SOS for Love- My Fave Tokusatsu Heroines [Editorial]

Welcome to a companion piece to my Valentine’s Day special post Too Hot to Handle- My Fave Tokusatsu Villainesses. Obviously, this time I am going to talk about my favourite Tokusatsu heroines. These gals relentlessly save the day from various otherworldly threats, yet they manage to keep their cool and stay beautiful. Without further ado, let’s dive into the rundown.

 

7. Hiroyo Hakase

Similarly to my previous list, at spot number seven we have yet another character from Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger. The quirky scientist, who is actually an owner of a cafe for Super Sentai fans, assembles the Akibaranger team and gives them the MMZ-01 changer devices. Her name actually means “beautiful doctor” lol! Well, Hiroyo is indeed a cutie, and I love all the gag moments centering around her. In addition, the lab coat makes her simply irresistible. I have also enjoyed the romantic banter between Hiroyo and AkibaRed, but it is a shame that their “clash” did not amount to a full-blown relationship. My respect goes to actress Maaya Uchida for portraying this wacky character. She should have done more Tokusatsu shows! Still, you can enjoy her craft as a voice actress and as a musician.

 

6. Anna Otonashi

Now, we are entering the Godzilla realm. I must say that Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) is one of my least favourite entries in the franchise, but I enjoyed the appearance of Maki Mizuno as newscaster Anna Otonashi. Although many Kaiju fans love Rei Kikukawa in this motion picture, I will always be in team Mizuno, mainly because I can’t help but think of this actress as a more mature version of Michiko Kichise :) Well, I hope that Maki will return to the Godzilla franchise in some capacity someday. In the meantime, we can all admire her in TV commercials.

 

5. TimePink / Yuri

Let’s not fool yourselves. Yuri is the REAL leader of the Timerangers team in the Mirai Sentai Timeranger series. She is tough, determined, and resourceful. Mika Katsumura nails it to the cross as an Intercity Police officer from the 30th century who bosses around her colleagues. If I can remember correctly, in one episode the writers made fun of her cold attitude by turning her into a possessed hottie. All in all, I was cheering for the love subplot between her and Tatsuya/TimeRed.

 

4. OhYellow / Juri Nijou

Arguably, the only member of OhRangers who looked like an adult, at least in my opinion. What else is there to say. OhYellow is a true looker and I think she resembles, in terms of appearance, the Amazoness from Spiderman (1978) show. Additionally, I like her special weapon, which is actually a double baton. You can see OhYellow using it in this compilation clip. It is a shame that actress Ayumi Hodaka only portrayed this character in all of Tokusatsu.

 

3. YellowRacer / Natsumi Shinohara

At spot number three, we have YellowRacer from Gekisou Sentai Carranger. Even though this down-to-earth mechanic does not get much spotlight in the show, she manages to shine in these few episodes devoted to her. Fixing a car in a flash? No Problem. Saving a child without the ability to transform? No Problem. Charging in a jeep at baddies and transforming while driving. N o p r o b l e m. Natsumi Shinohara is freaking awesome and such an underrated ranger. My words of appreciation and support go to actress Yuka Motohashi who is currently battling cancer. You can check out her official blog in Japanese if you are interested.

 

2. Miki Saegusa

The silver medal goes to the heroine of the Heisei Era of Godzilla movies. Throughout six movies, we see how Miki formed an emotional bond with the King of the Monsters as well as his baby son. Many fans criticise the character for behaving in a contradictory manner in each movie, but I think the only people at fault in this regard are the writers. The bottomline is that Miki Seagusa served as one of the many continuity links between all the Heisei movies. The journey of the Big G is also her journey. When she sobs during the finale of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, you can’t help but cry with her. Big shout out to Megumi Odaka who played Miki. If you want to get to know more info about her experiences behind the scenes, then please refer to this awesome G-Fest interview.

 

1. Dayo

Obviously the crown goes to the only heroine who managed to steal Godzilla’s heart. I appreciate the character of Dayo as much as the actress who portrayed her. Whenever I think about the conceptual “Godzilla’s Heroine”, the first person who comes to my mind is none other than Kumi Mizuno. She appeared in four Godzilla flicks, but also in a ton of other Toho-produced Tokusatsu classics, such as The Three Treasures, Matango, Frankenstein Conquers the World, and The War of Gargantuas. In other words, Kumi Mizuno is the Queen of Tokusatsu!

All things considered, this was the list of my favourite Tokusatsu heroines. I realise that I have a lot of catching up to do in the genre, so perhaps I will update the rundown in five years or so. Feel free to share your own personal faves in the comments. Thank you for reading. PS Yes, the title of this post is a reference to a song by Modern Talking.

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