Shout! Factory announces TokuSHOUTsu!
Last week you may recall the starting discovery of the original Kamen Rider series suddenly appearing on Shout! Factory's streaming service TubiTV. About 12 hours later the episodes were gone because apparently someone accidentally released them to the general public rather than setting them on private. As such, growns of disappointment reverberated throughout the nation.
Today Shout! Factory has officially announced the release of the first Kamen Rider series, which is going to help launch their new streaming service "TokuSHOUTsu." This service will including free streaming of the first Kamen Rider series, the 12 Super Sentai series Shout! Factory has released on DVD, Ultraman Leo (which they for some reason own the streaming rights to despite Mill Creek owning the franchise), along with other Toku-related goodies, such as an original show that will discuss the history of Tokusatsu.
For those not in the know, Tokusatsu is the term coined to describe TV shows and movies with flash effects. This genre, as it were, includes series like Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Super Sentai (which is where the footage is taken from to make Power Rangers), Metal Heroes, Tiger Mask, Kikaider, Lion Maru, Garo, Godzilla, Gamera, and anything else that features explosions, super heroes in spandex, giant monsters wrecking miniature buildings, and the like.
Unfortunately, Shout! Factory did not reveal any plans for Kamen Rider on physical media, but hopefully we won't have to wait too long for them to do so.
Here is their official Press release on "TokuSHOUTsu:"
Giant Robots, Masked Heroes and the Wonders of Tokusatsu Come to Pluto TV With the March 17 Debut of TOKUSHOUTSU™
Shout! Factory TV Presents the Official U.S. Debut of Japanese Cult Classic Kamen Rider
The imaginative worlds of tokusatsu – the revolutionary Japanese entertainment genre known for its unique special effects and epic battles– will launch on Pluto TV in the U.S. on Tuesday, March 17 at 12 a.m. PT/3 a.m. ET when Shout! Factory TV introduces the new 24/7 linear streaming channel TokuSHOUTsu. Channel 681, in the Tech + Geek section, will launch with the very first episode of the legendary cult classic Kamen Rider.