Member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2014
- Messages
- 33
I'm new-ish to tokusatsu, having discovered Super Sentai late last year, and eventually found myself pulled into Kamen Rider. I love the genre and its tropes, and these series in general.
What information I've been able to find about the shows' ratings seem to indicate that the ratings for both franchises seem to be weak. An article here from a couple of years ago opined, "Now, if the current trend of decline continued over the course of the next three or four years, then it’s possible we could see Sentai in cancellation territory." This was Lynxara in 2012.
I had mixed feelings about the first half of Go-Busters, and Toei apparently retooled it. I loved Kyoryuger, but from what I've read, that love wasn't necessarily shared by Japanese children. Sounds like ToQger isn't doing better, and haven't heard a loud chorus of online toku-fan love for the show. (My own read is that I'm way more interested in the Shadow Line's main villains than in any of the heroes.)
If I understand properly, the toy sales for Go-Busters were weak. In retrospect, this puzzles me: Ace was a genuinely cool-looking Sentai robot that didn't look like a toy chest threw up. The DX mecha seemed to have cool engineering to them. Then again, the show didn't appear to have a line of collectible henshin widgets. Kyoryuger had low ratings but good toy sales? I have little idea how the ToQger toy sales are doing.
I care about the toy sales basically because modern Sentai and Kamen Rider seem to be really, really elaborate toy advertisements that incidentally entertain.
There seems to be little correlation between what I enjoy and what seems to be considered success for Sentai and Kamen Rider. I was floored by how good the writing on Kamen Rider Gaim is, but it sounds like it's not doing all that well...?
I'm fine knowing I'm not the target audience. (Well, and, of course, tastes very.) But I guess it leaves me wondering whether there's cause to be worried, between the iffy ratings and variable toy sales. I jumped on S.H. Figuarts after discovering Sentai, only to discover my timing was poor: I'd started picking them up right as Bandai was redirecting its focus to more popular licenses. I'm hoping that my love of Super-Hero Time isn't similarly well-timed.
Anyone have any insight on where Super Sentai and Kamen Rider stand these days? Other than Saban's fairly dramatic choice not to adapt Go-Busters, I don't feel like I have much of a barometer.
What information I've been able to find about the shows' ratings seem to indicate that the ratings for both franchises seem to be weak. An article here from a couple of years ago opined, "Now, if the current trend of decline continued over the course of the next three or four years, then it’s possible we could see Sentai in cancellation territory." This was Lynxara in 2012.
I had mixed feelings about the first half of Go-Busters, and Toei apparently retooled it. I loved Kyoryuger, but from what I've read, that love wasn't necessarily shared by Japanese children. Sounds like ToQger isn't doing better, and haven't heard a loud chorus of online toku-fan love for the show. (My own read is that I'm way more interested in the Shadow Line's main villains than in any of the heroes.)
If I understand properly, the toy sales for Go-Busters were weak. In retrospect, this puzzles me: Ace was a genuinely cool-looking Sentai robot that didn't look like a toy chest threw up. The DX mecha seemed to have cool engineering to them. Then again, the show didn't appear to have a line of collectible henshin widgets. Kyoryuger had low ratings but good toy sales? I have little idea how the ToQger toy sales are doing.
I care about the toy sales basically because modern Sentai and Kamen Rider seem to be really, really elaborate toy advertisements that incidentally entertain.
There seems to be little correlation between what I enjoy and what seems to be considered success for Sentai and Kamen Rider. I was floored by how good the writing on Kamen Rider Gaim is, but it sounds like it's not doing all that well...?
I'm fine knowing I'm not the target audience. (Well, and, of course, tastes very.) But I guess it leaves me wondering whether there's cause to be worried, between the iffy ratings and variable toy sales. I jumped on S.H. Figuarts after discovering Sentai, only to discover my timing was poor: I'd started picking them up right as Bandai was redirecting its focus to more popular licenses. I'm hoping that my love of Super-Hero Time isn't similarly well-timed.
Anyone have any insight on where Super Sentai and Kamen Rider stand these days? Other than Saban's fairly dramatic choice not to adapt Go-Busters, I don't feel like I have much of a barometer.