OK, I have no idea how most of this kind of stuff works, so I wasn't sure if some of you guys might know a more.
I didn't realize there was any drama with that, I had just assumed bother versions were easily available here.
Kamen Rider and General Tokusatsu
- Thread starter Samurai8472
- Start date
It took a while to sort it all out.
Harmony Gold USA legal issues with regards to Macross.
The entire debacle started in the 1980's, only got resolved in 2021.
That's how long this licensing shenanigans went on.
Toei's getting antsy to make money/move to the west. They're stuck in their own country not making enough profit.
Some tinfoil hat comments online are that they're willing to end a 50 year franchise to circumvent Hasbro with a slightly reworked series/franchise so they can exploit the western market
Whatever form this revamped franchise takes we're still getting rumors
Hmm. If we're getting another Zenkaiger level of wacky series I don't know if I'd be into it. Sounds like we're getting big googly eyes/anime eye mascots in 2026
Could we be getting a TwoKaiser type of format?
One male
One female
Robot team mate
We'll see
Hi everyone! I've never seen anything from the Kamen Rider franchise (except the Shin Kamen Rider movie, because it was directed by Hideaki Anno).
However, I've started watching "Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider" and I'm loving it!
I think the first 10 minutes are among the most depressing anime I've ever seen. A 40-year-old man realizes he's accomplished nothing in life, except an obsession with Kamen Rider.
At the beginning of the first episode, he sells all his Kamen Rider memorabilia because he doesn't want whoever takes care of his corpse to throw it all away like useless plastic when he dies alone.
But then I meet a trio of petty criminals who are stealing while pretending to be Shocker and...
I won't say any more!
However, I've started watching "Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider" and I'm loving it!
I think the first 10 minutes are among the most depressing anime I've ever seen. A 40-year-old man realizes he's accomplished nothing in life, except an obsession with Kamen Rider.
At the beginning of the first episode, he sells all his Kamen Rider memorabilia because he doesn't want whoever takes care of his corpse to throw it all away like useless plastic when he dies alone.
But then I meet a trio of petty criminals who are stealing while pretending to be Shocker and...
I won't say any more!
Uh, I know I could Google the answer, but I think it's more fun to ask here! I'm asking to better understand the references in this anime: what was the goal of Shocker? A generic criminal organization? Did they want world domination? By what means?
Oh, world domination, definitely. Shocker was the ur-evil organization of Showa-era Kamen Rider. They were based on the Nazis in certain ways -- the pursuit of world domination and the creation of a master race, their emblem and iconography, their stiff-armed salute.
Their primary method was to brainwash abducted humans and transform them surgically into cyborg kaijin (monster-men) who would carry out various episodic evil plots designed to undermine society or kill or transform everyone or whatever the writer of the week came up with. The kaijin generally had special powers that they used to carry out their plans, and destroying them would conveniently undo whatever harm their powers had inflicted on their victims, the environment, whatever. Your pretty standard Showa-era tokusatsu premise.
If you've seen Shin, you know the basic story, that Shocker abducted Takeshi Hongo and modified him to become Kamen Rider, but he was helped to escape before they could lobotomize him and reprogram him as one of their agents. (They should've brainwashed him first. Poor planning.) It's traditional that the majority of Kamen Riders share the same origin as their enemies, or at least a related one. It was kind of a dark premise, in that the monsters Kamen Rider killed were actually brainwashed human victims of Shocker, but the premise was that they were too far gone, their humanity and personality already destroyed by the brain surgery, so if anything he was just putting them out of their misery.
Shocker Combatmen (sento-in), the interchangeable grunts, wore skeleton-themed costumes and luchador masks and cried a high-pitched "ee-ee!," which seems silly at first, but when there are dozens of them doing it at once, it's actually kind of chilling and menacing, like something out of Hitchcock's The Birds. (Actually the early Combatmen had berets and face paint, and the luchador ones were the personal guard of a specific villain, but then they took over, I guess because it saved on makeup time, or just because the producers or audience preferred them.)
In my Tangent Knights audio drama trilogy for GraphicAudio, I approached the overall premise as a pastiche of Heisei-and Reiwa-era Kamen Rider and other tokusatsu, but the Eclipse organization I introduced in Book 2 was an homage to Shocker and other Showa-era evil organizations.
Per the KR wiki, "While some are slightly modified humans, others are said to be creations of the Shocker Leader who are not really alive but are instead puppets that follow [his] every command." I guess maybe they changed it so the Rider's kill count wasn't as high. The original show started out rather dark but was toned down for the young audience pretty quickly. (Which also happened to Gorenger, the original Sentai series, also from Shotaro Ishinomori. And Ishinomori's manga versions were even darker.)
A tokusatsu series unrelated to Super Sentai and Kamen Rider is supposedly airing in 2026. This is probably like that "Wingman" series that came out
An official distributor of super sentai kinda soft confirmed the rebranding
Going forward future super sentai will be known as “Universe Heroes”
Also Yuzuki Hirakawa who played Rita in Kingohger is coming over to Kamen Rider Zeztz! Apparently she’s a female agent and supposedly the 3rd rider
Going forward future super sentai will be known as “Universe Heroes”
Also Yuzuki Hirakawa who played Rita in Kingohger is coming over to Kamen Rider Zeztz! Apparently she’s a female agent and supposedly the 3rd rider
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In English (Yuunibaasu Hiirozu or something) or Japanese (which might be Sekai Yuusha or something)? Or maybe a mix of the two, like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai. (Although the loanword "rider" specifically means "motorcyclist" in Japanese, so Kamen Rider really translates into English as Masked Biker.)
Some Kamen Rider Zeztz food for thought I saw posted
So there’s this proverb “Hatsuyume”.
“Fuji” as in “Fujimi”
“Nasu” as in “Nasuka”
People theorizing Nox is Fujimi's former partner, and Furukawa's vlog confirmed Nox has a human name (Kensei Odaka)
And now we have “Taka” left - Guess who has it? O”taka” Kensei, aka. Nox.
So there’s this proverb “Hatsuyume”.
“Fuji” as in “Fujimi”
“Nasu” as in “Nasuka”
People theorizing Nox is Fujimi's former partner, and Furukawa's vlog confirmed Nox has a human name (Kensei Odaka)
And now we have “Taka” left - Guess who has it? O”taka” Kensei, aka. Nox.
Yep, toku, anime, etc. are all about the themed or punny character names. Naturally the names this season would relate to sleep and dreams.
This is not good for GozyuUnicorns actress. Even her social media accounts are locked down.
First was the allegations she slept with one of the veteran stuntmen who apparently departed due health reasons who was married too and now this
www.oricon.co.jp
The circumstances are as follows: “We received a report from Maya Imamori's agency regarding her underage drinking.” The program's response is: “Our company takes this matter very seriously. From the perspective of ensuring strict compliance, we have decided on the following measures.” “Termination of Contract and Withdrawal: We have discussed the termination of the appearance contract with Maya Imamori with TV Asahi and will withdraw her from ‘Number One Sentai Gojūger’.
Her character is also been omitted from the official character page
Today’s Gozyuger focus episode is also a Sumino focus one
With 14 episodes left of Gozyuger they must be done with ADR at least
I wonder how they’re filming Gozyuger vs Boonboomger which is filming right now
Gozyuger just got bad luck. Being the last Super Sentai, and now one of the actors leaving because of underage drinking
First was the allegations she slept with one of the veteran stuntmen who apparently departed due health reasons who was married too and now this
今森茉耶『ナンバーワン戦隊ゴジュウジャー』降板 20歳未満の飲酒行為、事務所から報告でマネジメント契約解除
ニュース｜ 東映は8日、テレビ朝日系の特撮番組『ナンバーワン戦隊ゴジュウジャー』に一河角乃／ゴジュウユニコーン役で出演中の今森茉耶（19）について、20歳未満の飲酒行為があったことを確認し、同役を降板することを発表した。また、同件を受け、所属事務所は謝罪し「本日付で今森茉耶とのマネジメント契約を解除いたしました」と報告した。 公式サイトでは「『ナンバーワン戦隊ゴジュウジャー』出演者に関するお詫びとご報告」と題して、「この度、「ナンバーワン戦隊ゴジュウジャー」に出演しておりました今森茉耶が、20歳未満の者の飲酒の禁止に関する法律に抵触する行為を行っていた事実が判明いたしました」と説明。
www.oricon.co.jp
The circumstances are as follows: “We received a report from Maya Imamori's agency regarding her underage drinking.” The program's response is: “Our company takes this matter very seriously. From the perspective of ensuring strict compliance, we have decided on the following measures.” “Termination of Contract and Withdrawal: We have discussed the termination of the appearance contract with Maya Imamori with TV Asahi and will withdraw her from ‘Number One Sentai Gojūger’.
Her character is also been omitted from the official character page
Today’s Gozyuger focus episode is also a Sumino focus one
With 14 episodes left of Gozyuger they must be done with ADR at least
I wonder how they’re filming Gozyuger vs Boonboomger which is filming right now
Gozyuger just got bad luck. Being the last Super Sentai, and now one of the actors leaving because of underage drinking
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Of all the controversies to happen, under-age drinking?
-_-
-_-
So... They've presumably finished filming the series, so Sumino will remain through the end, but she'll likely be omitted from subsequent movies and specials?
What surprises me is that she's underage. Her character is 23. I'm used to American shows where teenage characters are played by twenty-something actors; I don't expect it to be the other way around.
What surprises me is that she's underage. Her character is 23. I'm used to American shows where teenage characters are played by twenty-something actors; I don't expect it to be the other way around.
I don't think they can do that w/o incurring more controversies.
But they can not invite her to any other Toku productions and they can black ball her from more work in other non-toku series.
Sometimes they just have a character come back only in armored form, with a different actor doing the voice.
Apparently Toei’s been preparing for this announcement since September. Rumor is that Suminos sister will hastily recover and become the new GozyuUnicorn around episode 38(which they’ve already filmed)
At least in the show there’s already a precedent for replacing the main cast temporarily so it won’t be too big of a shock
Fallout from all of this is some subbing groups might not continue the series as a boycott to Toei not defending Maya against the affair allegations
Some people are calling out Toei and Japanese entertainment industry for its double standards.
Syuichiro Naito (Touma from kamen rider saber) Got caught smoking due heavy covid restrictions and nothing happened to him
Others say Toei had no choice. To keep her on the show would set a very bad example for kids and perhaps tarnish their reputation
Some say this is it for Imamori in the entertainment industry and she is effectively black listed
At least in the show there’s already a precedent for replacing the main cast temporarily so it won’t be too big of a shock
Fallout from all of this is some subbing groups might not continue the series as a boycott to Toei not defending Maya against the affair allegations
Some people are calling out Toei and Japanese entertainment industry for its double standards.
Syuichiro Naito (Touma from kamen rider saber) Got caught smoking due heavy covid restrictions and nothing happened to him
Others say Toei had no choice. To keep her on the show would set a very bad example for kids and perhaps tarnish their reputation
Some say this is it for Imamori in the entertainment industry and she is effectively black listed
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True, that has happened in the past, but usually due to lack of budget from hiring the original actors for cross-over work.