I always felt this show never took off quite like Power Rangers did because Americans and especially the kids of the time myself included just didn't have the same awe or fascination with bugs the way Japan seems to, Frogs, Serpents, and Insects seem to be super popular in Japanese folklore where here in America if it ain't a cow, chicken, horse, or bear, we tend not to give a hoot.
I always felt this show never took off quite like Power Rangers did because Americans and especially the kids of the time myself included just didn't have the same awe or fascination with bugs the way Japan seems to, Frogs, Serpents, and Insects seem to be super popular in Japanese folklore where here in America if it ain't a cow, chicken, horse, or bear, we tend not to give a hoot.
Much to our benefit. Imagine if Saban has an iron grip on the Kamen Rider overseas franchise like it has for Sentai/Power Rangers.
Imagine if Saban has an iron grip on the Kamen Rider overseas franchise like it has for Sentai/Power Rangers.
Not that it would be much of a sticking point these days, given that Saban resold Power Rangers et al in 2018 to Hasbro; specifically selling their entertainment assets, including Masked Rider. Of course, they don't have the license from Toei or Ishinomori Productions to do anything with it, but still. With how little interest Hasbro has in doing much of anything with Power Rangers, and that there's a lot of stuff dependant on Toei now, it's a lot more complicated.
I'm personally just more surprised there doesn't appear to be much good fanart of Masked Rider. Not even any reimagined designs which try to thread the needle between Black RX, ZO, and J. You'd think someone ala TokuJay would be up for that challenge.
You made me want to re-read this entire 4koma just to see them!
post #2466979 Yuyuko's exclamation mark is a ghost and a grave marker. post #2502433 Lily's exclamation mark is a flower petal. post #3257584 Flan's exclamation mark is a coffin and a blood drop. post #5754964 Marisa's exclamation mark is a broom and a star. There may be more.
I know three more: post #3470607 Another Lily's exclamation mark post #3891324 Cirno's exclamation mark from a side story post #4480121 Shou's pagoda light bulb from a side story
There's one more set in one of the paid-only comics. In "Record of a Girl Who's Bad with Drink Getting Tipsy", Suika's exclamation point is a spiked club (or maybe a spiked metal bat?), and Aya has two different sets of exclamation points, a crow feather with a hatching crow's egg for the dot(s, since they're three in a row) and a chicken's feather with a chicken for the dot.
And while looking through every comic again, I realize I mistook Kagerou for Chen in my comment on the most recent comic (which is a spoiler since she's only in the ending), and as a Wan Squad Enjoyer™ I feel really dumb for doing so :D
No idea about the fanbox-only comics. The above comment thread also reminds me that I need to flesh out that pool wiki page at some point...
There's one more set in one of the paid-only comics. In "Record of a Girl Who's Bad with Drink Getting Tipsy", Suika's exclamation point is a spiked club (or maybe a spiked metal bat?), and Aya has two different sets of exclamation points, a crow feather with a hatching crow's egg for the dot(s, since they're three in a row) and a chicken's feather with a chicken for the dot.
And while looking through every comic again, I realize I mistook Kagerou for Chen in my comment on the most recent comic (which is a spoiler since she's only in the ending), and as a Wan Squad Enjoyer™ I feel really dumb for doing so :D
No idea about the fanbox-only comics. The above comment thread also reminds me that I need to flesh out that pool wiki page at some point...
post #2466979 Yuyuko's exclamation mark is a ghost and a grave marker. post #2502433 Lily's exclamation mark is a flower petal. post #3257584 Flan's exclamation mark is a coffin and a blood drop. post #5754964 Marisa's exclamation mark is a broom and a star. There may be more.
I'm curious how this girl became the runaway most popular character of the new Idolmaster set.
A mixture of factors, she has big underdog appeal since at the beginning of the story she was literally bottom of the class along with China and Ume so it made people want to root for her. She's a pretty amusing character thanks to her eccentric personality and soft and sometimes deadpan voice, giving her an innate multiplier on any jokes she delivers. The story made many jokes at her expense at first since her total lack of physical stamina, singing ability and coordination meant she could barely perform or even train without keeling over exhausted, which makes it all the more satisfying to see her improve, take the stage for the first time and even go further beyond what anyone ever thought she was capable of.
Her card decks are also typically quite difficult to play compared to other idols; her base HP is among the lowest in the game and her decks usually have stricter activation conditions on their special abilities, so actually playing Hiro is inherently more challenging - tying perfectly into her story depiction. Hiro's producer puts his career on the line gambling on the success of a literal bottom-tier idol despite everyone telling him not to (including Hiro herself).
In the story her in-world fans are even described as "weirdos" lol.
