Do You Still Feel Your Kiddie Show Sunday Spirit When You Hear The Catchphrase "Super Hero Time"?

It's been something that bothers my mind every now and then. Part of me tends to think that I was "too old" for Super Sentai whenever I'm looking at other new school stuff worth checking out. I just think of the "Super Hero Time" sound and I'm somehow taken back to the 90s at least in my mind. But this time, I feel like every time I hear "Super Hero Time" my inner child still wants to shout out loud like I did in the 90s, "IT'S KIDDIE SHOW SUNDAY!" or "Kiddie show Sunday! Kiddie show Sunday!". While I don't do it openly but I still feel like doing it. Okay, that's just gone too far if I still do it right? I mean, what's wrong with being an adult who still watches Super Sentai and Kamen Rider as long as they're responsible citizens? That would be better than teenagers who think they know everything, want to act like they're adults but they are wrecking themselves one way or another. 

So why do I feel the urge to write this post though I wasn't able to complete it immediately? It's not just because of Keisuke Minami a 32 year old Japanese Drama actor but also because Yukari Taki who is turning 30 years old is also part of the Kamen Rider Build cast. I thought I turned "too old" for Super Sentai after Go-Busters but boy was I just so dead wrong. For one, even if I did feel momentarily bored with new school Super Sentai while i was still enjoying most new school Kamen Rider after Fourze. Kamen Rider Wizard was somewhat entertaining though next year's Kamen Rider Gaim is pretty good. Kamen Rider Drive is part of my wish come true to have a police-themed Kamen Rider but when am I going to get a Spiderman-themed one or a ninja Kamen Rider series? Kamen Rider Ghost does make you want to learn history even as an adult. Kamen Rider EX-AID is fun. 

How's Kyuranger as a Super Sentai for me? Well I was afraid I wasn't going to enjoy it due to the character overload. But if I could actually enjoy Dairugger XV over Golion (while I preferred Lion Voltron over Vehicle Voltron as a child) then why not Kyuranger? It was going to be a very different Super Sentai in some way. I felt like it as a "breath of fresh air" to have a more different direction than usual. Sure, Lucky may be stupid but I think he's better carried out than Takaharu in Ninninger. I think Lucky is tolerable considering I could actually endure some idiot characters like Kenta Date in Megaranger, Yousuke Shina in Hurricanger or Kyousuke Jinnai in Carranger (both my favorites from their respective series). I think Lucky's mantra does actually help him cope up while Tsurugi Ootori is pretty much different. Right now, my favorite is "old man" Tsurugi after my favorite used to be Stinger.

You may ask what do I mean by a "way more different direction". Most of the time, Super Sentai always has an invading army that always fails because of their lack of common sense. In the case of Kyuranger, it's almost like Star Wars where the villains won before the show even started. Don Armage succeeded in conquering the Universe beforehand. The show also seems to take place in the year 2317. So while it's still 2017 but Kyuranger is most likely in the year 2317 judging by Tsurugi's hibernation period. The series doesn't focus on half-brained plots but on space travel and seeking to overthrow an empire that has already ruled the world. They must seek to liberate not just Earth but an entire Universe. Though it's not the first time Super Sentai had a "different direction" considering much has happened from 1975 up to 2317 errrr 2017.

I don't think I'd be easily get bored with new school Kamen Rider for a reason compared to how I think it's a chore to watch most Showa era Rider shows. While Heisei Kamen Rider isn't getting better all the time but it tries to get better all the time. Even if next year may not be as good as last year but what's important is to continuously seek to improve and try new stuff. I thought Kamen Rider EX-AID was a fun show in itself with some medical drama kicked in. This time, we have a genius physicist who's got amnesia and what could be a more serious setting. Japan Info even thinks that Kamen Rider these days may appeal to older audiences and children at the same time. For me, I can't view Heisei era Kamen Rider seasons to be all that "kiddie" even with all the lighthearted seasons involved. A good example is that Kamen Rider Fourze feels more like it's written for teenagers instead of seven year olds.

I'm expecting great things from Kamen Rider Build though I feel I should put a low bar for now. The reason why I think Build is interesting in its first two episodes is built on the science fiction elements. One is the interesting Sky Wall phenomenon which divided Japan into three. The other is how the main hero actually collects materials from the Smash. Sento Kiryu does the experiments all the while he seeks to know his past. He doesn't even know what happened last ten years. I have a hunch he may have caused the whole chaos in the first place. It's just a hunch but who knows. It could have been an agent of the Smash who started the whole problem Japan in their continuity is now facing. 

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So I gave a thought maybe, I have taken a backseat with Tokusatsu in general because there's still a lot of new school stuff worth exploring. But it doesn't mean my Kiddie Show Sunday spirit has been totally extinguished. It's still there, it can be ignited but as said there's always a time for everything. I can take a short break from what I like when I get taste fatigue then come back to it later. But that Kiddie Show Sunday spirit isn't as strong as it used to be but somehow, it's still there. I still feel the urge to shout it out loud even when I feel I shouldn't. Even if I don't talk about it in public but I still feel I want to do it at the privacy of my house. 

Then again some of my favorites tend to encourage me I'm not too old. Maybe one of them is my imaginary "onee-san" or big sister Nao Nagasawa who's now a family woman complete with a son and a daughter. I can't deny how she still remembers her Tokusatsu days and she's somehow an inspiration for me in that area. The Dekaranger cast members grouped together not just for 10 Years After  but also for Gavan vs. Dekaranger. I think how Ryuji Sainei's now a married man and Ayumi Kinoshita got married before him. Somehow, last decade's celebrities tend to indirectly encourage me in some way to still feel that inner child that wants to say "Kiddie Show Sunday" when the catchphrase "Super Hero Time" is made. 

What about you, do you still feel the urge to shout "KIDDIE SHOW SUNDAY!" when you hear the catchphrase "Super Hero Time!"?