Damnit... I don't see any have shown up on Mandarake yet... I was going to grab him there with somebody else, hopefully save a few bucks and get more to justify shipping, but.... Ugh. I doubt he'd be less than the `3000 yen they're asking for anyways.

SHF Zangetsu back up for sale on amiami:

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/det...%24pagecnt%3D1

I got my Zangetsu from Mandarake and he was 4000Y (4500 if you count the 500Y fee). I did see one appear after I ordered mine for 3500Y.

My AmiAmi order shipped early yesterday so I will finally be joining the Zangetsu party soon.

You didn't order Ryugen when it was available forever on AmiAmi?

Seriously. That pre-order was in stock for about a full 2 months :lol

Well he sold out again on AmiAmi, so guess that solves my dilemma. :lol But thanks for the info.

AmiAmi always sells out fast. Since Gaim is not coming out in NA, Japanese import prices are super high. I did saw one scalper sell Gaim Orange arms for $100 on Ebay.

You can import them via Amazon for varying prices. Zangetsu at his lowest before shipping is $43, Gaim is $42, Baron is $58, and Ryugen is $53.

There's one for Amazon Prime for $60. $60 is still a bit much for a retail Figuart release. I hope if they get re-issue in the future, Bluefin might have a second chance. I find it odd that Bandai Japan would say no for a NA release for the Gaim stuff.

Gaim for 3,000.

http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en...s-1724319.html

Yep, not willing to pay that much when I know I can get him lower. Just going to need patience I guess...

Maybe because OOOs, Fourze, and Wizard figuarts did not sell well here?


Also, Tiger released this weekend. Can't wait to get mine
http://svf.2chan.net/nov/y/src/1403957491607.jpg

I don't think that's true. They are releasing Hibiki and they release Kabuto renewal a while ago earlier this year. Also if they can retail Ultraman stuff then I don't see why Kamen Rider would be a issue. They are both obscure outside the geeky otaku fandom.

Because those figures from those shows just didn't sell well in North America. Especially Fourze & Wizard. You seem to be in the habit of making rather random assumptions. Ultraman literally has nothing to do with this issue. The rights to distribute that stuff properly in North America weren't even really cleared up til last year.

Hibiki & Kabuto likewise have nothing, at all, to do with why or why not or how and how not Gaim figures are released here. Most older shows are perfectly fine because there's no licensing issue here to worry about. Regardless of whether or not anyone ever adapts another new rider show for the US, they likely won't, the option is always there so securing rights for new rider figuarts is harder than distribution rights for those based on the older properties.

I think just it odd that Gaim became a issue and if they were going to stop releasing Kamen Rider figuarts in the US then Bluefin would have made a official announcement about it. They should have made a post on Facebook telling their fans that they can't release stuff after Wizard if that's the case. Better then just leaving your fanbase waiting for announcements and having them miss out on the Japanese pre-orders.

I think Wizard figuarts didn't sell that well because that line was a hit or miss bag. Flame Style looked nice, had a lot of issues and the belt would pop off all of the time when making a poses out of it. Most of the line was web exclusives, so the casual buyer can't buy it.

So what happened to the Gaim Figuarts using the Figma wrist style like Kabuto?

As for the whole Bluefin thing, they are releasing everything but Gaim, so I don't see how they are stopping. I just wish they would start selling Kamen Rider stuff in Barnes and Noble and other places as I'm getting sick of only see DBZ, Power Rangers, and MegaMan stuff in stores.

Probably because not many US residents know about Kamen Rider unless you're into Tokusatsu. Black RX maybe because of Masked Rider, but other than that Kamen Rider just isn't that well known to a lot of the population. A lot of people know Power Rangers, DBZ, and Mega Man so it makes sense for B&N to sell those.

Exactly. Even after I joined this site I had no idea what the hell Kamen Rider really was for a couple months :lol

Sure itd be cool to see Rider SHF in stores, or hell Rider merchandise in general, but it wont happen for awhile.

Slightly off topic but then why does B&N carry Gundam stuff then? I know it was on TV but that was like 10 or 15 years ago when that was popular. And they have stuff from Build Figthers. So there's no reason why they shouldn't have KR stuff.

That makes no sense to me because how come Ginga gets a free pass and not Gaim? Kamen Rider is more popular then Ultraman. Kamen Rider gets more fan sub support then Ultraman does. Over-Time pretty much drop the ball on Ginga and Max never got finished.

Also look at the Super Robot Chogokin line too. Nearly all that line expect for some of the Sentai/Power Rangers mecha are obscure as hell if you're a huge otaku. The only mecha anime that most US residents know about is Gundam and Evangelion. No one seems to know what Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Grendizer and Brave Reideen are. You will be lucky to bump into one someone at the age of 10 - 25 that knows what Gigantor is.

It probably wouldn't in a store like Barnes and Noble simply because it isn't mainstream enough or well known enough to warrant them buying an inventory of them. They're not some comic shop or Japan shop or anything along those lines that will bring stuff over like that because they know there's a fanbase for it. Kamen Rider is mostly known in the states for Masked Rider and Dragon Knight, but those are shows which aren't really all too known unless you followed MMPR as a kid or are into those types of shows as a whole. I'd love to walk into B&N and be able to pickup some Ryuki SHFs but it isn't going to happen. It would take Kamen Rider being released in the states and getting a lot of attention all around for a big chain like Barnes and Noble to even consider stocking KR figuarts.

I think the difference for the Gunadam and more anime related stuff is simply because while it is to a degree a niche market, anime is a big cultural thing in America and has been for years. They know that if they stock anime/manga related products that they will probably sell them. Tokusatsu is something your everyday American will only know because of PR and Kaiju films, specifically Godzilla (though people do know Gamera pretty well). Kamen Rider though is something that was only brought over twice and just faded away rather quickly to where only fans of the genre know about them. Anime is a big market that made the successful leap from Japan to America, toku has only been able to do that with a few things and Kamen Rider isn't one of them.

I can't really comment on Ultraman simply because that's one that could be argued both ways. And as somebody with very little knowledge about the franchise, I can't really say anything about it being brought over.

You might be underestimating the popularity of classic super robots. Mazinger is huge in Latin America, Spain and Italy. While younger collectors might not know any Super Robots, that doesn't mean they aren't still just as popular. Just look at how many different manufacturers make Mazinger figures. There is the SOC, SOC DX, Fewture, SRC, ThreeA, and probably countless more.

Regardless of licensing issues, Toku and Kamen Rider is still marketed towards kids. I'm not looking offend anyone, but lets be honest, the 10-25 toku demographic probably isn't dropping that much money on toys compared to the nostalgic older collectors buying multiple 500 dollar Mazinger DXs.

Yes, but the best way to spread the word and get people familiar with Kamen Rider is by promoting them and selling them in stores like Barnes & Noble and Tradesmart. The majority of the unknowing public is not just going to learn about Kamen Rider on their own by accident. Selling them in stores is going to get some people's attention and start researching these series and stuff.

Well, typically, in the States those franchises he listed are popular amongst us because they've had successful U.S. incarnations. DBZ and Megaman are DBZ and Megaman, and someone who's into Power Rangers will probably learn about Super Sentai sooner or later, and if not, well, most modern Sentai shows still get adapted anyway.

Kamen Rider has tried twice to get a popular U.S. adaptation going but has failed. There could be a successful Rider show here in the future, who knows, but I wouldn't expect one any time soon. For now, however, there's just no reason to think that anything Kamen Rider is worth the effort of bringing over to a mainstream market.

Kamen Rider did not try twice to get popular in the US because it was just some aholes that thought Americanizing the series was going to do it as opposed to just releasing the series subtitled. I just hate this mentality that they need to add American actors into a series to make it appeal to American audiences. I thought we had moved past this stage when DVD went mainstream ten years ago and anime was finally being released properly. Obviously I was wrong. They need to stop marketing Kamen Rider as Power Rangers and just market the series as Kamen Rider! Power Rangers was a fluke. No show will ever have the same success as Power Rangers as lightning does not strike twice.

Anyway, I've not heard anything from NY yet on my Tiger Ranger.

I know that, but here not many people in the US know 70's and 80's super robots are. It seems like Gundam is the only Mecha that most people know about. There was a American 80's dub of Mazinger Z, but that was 30 years ago. Shin Mazinger Shougeki! never got a English dub here in the US. It came out in 2009, it's still rather recent and Funimation said that they have no interest on dubbing it. Seems perfect for Toonami if it was ever dubbed.

I do feel like anime like Mazinger Z and Gunbuster are just as obscure as Kamen Rider. So saying that a obscure series not selling well is still BS to me. I know Tiga got a dub from 4kids, but that was 11 years ago back in 2003. That bombed too. So did Ultraman: Great aka Towards to the Future.

If the goal is making Rider more popular, then subbed DVD sets won't really do it because those only appeal to people who are already fans of the series. Let's be honest, casual audiences are going to be put off on the idea of having to read subtitles. We deal with it because the series are already familiar to us and we love Toku. That isn't true for other people.

Dubbed DVD sets featuring anime dubbing all stars like Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman, Steve Blum etc?

Ultraman is more popular outside of the US than you think it is. It's huge in places like China, Brazil, and i think Italy.

I think they can get away with bringing Ultra Act because Ultraman is a much more reconized name.

I wonder when Bluefin will announced Kamen Rider 2 reissue to the US? I want to pre-order it on Amazon. I miss out on his retail release back in 2011.

That'd actually kinda work. It did for Godzilla.


Does Johnny Yong Bosch get to voice his Sentai counterparts?

Godzilla and Power Rangers are the only Toku that has shown to sell well in America. Godzilla has over 50 years of history in the US.

He'd get to do Daigo from Dairanger and Jiraya from Kakuranger. He probably wouldn't fit voice wise for Goushi.

Would Walter Jones have fit as Goushi?

Goushi has a very very deep voice so I dont think Walter would have fit the part.

I know Ultraman is big in Thailand (Chaiyo productions comes in mind), China and Brazil, but Ultraman is still rather obscure in the US. I don't think Ultraman has a big recognized name in the US. Both Kamen Rider and Ultraman have a niche fanbase in the US.

Maybe to kids, Ultraman would be obscure, but in general he's nowhere near as obscure as Kamen Rider. Unlike Rider, Ultraman has aired multiple times over the course of decades, between the original series, Ultraseven, Great, and Tiga. Ultraman is also big in California and Hawaii, and in fact several Heisei series that have never been seen in the country otherwise have aired subbed over there (Dyna, Gaia, etc.). Oh sure, Ultraman is obscure, but were there not unique obstacles to the franchise (Chaiyo), it wouldn't be as much as it is currently.

N-Y just sent me my shipping notice for Tiger Ranger. Gonna see if I can pick up Tricera/Blue Ranger downtown at the end of the week to finish off my Zyurangers.

That would actually be awesome. It'd be a great way to introduce the US to Kamen Rider.

I agree, just ask some random dude on the street they wouldn't want to read when watching. Making a US adaptation or dubbing would work better.