[TokuKnight89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TokuKnight89

I'm hoping we aren't on the precipice of a "Toku Subs Dark Age" in which everything about those things many of us are even on this site to begin with become infinitesimally precarious and almost impossible to even watch, much less comment on!

I don't believe asking someone like Shirakura on Twitter is a bright move, but the fact that he knows of our concerns should be a factor as it shows that even the people involved know how stupid the situation with international distribution is!

Ultraman seems to have the best ride of late given its almost unparalleled success in Western Distribution. Seriously, it's easier to watch Ultraman than Godzilla, and the latter of the two is far more recognizable by name alone in the States!

What I really want to see is more corporation between everyone involved. Hasbro, SHOUT!, Team Rider, Mill Creek, Toei, and Tsuburaya! I know that's realistically unfeasible cause of the financial and corporate competition between Toei and Tsuburaya, but it's honestly what's needed if everyone is to survive and go home satisfied.

Think of this way, Toei and Tsuburaya made peace briefly to produce the Ultraman and Kamen Rider crossover and that was apparently so popular that it had the added benefit of inspiring the idea of J being the "Jumbo Rider" (so I've heard). Basically, it was a cooperative collaboration which (potentially) inspired one more than the other. You could also use the Comics Code Authority as inspiration cause it was also a cooperative collaboration implemented in order to survive, and in some cases, thrive.

When international travel restrictions let up as cases go down, I want representatives from the aforementioned "Big Six" to get in a room and sit the hell down and hammer out some kind of agreement to make sure that everyone gets a slice of pie here and there and everywhere!

Again, it's not all that realistic. Then again, are any of us really living in "realistic times" anymore? The past year changed the global dynamic in ways none could foresee. I'm hoping someone somewhere is paying attention to our chatter and taking a hint.

WE WANT RIDER KICKS!!! WE WANT SENTAI ROBOS!!! WE WANT ULTRA SERIES KAIJU!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheRaizin

Quite the bright imagination you have there. I doubt it, especially since TsuPro has nothing to do with what's going on.

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!