Have you ever heard any Superhero comes from Indonesia? Perhaps you have :D
There are some of them that you might think identical with another Superhero from other country. Even I recognized it :)
But let's put aside any hatred or ill feelings we ever had and lets see if every country may having it's own Heroes :D
Well, I as an Indonesian, have witnessing so many times that our nation get so much influences from another grown-ups country like Japan and America, and I can see that most of them do not selecting which is good to learn and which is should not (by means not relevant to certain culture,- we have more than 30 culture ... o__O" ). But on the top of that is this non selective absorbent gains some perspective that we're a copy-cat or have no certain identity.
Concerning on this case, a certain PH (Production House) in Indonesia called JToku try every other way to makes something that is really comes from Indonesia. Is the name seems odd for you? Let me explain it a little bit so you may memorize it later when you want to try to look for it on search engine :D
JToku - It stands for Jogja Tokusatsu, "Jogja" (sometimes called Jogjakarta or Yogyakarta or Yogya, you know, it's all about tongue and spelling...) is a city in Indonesia that is well-known of it's educational facilities, "Tokusatsu" is a Japanese word means Special Effects (CMIIW). Well, combining those two word, we got that JToku is a PH in Jogja that is producing "perhaps" almost everything related to special effects :)
JToku has make several Superhero Indonesia films in this past 5 years, they are "Satria Baja Ammar", "Lightening Electrical Cyborg" or also known as "Gunturbot", "Pocongman", "Bornman", and "Arahat". Five films in five years, it's kinda annual, huh? Here's a little description or synopsis about each films ;)
1. Satria Baja Ammar
This film tells a story about men that is infected by the modified virus H5N1 or well known as "Avian Influenza" (don't forget the word "modified"). The main protagonist seems to be a successful experiment and be able to transform into "Satria Baja Ammar" a chicken-like Superhero, then turns back into normal human form, but the antagonist seems to be a failed one that not be able to turns back into human form... You may see some monsters appearing on this film, all of them (and the protagonist costume too) are made by JToku :)
This is the first film JToku made, so you may think that the video quality is quite poor. Maybe the next time they make this film, you will be able to enjoy it to the fullest :')
2. Gunturbot (from Lightening Electrical Cyborg aka L.E.C )
It is an another twisted urban legend from Sumatra-Indonesia called "Malin Kundang". On that legend, Malin Kundang has an ill-manner that he doesn't want to admit his own mother after becoming a successful person. His mother then cast a curse on him, for him to become a stone, then Malin Kundang really turns into a stone. End of the story (sorry, I make it short...). Nah, on this "Gunturbot" film, those ill-mannered kids (multiple kids this time) were cursed to be a robot :D They then been banished form earth to a certain planet. The robots who want to make up for their sin on the past, live in Cubicron (the planet has a cubic form !) and become galaxy patrols that keeping peace on the galaxy. The other robots who refuse to learn from their past, living in rubbish planet called Garbitchron and try to make every planet on the galaxy their home (or rather called it massive dump.....). Iron-man (It has an iron shape, i mean the "iron" to ironing clothes...), a robot from Garbitchtron went to earth and accidentally tends to attack children, fortunately Ozona, a robot from Cubicron saw him landing and soon prevent him from hurting human. When in critical condition, Gunturbot ("Guntur" is another way we Indonesian call lightening, the common word is "Petir") arrived and also the other companion from Cubicron. Well how is the story goes and ends, just go and see for yourself :D
3. Pocongman
This is one of the most phenomenal Indonesian Superhero we have :D "Pocong" is a variant of Indonesian GHOST. When someone died, we cover the body by certain cloth, then buried it. Pocong is the appearance of that buried body so it really scares me... But of course not with Pocongman :D Indonesian really have a great belief in mystical powers and supra natural things, they hardly accept any innovation of Hi-Tech that is implemented on social life, they prefer think everything based on mystical belief... So JToku (with previous made film "Gunturbot" that is not really welcomed as a Superhero Indonesia because it's a robot =__=") try another way to make a real Superhero Indonesia by converting and modifying those mystical belief into something more relevant and science based story. "VOILA", there born a new superhero called "POCONGMAN".
4. Bornman
This is the first hero JToku made from a person's story (like becoming a client to JToku), on the moment I write this entry, the comic version of Borman is nearly published :) Bornman is a superhero inspired by Borneo culture. Borneo is another alias of Kalimantan, an island on Indonesia that is still having several ethnic within it forest deep... Bornman protects forest from destruction and deforestration, he will punish everyone who tends to do it. This film is an example on how he do protects the forest ;)
5. Arahat
On the beginning of the film, Arahat takes place on Perang Kurusetra (Jawa is another island of Indonesia with the largest population), when Arahat (Satria race) fight against Sahasura. Kahlki (one of the Arahat) sealed Sahasura into a certain stones. On the next following story, it shows how the stones is used by human widely by now and gives a bad effect on the human mind and body. When a person who has an Arahat spirit whithin him try to fight Sahasura who possessed a human mind and body, he needs to concentrate on teleporting his mind into the victim's mind so they'll meet on another dimension like a desert (I mean the boy and the Sahasura). In this imaginary desert, he may transform into Arahat form and fight Sahasura. He can go back to human world or his own consciousness by a hole with interdimention-teleportional function. Quite hard to imagine? Watch it for yourself :)
Enjoy !
Last note: Sorry, most of them may still in Indonesian :') ...
Please note me if any links is broken
