Would it be better if all toku was handed over to Tsuburaya?

Member
Joined
May 15, 2006
Messages
1,153
As the years pass by, I see more and more hatred towards Toei. It is quite evident that the company is not the same as it was 20 years ago. It has come to a point where it seems that they don't care much for their own shows anymore. Being as cheap as possible, while gaining high profit is the main interest. They rarely hire real actors anymore. The acting is overshadowed by the background of the actor or actress, who is often some kind of idol or model.

Now, let us look at how Tsuburaya handles things. Being an Ultra fan or not, you can't deny that the company is showing a LOT of care for their creation. The focus on toy selling is toned down, despite the fact that they are also working with Bandai.
They actually hire people that can act, and they have no problems getting real actors either. One of the things I find refreshing when watching an Ultra show, is the cast. You don't get the feeling that the characters are constantly promoting their own model or singing careers when they are on screen.

I find it interesting that Toei barely managed to get 4 actors to return in Decade, yet Tsuburaya has always managed to get both old AND new actors back to resume their roles.

I admit that Toei tries a little bit harder when it comes to Sentai, but it is still the same method of "Let us just take whatever actor we can get"
This makes me wonder if Tsuburaya has some kind of permanent contract with the actors that they hire, or if it is a matter of payment.

Personally, I would love if KR and SS were handed over to Tsuburaya. We might not get a new show every year, but when we would get one, it would actually be good.
 
Eye See You
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
45,178
No. Tsuburaya ain't perfect either.

It's fine the way it is. See how stale wrestling got when Vince McMahon owned both companies?. It's good to have variety.
 
Kuuguitar
Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Messages
4,560
Exactly.

It's not the company's fault they don't appeal to you.
 
Active Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Messages
6,410
You'd probably get a more favorable answer if you had posted this while Decade was airing, considering how most of your post is only about re/casting...

It is quite evident that the company is not the same as it was 20 years ago. It has come to a point where it seems that they don't care much for their own shows anymore. Being as cheap as possible, while gaining high profit is the main interest.

Toei has always been the same. Casting trends in Japan changed and Toei followed them to continue successful. Toei isn't any cheaper than they were back then. Also, it's not just a matter of toys. Toei also changed the shows attempting to make them stay successful and continuously on tv.

Also, recasting isn't a new trend. Decade only stands out because they created the AU versions rather than just making the old characters get stuck in suits all the time and give them replacements VAs. Toei did that frequently in the old movies, starting with V3's, through X's, Skyrider's and Super-1's (although in the last one V3 was voiced by his original actor, IIRC), and eventually tv series, with the large team ups in Skyrider, ZX and RX.

Skyrider featured both the original actors and recasts in different episodes, going through almost 10 episodes of only recasts before starting to feature the original actors. Rider 1's and Amazon's actors never appeared either. ZX only had V3, Riderman and Super-1 (the most recent tv show at the time). RX had no one.

The acting is overshadowed by the background of the actor or actress, who is often some kind of idol or model.

Most people don't know or care about the actor's backgrounds. Unless he's doing a bad job or the show is written to promote him, that's irrelevant to the show.

Also, I don't see how you can complain about Rider but not Sentai unless you're really just worried about re/casting of previous characters. Heisei Rider has been much more experimental than Heisei Sentai which always follows a pretty rigid formula with the yearly variations never allowed to change it.

Personally, I would love if KR and SS were handed over to Tsuburaya. We might not get a new show every year, but when we would get one, it would actually be good.

I really think that'd just kill the toku genre in the long run. We aren't in the 70s or 80s anymore with multiple Toku shows airing all the time. If Kamen Rider and Sentai became series like Ultraman, that has problems getting a new tv show every few years and has become increasingly more irrelevant to Bandai, then we could go through entire years without any toku at all (At least, henshin hero toku). That'd just damage the viability of the entire genre in the long run.
 
Last edited:
Active Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
7,217
I'd agree that Tsuburaya seems to care more about e actual quality of the product that Toei, who seems to care only about the products themselves. But I highly doubt they are going to buy both franchises from Toei, or that Toei would consider selling them.

It's good to have variety.

Except there really isn't much variety anymore. It's just Rider and Sentai for the most part, both of which are more concerned with peddling toys, photobooks and idols than being what toku is all about.
 
Now Demonic
Joined
Aug 10, 2009
Messages
1,612
Absolutely not, Tsuburaya is great at story telling, but **** if the fight choreography could use work.
 
Ultraman Saga wants you
Joined
Jun 22, 2010
Messages
2,007
Absolutely not, Tsuburaya is great at story telling, but **** if the fight choreography could use work.

This.
In every Ultra episode I've seen, the suit actors were always holding themselves back, as if they're afraid of tearing up the costumes or sumthin

Not to mention that they all run funny :p
 
Altair
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Messages
1,040
Competition creates quality. Any company that owns all the game pieces is bound to cut corners eventually, no matter how fair they start out.
 
Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2010
Messages
12
One company having a monopoly over an entire genre is never ever a good thing, no matter what the company itself is like.
 
Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2008
Messages
14,521
lol I rather have Toei whip Sentai and Rider dry year after year then only have one movie every few years and if they did suddenly get Rider and Sentai why would they just stop making it? That makes no business sense. There not idiots of course they would keep making them.

Plus this forum would die.
 
Top