My Current List of More Mature Super Sentai Series Based On Series I've Watched From Start to End

Compared to my previous post where I was acting like a know it all, I would now present Super Sentai series I consider more mature based from what I saw from start to end and I will write them in the order of series I watched from start to end:


Hikari Sentai Maskman

While I felt like Bioman was a lighter series for most of its run (except for that episode where Mika died no thanks to Yuki Yajima's unprofessional departure), Maskman for me was a real shocker.  I would be seeing this series before I saw Fiveman.  The season itself focuses on forbidden love (Takeru and Ial), conflict of interest (Igam's hatred for surface dwellers contrasts her family being peace loving), light vs. darkness, love vs. lust (Takeru vs. Ial) and not to mention everything about Emperor Zeba's backstory.  I would admit for monster designs, I think Maskman's designs are really horror movie material compared to most Super Sentai seasons, giving additional nightmare fuel to most of Tube's nightmare fuel plots no matter how convoluted or unbelievable most of their plans are though some episodes still gave out a laugh.  But still, most of the show was a serious season you can't ignore.


Chojin Sentai Jetman

After the more light-hearted Fiveman (which had a couple of series episodes written by Toshiki Inoue to make up for Hirohisa Soda's burning out), Jetman came next.  I wanted to do some Jetman/Maskman comparison because of Ryu's love story with Rie.  As I thought most of the Vyram costumes were IMO, mostly goofy but the show wasn't spared from dark themes.  Okay I think Maskman is darker than Jetman (and I still like Jetman more due to me being able to relate to it), the show itself had the problem of a huge love polygon (Ryu, Gai, Kaori, Rie/Maria, Gure and Radiguet are part of it).  Plus, it had Ryu still stuck in his past and not to mention, Radiguet the ultimate Tokusatsu sadist (though Shadam, Grandienne and Long are also competing for that slot) is indeed really making events in the show worse for the heroes.  Fans praise this to be a very good season, some overrate it and call it the best season ever even if there are better ones after this.  Still, its popularity caused Toshiki Inoue to write the Jetman Encylopedia (featuring Ryu and Kaori as a married couple) and three years later, a non-canon Manga.


Gosei Sentai Dairanger

After Jetman, I think Dairanger really beats most Sentai in terms of being darker and edgier one way or another.  It somehow tries to take parts of seriousness from Maskman and Jetman.  Like Maskman and Jetman, it has a star-crossed love story with Daigo and Kujaku (Ah My Goddess with a bad ending), Ryou's past and Kou's dysfunctional family origins.  The Gorma itself is also pretty dark and edgy in its execution.  If Jetman had Radiguet, Dairanger had Shadam who was more or less a Radiguet 2.0 with how events unfolded.  Like Radiguet, Shadam's only comfort was power and he never cared about anyone, even his two sons or his estranged wife just so he can climb up to power.  The whole show somehow also centered around the battle of Yin and Yang and how both forces are necessary for the balance of the world.  Daijinryu's story is also pretty much of nightmare fuel considering he destroyed half of Tokyo to make a point.  The show also featured various "leave it to audience" to decide scenarios.


Chojuu Sentai Liveman 

Liveman was another series and maybe, I can consider it the second most mature series to be ever done.  As of late, I struggle between Liveman or Dairanger as the most mature Sentai made... Dairanger had all the blood and Liveman had lesser.  For Liveman, most of the show's run is depressing as well.  The first three members lost their two teammates at the hands of former friends who made a Faustian pact with Great Professor Bias, the next two members would later join wanting revenge.  Many of Liveman's episodes usually end up with tears like even the first episode, much of Academia died, a baby is saved at the cost of its mother, a pet dinosaur dies unable to return home to its proper time and well, the whole series is laced with mature themes especially with the plot execution of Volt's members.


Juuken Sentai Gekiranger

After I made a major comeback to watching Super Sentai with Boukenger which was a really light-hearted season, Gekiranger was another mature Sentai.  I will confess that the reason why I made a major comeback to Sentai for awhile was due to the existence of hot chicks that Power Rangers lacked (stupid) and two, I wanted to become a Sentai purist again.  Now Gekiranger took me by surprise with its more mature themes after Boukenger was just full of crazy humor and occasional drama (I still like the show but not as much as I used to).  What's there with Gekiranger?  I just love all its tribute to Chinese martial arts at the same time, there's a Dairanger vibe to it.  It's all about the balance of forces as Gen Juken and Rin Juken are rival schools.  Many events in Gekiranger will slowly unfold revealing Long was responsible behind most of the events that drove everyone to misery one way or another.


Mirai Sentai Timeranger

Well I did see Timeranger here and there but the bad quality made it bad to watch.  So I did end up watching Timeranger with Spanish subs (on Youtube, now removed) and trying to get a Spanish dictionary and read some synopsis.  Much of Timeranger itself is pretty mature itself with the themes like the dysfunctional Asamis (Wataru, Tatsuya and in the year 3000, Ryuya that douchebag), Ayase's terminal illness, Sion being the sole Hubbardian, not much on Domon, Yuuri's tragic childhood and well later on, Naoto the anti-hero also has a tragic past.  If there's any real "main villain" to Timeranger, it's fate itself and the heroes were fighting against fate while they were dealing with the Londarz.  Also, Ryuya later arrives revealing he's that douchebag who was responsible for a lot of events (such as allowing the main villains who eventually got dethroned before the finale to escape) that while some of them led for the better, others led for the worse.  Also, the recurring villains also had their own drama like Dolnero's concern for Gien's growing insanity as the show progresses.


Tokumei Sentai Gobusters

Gobusters is another attempt for a new decade of Sentai to return to its more mature roots.  While Naomi Takebe as a producer was responsible for Kamen Rider Kiva and Kamen Rider OOO as more lighthearted shows, Gobusters was a more mature season.  It had a more depressing atmosphere especially with the past and the future.  While Gobusters may remind some of Power Rangers RPM in some way, it didn't involve the Earth being in deep doo doo with Tokyo as the only last inhabitable area.  Yet, Gobusters was full of darker and edgier elements in contrast to Gokaiger.  It tried to return to darker and edgier but for me, it had more or less Kamen Rider Faiz's problems such as spinning around in circles.  Although I find it a more mature series, I didn't like it so much either.  I wonder though what if Toshiki Inoue wrote a good portion of the show as its sub-writer?

This list may be expanded soon.  Current updates are that I deleted the "Sentai recaps" because I felt like they were just my earlier bad entries, I also am watching Gingaman (five more fansubs by Millionfold to go before it's done), watched 27 episodes of Ohranger (and I'm having mixed feelings) and Ninninger feels good.

Comments

  1. Perhaps you did not see all of them, JAKQ and Battle Fever J had a mature theme.
    Bioman and perhaps Changeman is the first mature 80s series.
    You left out Boukengers as the drama was dead serious. Gekirangers, it is a fun show but having the animal avatars and Jan waters it down.

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