Genseishin Justirisers - RISER KAGERI!

Konami Real Great Model Series - Justirisers S03 - Riser Kageri - Konami 2005

Genseishin Justirisers is the 2nd installment in the Chouseishin Series, a tokusatsu TV Franchise in Japan created by Toho in 2004 to rival Toei's Super Sentai and Kamen Rider series. This series is a big departure from its predecessor, Chouseishin Gransazer, which was notable for having twelve main heroes, by instead only having three. Each of the 3 characters has a dizzying number of themes. Riser Kageri is the token female and embodies the themes of : Virtue, Ninja, Tiger, and Wind. Riser Glen, the red male, embodies Courage, Samurai, Phoenix, and Flame. And Riser Gant, the male in black, represents Wisdom, Monk, Tortoise, and Thunder. I honestly had trouble deciphering it all visually until I was researching for this post. The symbolism in these designs is what I have grown to love most about them. Researching all the new properties that have emerged since my interest dwindled a decade ago has been a fun quarantine pasttime. (There have been a lot!) Let's check out Riser Kageri below!

The Ladies of CHOUSEISHIN GRANSAZER!

Konami Real Great Model Series - Chouseishin Gransazer - Konami 2004

In the mid-aughts, I was obsessed with Japanese tokusatsu vinyl figures. Besides some vague exposure to Power Rangers and Beetleborgs, the genre was basically unknown to me. I spent a lot of time back then browsing Japanese auction sites (for other non-action-figure hobbies of mine) when I first came across the trend of 1:12 vinyl figures. I was fascinated by these inexpensive and bountiful collectibles. Just when I had written off Japanese pop culture as only schoolgirl uniforms and cat ears I discovered this world of colorful armor and intricate design themes. The vast majority of these figures were produced by Bandai, but this amazing Chouseishin Gransazer is apparently made by Konami (I say apparently because despite the copyright stamped on the figure and the logo on the packaging, I can't find solid proof that Konami ever made toys). I especially like this group because there are a whopping twelve main characters including four females. Let's check them all out below!