based, where original color-coded superhero teams battle out-of-this-world villains, their armies, and incredible monsters. The offering includes Chojin Sentai Jetman, Super Sentai Zyuranger, Gosei Sentai Dairanger, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, Chouriki Sentai Ohranger, Gekisou Sentai Carranger, Denji Sentai Megaranger, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogofive, Mirai Sentai Timeranger, Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger, and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger.
- Let’s Talk Toku – A new, original weekly talk show for anyone with an interest in tokusatsu. Hosted by Squall Charlson, and featuring a variety of guest hosts, Let’s Talk Toku gives viewers an inside look into everything toku, including masked superheroes, kaiju monsters, cyborgs, aliens, villains and, of course, the toys.
- Backlot – Select episodes from Shout! Factory TV’s original series that grants an inside look at favorite series and films, covering Godzilla, Gamera, Gorgo, Power Rangers and much more.
- Live Events – Events and convention stunts such as Power Morphicon livestreams.
If you’re not familiar with Pluto TV, it’s a free, ad-supported streaming TV service available by way of an app through Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast, as well as major smart TVs and game consoles. They have 250-plus live and original channels and thousands of on-demand movies in partnership with major TV networks, movie studios, publishers, and digital media companies. There’s even a channel dedicated to just Mystery Science Theater 3000, so this is the perfect place for fans to find niche programming like tokusatsu.
A lot of this stuff isn’t available on any other streaming service, and Shout Factory couldn’t be more proud to showcase all this content to tokusatsu fans to Pluto TV users in the United States, Europe and soon Latin America. Gene Pao, Shout! Factory’s senior vice president, digital enterprises said in a statement:
“We’re so proud to launch TokuSHOUTsu as the ultimate destination for fans to watch the best tokusatsu content spanning more than 60 years. We know fans have come to appreciate the carefully curated content that Shout! Factory distributes, and we’ve created this channel with the legions of tokusatsu enthusiasts in mind. We’re thrilled to add it to our umbrella of fan-centric streaming options.”
This will certainly help keep us occupied in the coming weeks, and will continue to expand as time goes on. Enjoy!
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