My Speculative View Of Tokusatsu's Wonderful Mixture Of Old School And New School Techniques

It can't be denied that even when it's 2017 some old school methods are still used along with new school methods. You can tell that while filming methods and equipment have been replaced by new school equipment (ex. remote controlled electric fans, better fog producing machines, higher pixel for cameras, better CGI is now available) but there's still a bit of old school methods going on. Take note that this isn't only applicable to Toei but also other studios that produce Tokusatsu or similar shows. Also, this is just a glimpse. If you want to learn more, get a real expert in filming techniques to explain the rest. I'm just sharing my thoughts in this post.

The wonderful combination of CGI and real life action scenes


There were some super risky stunts that were done before the dawn of better CGI special effects. One of my favorite examples is the use of the Flame Sword in Super Sentai. I thought of what could have happened while the stuntman Kazuo Niibori did this stunt in Bioman. I wish that the Flame Sword had more screen time but it would be too dangerous to do so. Later flaming sword scenes would use a combination of real flames and CGI flames. A good example would be how Kakuranger carried out its flame sword stunt in episode 20. Shinkenger though didn't use any real flames considering that they wanted more screen time for the flaming sword. I think they could have had a real flame sword start-up for stock footage while using the impressive CGI flames for the rest of the scene. Still, I can't deny that I'd still go for CGI flames since I want to see the flaming sword have more screen time. This just leaves me the question why didn't Bioman use a combination of CGI and real flames back then when they were using CGI for certain scenes like the Biomen's other sword techniques used CGI?


CGI is used when you have impossible to film scenes such as the transformation sequences of the heroes from civilian form to rangers, humans transforming into something else, the mecha combination sequence (though I think stop motion may also be involved in some scenes during the past), the fancy fighting techniques and finishing moves because they can't be done in real life. A good example would be how Ryu Voyager appeared. It's obviously the use of CGI. The use of CGI has evolved overtime. As much as I like the plot of most old school Super Sentai but I don't deny how the CGI of the 80s are pretty limited compared to what is available today. The use of CGI for impossible to do scenes are still evolving and learning from mistakes that come along the way in how to do them better.


My wild guess is that a lot of these explosions are set are pretty real while they do get edited or there could be some special filming techniques make the explosions appear closer than it looks. The distance may be farther than we think yet it looks like the explosion is just behind the back of the cast in spandex. Hmmm care to get an explanation from Michael Bay anyone? I guess some the exploding cities are actually the miniature cities destroyed while CGI is used to exaggerate the explosions.

What appears gigantic on screen is actually much smaller in real life 

Super Sentai mecha and enemy mecha have a combination of digital technology and the use of model figures. What looks gigantic on-screen are usually model figures for the mecha or enemy fortresses or just a man in a suit. If I'm not wrong mecha combinations are usually a series of stop motion and the obvious use of CGI. The giant monster battles use a combination of miniature cities and CGI. These methods seem not to disappear but only advanced with newer and better techniques to carry things out. It's like it's already 2017 but you're enjoying a lot of old school music played with top of the class quality on i-Tunes or Spotify.


IMO I feel it's all about the spirit of Super Sentai that you can't really do away with the suit actors doing the giant robots and giant monster fight scenes. Sure you have those impressive use of CGI special effects to combine the mecha (while there may also be the use of stop-motion figures in-between) but you can't deny how it's nice to see two actual people do the fight scenes while using both a miniature and/or CGI city for the fight scenes. A lot of self-made footage are still spliced here and there while fight scenes are still filmed by stuntmen. I just feel that the classic use of suit actors to film the giant battle scenes has been improvised throughout the years with better techniques to make it look like a giant robot battle happened in the middle of the city but it was just some miniature cities and CGI settings.

Here's a rare behind the scenes footage of Dynaman. Although I wish videos like this showed what happened behind the scenes with newer Super Sentai but I think this method was just improvised throughout the years. This is a scene of the Grand Gizmo from Dynaman. We get to see a lot of DUNDUNDUN here comes the gigantic machine that's squashing the city. But when we go to the studio it was just a miniature model that was used. I think a lot of stuff in new school Super Sentai still use some improvised new school miniature models like the Orion in this year's Kyuranger. All these get spliced into some wonderful CGI. Maybe this method won't disappear from Tokusatsu anytime soon but it will continue to get the benefits of new school technology.

Why do some old school methods still exist while using newer technology to do so?

From a blog called English for Communication, here's something that I find would explain why old school methods are combined with new school methods:

The first and most obvious reason is the cost. In hindsight, practical effects and practical stunts are cheaper and less time consuming. Once you shot it, you can threw the scene into the editing room, threw in necessary CGI and Sound Effect and that's it! Jobs done for that scene. You don't need the artist to put CGI in every scene, because many of their work was done on the set already. The other reason is to keep the art alive, they could easily do it all CGI with some capital. If you compare the Zyuranger's Daizyuzin fight to the Megazord fight Scene from latest Power Rangers movie, Power Rangers was apapted from Zyuranger, you can see the difference clear as day. Power Rangers movie used CGI for Megazord but Zyuranger used real actors in a robot and monster costume and had a bout on a miniature city scene. It looks fake but there is a charm to this type of the style, considering that Star Wars Episode VII switched to Practical effect based shooting from CGI-loaded Star Wars Episode I-III. Also tokusatsus are made to sell toys to the child audiences, if they see that the actors and the fights are real, most kids will eat their toys up in no time.

In the end, I want to think that this is really what you'd call an amazing blend of old school and new school methods. This would be like you can't live in the past but you can't forget its lessons either. It's all about finding a middle road whenever it's possible. Somehow old school methods aren't so old school if you think about it. It's like having a clay oven in your house but it was produced using modern technology. You're still using some form of stone grinder this 2017 but it was produced using modern technology. You're still listening to a lot of golden oldies but you're listening to them on modern equipment. Mailing confidential documents placed inside envelopes is still on practice while they're delivered around using modern technology. On the other hand some stuff like VHS tapes, cassette tapes and typewriters are now obsolete. Even when they're obsolete yet we learn the principles like proper finger position for typing while we take advantage of the opportunity to edit before printing so less paper will be wasted.

It's all about preserving the lessons of the past while embracing change for the future isn't it?

Kyuranger Space 11: Unlucky Lucky!!!!!!

We're about to see a different of Lucky now. Something tells me that his idiocy has been a result of something horrible in the past. So what's happening right now? 

Lucky isn't so Lucky after all. First, he loses the sweepstakes he entered before the series began. So he gets into the battle and something bad happens. Ikagen reveals that Madoka could regenerate (It'd be a waste to kill such a badass character too early). Lucky not only gets destroyed by them but they also get the Puppis Kyu Globe. I find this chapter to be pretty interesting as Lucky starts to develop here.

Another interesting relation is between Kotaro and Stinger. Kotaro has much to learn on what it means to be a Kyuranger. Stinger is very cold and Kotaro doesn't know what it means to be a Kyuranger. I love how Stinger shares his story with Kotaro. Stinger's brother Scorpio got corrupted by the newfound power. What I want to see right ow is Stinger getting into a dilemma and maybe we'll get more details of the mysterious Darth Sidious ahem Don Armage.

The new combination Ryutei-Oh is pretty cool. I just hope that Commander Shou Ronpou wouldn't get involved too much in the field battle. Then again, that's a pretty cool combination. I hope Shou Ronpou would teach everyone not to really too much on him.

The end of the series presents us a flashback of a younger Lucky. So what really happened in the past? Looks like we'll get an interesting glimpse of Lucky's childhood in the next episode. He does look like he's lost everything dear to him. Maybe all that trauma made him into an idiot. I hope the writers are coming up with something really good to explain Lucky's circumstances. Some people do act stupid to hide whatever trauma they have. I've met some people who can act happy go lucky because they have a dark past to hide.

I can't wait to see Lucky do a Sentai Badass Moment for next week's episode. He's trying to regain his luck even when he's lost it. I hope it helps mature him as a character when he realizes that he must fight with or without his luck.

My Thoughts On Dynaman In 36 Episodes

It's been some time since I haven't really done any update on Michael Bay Kagaku Sentai Dynaman. Millionfold Curiosity has released Dynaman episodes 20-36. I thought I'd do an update post on Dynaman after I saw 20 episodes but instead, it ends up with me writing on an update after I saw 36 episodes. Just a reminder: I won't be doing old school episode reviews since I'll be doing a marathon in sharp contrast to the weekly episode reviews based on Super Sentai's episode of the week. So just be ready for random Dynaman related posts instead of episode reviews.

What do I think of Dynaman after 36 episodes? I still can't help but joke that it's Michael Bay's production even if it isn't. The reason would be the huge explosions and maybe the clunky looking mecha. I could talk about a couple of stuff that I really find enjoyable about this series. While I didn't really find Battle Fever J and Sun Vulcan to be all that entertaining but I think Hirohisa Soda really knew how to take Super Sentai to the next level during the 80s starting with Goggle V. After watching more episodes it might be safe to say I have no intention of rewatching the Dynaman Parody Dub.


If I'm to pick my favorite character from the show it's actually Hokuto Dan or Dyna Red. I guess it's all about his rivalry with Prince Megiddo that makes him fun to watch. I can't forget that episode he gets stuck in that dilemma in a motor race or just about any dilemma he manages to solve. The episode where he's stuck with Evolved Mammoth is also another Sentai Badass Moment. I wanted to pick Yousuke Shima or Dyna Blue as my favorite but Hokuto appeals to me more. It's also fun to see the rest of the team do their stuff.


The Evilution Empire really has a lot of its whack jobs in their quest to dominate humankind. It's fun to see the petty rivalry between Prince Megiddo and his witch bitch cousin Princess Chimera. Both Megiddo and Chimera would sometimes put their differences aside in order to defeat a common foe. The rise of the Mecha Evolution Beasts arc was also fun to watch as the Dynamen seek to defeat the monsters together with a new fighting technique.

So it's episode 36 and episode 37-38 would soon feature the arrival of the legendary bitch witch General Zenobia. I've read that she wanted to assassinate Emperor Aton so she could become the wicked empress herself. I already know some of the plots like Megiddo's getting disowned by his own father and returning under the alias of Dark Knight. I can't wait to actually see more of what I've already known and understand what really happened. It would be fun for me to finally understand events like how Prince Megiddo escaped and became the Dark Knight, how General Karr got framed up, or how in the world did Zenobia die after she got the tenth tail?

Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for more subs of Changeman and Flashman from Grown Ups In Spandex, Timeranger from Over-Time before the official DVD release comes out (we're in the Naoto Takizawa introduction arc now), more Janperson subs from Megabeast Empire and hopefully I'll be able to see Exceedraft from Sailor Otaku.

Kyuranger Space 10: It's Literally One Hot Episode

All images here taken from Nihon Hero

As summer hits the tropical regions and as for Japan, Spring will hit Japan on March 20 this Wednesday and ends June 21, 2017. But for the tropics, summer comes and I admit it's really that hot. And this episode has the problem where the Orion would land into the sun anytime. 

This episode features another kid ranger in many years. We had one from Dairanger (Kou) and another from Ohranger (Riki). I feel like the kid ranger here feels like the idea was thrown in at random but we already met Kotaro Sakuma during the past few episodes. This is where he debuts to become a ranger. 

I always feel Lucky's well just too carefree in this episode. How could he spend time eating when the others are about to crash into the sun? The ghost of Commander Bear can't move on to the next life and recalls the impulsiveness of Shou Ronpou. In spite of Lucky being dumb but he does manage to get out of the pickle. Lucky shows some impressive out-of-suit fighting and we see Kotaro become a Kyuranger. So I wonder will Toei tell us why the show's called Kyuranger BUT we're having more than nine rangers now? 

I won't expect much from Kotaro's new form as Kogama Skyblue appears. He's still a child after all and he's got much to learn. They defeat the Malistrate Mozuma which saves the others in time. It's a close call but I think Lucky needs to mature as a character.

Next week might be a good time to make Lucky mature from his happy-go-lucky state. This episode made me think that he really needs some working out because he's already gone too far with his being happy go lucky. I hope Lucky will improve after next week's episode.

Sentai DVD Rambling Part 6: What I Think Of Carranger And Megaranger DVD Releases During Power Rangers Turbo's And Megaranger's 20th Anniversary

What I missed or didn't miss is that the Carranger DVD release and the upcoming Megaranger DVD release happen in the year 2017. In short, both DVDs are released during the 20th anniversary of both Power Rangers Turbo and Megaranger. Both shows were also under the production of Shigenori Takatera who was also the man behind Gingaman, Kamen Rider Kuuga, the first half of Hibiki and Daimajin Kanon. 

Gekisou Sentai Carranger

I remembered some rants I made about Carranger. My first Carranger rant was that I thought Toei and Shout should have considered a Turboranger DVD release. It was because Turboranger may have something Mighty Morphin' fans can relate to. But it seems that Toei's decision might be led by this that they released Zyuranger because it was what Mighty Morphin' was based from. Then you have Dairanger, Kakuranger, Ohranger and now Carranger. Carranger didn't really raise the ratings back to normal and that it was really Megaranger that did. Carranger only had good toy sales but not a rating much higher than Ohranger. Both Ohranger and Megaranger had lower ratings but had a lot of toys to offer unlike the Fiveman meltdown where Jetman saved Super Sentai. 

My other rant is that why I actually prefer Carranger over Power Rangers Turbo. Speaking of Power Rangers Turbo I still can't forget that awful movie it had before the series came to the TV screens. I really hated that movie and I still do. The TV series isn't any better for me. I guess Carranger must have picked up more fans AFTER its airing than during its airing huh? It's a fun comedic series and I actually like how the silly the show is. Although I tend to say that I prefer Super Sentai over Power Rangers for being more serious (which isn't always the case) but I also prefer the humor of Super Sentai over Power Rangers. Note that a more serious Super Sentai series doesn't always translate into a better series. 

So what do I think that Carranger is getting released on Turbo's 20th anniversary? Maybe it's unintentional but it should show the show where Power Rangers Turbo came from. It might be the time to see a show that wasn't so well-received in the past but may have ended up picking up fans in the recent years.

Denji Sentai Megaranger

I did rant about my wishful alternate DVD releases from Shout Factory. My wishful thoughts were to release Turboranger instead of Carranger, Changeman instead of Megaranger (because of Power Rangers in Space) and Flashman instead of Gingaman (because of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy). It might sound cool in my paper but it may not work in the long run. Then I gave Megaranger a second thought that it may be the Mega-Legendary Super Sentai DVD release that's going to make up for the horrible Powerless Rangers Megafail. If there's any true Mega series it's Megaranger.

I believe that Megaranger will be truly a Mega release for these reasons. It's time to reclaim the name Mega from Megafail. It's annoying how you had Megafail Rangers and now it's time for the true Megarangers to step in. Also, I think it's a huge tribute to the time Hirohisa Soda was a head writer for Super Sentai. I actually wish to see another video game themed Super Sentai series. The series was also the major debut of important writers like Junki Takegami, Yasuko Kobayashi and Naruhisa Arakawa who served as the show's major writers.

So what do I think of having the Megaranger DVD release on its 20th anniversary? As said, it may have not been intended. Zyuranger and Dairanger got released on 2015 and that would make them the show's 23rd and 22nd anniversaries respectively. Kakuranger got released on 2016 which would be the show's 21st anniversary. Strangely, Ohranger got released on Zeo's 20th anniversary and Carranger got released on Turbo's 20th anniversary. By the time Shout Factory release Gingaman (maybe by 2018) it would be Lost Galaxy's 20th anniversary. I guess it's just a coincidence that Megaranger gets a DVD release on its 20th anniversary.

Five Reasons Why I Find Hurricanger Better Than Ninja Storm

I saw Ninja Storm prior to Hurricanger. After watching Hurricanger I couldn't take a look at Ninja Storm the same way again. I just don't feel like rewatching Ninja Storm compared to Hurricanger. Now it's time for me to write my five personal but not shallow reasons to why I prefer Hurricanger over Ninja Storm. Take note though that I still like Liveman over Hurricanger which I'm still figuring out five reasons to defend that stand but it feels like apples and oranges. =P


I find the main cast of Hurricanger being able to do their job better than Ninja Storm's main cast in the area of acting

The main cast of Ninja Storm get the job done in the acting department. I think the people in Hurricanger are more convincing to what they're intended to portray than the cast of Ninja Storm. Nao Nagasawa's not better than Sally Martin because she's hotter but because she really knows how to act. Sally could still act, I'd still hire her to play a role in my show if I were a director because she gets the job done but I think Nao stands out better. I can't forget how Nao managed to convince me her guest role in Kamen Rider W is an airhead while she's one badass teacher in Kamen Rider Fourze. Shun Shioya really convinces me that Yousuke is an idiot red ranger. I still feel they're all worth hiring but I think the Hurricanger cast did a better job.


No Hannah Montana type acting involved for Hurricanger

I remembered why I didn't bother to rewatch Ninja Storm even before I saw Hurricanger can be summed up into two characters: MARA AND KAPRI. Both Mara and Kapri tend to act like Hannah Montana while Wendinu and Furaibijou are more genuine threats to the Hurricangers. Villains are meant to be hated but it's supposed to be that you love to hate them because they know how to make the lives of the heroes miserable. Unfortunately, I hate Mara and Kapri because of their Hannah Montana like behavior. 

Better out of suit fight scenes

Okay, I admit I don't like the turn Super Sentai has had in toning down its action scenes during the post-Timeranger era. But I would admit that Hurricanger actually does better action scenes. It's not that Ninja Storm's original action scenes are horrible. You want a fight scene? Ninja Storm still gives it and delivers it but Hurricanger has better choreography with its out of suit fight scenes.


Better plot development and introduction of characters

Hurricanger's 51 episode count in contrast to Ninja Storm's 38 episode count gives a difference in character development. As I love to say it Power Rangers feels super-rushed with its 32-40 episode count. Hurricanger manages to divide the plot into several episodes whenever it's necessary to give enough backstory and development for every character. Ninja Storm just rushes a lot of these plots and it doesn't give me a good story. The Gouraiger arc was better paced than the Thunder Rangers episodes. I thought it was interesting to have the Thunder Rangers deceived by Lothor but the pacing was too fast.


Better sense of humor

Okay this is where people might say I like blatant silliness but here's an issue. I could go back to Mara and Kapri again vs. Wendinu and Furaibijou. Putting them aside I could use Shurikenger is a good combination of comic relief and badass. IMO, this is probably I think Super Sentai's humor is funnier than Power Rangers' humor.

Closing notes


Also, I thought about this one that I was pretty much hesitant to write this post because of my extreme favoritism for Nanami over Tori. Poor Tori! I tend to ignore that she's not a useless character and I tend to kick her down A LOT for shallow and pitiful reasons. On the other hand, I would say that Nanami is the better fighter of the two. But still, both girls get the job done one way or another.

As much as I like Hurricanger but I prefer Liveman over it (I may come out with better reasons now that I've seen both shows from start to end). Also, I've just recently presented why I prefer Kyoryuger over Battle Fever J but don't expect me to write about why I prefer Kyoryuger over Dino Charge (neither season appeals to me and I'd only pick Kyoryuger for the dumb reason that it's Super Sentai and I don't like Power Rangers) or some other Super Sentai/Power Rangers comparisons.

Space 9: The Kyurangers Summon Shen Long?!

No it's not Shen Long from Dragon Ball but I decided to make a reference. In the last episode, we learn that Commander Shou Ronpou could henshin. In this episode we learn a more about him. So what's the big deal with this guy? 

So I was wrong. I thought that the person in the preview was his father but instead, it was the former Supreme Commander Big Bear. We learn what a younger, more immature Shou Ronpou was before he led the rebellion. He was the first soldier of the rebellion and he was using an incomplete system. The clash between him and the two assassins Madoka and Ikagen goes all the way back. So how old are those assassins anyway? Big Bear apparently self-destructed to save Shou Ronpou who currently leads the Kyurangers. 

I love how Lucky develops in some way or how we see Shou Lonpou confess why he's very strict about insurbordinations. Shou Lonpou confesses that it's because his act of insubordination led to the demise of his mentor Big Bear. But this also has Lucky's character development. I admit, Lucky is an idiot but idiot red rangers aren't always the worse. Most of the idiot red rangers manage to develop and mature. Hopefully, we'll see Lucky develop and mature into a much better person.

I can't help but sing the Dragon Ball theme songs with this scene. After Lucky convinces Shou Ronpou that they are now one team, the Kyulette Globes glow summoning the Ryu Voyager as a result. We get what could be an intentional Dragon Ball reference with Shen Long. The Ryu Voyager asks for Shou Lonpou's wish which he wishes to fight for the Universe.

In turn, the incomplete suit becomes more complete.  The Kyurangers' mentor shows off his new complete suit. 

He also duels both Ikagen and Madoka. Madoka is supposedly killed but Ikagen escapes with her tentacle. I don't think it'll be the last we'll see of Madoka. I hope she'll return because ti's a disappointment to kill such a lethal assassin.  

In turn, we see Ryu Voyager in action. How this mecha will work with the other mecha still remains to be seen. It's been some time since had a Chinese dragon type of mecha. The first one was introduced during Dairanger with both Ryuseioh and Daijinryu. The "odd" thing about this mecha is that the dragon holds on to the Kyu Orb where Ryu Commander is piloting it from. Strange technology we have there!

So there's an end joke to call themselves Zyuranger. Okay that's Juranger and this ju means ten. But I guess it's because it's Zyuranger's 25th anniversary (I might write a post on my favorite episodes on it soon or not). Instead, everyone stuck through the name Kyuranger.

Next week is one literally hot episode. Kotaro Sakuma might be more than just an ordinary child. So how will the Lucky and Kotaro manage to save the Orion from colliding to the sun? I can't wait for next week's episode to see how they'll get out of this dilemma.

Is There A Huge Multiverse For Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Metal Hero And Ishinomori's Tokusatsu Heroes?

So here it's my massive Wild Mass Guess on Toei's Multiverse which I thought I'd never get together!

After I wrote on the Super Sentai timeline and the use of self-contained continuities, I wanted to revisit something that I always threw out of my mind and returned back again for more than one occasion ever since I saw how Super Sentai VS Movies tend to contradict events from the two shows involved. The way that the guest roles of Lucky and Emu happen in both Kyuranger and EX-AID can't be connected. Lucky appears in EX-AID and Hojo has no memory of him even after they introduced each other in Kyuranger. WTF. So I got motivated to write this long speculative post with a trip back in time. So sit back and try to read it, comprehend it and see what could be going on in my imagination.

The Ishinomori-verse anyone?

Let's take a moment to respect the late but great Shotaro Ishinomori who's the man behind the Showa era Kamen Riders and the first two Super Sentai series. He's also responsible for various Anime series like Cyborg 009 and other Toku series like Kikaider (an inspiration for Metalder) Zubat, Inazuman Akumaizer 3 and Ecchan which I haven't seen any of them yet. This was all before the start of a more familiar era for Super Sentai. Goranger was so popular it lasted up to 84 episodes while JAKQ only lasted 35 episodes.

I wonder how many younger Super Sentai fans ever bothered to watch the JAKQ vs. Goranger crossover? I did and I don't know if I even want to attempt to watch both series from start to end. I've seen a few episodes of Goranger and JAKQ and I don't find myself all that able to relate to them. At the end of the movie it's mentioned that V3, Amazon and Kikaider were also mentioned fighting evil across the world. The movie suggests that both Goranger and JAKQ are part of the whole Ishinomori-verse' list of superheroes.


Kamen Rider still continued after Goranger and JAKQ ended. The series was not without its bumps. Kamen Rider Stronger was supposed to wrap up the Kamen Rider series but more Kamen Rider series appeared. Kamen Rider Skyrider came two years after Kamen Rider Stronger. Both Skyrider and Kamen Rider Super-1 followed each other shortly. But there was a hiatus between Kamen Rider Super-1 and Kamen Rider Black for six years. But none of them ever had a crossover with the Super Sentai or Metal Hero of that era as far as TV specials are concerned. 

From what I heard Kamen Rider Black was supposed to be its own continuity. The popularity of the show made the sequel Black RX. I personally like both series but I like Black's storytelling more. Both series had a lot of innovative ideas that built foundations for the Heisei era like multiple form Kamen Riders, the allies getting involved, evil Kamen Riders and it wrapped up the Showa era. 

The post-Ishinomori era for Super Sentai before Hirohisa Soda

Super Sentai didn't return until 1979 with Battle Fever J and the term "Super" was added into Super Sentai. Battle Fever J was pretty much the first Super Sentai to have "Super" in it until Goranger and JAKQ were retroactively included in the 90s as mentioned in the Timeranger clip show. The show introduced the first giant robot and since then the mecha have tried various treatments on how to make a better show. It was also this time Toei had some help from Marvel. Funny how Marvel once worked with Toei then with Saban and now it's freaking owned by Disney.

Battle Fever J started a new trend and we have Denziman and Sun Vulcan. Although no crossover movie was made but they were more or less direct sequels. Sun Vulcan brought back the Denziman villain Queen Hedrian as a servant of Black Magma. References to Denziman were made in Sun Vulcan. One can't deny the connection between the two series even if it was loosely established.

The Metal Hero series' fragmented continuities from 1984-1997

There's always some kind of on/off continuity with Metal Hero. It's established that Gavan, Sharivan and Shaider are indeed sequels to each other. Gavan ended with Sharivan taking over the former's position. Shaider made references to the first two series though the connection isn't as strong as it should be. But it can't be denied that all three Space Sheriffs belong to one continuity. After Shaider, it's assumed that a new continuity took place.

Another list of series were released namely Juspion, Spielban, Metalder, Jiraiya and Jiban. Juspion and Spielban were pretty much their own shows which bore resemblance to the Space Sheriff Trilogy. Metalder was pretty much its own show which is most likely inspired by Kikaider. Jiraiya and Jiban were somewhat connected as Jiraiya's little brother showed up in the latter's 31st episode. 

The rescue police series was born and they are Winspector, Solbrain and Exceedraft. They introduced a new concept of Tokusatsu that didn't battle monsters of the week but instead chose to arrest human criminals while dealing with sci-fi only situations. They also took the mold. For a 90s series the setting was way ahead of its time. Winspector happens in 1999 and Solbrain takes place in 2001 even if the shows aired in 1990 and 1991. Talk about a huge time jump! Then we had Exceedraft which had looser ties to Solbrain. What I find funny is that later Exceedraft had Commander Masaki appear in the finale arc. Exceedraft was also the last of the rescue police series.


Janperson and Blue SWAT came out which I assume were originally meant to happen in their own continuity. Janperson was pretty much its own continuity (at first) and so was Blue SWAT. Janperson didn't get any direct links to Winspector, Solbrain and Exceedraft. I haven't seen Blue SWAT yet so I can't talk much about it. What I thought was either cool (or not) was when the series got connected to B-Fighter's finale against a horribly mutated Jagul. I would have preferred Janperson to be linked to the Rescue Police Trilogy than B-Fighter. 

B-Fighter then came out and created its direct sequel B-Fighter Kabuto (with a new main cast) and Kabutack. So if we think about it continuity-wise, Janperson and Blue SWAT belong to the B-Fighter continuity while Winspector, Solbrain and Exceedraft are one continuity. Maybe one could view Juspion, Spielban, Metalder, Jiraiya and Jiban having their own continuity. I did think why didn't the producers decide to link Janperson to Jiban since both heroes were both inspired by their American "parent" Robocop though both have a different modus operandi? IMO, Janperson should have been tied with the Rescue Police series if it wasn't really meant to be a standalone. Otherwise, I prefer to view it as a standalone series. 

The Takeyuki Suzuki Multiverse for Super Sentai

The thought that Takeyuki Suzuki appeared in the Power Rangers movie premiere brought him back to my head. So he's been the longest running producer and the writers under him are Hirohisa Soda (Goggle V up to Fiveman), Toshiki Inoue (Jetman but he also wrote a lot of episodes for other shows as a major contributor) and the late Noboru Sugimura (Zyuranger up to Ohranger, he was also a writer of the Metal Hero franchise) got involved.

The way Soda's series were written ended up pretty much independent of each other and several events would contradict each other. No direct reference is ever made. You didn't need to watch all of his works sequentially. Each series ends up more or less its own continuity. Events like the Bio Robo's awakening and the Earth Force's activation will contradict themselves if they happened in the continuity. Those events were only meant to happen if the Earth has an event that the current military can't handle. So why didn't these events happen during their time? I could also bring up another example like why didn't the Tube Empire from Maskman mention anything about the Jashinka from Dynaman? All these series couldn't fit themselves into one timeline. 

After Soda's burnout and Fiveman's really bad receptiond uring its time we had the Jetman series. It takes place in the year 199X. What year did it take place? I could safely guess 1991 which was the year Jetman aired. The epilogue happens three years later. Jetman would have a crossover with Fiveman, Zyuranger, Dairanger and Kakuranger in the short movie "Super Sentai World" which is logically impossible. This will be discussed in the next paragraph which will talk about the late Sugimura's era.

If you're thinking of connecting Zyuranger up to Ohranger as sequel to each other then don't. It's not the Zordon era of Power Rangers which was from MMPR up to PR in Space. Each one of them are pretty independent from each other. The Sugimura era in Super Sentai usually try to operate differently. Don't think of seeing Griforther teaming up with Prince Junior or don't expect Bandora to be the daughter of Daimaou because the settings make it impossible. Also, the events of Ohranger vs. Kakuranger are just plain impossible. Ohblocker shows up but Baccushund is still alive and Buldont is still a child. It became the return of the yearly VS. Movies and the trend has continued ever since. A lot of Super Sentai VS. Movies don't agree with the time and setting of the series that has a crossover with each other. 

Post Suzuki-era up to the year 1999

After Ohranger, it was the moment Shigenori Takatera becomes a producer for Super Sentai shows. Ohranger ended in 1995 and it was time for 1996 to 1999. It was the year when both Ohranger and Carranger had lower ratings but high toy sales to back them up. Megaranger became the Super Sentai series to normalize ratings in the late 90s. Other series to follow are Gingaman and GoGoFive.

Ever since Ohranger vs. Kakuranger happened we've had the yearly crossover. Ohranger has a crazy crossover with Carranger. Megaranger has two mega-crossovers with Carranger and Gingaman. The events of Megaranger vs. Carranger apparently can't fit into the continuity of either which. Gingaman vs. Megaranger may or may not fit well as it as both teams take place after both series ended. But trying to reconcile these series can be as impossible as most of the Dragon Ball Z movies. If I'm not wrong Akira Toriyama says that the Dragon Ball Z movies usually happen in a different continuity so they might as well be considered as a series of what-ifs.

Logic dictates that Winspector, Ohranger and GoGoFive can't take place in the same continuity

If you do try to pay attention Winspector, Ohranger and GoGoFive take place in the year 1999. 1999 was the year of the Grand Cross which became part of GoGoFive's plot. Winspector's opening narration made it happen in 1999. Ohranger's first episode is called "Invasion! 1999!" which may or may not have been retconned during the Timeranger clip show. There seems to be no official word that Toei had changed Ohranger's setting to happen in 1995 instead of 1999.

Why the events can't happen together since if Baranoia and the Saima were in one universe then there should be clashes. Japan would have probably sank to the bottom of the ocean or two why didn't Baranoia and Saima fight each other for the right to take over the world? Also, wouldn't it mean that the Winspector squad would be biting off more than they can chew? Ryoma would probably die in doing rescue missions and he's dealing with Baranoia and Saima. The Fire suit in Winspector and neither Bikel nor Walter are designed to fight off the evil forces plaguing the Super Sentai heroes. Also, why wasn't Winspector involved in supporting GoGoFive? I don't see any reason why Captain Masaki wouldn't lend a helping hand when Grandienne turns into the negative energy of the Universe.

Also, it wouldn't make sense to force the Rescue Police Trilogy into Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. Solbrain takes place in the year 2001 so why weren't they even involved during the Lords crisis in Kamen Rider Agito or meeting the Orgs? It's not only because Solbrain takes place in the year 2001 but also because they aren't in the same continuity. But they end up in the same continuity whenever it's a Super Hero Taisen movie.

What the start of a new millennium may have brought to Super Sentai and Kamen Rider


Timeranger would be the first millennial series but it felt more like a 90s series with all its violence and serious nature. I would consider this series the Magnum Opus of Yasuko Kobayashi. As much as I like Gingaman and Shinkenger but I think Kobayashi did her best during Timeranger. What was also interesting is that after Timeranger ended they had a Super Sentai clip show that honored Goranger up to GoGoFive. They had a crossover with GoGoFive which the clip show acknowledged. But if you think about it the clip show is just a clip show not a regular episode of Timeranger and it was meant as a post-series special. Super Sentai then took a massive remake after Timeranger when it comes to violence and seriousness.


The other would be the return of the Kamen Rider franchise and Naruhisa Arakawa's debut as a head writer. Kamen Rider returned two years after the death of Shotaro Ishinomori. It was an ambitious remodeling of the Kamen Rider franchise. Although elements from the Showa era retained like the obvious Kamen Rider trademarks (bug eyes, rider kicks, monsters) but the franchise rethought everything. Instead of having villains that carried out their half-brained plans for world domination you have a more complex plot. Monsters weren't destroyed at the end of the episode and it wasn't all the time there was a monster of the week. The formula started treating Kamen Rider as a fantasy drama as a radical departure from what Kamen Rider was back then.

The contrast between this year's Kamen Rider and Super Sentai prior to Kamen Rider Decade

Super Sentai has been mostly lighter and softer from Gaoranger up to present. Gone are the days of heavy bleeding, super duper exaggerated fight scenes, brutal deaths and super serious storytelling. A lot of deaths in Super Sentai have been toned down and the violence has been reduced to a certain extent. Kamen Rider still kept the bloody and brutal side with Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Hibiki and Kabuto before toning it down from Den-O up to present. The trend of darker and edgier Kamen Rider series may no longer be as feasible as lighter and softer Kamen Rider series. Yup there was a time when Kamen Rider and Super Sentai were in stark contrast to each other.

Let's first talk about the pre-Decade Heisei era starting with Kamen Rider Agito. It's even said that Kamen Rider Agito is also a direct sequel to Kamen Rider Kuuga. It seems to be that Toei decided to leave the decision to the viewers and I wish it were officially canon rather than just leave it to the viewers. The Showa era had the first two Kamen Riders defeat Shocker only to realize that a new organization known as Destron has surfaced. There's no reason why a new enemy won't surface after a previous enemy has been destroyed. I think the reason why sometimes Toei likes doing standalone shows is so they could make a new villain from scratch rather than rely on past series.

So what happened? Almost all the series felt like they didn't have to rely on each other. You didn't even need to watch every last Heisei Rider in sequence to understand the latest Rider. I didn't need to watch everything in sequence to understand Kamen Rider EX-AID. I didn't need to watch Kamen Rider Ryuki to understand Kamen Rider Gaim. Then we probably have a thin line or dimensional barrier that got broken.


So there's a thin dimensional barrier between Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Metal Hero that Decade ended up breaking last 2009?

Yes it's time to blame Kamen Rider Decade anyone? Okay, everyone knows how much I really don't like Decade and I love to say that it's better than Saban's Mashed Rider because it's not a cheap production but the writing is so bad 90% of the time. Yup, I always want to think about what I call as the Decade Meltdown. The plot of Decade involved nine Alternate Reality Rider worlds which may suggest that Toei operates using a Multiverse yet we also have a VS. Universe. Maybe Decade's meddling caused a lot of events in the VS. Universe to contradict the continuity of both shows. Maybe it's Captain Ryuya's fault as far as Timeranger is concerned. Let's try and think about how this wall was broken.


Entering into the World of Shinkenger meant breaking continuity rules. Shinkenger's world is supposedly a world without Kamen Riders. Decade's mere existence in that world is causing the world to Shinkenger to attempt to vomit Decade out of it. It's an anomaly and well wasn't Decade an anomaly in the worlds where he's not supposed to exist? How many continuity barriers are present anyway and are they meant to keep the multiverse in balance? I guess that's why Kaido is a wanted man. By stealing items in different continuities he upsets the balance of Toei's Toku Multiverse.


Ninninger's crossover with Kamen Rider Drive addresses another issue. Unlike Decade who enters into the world of Shinkenger it was the other way around. The Ninningers enter into the world of Drive which causes problems. It's explained that the Ninningers are the anomaly that must be gotten rid off from the World of Kamen Rider Drive. They must get out of that dimension or risk getting deleted as a result. Neither Kamen Rider Gaim's crossover with ToQGer nor the alternate guesting between Zyuohger and Ghost address that issue.


Gokaiger may be a result of Decade breaking that wall?

Take note that crossover movies between two Super Sentai seasons don't happen within the series continuity. It's not like in Power Rangers where the yearly crossover happens within the series which I prefer how Super Sentai does the yearly crossover through movies. But Gokaiger did something that no other Super Sentai did. It created a huge successful voyage across the Super Sentai franchise. Sure I didn't need to watch all Super Sentai to understand the show but it was certainly a nice tribute to the past shows. A lot of Super Sentai old school cast return to reprise their roles. Also, Gokaiger has a crossover with Gavan which also introduces the Go-Busters.


Go-Busters has a crossover with Gokaiger (as a movie) yet the new Gavan appears in the series for two episodes. Has the thin line been broken since 2009 up present? The events of Go-Busters vs. Gokaiger do have some explaining to do. So why do the Gokaiger still have their powers after they returned it during the finale of Gokaigers? So the barrier has been broken not just between Super Sentai continuities but also between the Super Sentai franchise, the Kamen Rider franchise and the Metal Hero franchise. Ninninger's continuity may no longer its own even if the events of the show don't heavily rely on the plots of Kakuranger and Hurricanger. Gokaiger appears in Zyuohger during the 1999th to 2000th episode instead of a crossover movie.


The upcoming Dekaranger vs. Gavan now links Dekaranger to the Space Sheriff universe. Granted, Dekaranger is a series chock full of Metal Hero nostalgia. What's funny is that we have Gokaiger vs. Gavan which is written by Naruhisa Arakawa. Both Gokaiger and Dekaranger have Arakawa as their head writer. The movie will also be written by Arakawa.


Not to mention that we have the ongoing Super Hero Taisen films

The Super Hero Taisen films have been ongoing. So was the first film really not that bad even if I'd like to mock that they were written by Patrick Star? Super Hero Taisen almost had no plot. Super Hero Taisen Z feels like a reboot that happens in its very own continuity. Super Hero Taisen Z gives a more definite plot. The first movie feels like a result of little children fighting over whether or not Super Sentai or Kamen Rider is the superior franchise.

What I noticed is also is that the Super Hero Taisen movies are more of a series of What Ifs. Super Hero Taisen was pretty much what if a civil war happened between Super Sentai and Kamen Rider though I felt like a couple of toddlers (or worse, Spongebob and Patrick) wrote it for Toei. Super Hero Taisen Z was written ignoring the events of Super Hero Taisen. Kamen Rider Taisen may be linked to ToQGer vs. Gaim but the way the Kame Rider Grand Prix movie got written ignored the events of Ninninger VS. Drive. It's highly possible that Toei is making these movies like What If movies. I'm suddenly reminded of the statement that the Dragon Ball Z movies happen in some alternate continuity different from the series. So it's possible that the Super Hero Taisen films happen in some alternate continuity.

I think the Super Hero Taisen films can be good but I think it's better to make a video game series out of the concept. A movie is well just an hour or two and it's over. A video game can give more space and flexibility for script than a movie ever would. Some of these movies are enjoyable but tend to bury down a lot of characters as the plot progresses as a result. Then again we can have both video games and the movies. Proper implementation should still be done because a good concept won't work if it's not carried out properly.

Conclusion

This in turn may just be my huge massive speculation. So maybe this Tokusatsu Multiverse by Toei doesn't exist and I'd dare say I just imagined it. But what if it were true? After all this is just a speculation and I doubt it that its existence is really there. What bizarre theory do you have as of late?

Updated: 4/11/2017