I'd like to write about why I prefer Abaranger over what I call the overrated Dino Thunder. I know I sound like a snob but I'm just sharing my preferences with some reasons to back it up with. Hopefully, I'll be able to defend it better as to why I like Super Sentai over Power Rangers even if I acknowledge both are part of Toei's list of intellectual properties.
It's pretty much its own continuity
Just hearing Tommy was returning made me think that guy is overused. I'm glad that Tommy didn't appear in Dino Charge. Even if Judd Lynn was already burnt out but at least he kept Dino Charge much less dependent on previous shows. When it comes to the dinosaur Super Sentai trilogy - you didn't need to watch all three in sequence. Abaranger doesn't rely on Zyuranger's folklore and everything starts afresh. Kyoryuger didn't have to rely on Abaranger and Zyuranger. In short, that's the beauty of having your own continuity because new innovative ideas end up becoming easier to implement than relying on a timeline.
Better cast of main characters
The cast of Dino Thunder isn't all that bad. Super Sentai tends to have jerkass characters like in Timeranger (and the Time Force characters tend to have better personalities like Jen's less cold than Yuuri). For Dino Thunder, another of my problems would not limit itself to Tommy but also to Connor. Connor appeared to be pretty much ethnocentric, ignorant, and arrogant. Ryouga may be an idiot but he's not ignorant, ethnocentric, and arrogant. I find Kira prettier than Ranru but I'm more attracted to the latter's personality.
Better plot pacing
I think Power Rangers tends to be rushed with the 32-40 episode format tends to rush things a lot. Abaranger manages to take its time to let the characters develop as they should. I think the whole Disney era of Power Rangers just gave us a lot of rushed seasons. Super Sentai takes it not too fast and not too slow. Abaranger managed to spread out the development better than Dino Thunder.
No Cassidy and Devin
What I like about Super Sentai is the tendency not to add comic relief characters that do almost nothing. Mighty Morphin' rewatches tend to be painful IMO because of stuff like Skull's advances towards Kimberly. Cassidy and Devin hardly do anything and the fact they're recurring characters makes me want to ditch Dino Thunder altogether.
Perhaps my top favorite reason is NO JASON DAVID FRANK
Tommy was once my favorite ranger as a kid. It doesn't make sense to still like him after I watched more Super Sentai. Burai beats him, Kou beats him, Gorou Hoshino beats him Kyousuke Jinnai beats him and Asuka beats him in terms of character execution. Hiroshi Miyauchi is a real legend compared to this guy. Just seeing him at the Power Rangers movie premiere is a nightmare. Good thing he got kicked out of the premiere night for trying to take a snapshot when it's not allowed. Hopefully, he's cut out of the Power Rangers equation permanently because he does nothing but eclipse the true legends in his own camp. Greatest Power Rangers ever? Not on my watch! There are better Power Rangers characters out there who are much better than he is.
Judd Lynn isn't burned out btw it's Sara and Alwyn Dale
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ. Quality has been slipping and it's no different from what happened to Hirohisa Soda, Toshiki Inoue and Yasuko Kobayashi.
DeleteIronically, a good point of Dino Thunder to me is that despite being a Tommy fan, I don't care for him eclipsing the other members of the cast. Which yeah unlike Super Megafail does do it's fanservice well, but not at the expense of making a good show.
ReplyDeleteIt's even best demonstrated when Tommy has less screentime in the subplot of being stuck in his morphed form, and as such the cast easily holds attention without him.
If Super Megaforce was handled like DT, then it could have still been good even with limits to the budget.