"Metal Heroes today"
>>Thread was made in 2019<<
There are no modern Metal Heroes, just recycles of old. Unless you want to expand the definition to any toku hero that wears a mostly metal suit, in which case, I'm not sure what qualifies outside things like the latest incarnation of Garo.
But to answer your question, I am going to go the opposite route, since I'm not completely blinded by nostalgia. (Also, keep in mind, I've never completed a vintage Metal Hero show. I've seen a few episodes from many different series, but that's it.) I want to see a brand new metal hero. A brand new space sheriff, a new B-Fighter, or anything new at all. I don't want to see a recycled, Next Gen version of Gavan or whoever anymore. That was fun, but I'm done with it. I don't mind if it becomes extremely toyetic with lots of power ups and such; that doesn't necessarily mean it'll diminish the story. I truly believe you can have both. The absence of one doesn't necessarily effect the other.
I think the real question is: What is best for the brand?
Does Toei or any other company want to only make shows aimed at kids and the whole family? Because personally, I'd love to see a darker version of the Space Sheriffs or some other metal hero. Something in the vein of Garo. It really could open up some new potential for stories, and if the best Toei can do is make a Next Gen version of Gavan and the rest, then they're all ready admitting that the brand is more for older audiences that remember these heroes anyways.
But regardless of who the intended audience is, I think one thing is clear:
Any new entry in the Metal Hero subgenre should do its best to make sure that it has its own identity. We don't need something that feels extremely similar to Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, or Ultraman. We need something that feels like its own thing. We need things like crazy space-age madness, high-concept scifi, etc. Look at what the vintage shows did best, what they did differently, and expand on them. If we can make hero shows out of emergency rescue forces, while also foregoing any kind of MOTW or whatever, then it shouldn't be impossible to make something refreshingly different that people would love.
