A Late Tribute to Thuy Trang

It's already past September 3, 2009 and I'm not much of a Power Rangers fan but I feel like it's time to remember Thuy Trang even if MMPR was loosely based on Zyuranger and her counterpart in Japan is surprisingly male (remember the flat chest scenario?). She was the one who did most of her stunts in Power Rangers. She was enlisted because of her fighting ability.

She was a reminder to me of the original Yellow 4 namely Mika Koizumi (acted by Yuki Yajima who is presumably still living).

How? Both characters are gutsy female types who are hesitant to fight at first but are skilled martial artists. Both of them showed rather impressive fight scenes whenever they could.

Also I can't help but remember the Bioman episode "Farewell Yellow" whenever she comes to mind. After all, it was farewell yellow to her but she died in a random car accident that claimed her life. In Bioman, the episode was hurriedly written because Yuki Yajima left the set for some reason unknown so Yellow 4 had no out of suit scene.

I think Bioman episode 10 is giving me the creeps. It was the episode when Mika Koizumi the first female yellow ranger in Super Sentai sacrificed her life to save the others from the anti-bio particles used in the Bio Killer Gun, an incident Peebo later remembers when Silver first arrives.

Regardless of whatever aid was given to her, she died anyway. This would probably remind me more and more of Thuy Trang being taken to the hospital and despite that, she died.

Hmmm... the original MMPR cast would have felt this bad.

This picture seems to have predicted the sadness of Amy Jo Johnson over Thuy Trang's death. Strangely, Hikaru Katsuragi of Bioman was named Kimberly in the English dub.

As far as I can say, Thuy Trang and Amy Jo Johnson were like Yellow Four and Pink Five for me.

This scene seems to predict Thuy Trang's cremation. This was when after Mika Koizumi/Yellow 4 1 took most of the blasts of the Bio Killer Gun, Psygorn blows a terrible fire blast to kill her.

Her death can just be traumatizing. RIP. A flashback like that above where Mika Koizumi's projection is seen during her funeral can bring tears to our eyes. Seeing a flashback of Thuy Trang during her wake would have made her peers shout "THUY!!!!"

A rather strange note for her from this site:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=dfl&GRid=6402207

To Miss Trini Kwan, as a fan, originally just of Power Rangers but now of Super Sentai as well, I don't think a lot of people would be surprised really if they in recent times found out that your Zyuranger counterpart Boi/TigerRanger is male (the real reason for your skirtless costume which was originally Boi's), for before Power Rangers there was the Night Flight parody dub of Dynaman with DynaYellow, of course, being male. I'm sure that even in the early days of your being the Yellow Ranger some people would've recalled the Dynaman spoof (not to mention DynaYellow being of the male gender). Even though you were one of the best yellow rangers around, I also like some of the early Super Sentai yellow rangers, the guys - like DynaYellow as well as your Zyuranger counterpart - as well as the girls - like Five Yellow of Fiveman and Yellow Mask of Maskman and, of course, the two Yellow Fours of Bioman. I had in recent times watched episode 10 of Bioman, where the original Yellow Four Mika Koizumi, also the first female yellow ranger in Super Sentai, tragically got killed with anti-bio particles. I think of you when I watch that episode occasionally, but at least you didn't die the way Mika died. It was hard enough Mika's tragic demise, never mind yours. Anyway, may you, as well as Mika (not to mention other Super Sentai characters like Gai Yuuki/Black Condor of Jetman and Burai/DragonRanger of Zyuranger, the counterpart of your fellow Mighty Morphin Ranger Tommy the Green/White Ranger), now rest in peace.

- James Porter