I Think Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters Has Better Execution Than Power Rangers RPM

I keep hearing of how great the super-rushed Power Rangers RPM is. I can't really compare RPM to the rather goofy happy-go-lucky Engine Sentai Go-Onger. Instead, I think I can compare it to a series that came a few years later namely Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. The references from Power Rangers can be seen such as every robot is called a Megazord (though Timeranger had an enemy mecha called G-Zord), the phrase "It's Morphin' Time" and a sentient computer virus for an enemy. I may not consider Go-Busters to be a perfect series but so far -- I think it's my favorite post-Gokaiger Super Sentai. I do like Kyuranger but I think Go-Busters still gets better -- maybe because cause it's Yasuko Kobayashi? Maybe, maybe not.

With the upcoming Beast Morphers series (and I wonder if Hasbro can pull it off) -- I felt like I wanted to write this article in response. I know RPM did the doomsday thing where the enemies won from the beginning, I wish it happened in Go-Busters where Tokyo Dome is the only last safe haven on Earth, that the Messiah virus has taken over and caused havoc all over the world prior to the events of said show, I do still complain about Hiromu's chicken phobia is never well-developed (and we seriously needed a Chicken Metaroid), how Toshiki Inoue could've served as a secondary writer (though Kamen Rider Kiva is where he burnt out) and I thought that the show isn't perfect. I still think Mirai Sentai Timeranger is Kobayashi's Magnum Opus while Go-Busters does suffer from almost the same issues as Kamen Rider Faiz does for me -- both Inoue and Kobayashi were trying to make it their most serious work but you've got weaker finales and the tendency to beat around the bus is really there!

But enough of that... let's get down to the meat!

I always felt like using Go-Onger as the source material of the supposedly much more serious Power Rangers RPM is stupid. Yup, the truth of the matter is that maybe one reason why I can't take Power Rangers all that seriously or even like it is to how Super Sentai fight footage is always getting mixed with the American suitless fight footage. Want a better adaptation of Japanese shows? South Korean shows and Chinese shows based on Japanese shows make their own footage from start to end -- check out South Korea's City Hunter as a good example! No footage from the City Hunter Anime was used for said adaptation! Then you've got a lot of crazy Go-Onger footage being used for RPM -- which is supposedly more serious! Then I thought of how Go-Busters as imperfect as it is -- it's still the better show than RPM!

I wouldn't dare say that the Messiah virus is a million times better than Venjix (both would still be owned by Enter) -- I thought the difference lies in the development space. Venjix just got owned in the most stupid way possible -- a building drop? The Messiah virus showed itself to have more horror materials. Defeated the first time? Turns out that he still exists in the form of the Messiah cards! He even went as far as to send Escape to cause trouble with one new form after the other. Sure, he was finally destroyed on Christmas Eve (and leaving Enter to finally become the final villain) but I thought he had more development than Venjix ever had or would have. While I wanted him to return in the finale inside Enter's body -- I still think he's been more developed than Venjix ever was!


Perhaps another thing where I think Go-Busters actually got better than RPM is with Jin Masato. I heard that RPM had a drafted but rejected script with Dillon would eventually have to be destroyed to defeat the Venjix Virus. Enter does finally cause the biggest dilemma where the data card is now inside Hiromu's body that would allow the said villain to regenerate several times! What's interesting was that both Jin and Dillon are no longer human. Jin would later sacrifice his own body and any more chances to live so Enter can be destroyed.

The finale itself had a better impact as flawed as it is. While I still personally think Kobayashi's finales are not all that special -- I think the way Go-Busters wrapped itself up towards the finale is still better than RPM. Sure, that whole chicken-scare thing wasn't gotten rid of (which is just dumb) but I thought the way Enter was handled was better. The Go-Busters added drama with Jin's sacrifice and the Go-Busters finally giving it their whole effort to defeat Enter for good was better. There was no stupid "Let's just drop a building on Enter!" I know the finale ain't all that spectacular but the amount of development space for Go-Busters' 50-episode run makes it better than RPM's 32-episode run. Yup, still remember the rushed Power Rangers seasons under Disney?

Yeah, I know I wanted the finale where the Go-Busters actually defeat Enter and say, "We did it! We've saved the Earth!" Such a scene should be followed by people from the dome city of Tokyo start to move out to rehabilitate the world after reclaiming it from Vaglass. 

I know I've had some wishful thinking which is just wishful thinking. Still I feel it's done almost everything better than RPM in the long run.