Power Rangers as a whole

BOOM's take on Zeo soon?

Hasbro had their earnings call today

Chris Cocks, Hasbro CEO, claims Power Rangers did not meet profit margin thresholds, hence the reason they're outsourcing. PR will likely be the last brand they ever opt to outsource.

I think either Toei should dub Sentai or Hasbro sell Power Rangers to Playmates outright or nothing will be done with the franchise again.

Huh, interesting. I'm not entirely sure what he's getting at there, since he says it was the right decision to outsource PR (and Littlest Pet Shop apparently) but also that they're unlikely to outsource any others. I guess that they've made up their mind on all the brands they already own?

As other people have pointed out, not very surprising that it didn't meet profit thresholds when they just have a tiny selection of kids' toys, and adult collector stuff with frequent poor quality control.

I don't know if anyone would really want to buy the brand. Playmates just makes toys and seems to largely focus on licensed properties so the new deal is probably pretty good for them. Toei has shown pretty limited interest in expanding to the west, so while they might want the name for marketing purposes and maybe official subs, I doubt it'd be any more than that.

Well I think that's because Saban/Saban Brands/Bandai did the work for them before. They never needed to actually put effort to market Sentai outside of Japan. I do know you are very much correct and we may never see more than subs now. I guess Sentai joined the stable of "We gave up on the west" along with Pretty Cure for Toei.

×2

Official subs of the Sentai?

Closest equivalent would be Shout Factory.

Official subs of certain Super Sentai series have already been released via Shout Factory (it's only North America because of course it is). They did Zyuranger (MMPR) through to Dekaranger (SPD) as well as Fiveman and Jetman (two of fifteen pre-Zyuranger unadapted series). It seems like the current owner of PR does have some influence over this, as quite a few came out during the Neo-Saban era, but they disappeared for a bit once Hasbro purchased PR until a few more came out recently. In particular, Fiveman was teased a few years before actually being released.

Granted, these are region-locked DVDs (region 1) which cost about 50 USD a piece, so not very accessible. Some were on streaming (Tubi? also region-locked) for a while but I think they've lost the streaming rights now for some reason. Ideally they'd expand that, both subtitling more series and releasing them in more regions. That does feel like more of a Toei (and Shout Factory / any other company they decide to work with) decision than a Hasbro one, but it seems like they do have some say in the matter.

That's something i've always wondered, if Power Rangers rights had anything to do with why sentai seasons have to wait so long to get subbed.

Called it.

I'll re-iterate my original theory: The emphasis on nostalgia for Cosmic Fury and Once and Always was a mistake. It's great for fans, but it does nothing for the show's actual target audience, which are the ones buying toys.

Power Rangers doesn't exist in the same zeitgeist as it did in its peak. It's having to compete with some really solid children's entertainment. And frankly I don't think most seasons of Power Rangers measure up.

I do not see the Hasbro selling PR. Hasbro has a noted preference to sit on dead brands than let them go off and risk someone else making money off them.

GI Joe's been mostly dead as a brand and Hasbro still holds on to it despite it constantly performing weakly and Hasbro's own reluctance to invest in it.

Edited by Ghilz on Apr 24th 2024 at 12:40:29 PM

I'd say the only way Hasbro lets PR go is if Toei pretty much tells them to, but it's far more likely we get a localized Kamen Rider show than that happening. (And that has a snowball's chance in hell, so...)

PR is basically in an uphill battle. As mentioned there's far more quality children's media that's Merchandise-Driven (and that's not counting the ones that aren't) and unlike Sentai which has the weight of generational nostalgia behind it PR's ebb and flow ensured they could never get the same momentum.

That's not how it works though? Toei can tell them to stop using Sentai stuff. But the rest Toei has no powers to make them sell the PR brand.

By Sentai stuff, do you mean suit and monster designs?

Sentai Footage they havent already licensed out.

Anything else that's already licensed into the Power Rangers IP Toei has no power over.

Edited by Ghilz on Apr 25th 2024 at 4:30:40 AM

So the reboot isn't happening :(

Citation needed. Last I heard (Back in March or February) the reboot was confirmed to have hour long episodes. Unless there's something new I don't know about?

There was no confirmation, just twitter rumours

The reboot is still kind of in limbo. I wouldn't be surprised if it never materialises but occasionally someone mentions it.

The licensing deal is for MMPR specifically. They dont mention other Power Rangers line, so in itself it doesnt mean anything about the reboot.

That said PR being unprofitable probably puts a damper on things.

I wonder if PR was always less profitable than people expect. It'd explain why Disney sold the brand, and then Saban too (a second time).

Honestly PR lasting as a franchise for just over three decades could be argued as a best-case scenario. Given how many hit franchises have a shelf life of seven years at most (especially if they're Merchandise-Driven and made to appeal to kids who will inevitably grow up out of the core demographic), PR lasting four time as long as that is a good thing. Not to mention that MMPR is the only series with a real long-term pop cultural footprint, so it's no surprise that Hasbro has focused on that.

It's not like Sentai is in much better shape either - they managed to survive by downsizing toy lines and finding ways to cut on production costs like making only a few monster suits per season. I'd imagine King-Ohger managed to compensate for its heavy use of CG backgrounds by not using a Monster of the Week plot.

I do think Pr being inconsistent didnt help. Alot of other merchandise based kids franchises like tmnt and transformers have consistently knocked it out the park.

PR is in this weird zone where it's banking hard on nostalgia but I don't think the figures are as appealing to adults as Transformers are

For one, most Optimus figure, even if it's not G1 Optimus, look close to how you remember Optimus. For two, there's the transformation factor, which adds a fun tactile feel (I'll admit my own bias).

But like, frankly, who's gonna buy a Cosmic fury Ranger? Like if you're here for the MMPR nostalgia, who the fuck are these guys. And Ranger figures I think arent as appealing as a Transformer is. It's just a regular action figure. Sure you could get a megazord. But Megazords are fucking expensive sets. Not great for a nostalgia fueled impulse buy.

Then as already mentioned, you have a really crowded action figure space based on TV shows who quite frankly are probably more appealing to kids, and aren't caked in 30 years old nostalgia and plot points.

The contrast I'd give is to Transformers again, either Earthsparks or Cyberverse. Both have figures and characters whose designs will appeal to fans, but their stories are self contained enough the kids can enjoy them. The show doesn't roll out a villain last seen 30 years ago and grind the plot to a halt to explain who Lord Zedd is and why he's a villain again.

The paradox of Power Rangers is that like a lot of merch-driven IP it has to rely on recognizable, iconic designs to appeal to its fans, but since it's adapted from a franchise whose identity is based on changing up things every year but for the core elements it can't exactly do that either.

I think what needs to happen is a company that is smaller than Hasbro (So buying Power Rangers would be an upgrade to them, rather than the profit black hole it is for Hasbro) buying Power Rangers.

That sort of assumes that Power Rangers gets sold at a discount.

Honestly Licensing might not be the worst idea. Lets someone else take the risk with the brand.

Edited by Ghilz on Apr 30th 2024 at 12:41:28 PM