Intro
All the way from an alternative future, where the Showa era has lasted 100 years, the star of the parody tokusatsu film, Taroman, is returning in a brand new feature! Originally created as a tribute to avant-garde Taro Okamoto and based on his legacy of artworks across multiple mediums, this hero went viral with a short series, and TV special inspired by Showa-era tokusatsu heroes, even spawning throwback merch and mockumentaries based on this “lost” series from the rise of SFX films.
Movie Synopsis
Coming later this year, TAROMAN: THE GREAT EXPO EXPLOSION (rough translation) finds a story set in 1970s Japan, in a version of our world where order and common sense have all but made extinct “strange powers”, and the country is preparing for the eagerly awaited Japan World Expo.
However, without warning, a “strange beast” from the year 2025 appears and threatens to destroy the Expo!! The Earth’s defense force, the CBG, needs a “strange power” of their own to fight back, so they team up with Taroman and head to the future to fight and save the Expo.
Background Info / Staff
Debuting in 2022 through the NHK, “Taroman: A Taro Okamoto-Style Tokusatsu Action Drama” kicked off this character’s story, with Taroman using the power of “Art is Explosion!” to fight back against “common sense” and his own rogue gallery of kaiju, all inspired by Okamoto’s strange and otherworldly works of art. It spawned a 10 episode mini-series absolutely dripping with old-school tokusatsu tropes and vibes, and even a wealth of merchandise posing as vintage finds for fans of this unreal hero and kaiju.
Outro
The film is expected to release August 2025 in Japanese theatres. Watch the first trailer below and get hyped for Okamoto’s art to explode on the big screen as these larger than life characters battle for the Expo!
