I always think about how often I thought back then and think right now about America trying to make its own Tokusatsu than localize Japanese works. Okay, a bad localization or adaptation decay doesn't ruin the original product's content but it can still give a bad impression. On the other hand, even an original work can be that bad and I could talk about Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters.
I remembered what it was to be a child in the 90s and I watched almost everything that felt like a "kiddie show" - even if that show had degrees of violence. I mean, who can remember the use of knives and gunshots in old school Super Sentai? I decided to check out Tattoeed Teenage Alien Fighters which aired on ABC-5 way before it became TV-5. I checked it out and personally, it lacked charm to me and it still lacks charm to me until now. I checked out some episodes but it never got into me at all.
You wanted an American Toku that's not based on Japanese Toku then you got it. The show itself was a cheap production. I guess they were trying to play it safe with a low budget flick. Many wanted to capitalize on the Toei/Saban gamble which was Mighty Morphin'. The show aired at 1994 when Mighty Morphin' had its second season and it was trying to rival the success but the show only lasted 40 episodes. There wasn't even a finale where they finally get rid of Gorganus. Talk about it like how Captain Power didn't even conclude anything and the intended second season never got produced.
But what rivaled it for me was Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (which was based on Gridman) which aired on GMA-7 and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers which was aired on ABiaS-CBN. What made me shallowly think both shows were "better" was because I had a crush on Syber Squad's Jennifer Doyle and how I considered Kimberly Hart as my Power Rangers waifu as a child. What was interesting to know was that DiC the production company behind Tattooed Teenage once had an alliance with Haim Saban to create the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.
Well, I guess Tattooed Teenage showed that maybe America wasn't ready for its own Toku that time. Mighty Morphin' was a cheap flick yet it ended up raking in cash for both Toei and Saban. Saban earns money, Toei gets paid for the royalties - and it's a shame how Tattooed Teenage a show which is its very own failed to win over. I couldn't really guess what went wrong. Not to mention, DiC's Syber Squad which was based on Gridman did better than this show for a reason. Though I really just want to see Gridman instead and see Kahn Digifier destroyed than have a the hanging side.
At this point, I wonder if America is really ready to make their own Toku that will become more mainstream than Power Rangers. Maybe, the time has finally arrived considering Power Rangers' fanbase is rapidly declining no thanks to bad business decisions whether it's Disney or the second Saban era. The Neo-Saban era is still trying to go back to the 90s when it's already 2017 - not a good decision on the part of the business. While I may still prefer 80s to 90s Super Sentai the best (based on personal preferences) but I understand why Toei is doing what they're doing. They're a business and they have to move forward even if it means changing the formula to find out what works and what doesn't.
If anything, I think it's time to learn from the mistakes of Tattooed Teenage and see what went wrong. It would be time to see how to make it work. Maybe, just maybe the U.S. will have its own Toku that will end up defeating the rapidly declining Power Rangers this time around.
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