Spandex Power Armour is a Podcast about Tokusatsu, the Japanese genre of "special effects". We talk about films like Godzilla and shows like Kamen Rider in an entertaining and informative way.
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The duo gush over an anime with a unique take on the superhero genre: Covered in more sponsor logos than a NASCAR driver, heroes compete for points by fighting crimes. Needless to say, the real prize were the friendships they made along the way.由Spandex Power Armour
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The last in the "Showa" Kamen Rider series: Kamen Rider J has everything a kid in the 90's asks for. You want weird organic interiors?You've got it. A half-decent grasshopper puppet? Sure! A disappointing kaiju fight where the protagonist turns giant? You bet your ass!Mixed feelings about as the duo discuss this swan song to the Showa Kamen Rider s…
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The duo discuss what is possibly the most wholesome, relatable comedy series about being a closet geek.由Spandex Power Armour
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From the depths of Toei's edgy 90's phase comes Kamen Rider ZO: A new attempt at retelling the Kamen Rider story with a stronger, better (Better than Shin anyway), more marketable hero! The duo delight in this film, which disregards storytelling and depth and pumps it with action, quality monster suits, and a creepy rubber puppet!…
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The duo discuss one of the highest-grossing films of early 2021: Godzilla vs Kong! Does this new clash of the alpha titans rekindle their love of old kaiju fight scenes? Do human stories matter at all in a film about monsters? Will Rex notice the intermittent microphone problem he had while recording? Listen to Season 2: Episode 16 and find out!…
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The duo discuss the obscure 90's tokusatsu picture that is Lady Battle Cop. Does it ride the success of the Robocop franchise, or is it yet another dark Heisei film? Does this hero dispense justice in the dark, cyberpunk world of Neo Tokyo? Would you buy that for a dollar? Find out in this episode!由Spandex Power Armour
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A meteor strikes the Earth, separating the world of mankind and the world of dinosaurs. No, this isn't the Super Mario Bros. movie, it's Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger! Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex take a dive into this early-2000's series and dream that, one day, that we will get an Abarepink.由Spandex Power Armour
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Join Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex as they struggle to find Fukuoka on the map, and delight in this TV series based on real life local heroes!由Spandex Power Armour
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The duo discuss the Heisei Rider that Toei wants everyone to forget (Except when there's a crossover movie)! Shin Kamen Rider: Prologue is a superhero origin film with no follow-up, forever damning the protagonist to an existence as a horrific monster without access to trousers. Is this film a hidden gem of Tokusatsu cinema, or another casualty of …
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Grab a bottle of vodka, wrap yourself in an inflatable mattress and ponder where it all went wrong in this very special episode where the duo discuss Colossal: An Indie kaiju movie starring Anne Hathaway that lured us in with its promise of giant, stompy monsters but kept us hooked with so much believable human drama.…
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In the final episode of 2020, Ranger & Rex discuss their experience with SSSS. Gridman: An anime adaptation of a 90's tokusatsu series with a lovely twist! (If allegories for teenage mental health and coping with depression fit your definition of "Lovely").由Spandex Power Armour
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What makes you think of Canada? Poutine? Maple syrup? A live-action made-for-TV film adaptation of a Japanese mecha franchise? We talk about this obscure oddity of the late 90's and how it fits in with the rest of Gundam.由Spandex Power Armour
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Remember the 1980's? Mullets? Leg warmers? A Hanna-Barbera film based on a popular Japanese superhero that acted as the pilot for a Saturday morning cartoon that never came to be? We watched the highly Americanized adaptation (Secret base in Mount Rushmore, enough said) and had a blast doing do. Join us as we discuss the inherent existential crisis…
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The duo discuss, among other things, the growing focus on merchandise in Ultraman and Kamen Rider, and somehow find themselves talking about the world's greatest tokusatsu hero: Bibleman.由Spandex Power Armour
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Following the release of the teaser for the upcoming anime Godzilla: Singular Point, we take a few stabs in the dark at what the series might entail, and encounter one or two extra-long tangents along the way!由Spandex Power Armour
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We decide to swap things around and discuss a classic of British Science-Fiction: The original Dalek episode arc from William Hartnell's Doctor Who years!由Spandex Power Armour
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Grab your boring female sidekick, put on your suit of bio-mechanical power armour and team up with an early 90's Mark Hamill in episode 36 of The Spandex Power Armour Podcast! We discuss the film adaptations of sci-fi manga The Guyver, and express how grateful we are that all the budget was spent on making some of the nicest monster suits we've eve…
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Join Messrs Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex into a discussion of a fine selection of cancelled Godzilla projects! These projects were either partway through development, swapped one kaiju for another during planning, or were but a glint in the writer's eye.The world is a worse place for Batman vs Godzilla never having been made.…
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In this episode, we cross the pond from Japan to the Korean peninsula to sample some of the kaiju movies from North and South Korea! Is Pulgasari more than an obscure film with a bizarre background including abduction and propaganda, and is Yongary just another Godzilla ripoff without a Seoul? It's all discussed in Season 2, Episode 2!…
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After a three-year hiatus, the boys blow the dust off the podcast and talk about their recent experiences in Tokusatsu: Kamen Rider Zero-One, Godzilla, and more!Explosion sound effect from: https://freesound.org/people/Iwiploppenisse/sounds/156031/由Spandex Power Armour
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After another hiatus, the team returns to discuss Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: The series that had divided our opinions since it was first announced.We try to wrap our heads around the bizarre plot, and discuss the menagerie of riders in this very special episode!由Spandex Power Armour
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Kamen Rider build has finally crept over to the western hemisphere, and Kyuranger is making more plot jumps than George R.R. Martin on methamphetamine. We discuss our first impressions with Build and speculate on how the plot will progress, and question just why Toei like to make female villains with secondary sexual characteristics which are quest…
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After a brief hiatus due to issues in meatspace, the duo return to discuss news in the tokusatsu community! Due to the meatspace issue, they are also accursed by a horrible case of reverb!We look at Lucky's new form in Kyuranger, take on the torrent of Ex-Aid V-Cinema releases, plunder the first few minutes of the JJBA movie, and marvel over Garage…
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The conclusion to our two-part special honouring the men behind 1954 Godzilla. This week, we discuss special effects legend Eiji Tsuburaya and composer Akira Ifukube and talk about our favourite works from each of the five men.由Spandex Power Armour
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The loss of Haruo Nakajima was a sobering event that reminded people around the world of the cultural impact of Godzilla. In this two-part special, we look at the big names behind the 1954 classic and explore their lives before and after working on this film.由Spandex Power Armour
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After the release of the trailer for Kamen Rider Build and the character bios, Kamen Ranger and Hypnopotamus Rex discuss what has been revealed and which of their predictions were horribly wrong. Along the way, they become enamoured with the name of the series' villain faction: The Smash.Additionally, they talk about the latest Kyuranger episode an…
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As Kamen Rider Build and the abdication of the emperor of Japan approach, we look back on what Toei did to make post-Decade Kamen Rider more successful (and profitable!). We discuss our favourite conventions most of the Neo-Heisei/Heisei Phase 2 shows stuck with, and point out the times they tried something that deviated from the norm (Looking at y…
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Rejoice! One and all! Scans of Kamen Rider Build have been released and the duo speculate just why he resembles Double so much!We also discuss the scans of the new secondary Rider and the two villain Riders! Exciting times are ahead, so drop us a comment with your opinion on this new Kamen Rider who is really Build-ing up hype!…
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The duo pop a couple of tokusatsu ritalin and focus really hard on the recent Space Sheriff Gavan vs Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger movie! Have you ever dreamed of a science-fiction cop drama about an evil diaper company and a CEO who punctuates his sentences with punches? If you have answered yes to either of those: You are a terrible person, but this …
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The pair discuss a few choice cuts of this week's news, and engage in tangent after toku tangent! Super Hero Time's timeslot has changed! More developments in Kyuranger! We also talk about the latest images from the Kamen Rider W Manga!由Spandex Power Armour
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The duo discuss this week's best tokusatsu news: Kamen Rider Build has a hand crank! That's about it, really. Oh, you want more? Fine: We finally get a look at Ho-Oh Soldier's civilian form and Ultraman Geed has some yellow form in a video game. What's important is that Build has a crank.由Spandex Power Armour
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In a very special super short episode, we discuss the best entry points for people looking to get into the Godzilla franchise. We pore over the significance of '54 and '84, applaud the campy nature of most of Showa, and offer reserved criticism on the semi-serialised nature of Heisei. No normal person has an excuse not to get involved as we clear t…
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The duo initially set out to discuss famous monsters from Western Sci-Fi, but become easily distracted by a torrent of terrible tangents, and move onto the most important question of all: Is Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny tokusatsu? Trick question: Of course it is!Plenty of monster riffing and Doctor Who discussion abound - I mean, it's technic…
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More exciting tokusatsu news this week! The new Kamen Rider's name revealed! Visible Stands in the JoJo trailer! Ultraman Geed's transformation gimmick demonstrated! Shocking news about Kyuranger's ending song!All this, and a flood of insane tangents in episode 19!由Spandex Power Armour
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Tangents and tomfoolery abound in our news/general discussion hybrid baby of an episode! The duo establish several uncomfortable truths: Decade is pink, pelvic thrusting was the best part of Kyuranger, and Kuroto Dan's Dangerous Plan™ wasn't really that great. The director of Godzilla vs Kong is announced! More monsters are announced for City Shrou…
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The Godzilla series special comes to a close (for now)! We dive through the Millennium series, share in the campy appeal of Final Wars, and return to Kamen Ranger's favourite medium: Comics. From Millennium to the Monsterverse, nothing is safe from the duo's scrutiny!由Spandex Power Armour
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The duo discuss the Showa and Heisei eras of the Godzilla franchise in another multi-part special! Together, they sail through the campy seas of the late Showa period, struggle to comprehend the logic behind Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, and ask the most important question of all: Why does Hedorah have magic balls?…
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The usual duo are joined by the likes of Will & Jez from Toku Toy Store! Will, in his infinite charisma, sells Ex-Aid in a style that would make P.T. Barnum himself green with envy, Rex is introduced to the horror of Saban's Sailor Moon, and the gang indulge in tangent after tangent in this super special episode!Check out Toku Toy Store: http://www…
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The duo discuss popular giant robots in tokusatsu, and discover that Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot is the best name for a prog-rock band.由Spandex Power Armour
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The conclusion (for now!) of our Super Sentai/Power Rangers comparison series. We balk at the bulk of Boukenger's batch of baddies, jam to the jingle of Jungle Fury, and castigate Kyoryuger's curtailment of character cultivation. Have we missed a tidbit of toku trivia for a show? Tell us in the comments!…
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What's new? King Kong, an international robot fight, and plenty more reasons to live in another general discussion episode! Despite the claims of diversity, will the upcoming King Kong series show quality? Will the Kuratas mech be more than a stylish way to commute? Will anybody realise how much Rex loathes Kamen Rider Wizard? Find out in episode 1…
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The duo are back with their Super Sentai/Power Rangers comparison special, delving past the rule of Saban and entering the new age of Disney's production of the series! Warning: May contain traces of Jason David Frank.由Spandex Power Armour
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In this great decimal milestone of Spandex Power Armour history, the intellectual and highly civilised duo known as Kamen Ranger and Hypnopotamus Rex discuss only the most important subjects in tokusatsu: What happens when a Rider needs to take a leak? Do the other Riders make fun of Shin behind his back? And if Godzilla eats radiation, how does he…
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In this very special episode, we compare and discuss the 1995 Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie, and the 2017 Krispy Kreme ad featuring Saban's Power Rangers. How big is Jason David Frank's ego? How many things belong to Saban? Let's find out!由Spandex Power Armour
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Never watched Sentai and want to know where your favourite Power Rangers series came from? Never watched Power Rangers and want to know what they did with the source material? Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex journey through each respective series and find out just how different they really are!由Spandex Power Armour
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Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex scrutinise the substantially successful simian cinematic surprise that is Kong: Skull Island. Does it tastefully dissect the narrative of the Vietnam war? How does John C. Reilly's stranded pilot affect the tone of the film? Will Tom Hiddleston ever stop looking dreamy? Let's find out!…
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Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex discuss the approaching gatling tyrannosaurus-loaded treat that is Korea's Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, battle over their opinions of the upcoming Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie, and flee in terror at the thought of Redman: Ultraman's ultra-violent ally!由Spandex Power Armour
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Kamen Ranger & Hypnopotamus Rex discuss recent toku news, and talk about their favourite concepts in Kamen Rider, Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island.This episode is sponsored by Toku Toy Store; please check them out in the link below!www.tokutoystore.com/由Spandex Power Armour
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Kamen Ranger and Hypnopotamus Rex discuss their favourite Kamen Rider and Super Sentai villains, from the flawed logic used by Shocker, to the ingenious workings of Foundation X and the Vaglass!This episode is sponsored by Toku Toy Store; please check them out in the link below!http://www.tokutoystore.com/…
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We celebrate and discuss the recently-finished Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger, including the amazing characters, the not-quite-as-amazing mech designs, and the successful use of writing to cover up budget constraints!(Due to technical issues during recording, Kamen Ranger's input sounds a little "doubled" near the end.)…
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