Who are the Power Rangers going to get content from now?

It’s with heavy hearts that we repot the impending end of the long-running Super Sentai Series of spandex-clad superhero teams that have been a cornerstone of the tokusatsu genre for five decades. Japanese news agency Kyodo first reported the news on the evening of 30 October with next to no explanation from TV Asahi on why it was unceremoniously axed on its 50th anniversary of all years.

▼ There’s quite a lot of them by this point.

The leading theory is that merchandising sales haven’t been covering the cost of production. The most recent merchandise sales data shows that Super Sentai is the lowest ranked among Bandai Namco’s IP, with only 6.4 billion yen (US$41.6 million). This is compared to their leading domestic franchise, One Piece, and its toy and merch sales of 94.2 billion yen, as well as Super Sentai‘s fellow tokusatu series, Kamen Rider, with 22.5 billion yen.

If this sales data is the reason for Super Sentai‘s cancellation, then it is also a cause of alarm for fans of the magical girl anime Pretty Cure, which came in third to last with only 7.8 billion yen in merchandising sales. However, a saving grace for the magical girls is that their films tend to do fairly well in the box office, with their most recent, You and Idol Precure the Movie: Thank You for Waiting! KirakkiLive for You!, staying in the top 10 for five weeks.

Having been on TV for the past half a century, children from just about every generation in Japan have some memory of Super Sentai in at least one of its many incarnations. So, the news of its end has been met with a lot of grief and some anger at the curt way TV Asahi appears to have handled it.

“It’s sad, but I’m grateful for their 50 years.”
“Asahi TV ending a 50-year-old series in such a sloppy way is unacceptable!”
“I was just wondering when they’d announce the new series…”
“Just re-air the original series. Adults would watch it, and kids would like it too.”
“Kamen Rider and Ultraman continued on different networks, so they can move Super Sentai too.”
“Looking at the ratings, Kamen Rider is on the rise, Pretty Cure is flat, but Super Sentai went down.”
“With the declining birthrate but the same competition from other shows, it’s just too difficult. You did well, Super Sentai. You should be proud.”
“I’m from the generation that watched GoGoFive. I even had my parents write out the theme song in katakana so I could sing it. So sad…”
“I used to walk home from school singing the Kakuranger theme song…”
“I wonder what all the talented people who make these shows are going to do.”

One of the really great things about watching modern tokusatsu shows like Super Sentai is that the special effects really have gotten impressive over the years. This is especially because it’s a kids’ show, and the editors can really go nuts with crazy ideas that could never be done in pretty much any other genre of television. By abandoning self-restraint and being able to experiment, they’ve created some really interesting effects over the years.

▼ This video’s kind of long since it covers decades of shows, but it’s an interesting look at how the effects evolved over the years.

Part of Super Sentai‘s longevity has been its format of constantly rebooting itself each year with a completely new cast and story. Because of that, it might be premature to say this is truly the end of it. After all, it essentially ends every year and comes back new again, so who’s to say a group of five color-coded heroes won’t rise from the ashes yet again?

Source: Kyodo, My Game News Flash, Nikkan Sports, Twitter/@oricon, Bandai Namco, Box Office Mojo
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