[mdo7]

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Originally Posted by ShiShiLeo

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.

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):

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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:

and look at these video:

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

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?