Running Through Super Sentai/Kamen Rider Crossovers
Shinkenger arc in Kamen Rider Decade
I remembered back then I really got pessimistic over this idea. Sure it can sound nice on paper but I felt like the concept could've been a disaster. I always thought about my preconceived Great Professor Biases during the time this was advertised. I thought of stuff like what if Mako gets a cold or it's going to be as bad as I think "Friend in Need" was which was the crossover between Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and Saban's Masked Rider. But I was surprised that it actually improvised where "Friend in Need" failed to do. "Friend in Need" still deserves some credit for actually giving an idea having two separate franchises have a crossover special.
The series shows a lot of stuff where "Friend in Need" failed like getting everyone healthy enough for the crossover, making more use of the Super Sentai monster of the week to the point he becomes an abomination to the timeline, having interaction between the two shows while in Shinkenger, you can see glimpses of the Decade cast there. This was the first official crossover though it would take a couple of years before another crossover happened. The whole crossover might be because Kamen Rider Decade was the tenth Kamen Rider series for the Heisei era. What better way to do an anniversary than an official crossover with Super Sentai?
Super Hero Taisen movies
Until today, I still love to throw the joke that the writer of this movie was Patrick Star. This is the beginning of the Super Hero Taisen series last 2012. I felt like the first movie was really so horrible for me. It was just fanservice. The beginning just felt like Spongebob and Patrick were arguing over which franchise is better whether it'd be Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. Then it goes to a series of really stupid plots where I learned from my mistake that too many characters kill storyline quality. I really thought that the concept should've been made into a video game instead of a movie. A Super Robot Wars type of video game with all the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai up to that time might have done much better than this blockbuster failure.
In 2014, we had Super Hero Taisen Z which not only included Super Sentai and Kamen Rider but also Metal Hero series. Watching the crossover movies made me feel like that while most Super Sentai series usually take place in their own continuity, Toei ended up creating the VS. Universe in a way that Marvel and Capcom created the Marvel vs. Capcom universe or how Super Robot Wars merges several self-contained series into one universe. I felt like singing Hagane No Messiah to the concept.
Ressha Sentai ToQGer vs. Kamen Rider Gaim
People really know I don't like ToQGer and I'm a broken record whenever I say it. Unlike Kamen Rider Decade's crossover with Shinkenger this took place in the form of a VS. Movie. During the time Kamen Rider Gaim was airing I was super pessimistic with Super Sentai that time. Kamen Rider Gaim filled my Tokusatsu void that year. I really felt like this wasn't a huge improvement from the last one like how certain blockbuster films tend to have a bad sequel after that. There was some exploration behind both worlds but I really still sleep through this one.
Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. Kamen Rider Drive
I'll admit I finished Ninninger but the whole series left me wanting. Ninninger for me was an attempt by Toei to try and get fresh blood pumped in with Kento Shimoyama but I guess Naomi Takebe isn't really cut out for Super Sentai. Meanwhile, there was Kamen Rider Drive that actually got me into the drive in more than one level. I felt like Kamen Rider Drive was a more interesting show that had me sitting through more than Ninninger. Compared to the ToQGer vs. Gaim, I felt this one was a decent crossover in some way. In an independent spin-off, the Ninningers appeared in the Kamen Rider Grand Prix movie ignoring the events of this movie.
Kamen Rider Ghost and Zyuohger
Unlike the other crossovers in the past, this one has each other guesting in each other's show. While looking at Zyuohger's latest episode, I felt like that Zyuohger may not also be operating in its own continuity like Gokaiger as an anniversary season. On the other hand, Boukenger and Gaoranger were more or less their own continuities (the VS. Movies are obviously not canon to their respective series).
The first half took place in Zyuohger where Takeru Tenkuji appeared as a guest star for Zyuohger. The Zyuohgers face off against a Shocker mutant in battle as a sub-plot for the episode. In the second half, the Zyuohgers appeared as a guest star in Kamen Rider Ghost. In the second half, Zyuoh Eagle gives aid to Ghost in the battle.
It's about time to integrate these series. I always thought that the series limitation in crossing over is so narrow minded! This was a possibility in the late 70s with the Goranger vs. JAKQ movie when V3, Amazon, Kikaider 01 and Zubat was in the same universe.
ReplyDeleteThen everything was totally segregated until 1989 in Jiban with the guest appearance of Manabu Yamaji of Global Ninja War Jiraiya which would establish that Jiraiya and Jiban are in the same universe. Then 7 years later B-Fighter would confirm that Blue Swat and Jan Person are in the same universe as well.
As hated the series is, Decade did start the Rider/Sentai trend and that two parter is entertaining.
No BULLSHIT, 2012's Super Hero Taisen Sucked Cock Big Time with pointless story telling!!!!
However and I am not a minority, Super Hero Taisen Z is the biggest improvement and I can watch that over and over with pleasure.
If the 2012 movie was as creative as this one the Super Hero Taisen would have been a annual affair!