40 Years of Terebi-Magazine

2011 marks not only the 40th Anniversary of Kamen Rider, but also of Terebi-Magazine, the monthly children's periodical that's been with Rider almost since the very beginning. It just celebrated its own anniversary with two special issues containing a pair of DVDs that are pretty much just old footage with some new narration, but they're still a blast. But first, some history:

Also known as "Tere-Maga" for short (or Tele-Maga if you prefer), the very first issue came out way back on November 1st, 1971. As is common for magazines, they're always cover-dated for the following month, so it was the December 1971 issue. Published by Kodansha, it was intended as a sort of counterpart to the already-established Weekly Shônen Magazine, with greater emphasis on TV show coverage in addition to comics.

Terebi-Magazine's history of Rider comics is a whole topic in itself, and one I want to get to some day, though the magazine's probably always been best known for the TV stuff, spread out between color full-color pages and the halftone section usually found in the latter half of an issue. In the early days, this was the source of a lot of the great off-screen details, including one of the several versions of Rider 2's origin, hundreds of facts about the Riders and Shocker's inner workings, and much more over. It also featured some great full-page splashes like those seen here (reproduced pages from the very first issue, included on a CD-ROM with the Masked Rider Limited Box. I do actually have some physical issues as far back as 1979.)



Despite starting a couple months later than Kamen Rider, Terebi-Magazine has always had a particularly strong link to the program, devoting space each month to the many Rider series over the years, even when Rider wasn't on! It was a particular lifeline for Rider during the ZX period and the barren 90's, featuring one of the longest-running SD Riders comics. The only time it didn't cover the new Rider show was with Kamen Rider BLACK, which I believe is due in part to the fairly convoluted way in which Kodansha's rights were handled on that one, though I don't know all the details offhand.

Terebi-Magazine is not without rivals, particularly in the form of Terebi-Kun (which started a few years later as is still going strong, topping Terebi-Magazine in sales supposedly) and the now-defunct Terebi-Land. Both those magazines got exclusive coverage to BLACK, though by the time of RX everything was back as it should be. Interestingly, the rights shenanigans don't end there. Terebi-Kun has always seemed to have cornered the market on Ultraman coverage, something I remember Terebi-Land infamously lacked, though for my money Terebi-Magazine had the best Tiga/Dyna/Gaia-era coverage of 'em all, with some particularly good trading cards. 'Kun is also the magazine that features those wacky "What If?" articles by the way, such as the one that made us think Kabuto would fight Dark Kabuto in New York City. I'll be doing a post on Kuuga's soon, which is a fascinating glimpse at the days before we knew just what the heck Ultimate Form was.

Regardless of all this, Terebi-Magazine can and does include BLACK in their Rider coverage, so it's not like he's banned from the magazine or anything. They also still cover Ultraman as freely as anybody else now, so I gather than both 'Magazine & 'Kun have sort of come to an agreement with the companies on who exactly they can feature in their pages.

These days most know of Terebi-Magazine & Terebi-Kun as being one source of the monthly 'spoiler' pics that get leaked online, as well as sometimes carrying much-wanted extras like special O-Medals or Astro Switches. The whole concept of the furoku or appendix item actually didn't come along until some ways into the magazine's publication as a way to sell more copies. Nowadays, it's basically an expectation! Over the years Terebi-Kun has upped its game on the level of bonus items, so of course Terebi-Magazine has done the same. The January 2012 of issue has a Fourze figurine and in February, a Faiz Rider Switch. Not too shabby!

I've been an on-again off-again buyer of both over the years, starting in the early 90's with subscriptions from a local Japanese book store. Things got complicated when I actually moved to Japan, as keeping huge stacks of magazines around just wasn't feasible (especially with buying Hyper Hobby, Figure-Oh, and others) and a rather traumatic moving experience meant I had to consign most of them to the trash. And that's like, 3 year's worth (I saved the best ones though.) As a result I'm not a regular follower like I used to be, though I'll pick up an issue if it comes with something really cool.

It's also worth mentioning that it is Terbi-Kun that has featured the mail-in certificates for the Rider Hyper Battle Videos/DVDs/whatever, whilst Terebi-Magazine eventually got Sentai. Both magazines have started including DVDs with their regular issues as well, such as a great Rider one earlier this year in Terebi-Magazine. It's just a short half-hour clip-show thing, but it's still cool how they dig through footage old and new to teach each generation of kids about the show's history.



For the 40th Anniversary issue of Terebi-Magazine, they went all-out (kinda) and included DVDs with the November & December 2011 issues, as well as special anniversary cards. Split into a "Gold Disc" and "Plantium Disc", the former comes with Ganbaride cards of Rider 1 & Fourze, and the latter with Dice-O DX cards of Akaranger & GokaiRed.

That right there should be something of an indication of what we're about to get into Despite being called the "All Heroes: Best 5 in Everything", it's pretty much Toei-centric. So no Ultraman, and none of those other company's guys. I don't really have a problem with that, and both issues do include an insert booklet that gives coverage to the Ultras and everybody else, all the way to Godzilla (from his team-ups with Zone Fighter.)

As for the discs themselves, it's basically a series of clips divided up into different categories, where they choose the Best 5 of something. I imagine the choices were made by the Terebi-Magazine staff, as they range from expected to seemingly arbitrary, and in the best kiddie mag tradition would probably be completely different by next year (these are the people that gave us STRONGEST RIDER EVER!!1!, remember.) So let's take a look. The Top 5 aren't listed in any particular order, but the first 3 have moving clips while the last two are generally consigned to still photos, so I gather there's some kind of ranking to them.

Also, one of the narrators is none other than Kivat himself, Sugita Tomokazu! He attempts to stick in every single character catchphrase he can think of.



Tere-Maga 40th Anniversary DVD - All Heroes: Best 5 in Everything Gold Disc

* Kick Power

Kamen Rider 1
Kamen Rider V3
Kaiketsu Zubat
Kamen Rider Stronger
Kamen Rider Ryuki

Can't argue with Rider 1 or V3, who both have a ton of kicks between them. Zubat was an interesting choice since I always thought the Zubat Attack looks more like he's just kind of landing on the guys. Like, instead of kicking them with his feet, the sheer terror of having Zubat jump on your ass Mario-style is enough to knock people into unconsciousness (hitting your head on concrete doesn't help either.) But hey, it's Zubat, so I think we can accept this.

Stronger has some pretty powerful kicks (potentially one of the strongest ever, natch) and Ryuki is an interesting choice, since I bet 9 out of 10 fans would pick Kuuga, Agito, or someone newer when it comes to kicking strength. But 'ol Shinji made the cut here. The only real odd choice to leave out for me is Super-1, but he shows up on Disc 2 so I guess they didn't want to have any repeat guys.

* Punch Power

Denshi Sentai Denjiman
Kamen Rider 2
Jûken Sentai Gekiranger
Kamen Rider OOO SaGoZo
Gosei Sentai Dairanger

No arguments from me. Rider 2's always been the strongest puncher out of the original three Riders and still ranks pretty high in the grand scheme of things. SaGoZo's a force to be reckoned with as well. To top them I think you'd have to include Nago's time punch from Kiva, which didn't really appear to do much but I'm sure it like altered the timeline somehow so legwarmers could make a comeback.

The Sentai choices are interesting, and I'll leave it to the experts out there to debate Terebi-Magazine on this one. From the clips, Gekiranger looks pretty formidable. I always liked Denjiman's big silver mitts, but then, I always liked a lot of things about Denjiman. IC wills it so.

* Top Speed

Engine Sentai Go-onger
Skyrider
Kyojû Tokusô Juspion
Kamen Rider Faiz
Kamen Rider Kabuto

Go-onger's sure to be somewhat controversial. Faster than Carranger & Turboranger? Apparently somebody thinks so! Kabuto was a given, and I'm actually surprised at how much talking they do about Faiz before showing the you-know-what. Like, even regularly, Faiz is a speedy guy. Auto-Vajin also gets a shout.

I'm really glad they remembered Skyrider, though curiously it's his flight and Rider Kick that they talk about, rather than his super-duper speed from episode 28. Hey, why not. I don't know a whole lot about Juspion, but judging by the clips they use, he's pretty fast on his feet against a giant dragon.

* Sword Masters

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger
GoseiRed
Kamen Rider BLACK RX/Biorider
Kamen Rider Blade
Akumaizer-3

Once again, I have to wonder what the Sentai fans think of this. The whole Shinkenger team is included, though ShinkenRed gets the most screen time with his BIG sword. In the Goseiger's case, it's just the red guy though, since he's got the blade of the bunch. RX and Biorider come in kinda tied, which makes sense I guess, as both are pretty skilled with their respective swords and they happen to be the same guy.

Blade deserves to make the list, since I think out of everybody in Rider he uses his sword the most. Akumaizer-3 is the wildcard of the bunch, but good on Terebi-Magazine for including them. Zabitan alone is pretty awesome, and combined they're like the Three Musketeers, if they were demons from Hell that had an airship.

* Hereos Who Fight With Unusual Powers

Mahô Sentai Magiranger
Kamen Rider Amazon
Himitsu Sentai Goranger
Chôriki Sentai Ohranger
Kamen Rider Hibiki

Yeah, sounds about right. Magiranger have their magical rocket brooms and, as the clips show, acrobatic powers? Goranger of course have the famous football 'o doom, which we see turn into everything from a boat to a butterfly to an egg. Ohranger's on the list because of the origins of their powers, though I always thought their weaponry seemed pretty down-to-earth. My Sentai pick would be Battle Fever J. Some dance to remember, they dance to kick some evil butt.

Amazon & Hibiki are the two Riders I would have picked as well when it comes to unorthodox fighting. Yeah, there's Shin & Gills, but let's be fair now. If anybody graduated from Amazon Rider University with full honors, it's them.


Tere-Maga 40th Anniversary DVD - All Heroes: Best 5 in Everything Platinum Disc

* Insect Heroes

Kamen Rider BLACK
Inazuman
Jûkô B-Fighter
B-Fighter Kabuto
B-Robo Kabutack

Depending on how you look at it, this is either a great honor for BLACK, or they just couldn't think of another category to place the poor guy, so here he is. Head of the bug-men pack. I like that they do spotlight his transformation from Batta Kaijin and give Battle Hopper some screen time, emphasizing the particularly insectoid nature of the character. Inazuman (and Sanagiman) is a welcome addition, particularly since it seems like the fact that he is a moth is often overlooked. I did find it funny that all the footage they use comes from episode 11, the one Ishinomori directed & co-wrote. So it's not exactly the most conventional choice of clips, with scenes like Inazuman's funky "teleporting punch" maneuver, and the part where he blows up Emperor Bamba. For context, that's the main villain of the show (he gets better though.)

The B-Fighters are all expected since, hey, they look great, and they're insects. Kabutack probably wouldn't be many people's 5th choice, but I guess they had a 1-Rider-only mandate or something.

* Detective Heroes

Tokusô Sentai Dekaranger
Uchû Keiji Gavan
Robot Detective K
Kamen Rider G3/G3-X
Uchû Keiji Sharivan

Now I know what you're thinking. And don't worry, they're on the disc, but in different categories. As for what we've got: Dekaranger & any Space Sheriffs were a given (or should that be a Gavan? Okay maybe not.) I like that Sugita's co-host (the cutesy one who's obviously the less-informed of the two) asks if Gavan and Dekarangers know each other.

Hikawa's inclusion was the big surprise for me, since he's a great cop, but I never really thought about him being in the same sub-group as the above. But there we are! As a big Robot Detective fan I'm glad they gave K his due, even if his method of solving crime usually just means "beating the crap out of evil robots". But then, don't they all? That reminds me, there was something I was writing about Robot Detective that I need to finish one of these days...

* Ninja Heroes

Ninpû Sentai Hurricaneger
Denkôsekka Gôraiger & Tenkû Ninja Shurikenger
Henshin Ninja Arashi
Ninja Captor
Nija Sentai Kakuranger

Man, poor Jiraiya. I'd say his exclusion is due to the fact that they split the Hurricaneger guys up. I know they're technically not all on the same side at first, but aren't they generally considered to be a cohesive thing now? In any case, I was expecting them and Kakuranger. Arashi is a very welcome addition as well, though Ninja Captor actually surprised me. They're definitely among the loudest ninjas out there, cruising around in a big party wagon that has collapsible ramps they jump off of to attack baddies. Stealth? Who needs it? That's a great show though. Where else are you going to see Ban Daisuke and Ushio Kenji on the same superhero team? Maybe my personal version of heaven or an alternate universe where everything is awesome, but that's about it.

And I know what you're thinking. Where's ZX? I'd have been more shocked if he had made the list because that would mean someone actually remembered that he's Rider's preeminent ninja. Well, at least S.I.C. remembers!

* Tag Heroes

Chôjin Barom-1
Uchû Tetsujin Kyodyne
Kyôdai-Ken Bycrosser
Kamen Rider W
The Kagestar

The Double Riders are out, since both of them already appeared back on Disc 1. I'm actually surprised by some of these choices, since there's no Kikaider Bros and they couldn't seem to make up their mind on "two heroes" vs. "two guys that become a hero." So we've got Barom-1 & finally, Kamen Rider W (Terebi-Magazine's staff apparently thinks they'd make better tag-team wrestling partners than they do detectives, I guess. Can't say the idea doesn't intrigue me.)

We also have the teams of of Kyodyne & Bycrosser. Kick-butt heroes all around, although the Kagestar is an unusual choice, since he's a pretty effective super hero on his own, but they remembered his partner Bellestar. I guess they picked them since they couldn't include Stronger & Tackle either. Meanwhile, Ultraman fans are grating their teeth over the inclusion of two merging heroes, but no Ace. It's a cruel world we live in.

* Space Heroes

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Uchû Keiji Shaider
Seiun Kamen Machineman
Kamen Rider Super-1
Kamen Rider Fourze

See, there's Shaider! Our final category also includes the latest Rider & Sentai. Bother were a given, though the surprising thing about Gokaiger is that they focus almost entirely on the space battle from episode 1. Like, going by this, you would think they're just a bunch of pirate dudes with a really cool giant robot. Ranger Keys? You what?

Meanwhile, the Terebi-Magazine offices would have been stormed by angry pitchfork-wielding villagers had Supes not made this list, and Machineman's an interesting choice. But I mean, it's not like there's any other heroes from space named "_____man" they could have gone with, am I right?

So there we have it. As of December 2011 both issues can still be gotten pretty easily here and here. For the DVDs and cards alone I'd say they're worth picking up. You get over an hour of Toei superhero action and the December issue at least is a piece of potential history (40 years from now, I'll probably be reviewing the 80th Anniversary December issue with a bonus Neuro-Vision implant chip, at any rate.) All in all, not a bad bit of celebration.

To 40+ more years!