Hey, I learned everything I know about being a Rider fan from the best dude who used to have a geocities site back in the dark ages, so I'd be genuinely honored to continue that lineage! (I mean, even that Kuuga thread owes more than a little to stuff I was reading on Igadevil's blog nearly a decade ago now.) :lol

Oh, I remember Igadevil's site!! Gosh, shame on me for not including that, what a great site that was.

I wouldn't have a problem with the C&Ds from Toei if they were actually going to try and get everything subbed and easily accessible which I got a funny feeling they won't. Even the subs already out had their problems like Agito and Faiz's translations on TokuHD.

LOL, it’s not in my nature to be positive―especially in situations like this. XD

If indeed the e-mail/ letter TV-Nihon received is legit, I wonder why it has taken TOEI to act only now? Is it because they’re trying to export their toku to the West? (even if it is mostly limited to America and are doing quite a poor job at it)

Hey so is anyone on the US west coast trying to torrent thinks? should I leave the things I'm downloading seeding?

Toei really needs to let Crunchyroll do a simurelease of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai.

Has any group uploaded a Zero-One batch? It's something I've been wanting even before this whole thing happened.

Or, honestly, just do as TsuPro is doing and upload directly to youtube for a limited time. I actually prefer this approach due to the lack of region locking or memberships.

As far as I can tell, no -- and I would bet you'll never see one now that it's been announced for Tokushoutsu.

Oh, it has? Didn't catch that. Neat.

Yeah, for the 50th anniversary stream they announced it and Ryuki coming this year. 01's also to be getting a physical release

I believe that TsuPro has a stake in this fight cause Tokusatsu distribution in the West is something they're clearly invested in now. On top of that, they have a different mindset and made a far superior distribution deal with Mill Creek, who in turn made a deal with SHOUT! and now you can stream virtually every Ultra that Mill has released to disc! Toei needs to consult with TsuPro to determine a more optimal business model with the West, and since Power Rangers is still the method of Sentai Distribution in the West, that means Hasbro has a stake in this as well. That's why I want the "Big Six" in a room together, because even when the argument doesn't relate to one of them specifically, it relates to all of them indirectly. Nobody is truly exempt even if the C&D or the fandom backlash does not have an immediate impact or concern with one or two of them. Toei has really shanked this where TsuPro has thrived on it, so TsuPro's success is indicative of Toei's ignorance and where they need to fix their approach. Team Rider and SHOUT! stay relevant cause of their joint effort to port Kamen Rider over here, and cause SHOUT! retains the licensed Sentai to this date.

I'm not looking at this situation with total nihilism (though I gravitate to that mindset almost every day). I think our connection to Toku will become weird and complex, but I don't see a finality to it. Someone here made note that SHOUT! is trying to get more Toku to stream, but I never got a lot of detail regarding that issue. In addition, Hasbro is probably maintaining a close watch and may renew efforts to license Sentai via SHOUT! in order to pick-up the slack. Curious why SHOUT! and Team Rider are staying mostly silent, but that silence won't last forever and they can't put off some kind of response indefinitely. I think the face of what we love and, more importantly, how we go about loving it will undergo a kind of 'facelift', but I also feel as though something big maybe in the works which precipitated that C&D and while it looks like a harbinger of near-doom, it's actually a sign that the dynamic could be shifting once again to a more positive outcome than we initially believe, and that dynamism doesn't necessarily need to worry about what Toei does or doesn't do, as cultural movements tend not to ask corporations and lawyers for permission!

I still find it odd that Ultraman is getting more treatment than Kamen Rider in the west when Kamen Rider seems to have a bigger auddience. I know the original Ultraman show was on TV back in the day, but I doubt the Baby Boomer generation is buying the Ultraman stuff released by Mill Creek.

Tsuburaya is certainly better at this. current shows are subbed on YouTube. even some stage shows are subbed officially. multiple shows and movies released on Blu ray. a Netflix animated series. Marvel is even doing Ultraman comics.

Wish I could buy the Ultraman DVDs.

Not just 'multiple' shows either -- at this point the entirety of Showa and New Gen aside from 80, Taiga and Z is available. It's wild how much they've covered in a year and a half

I think what sort of helps to consider is well, Ultraman is really all Tsuburaya has so a western and worldwide push makes sense. Especially since there were quite a few overseas ventures before the dark ages.

Toei though, we need to remember how massive Toei is, it isn't just Toku. When it comes to push, there are things that Toei has that are clearly more popular and worth more time and effort than Rider. So it makes sense as to why they aren't as heavy in pushing their Toku stuff in the west, because they've got a lot of other stuff doing well that they're trying to push too.

Because Ultraman is far bigger in terms of international recognizability. In terms of iconic status and cultural impact, Ultraman is basically Japan's equivalent to Superman. Kamen Rider is bigger in the tokusatsu community, but not in pop culture as a whole.

Yeah recognizability and popularity are two very different things. For example, did you know, globally Sonic toys and merch outsell Mario toys and merch? But I'm sure I don't have to tell you which of those two sells more video games.

you know, that is a really good point. the anime arm of Toei must be pretty big. what with Dragon Ball, One Piece and PreCure.

Stupid question: Are Rider and Sentai the only toku by TOEI that TV-Nihon provides subs for?

I was wondering what was going to happen there with that, but no is the answer, without being explicit.

Wait what’s going on with the pre-cure subs? I was hoping to watch more of that.

TV-N subs PreCure as well?

I use Serenae, and they seem to still be going fine. I haven't seen a single thing go down with Precure subs recently; did I miss something?

I think the concern is because PreCure is a Toei property that the fallout of this will be further reaching over the next few months.

PrettyTrad also do PreCure though, and also the Girls x Heroine shows... which maybe you should all watch *hint*. :p

The reason I asked is because, if TV-N does sub series other than Rider and Sentai, what will happen to them? Why does TOEI only want Rider and Sentai taken down, and not their other IPs as well?

I imagine it's directly related to their recent push for Rider in the west, weak as it may be. Part of me hopes this means that push is going to get a lot stronger and will include Sentai as will somehow, but who knows

It’s a pity TV-N and Overtime can’t go the Crunchyroll route and become official streaming services. Or at least TOEI hire them to be their translators. Releases would likely still be limited to the US and Canada, but at least having fan-subbers – people who have been working on these series for years – become official subbers might result in decent translations. Would also be something positive to come out of this situation.

If any one group of sub(ber)s were to become official, I'd opt for OZC since I tend to like their work the best, even if they have been on hiatus for over a year now. Either them or Bereke Scrubs, who have been doing a really good job with their Showa stuff.

as a side note, a C&D does not have to be exhaustive to be enforceable. Meaning, even if the C&D only mentions Sentai and Rider, Toei's other properties are no less protected. If anything, a recognition that a property's rights are being respected and controlled is an admonishment that Toei is willing take legal action on any property.

I feel neutral on the whole sub issue that is going on. It sucks that we can get fan subs for the shows that are currently airing, but this was going to happen eventually.

On the plus side, Toei is actually releasing stuff with English subs on Youtube, Tubi, and PlutoTV. Not to mention, the Kamen Rider 1971 manga and the W anime are getting released in the states. We also have full episodes of Kamen Rider 1971 and Kamen Rider Kuuga on Tubi. It will take a while before we have everything subbed, but I do feel like it will be worth the wait. A decade ago, no one would believe that Kamen Rider would get any type of release in the West given how niche Japanese special effect shows and movies are.

TV-N and OT have been my go-to for the last 15 years, so from a fan perspective of Toku and SHT, I have appreciated it, but also respected how much effort goes into the process. And that these groups have come so far in how the series have been translated and offered made it feel like I could be included in something more global.

But it is a luxury, and one that also now brings back memories of having to purchase fan subbed episodes of Ranma 1/2 on VHS back in the day.

You would think that in our current age, studios would understand the nature of desiring programming. SHT and most Tokusatsu shows are literally light years beyond what is offered in the US. I get that they're finally after 20 years coming into digital infancy with offerings through online broadcast, but seriously, offering a small sampling compared to 45 + years of material is a drop in the bucket. And obviously money makes the world go round, so if a subscription was required (which look at PBS Masterpieces, or any of the other niche for sale type services) it could garner money if offered at the right cost.

I also always considered it a mutual respect on the part of Toei to understand that we love their shows, but that love is because of the hard work of fans bringing their materials to the states quicker than their turtle like pace. But in the meantime, I'm back to the digital equivalent of bootleg Ranma 1/2.

Hey so how to I download from Mega? Do I need to install the desktop app?

No! Absolutely do not download any app at all. Mega is just tricky because the actual download link is obscured by ads that look like download links. Look for a link that is actual text (and not an image), and it sometimes takes a bit to show up when a page first loads.

Got it, thank you. Also if anyone can help me find sources for things like the hyper battle dvd, net movies, specials etc, I'd really appreciate it (also torrents for metal heroes)

Hey so um, on Nyaa, if your longing for the good old days of Tv-Nihon, there's this anonymous source that put out a a thing called Kamen_Rider_Saber that'll make you feel as if you were back in the good old days of two weeks ago.

I say this vaguely as a desperate plea for help, I need Seeds on the 1080p version, I have been stuck at 63.1% for like a while now...

Kind of late to the party here, but I just caught wind of the whole fansub fiasco. This was probably unavoidable, but nonetheless unfortunate. I hope this means we will see far more official options appear sooner rather than later, because the current snails pace of official releases just isn’t going to cut it.

Agony Subs recently did a scrub of TV-N's' subs for Faiz, including the HBV and movie. Haven't cross checked its quality myself yet, but I've been reading good things.

TV-Nihon has decided to end their Saber translation in light of the recent brouhaha. Master list has been updated to reflect this.

Well, they at least have this going for them:

Don't you dare ever delete it. It's the best thing in the thread!