People have different opinions, preferences, strengths, weaknesses, etc. and I just did some examination of the Fantasy Leader where we do discuss our likes and dislikes. Now here are factors that cause me to like a certain season.
Characters I could relate to and characters that share similarities to real life people I've known whether they be the heroes or the villains. Okay I can't really compare my life to fiction but Super Sentai seems to derive real stuff a lot then add what can't happen to them. People like Ryu and Gai Yuki are very real in terms of personality, heck even Gai Ikari represents the Sentai fandom. So pretty much, I could enjoy Super Sentai for me being able to relate to its characters. Some seasons I prefer to stay neutral are when I can't relate to it. For example, I can relate to Ryu because I find the idea of fun before work a stupid idea while I can also fall into the flaw of inner conflict plus I had to clash with somebody who's like Gai Yuki.
Likability of the heroic characters with their development. I would say this is an area I think is very, very important. Everyone has their own areas of likability like characters who develop or are just plain jolly. I used Ako as a placeholder to demonstrate this point since a girl with her kind of personality would make me look past every pretty girl as my ideal girl to date (but of course, with her kind of average cute appearance that is along with a heart of greater beauty!). So far, what makes me like the seasons are characters I find likable. Character development is fun to watch like how Gai Yuki becomes a more responsible character as time passes by.
Musical scores. Heh, I'm a sucker for what I'd consider good music. Seldom I don't bother to watch credits roll but certain end themes stick to my head like "Heart is an Egg" or "Love Soldier Maskman". Some of the scores have caused me an "earworm" like the opening themes of Bioman, Maskman, Turboranger, Jetman and Fiveman for instance. Pretty much, I could say that Power Rangers music isn't that good but advice to Power Rangers fans new to Super Sentai, please do some research on translations to enjoy the soundtrack!
The villains would also count. I prefer Super Sentai when these villains are tied against the characters developing intense rivalries and of course, them being nightmare fuel with all their plots. I've found several villains worth the nightmare fuel like for instance, Zeba has intimidated me when I was eight or nine years old with that fierce personality of his. Radiguet also scared the crap out of me as well.
Blatant silliness. The reason why I prefer Go-onger over RPM is because of the blatant silliness but not that I dislike darker themes, RPM for me was too depressing with its doosmday. But I do enjoy a series due to blatant silliness.
Plot writing and well executed gimmicks. If a Super Sentai has a very good plot rather than just use gimmicks to get a younger audience, I'd really sit through it. I used Kou as an example since he's a very well-written character. This is also where twists and turns if they are handled properly, makes me like a series. In the case of Dairanger, I thought Shaddam's final demise was meant for us to decide why he had died that way. Messy seasons tend to piss me off except if they are silly like Go-onger.
Mecha design and execution makes me like or dislike the series. I like how mecha was done in the past, in the case of Goseiger I grew to dislike it due to mecha handling and I feel like I'll probably toss Megaforce out of the window too after giving it a chance.
Handling of nostaliga from the past that may blast me back to childhood. This plays mostly in the 90s-present Super Sentai. For example, I watched Gokaiger to see the nostalgia it had with the past. On the other hand, there are other seasons that really show for me different types of nostalgia from the 80s to the 90s in the 2000s Super Sentai. Timeranger for me had a good handling of nostalgia with its "special episode" that featured all the Super Sentai and Gokaiger for its appearance of previous Super Sentai casts.
The themes they play. For example I like Boukenger due to its adventure theme (plus I'm a sucker for historical stuff!) not really minding much about how the villains seem to be nothing more than parodies. I pretty much still like Boukenger and its adventure motif and I still bother to rewatch it whenever I'm bored even if I'm no adventurer or mountain climber.
On the shallow side of me, the eye candy would affect me in some way if it's blazing. This is where I am shallow. I'll be honest that with Go-onger, I really did care less about the cuter airhead Saki over Shinkenger's really hot Mako but this is more on the bonus side. I'll admit this also affects my fandom with Power Rangers as well. =P But I'll proudly admit that I've sat through Zyuranger despite the fact I don't find Mei on the hot side enjoying its story value though for Dairanger, I would be guilty of fixating on Lin and Abaranger I want to see more of it for Ranru. For Jetman, Ako's not really hot but she was my crush in the show so I guess I'm not so superficial after all. On the less shallow side of me, I like Jetman better than Dairanger even if Lin is blazing hot.
So I hope I've shared my thoughts on factors that make me like or dislike a season.
Characters I could relate to and characters that share similarities to real life people I've known whether they be the heroes or the villains. Okay I can't really compare my life to fiction but Super Sentai seems to derive real stuff a lot then add what can't happen to them. People like Ryu and Gai Yuki are very real in terms of personality, heck even Gai Ikari represents the Sentai fandom. So pretty much, I could enjoy Super Sentai for me being able to relate to its characters. Some seasons I prefer to stay neutral are when I can't relate to it. For example, I can relate to Ryu because I find the idea of fun before work a stupid idea while I can also fall into the flaw of inner conflict plus I had to clash with somebody who's like Gai Yuki.
Likability of the heroic characters with their development. I would say this is an area I think is very, very important. Everyone has their own areas of likability like characters who develop or are just plain jolly. I used Ako as a placeholder to demonstrate this point since a girl with her kind of personality would make me look past every pretty girl as my ideal girl to date (but of course, with her kind of average cute appearance that is along with a heart of greater beauty!). So far, what makes me like the seasons are characters I find likable. Character development is fun to watch like how Gai Yuki becomes a more responsible character as time passes by.
Musical scores. Heh, I'm a sucker for what I'd consider good music. Seldom I don't bother to watch credits roll but certain end themes stick to my head like "Heart is an Egg" or "Love Soldier Maskman". Some of the scores have caused me an "earworm" like the opening themes of Bioman, Maskman, Turboranger, Jetman and Fiveman for instance. Pretty much, I could say that Power Rangers music isn't that good but advice to Power Rangers fans new to Super Sentai, please do some research on translations to enjoy the soundtrack!
The villains would also count. I prefer Super Sentai when these villains are tied against the characters developing intense rivalries and of course, them being nightmare fuel with all their plots. I've found several villains worth the nightmare fuel like for instance, Zeba has intimidated me when I was eight or nine years old with that fierce personality of his. Radiguet also scared the crap out of me as well.
Blatant silliness. The reason why I prefer Go-onger over RPM is because of the blatant silliness but not that I dislike darker themes, RPM for me was too depressing with its doosmday. But I do enjoy a series due to blatant silliness.
Plot writing and well executed gimmicks. If a Super Sentai has a very good plot rather than just use gimmicks to get a younger audience, I'd really sit through it. I used Kou as an example since he's a very well-written character. This is also where twists and turns if they are handled properly, makes me like a series. In the case of Dairanger, I thought Shaddam's final demise was meant for us to decide why he had died that way. Messy seasons tend to piss me off except if they are silly like Go-onger.
Mecha design and execution makes me like or dislike the series. I like how mecha was done in the past, in the case of Goseiger I grew to dislike it due to mecha handling and I feel like I'll probably toss Megaforce out of the window too after giving it a chance.
Handling of nostaliga from the past that may blast me back to childhood. This plays mostly in the 90s-present Super Sentai. For example, I watched Gokaiger to see the nostalgia it had with the past. On the other hand, there are other seasons that really show for me different types of nostalgia from the 80s to the 90s in the 2000s Super Sentai. Timeranger for me had a good handling of nostalgia with its "special episode" that featured all the Super Sentai and Gokaiger for its appearance of previous Super Sentai casts.
The themes they play. For example I like Boukenger due to its adventure theme (plus I'm a sucker for historical stuff!) not really minding much about how the villains seem to be nothing more than parodies. I pretty much still like Boukenger and its adventure motif and I still bother to rewatch it whenever I'm bored even if I'm no adventurer or mountain climber.
On the shallow side of me, the eye candy would affect me in some way if it's blazing. This is where I am shallow. I'll be honest that with Go-onger, I really did care less about the cuter airhead Saki over Shinkenger's really hot Mako but this is more on the bonus side. I'll admit this also affects my fandom with Power Rangers as well. =P But I'll proudly admit that I've sat through Zyuranger despite the fact I don't find Mei on the hot side enjoying its story value though for Dairanger, I would be guilty of fixating on Lin and Abaranger I want to see more of it for Ranru. For Jetman, Ako's not really hot but she was my crush in the show so I guess I'm not so superficial after all. On the less shallow side of me, I like Jetman better than Dairanger even if Lin is blazing hot.
So I hope I've shared my thoughts on factors that make me like or dislike a season.
Since this is a positive themed article, I can say Maskman, Liveman,Turborangers Dairangers, Megarangers, Boukengers, Shinkengers and Gokaigers are all explained in each one of your catagories. Those 8 series are thee top of my list as it is written with pride.
ReplyDelete