The Possible Reason Why Taiwan And South Korea Air Japanese Tokusatsu While They Localize Japanese Manga Or Anime Into TV Dramas

I find it funny how Japanese Tokusatsu could click so fast to certain Asian countries but they decided to localize Japanese Anime and Manga into live shows. Just to make it clear, according to Globalization and Language Association this is what localization means:

Localization (also referred to as "l10n") is the process of adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market. Translation is only one of several elements of the localization process. In addition to translation, the localization process may also include:

• Adapting graphics to target markets

• Modifying content to suit the tastes and consumption habits of other markets

• Adapting design and layout to properly display translated text

• Converting to local requirements (such as currencies and units of measure)

• Using proper local formats for dates, addresses, and phone numbers

• Addressing local regulations and legal requirements

The aim of localization is to give a product the look and feel of having been created specifically for a target market, no matter their language, culture, or location.

Even if Taiwanese and South Korean companies don't use any footage or costumes as part of the contractual agreement with these Japanese companies, one can see the following happen namely they modified the content (ex. change the setting from Japan to Taiwan or South Korea) and changed the aesthetics to fit the local audiences.

What's my wild mass guess behind this phenomenon? It's highly possible that these live shows tend to better ratings than Anime or that some Anime may be deemed "inappropriate". I remembered how shocked I was to see some provocative scenes in Hana Yori Dango or how the Mars Manga really wasn't child-friendly. So you may be seeing a tamed version of Japanese media without any compromise towards the quality of the story. Deaths from the original source are usually kept intact but the brutality is cut down like a shortened death scene. You see gunshots and blood but the death scenes aren't as elaborated as the original source. It's a very sensible compromise if you ask me compared to how Americanizing Japanese media tend to bastardize the source.

IMO, I'm pretty fine with it and I support the Taiwanizing and South Koreanizing of certain Japanese Manga or Anime into TV Dramas. As I mentioned earlier, there's no reliance of footage or borrowing of costumes for the Japanese company. I know Saban pays Toei Ltd. for royalties but it doesn't change the fact that using footage and borrowing of costumes makes it looks lazy. Relying on the footage is more disadvantageous than filming everything yourself. Sure filming everything yourself is tiresome but think that deviating from the storyline will be easier than what Power Rangers has to do. Sure, Power Rangers has deviated from storylines but there's still the problem of relying on stock footage compared to what Taiwanese or South Korean TV dramas.

But this doesn't mean bastardization doesn't happen. Taiwanese or South Korean TV dramas may end up bastardizing the source if they end up not creating a good story. But I think it's a rare case since most of them tend to do pretty well. Is it me or are most Taiwanese or South Korean companies more competent than most American companies?