Zyuohger 39: Huge Calories And A Lover?!

I don't care if Zyuohger's ratings have hit low but I like the season. Okay, you know I'm getting irritated by Misao but the rest of the Zyuohgers are pretty good. So here's a bit of the summary. Sela falls for a guy who's played by Hiroaki Iwanaga. If you don't know him he was a regular character in Kamen Rider OOO as Akira and he was also playing the second Shaider. 

The episode has a reference to Willy Wonka in some way. People who eat the delicious cooking of the monster Chefdon. On the other hand, there's something that Kubar is planning to do with the late Bangray's hand. It turns out that Sela's lover was not only a con artist but an illusion generated from Kubar's new power. Although he tried to con her so the enemy can do divide and conquer but he does gain some heart in the end. Sela doesn't know that he's just a created illusion though. 

Seeing Sela fire the gun out of suit and then do the standard morph fight scene was pretty good. Although I wish she actually force fed the food to the Chefdon so he could be destroyed. That could have been a good turn from the usual tide.

Next week, Leo will be teaching karate. Okay, we've seen the Zyuohger main cast do some out of suit fights. I guess Leo will probably stay unmorphed for a huge duration of the show. I can't wait to see it!

Was 1993 Also A "Toei's Champion Year" At Least For Shallow Minded Fanboys?

After writing on the champion years post for Tokusatsu post, I included 1993 as one of those champion years for Toei's brand of Tokusatsu. Toei released its huge hit Gosei Sentai Dairanger. On August 31 1993 we saw Toei make its triumphant entry to the American market with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers with the help of Saban Entertainment. It was a champion year for Tokusatsu with more toy sales in both the Asian and American market. But I'd also call 1993 as a champion year for shallow minded fanboys!


Anybody could say 2009 was a "champion year" for shallow minded fanboys which could be true. I feel that Shinkenger has the eye candy and good plot needed to rinse the mind off the ultimate travesty in spandex known as Power Rangers MEGAFAIL. Though I'd suggest also watching Megaranger (the one true Mega series) and Gokaiger (the biggest anniversary gathering ever) are also needed to help rinse it off the minds of people. You've got Mako and Kotoha. It's like having Rin/Kimberly and Mei/Ako in one show. Shinkenger was just one popular show and I think Mako and Kotoha are getting too much credit. But I'd like to focus in 1993 which I thought was indeed a champion year for shallow minded fanboys.


I can't exactly determine what's in in the mind of the fanboys back when Dairanger first aired nor did I see Dairanger as a kid no thanks to ABiaS-CBN. After seeing some pictures of Mei from Zyuranger and Rin from Dairanger, While I never (and will never) find Mei prettier than Kimberly but there was a time I really found Rin prettier than Kimberly. I found Mei to be cute but not hot. But what about Rin? I was windblown by her appearance - pun intended. I found her to be really pretty and the actress Natsuki Takahashi's latest pictures shown she's actually aged gracefully. Note she's also four years younger than Amy Jo Johnson. While watching Dairanger, I do have a feeling that she more or less gets the same shallow treatment Mako gets. I do like both characters but I think Rin's been more developed. I think she's hotter than Mako but that doesn't make her better. Heck, why didn't the actress guest star as Mako's mother in Shinkenger? Plus, I wish she went to Morphicon this year!


The other even dumber reason just arrived on-screen when Mighty Morphin' first appeared. Soem even coin Kimberly as "every 90s boy's first crush". I want to differ since my first crush was actually Hikaru Kasuragi in Bioman who was also dubbed as Kimberly by Telesuccess' dubbing. Even after seeing Zyuranger I couldn't even agree with people who say Mei is prettier than she is. I still think she's way hotter than Mei though she's probably just overrated. But I think she's been the prettiest Power Rangers girl and I still think of her that way even if I don't consider her to be the greatest pink ranger ever. While I find her prettier than Mei but I think Rin always competes in that spot in the looks department. I like Kimberly as a character but she tends to be underdeveloped. Rin has shown more development than Kimberly. Unfortunately, that seemed to carry on with Mako in Shinkenger to a certain extent minus the get sick during the crossover part. Like Natsuki Takahashi, she's also aged pretty well. Until now I still find it weird she was 23 at that time but she looked younger than her actual age!

Closing words

As for that champion year, it's very easy to be stupid and say, "Duh it's because of Rin and Kimberly." like it's easy to say, "Duh! Shinkenger's the best because of Kotoha and Mako!" then I'd say "SHUT THE F*CK UP!" first to myself then to others. I can be that shallow minded myself in more than one occasion. I watched Megafail for the girls but I found myself hating that season because it was so horrible. Some of the Super Sentai seasons have really pretty girls but those seasons that don't have much of eye candy are better. I don't find Mei as pretty as Kimberly but I like Zyuranger better. I don't find the girls of Changeman or Flashman attractive but those are two shows that have a pretty good plot. Timeranger's Yuuri may not be as hot as Shinkenger's Mako but I think Timeranger is the best Super Sentai series with Yasuko Kobayashi as the head writer.

To be a bit more objective, 1993 is still a champion year regardless whether Rin and Kimberly are that hot, not that hot or not hot at all. Dairanger is a celebrated classic during its year. Mighty Morphin' gave Toei its ticket through the American market since Super Sentai airing in the U.S. as it is wouldn't get past cultural barriers. That year, Toei hit the gold pot at the end of the rainbow and neither Rin nor Kimberly being hot have anything to do with it.

Zyuohger 38: Learning More About The Brutal History Of Zyuland!

Last week, we saw the return of Bard who has actually saved Yamato as a child and decided to save him as an adult. The Bardman stole the Champion Symbol but there's a reason which I find to be very intriguing. While it looked like he was just a petty thief but there's more than meets the eye. 

The history of Zyuland involved some kind of racism towards humans. Long ago, a human accidentally landed into Zyuland and Bard helped the poor fellow. The Zyumen had some insane policy ruling them that any human who accidentally discovers them would be killed. Bard thought it was so stupid and I agree with him that it's stupid. He stole the Champion Symbol to prevent such pain again.

It's nice to see the team-up between Bard and Yamato against the Zagweer Brothers. It was nice to see Yamato team up with Bard himself. The two manage to come up with pretty good synchronized movements to beat both twins together. As long as one Zagweer brother is alive the battle is never over which explains the hassle. Bard leaves the scenes. Hopefully, we'll see more developments. Sidenote, good thing there's no Misao getting pessimistic since it's really getting more annoying than Hojo's antagonistic behavior in Kamen Rider Agito.

Hurricanger's A Bizarre Combination Of Liveman And Kakuranger!

It's official. I've already added Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger to my list of Super Sentai I've watched from start to end. I remembered how I used to think it's somewhat similar to Liveman with the whole three plus two formula. So what do I think of the show? It's actually one of my favorites though I'm afraid that it might enter into the ranks of shows like Shinkenger or Gokaiger... shows that just get too much credit by the fanbase. Let's get started shall we? Just expect me to get so unfair with full mode rage bashing right now so proceed with caution.

Warning! Spoilers ahead!


Hurricanger's main writer is Junichi Miyashita. Okay, I've had some of my differences with Shogo B'Stard like I think ToQGer actually had the potential to be good, I like Boukenger and this show Hurricanger and he doesn't in some friendly disagreement. So he's been part of some of my favorite shows namely Janperson and Kamen Rider Black. I wonder ifi t's best to call it the era of where he burned out though I think B-Fighter Kabuto was where he burned out. The show also has Naruhisa Arakawa and Atsushi Maekawa (who was the head writer another series that I dislike with a passion, Magiranger) to help as major writers. Other writers are Naoki Sakai, Naruhisa Arakawa (who'd become Abaranger's head writer next year) and Shin Yoshida as part of the cast. I'd say that Miyashita himself may have not been at top condition but he beat Kento Shimoyama's writing in Ninninger.

I alwasy thought of the Liveman/Hurricanger comparison. Let me stress that just because a show supposedly has better equipment or concepts doesn't automatically mean it's better or worse. Some innovative concepts do fail the first time but succeed in later times depending on execution. You can think of how Kamen Rider Black RX didn't do as well as its predecessor Kamen Rider Black because of the poor execution but there were interesting concepts. Hurricanger has more advanced mecha than Liveman but I don't find the show as interesting as the latter with the ongoing conflict. But it did solve some problems Liveman had by actually providing some interesting plotlines. The show had some badass but I feel like the first episode was a watered down version of what Liveman had during the first two episodes!


The Hurricangers are presented to be "just that lucky" to become Hurricangers. They weren't really standing out at first but they became the heroes after they saw their classmates murdered by Jakanja. Speaking of the massacre scene, it actually pales in comparison to what Liveman offered. Yousuke Shiina, Kouta Bitou and Nanami Nono have no choice but to fight the invading partly. Speaking of which, I personally think they're more developed than what Ninja Storm had to offer. Perhaps the most shallow and pitiful reason to say why Hurricanger is miles better (for me anyway) is Nanami is hotter than Tori. No, Nanami's proven herself more badass and developed than Tori. They may not be the best but I personally like the cast.


Unlike Kakuranger, the enemies aren't demons but aliens who are bent on universal conquest. Tao Zanto leads his alien army bent on dominating the world. I personally wished that the show instead had a ninja version of Great Professor Bias instead with rogue ninjas joining his cause. I guess producer Hideaki Tsukada didn't want to follow Takeyuki Suzuki that much or maybe aliens have become more feasible than human villains. At least, we don't have Naomi Takebe here (she was with Ninninger) since she should just stick to Kamen Rider. Their plan is to lead towards making the Earth rot with "that" happening which is the running plot (or gag) of the series. Tao Zanto has several generals who he sends to do his bidding. I'd also like to say that Wendinu and Furaibijou are far more useful than Mara and Kapri from Power Rangers Ninja Storm. The show would later have additional generals when some of them perish midseason in the most badass way possible. Both Chuzubo and Manmarva were destroyed in battle midseason by new mecha combinations.


I could talk about the Gouraigers Ikku and Isshu. Both of them start off as members of the Ikazuchi which is sort of the "dark side" ninja - a concept that was later elaborated with Gekiranger's two rival schools. Their father raised them to be evil and they're focused on proving they're the best so they ally themselves with the Jakanja. Unlike the Thunder Rangers in Ninja Storm, they've got a more sinister streak because they were raised to be evil by their father. They present themselves as the rivals of the Hurricangers. It had me thinking that this was an improvement from what Liveman had with the arrival of the other two heroes Tetsuya and Junichi. Sure I like Liveman better than Hurricanger to the point I wish that the Liveman trio showed up instead in Gokaiger. But I don't deny that the Gouraiger's introduction from their rivals to their allies was more interesting for me.


I'm still pretty mixed on the appearance of the mysterious Shurikenger and how he was wrapped up. I wonder what was Toei thinking at this point? Did the company suffer the same problem? He's sort of like a precursor to Omega Ranger in Power Rangers SPD except he's a little more interesting. Okay I admit, I'm biased because I don't consider myself a Power Rangers fan. Unlike Omega Ranger, I feel that Shurikenger was better done with his ability to blend in. I guess it was a new concept they had rather than because of, "We're too lazy to get an actor so he's a ball of light." scenario. I don't think it's easy to get the old school actors he's impersonated in the show to guest, right? Or maybe, they wanted to give tribute to Ninjaman instead of make the traditional sixth ranger. Who knows? I think a concept like this could still be polished in future Super Sentai seasons.

Okay, I'm about to get bashy so get ready. After watching more than half of Kakuranger, I could still some things. Kakuranger had better action scenes than Hurricanger but I feel the show had less potential. Like, why in the world did Kakuranger eventually write off Prince Junior in the middle of the episode? I think Kakuranger is a good show and I want to get the DVD to see more of the subbed episodes though I know what happened in the end. I think Hurricanger managed to somewhat improve not only on some things Liveman introduced but also the whole ninja theme. I think it managed to innovate both ninjas and a bit of Liveman to create a good show. I personally like the way events unfolded here better than how Kakuranger dealt with them. Remember... it's my preference so feel free to like Kakuranger more.

I also felt this show made me dislike Ninninger all the more. After watching Ninninger last year (and I really paused in between and instead chose to stick with Kamen Rider Drive), I think Hurricanger has these strong points. I agree Ninninger had more toys to offer but what about the quality? Ninninger's swords didn't look as good as what Hurricanger offered. Ninninger had too much mecha while Hurricanger managed to do a beautiful blend of old school mecha styles with the gimmicks called the Karakuri Balls. As for the writing, Hurricanger has had better development. Some may say that Yousuke is an idiot but he does get better at a better rate. I agree but Takaharu Igasaki tends to annoy me instead. Yousuke? Well I'd like to say he's my favorite Hurricanger. Strangely, my favorite in Liveman is Yuusuke Amemiya.

As for the finale, I thought it's kinda weird but kudos for actually trying something new. The way that the remaining villains fall down was somewhat rushed. I didn't like how Saturakura, Sandaru and Tao Zanto were written off. It was interesting to see Sandaru betray Tao Zanto and kill a dying Sargain but I felt like he wasn't all that wrapped up either. It was already expected that Gozen (the 500 year old woman who had the seal for the Grieving Bow used to fire the Raging Arrow) die when the seal was broken. It's not like as if Liveman's finale was miles better... I still think Liveman's finale was a weaker point for a good series. Hurricanger managed to improve a bit in some way with its literally worldshaking event before wrapping thing sup. I felt that the final battle was more like a wrap up though the Hurricangers managed to get their well-deserved graduation.

Overall, it's a pretty good series and I personally recommend it.

Zyuohger 37: The Birdman Returneth!

The mysterious Bird Zyuman is back after a hiatus of several episodes (didn't bother to count). I guess getting rid of Bangray was meant to make way for the Birdman but I thought it could be interesting to have Bangray hang around a little bit more. But I guess producers have no idea on what to do with him plus ratings have been slipping bad for Super Sentai. 

The episode features the Zagweer Brothers where there were four in total. It's really something to get stuck with the Double Dutch jumping rope game. After Misao goes so whiny (again, please stop), I really like how he managed to gain confidence and get rid of the ropes before the game could start all over again.

The huge champion symbol was actually Cube Octopus. So what's going on? Attempting to sell more toys to make up for ratings? The real problem right now could be that Super Sentai is facing some competition with the resurgence of Pokemon in Japan. The new combination isn't anything impressive either.

Next week, we'll see a double battle of both Yamato and the Bird Zyuman. I wonder how it'll turn out to be.

My Picks For Top Ten Super Sentai Red Rangers

Due to WatchMojo's choice for top ten red rangers, I've chosen my own list. for Super Sentai Remember, this is my personal opinion so feel free to disagree. Here's my current top pick for favorite red rangers from bottom to top. If you have your list feel free to write your reasons down.



10.) Shiro Gou/Red One

He's my very first red ranger though back then, I wasn't really fan of him. Instead, I was a fan of Ryuta Nanbara. But I can't deny he's a great leader of the Biomen. He's always put the team together. I still can't forget the time he confronted Jun Yabuki about the reality of Mika Koizumi's death and that becoming a Bioman is no easy task. He's also put his life at risk many times for the others like challenging Silver one-on-one. He's also rivals with Mason of New Empire Gear.


Ryoma/Ginga Red

I feel like this guy's an improvement from what Geki was in Zyuranger. Geki was a great warrior though he managed to improve Geki's concept. He starts off as the doubtful red ranger after he saw his brother Hyuga supposedly die. He's carrying the burden of becoming the 133rd Ginga Red. When his brother Hyuga returned he even thought of vacating his position. Instead, he led the Ginga team continuously seeing that it's his rightful destiny. Also, he's known to have crossed swords against Sanbash, Budho and later on, even Captain Zahab during the revival of Daitanic. Kazuki Maehara also managed to pull out his performance. It was nice to see him reprise his role in Gokaiger.


Yuusuke Amemiya/Red Falcon

While watching Liveman, it's easy to see that this guy is definitely worth adding to this list. So he doesn't always start at the top. He wasn't always the best student but he's trying his best. IMO, I feel his portrayal and characterization is better than how Yousuke was in Hurricanger. He's got this conflict as his former best friend Dr. Kemp is now his personal arch-rival. It's also revealed he also once had a crush on Dr. Mazenda back in his younger years. Daisuke Shima does a pretty good job pulling the role. Years later, he's seen making a return in the Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai crossover.


Gaku Hoshikawa/Five Red

Although I'm more of a fan of Ken Hoshikawa/Five Blue than Five Red but he does deserve to make it to this list. Even if I like GoGoV more than Fiveman but I can't deny that I actually prefer Gaku over his GoGoFive counterpart Matoi Tatsumi. Matoi's a great fighter but he can be too loud. Toshiya Fuji does a really good portraying as a big brother IMO. He's also stood against Garoa, Chevalier and Billion in battle more than once. Best scene? Well I'd give that to his death battle with Chevalier which was his narrow escape during the finale. IMO, he should've returned in Gaoranger VS. Super Sentai instead of Yuusuke.


Hiryu Tsurugi/Change Dragon

Is it me or do I really want to play my usual biases again? With this guy, I really want to say that he'll beat Andros off-course, no pun intended. Not that Andros can't fight but I personally feel he's miles better. Take a note Andros' Super Sentai counterpart is Kenta Date/Mega Red since Power Rangers in Space is based on Megaranger. What makes this guy better IMO is that he's actually had better clashes with both Buuba and Giluke. Andros' rivalry with Ecliptor (who's also portrayed in a similar way as Buuba) is nowhere near Hiryu's rivalry with Buuba. From his first clash with Buuba then later with Giluke to how his rivalries were wrapped up, I want to see more of Changeman to understand what's being said.


Jin/Red Flash

He's my favorite in Flashman and the eldest of the five children. I don't doubt Leo Corbett in Lost Galaxy is a good fighter but I don't really feel like Ryoma all better or worse. So what's with this guy? He's the eldest so he's got vague memories since he was three years old when he got kidnapped and later raised in some lost galaxy and was raised on Planet Flash while the others were raised on the four moons where they all gained their super powers. Best moments are when he's got his rivalry with both Ley Wanda and later with Sir Kaura. Surviving his death duel with Sir Kaura (which the other also survived) was just plain amazing as well as his final battle with Ley Wanda was also amazing. Now only if I can see more Flashman.


Ryou/Ryuranger

Zyuranger wasn't all that great and I still think Dairanger's better. Ryou does get a spot here with just how badass he is as a leader. He's hesitant to accept his destiny first as the leader but he accepted it because he's a selfless character. I'd say Keiichi Wada does a good job portraying his character and it was nice to see him back in Gokaiger. He also has had his greatest moments like his fight against Jin Matoba and going straight to fighting Pot Taoist in just one episode.  I can always say Tommy Oliver's just overrated garbage and this guy's the real legend. I think he's a worthy nominee for the rank of greatest red ranger legend ever. Best moment was when he decided to wrap up the conflict with Shadam during the final episode in a knifing duel.

Ryu Tendo/Red Hawk

I guess this is extreme favoritism or what? I guess so. Speaking of which, Ryu's pretty much just human like we are even if he's this great soldier. Okay, he tends to get preachy. Another problem that fans tend to point out is Kotaro Tanaka's acting is not that good but still he's one of the more popular red rangers out there. Just that overall, he's not as popular as Gai Yuki. The same effect took place years later with Takeru Shiba in Shinkenger. He's lost his girlfriend, he tries to move on but finds himself unable to. Pretty much, I thought he should have told everyone earlier about the situation. When he discovered that Rie is his assumed to be dead girlfriend he goes on a period of insanity that Gai Yuki had to snap him out of it. He must struggle with his personal feelings (something he's always told his team to do), the messy love polygon he's stuck with and his rivalry with Count Radiguet.


Takeru/Red Mask

I'm always somewhat annoyed by how much my other favorite Takeru, Takeru Shiba gets too much attention while this favorite Takeru of mine hasn't been that recognized by newer fans. But back then, he's been a huge fan favorite for his generation. He's got this struggle when he's determined to be reunited with Mio who he doesn't know is actually Princess Ial. He's got his rivalry with both Prince(ss) Igam and later he's got a rivalry with Kiros. One of the reasons why I think he's got better development than Takeru Shiba is that Kiros is a much more menacing and meddlesome foe than Juzo ever was in Shinkenger. Juzo was sort of boring. Kiros was a more interesting villain. His rivalry with Igam is drawn between personal feelings and duty. Igam hates him because of his relationship with Ial. When he discovered that Igam was really a woman he's hesitant to fight her since he's got a sense of honor.


Riki Honoo/Red Turbo

He's my favorite in Turboranger, no questions asked. He's got the biggest responsibility as he has to lead the group of teenagers with attitude in their fight against the Bouma. As much as I like Megaranger and Carranger better than Turboranger but I think this guy is better than Kenta Date and Kyousuke Jinnai. Kenta's not really the leader when everyone's out of suit... which leaves Kouichirou Endo as the de-facto leader. Sure Kyousuke was tough but he didn't get to fight Exhaus one on one or actually defeat any of the enemy generals in Carrangers. But Riki? He's faced Zimba more than once. He defeated Rehda during the battle against the Chomajin Bouma. Best moment? It's when he defeated Emperor Ragorn in a life and death battle. Beneath that, he still believes in trying to redeem both Yamimaru and Kirika from their hate in Turboranger's second half. Top all that! Even if Turboranger isn't my top favorite Super Sentai but I think he deserves the top spot in here.

Taking A U-Turn From Super Sentai Then Returning Back To the Franchise

Most of Super Sentai's run featured a lot of good seasons. If I'm going to compare it to food, there's been more delicious servings than non-delicious servings. But as of late, the latest servings don't click with me like it did before. Super Sentai may get better or worse depending on who's in charge. Next year may be better and next year may be worse. As the franchise has already reached up to 40 seasons and it's Toei's longest running Tokusatsu series with no breaks since Battle Fever J's debut (two years after the less popular JAKQ ended). The franchise has been there for so long that it's already suffered from brand fatigue (ex. Fiveman back in the 90s) every now and then. A yearly release happens because of the demand for the series. With or without its Americanized counterpart Power Rangers there was always a yearly release for Super Sentai.

Super Sentai really requires a lot of innovative changes to keep it going and not all of them work immediately. Producers, writers and directors do play a major part to whether or not new ideas will work. A good idea can fail miserably if it's not implemented properly. A bad idea should always be rejected. Turboranger and Fiveman were the least popular of Hirohisa Soda's works due to his burnout. They had cool ideas but it wasn't until Megaranger and GoGoFive that these ideas started getting better. ToQGer could have been a good idea but Yasuko Kobayashi was no longer in top condition. Another is when you're modifying an idea too much. My favorite examples theme overuse (which I think is a really bad idea) are Kyoryuger and Ninninger. Toei could have tried to reinvent other ideas that were only done once (ex. birds, space, video games, tree hugging, rescue, time travel) or explore other ideas that haven't been done yet with Super Sentai.

It's just that I'm having that annoying event that I have taste fatigue with Super Sentai in certain points of my life. Try to eat too much of your favorite foods and you may not want to eat it for some time. That's what sometimes happens to me with Super Sentai. But it's also suffering from brand fatigue. Sometimes, your favorite restaurant may run out of fresh ingredients and the food they serve gets compromised after a long time of serving good food. When that happens it's time to take a u-turn and try something else. I gave a thought of what I'm doing right now when I get a taste fatigue from Super Sentai. No, I'm not even thinking about watching Power Rangers but there are other stuff worth watching aside from some classic old school Super Sentai series that really made a name. Take note it's not about old school or new school but it's all about giving a good show that anyone can enjoy. Some old school and new schools shows can be very boring.


But just because I have a taste fatigue in Super Sentai doesn't mean I'm not going to check out some classics that I haven't seen. Usually my preference is usually old school Super Sentai after Sun Vulcan while I usually prefer new school Kamen Rider. Hopefully, Grown Ups In Spandex will be able to speed up with both Changeman and Flashman, and Over-Time will be able to speed up with Timeranger especially the episodes in pending are related to Naoto Takizawa or Time Fire's arrival. All the while Over-Time is still providing the badly needed Zyuohger subs. Zyuohger is somewhat a breath of fresh air (and I don't care about the low ratings either like I did with Go-Busters) and I'm glad some fans of ToQGer and Ninninger are willing to admit the show's low ratings but can defend their beloved show against the harsh reception of any reviewers like myself as well as the ratings. I can always say never be afraid to like a show that has had lower ratings than usual.


Watching some Tokusatsu classics that aren't Super Sentai (or Power Rangers) can be a good alternative aside from the classic Super Sentai series. Take for instance while Metal Hero may be good as canceled (probably due to feasibility reasons) but there are some shows that are actually worth watching. Take for instance, there's Winspector (now completely subbed by Sailor Otaku) and they're currently doing Solbrain. When I think of Winspector, I have had a lot more fun watching it than GoGoFive. Solbrain is also pretty fun with its complex plots that Dekaranger doesn't have since not all criminals in Solbrain are actually approved for deletion by Dekaranger standards. Some are just misguided people while others may deserve deletion for their offenses.

Others that may be good would be Gavan (now the subs are completed by Millionfold Curiosity and I just finished watching it) and hopefully there would be Sharivan. There's also Juspion (which subs are now completed by Megabeast Empire and I may watch it soon but Zyuohger's keeping me occupied in some way and so is Kamen Rider EX-AID). Gavan was pretty entertaining though I didn't find the final battle with Don Horror all that amusing. I still want to see more of Janperson subbed by Megabeast Empire. IMO, Janperson for a fully mechanical hero managed to do better than its spiritual predecessor Robocop.


Time arrives when I usually prefer this year's Kamen Rider and choose not to like this year's Super Sentai. After Kamen Rider Decade, I'm glad that most of the series are pretty good in their own way regardless of how many flaws they have. I didn't really like the direction Kiriko took during Kamen Rider Drive (I was watching Winspector while Drive aired and Junko's been better than her) but I enjoyed the show miles more than Ninninger. Kamen Rider Gaim is a pretty good series while I really didn't like how ToQGer fell apart no thanks to a burnt out Kobayashi and not putting Naruhisa Arakawa to be its headwriter. Another alternative for ToQGer was that maybe, just maybe it should have been reserved for the anniversary and let Junko Komura be its head writer. Either way, I felt like ToQGer took its maiden voyage too early and a lack of proper planning killed a great concept. Ratings really have hit low since Go-Busters... sigh.

When it comes to Kamen Rider I actually choose more of the Heisei era than the Showa era. I think most of the Showa era Kamen Rider tends to bore me due to the generation gap. Watching both Kamen Rider Amazon and Kamen Rider Stronger were a "chore" compared to watching new school Kamen Rider. I don't even know if I'd intend to watch the first Kamen Rider because it's so 1971. What I also like about the Heisei era is that no matter how kiddie Kamen Rider got since Kamen Rider Den-O, there has always been something that makes both children and older audiences enjoy it. Kamen Rider EX-AID may look kiddie but it has some life lessons that the older audience can learn while having more "mature" writing with more dramatic storylines and plot twists. Speaking of dramatic storylines and plot twists that's what I liked a lot about the 80s to 90s Super Sentai series. But right now, it seems to work better with Kamen Rider than Super Sentai. Then again, some lighter and softer Super Sentai series have some well done dramatic storylines and plot twists though I prefer the Heisei Riders' version of how to do them.

In the end, I don't think I can permanently sever Super Sentai from myself even if I prefer to watch Taiwanese, Korean or Japanese TV drama over Tokusatsu in general. Like as said, there's just some things that people can't outgrow even if they start to like it less. Just because a person takes a short break doesn't mean it's over or the person is necessarily against against change. No, the person may just be experiencing taste fatigue for a certain period of time or may be critical because some changes aren't doing it for the better. Right now, I think the taste fatigue is momentarily over as I'm watching Zyuohger while enjoying Kamen Rider EX-AID more than the former. I don't know what feelings I'll have coming in but this post is mostly based on my personal preferences okay?

Sentai DVD Rambling Part 4: Shifting Into Turbo For The Next Super Sentai DVD Release?

Knowing that Ohranger now has an official DVD, we know that DVD release of Carranger is coming. So it's time for another crazy rant. Okay, I like Carranger better than Turboranger but I could talk about a possible shift. When I'm talking about shifting into Turboranger, I'm not talking about Power Rangers Turbo but rather, which show will we go for? Will it be Turboranger or Carranger? Let's do some comparisons with both shows that use car magic to fight evil.

Plot or storyline

Turboranger's plot involves five high school students who got chosen by Seelon to fight the Hundred Violent Demon tribes. Some 20,000 years ago or so the human tribes sealed the Violent Demons but the fairy energies weakened due to modern day pollution. The result of the seal weakening allowed the Violent Demon Tribes to escape their captivity and return the Violent Demon Palace restoring their ruler, Great Emperor Ragorn. Now these teenagers with attitude must fight the Violent Demon tribes while juggling with their studies. They're sworn never to reveal that they're Turborangers as part of their code. That gets them into trouble with their class adviser Misa Yamaguchi.

Carranger doesn't involve teenagers but workers at the Pegasus Garage. For a bit of familiarity, Dappu would be the show's version of Lerigot but he doesn't have a wife and child. The idiot demolition gang known as the Bowzock are tasked to destroy the Earth by some mysterious higher power that reveals itself later. The Carrangers are all hesitant to fight the Bowzock but they're chosen anyway. How and why isn't all that revealed but maybe just maybe it's because they were all aligned for some reason. They're also tasked to hide their identities from the public which results to a lot of hilarious hijinks.

Writing quality 

Turboranger falls into the era of Hirohisa Soda was practically burning out. Liveman started to show signs of Soda no longer knowing what to do even if it's a really good series. Then Turboranger came and he was practically falling apart. The series even wrote off three major villains mid-season probably due to a lack of ratings and payroll issues. A lot of stories could have been pursued when the Nagare Bouma (also teenagers with attitude biologically while they're chronologically much older, heck Kirika stayed an infant for a long time under suspended animation) arrived.

Carranger itself appears as a comedy series. Okay, please take note that Ohranger didn't nearly cause Super Sentai to be canceled in spite of lower ratings and Carranger didn't save Super Sentai either. Rather, both shows had lower than 5% ratings but had a lot of good toy sales. I feel the show's writing quality was a little more consistent than what Ohranger and Turboranger had to offer. It made some sense that the Bowzock weren't the real villains of the show but it was actually Emperor Exhaus who  ran the events. After all, wasn't Gynamo too stupid to do anything right that he's best used as a disposable lackey?

Conclusion

I feel that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers fans may actually want Turboranger due to more similar plots even if both are entirely different shows. It may not be what Power Rangers Turbo was based on but you get the idea. Here's a checklist for both shows. Teenagers with attitude chosen to defend the world? Check. Popular chick who's the pink ranger? Check. Sealed enemies that escape after thousands of years seeking to conquer the Earth? Check. Turboranger has something for Mighty Morphin' fans to relate to due to the similarities.

Carranger itself is the show that was localized into Power Rangers Turbo. In terms of familiarity, it's there because of the appearances. The Carrangers are a bunch of adults not a group of teenagers who fight the Bowzock. Maybe, just maybe the only joke Nostalgia Critic can ever throw at it (but I could be dead wrong) is Dappu being Lerigot. The level of similarity is just on the surface. Also, Power Rangers Turbo was also a pretty weak season in itself. Midseason changes were even worse than what Turboranger underwent.

Personally, I'd recommend Turboranger over Carranger even if I like the latter more. This may also make me think that after this, Megaranger can still work (due to the teenagers with attitude theme going on) even if I originally thought that Changeman might be better. I may soon prepare another rant for DVD releases but I might do a Flashman vs. Gingaman rant soon.

My Thoughts On Hurricanger In 26 Episodes

While I won't be doing my "My thoughts on Zyuohger in X episodes..." due to the weekly updates (And I wonder why the show's not clicking?!), I'm now thinking about writing this one after I wrote one for GoGoV and Ninninger. I won't do any weekly updates (and maybe I'll drop doing episode reviews for now, other fellow bloggers or critics just keep beating me to it) on this one considering I've been watching this at my own pace (which is an advantage when I'm watching older seasons). Without much ado, I'll give my thoughts on this series.

As usual, beware of spoilers.

It's no secret me and Shogo B'Stard have some friendly disagreements and how we both see Hurricanger is one of them. I'm a fan of Nao Nagasawa and he's isn't. I can't really fall myself a fan of Nao Nagasawa if I don't check out Hurricanger - the very show that was responsible for her recognition for her martial arts. He also doesn't like Hurricanger and has given it a lot of negatives. FYI, I'm also a fan of Black RX, Fiveman, Zyuranger, Timeranger and Boukenger - shows he's not a fan of and feels they're not his flavor for his cups of tea. Now I'd give my thoughts on Hurricanger within 26 episodes.


The main writer is none other than Junichi Miyashita of Metal Hero fame. I haven't seen his other works yet except for Janperson so I can't really decide. He was also responsible for most of Kamen Rider Black which is my first Kamen Rider series. I don't know whether or not Hurricanger was him under a burnout considering that writing for a lot of series is no easy walk in the park. Maybe, just maybe I'm giving Hurricanger the same treatment I give to Turboranger and Fiveman... but funny I couldn't give that same treatment to Kobayashi with ToQGer but I could give that same treatment to Go-Busters. Let's move on shall we?

The opening arc isn't anything that special. It's not really all that special. Okay, I may start bringing Liveman again which really had a massacre involved, trying to save a pregnant woman where the child lives but the mother dies... Hurricanger doesn't have that. Sure, we've seen the whole Hayate school except the Hurricangers die but that scene is too mild compared to what Liveman offered. Maybe, just maybe Great Professor Bias beats Tau Zanto off the chart. Tau Zanto's an ancient menace while Bias is some guy who's probably not that old but still, I thought that Hurricanger's opening lacked the intensity Liveman had. Again, it's post-Timeranger era and I don't think darker and edgier Super Sentai's going to sell that much as it used to.


Live Liveman, it had the three plus two formula but in its own new way. Liveman's three plus two formula didn't involve Tetsuya and Junichi as former members of Volt. Instead, they were plotting for revenge. Ikkou and Isshu had a temporary alliance in Jajanka all because of their father's stupid principles that says the weak must be crushed. After all, both the Hurricangers are Hayate and the Gouraigers are Ikazuchi which were rival schools in the past. It was pretty interesting how they started out as enemies but soon realized they needed to work together. The team isn't all that united yet but they started learning anyway.

Sidenote, I may be liking Hurricanger but I still felt that the characters aren't as good as the Liveman cast. Yousuke's a screaming red though I don't hate him and Yuusuke/Red Falcon is the better red ranger. Nanami seems to be just eye candy (while still exhibiting her martial arts) while Megumi's shown more complex characterization. Kitou's okay and so is Joe. I think the Liveman trio should've returned in Gokaiger instead and a Hurricanger tribute episode can work with just one of them - preferably Nao Nagasawa. On the other hand, I still think I like them better than the Ninja Storm cast based on my personal preferences. I kind of find the Ninja Storm cast boring.


The mecha here is somewhat a tribute to Liveman even if the second set of mecha are based on beetles. Okay, the first mecha is a hawk and not a falcon but still you can't deny that the first three mecha have one bird, a dolphin and a lion to form Senpuujin. Gouraijin's introduction would be like the Live Boxer as the other two rangers' mecha. The two end up combining to destroy an enlarged Chuzubo. Then we have the arrival of Saturakura to replace Chuzubo and Manmaruba's evolution to help further the conflict. But as always, I don' think Hurricanger's conflict is as good as Liveman's nor was it meant to be at that level.


The entrance of the mysterious Shurikenger is something. From what I read, he actually lost his real identity and so he's stuck in as an ambiguous being. So how does he eat if he's stuck in his suit? I guess he still can eat but in unconventional ways. He's known to take human disguises. I still need to watch more to further discover what went on with him.

So far, so good and I'm enjoying the show. On the other hand, I think people just tend to overrate this show. I hope I'm not just in for the hype. I still respect people who don't like the show and present why they don't like it. But I like the show but I won't give it too much credit either.

Sentai Rambling: Why Writing Quality Still Matters!

It's nice to have cool special effects, fight scenes, new bunch of toys and they definitely are part of the innovative mix. What some may forget is that good story writing still matters for Super Sentai. It doesn't matter if it's a comedy, a well-balanced show or darker and edgier when you've got good writing. It's not about whether or not this Super Sentai season is old school or new school. It's also all about having a good writer to back up the series' concepts. I'm just writing this since there's no Super Hero Time this week. At the same time, I acknowledge that story writing is no easy walk in the park as I thought it was.


The very Tokusatsu head writer I consider to be top of the line in innovative writing back in the pre-Zyuranger era would be Hirohisa Soda himself. He practically broke the mold that Sun Vulcan left behind and I feel most of his works were pretty interesting. While it's no secret that both Turboranger and Fiveman didn't so so well due to his burnout but he had a lot of important contributions to Super Sentai's writing styles. I don't think Super Sentai could have gone that far without his influence towards both old school writers and new school writers. Other head writers that may have learned from him are Toshiki Inoue (who was the one-time head writer with Jetman), Junki Takegami, Naruhisa Arakawa and Yasuko Kobayashi.

In my own humble opinion, I think majority of the seasons from Goggle V up to Timeranger had writers devoted to writing a good story while selling Bandai merchandise. Bandai merchandise didn't just pop out too much without a plot except for Ohranger due to the series of unfortunate events that year. I'm not saying nothing good came after Timeranger but I feel like that even big hits like Gaoranger, Hurricanger, Abaranger, Dekaranger, Magiranger, Boukenger, Shinkenger and Gokaiger don't have that much impact for me. It's probably due to a generation gap or maybe it's because quality outweighs quantity. Having too many gimmicks is just as bad as having no gimmick at all. Both of them tend to destroy the motive of the writer to get more creative with how to write more stories.

What made most of the seasons from Goggle V to to Timeranger more "unique" for me? I would probably name that there's been more focus on character development and more plot than mecha. Aside from heavier amounts of action scenes, I could also name how heroes and villains are written. It's not that heroes after Timeranger didn't have their plus points. It's just that I felt that there was more charm and weren't overrated. As much as I like certain characters but I feel like not so many fans today would have known how rangers had more charm back then. My favorite example is how Takeru/Red Mask isn't as recognized as Takeru/Shinken Red even if the former has had more badass moments. Not so many Super Sentai villains today are that scary or complex as the Goggle V to Timeranger timeline. You have extremely sadistic villains like Radiguet or some atypical villains like Igam. You have wacky villains who are well-written like the Bowzock in Carranger or the Bandora Gang in Zyuranger.

I could also talk about how newer Bandai merchandise gets introduced every now and then. While Gaoranger did a good job but I feel that there's always the time when the newer mecha is just written for the sake of selling a new toy. Back then, when the secondary robot gimmick was added, one could think of how Flashman and Maskman wrote their secondary robots. While I prefer Abaranger over Zyuranger but I can't deny how the latter still had a better way of introducing new mecha. I guess part of the blame could go to Ohranger's weakness of just popping in more mecha for toy sales after a series of unfortunate events. When you get too much focus on Bandai merchandise then it's only natural that the show could end up suffering in the other departments.

Think of the number of times how writing quality may affect the franchise' ratings. Toshiki Inoue's good writing of Jetman allowed Super Sentai to continue as a franchise when Fiveman nearly ended the franchise. The decent writing staff of Megaranger (Takegami, Kobayashi, Arakawa as the major writers) brought Super Sentai's ratings back to normal. Gingaman, Timeranger and Shinkenger may be considered (and may be argued upon) to which is Kobayashi's magnum opus. Gokaiger is still remembered as a huge anniversary season because of Arakawa's good writing made it memorable. On the other hand, shoddy writing can be that bad. Right now, I think one of the reasons that newer Super Sentai has lower ratings may also be due to all the bad writing involved.

What are your thoughts on Super Sentai's writing quality right now?

Super Sentai Series That May Have Aired During A "Champion Year For Toei's Tokusatsu"

I got this idea from Shogo B'Stard's blog though my views can be very different from his. For instance, I'm actually a fan of Hurricanger and Boukenger and he's not. I can agree with a few things he says positive about Power Rangers Time Force but I prefer Timeranger in spite of all the weaknesses he pointed out. Is this year a champion year for Toei's Tokusatsu? I don't think so considering that Zyuohger really has hit low (but I'm still a fan) though Kamen Rider EX-AID is a pretty interesting show. I don't know how Kamen Rider Ghost fared but I think I'll give it a rewatch.

So what are my picks for Super Sentai shows that aired during what I might call as a champion year for Toei? That happens when Toei either offers better servings than usual for more than one season or they manage to hit big with their respective targets. It may also be considered as the time of the year when there's more than one major hit going on. So let's get moving shall we? Remember some of these are just my picks so feel free to disagree.


Hikari Sentai Maskman (1989)

I definitely agree with Shogo that 1987 was a champion year though I haven't seen more of Metalder. Maybe I'm just showing some biases again because I couldn't look at VR Troopers the same way after seeing Metalder's badass action. But what shows were more important for me in the year of 1989? Kamen Rider Black and Hikari Sentai Maskman! Kamen Rider Black became such a huge hit for Kamen Rider that a sequel called Kamen Rider Black RX (which didn't get enough popularity) was created. But let's talk about Maskman first which I think is quite underrated but it was a show that managed to break grounds.

Maskman is probably another groundbreaker aside from Bioman, Changeman and Flashman, Head writer Hirohisa Soda may be considered as the genius that revolutionized and introduced new ways to innovate Super Sentai writing. It has the first love story ever for Super Sentai with Takeru meeting the mysterious girl Mio. The show has a cast that's a rare find for Super Sentai these days. I feel that so many good Tokusatsu acting can match up to Maskman's really good acting. So I'm even thinking that why didn't Kazunori Inaba the one playing Red Mask get that popular as his "successor" Tori Matsuzaka? What also may have made Maskman pretty much a groundbreaker is that Soda himself was constantly innovating with new ideas even if later, both Turboranger and Fiveman didn't do as well due to his burnout. But I can't deny how Maskman starts to make more complicated plots where Soda manages another leap towards better writing.

Kamen Rider Black of that year was definitely a leap for many. Okay, I haven't seen much of the Showa era yet but I can say Black itself was a good experimental season. The season managed to actually improve a lot of stuff from its predecessors. Black's plot reinvented the first Kamen Rider's plot while adding the plot of the succeeding Century King. Gorgom appears to be more nightmarish than all of Shocker's incarnations or spin-offs due to the dawn of newer, better special effects that Shocker never had except in Heisei crossover movies. Plus, part of the plan is the suspense as Kotaro must struggle as his foster brother Nobuhiko got revived as Shadow Moon. I know the series had some problems like Bilgenia's sudden departure or Shadow Moon lacks personality but it was good innovative writing in its own way. So really, what happened that Kamen Rider Black RX wasn't as good and some even critics love to say that the sequel was super horrible?


Chojin Sentai Jetman (1991)

Fiveman nearly cancelled Super Sentai due to low toy sales and that's quite a step backward. Even if I'm a fan of Fiveman but I must accept that it didn't do well during its airing. Super Sentai was ready to end anytime soon but one show saved Super Sentai from eventual cancellation. No, it wasn't Gekisou Sentai Carranger but it was Chojin Sentai Jetman. Secondary writer Toshiki Inoue had his one and only headwriting job for Tokusatsu with Jetman. They wanted to end Super Sentai with Jetman but the show's popularity really broke expectation thus a new era of Super Sentai begun. Though I may want to call this as the era that ended the pre-Zyuranger era since Toei and Saban would eventually join forces to create Power Rangers. This was also the year that Winspector's successor Solbrain came to be.

Jetman happens to be one of the most overrated shows of all time. You can think about how people say it's the best Super Sentai ever. Come on, there are other shows before and after Jetman that may be considered better. Some of its darker and edgier predecessors are Changeman, Flashman, Maskman and Liveman. Other better shows may be Dairanger, Megaranger, GoGoFive or Timeranger. But again, one can't deny that Jetman may be a huge leap in innovative writing for Super Sentai. It also had a new formula where Ryu the red ranger must try to get four civilians to help him fight. Along the way, the Jetmen try to learn what it means to be a team especially with Gai Yuki himself. The show also had a complex love polygon that goes beyond the Gai Yuki likes Kaori but she likes Ryu but Ryu likes Rie scenario. Maybe, I could also think one of the most "beloved" villains ever Count Radiguet is a huge step in Super Sentai villain cruelty. I guess without him we may not get other really fearsome ones like Lt. Col. Shadam or Grand Witch Grandienne.

The other show for this year was Solbrain which was Winspector's successor. Okay, I dropped it as a child since I didn't really take an immediate liking to it. But after seeing Winspector and now I'm watching Solbrain released by Sailor Otaku (also alternatively called as Weeaboo Shogun). Solbrain is another show that actually challenges the audience to think outside of the box. Solbrain focuses on incidents related to trying to save people before they fall into the path that they need to be destroyed. I feel like after watching both Winspector and some episodes of Solbrain that Dekaranger lacks the police drama that were in those shows. Take note that I do like Dekaranger with its cool new features, it may be a major hit but the Rescue Police series just have more drama.


Gosei Sentai Dairanger (1993)

I guess this is a huge champion year. We've got Toei's threefold big success for this year with Dairanger, Janperson and its triumphant entry to the United States with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Zyuranger came in with a new more child friendly formula and it somehow worked but Dairanger managed to do better in the late Noboru Sugimura's term as a head writer. Janperson entered as a fully robotic version of Robocop. Toei also expanded its market overseas when Mighty Morphin' finally aired in the United States. This would be the first year Toei actually hit success in both Eastern and Western markets.

So what's with Dairanger as major hit of a Super Sentai? I could say Zyuranger wasn't really much of a classic. IMO, Zyuranger tend to be too kid-focused. I think Abaranger's been the better season. Dairanger has had a lot of cool looking toys, flashy martial arts and a lot of cool stories. I think it's really the most action intense Super Sentai series ever. There's a lot of cool mysteries with Dairanger which tried to improvise on what Maskman left behind as a martial arts series driven by aura power. Aside fro Maskman, show somehow gave tribute to a lot of 80s Super Sentai like the reuse of mythical animals (Changeman), the color coding and the characters. Unlike Zyuranger, the Dairangers are more focused. Zyuranger just tends to focus more on the child of the week while this show meets the balance. The plots of Dairanger are also pretty interesting like Daigo's relationship with Kujaku, the Gorma's internal conflict, Kou has had more meaning as a child ranger than Justin ever had in Power Rangers Turbo and the Gorma's complicated story. This also left a lot of stuff that left viewers to decide for themselves.

I could also name Janperson as part of the reason why this is a champion year. I don't know what to say about Exceedraft just yet but I feel Janperson definitely one of a kind Metal Hero. He's supposedly a Robocop type hero but he's got no human past like Jiban did. The whole series wasn't very typical to Tokusatsu and it had a unique formula. The hero Janperson was once the defective android known as MX-A1 but his own creator Kaoru Saeugas (shades of Marie Lazarus from the Robocop 3 film) went against her superiors. The result was that the robot MX-A1 becomes a Robocop-inspired android with no human past. He fought against the three underground organizations namely the Tatewaki Konzern, the Neo Guild and the Super Science Network each fighting for domination over Japan as well as the world.

1993 was was also the very year Toei entered into the United States with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. While I personally have no intention to fully rewatch it or even watch it but I still think of it as part of the champion year. Toei and Saban managed to create a monster hit that allowed Toei to hit big time in the American market. Both Saban and Toei have worked with each other. Saban pays Toei for the royalty fees as part of the deal to get Toei's share in the American market. Bandai also had another target market. In short, business was already booming for Toei thanks to Mighty Morphin. That year was also the year of Jurassic Park hence Toei had its successful entry to American soil. But again, I don't and will never consider myself a fan of Power Rangers fan even if I don't hate it.


Mirai Sentai Timeranger (2000)

After Dairanger, it took some time before another champion year arrived. Remember that Kamen Rider had a hiatus after Kamen Rider Black RX's lack of popularity. After Janperson, Metal Hero may have not been as good. B-Fighter's sequel B-Fighter Kabuto wasn't as good but I'd still watch both shows over Beetleborgs and Beetleborgs Metallix. Then Kabutack and Robotack kicked in and I don't think the kiddie formula worked back then. Hmmm... just think that a lot of innovative ideas don't always work the first time around, right? Then we had that hiatus. After that, we have the triumphant return of Kamen Rider with the first ever Heisei Rider, Kamen Rider Kuuga.

Timeranger may be best called a "finale for yet another era of Super Sentai". It's also considered by some as Yasuko Kobayashi's magnum opus though others may think of Gingaman or Shinkenger. Timeranger appears itself as an atypical Super Sentai series with the real enemy being fate itself. Even with some positives that some people can name about Power Rangers Time Force (which was also a hit) but I still prefer Timeranger's writing. The plot is usually one to get into the more complex side of stuff. The story revolves around everyone fighting their own destiny whether it's the heroes or the villains. The team has four people from the Year 3,000 but ends up in the Year 2,000 with a man from the present as their leader. They're tasked to capture the Londarz Prisoners while they must fight against fate itself. This also resulted to a lot of plot twists and fate itself is the main villain of the series. It's pretty much an atypical series just like next year's Kamen Rider Agito.

Kamen Rider Kuuga is indeed a huge remodeling of the Kamen Rider franchise. The writing format started to change to the soapbox television drama format. Kuuga seems to be more or less standalone from what the Showa era had to offer. The show had some complex mysteries like the Grongi actually speak in a language that do contain some spoilers for future events. The hero Yousuke Godai is constantly seeking to learn about his new powers while he's at the risk of losing his humanity. This was also Naruhisa Arakawa's big entrance as a head writer. Ironically, most of Arakawa's works were usually lighter and softer like Abaranger, Dekaranger and Gokaiger plus I always felt he should have been assigned as ToQGer's headwriter instead.

Whether or not Lightspeed Rescue should be included is still to be seen. Although I don't think Lightspeed Rescue is all that great but I still don't want to dismiss its positive points. Just because I'm not somebody who really likes Power Rangers doesn't mean I won't name some few points like Sean CW Johnson's role as Carter Grayson or that Mike Chat's an accomplished martial artist. It's still best to view Lightspeed Rescue as its own show than compare it too much to GoGoFive. Go compare GoGoFive to Fiveman and Magiranger instead.


Hyajakuu Sentai Gaoranger (2001)

This year is probably a huge champion year. Gaoranger is the 25th anniversary and it really, really made waves in the innovation department. It was also the year that Inoue himself fired his one last masterpiece namely Kamen Rider Agito. It was also the year of Power Rangers Time Force which is probably Judd Lynn's magnum opus though I fear he's already headed for burnout.

Gaoranger's no doubt one huge anniversary season with good acting, good writing and new innovative stuff that kept the Super Sentai franchise going for years. On the other hand, Wild Force which came in the year after was criticized for the bad acting and the shoddy Forever Red crossover. Watching Gaoranger made me think it was time for a new revolution for a more child-friendly series without compromising the overall quality. It was also the year of multi-gattai as a new innovative concept that kept toy sales going for some time. The series may have had some some weaknesses like the lack of a real main villain but it was still well handed. I believe the series is an important contributor to innovative changes in Super Sentai.

Kamen Rider Agito is considered as Inoue's magnum opus during his days when he was a head writer. I'd agree with Shogo's statement that it's a sprawling ambitious tapestry. I feel like some elements of Timeranger were taken in here like the anti-hero in Hojo or the fight against fate. Agito happens to be a very atypical Kamen Rider in one way or another. The whole conflict is more related with mankind's evolution than anything else. The enemies aren't there to take over the world and they're very selective of who they kill. It turns out that they're killing people with the power to evolve into Kamen Rider Agito. The stories are so layered in some way that it really creates a complex story. Maybe, just maybe my only problem is how Hojo Toru as a character and why he's made an antagonist towards the G3 Team. Why does Inoue like to write a lot and I mean a lot of douchebags into his shows?

Power Rangers Time Force can be added. As much as I tend to prefer the Super Sentai counterpart but again, just because I'm not a fan of Power Rangers doesn't mean I won't point out what I think was done better. Time Force had Jason Faunt and Erin Cahill who came out feeling more enthusiastic about their roles than Masaru Nagai and Mika Katsumura. Jen's not that much of a cold person as Yuuri was in Timeranger. Ransik was a pretty interesting villain though I disagree with Shogo's opinion of the villain as an "improved version of Dr. Giba". Time Force may have actually given an important lesson that you don't need to be that serious to write such a good story. But I still think I'd rather stick to Super Sentai for most of its run. After Time Force, Power Rangers really went down the drain for most of its run with super rushed reasons and Nickelodeon's unnecessary splitting into two seasons. But again, I won't deny that there are some Power Rangers seasons that manage to stand out against the rest of the entries.


Gougou Sentai Boukenger (2006)

This was the time when Super Sentai hit its 30th season and Kamen Rider Kabuto also aired. At the same time, Power Rangers already entered the dork age with Disney and the Kalish era. But I could talk about these two shows that tend to get too much fan reception: Boukenger and Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Boukenger starts off as another mold breaker. It's the first Super Sentai with multiple factions battling for the top spot. It's the adventuring theme where the Boukengers collect these items called Precious. Is it really that good a season as I thought it was? Not really, the Boukengers tend to act like they're always drinking. The show isn't all that good especially if you consider some of its predecessors and successors. But I can't deny that I'm a fan of the adventuring theme. So it was mainly written by Sho Aikawa who's pretty much hit or miss. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in for the wacky adventure this show has to offer to the audience. I think it's pretty overrated though because it has better acting and action than Operation Overdrive. From what I heard Operation Overdrive was a huge anniversary flop and I have no intention to watch it.

The other is Kamen Rider Kabuto which featured Shoji Yonemura and a more or less burnt out Toshiki Inoue as part of the team. This may be considered Yonemura's one shot wonder because after that, he just simply fell apart. It's almost like how Power Rangers SPD was a one shot wonder with Bruce Kalish. So far, I think Kabuto's premise is enjoyable with all the references to some sci-fi movies. Tendou though can be quite annoying with his Gary Stu attitude. I still think that it's probably one of the most overrated Kamen Riders ever. I guess this also meant a lot of toy sales.


Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger (2007)

This is where I'm going to get subjective and objective in some way. This was the year of both Gekiranger and Kamen Rider Den-O. Gekiranger felt it was a series that wanted Super Sentai to return to darker and edgier. Kamen Rider Den-O was trying to do more lighter and softer for Kamen Rider. I guess this is where I'm showing some of my views vs. what may be facts.

As said, Gekiranger is trying to redo the days when Super Sentai usually did things a lot more seriously. I feel this show is a hybrid of two major blockbusters namely Dairanger and Gaoranger. A lot of kung fu moves are named after animals so Gekiranger may have gotten the concept better than Dairanger did. But in terms of writing I feel Dairanger was more focused since Gekiranger belongs to the post-Timeranger era where multi-gattai has been more commonly used. The show featured a lot of creative Wuxia style writing and other ways to give tribute to Hong Kong cinema. The show had a lot of flashy merchandise to make up for ratings lower than Boukenger. I personally prefer this show over Boukenger. Like Maskman, the show seemed like it didn't do that well during its airing but it may have created a following in some way. This may have helped older audiences get in touch with their Toku spirits.

Kamen Rider Den-O is another popular season. I guess children do love time travel. I don't know if it's safe to say that Den-O succeeded where Changerion failed since I haven't seen the other show. This show though tends to get really confusing and it's taking time travel to a whole new level. The show may have clicked with both younger and older audiences. There's some cool toys for the children. There may have been some complex plots for older audiences. On the other hand, the overuse of time travel is a weakness in this show for me. I guess you better watch Timeranger instead. Then again, it's all about preference isn't it?


Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (2009)

This year was well... pretty mixed. It was the 10th entry of the Heisei Kamen Rider so that's a milestone. Kamen Rider Decade kicked in but it really is a messy show though the concept was fixed with Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Decade only lasted for freaking 31 episodes making it the shortest Kamen Rider in the Heisei era. But this year also featured some resurgence that aside from Shinkenger you also have Kamen Rider W to make up for Decade's lack of performance.

Shinkenger is pretty much what I call as something that came in for too long. I even wonder what took so long to make a samurai themed Super Sentai? But there we have it and it may not be what I wanted but it was enjoyable in its own way. There were a lot of funny moments without becoming a slapstick. In short, it's a pretty well-balanced show with the right amount of comic humor and seriousness in contrast to its predecessor Go-onger. On the other hand, it's pretty much an overrated series because of the likable cast. Again, I always felt like Takeru Shiba himself is so overrated. Mako and Kotoha are probably also that overrated. The cast may be the most overrated cast ever. Plus. they're the first Super Sentai series to officially have a Super Sentai/Kamen Rider crossover. Even with its popularity but I don't want to call it as Yasuko Kobayashi's magnum opus with Super Sentai. I still suggest people should watch Gingaman and Timeranger. Meanwhile, you may just ignore Power Rangers Samurai altogether.

It was also the year of Kamen Rider's escape from what could have been the dork age. Kamen Rider Decade could have been a good anniversary season but I guess the producers had no idea on what to do it just yet. Instead of making a blockbuster the show just fell apart and only had 31 episodes left with a cliffhanger. It ended up as what I love to call it as Saban's Masked Rider repackaged with better aesthetics and a better crossover with a sister show but the writing is so terrible. You had to watch the movie which came months later just to see how it ended. Fortunately, we had Kamen Rider W in the same said year. W was a pretty good series for Kamen Rider and it had its intended run. The downside of the Decade disaster was that Kamen Rider would have be shown from October to October instead of the intended January/February to January/February run. But still, I'm glad that W managed to give a good recovery from what Decade had given.


Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger (2011)

This was the year when we've had Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider Fourze and the biggest crossover over with Gokaiger. I felt this year was pretty much another champion year though some may disagree. But I'm a fan of OOO and Fourze myself. Even if I don't consider myself a huge Gokaiger fan (maybe I'm just avoiding bandwagoners) but I still think the show succeeded in creating a mega-crossover series that both younger and older audiences could enjoy.

Gokaiger is one ambitious Super Sentai series and it succeeded where Kamen Rider Decade failed. Okay, Toei may have not been able to bring a lot or cram in everything in one season but it's still the best anniversary execution Toei has offered for its fans. You have Super Sentai alumni showing up teaching the Gokaigers and granting them the Greater Power per Super Sentai season. You have the Gokaigers using the powers of the previous Super Sentai. You have a massive crossover mayhem that you can't deny is not easy to repeat. It easily made up for the so-so Goseiger which didn't do as well or was just under Shinkenger's shadow. While I personally prefer Shinkenger over Gokaiger but the latter does have a lot of hype with now it gathered everyone. It's just so good that it couldn't be a finale. But it may be a finale for one era. After Gokaiger, Super Sentai entered into a franchise fatigue and Zyuohger just hit a new level of low. I guess after everyone had a lot of juicy steaks made from premium beef we end up having lesser quality beef. I guess there's more than meets the eye to why Super Sentai is hitting low right now.

Kamen Rider OOO and Kamen Rider Fourze may have also been pretty popular. I personally prefer OOO over Den-O. Kamen Rider Fourze was also a series that managed to at least help lighten things up by next year with the incoming Go-Busters. Both shows had some cool gimmicks for toy sales. While OOO and Fourze aren't typical to the more serious theme Kamen Rider had for some time but the writing styles are pretty innovative. I even dare say that Fourze had given a dirty finger to the awful sitcom known as Saban's Mashed Rider. As much as Kamen Rider got more kiddie ever since Kamen Rider Kiva but I still have to say that as long as the writing and action is good then I'm fine with it. As of late, I feel Kamen Rider is still doing good even if I'm somewhat stuck on the bigger classics like Kuuga and Agito. But again, I'd watch OOO and Fourze over Kamen Rider Hibiki.

Closing words

So this may just be a partial, incomplete list of the years when Toei gave its audience better servings than usual and/or it big time jackpots with toy sales. This list may still be subject to correction. While Super Sentai has had stayed afloat by constant innovation but one must remember that there are also times a franchise meets its fatigue. Right now, Super Sentai has entered the fatigue zone and it may take longer before it fully recovers unlike before. My choices were based on where Toei may have actually done something much better than usual.

So there!