I wrote to why I think 80s-90s Super Sentai are the best eras for the genre. Now I'd like what I think is wrong with the era lately. Sure I might accept changes because it appeals to kids but as said, Toei needs to listen to what constructive critics of Tokusatsu have to say. After all, constructive criticism is FEEDBACK. We all need it like it or not.
Now for my own humble criticism of Super Sentai on the good side vs. bad side of these issues in Super Sentai.
The mecha tends to be too focused on toys than on plot itself. While multi-gattai was a nice concept introduced by Gaoranger (at least it had REAL plot behind most of its introductions) but the problem started with Boukenger. Boukenger yeah I still like the series but the issue can be mecha. I thought just too much mecha and most of them tend to weaken the drive for an older person. Then the problem continued with Go-onger that while I don't hate it, I tend to dislike it whenever it comes to mecha. Shinkenger is a great series but Mougyudaioh and Daigoyou were just there to be there, for toys sake and Goseiger had the mecha problem too but fortunately no more cluster mecha. For Gokaiger, it was okay since it all linked to most of the Greater Power of the Super Sentai as well. Kyoryuger gets into that too! You want multi-gattai fine, but just throwing them without a proper story can ruin the show.
Maybe most Super Sentai just gets too kiddie most of the time these days. Okay nothing wrong with some kiddie elements here and there, Super Sentai is for kids but I wish that the writers and producers will again try to appeal to the older audience in some way. As it looks like we have Naruhisa Arakawa being able to take the challenge of shifting to lighter and softer (Kamen Rider Kuuga was a darker and edgier show) to which for example in Abaranger you have Asuka reuniting with Mahoro instead of losing her like Ryu lost Maria, Dekaranger has a lot of campy (but well-timed) moments and Gokaiger is a pretty fun season, nothing wrong with that. However if you want to go with what I think is too kiddie, Go-onger happens to be one and its head writer was Junki Takegami who wrote the darker and edgier GogoV. Shinkenger while it seemed serious at first but most of its episodes usually end up with some strange humor (but I'm not complaining) and Goseiger is a weaker season but not because of it being lighter and softer. If you'll talk about trying to return to darker and edgier, Gobusters (in part) tried to do so and maybe because the kids two years after the last decade want lighter and softer, maybe that's why it didn't appeal to them that much. Sometimes I'll probably say inconsistencies of the show's tone tend to happen like how Go-onger which was supposedly a funny series ends up having a more serious finale.
Too much CGI and a lack of real action. While looking at Shinkenger's flame sword, it was pretty disappointing that we don't get to see some real flaming sword effects like we did in Bioman and Kakuranger (but it did happen in Goseiger with Gosei Great). Maybe I can also mention Gekiranger as an example. I love Gekiranger, no questions asked but it does rely a lot on CGI to the point that as much as I love it, I just can't put it above Maskman and Dairanger, both shows that really showed the raw power of the fists to a huge extent. Some of the fights I consider were considerably ruined by special effects was that of Masumi vs. Yaiba- I mean that rivalry is so intense why waste it with a lack of action and use too much special effects on it?
We could take a look at villain execution. Okay lighter and softer can be good, sometimes we need to tone down the villainy but there are times I feel like the villains can be overly idiotic or "just too generic" at times. While watching Gokaiger, I would admit that most of the villains there are "nothing special" compared to the 80s-90s villains like Radiguet and Shadam who really knew how to cause some trouble. Sometimes a show has too few villains like Gobusters or too many like Boukenger. With Gokaiger while I was expecting these guys to be downright that cruel or what, well I guess Arakawa was writing something lighter and softer so I can't expect them to be all that scary. At least Gokaiger had some drama like when Ackdos Gill was bereaved over the loss of his son Warz Gill wanting to avenge him (which also happened in Kakuranger when Daimaou arrived). For any villains I thought appealed to me as of late from last decade to present are Ura, Rasetsu, Sandaaru, Abrella, Yaiba of the Darkness, Long, Akumaro and Basco but the rest seem to slide down to being "generic" for me since it's a result of me being too stuck up.
Now for my own humble criticism of Super Sentai on the good side vs. bad side of these issues in Super Sentai.
The mecha tends to be too focused on toys than on plot itself. While multi-gattai was a nice concept introduced by Gaoranger (at least it had REAL plot behind most of its introductions) but the problem started with Boukenger. Boukenger yeah I still like the series but the issue can be mecha. I thought just too much mecha and most of them tend to weaken the drive for an older person. Then the problem continued with Go-onger that while I don't hate it, I tend to dislike it whenever it comes to mecha. Shinkenger is a great series but Mougyudaioh and Daigoyou were just there to be there, for toys sake and Goseiger had the mecha problem too but fortunately no more cluster mecha. For Gokaiger, it was okay since it all linked to most of the Greater Power of the Super Sentai as well. Kyoryuger gets into that too! You want multi-gattai fine, but just throwing them without a proper story can ruin the show.
Maybe most Super Sentai just gets too kiddie most of the time these days. Okay nothing wrong with some kiddie elements here and there, Super Sentai is for kids but I wish that the writers and producers will again try to appeal to the older audience in some way. As it looks like we have Naruhisa Arakawa being able to take the challenge of shifting to lighter and softer (Kamen Rider Kuuga was a darker and edgier show) to which for example in Abaranger you have Asuka reuniting with Mahoro instead of losing her like Ryu lost Maria, Dekaranger has a lot of campy (but well-timed) moments and Gokaiger is a pretty fun season, nothing wrong with that. However if you want to go with what I think is too kiddie, Go-onger happens to be one and its head writer was Junki Takegami who wrote the darker and edgier GogoV. Shinkenger while it seemed serious at first but most of its episodes usually end up with some strange humor (but I'm not complaining) and Goseiger is a weaker season but not because of it being lighter and softer. If you'll talk about trying to return to darker and edgier, Gobusters (in part) tried to do so and maybe because the kids two years after the last decade want lighter and softer, maybe that's why it didn't appeal to them that much. Sometimes I'll probably say inconsistencies of the show's tone tend to happen like how Go-onger which was supposedly a funny series ends up having a more serious finale.
Too much CGI and a lack of real action. While looking at Shinkenger's flame sword, it was pretty disappointing that we don't get to see some real flaming sword effects like we did in Bioman and Kakuranger (but it did happen in Goseiger with Gosei Great). Maybe I can also mention Gekiranger as an example. I love Gekiranger, no questions asked but it does rely a lot on CGI to the point that as much as I love it, I just can't put it above Maskman and Dairanger, both shows that really showed the raw power of the fists to a huge extent. Some of the fights I consider were considerably ruined by special effects was that of Masumi vs. Yaiba- I mean that rivalry is so intense why waste it with a lack of action and use too much special effects on it?
We could take a look at villain execution. Okay lighter and softer can be good, sometimes we need to tone down the villainy but there are times I feel like the villains can be overly idiotic or "just too generic" at times. While watching Gokaiger, I would admit that most of the villains there are "nothing special" compared to the 80s-90s villains like Radiguet and Shadam who really knew how to cause some trouble. Sometimes a show has too few villains like Gobusters or too many like Boukenger. With Gokaiger while I was expecting these guys to be downright that cruel or what, well I guess Arakawa was writing something lighter and softer so I can't expect them to be all that scary. At least Gokaiger had some drama like when Ackdos Gill was bereaved over the loss of his son Warz Gill wanting to avenge him (which also happened in Kakuranger when Daimaou arrived). For any villains I thought appealed to me as of late from last decade to present are Ura, Rasetsu, Sandaaru, Abrella, Yaiba of the Darkness, Long, Akumaro and Basco but the rest seem to slide down to being "generic" for me since it's a result of me being too stuck up.
Also to include, regarding to mechas. There are too many robots that transforms into only arms!!!!
ReplyDeleteGaoranger started the madness. Then Abarerangers, Kyoryugers and Gekirangers sort of followed.
Red leaders are both young and inexperienced.
Finally villains are no longer actors but suit actors and voice performers combined.
Timeranger VS Gogo V have real flame sword on
ReplyDeletemech!
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