Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

It's more than just Kamen Rider and Sentai

What do you think?

Poll ended at Thu May 30, 2019 11:49 pm

Toei should have Sentai go on a break
3
9%
Toei should have Rider go on a break
6
19%
Toei should put both series on a break
14
44%
Toei shouldn't put either on a break
9
28%
 
Total votes: 32
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Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by takenoko »

If you release something non stop year after year, it's pretty easy to stagnate and Assassin's Creed yourself.

Thus, should either Sentai or Rider go on a break and let another franchise take a spot so that they have more time to prepare for a new series when one of them returns? If so, which series? Space Sheriff, Metal Heroes, Ultraman, some other toku series?
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by TypicalStandUser »

Skullman should be given another chance as a webseries. Metal Heroes should also come back, in consideration with the storyline established by the Space Squad movies.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by ShepardRahl »

I'm not sure if they need to take a break, but in my opinion they need to change the tone. For a few years at least. I know these shows are made to sell toys, but they have a lot of older adult fans too. Kamen Rider for example. They need to make the themes a little more mature. Instead of having a show themed on fruit, ghosts or animals have the rider system be a government project with a driver that looks like it could actually be feasible. The Faiz driver is probably a good example. And make the suit look an actual functional suit of armor. And keep the power ups limited to two. Like in Kabuto. It gets tiring when 5 episodes in they already have a new form. The enemies could be aliens bent on our destruction. I would say terrorists who somehow got the plans for the driver and have been making their own that have to be dealt with, but that might be a bit too deep for a kids show. I don't know.

I know people will disagree with me and that's fine. They do need to do something different though. But for the love of god do not repeat Hibiki! lol
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New blood at Toei?

Post by Mighty Action X »

It paid off when they took a break and then Kuuga came.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by takenoko »

Personally, I voted for Rider to take a break. Lupin VS Pat has it's issues, but it's a genuinely fun show and it feels like it's an upturn for Sentai.

Whereas Rider, from Drive on feels like it's just kind of been going downward towards mediocrity. I didn't watch Ghost, but I feel like Ex-Aid and Build kept walking a tightrope between potential and disappointment.

Zi-O could be such an amazing anniversary series, but it's wasting so much potential. If Zi-O didn't have the cameos and the nostalgia nods, just based on the characters and story, the show would be near unwatchable. That's no good.

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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by kangchan »

Toei should have Sentai go on a break.

Since ToQger, there are no interesting series to balance good plot, good cast and good villain. LuPat has its potential, but slow-pace and underrated villain. Toei, Asahi and Bandai tried new concepts for Kyuranger and LuPat (many team members and 2 separate team), but I don't see they worked well. They should invite some good writers from outside, rather than Kento - Nobuhiro - Junko in recents years. Or just break some years, to find the new refreshment in producer, writer...

Zi-O is the same case in writers since they hired Kento, compare to Build with good writer.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by HowlingSnail »

takenoko wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 10:49 pm If you release something non stop year after year, it's pretty easy to stagnate and Assassin's Creed yourself.
The Assassin's Creed comparison is interesting, because I'd say it's the opposite. Assassin's Creed went on a break, and while Origins and Odyssey were decent enough games in their own right, it felt as though they'd ditched the franchise. In that they didn't feel like AC games any more. Odyssey, though I've not finished it, feels almost like they're embarrassed by their own franchise. Red Dead Redemption 2 felt more like an AC game than Odyssey did.

I'd hate for something like that to happen to Sentai or Rider.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by Catastrophe »

I guess it depends. If the toy sales are still doing well then there really isn't a need for it.

If they want to focus on making the shows better, just hire better writers and slightly more experienced actors. I still believe the pacing in Rider is fucked because they focus on pushing the Q1 toys before Christmas every year.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by Blackcondorguy »

Those are interesting point of views, but clearly each an adult fan's point of view.

Let's not forget (as some of you pointed out) these shows are made to sell toys to the japanese audience. And adult toku fans in Japan are clearly not the norm. So the prime factor for Toei to take a break from doing sentai or KR is toy sales, which seem to be alright enough.

As an adult fan, I think sentai went through several lean years since ToQger (which was far better than what people said at the time) but seem to be better with Lupin vs Pat. I think Komura Junko could become a really good writer but is just not there yet. Zyuohger had some good stuff but was ultimately a disappointment, Lupin vs Pat is overall better if not perfect...maybe her next one will be even better.

Kamen Rider is another story. I think it went downhill with W, not because all series after that were bad, but I think the good ones like OOO and the excellent Gaim were exceptions, not the norm. I feel that, after Decade, the Heisei series took a turn for a lighter atmosphere. Even though Gaim or Build had darker subject matters, they had to balance it with the dancing or constant jokes. Maybe Hibiki's midway change made Toei settle for a more child-friendly approach in appearance. Let's see what they go for with the end of the Heisei era : change of tone or simple continuity? I would like them to take a break or go for something completely different (maybe underline the older audience aspect of KR), but I don't think they will.

Last time they took a break from KR, they took a 10 year break. This seems very unlikely now! And with a potential aniversary series every 5 year, it seems unlikely for them to take a break from that.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by Kurokage X »

Both I say could use a break. It seems that since 2015 for riders and 2014 for sentai, the shows are starting to dip in terms of quality with story & characters. Sentai I think had it worse to me since some series either felt boring or downright frustrating to watch and I would want to quit.

I get that both series are primarily to sell toys but you can have a good show to give kids a reason to ask parents for the toys, if you ask me if I was a kid anyway. I say it because if you don't enjoy the people you watch or the story for that matter, why buy the toys that they use in the show.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by resop2 »

I think that Kamen Rider has kind of lost its mojo the last five years or so. Amazons was great but it was wasn't a kids show trying to sell toys. Maybe a couple of years of doing movies aimed at older audiences could help it get its mojo back? Or, to borrow a gimmick from the anime world, why not retell a Kamen Rider story as an "OVA" series: a series of four movies?

As for what to put in Kamen Rider's slot, here's an idea. Precure already functions somewhat as a super sentai show for girls. Why not have a show where a single girl is the hero? Maybe she could be a Makai Priestess who is assigned to teach at a JD high school similar to Gokusen? Maybe she could pull costumes out of Akane Tendou Hammer Space to gain extra powers like Cutey Honey (or Gokai Pink). Maybe she could be a normal high school girl who lives a double life as a phantom thief or a super hacker? Or, an idol who has to beat up suit actors in between concerts?
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by takenoko »

HowlingSnail wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 5:25 am
takenoko wrote: Sat Dec 01, 2018 10:49 pm If you release something non stop year after year, it's pretty easy to stagnate and Assassin's Creed yourself.
The Assassin's Creed comparison is interesting, because I'd say it's the opposite. Assassin's Creed went on a break, and while Origins and Odyssey were decent enough games in their own right, it felt as though they'd ditched the franchise. In that they didn't feel like AC games any more. Odyssey, though I've not finished it, feels almost like they're embarrassed by their own franchise. Red Dead Redemption 2 felt more like an AC game than Odyssey did.

I'd hate for something like that to happen to Sentai or Rider.
Oh, haha, to be honest, I actually never returned to Assassin's Creed after the Ezio stuff. So maybe that's not a good example of how to revitalize the series.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by Kurokage X »

I say up to when Syndicate was released, that comparison works
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by WannaFantaMan »

I think having both series take a break for a year would be a smart idea to be honest. Not at the same time obviously since that would effect many different areas of income. Maybe try having Sentai air for one year then have Kamen Rider the next? Something similar to what Activision used with CoD before Sledgehammer became one of the primary developers of the franchise.
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Re: Should Sentai or Rider go on a break?

Post by Mxylv »

ShepardRahl wrote: Sun Dec 02, 2018 1:53 am I'm not sure if they need to take a break, but in my opinion they need to change the tone... [Kamen Rider needs] to make the themes a little more mature. Instead of having a show themed on fruit, ghosts or animals have the rider system be a government project with a driver that looks like it could actually be feasible. The Faiz driver is probably a good example.
I feel the problems are connected; without a break, the pressure to distinguish each new rider/series from the last several ones may have led Toei to the decision on specificity. While more subtle at first (such as oni in Hibiki and speed in Kabuto, from what little I know of those series), there isn't much turning back after themes like trains and vampires. I've theorized that Sonic the Hedgehog is suffering from something similar--while nearly every new game has a distinguishing item, I feel a gimmick-less game is what fans would prefer (as a side note, neo-Heisei Ultraman is seeing slighter versions of KR's themes with Future/Cyber/Two-hero Ultras).

I think it's hard to let the cat out of the bag as far as this trend goes, especially as a younger audience could have a harder time telling each series apart without a defining theme; while I feel a break would help with this, SS's toy sales make it a more liable candidate for such a break (not necessarily a bad thing, as I tend to lose interest in each new season.) Perhaps giving SS a brief break and launching/relaunching two Toku series, with one taking SS's place and the other aiming to an older audience, is the way to go?
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