http://news.tokunation.com/2016/05/3...uncement-33226

Info is here

So I watched part of Episode 1 of the Blade Scrub. It's so much clearer then when I originally watched it, and it looks really really good. Something I appreciate about Early Heisei Rider is just the look of it. It just looks real. It doesn't look overly dark or overly bright.Compared to the Amazons trailer I watched, it looks stylistically beautiful, but not real.

You ever think we'll go back to that look, or was that style just a byproduct of Toei's production being not as familiar with visual stylization of the picture since Rider only came back in 2000, and they had to learn new technology?

It's because of the limitations of the early generation of digital SD cameras they used to use. Personally, I can't stand the look of early Heisei -- it reads as cheap and ugly, IMO, and not in a charming way.

I think Amazons is the closest we'll ever get to that style of shooting (thank god).

There's nothing particularly solid in either of the articles linked there. Given how gun-shy fansubbers usually are about this sort of thing I'm going to take the fact that Over-Time felt comfortable putting out a batch of the series just a couple days ago to mean nothing more definite has been said since, either.

Not that I'm opposed to more official Toku stuff getting released, mind you. The more the better! I'm just really skeptical about this particular instance given how little Toei seems to care about Kamen Rider going international.

It very much comes down to "those were the cameras they used". I think the frame-rate is even a bit higher(?), further adding to the "soap-opera" feel I'm always going on about.

Well, that makes one of us. Though I know exactly what you mean.

Man, they are missing an opportunity not using AmaHuluFlix to boost tokusatsu in general. It took a bit for anime to catch on, but it did. The same will happen for Kamen Rider, it just needs to be subbed or dubbed (well), not "re-envisioned" into a weaker, Westernized form. When I tried to get people to watch Gaim they'd see the trailer and, invariably, blurt "oh - 'power rangers'..." like I'm some kind of infantile moron. Then I point out that it was written by Gen Urabuchi (blank stare), the guy that wrote Psycho Pass and everyone goes "OHHH! Psycho-Pass! Cool!". It's all about what is acceptable - adults can watch cartoons - even My Little Pony - and it's okay. But weird Japanese sci-fi superhero stuntfests? Oh, well, that's just geeky.Right now, at least. A few more well written shows, Kamen Rider or not, and things will change.

I like both. I like the bright, crazy, well lensed HD neo-Heisei shows and I like the gritty, grungy early Heisei style. Like I said before, it's like digging mid-70's Dr. Who, the effects are budget but the writing is fantastic, making the sum result "charming" - even more so if you're a production wonk.

Honestly I'd prefer to see a Power Rangers-esque adaptation rather then just straight-up porting the shows (though both is ideal). Dragon Knight took some (very tiny) baby-steps in that direction but I've always wanted to see a show like that targeted more towards teens/young-adults/whatever. You know, with not crap acting and such.

...I like Power Rangers, if anyone is wondering.

It's especially baffling given how live-action superheroes ARE kind of mainstream now. Even on TV. If The Flash can be a genuinely successful show on its third season airing in prime time I have no clue why stuff like Kamen Rider can't get in on that action. Now's the time, Toei!

Well, like Power Rangers or not, they are the stumbling block, stateside, for "henshin heroes". Most people know PR as the early show with Rita Rotten, Bulk & Skull and twenty four minutes of brain-dead hijinx with spandex karate and rubber robo action.

Most adults who aren't otaku / nostalgiamaniacs aren't going to sit through that again. Heisei Kamen Rider, even at it's goofiest, isn't as silly as that - but the minute people see someone strike a pose and transform into a helmeted superhero - that's exactly what they think of. Trying to convince them that KR shows actually have plots (Decade not withstanding) go beyond exploding the MotW and are legit entertainment is very, very difficult!

I freely admit to not liking the Rangers (not much into their Sentai twins, either) but, in my opinion, beyond the superficial similarities, the Kamen Rider franchise is worlds apart from Super Sentai.

I'd rather see an "original" rip off like Legend Hero or Bima Garuda - same idea, but not recycling footage / costumes. Same demographic, though.

KAMEN RIDER: BETTER THAN S.H.I.E.L.D., YO!
But, seriously, they're similarly budgeted shows (all of these comic book shows outside Netflix Marvel stuff) with about the same level of absurdity and melodrama.

Who knows? Maybe this Ranger movie will change shit. No, I don't know anything about it other than they look more Metal Hero than Sentai now...

Which is always the real unfortunate part. It would be (slightly) less of a problem that people's minds immediately go "oh you mean like Power Rangers" if that didn't inevitably mean "oh you mean season 1 MMPR", which is so over-the-top and formulaic it may as well be a parody of itself.

...I swear I like PR too! Even season 1!

Oh no doubt. Even with stuff like Ghost the writing has a lot more complexity to it than the average Sentai. One's not better than the other or anything but they're very different shows. Comparing them gets apples and oranges very quickly.

Honestly, just picture, like, Amazons, but in English. Not dubbed I mean, but literally a show basically identical to Amazons made specifically for an English-speaking audience. It'd blow people's minds! Put it on HBO and give it a decent advertising budget. It might not be a mega-hit but I can't imagine it not finding an audience really quickly. The only reason people don't know they want this stuff is because it isn't right in front of them.

Of course, I'm not a marketer or whatever, so what do I know.

Ohhh, you mean an adaptation! Yeah, I'm into that. Amazons - junkyard episode notwithstanding (that episode is facepalm material) - done for an English speaking demographic would be a hit - no doubt about it. Not huge, it would be a little too weird for many, but definitely popular enough to get renewed and make further Rider shows possible.

An aside: I can't wait for Season 2!

I think Kamen Rider will do well in the US if they do a original TV show with no Japanese footage. It would need a decent size budget, but I think it can work. With Amazons plan to be release in Amazon Prime US, maybe it can boost interest in the franchise outside the US. With a original TV series in the US, they can have a bigger budget and prove that not all henshin heroes are PR rip offs.

Well Masked Rider and Dragon Knight pretty much tanked. Toei probably feels like there is not much of a market for Kamen Rider outside of Asia. With Super Sentai, it was used for Power Rangers and there was a decent market for it to be release on DVD.

Unlike Toku, anime always been popular before we had DBZ in 1996 and Pokemon in 1998. People seem to forget the days of Streamline Pictures, Central Park Media, Pioneer and Manga Entertainment. The biggest issue with Japanese live action shows and movies is that I notice most people don't like to watch foreign movies. You have people that don't like reading sub titles and I have seen people that don't like watching actors that are not from the United States.