Amazon Japan Will Launch 'Kamen Rider' and 'Ultraman' Soon
The retail giant's streaming service will host two of Japan's biggest superheroes on its content slate.
Soon, Daredevil and Jessica Jones won’t be the only superheroes in online streaming. Amazon Japan, as part of the retail giant’s robust efforts in original programming for international audiences, has announced a new Kamen Rider and Ultraman series set to air on Japan’s Amazon Prime subscription service.
Though unconfirmed, the new Kamen Rider will presumptively be the second season of Kamen Rider Amazons, the adult-oriented reboot of the 1974 series, Kamen Rider Amazon. But it’s unclear what Amazon’s version of Ultraman will look like.
Ultraman and Kamen Rider are two of Japan’s biggest icons in popular culture, and have been on the airwaves for almost half a century. Though owned by two different studios — Toho and Toei — both will have a spin-off series on Amazon, as a stand-alone companion to the main show airing on Japanese broadcast.
Amazon Japan, which launched in Japan last year for an annual ¥3900 (about $32), will also feature a number of other programs. A new drama Magi, based on the book by Midori Wakakuwa, follows the true story of four Japanese youths who travel to the Vatican and return to Japan to find Christianity banned. There are also adaptations of the manga series Baby Steps and Businessmen vs. Aliens planned.
