That 70s Super Sentai (Some Spoilers)

That 70s Show, ALRIGHT!

 I'm really feeling old as I feel the effects of the Space-Time Alpha Sword on me. I still find it weird that I had a love interest who looks like Mika Katsumura -- she's married to someone else now. It wasn't meant to be. I tried watching Battle Fever J then I took the challenge of watching Himitsu Sentai Goranger and Dengekitai JAKQ. Some people called me a baby back then for watching Power Rangers in the 1990s -- that was all before I dropped the franchise out of PERSONAL REASONS. Officially, I've finally watched the whole 1970s era of Super Sentai. This was what might be the "simpler era" or figuring things out era. My late 30s self has an easier time watching older Super Sentai than newer ones -- even when I can still enjoy newer ones. But as said, it's not about older fans and rose-tinted glasses but on mostly younger fans!

It can't be denied that before Super Sentai -- there was Tatsunuko's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. I still believe that Gatchaman inspired Super Sentai. Be forewarned that the first season is worth 105 episodes long! They had no combining robot but occasionally butted heads against a giant mechanical beast sent by Gallactor. The Gatchamen piloted God Phoenix around. Take note that Gatchaman II aired in 1978 and Gatchaman Fighter in 1979. The first season aired in 1972 -- three years before Goranger started with Shotaro Ishinomori. Color codings were given for some reason. Goranger gave a color coding probably for easier identification compared to what Gatchaman did. 

Watching through Himitsu Sentai Goranger

My inner child is rapidly triggered. Watching Goranger reminded me when I panicked how Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers looked like it would end with the two-parter "Doomsday" story. However, Toei and Saban got greedy. Toei created the Zyu2 footage. Eventually, Mighty Morphin' got extended to two more seasons. If I'm not wrong -- Mighty Morphin' hit over up to 150 episodes from Season 1 to Season 3. I usually skip shows that are too long. However, I did it and finally finished Goranger. I would like to say the show itself was full of crazy action. I bet the executives at Fox Kids would probably cringe a lot more if they saw Goranger's massacre scene. 

The show was a total of 84 episodes. Most of the episodes are set in a more episodic tone. We don't learn too much about the rangers either. Tsuyoshi had an older brother and We Hardly Knew Ye. That sight was too hard to watch. Imagine the red ranger having a trauma on the VERY FIRST EPISODE. The massacre carried out by the Black Cross Army left me speechless. Earlier Super Sentai series somehow loved DOING MASSACRES for the heck of it. Goranger would have so many heart-wrenching moments and important guest stars dyng. What do you expect from Toei -- the same company that created their Super Robot Anime series. Yes, that genre that got canceled in favor of selling MEGAZORDS from 1979 to the present!

The show would have some pacing issues. It was presumably extended to 84 episodes because of the popularity ratings. It was probably trying to ride the popularity of superhero groups by Marvel Comics (and Toei had a Marvel license for a short time) or DC Comics -- to name a few 1960s heroes. Goranger was probably the answer. I remember discovering Goranger back when I read the Questor Magazine back in the 2000s. That's when I discovered Super Sentai and partial reasons why Power Rangers even exists. The show would drop in something new but it would be much later.

Should I be surprised that the first Super Sentai had no Megazord yet? Technically speaking, Battle Fever J gave us the first Megazord. One may consider the Variblune and Varidorine flying fortresses or older Zords. Episode 42 would be considered as going near the finale for today's Super Sentai standards. I was wondering if destroying Variblune (which General Temujin also died in that episode) was for the desire to sell a new toy? IMHO Varidorine has been the cooler-looking flying fortress. Watching a Super Sentai show without a Megazord fight (or a rather primitive one) can be challenging. Seeing the Gorangers destroy the Monster of the Week and having no giant monster battle is challenging. Fortunately, all the over-the-top fight scenes with both unmorphed and morphed can be entertaining! 

Back then, there was a meme used by a certain group (who I'll probably never directly name from now on) saying, "MMPR never told you why Rita was evil." Well, back then, several Super Sentai shows didn't tell us why so and so went evil. Denji Sentai Denziman never told us why Queen Hedorian went evil. Black Cross Fuhrer would really exist as a For the Evulz type of guy -- someone who does evil because he does! The Black Cross Army also has a long list of generals. It's presumably because there was a demand for a field commander. Changing field commander also meant killing them off eventually. My favorite field commander death was General Magman and that egg. It was also because General Magman unleashed the fortress Navarone. General Temujin's death made sure that a new toy was introduced properly. Sun Halo Mask was meh. Golden Mask was the last general. It was interesting to see Black Cross Fuhrer going all the way from mysterious figure to revealing his true identity. It turns out that the Black Cross Furher was an evil space alien with the fear of the constellation Cassiopeia.

Watching through all 84 episodes can be a chore for some -- especially with adult life. I tried skipping some episodes before and watched only the "important ones". It didn't work and I decided to watch all of it. My verdict is that it's understandable. I needed to cut some slack because earlier shows tend to overextend when they get popular. Goranger going at 84 episodes of intense action can be fun to watch. It might also be a reminder of what I miss in modern-day Super Sentai. 

Watching through JAKQ and... wait, that's it?

Some shows can be notoriously short. Kamen RiderAmazon only lasted 24 episodes. I watched Amazon and I found myself wanting more episodes. Meanwhile, it's understandable if spin-offs like Kamen Rider Amazons are split into seasons. JAKQ had only 35 episodes. It was probably canceled due to its darker tones like drug use and even heavier deaths than Goranger. Goranger lasted for two years. JAKQ barely lasted a year. It reminds me of what went wrong with some Power Rangers seasons that were less than 40 episodes long.

JAKQ can be a strange show too. If Goranger was Star Rangers then JAKQ was Lucky Aces. If Goranger had quick morphing devices -- this show required the rangers to enter the strengthening capsule from their flying fortress. The concept also had cyborg rangers too -- something that's probably never going to be repeated in Super Sentai. Cyborg heroes in American superhero fiction may be the influencer for The First Kamen Rider (back when it was only called Kamen Rider) and Cyborg 009 -- both works by the late Shotaro Ishinomori. JAKQ would also be the last Super Sentai season under Ishinomori's direction. 

The JAKQ quartet dealt with cases even more intense than Goranger. CRIME seeks to create a Japan dominated by criminal activities. The strange humor and dark tones can swing a lot. Midseason, Banba Soikichi or Big One was introduced as the Sixth Ranger (or fifth). Big One became the acting commander and co-leader with Goro Sakurai. My favorite highlight though is the late Masashi Ishibashi as Iron Claw. Iron Claw really chews out the scenery the most. I'm glad Ishibashi managed to live long!

The final 1970s Super Sentai is Battle Fever J

This would be the first 1970s Super Sentai that I watched from start to end. Kosoku Sentai Turboranger acknowledged it to be the first Super Sentai. However, Choriki Sentai Ohranger managed to retcon Goranger and JAKQ back. It was even further verified in the special episode of Mirai Sentai Timeranger -- a show with an official DVD release now. The show had a 1970s disco feel while the 1970s were about to end. Interestingly, Yukio Ito returned to play a ranger but was written off midseason. I heard Yukio got married midseason and wanted to spend time with his wife. Diane Martin played as Diane Martin. Diane later left the show and it turns out that she was voiced by Lisa Komaki. Lisa was Peggy Matsuyama in Goranger and had a guest role. Mitchi Love from JAKQ also had a guest role.

Battle Fever J was the first show to feature a giant Megazord. There was no combining sequence yet. Instead, Battle Fever Robo was launched from the Battle Shark. Toei probably had no idea yet how to put live action combination sequences. It was also after Chodenji Robo Combattler V and Chodenshi Machine Voltes V were aired in 1976 and 1977 respectively. Combining robots on animation was probably cheaper than live-action during that time. It wasn't until Hikari Sentai Maskman when a five-piece combination Megazord was finally created. 

Like most Super Sentai -- nothing's really given about Egos either. Satan Egos, his servant High Priest Hedder, and the strongwoman Salome are just there. Nothing is explained about who Satan Egos is and how Egos was formed. Instead, the whole organization was there for screentime. I bet people at Toei weren't exactly keen on fleshing out characters at that time. Some older Super Sentai might not appeal to younger viewers due to how "basic" they can get. Fortunately, these guys still pack some crazy action scenes hardly found in Super Sentai today. 

______

At this point, I believe that it's not going to be easy to address generation gaps. Some people may have quit Super Sentai as they aged. Some adults may be watching Super Sentai but feel some old school ones are too old for them. It can be hard to adjust to the 1970s. In fact, Goranger's 50th birthday is next year. Feeling old yet?