When one thinks of Japanese movies and television, the only Tokusatsu title that comes to mind is most likely Godzilla — and then maybe even only Roland Emmerich’s CGI iguana that fans dub “Zilla.” But Tokusatsu (a form of Japanese special effects) is a staple of television in Japan, and many would be surprised at how good the effects are.

I will give some of the better options that are easily obtainable online.

What to avoid

Power Rangers: The “American” Tokusatsu is not a place to start, start at the real thing.

Don’t plunge into Tokusatsu — start with a well known series that gets good ratings, such as Ultraman Mebius.

Top 5 Starting Points

1.Ultraman Mebius has decent visuals with intentional goofiness in some of the monster designs and miniatures. It has plenty of humor, a pinch of “lessons” and a dash of that charm which separates it from many other shows. But it also has a slightly dark and emotional side, with one of the best final villain lines in history: “We are becoming light.”

2. Kamen Rider Kiva is similar to Mebius in the humor aspect, but there most similarities end. I confess that I have less Kamen Rider than Ultraman experience, but I have seen some of the best and some of the worst. Kiva is also dark — people often die when a hero is too late to save them. Its riddled with plot holes, but that makes it more likeable. Also, it shows two time frames per episode, which may be confusing at first, but you learn to love it.

3. Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie: Mega Monster Battle is a title I think I got right. It has some of the best effects, because it doesn’t focus on the monster suits but on the Ultras. This could be the best starting point, even though it introduces the controversial (over)powerful Ultraman Zero. The fight for the Land of Light in the beginning is top-notch, and the CGI is very good (for tokusatsu).

4. Ultraman Nexus was hated by critics, but it is on everyones list of best Ultraman shows. It has a darker, more mature approach to the series. It starts off where they fight giant man eating space caterpillars that make “zilla” look like good CGI. These “beasts” evolve, some of them not resembling the others at all, making one wonder how much “evolving” isn’t just a different species of monsters. After ten episodes during which you will alternating-ly think that the original critics overrated it, and that its finally getting better, you will recognize a show that was a failed revolution.

5. Ultraseven X is hated by fans, but I like it. Its “alternate universe” idea works much better than its rip-off: Kamen Rider Decade. Be warned; it does not treat the guv’mint with kid gloves. It’s short, it has some humor, but overall is quite different from other tokusatsu films — even Ultraman Nexus. There is some bad CGI, but overall it is very enjoyable. (Oh there is this weird were-wolf episode, but even thats OK.)

Kamen Rider is overall spectacular, often better than average Ultraman shows, but avoid the following with all care: Kamen Rider Decade, Kamen Rider: The First and Kamen Rider: The Next.