Ohranger VS. Kakuranger: Setting The Trend For Super Sentai VS. Films And How They're Written WITHOUT CANON In Mind

 

Super Sentai and Power Rangers differ in a lot of things. There's always the cultural difference. It doesn't matter how much I dislike Power Rangers -- I understand that the show had to exist due to CULTURAL DIFFERENCE. Calling Power Rangers an "act of cultural erasure" or "ruined the precious material" is ABSURD. Choriki Sentai Ohranger started another almost yearly tradition -- the Super Sentai VS. Movies tradition. However, one might notice the difference between how Super Sentai and Power Rangers handles crossovers. Super Sentai writes crossover films WITHOUT canon in mind. Power Rangers tries to put most of its entries into a singular timeline. However, some Power Rangers shows are self-contained, such as Power Rangers RPM and Power Rangers Dino Charge. 

Choriki Sentai Ohranger had a crossover movie with Ninja Sentai Kakuranger on March 5, 1996, directly on home video. The short film featured a team-up between the Ohrangers and the Kakurangers. It was written by Hirohisa Soda. The crossover was integrated into Power Rangers Zeo during the near finale called "Rangers of Two Worlds". King Mondo was somehow reconstructed AND returned. However, events in Ohranger vs. Kakuranger would show how Super Sentai VS. Films don't have canon in mind. The movie came out while Gekisou Sentai Carranger was airing in Japan at that time. Oh yeah, that rumor that Carranger supposedly "saved" Super Sentai because Ohranger nearly killed it! That's been disproven to be false!

How does Ohranger vs. Kakuranger play out? Both Bacchushund and Buldont have a father/son spat. Buldont releases the PERVERTED Onbu-Okage aka The Pervert -- who practically lusts after the chicks! I guess a MOTW like Onbu-Okage wouldn't sit well in today's Super Sentai standards! Bacchushund has his monster Bara Gear. This also creates some mecha fights involving all the Zords from Ohranger. The Megazord battles would show WHY the film was never meant to be canon! Instead, it's pretty much like the Marvel What If comic books. The Marvel What If comic books created sidestories that were never meant to be canon to the main continuity. Toei had a contract with Marvel before. That would've also inspired them to create What If sidestories. 

The glaring contradictions are these. Bacchushund is alive and well. Buldont is still a child. However, we know that Ohblocker destroyed Bacchushund midseason -- which was presumably done to make way for Kaiser Buldont's ascension. Tackleboy is also around with the other Zords. Seeing the Megazords do that silly "pass Tackleboy" around the combined monster was just LMAO. The Kakurangers return and wait -- didn't they hand over their morphing devices to seal Daimaou for good?! What ticked me off, thoug,h is why the Kakurangers only arrive in the middle. This was a mistake that would be fixed in later films. 

We could take a look at the fact that Toei runs Dragon Ball. The Dragon Ball movies offer some alternate list of events. The same can be said for Super Sentai VS. Films -- they don't write with CANON IN MIND. Interestingly, Toshiki Inoue was actually involved in Curse of the Blood Rubies film for the Dragon Ball series. The Dragon Ball Z movies were meant to explore alternate storylines in between airing. These were probably meant to explore What Ifs and some possible concepts. These were probably written for creative freedom. It might be like Toei allowing its staff to write a fanfiction except it's going to be filmed! However, these a fanfictions that require heavy consideration since there's a BUDGET.

The movie presents creative freedom WITHOUT thinking too much. Trying to put all Super Sentai into one timeline can ultimately stifle creativity. Theoretically, it could be cool if Super Sentai all had this one cool timeline. I tried rewriting Ohranger vs. Kakuranger (but will never publish it) and thought of stuff. For example, if the Kakurangers took the gadgets, then wouldn't that mean Daimaou would return? Also, if the Ohrangers and Kakurangers teamed up to destroy Daimaou -- wouldn't that create the Hate Plague? Ohranger uses super science while the Kakurangers use magic. Sure, the movie could do some tweaks like having Buldont and Maruchiwa the ones arguing instead. However, the film chose to operate WITHOUT canon in mind. I'd say it was allowing some CREATIVE LIBERTIES to happen.

Meanwhile, some Super Sentai VS. Films seem to "fit in," but closer details will reveal SOMETHING ELSE

Carranger ended and we have Carranger vs. Ohranger. The continuity and placement seemed to be "taken care off". However, it turns out that several factors have been ignored. It's almost like how Cooler's Revenge and Return and Cooler seem to fit into the Dragon Ball Z TV series canon. However, surprise2x, the way events unfolded just shows that Super Sentai VS. Films were NEVER meant to be canon. So yeah, I like being nitpicky myself, which makes me hardly aware of my own shortcomings!

Someone from the Power Rangers Wiki wrote this:

Ohranger: There are too many issues that can allow for the Ohranger to appear in this film, including the utter alteration of Earth due to the Baranoia's six months ruling Earth during the series' endgame, none of which is mentioned. However a similar problem is timing: the opening episode of Ohranger confirms that the series occurs in 1999 and that Bara Mobile is the final member of Baranoia not defeated; however the end of the story for Carranger occurs on January 24, 1997 (the day the Wine-Barrel Constellation intrudes on the constellations protecting the Kurumagic Constellations), proving that Carranger can only occur between the time-period of 1996 and 1997; thus this encounter typically could never happen between these two teams.

Carranger vs. Ohranger seems to fit "perfectly". However, the Ohranger side of things shows that Bara Mobile is just as What If-only as The Pervert from Ohranger vs. Kakuranger. There was a six-months period when Baranoia supposedly ruled Japan -- something NOT MENTIONED. The Ohranger continuity takes place in 1999 and Carranger takes place in 1997 (lore-wise). Pretty much, the whole set-up was always, "Well, just have fun and don't care about canon!" 

In fact, every succeeding film becomes a huge What If. Movie-exclusive power-ups and combinations happen. Megaranger vs. Carranger featured a power-up meant only for the movie. Eventually, the movie series created What If relatives for the people. Captain Gregory was created for Gingaman vs. Megaranger film. Gingaman vs. GoGoFive created Darkness King Gill -- a villain TOO EVIL for regular use. Darkness King Gill ended up like Cooler in the Dragon Ball Z movies. Many more What If scenarios were created -- all of them written with more liberties. They were meant to be What If side stories -- giving more creative freedom. 

The Power Rangers series decided to put the crossovers as story arcs instead. It sounds cool on paper. However, one must realize that the Super Sentai series has its entries usually taking place in different continuities. The crossover series like Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and the recent No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger are probably because the crossovers are anticipated. Crossover series are usually done because of a milestone. Gokaiger was because it's the 35th entry of the franchise. Gozyuger because Himitsu Sentai Goranger turned 50 this year. As I thought about it -- the Power Rangers continuity would tear itself out. It's because trying to create a Super Sentai "solid continuity" from Goranger up to the present -- IS JUST ABSURD! Details like dinosaur extinctions, events that trigger a great power in awakening, power sources, etc. DIFFER FROM SERIES TO SERIES. I always laugh thinking about how Super Sentai being longer than Power Rangers would even more continuity errors -- if the former had a TIMELINE. That means if a Super Sentai Grid existed -- it would actually even show more contradictions than the Morphin' Grid! The Z-Wave would become MILD IN COMPARISON compared to how certain events like the death of dinosaurs, a Megazord awakening during the Earth's most desperate moments, galactic levels of genocide done by the villains, etc. would CLASH A LOT MORE! 

Pretty much, that's why I've started to realize that not having the VS. Films happen as story arcs -- may have been more beneficial. Every Super Sentai series can be written without thinking much of a previous season. Sure, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger is part of the Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger continuity. However, the way dinosaurs died in Kyoryuger doesn't match up with previous entries! Mixing both self-contained and non-self-contained might be the best way to go.