Our unusual cast of heroes!
Besides Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Metal Heroes, Toei also had a fourth Toku Series Franchise called the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series (東映不思議コメディーシリーズ). It was a catch-all term for the various comedic and kid-oriented series that were shown on Fuji TV that were created by Shotaro Ishinomori. The characters were invariably adorable robots, cute creatures, kid detectives investigating crimes by masked thieves, and Magical Girls. The shows were broadcast from 1981 through 1993.
There are the following entries.
- Robot 8-chan (1981 - 1982)
- Batten Robomaru (1982 - 1983)
- Pettonton (1983 - 1984)
- Dokincho! Nemurin (1984 - 1985)
- Katteni! Kamitaman (1985 - 1986)
- Morimori Bokkun (1986)
- Omoikkiri Tanteidan Hadogumi (1987)
- Jaman Tanteidan Maringumi (1988 - 1989)
- Mahou Shoujo Chukana Paipai (1989)
- Mahou Shoujo Chukana Ipanema (1989)
- Bishoujo Kamen Poitrine (1990)
- Mysterious Girl Thutmose of the Nile (1991)
- Utau! Dairyugujo (1992)
- Yuugen Jikkou Sisters Shushutorian (1993)
There was also a 13-episode series that parodied the franchise, but was not developed by the original production companies.
- Bishōjo Celebrity Panchanne (2007)
Tropes:
- The Cameo:
- Satomi Hirose started out in Shushutorian as Hanako and later had a starring role as Tsuruhime, aka Ninja White, in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. Episode 35 reunites her with Noriko Tanaka (Yukiko) and Kei Ishibashi (Tsukiko) who portray Yukiyo and Tsukiyo, the Punishment Sailor Sisters, who need help saving their school from a Youkai attack.
- Yuko Hanashima of Poitrine made an appearance as a "monster" of the week on Panchanne, the show that directly parodies her own originating role. She also got in full Poitrine get up for the premiere of Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum to pass the torch onto the new Poitrine.
- Crossover: A few times during the actual broadcast, and later as a Call-Back character.
- The Hadogumi and Maringumi teams team up in the Maringumi finale.
- Matenro from Hadogumi makes an appearance in Paipai, in full costume with his theme played, although it ends up being revealed as just one of the main antagonists in disguise.
- Ipanema is the direct sequel to Paipai and features all of the original cast, save for the title character.
- Episode 19 of Ipanema features cameos from Robomaru, Pettonton, Vivian from Nemurin, Matenrou from Hadogumi and Zigomar from Maringumi.
- The Shushutorian girls meet Ultraman of all other fictional characters.
- Poitrine returns in Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze: Movie War Ultimatum as a denizen of the Underworld to originally assist with the Akumaizers' plans to flood the world with monsters, but later joins forces with Haruto to stop them and save the world. At the film's climax, Poitrine is revealed to be the ideal Underworld self of the owner of Donut Shop Hungry.
- Magical Girl: The heroines of the last half of the franchise, starting with Paipai.
- Phantom Thief: The main villains of Hadogumi and Maringumi.
