‘Garo’: Tokusatsu Meets Horror in This Underrated Japanese TV Series
The fight or flight response is so embedded in the human psyche that we unconsciously apply it to art. The most obvious example of this occurs in the horror genre, as most monster movies fall into one of two categories: the kind where a creature wreaks havoc among helpless victims and the kind where a badass hero steps up and does something about it. This second category was especially popular during the 2000s, with the decade seeing an unprecedented rise in edgy media about jaded monster hunters and their horrific prey— a trend likely inspired by the unexpected success of the Blade franchise.
And while most folks are already familiar with action-horror thrills of Underworld and Van Helsing, there is a certain Japanese TV show that’s often overlooked when genre fans reminisce about the glory days of goth-adjacent heroes battling supernatural foes. Naturally, I’m referring to Keita Amemiya’s one-of-a-kind horror tokusatsu, Garo, an underrated series from 2005 that I believe deserves more love from the horror community.
What exactly is Tokusatsu?
Literally translating to “special filming” due to their focus on effects-heavy stories, tokusatsu productions have always pitted super-powered heroes against bizarre monsters, with even Toei’s version of Spider-Man facing off against beastly hybrids back in the 70s. However, these traditional monsters were never meant to be scary. In fact, their designs were often influenced by toy manufacturers hoping to market their wares towards children. This would all change in the 2000s, when Kamen Rider alumni Keita Amemiya decided to challenge himself by coming up with an action-packed tokusatsu project aimed at adults.
Influenced by J-horror movies and some of the horror-adjacent elements of existing tokusatsu shows (as well as his previous work on horror games like Clock Tower 3), Amemiya concocted a dark urban fantasy story about a supernatural order of armored knights who protect humanity against demonic incursions. Hoping to take advantage of a less-sensitive target audience, Amemiya even recruited legendary creature designer Yasushi Nirasawa—who had previously designed some of the creepiest monsters of the Kamen Rider franchise—to try his hand at creating gruesome beasts that wouldn’t have to be toned down in order to sell toys.
Garo would also see input from genre specialists like Power Rangers’ Makoto Yokoyama and even Uzumaki director Kengo Kaji, with the whole team being united by Amemiya’s goal of crafting something that had never been seen before.
Garo: A New Kind of Tokusatsu Is Born
In the finished series, which originally aired from October 2005 to March 2006, we follow the adventures of Kouga Saejima, the latest in a long line of Makai Knights that fight against the paranormal horrors attempting to invade the human world. After a routine battle, Kouga ends up saving the life of the young artist Kaoru only to discover that she has been tainted by demonic blood. Unwilling to kill the doomed girl, our hero instead develops a reluctant relationship with her as he searches for a way to save her from a fate worse than death—all the while continuing to combat the forces of darkness.
A typical episode of Garo will see the brooding Kouga encounter some new form of horror, with these enemies ranging from cenobite-esque demons to murderous clowns. Meanwhile, our hero has to contend with with romantic advances from Kaoru, with the main conflict usually being solved by the protagonist’s magical Makai Armor (which can only be used for 99.9 seconds before harming its own user). This may sound like a childish premise on paper, especially when you consider the formulaic approach to storytelling. But if you can get past the garish costume designs and surprisingly low budget for an effects-driven production, I guarantee that you’ll find a show with a lot more heart than your average made-for-TV genre production.
Practical Effects Galore, No Matter The Budget
Despite Garo’s humble budget, the series still boasts some legitimately impressive wirework coupled with well-choreographed martial arts action. And while the CGI isn’t exactly flawless, the 3D models look so stylized that they often feel more charming than dated. The show’s focus on relatable character emotions also helps to keep the conflict interesting no matter how over-the-top the action gets. Even when Kouga and his rival-turned-ally Rei are destroying skyscraper windows with their sword-duel in the sky, we’re still grounded by the fact that our hero is actually fighting to defend Kaoru.
Of course, it’s the horror elements that make Garo stand out amongst its action-packed peers. The show does an incredible job of maintaining genre thrills despite its overpowered protagonist. From shocking gore to the occasional ghostly jump-scare, there are a whole slew of demonic antagonists here that borrow from both western and J-horror tradition. One of the stand-out episodes (“Fish Tank”) even feels like a Lovecraftian yarn about a flesh-eating siren. I never get tired of the show’s uncanny blending of CG, makeup and puppetry.
Is The Series Worth Watching?
That being said, Garo is far from a flawless experience. The program repeatedly retreads familiar plot points throughout its 25 episodes while also suffering from low production value and the occasional bit of questionable/dated humor. However, whether its Kouga’s talking skull ring or the angelic leaders of the Makai order, Amemiya almost always makes up for his lack of resources with sheer creativity.
That’s why it makes sense that the initial run of Garo sparked a multimedia franchise including comics, games, animated spin-offs, and even feature films. The series may never have reached the heights of its more family-friendly peers, but its unique blend of genre inspirations is still inspiring tokusatsu media—and the occasional indie production like Psycho Goreman—to this very day.
And yet, even two decades later, there’s still nothing out there exactly like Garo. Equal parts thrilling, terrifying and cheesy, the very first “Hyper Midnight Action Drama” exists as proof that even the most absurd narrative combinations can still be compelling if they’re developed by passionate creators. While I don’t think this hybrid show will appeal to everyone, I’d recommend it to any genre fan who’s ever looked at over-the-top media like Devil May Cry and Vampire Hunter D and wondered what that might look like in live action.
Categorized: News
