Tarabaman

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A long-running metaseries of costumed heroes with king crab-inspired aesthetics fighting fantastic alien or monstrous foes. The first series, Taraba Q, was released in 0044; its pilot episode featured scientists learning about a mysterious king crab from outer space. Subsequent episodes covered alien invasions, out-of-place artifacts, and supernatural abilities, often with vague allusions to the nature of the first episode's alien crab.

Tarabaman has undergone several reboots and reimaginings; the second series, Tarabaman, is better-known worldwide and set the tone for things that followed. Tarabaman is among Japan's most popular superheroes, and its near-uninterrupted five-decade run has made it a comforting, nostalgic figure and a way to connect the young and the old.

During the One Year War, Taraba Q was used as the broadcast material for testing alternative broadcast frequencies and methodologies less sensitive to the effects of Minovsky warfare. The first successful broadcast version has unusually sharp color, and the lower broadcast resolution covers up the worst-looking elements of the special effects. This version, usually referred to as "M-Color Q" by fans, is generally regarded as superior to the original broadcast despite the technical limitations imposed by the war, but has only been released as physical media in limited quantities at January 2nd Armistice Day events. A complete copy of M-Color Q usually commands a high price.

While at its most popular in Japan, Tarabaman is loved worldwide -- a fact that has come into sharp relief after the Britannian invasion of Japan; Tarabaman production has forked across the border. While production has continued in Free Japan, a high-gloss action movie titled Tarabaman: First Generation has entered production at Hi-TV's Area 11 branch, expected to release in 0098 or 0099.

Tarabaman Production History and Trivia

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Tarabaman Series

• Taraba Q - Aired in 0044. Started it all. Bears more resemblance to a supernatural investigation show than a hero show.
• Tarabaman - Aired 0045-46. The pivot to a giant hero show. The protagonists retain a small amount of king crab theming thanks to the name.
• Tarabaman Dynomite - Aired in 0058. Notable mainly for a kaiju resembling a suspiciously copyright-avoidant giant lizard coming out of the water, as well as for some of the more hamtastic and so-bad-it's-good editing in the series.
• Tarabaman 60 - Predictably aired in 0060. Generally agreed to be a response to the feelings of helplessness inherent to the Zentradi War, Tarabaman 60 is low on Tarabaman combat and gives a disproportionate amount of attention to its human defense team.
• Tarabaman Flash - Aired in 0063. Notable for multiple long-running arcs with zero 'episodic' storylines, but generally light hearted. A parallel dimension arc is a fan favorite.
• Tarabaman Éclatant - Aired in 0068. One of a handful of foreign-produced Taraba Series entries; this one was made in AEU France, and indeed aired in French! If you're from the OCU and you like this you have ENORMOUS hipster taste.
• Tarabaman Kai - Aired in 0071. The first Tarabaman entry fully produced in space, with most episodes taking place in the PLANTs. Kai is a little bleak by Tarabaman standards, and the sets are kind of cheap; the plot is kaiju-forward, and the Tarabaman himself usually spends several episodes struggling with the same kaiju.
• Tarabaman X4 - Aired in 0083. Tarabaman X4 is an ambitious series that presents a generational story with several hosts for the titular Tarabaman. Despite this, it doesn't center the Tarabaman very much, and focuses much more on a supernatural investigation group similar to Taraba Q's. X4 is contentious; some people see it as a return to form, but others see it as an enormous slog.
• Tarabaman vs. Captain Zeon - Actually two unrelated properties, both coincidentally airing in 0089. The first is an official short in which the original Tarabaman defeats a gigantic Captain Zeon; this one's widely considered a late reaction to the Gryps War and not all that good. The second is a low-budget fan flick produced in Alba City, in which a lost Tarabaman battles Captain Zeon on Mars, only for both to join forces to defeat a kaiju with an eagle head and goat horns - widely considered to embody the "bad Federation" of Zeon lore. Nobody's figured out who to sue for this one yet.
• Tarabaman Zora - Aired in 0090. Tarabaman Zora sees the titular hero -- an uncomplicated, kind Tarabaman -- finally put a more-than-transient scar on Tarabaman Mika at the climax of the show.
• Tarabaman Tai - Aired in 0095 and recently finished. Tarabaman Tai centers a conflict between two Tarabamen -- Tai and Sei -- coming back into one another's lives as enemies decades after failing to protect a planet from the betrayer Tarabaman Mika. Tarabaman Mika is back, and sets his sights on Earth...
• Tarabaman: First Generation - Slated for release within the next few years. Britannian-produced in Area 11. Production details are spotty.

Taraba Kaiju

• Staghorn Beetle Man - Debuted in Taraba Q. Staghorn Beetle Man broadly resembles a human in a salaryman's suit, save that the suit is semi-transparent and, obviously, the beetle head.
• Pyrilite - Debuted in Tarabaman. A flaming bird kaiju specifically designed not to evoke a phoenix.
• Nalgus - Debuted in Tarabaman. Nalgus is the first Taraba Kaiju to get any serious hits in on Tarabaman. Not-so-coincidentally, it's also the first one with a substantially humanoid shape.
  • Super Nalgus - Debuted in Tarabaman Éclatant. The first battle with Super Nalgus is highly praised as the most physical fight in the series and has some of the best cinematography, but absolutely ruined the suits to an extent that it materially changed the show. The back half of Éclatant is light on Taraba combat and heavy on the human defense team as a result.
• Dynomite - Debuted in Tarabaman Dynomite. Dynomite, a sea dinosaur, has a modest fan following and usually appears in crossover movies in large-group kaiju shots. Spotting Dynomite is a fun exercise that all can enjoy.
• Duoz - Debuted in Tarabaman 60. The penultimate kaiju of the series, with powerful jaws that could crush a Tarabaman. Defeated by the series's human defense team, which were better suited to closing with Duoz without getting chomped.
• Gaiakku - Debuted in Tarabaman Kai. Gaiakku is another take on a sea dragon with a little less baggage than Dynomite and a powerful tail strike. It has one of the few fully articulated tails of a Taraba Kaiju (thanks to the space-based production). Subsequent versions of Gaiakku double down on the tail gimmick, making it flatter, wider, and more powerful.
• Tarabaman Mika - Debuted in a stage play in 0084. Tarabaman Mika is a black, blue, and red Tarabaman who has few redeeming qualities and nurses a grudge against all other Tarabamen. He has become one of the longest-lived foes of Tarabaman, despite some complaints that his color scheme suggested sub-rosa anti-Titans political subtext. (These complaints largely vanished when the Titans were defeated and Tarabaman Mika remained.)
  • Amatsu Mika - Debuted in Tarabaman Zora. An upgraded form of Tarabaman Mika, drawing on the power of Duoz and Nalgus. Defeated by Tarabaman Zora's Zoranium Dead End attack. Their whole battle was theater, with Mika's real goal being to allow Zora to kill him. Had Zora taken the bait, Tarabaman Mika would have fused with him, turning his strength to darkness; the plan fell apart thanks to Zora's unwillingness to kill his former friend.