The live-action, special effects-laden Ultraman was a huge hit in Japan, where it established the tokusatsu category, spin-off merchandise (see “Review: Ultraman Vol. 1”) and numerous sequels as well as inspiring dozens of imitators.
Though it may be unclear whether its Ultraman spin-off will be a series or a special, Amazon Japan is currently streaming the first season of another live-action tokusatsu show, Kamen Rider Amazons, and this week’s press release announced a second season that will stream in the spring of 2017. Currently Amazon is making the post-apocalyptic, steampunk TV anime series Kabanen of the Iron Fortress from Wit Studio and director Tetsuro Araki available for streaming via its Prime Instant Video service in both Japan and the U.S.—and the press release announcing the 12 new projects for Amazon Japan makes specific mention of plans to make at least some of the shows available to prime members in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Australia, though no specific plans or dates were announced for streaming to Prime members in other countries.
Given the relatively small size of the Japanese market (127 million people), distributing Amazon Japan’s productions in other countries makes sense given the costs of production. And given the intense competition between streaming services, having all types of programming available is a good strategy to prevent customer desertion. In addition to the two tokusatsu shows, the 12 projects announced this week also include live-action series adapting two manga, Maki Enjoji’s josei series Happy Marriage!? (published here by Viz Media), and Hikaru Katsuki’s shonen sports manga (tennis) Baby Steps.
