Sentai DVD Rambling Part 4: Shifting Into Turbo For The Next Super Sentai DVD Release?

Knowing that Ohranger now has an official DVD, we know that DVD release of Carranger is coming. So it's time for another crazy rant. Okay, I like Carranger better than Turboranger but I could talk about a possible shift. When I'm talking about shifting into Turboranger, I'm not talking about Power Rangers Turbo but rather, which show will we go for? Will it be Turboranger or Carranger? Let's do some comparisons with both shows that use car magic to fight evil.

Plot or storyline

Turboranger's plot involves five high school students who got chosen by Seelon to fight the Hundred Violent Demon tribes. Some 20,000 years ago or so the human tribes sealed the Violent Demons but the fairy energies weakened due to modern day pollution. The result of the seal weakening allowed the Violent Demon Tribes to escape their captivity and return the Violent Demon Palace restoring their ruler, Great Emperor Ragorn. Now these teenagers with attitude must fight the Violent Demon tribes while juggling with their studies. They're sworn never to reveal that they're Turborangers as part of their code. That gets them into trouble with their class adviser Misa Yamaguchi.

Carranger doesn't involve teenagers but workers at the Pegasus Garage. For a bit of familiarity, Dappu would be the show's version of Lerigot but he doesn't have a wife and child. The idiot demolition gang known as the Bowzock are tasked to destroy the Earth by some mysterious higher power that reveals itself later. The Carrangers are all hesitant to fight the Bowzock but they're chosen anyway. How and why isn't all that revealed but maybe just maybe it's because they were all aligned for some reason. They're also tasked to hide their identities from the public which results to a lot of hilarious hijinks.

Writing quality 

Turboranger falls into the era of Hirohisa Soda was practically burning out. Liveman started to show signs of Soda no longer knowing what to do even if it's a really good series. Then Turboranger came and he was practically falling apart. The series even wrote off three major villains mid-season probably due to a lack of ratings and payroll issues. A lot of stories could have been pursued when the Nagare Bouma (also teenagers with attitude biologically while they're chronologically much older, heck Kirika stayed an infant for a long time under suspended animation) arrived.

Carranger itself appears as a comedy series. Okay, please take note that Ohranger didn't nearly cause Super Sentai to be canceled in spite of lower ratings and Carranger didn't save Super Sentai either. Rather, both shows had lower than 5% ratings but had a lot of good toy sales. I feel the show's writing quality was a little more consistent than what Ohranger and Turboranger had to offer. It made some sense that the Bowzock weren't the real villains of the show but it was actually Emperor Exhaus who  ran the events. After all, wasn't Gynamo too stupid to do anything right that he's best used as a disposable lackey?

Conclusion

I feel that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers fans may actually want Turboranger due to more similar plots even if both are entirely different shows. It may not be what Power Rangers Turbo was based on but you get the idea. Here's a checklist for both shows. Teenagers with attitude chosen to defend the world? Check. Popular chick who's the pink ranger? Check. Sealed enemies that escape after thousands of years seeking to conquer the Earth? Check. Turboranger has something for Mighty Morphin' fans to relate to due to the similarities.

Carranger itself is the show that was localized into Power Rangers Turbo. In terms of familiarity, it's there because of the appearances. The Carrangers are a bunch of adults not a group of teenagers who fight the Bowzock. Maybe, just maybe the only joke Nostalgia Critic can ever throw at it (but I could be dead wrong) is Dappu being Lerigot. The level of similarity is just on the surface. Also, Power Rangers Turbo was also a pretty weak season in itself. Midseason changes were even worse than what Turboranger underwent.

Personally, I'd recommend Turboranger over Carranger even if I like the latter more. This may also make me think that after this, Megaranger can still work (due to the teenagers with attitude theme going on) even if I originally thought that Changeman might be better. I may soon prepare another rant for DVD releases but I might do a Flashman vs. Gingaman rant soon.