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So how come the Kamen Rider/Masked Rider series couldn't penetrate US shores?
- Thread starter Boss Doggie
- Start date
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
While I do subscribe on "anything can be adopted with proper people", I do wonder which is easiest. For ease I am gonna look at Heisei era shows.
Kuuga: basically X-Files with cop buddies, could work
Agito: above, except cop becomes a rider too
Ryuki: we already got it, actually was doing fine but 4Kids wanted to kill it
Faiz: I guess they can remove all the interdrama garbage that ruined an otherwise fine show, though I am not sure how American audiences respond to "heroes going rogue" or "other people uses suit of a hero"
Blade: sealing aliens with trading cards is actually applicable, although it means no more memes
Hibiki: despite being heavily Japanese, this is actually pretty easy to adapt since you could alter the context and it'd work
Kabuto: easy to adapt, bunch of people fighting alien bodysnatchers
Kiva: also easy to adapt, except replace alien bodysnatchers with glass vampires, though I guess the time shenanigans will be hard to do
Decade: yeah requires the above nine to be carried first, also I doubt they'd be able to replicate Masahiro's charisma or the meme
W: could actually work as a detective hero angle, and they can actually use the drug addiction angle well as they're just flash drives
OOO: also another easy show to work with, as it's very mystical in nature and people love assholes tagging with main heroes
Fourze: really great for adapting for a younger audience due to the high school musical-esque setting
Wizard: a good opportunity to fix Wizard
Gaim: using fruits as armor may be too much and they'd probably change a bulk of the plot
Drive: very easy to adapt, also another cop show!
Ghost: a good opportunity to fix Ghost
Actually kamen rider has more toys than sentai, especially since kamen rider decade
more intricate too
the problem though is that the toys are more on the pretend-play line than action figures
Kuuga: basically X-Files with cop buddies, could work
Agito: above, except cop becomes a rider too
Ryuki: we already got it, actually was doing fine but 4Kids wanted to kill it
Faiz: I guess they can remove all the interdrama garbage that ruined an otherwise fine show, though I am not sure how American audiences respond to "heroes going rogue" or "other people uses suit of a hero"
Blade: sealing aliens with trading cards is actually applicable, although it means no more memes
Hibiki: despite being heavily Japanese, this is actually pretty easy to adapt since you could alter the context and it'd work
Kabuto: easy to adapt, bunch of people fighting alien bodysnatchers
Kiva: also easy to adapt, except replace alien bodysnatchers with glass vampires, though I guess the time shenanigans will be hard to do
Decade: yeah requires the above nine to be carried first, also I doubt they'd be able to replicate Masahiro's charisma or the meme
W: could actually work as a detective hero angle, and they can actually use the drug addiction angle well as they're just flash drives
OOO: also another easy show to work with, as it's very mystical in nature and people love assholes tagging with main heroes
Fourze: really great for adapting for a younger audience due to the high school musical-esque setting
Wizard: a good opportunity to fix Wizard
Gaim: using fruits as armor may be too much and they'd probably change a bulk of the plot
Drive: very easy to adapt, also another cop show!
Ghost: a good opportunity to fix Ghost
Actually kamen rider has more toys than sentai, especially since kamen rider decade
more intricate too
the problem though is that the toys are more on the pretend-play line than action figures
Escape Goat
Member
The US had its diaphragm on.
Geno Breaker
Banned
Godzilla has the benefit of having good movies that came out in the west during the 50's-60's and having set it's own cultural footprint. Same can be said about Ultraman, which aired on TV with the same dubbing crew that did Speed Racer. They really aren't as comparable because they use suits (for different reasons too).
Power Rangers was just a way better fit for the US market with combining, transforming giant robots (when Transformers had already had huge success and Voltron to a lesser extent). Then you had the show premiering with the Zyuranger zords right after the original Jurassic Park came out and dinosaurs were really big.
I remember Masked Rider just looking like a weird bug guy to me and the Japanese footage looked really dated.
I think you're right about the team dynamic as well, since everyone can have their favorite characters and you can have individual episodes focusing on characters.
Doesn't look any worse than anything we've seen on the DC shows.
cj_iwakura
Member
We'll always have the Sega CD game. Hiroshiiii!
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Oh yeah, Kamen Rider ZO came over via Sega CD. They turned the whole movie into an interactive film.
Razgriz-Specter
Member
Having never actually watched a Kamen Rider episode,
Power Rangers = a toy commercial for kids, plus the diverse team aspect. Also kinda fits along the TMNT niche but younger
Kamen Rider = looks* to be more standard of a hero thing yet, also an unknown hero and initially goofy suits.
But look at other hero shows of the time.... They also failed with far better recognition than Kamen Rider
Lois and Clark was successful because it found a niche and basically revived Superman.
Power Rangers = a toy commercial for kids, plus the diverse team aspect. Also kinda fits along the TMNT niche but younger
Kamen Rider = looks* to be more standard of a hero thing yet, also an unknown hero and initially goofy suits.
But look at other hero shows of the time.... They also failed with far better recognition than Kamen Rider
90's weren't a good time for regular live action hero shows. It was too late for the 60's Batman, Spiderman and 70's Wonder Woman era yet too early for certain shows to do remotely well.
Lois and Clark was successful because it found a niche and basically revived Superman.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Funny you mention the year, since Kamen Rider was virtually non-existent during the 90's save for three movies that vary in quality. It only came back at the end of the 90's (1999) with a show whose concepts are actually not too different from shows like Flash, Arrow, or the X-Files
cj_iwakura
Member
I own it. It's stupid fun.
Melkezadek
Member
Because Zords are cooler than motorcycles.
Huge fan of Kamen Rider Black RX, though. Shame Saban's version was butchered beyond repair. Deviated way too far from the source material and what we got was really lame.
RX also had the best theme song
https://youtu.be/wjwK0wuSKIw
Huge fan of Kamen Rider Black RX, though. Shame Saban's version was butchered beyond repair. Deviated way too far from the source material and what we got was really lame.
RX also had the best theme song
https://youtu.be/wjwK0wuSKIw
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
On a related note, I do wonder if something like Ex-Aid would work in USA. Since it's trying to mix three seemingly incompatible things (video games, medical drama, superhero) masterfully.
Kite
Member
We had the American-made Beetleborgs on air for a lil while, dunno if it is considered successful.
edit: way late
We had the American-made Beetleborgs on air for a lil while, dunno if it is considered successful.
edit: way late
It was, only reason they stopped was they ran out of footage. And they would have had to adapt this
GARlockSpiral
Member
This.
Masked Rider, for lack of a better term, sucked.
Dragon Knight was actually a good rider series (Better than Wizard/Ghost tier, not as good as Ryuki, but did take some...interesting liberties with the story, and i'm ok with that), but the scheduling was botched for starters and that's assumedly why it failed.
Honestly, i'm more cheesed off that it's not on Crunchyroll streaming or Shout Factory DVD yet. I'd throw some massive stacks of cash for the latter.
This is the Kamen Rider Ex-aid the current season that is airing;
The whole bug motive hasn't really been a thing with the Heisei riders barring Kabuto.
A Pretty Panda
fuckin' called it, man
I AM AMAZON
Fancyarcher
Member
I think they simply didn't try. I remember all of the other metal hero series on air, but I hardly remember ever seeing the Masked Rider show running despite it airing when I was just starting to watch Fox Kids for example.
Apparently the 90's Flash show was pushed around in the schedule by then. It actually debuted to solid ratings at the time apparently.
Also the JLA pilot never got greenlit into a show, and good riddance for that too. It sucked!
Apparently the 90's Flash show was pushed around in the schedule by then. It actually debuted to solid ratings at the time apparently.
Also the JLA pilot never got greenlit into a show, and good riddance for that too. It sucked!
Make sure you have enough protein
Gentleman Jack
Member
What the hell is that??
The franchise was in decline so they went super cute with it Robotack
MsKrisp
Member
Yeah, I don't understand why we're acting like we don't like bug superheros in the US. Maybe it just didn't catch on, or there was less or poorly timed efforts to bring it over?
Someone should adapt Gaim, a show about dancing and fruit. Kids will love it
From the sounds of it I would love it
RiderKairuu
Member
For as big of a Rider fan I am, I've never seen Dragon Knight and forgot that was a thing. I can't speak to what went wrong there.
The writing was horrible and amateurish, they had what felt like a 13 episode story and made that last 40 episodes. They did that by doing 5 minute recaps at the start of every episode, by showing the complete transformation sequence EVERY SINGLE TIME (even if the heroes transformed three times in one episode) and by doing three clip show episodes one of which was the series finale!
It was a shit show from start to finish.
To be fair, Ex-Aid's costumes are pretty damn goofy in another way. Especially the Level 1 suits.This is the Kamen Rider Ex-aid the current season that is airing;
The whole bug motive hasn't really been a thing with the Heisei riders barring Kabuto.
And then there's Kamen Rider Lazer turning into a motorcycle.
RiderKairuu
Member
Oh god. I think I need to see this lol.
TheSpoiler
Member
The new Amazons could probably do well but it's not for kids.
RiderKairuu
Member
I've always wanted to see an adaptation of Kabuto. I wonder how much the belt sounds and concepts contribute to them maybe not working here more than the costumes themselves. Ironic because later series are pretty much toy commercials.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I'm actually wondering why Toei hasn't done a deal with CR for that.
slightconfuse
Banned
Is take a legal way to watch it first. Maybe Netflix can make a deal
Spider-Man?
Lights and Waves
Member
Bugs are gross
Pagusas
Elden Member
He doesn't look like a spider.
I liked Big Bad Beetle Borgs as a kid and they even had the follow up "Metallix".
Exit: also late
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Beetleborgs was actually pretty big, iirc it was actually beating Power Rangers back then, they only stopped because they ran out of Beetle Fighter and Beetle Fighter Kabuto footage
the sad eyes are an intentional design, they call it rider tears. other recurring design is the forehead gem
and I dunno, Black has a random red-yellow line coming on some parts of him that kinda clash with his black color
the sad eyes are an intentional design, they call it rider tears. other recurring design is the forehead gem
and I dunno, Black has a random red-yellow line coming on some parts of him that kinda clash with his black color
in ratings or toy sales?
And Beetleborgs didn't air until after MMPR was finished. They had moved on to Zeo and Turbo by then.
they arent ready... but they will be....