I liked him when he wasn't a god
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2009
- Messages
- 10,380
I've read comments on Amazon Japan and I see mostly 4-5 stars rating from viewers. Japanese fans definitely prefer this over the Sunday morning series because of the early Heisei feel and lack of gimmicks. also came across an article where even Producer Shirakura thinks KR in recent years isn't interesting, which I totally agree.
Yet we've just had Gaim and Drive, which were written and marketed with older viewers in mind, and performed better with those audiences than with kids. (That's why they've got so many collectibles and V-Cinema spin-offs; the Chase movie was more teen/adult-oriented than the TV series, and went to the top of the DVD charts in its first week of release.) And one of the most common complaints about Gaim and Go-Busters for Japanese fans was that they weren't fun for children. Older fans in Japan may appreciate a show like Amazons but I doubt they'd sit down to watch it with their six-year-olds.
Asides of which, there's more money in selling the toyline to kids than in making a show that caters to what adults want. Unless Toei and Bandai can find a way to make an Amazons-esque show sell a lot of toys, Kamen Rider in its current format isn't going anywhere. (And even if they did find a way to make it sell toys, well, that would ruin its supposed appeal, since people would then start complaining about "too many gimmicks!")