Could a Three or Four Year Long Sentai/Tokusatsu work?

[Aoi Kurenai]

This is something I've always wondered about, you see anime often run to rather huge lengths, so why can't the same be done for tokusatsu? You had Goranger and the original Kamen Rider run at massive lengths in the past and there was a 65 episode Ultraman Cosmos, they can certainly be done, but why aren't they?

One complaint I've often heard about the original Kamen Rider and Goranger is that they basically feel like they overstay their welcome and just go through the motions of a show after a certain point in their run. Lately I've been wondering if it would be possible to craft a show in this day and age where...perhaps a story doesn't necessarily span the entire length of the show, but a show is given arcs that fit within the greater span of things. I think a lot of it would depend on the writer and just how much time the series planner have in advance to coordinate things, maybe not get every last detail done, but have a basis for where a series would be in 20 episodes, 50, 60, 80, etc.

Sentai always seemed to me that it would really benefit from something like this with its large cast and amount of characters that are overshadowed. Would we get a decent spread of episodes or still just have the select few popular characters get more episodes? Either way, it would certainly give us a chance at getting to know these characters better.

Toys wouldn't be much of an issue, at least I wouldn't think so, you can always give characters power ups and revamp things so they look different enough to sell new products.

Mostly been wondering about this when I was thinking about the...Yuugiou franchise of all things! It's basically gone the route of Sentai in that a new show starts after a while with a new cast, but rather than every year, it seems to restart every three or four years. Of course this would suck if you get a cast of characters that you aren't really fond of in a show, but it would have the potential to do a lot for the creative freedom these shows could have.

 

[Herman the German]

Well, it did work out for a while with MMPR, if you count it all from MMPR 1 till in Space as one overarching story. Don't see why it shouldn't work with Japanese Tokusatsu, either.

 

[ryuuseipro]

Could a Three or Four Year Long Sentai/Tokusatsu work?

It can work, if you can keep the actors. Replacing actors can be a real challenge.

The reason shows like Keep Trying, Robocon! (perhaps the longest-running tokusatsu TV show) worked was because the hero is abstract; Robocon is a guy in a cute robot costume.

The first Masked Rider lasted as long as it did, as the two lead actors (Hiroshi Fujioka and Takeshi Sasaki) either switched places every 13 episodes, or late in the series, share the spotlight altogether.

And Goranger lasted as long as it did, because the show was just plain phenomenal! Rarely did a preexisting tokusatsu show like this work before. (And Popy's toy sales helped, too.) Plus, there were two Kii-Rangers, which may have helped in upping the number of episodes. That, and other "name" franchises (Godzilla, Ultraman, Masked Rider, etc.) had gone under around this time because of the Oil Shock (Energy Crisis) of the 1970s. So Goranger was the most popular superhero series during the Energy Crisis.

If Japanese companies can get a SPFX series to last as long as, say, the average chanbara TV show (Mito Koumon, Abarenbou Shougun, etc.), good luck.

 

[Scissors]

I guess one of the problems today is that they are not hiring actual actors, but models and idols who have other stuff to do.
Starring in a Toku has become some kind of a jump-board for many of the young Japanese, who either use it as a gateway to get into bigger drama shows, or to promote themselves and their musical careers

 

[Kaiju]

Ugh, it's already tokurama, don't make it worse.

 

[KouAidou]

I think in order for a toku to run into multiple seasons the way anime does it would need to be part of a multi-platform franchise, like a game (Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon) or a manga (Bleach, Naruto, every other shounen punchfest ever).

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

And Goranger lasted as long as it did, because the show was just plain phenomenal! Rarely did a preexisting tokusatsu show like this work before. (And Popy's toy sales helped, too.) Plus, there were two Kii-Rangers, which may have helped in upping the number of episodes. That, and other "name" franchises (Godzilla, Ultraman, Masked Rider, etc.) had gone under around this time because of the Oil Shock (Energy Crisis) of the 1970s. So Goranger was the most popular superhero series during the Energy Crisis.

This is why I thought all the original shows, even MMPR, lasted as long as they did. Popularity. The first creations were so fresh and popular and unlike anything before it that they HAD to carry it on past 50 episodes. It's what the fans are crying out for! But the other stuff you said does make a good point also.

I guess one of the problems today is that they are not hiring actual actors, but models and idols who have other stuff to do.
Starring in a Toku has become some kind of a jump-board for many of the young Japanese, who either use it as a gateway to get into bigger drama shows, or to promote themselves and their musical careers

Kind of funny, isn't it? Toku is the stepping stone in Japan, where things like Power Rangers hardly EVER leads to anything greater in America. At least for most of the actors. :laugh:

 

[musashi03]

2-years would be more possible and practical IMHO.

 

[ryuuseipro]

This is why I thought all the original shows, even MMPR, lasted as long as they did. Popularity. The first creations were so fresh and popular and unlike anything before it that they HAD to carry it on past 50 episodes. It's what the fans are crying out for! But the other stuff you said does make a good point also.

Well, remember, the original Ultraman (Tsuburaya; 1966) was really popular also. Before the last 13 episodes were planned, TBS wanted more episodes after that, but Tsuburaya Productions felt that the show had run its course, so they ended the series after 39 episodes, and moved on to Ultra Seven (Tsuburaya; 1967), where the Ultra Series was supposed to end (and Tsuburaya wanted to end the series at Episode 39, but extended it to 49 upon popular request), and then to other shows...

 

[Darkster]

Masked Rider

It's Kamen Rider! :sparta!:

:laugh:

Let's put the days of the "Masked Rider" behind us.


A two-year series that does not go and try to make it look like the story is progressing to make it go back and show that it was all filler would be great.