I thought people in the UK can watch subtitled stuff, I mean I remember reading something from a few years back about subtitled programes being shown on UK TV with programs like the Danish crime drama, The Killing. Also I think I should cite these articles:

The growing popularity of subtitled television in the UK

The Killing puts torchlight on UK subtitled drama

The Returned: how British TV viewers came to lose their fear of subtitles

Oh, and did you forget Walter Presents in the UK? Would love to see a child/kid spin-off of the program (called it Walter Junior presents) where foreign language children program can be shown to kids with English subtitles. I can see Ultraman, Super Sentai, and some Kamen Rider shows would be perfect for a Walter presents kid-oriented block spin-off.

See, if people in the UK are watching subtitled programmes over there. Then I don't see how it would be difficult to put tokusatsu program with English subtitles on there. I'm also aware the same UK audiences have also access subscription to Netflix. So they can access toku show if Toei and Tsuburaya are willing to do that.

In light of Squid Game's mainstream success on Netflix, this topic is relevant again
 

I like to ask how many of you got chance to watch Squid Game on Netflix? Squid Game is a Netflix original Korean/K-drama, and it's getting a lot of mainstream attention, and the series is going viral. For those of you that don't keep up with what's going on, here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqxAJKy0ii4

And this is how much of a big deal it's getting in the US:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3wnNCHNvSA

And according to Netflix's co-CEO, Squid Game may become their biggest show ever and it may surpassed Bridgerton. And I have evidence to confirmed this:

CNET article: Squid Game may become Netflix's most watched show yet, co-CEO says

2nd sources: CNN Business, TVLine

So this proves my point: Netflix can make a foreign TV dramas mainstream in the US, and Squid Game proves it.

If you want tokusatsu to go mainstream in the US, you have to put them on Netflix (or any mainstream streaming service like Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max or streaming that specialize in East Asian entertainment like Viki, KOCOWA).

I guarantee if you put Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, or any of Heisei/Reiwa-era Ultraman series on Netflix and labeled them as "Netflix originals", then there is a chance a tokusatsu show could get the same reception like Squid Game has already gotten.

Here's another problem: How do you get people that watch Squid Game and now K-drama to branch out to tokusatsu? Since Squid Game are getting people that never watch K-drama to discover K-drama, how do you get those people to branch out to tokusatsu. I've discussed in past post that toku fans and K-drama fans don't help each other out.

Tokusatsu is aimed at kids and younger audiences. It could do well, but it would never hit "mainstream" the same way Bridgerton or Squid Game does.

Ultraman Z is probably the closest thing I can see as having any mainstream presence in the west as a Tokusatsu, but even that show, as much as I love it, is tied too much to past series and lore to attract widespread audiences.

It's also worth noting that shows like Squid Game, Bridgertron, and Queens Gambit are designed with virality in mind. Netflix aggregates data on the millions of its viewers to determine what will stick, everything from specific actors, meme-able scenes and dialog, and song choices. And for each of these successful shows, there are yet more that go largely unnoticed despite how good they are, Chair is a good recent example.

Now, I think if Netflix makes their own Tokusatsu (and not just localize them over) using their data and budget, that has a lot of potential. But I wouldn't be surprised if they already considered that and decided it wasn't worthwhile.

Honestly, the Mandalorian was basically a western Tokusatsu in all but name. Disney/Marvel has done a lot to get audiences to accept dudes in tights running around with special effects-based super powers to lowkey sell a bunch of merch.

So to answer your question on how to get people to branch out to tokusatsu, Netflix needs to make an actual original Tokusatsu series that people will want to binge and discuss on social media. If it's good, people will seek out more of that stuff.

Well, there was a time when K-drama are stereotyped as romance like western soap opera way before K-drama started to branch out to other genre. If you think I'm making this up. Go watch this old MAD TV season 12 sketch that parody K-drama (this one was from I believe this sketch was broadcasted in 2006):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou_DYLKzekk

It was true at that time before K-drama evolved beyond romance and rom-com and there's Squid Game. If Squid Game, and other non-romance K-drama can break their past stereotypical tropes, then I think tokusatsu need to be more creative and think like their Korean counterpart.

Well then if I was Toei and Tsuburaya, I would think about creating new toku IP rather then using the same IP like Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman. I mean South Korea is getting more creative with their K-drama and doing genre where past K-drama hasn't touched.

Not every shows or films on Netflix will become a big hit or go viral, I will agree with you on that. I mean beside Squid Game, the closest thing for a K-drama to gain popularity in the US was Crash Landing on You. That K-drama did make it on the top 10 most watched Netflix show in the US last year. Even Mad Men's actress, January Jones shared her love of that K-drama on her IG feed.

They need to go beyond that. As I said, if Netflix licenses several Ultraman, Super Sentai, and Kamen Rider titles for US and international release and probably asked Toei and Tsuburaya for permission to labeled them as "Netflix originals", I guarantee that can help tokusatsu fanbase in the US. If GARO was on Netflix, I guarantee that show would go viral in the US had it been on Netflix rather then on a obscure/non-mainstream streaming provider.

Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max are all mainstream streaming service, they can make a foreign-language TV drama go viral in the US, and and can help US audiences discover the world of foreign TV dramas like that. That's why I argued tokusatsu should be on Netflix, not on Shout Factory TV. Netflix has a wider reach then Shout Factory TV. Foreign language TV dramas including K-dramas that are on Netflix can get a wider audiences because Netflix knows how to market it to a wider audiences beyond the usual niche audiences that watch them.

Netflix original tokusatsu series I agree can help. But how do you get people that watch K-dramas whether it's romance or non-romance to watch tokusatsu.

I mean a fan of wuxia C-drama can probably branch out to tokusatsu. Hell, any people that watch The Devil Punisher, a Taiwanese fantasy drama on Netflix that look toku-ish can probably appeal to not only toku fans, but maybe act as a gateway/intro to toku. I mean look at this trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIiJhMsXvJk

and look at these video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyc713Y-ZTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWxHZ6-vc6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GShaEuEEdsE

What about people that watch Ice Fantasy, a Chinese fantasy drama (think Avatar: the last Airbender meet Game of Throne) on Netflix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h86VphklkSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDDi9eIxXYY

Do you think people that watch these fantasy (toku-like) shows on Netflix are probably the one that could branch out to tokusatsu shows easily? If you can get people that watched these fantasy/wuxia K-drama & C-drama to find a way for them to watch tokusatsu shows, then tokusatsu fandom could grow. But as of now, the fandom can't even hold candle to their K-drama counterpart.

I mean from my experience with K-dramas, wuxia C-dramas, and tokusatsu shows. It seem like people that watch Wuxia C-dramas, and fantasy K-dramas/C-dramas are the one that can branch out to tokusatsu shows with guidance. So this makes me repeat this question: Why the heck did no toku fans not reach out to K-drama/C-drama fans to get them to branch out to tokusatsu?

So, my other questions is: How come in the past, toku fans don't make any attempt to reach out to K-dramas and C-dramas fans to get them to branch out to tokusatsu shows, when I see anime fans reaching out to K-dramas fandom? If you have anime fans that are also toku fans, why aren't they the one reaching out to K-drama and C-drama fandoms to get them to branch out to tokusatsu shows?

Tokusatsu for older auddience exist. It's not just stuff for kids.

Well, how are you going to make them as popular as K-drama, or make them get the same mainstream viral hit like Squid Game got?

As I said, I don't see toku fans branching out to K-dramas (with the exception of a few toku fans including me), and I don't see K-drama fans branching out to tokusatsu.

On Tokunation, I seem to be the only one toku fan that is also a K-drama, C-drama, Taiwanese drama, foreign TV drama/show fans. While a lot of you don't seem to branch out to other foreign-language entertainment.

Very very very few of them, and they're always the exception.

Well that is true too. But as I pointed out, how are you going to get K-drama fans to branch out to tokusatsu genre?

I mean we're starting to see K-drama incorporating fantasy/sci-fi element to the point where it looks too "toku"-ish. So do people that watch these fantasy/sci-fi K-drama and wuxia C-drama can be sway into tokusatsu. That's the purpose of this topic thread. How are you going to make tokusatsu mainstream at the time that foreign TV dramas are getting wider acceptance in the US thanks to mainstream streaming provider like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max. Also factor in streaming sites that specialize East Asian entertainment like Viki, Asiancrush, KOCOWA. None of them have tokusatsu (except Juspion, which can be watched on Asiancrush's sister site, Retrocrush), so how are you going to lure K-dramas fan to watch tokusatsu.

And nobody can answer my question: why aren't tokusatsu fans never bother to reach out to K-drama/C-drama fanbase when anime fans are able to reach out to K-drama fans. If there are anime fans that are also toku fans, why didn't they used their knowledge of anime & toku to reach out to K-drama/C-drama fanbase?

Why am I the only one on TokuNation that seem to have knowledge on K-drama/C-drama & tokusatsu, is nobody on this site also a K-drama fan beside me?

To be very frank I'm really not bothered and I don't think this matters. At all. If I've got friends who are interested, I'll recommend it to them. If I see it catching someone's eyes on Twitter or whatever, I might talk to them about it and recommend some shows I think they'd like. The same as literally any other media. The same way people communicate about anything else ever.

I don't get this whole thing you keep coming back to every couple months about how it's so important that this particular fandom 'reach out' to another particular fandom. If you're just interested in how it hasn't happened, then alright, sure; interesting enough topic -- there is enough crossover between the likes of Sentai and Rider with K-drama tropes that it does stick out that there's little crossover between the two. But you keep banging on about how we need to, and how it's important, and I just-- I just don't get it. Isn't it enough for shows and movies and games to just be something we recommend and talk about on a normal casual basis than making a concerted effort to make it a Big Netflix Success and Reach Out to K-drama people or whatever?

I'm not going to go off topic on this thread, but I've send you a PM with your quoted post. I rather talked to you about it privately then on this thread.

It really isn't important, though. There really doesn't need to be a concerted effort to reach out to people that wouldn't be interested in the first place. People like what they like. That's why there isn't a concerted effort from toku fans to reach out to people in other fandoms, and why other fandoms don't reach out to toku fans.

Like it's alright that you're not happy that there isn't an overlap of people who like K-dramas/C-dramas and toku, but that's just the truth of things. Sometimes fandoms just don't connect even if you feel like they should. And that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But that doesn't mean that there should be an effort to try and make people who wouldn't be interested in it in the first place to watch it.

I've watched some of the Mylasian DVD Sets and they came off like a Power Rangers adaption when I read the sub titles.

Too bad Shout Factory had lost release rights after Hurri.

The problem there are toku fans that aren't happy that K-drama/C-drama are getting all that attention in the mainstream while tokusatsu are being ignored, and the fandom aren't being taken seriously like their K-drama counterpart.

It's leading to unfair prejudice against tokusatsu almost on the same level as people disregarding J-pop as inferior when K-pop is the more popular East Asian pop music trending today. This has led to J-pop fans hating on K-pop, and being openly racist towards Koreans.

I mean wouldn't you want tokusatsu to be given the same treatment Squid Game and other K-dramas are getting?

For me, I want it so tokusatsu genre can be given the same love that K-dramas and C-dramas are getting. The more people that give tokusatsu the same love that K-dramas are receiving, the more chances that Toei and Tsurburaya will be more open to license and simulcast toku shows on Netflix (in the same manner, K-dramas are getting simulcast stream on Netflix).

As I said, if fantasy/sci-fi K-dramas, and wuxia C-drama are able to get a wider audiences thanks to mainstream streaming provider like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, etc.... Then why shouldn't tokusatsu be given the same benefit that K-drama are getting.

Wouldn't you want tokusatsu to make an appearance on Netflix. I mean I would love Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai to appear on Netflix with the "Netflix originals series" label on there so it can help get K-drama and C-drama fans to branch out to tokusatsu genre. That's why I want tokusatsu to appear on Netflix and other mainstream streaming sites rather then something like Shout Factory TV.

As I said, we have anime fans reaching out to K-drama fans (that include anime fans that may be toku fans too), then why don't toku fans don't do the same to get K-drama (& C-dramas) fans to branch out to tokusatsu.

If there are K-dramas fans that are watching fantasy/sci-fi K-dramas (those K-dramas have toku-like special effect in them), why aren't toku fans helping those K-drama fans to branch out to tokusatsu.

That's why it doesn't make sense to me.

I have never seen or even heard about toku fans complaining about that. I browse a lot of toku forums and tags sometimes, and I have never once seen anything like that.

Not really, honestly. I love tokusatsu, but I've long been content that it's something that I really enjoy while others don't. It's cool when I meet people that are, yea, but it's not something I think is super important for me to enjoy it.

Have you not seen Tsuburaya uploading Ultraman content on Youtube constantly? That's arguably even better than them using Netflix because it's FREE. Sure the videos have ads within them, but that's barely an issue.

With Toei, sure, I wish there were more options to watch Kamen Rider, but we've lately been getting them in the form of other streaming services and physical releases, so I'm not bothered too badly.

Just become something has 'Netflix Original Series', doesn't equate it being good, you know. And honestly, not really? Like even if something is mainstream, it doesn't mean that everyone's going to be enjoying it. I like fantasy and sci-fi, but I don't really care for Lord of the Rings or Star Trek, arguably THE biggest/mainstream of their genres.

Because that's irrelevant. Just because there are anime fans reaching out to K-drama fans, doesn't mean anything. It's just people suggesting things to watch. And it's not a concerted effort like you've make it sound like it is. People suggest stuff to others to watch all the time.

I'm sorry that it doesn't make sense to you, but again, it's really not all that important. Being mainstream doesn't equate to high quality or guaranteed widespread enjoyment. All it means is that there are more people aware of it. Like Marvel is mainstream, but that doesn't mean everyone LIKES Marvel stories or characters. It just means that they're aware of its existence.

literally never heard this one

speak for yourself buddy

you are unbelievably insecure about your own hobbies it seems. why in the holy ever loving fuck does it matter how people view something you love? not everyone is as insecure as you are. I understand wanting toku to be more mainstream but your excuses and reasons reek of insecurity and patheticness.

you act like this is a bigger problem than it actually is. it's literally all you talk about. it's concerning. you have nothing to gain for it aside from "ah thank god now that it's mainstream people will stop judging me for liking it".

I can guarantee you that the vast majority of this forum has absolutely no qualms about the fact they've spent over a hundred bucks on the toys that toku shows are constantly advertising. toys like belts and drivers that don't even fucking fit adults. if you're a grown man who is capable of typing this much about how insecure you are, you shouldn't have qualms either about just enjoying the shows for what they are.

Super Sentai and Kamen Rider are two of the highest grossing media franchises on the planet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...dia_franchises

Squid Game and J-Dramas are doing great right now, but they have nothing on the 50+ years these shows have in history and the billions of money they've made. K-drama fandoms feel overbearingly fervent online, which makes them appear bigger than they actually are, but the revenue doesn't come anywhere near as close. Toei can laugh all the way to the bank.

And as far as the studios producing these shows is concerned, that's really all that matters.

If the point of wanting Tokusatsu to become more mainstream is to increase its budget and production quality, that's not a race Toei or any other similar studio is ever gonna win against Disney.

If the point is so you can stop hearing people ask you "Isn't that like Power Rangers or something?" then it would be just be simpler for you to love what you love and not worry about validation from others. And I really don't mean that in a condescending way.

I dunno bro, Kamen Rider and Super Sentai is geared towards marketing plastic toys to people. Not so sure K-drama's too concerned with merchandising as a whole.

Actually, I've seen K-dramas and K-pop getting uploaded on Youtube that can get view then an episode of Ultraman are getting. You'll never see a tokusatsu going viral the same way Squid Game, or K-pop are getting these day. Regarding the part I bold and underline, you know there are ad blocker plug-in that can bypass any ads (I used them when I watch Youtube video on computer).

And I don't dispute that. But can a Netflix original series go viral even if it's crappy, yes. Negative publicity is good publicity.

I watched a lot of K-dramas, and yes I've encounter some shoddy or stories that doesn't appeal to me. But that doesn't mean I denied that K-dramas are popular and more well-known then tokusatsu.

Yes it does, when you see K-drama fans and anime fans interacting, that's good it means they're willing to help one another. But I don't see this for toku fans, I never seen a toku fans going to a K-drama/hallyu forum and reaching out to those fandom in the same manner that anime fans does.

Tell you what, why don't I talked to you more about it via private message. It's too long, too personal, and may become convoluted if I explain it on this thread.

That's not the point, the point is that K-dramas and C-dramas are using toku-style special effect and yet nobody in tokusatsu fandom aren't even bringing this up then and now. It really baffle me.

I'm not talking about the Youtube popup ads, I'm talking about the actual ads within the video itself. Like the ones advertising for merchandise.

So you're fine with the possibility of a Netflix Original toku that's shit, and people get a poor impression of toku as a whole that they just avoid it? Because as rare as that is, it IS something that happens.

It IS irrelevant, because why care so much about the fact that toku fans don't interact with K-drama fans? It's just people suggesting shows, and just because you don't see toku fans doing the same thing, doesn't mean that there aren't.

People will suggest what they like when they want to. There're plenty of fandoms that don't interact at all, in spite of how closely related you'd think they'd be. There really is no need to act as if there needs to be an organized effort to get more people interested into something. Because that's pushy, and it can drive people nuts.

No, I'm good.

Because the genres as a whole don't necessarily line up with the tastes of toku fans. That's the truth of the matter. People will gravitate to what they like. And that's not bad. Fans of anything aren't beholden to try and get people to like the things they do. It's fine that toku fans don't interact with K-drama/C-drama fans, and it's fine that K-drama/C-drama fans don't interact with anime fans.

There's nothing wrong with a lack of interaction between fandoms. In fact, that's pretty normal.

Then are you going to answer my questions I asked you on the private message, because I don't want to derail the topic if I asked you here. Just answer my questions I asked you on the PM.

I'd love it to become more mainstream. Mostly because it would likely result in easier access to exclusive merch, and easier access to episodes/movies.

because no one fucking cares. is it that baffling to you? it baffles me that you can whine about your insecurity for so long.

you can enjoy toku and have absolutely nothing to do with nor partake in k-drama or anything of the sort. you are trying unbelievably hard to reach for something that isn't there. there is no other reason that you can't find someone else who agrees with you.

just to dumb it down for you, I can enjoy an unpopular anime/manga without ever having any association with someone who hates it, loves it, or has never heard of it. it's literally that simple. it has absolutely zero effect on my enjoyment and perception of the material. you like what you like. others like what they like. there are fandoms that share more things in common that don't interact at all and I have no idea where the fuck you dreamt up this idea that every fandom has to.

toku being mainstream wouldn't even address your problems - you're just begging for a reason to stop feeling embarassed for liking a kids' show. why don't you whine about how toku isn't as popular as the marvel cinematic universe? those two things have more in common than the connections that you're reaching so desperately for.

just because toku doesn't fit your fucking warped perception of "mainstream" doesn't mean you should feel this embarrassed about yourself. you sound like a kid desperately trying to get his divorced parents back together. if toku becomes mainstream it won't be because your einstein brain witnessed toku-like vfx in a mainstream show/series/movie and connected the dots.

because regular, socially apt people don't do this or give a shit? I love kamen rider to death but if you can't see any issue with what you're suggesting then you are beyond socially inept. I've shared and extended my joys to a lot of people over the years but the fact of the matter is that if someone isn't interested in something, then that something becoming mainstream means jack fucking shit. considering how bad you are at speaking for others, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that there isn't actually a herd of anime fans protesting for k-drama fans to check out their favorite anime.

How old are you? Why are you so insecure about liking toku? Your posts reek of "please validate my interests so I can stop being embarrassed".

Just like it. It going mainstream doesn't matter at all. Just like what you like and stop worrying about what other people think about it.

You're also out of your mind if you think it would ever get the same recognition as Squid Game. To the average person who is unfamiliar with toku as a genre it's always just going to seem like a cheap foreign Power Rangers ripoff. Wide mainstream success is never, ever happening for Rider or Sentai, and it shouldn't matter.

Aaaaannnnnnnddddddddd, getting back on topic here, or at the very least trying to, it would certainly be nice for more Toku getting more official releases through DVDs/Blu-Rays and/or streaming like most if not all of the pre-Jetman and post-Hurricaneger seasons of Super Sentai as well as more seasons of Kamen Rider.

What are we calling mainstream ?
Making it available worldwide?
If it’s that I would want it.

If it’s like Dragon Ball with Japan catering to the american needs then the answer is no. I wouldn’t want an americanized Kamen Rider and the english in Zero-One was one step from being too much ( with the american Zaia president, hated that character.)

??? It's bad for characters to speak Japan's second language????

How does Japan cater to America with Dragon Ball exactly?

Yeah, I really don't get it.

I'm gonna assume it's something to do with the fact that Dragon Ball, starting with Z, started to be more about the fights and 'sci-fi' instead of the fantasy adventure it started out as. Which I don't think even was an attempt to attract an American audience, I'm pretty sure that was just something that kinda happened.

I’m talking about Super. That product is purely made with the western audience in mind. It answers to almost all the fantasies and dreams the american fandom had, (having a canon Broly as an example).
Dragon Ball isn’t about mindless battles and pointless conflicts. Dragon Ball Super (not currently though) is kind of devoid of everything people wanted because they thought this product purely for the western audience. At the very least, that’s my take on how Dragon Ball Super succeeds in being way worse than GT at times. ( and hu….I still like Super….oddly enough -_-)

Anyway, real question was : what do you mean by «*mainstream*»?

English is my second language and is more commonly the second language in France. Would you like to hear characters speaking english in a french environnement?
I just hated the character that’s all ( but I welcomed the fact that you could hear german, french or other languages)

It’s like I wouldn’t want any kind of french culture to mix too much in an american show. It’s a difficult idea to explain.

You're delusional. Super doesn't cater to Americans by any means. It literally never has. It caters to some PEOPLE more than others, but definitely not what you're insinuating. I don't know where you pulled that from but you need to put it back.

There are literally interviews where they've stated their target audience is Japanese grade school kids(always has been, by the way). Just because some of that lines up with what Americans want does not mean that they're targeting Americans.

Super has far too much whimsy to be catering to the typical "American DBZ" crowd. I've mostly seen that crowd hate it.

Dragon Ball Super was never made with western auddience in mind. Toei and Bandai pretty much made the show to help toys and cards for the Dragon Ball Heroes arcade game in Japan. That's why the Tourment of Power happened because it gives them a reason to sell more merchandise. The new SSj Forms also help to sell more toys for kids.

Dragon Ball may not be as blatant as Kamen Rider and Sentai when it comes to selling toys, but Dragon Ball Super is a merchandise driven show.

Tbh if we're going by fan reactions and live events, if they were somehow catering to anyone outside Japan (Which I doubt) it'd be Mexico.

Like witnessing those last episodes and the buzz around all those live events around Mexico? Now that was an incredible thing to hear about.

I would consider being mainstream, at least to your average person in Britain as the bulk of family-friendly toku being on TV in a normal time slot like either Doctor Who or children's slots and the adult toku just overnight or something the same as Japan and unfortunately, there probably will always be some people that ''just don't get it''. But although I can't speak for the US, I think both the UK and Japan are more just a 50/50 situation than like everyone has fast internet, whereas if you're talking about countries with fast internet I would have thought Estonia or South Korea or maybe somewhere in Scandinavia would be more of an obvious choice tbh!

If I was so delusional then explain to me why the SHF Zamasu was a US exclusive.
Explain to me why the SHF SSBKK Goku is a US exclusive, and also why the Toei decided to have american people in their staff in order to make Dragon Ball more appealing to the west?
I’m far from being delusional...

Weren't both of those P-Bandai and Bluefin only requested them to be brought over? I'm pretty sure that's how that works. And it's not 'really' exclusive either since we get it here too in the philippines with official distribution. (Pretty sure it's official distribution since there wasn't a usual shop markup when I check.)

Also, Toei Animation has other non-japanese people in their staff for Dragon Ball too, like filipinos as well. Does that mean they're appealing to us, too?

SSBKK is an event exclusive. Zamasu was an absolute baffling choice yes, but he doesn't have near the popularity that in partner Goku Black has.

Then YOU explain why it focused more on the slice of life whimsy, why it didn't lean into the acting and music most US DBZ fans are nostalgic for.

Calm down, jeez.

Aren't SHFs specifically for the adult collector side of the fandom in the first place?

OK, back on topic regarding Squid Game's impact on the US pop culture scene. I got several report on Squid Game's deep impact in the US:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvgzSKLLTl8

NBC News article: Netflix's 'Squid Game' is a sensation. Here's why it's so popular

2nd NBC News article: Netflix's 'Squid Game,' a South Korean TV thriller, is over-hyped — but still historic

And to the skeptics that think that tokusatsu can't become mainstream because it's too foreign, or American can't read subtitles. Well, let me quote one of the NBC article:

Reading and observing what I've seen for the last few years regarding foreign dramas including K-dramas. This is why I have to revisit this topic on how to get tokusatsu mainstream given the success of Squid Game, and Netflix's foreign-language content was able to disprove that Americans audiences can handle subtitles.

How can Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Ultraman be able to get the same success in the US that Squid Game, K-dramas, and other foreign-language drama got in the US thanks to Netflix and other distributors that specialize in foreign-language content.