Why do you think KR hasn't adapted well in the US, would you like to see it try again
 

I still find it kinda odd that Power Rangers manage to work out so well, and yet Kamen Rider has had two adaptation attempts and never really stuck around after that. It's been a long time since I've seen Saban's Masked Rider, but I remember liking it as a kid at least, and I still love the theme song. I've not watched Black RX to be able to make an actual comparison so my opinion there remains neutral. The opposite is true with Dragon Knight. I missed out on the US adaptation, but I have watched Ryuki (remains my personal favorite season) and while I have heard relatively good things about the adaptation, I can't say I'd be able to give it a fair shot. No idea how well it did here though, but seeing as we've not had Kamen Rider ______ since then I have to imagine it did fairly poorly too.

What is it that made Super Sentai/Power Rangers transition so well whilst Kamen Rider never quite got that same hold here? Is it that Sentai typically is more kid friendly/aimed directly at a younger audience whereas Kamen Rider typically is for a wider/older group?

Like I said, I've not seen Dragon Knight, but knowing Ryuki's content and mood, and themes, I imagine a lot of liberties had to be taken and things toned down significantly for the west. And having not seen Black RX I've no idea if any sacrifices had to be made adapting the material for the US, then again there's pretty much no similarities between Masked Rider and Black RX as far as story goes so...

I recall the rumor earlier last year about Power Rider Apollo, which was said to be a US adaptation of Fourze, which I thought was perfect. I cannot think of a season that would make the transition to the US better or easier than this. Seems that was either all BS or just something that didn't pan out. Shame really.

So, why do you think Kamen Rider has never really had a successful US adaptation? Would you like to see another attempt made? If so what season and why?

Honestly, I think Fourze would do very well. Or something else fun like OOO. Ryuki skewed to dark at times and made it hard to adapt for an american audiance. Thank God they didn't choose Faiz :lol

I've heard mention of Faiz being pretty dark before, haven't gotten around to checking it out myself. Is it really darker than Ryuki got?

And yeah, can see OOO doing well, especially with all the options that opens up for toy sales of the different combinations (and Fourze, of course, with the modules). Hell, they could even just bring over the different budget lines that Japan gets (WAP, FMC, etc.) and they'd do rather nicely.

I'd like to see an American adaptation of W as well, it managed a solid balance between the darker aspects and the more humorous ones. Not sure how well it would do with American child audiences though.

Imagine if they tried to treat KR in the style of Arrow.

"But what about the toy marketing? KR is a big commercial for noisy plastic belts!"

NECA exists. Case closed.:D

"But only Bandai can make KR Toys and merchandise! They won't license KR to another company!"

Oh you know what I meant!:lol If adults will pay money for a rainbow of rings used by space cops, the'y probably pay for shiny coins you scan from a belt of maybe not even care if the series they're watching IS a commercial!

From what people tell me Faiz got really dark really damn quick.

They'd deffinitely have a better shot with more "gimmicky" shows like the Neo Heisei riders, or maybe Den-O as well.

Problem is, they just didn't pick riders who had the best gimmicks. Black RX was just one guy. Ryuki had multiple riders, but it's toyline didn't have a shitload of collector value. OOO or Fourze would be perfect, since they have colourful, modern-looking suits with accesible motifs, and a ton of collectible value. Simply importing the OCC series alone would fill a single scale toyline. Then you have candroids, medals, etc.

Even W with it's different gadgets and memories would probably work.

True. Compare Flashman to Zyuranger:
Flashman-Five costumed heroes with no easily definable motifs.
Zyuranger- Five costumed heroes with prehistoric beasts proudly displayed on their belts and helmets
Flash King- two fairly similar jets and a tank that combine to make a cool, yet generic, giant robot.
Daizyujin- a Mastodon, Pteradactyl, Triceratops, Saber-Tooth Tiger and Tyrannosaurus that all look very unique that combine into an equally unique giant robot.

Which one is more appealing to Western kids of the 80's-90's?

I read somewhere on Ranger Board that one of the grand daddies of Kamen Rider was so disgusted at what Saban did with Masked Rider, that he refused to ever let Saban attempt to adapt another Kamen Rider series. Due to how highly Japanese culture thinks of the elderly, especially elderly with dying wishes, it's speculated that TOEI is continuing to honor the wishes of the man and continue to refuse to let Saban Brands adapt any of the Kamen Rider series.

How true that is I am not sure, but it sounds feasible. I think everyone except Saban was pretty embarrassed with Masked Rider.

Faiz is incredibly melodramatic and bleak - a combo that is designed to be dark and depressing to over-the-top degrees.

It was 1995, the only thing we had resembling a show with more than one Rider were bits of the original and about ten episodes of V3. Black RX was actually the most gimmicky Rider at the time: two alternate forms, a bike, and a car.

I think Kamen Rider hasn't worked in the US for two reasons:

One: Masked Rider. The show was a joke and anyone who has more than a passing interest in US toku adaptations knows its reputation.

Two: the tokusatsu adaptation craze has long been over. Power Rangers exists because of its legacy. The idea that you can take other shows like it and port them over here with new scenes and dubbing died in the mid-90s. Dragon Knight tried, but it didn't find an audience.

That said, I think now would be a pretty decent time to try again. Grab one of the modern shows (as much as I'm lukewarm on it, Fourze would direct adapt nicely) and bring it over. Power Rangers is bigger than it has been for years and I think Saban could capitalize on that and branch out, especially if they are still going to make their own network.

It was Shotaro Ishinomori. His disgust over Masked Rider was very well known.

Reminds of Dr. Suess' widow being so disgusted with The Cat in the Hat that she forbade any more live-action Suess films.

I would let someone else besides Saban try to adapt Kamen Rider. I mean anything from W-Wizard I think could work in America especially OOO and Fourze. I think someone who could do it right could make Kamen Rider successful here.

Also I never felt Faiz was that dark, okay it had some dark moments in the beginning and end but it was about as dark Kuuga to me.

And thank god for that, really.

Say, what if Disney tried their hands at it and opted to air it on their cable channels?
They did pretty well with PR in their tenure and even if you say "PROO sucks" or something like that, need I remind you all that plenty of people say Wizard sucked? Sentai, you even said it's devoid of emotion!:lol

Nick and Disney compete quite a bit so why not watch the fun of two Japanese companies casually counting their profits as they supply two American rivals with stock footage of kids shows that air back-to-back in the Land of the Rising Sun?

When I read the Disney suggestion the only thing that came to mind was "Phineas and Ferb meets Fourze" :lol

And when I read that, this is the only thing that came to mind.:lol
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--3ht-LUOW7...inchan-krc.jpg

I knew he met Den-O, but I don't remember Shin-Chan meeting Fourze :lol

The thing with Disney is that they weren't fans of having to pay another company money and be forced by legal agreement to use a certain % of footage in every episode.

They purchased Power Rangers back in 2001 because they were failing to capture the Boys audience - their audience was almost predominantly girls. Power Rangers was their attempt to get in to that market, and while it wasn't UNSUCCESSFUL, it didn't match their business model.

They were more than happy to go ahead and let the franchise fall to the wayside. Which sucks, because if Jungle Fury and RPM were examples of some of the interesting things we could have gotten, I would have preferred it.

Ryuki had one of the best merchandise sales of the 2000's and all of the riders were based off of other animals or fantasy creatures. I can see why they pick it for an American show since they think the show's theme would sell well for kids.

I think Wizard can be a good choice for another American Kamen Rider show. Magic and fantasy stuff has been doing very well in the US lately. I would imagine Wizard can be a big hit if they market the show right. Knowing Saban, they won't market it at all like they did with Digimon Fusion.

I guess when they bought Marvel, they didn't need to rely on Power Rangers for their boys entertainment branch anymore.

That could be an idea, but with them having Marvel they might have all the Superheroes they need.

I certainly hope this is the case.

May the Kami bless him for it.

If they wanted more boys, they shoudlve put Power Rangers on Disney Channel! Not Jetix and whatever else it was. I was and still am a Disney Channel fan when it comes to networks. But, I never once saw Power Rangers on DC and never realied Disney owned it until I got to a Disney store around mystic Force year.

It always seemed like Disney regretted the decision as soon as they made it :lol

Buyer's Remorse :lol

Which sucks because I wouldnt loved to see "Thats so Mystical of Hannah Montanas Forced Suite Life" :lol

I think Dragon Knight did really well, especially in Japan, and if you read stuff up on the writers, directors and stuff they seemed to have real passion for the show. It was more the distributors that mean it died in the water, like it never got released on DVD, even in the height of its popularity. Kinda like what Nick is doing to Power Rangers.

With that in mind, whether you adore the adaptations like I did with Dragon Knight, it isn't going to make a lick of difference what show it is if the show itself has no support. Although I'm honestly kinda surprised that no Kamen Rider show has been adapted, as this is the perfect time to ride the 20 years of Power Rangers wave. But then maybe that says everything.

I watched one episode of Den-O, but that's all my experience with KR. As a child, when MR came on, I gave it a shot, but just didn't like it. Power Rangers was far more epic and cool. A small sample size, but I didn't know of any other kids that watched KR either. My conclusion: the show just sucked.

BBB came out as I was growing older, but I still found that cool as well, shame it ended.

As a kid, I didn't like MR as well but I love his design as a kid. Wizard's design is really cool looking and I seen people who know nothing about Kamen Rider admit that he looks badass. I think Wizard's design alone could sell a lot of stuff in the US.

I'm kinda the opposite. I don't think the Wizard suit is all that great looking.

I agree. Wizard's design is rather weak. Very dull and lifeless (Black and red. Stellar color combo :I), with a bland face to go with it.

A series that would work well if brought over would most likely be OOO. Vibrant design, easily marketed gimmick, and lots of toys to sell.

Wizard's design is cool in my opinion, but I hate how he is just his own sentai team. Minus Infinity (which was terribly handled) he has some of the shittiest upgrades since Conner's yoyo arms.

Similarly, I think OOO would be a terrible show to adapt. There seems no shyness in admitting how stretched OOO's budget was, and although the action was impressive, OOO's strength was in the characters and the story, not the fighting.

When it comes to the best series to adapt, you need to think less on the strengths of the show itself, and more on the quality of the special effects. That is why Ryuki was such a good choice, grim non child friendly story or not, that doesn't matter as that doesn't have to translate across, it simply worked so well because there were thirteen riders with unique looks and personalities which is perfect for a franchise trying to get off the ground.

Well if you look at stuff like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and Skyrim. Dragons and magic sell very well in the US. So I think Wizard is not a bad choice to adapt because it's theme can sell well.

I just don't want Saban to make Wizard into a Harry Potter clone. I think they can keep most of the Wizard drive sounds since most of them are in English. Most of the Phantoms can keep the same names since they are easy to pronounce. I think they would do changes to Gremlin since they would never allow a homicidal killer on a Nick tv show.

The thing is any Rider show that get's adapted now will be seen as a PR ripoff.

I rather see English dubs of Kamen Rider, but they might not do it if Saban is still making Power Rider. They won't have too similar shows running at the same time.

That was Saban's entire marketing gimmick in the 90's, though. Buy all things Toku that wasn't Ultraman, hire some college student actors at minimum wage, and edit the morphed footage in.
Saban wasn't competing with himself, he was essentially trying to own half the available boys toys on the shelves so he'd always make profit. He was perfectly content with that strategy :lol

Anyway, I still think OOO could work if brought over.

OOO and Fourze would definitely work due to how collectable the toys are. Imagine if it was a legit card game you could play :lol

I thought about this all day an decided on which series' I think would adapt well for an american audiance.

Kamen Rider W - You could even keep the detective aspect, that translates well enough.
Kamen Rider OOO - It's gimmicky which always sells toys and could be adapted damn easy.
Kamen Rider Fourze - Again, Gimmicks. And Space. You could even keep it in High School and have it work.

I thought "Power Rider" was debunked AGES ago.

I never knew what happened to it. The talks and rumors of "Power Rider" just sort of fizzled away.

It was never debunked, Saban does own the copyright, there was just nothing else about it.