The Importance Of The Hirohisa Soda Era Of Super Sentai

2020 is a big time to consider some milestones and major anniversaries for Toei's Toku franchises. I could say some of these anniversaries belong to an era where I'm mixed about. It's no secret that I usually prefer newer Kamen Rider and older Super Sentai even when I check opposites. Right now, I could think about how one man launched a franchise forward but was overworked that it went backward. 2020 would celebrate Fiveman's 30 anniversary - a show that may get people divided, I have shifting preferences with it due to GoGoFive, all the while I could say that Fiveman was an important experiment that GoGoFive couldn't do without.

Granted, I think I do have a bit more head-knowledge now than what I had back then. Granted, I've already seen from start to end almost everything in Soda's era. I'd say I've watched Goggle V, Dynaman, Bioman, Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Turboranger (though the rest is raw and I don't speak Japanese), and Fiveman. All these shows are what I'd call an experimental era for Super Sentai. Now, what's this guy's useful contribution? It's just too easy to have some casual fans have their cheering squads. I think some Power Rangers fans checking out Super Sentai would probably say, "Are you kidding? Yasuko Kobayashi is that important contributor!" I may compare Judd Lynn to Kobayashi but never to Soda. I even feel like both writers have overshadowed Soda without intending to do so. I think neither Lynn nor Kobayashi could be considered at the same level as Soda himself. Soda's the teacher and the two (Lynn and Kobayashi) can be imagined as students who eventually mixed Soda's style into theirs.

How're things with Soda? I could talk about the daring direction Super Sentai took because he was the head writer. One can also say that the Takeyuki Suzuki era is also an important era for innovation. I find watching some pre-Soda Super Sentai series a challenge. A good example for me is that I have to exercise extra amounts of flexibility to try and watch Goranger (which I haven't even watched halfway), JAKQ (which was super-rushed), Battle Fever J, Denziman, and Sun Vulcan. Like Sun Vulcan having a change in the main protagonist halfway is just weird. I don't think I'd even appreciate Takeyuki Hiba in Sun Vulcan if it wasn't for my huge dislike for Rocky as Jason's replacement in Mighty Morphin'. Then things started to revolutionize with Soda finally entering the fray. Well, he did have some help from Toshiki Inoue (who would save Super Sentai with Jetman but got too focused on Kamen Rider later on) and Kunio Fuji who sadly never became a head writer or did he?

Now, it's time to take a look at his shows and what I think they've done...

Dai Sentai Goggle V

Goggle V is the start of Soda's era. Did it age well? Maybe, maybe not. The show itself is pretty much overpowered. Just check how the team keeps doing a lot of team attacks aside from the team finisher or how each ranger can evolve their weapons into stronger ones. But the show itself was the start of the direction of Soda's love for science duels. The Goggle V's mission is to stop Deathdark from doing their evil experiments on humankind. Deathdark itself doesn't have much history explained except that the organization slowly emerged until the 1980s. I even felt like Fuehrer Taboo himself was just there to be there and didn't have much of a backstory. Again, I need to cut some slack because it's still his starting off series. 

What Goggle V should be noted writing-wise is Soda's love for the moral lesson of the week. I was already a teenager when I first saw this show. However, I had no idea of the sequence of Super Sentai shows and I wondered why not everyone piloted the Goggle Robo or why there was no second robo yet. I had to read through Questor magazine to find the term "Super Sentai" AND learn about its history. I had to get into the Internet and found some sites and found out Power Rangers was a localized version for American audiences. Back to topic - I'd say that the moral lessons of the week tend to overshadow the battle of good and evil science. The Deathdark were after other people's technology or doing whatever crazy plans they have to make evil science win. It's a fun ride though but for me - it's just passable and I won't really recommend it to new generation fans.

Michael Bay Kagaku Sentai Dynaman

Goggle V's success in 1982 would bring Dynaman in 1983. Though evidence of lower budget happened when Junichi Haruta was taken as another black ranger character than look for another actor. It's similar to how Kenji Ohba was both Battle Kenya and Denzi Blue in Battle Fever J and Denziman even if they were all different characters. Ohba would later get his iconic role as Gavan in 1982 - the same year as Goggle V. 

The show itself did have some breakthroughs in action direction and writing. I wonder did Shinichiro Shirakura get involved in this show? All I heard is that Shirakura was partly involved with Jetman, Zyuranger, and Dairanger. Shirakura is apparently a guy who prefers darker series and may have not been too happy with his task with Kamen Rider Zi-O. The show itself is also notorious for its heavy use of EXPLOSIONS which really has a joke name called Kayaku (Dynamite) Sentai Dynaman. Not to mention I do love to force in corny Michael Bay jokes into this show too.

Goggle V had rather very basic villains. I even felt like that Grand Marshall Deathmark didn't doo much. This time, villains were more rounded and started establishing basic conflict. For example, Prince Megiddo himself has a personal grudge with Hokuto. The clash between Deathgiller and Kenichi in Goggle V was just too basic for me. You may consider how Chimera herself is Rei's personal enemy - something that would give pink rangers a female rival. I even think Chimera's rivalry with Rei has been more entertaining to watch than Mei's rivalry with Lami in Zyuranger. Emperor Aton has the wish to attain ten tails due to some legend underground. You also have Zenobia who arrives later on to be that irritating bitch and Dark Knight (who many may have known by now who he truly is) to make things even darker.

For me, Dynaman was step-up to Goggle V by a mile.

Chodenshi Bioman

Bioman is a season that was affected by real-life circumstances. It was also a show that was seeking new plot elements such as having two female rangers instead of just one - something Domon would later joke in Timeranger's special episode. The show itself was hit by the controversy on how the two female concept was carried. Toei had a dispute with actress Yuki Yajima and her Alternative Dispute Resolution. Nobody knows the real reason why Yuki left the set. Others think she ran off with her managers. Others said that she had an issue with pay and worked somewhere else too. Fortunately, Sumiko Tanaka was found. But I can't deny that Yuki's character of Mika Koizumi was an experimental character. Mika did mention her dead brother who she sadly joined so soon due to the ADR. The tenth episode also featured a plotline that would later arrive in the Anti-Bio Particles. Fortunately, Mika's character concept didn't die off and it was carried over with Natsumi Shinohara in Carranger. Akibaranger still honors Mika as a fallen ranger in its final episode.

Moving beyond the real-life circumstances is this. Now, how are the other rangers working aside from Mika and later Jun? There are some interesting plots that were added. A good example is how Shiro can talk to animals as a result of the Bio Particles. Also, Shiro's past would play an integral role in Bioman's later episodes. Shingo himself is a racer who would later have a racer-focused episode. It's later discovered that Ryuta himself was a former bully who reformed for the better in the Prince arc of Bioman. Sadly, I think Hikaru (who was dubbed, well Kimberly in the Filipino-English and NOT Saban) is the least developed except for the moment she has a soft spot for nurses. Jun though had her plot as an Olympic archer who can't tell her coach about her secret identity. Her coach promised to abide by the superhero secret identity code of honor (or in this case, the ranger secret identity code of honor which was also in Dynaman). Also, the team didn't have a mentor. Instead, they had Peebo who still had the mental programming of a child while they are a team of adults. However, Peebo knows a lot of stuff that has helped the Biomen in their battles and matures along the way. 

Bioman has some rather interesting villains. New Empire Gear's Doctor Man is the first mad scientist  villain for Super Sentai. I also think Doctor Man was probably the only real interesting villain. At a personal level, Doctor Man for me represents my darker inner ambition as a child. There was also the triumvirate known as the Big Three. Mason the generic leader, Farah the manipulative deceiver who preferred to let Farrah Cat do the fighting, and Monster who is a dumb muscle. The Beastnoids though might be viewed as a weakness. As a child, I remembered getting annoyed at how often they retreated back to base then a giant monster shows up. The Beastnoid concept got too old quickly but would be the seed of evil Super Sentai teams. Later, the show would introduce the villain Silver who fought both Bioman and Gear. Silver has the Anti-Bio Particles which makes him the most lethal enemy of the Biomen.

Dengeki Sentai Changeman

Changeman is an important game-changer. It was still the 1980s and doing a space-themed Super Sentai with very limited CGi can be a really huge ambition. Granted, they already did with Gavan, Sharivan, Shaider, Juspion, and Spielban. Now consider how this series is another step-up un ambition by actually giving heroes who are tougher than nails. What's also interesting is that I heard it was supposed to take place in space. Hmmm... how did that idea get into Power Rangers with Power Rangers in Space in the 1990s?

Changeman is for me one amazing series though I only saw it as an adult. The heroes are tougher than nails for this reason. They are all soldiers trained in the military for one special purpose. Commander Ibuki forced people through rigorous training and felt like a monster at the beginning. However, the real purpose was to unlock the Earth Force to battle the arrival of the Space Empire Gozma as it seeks to make Earth part of its takeover. The five heroes see their comrades run off and get butchered by the Gozma. The five survivors gain the power of Earth Force. I guess it's a message quitters die huh? Commander Ibuki then reveals a lot of stuff he's prepared to fight off the invaders.

I think Changeman's dynamics do change a lot. Tsurugi is a baseball player. Shou is a playboy who joined the military for a dumb reason but became a hero. Yuuma is well the youngest of the team who dreams of opening a tonkatsu restaurant. Sayaka is the first female white ranger and an inventor. Mai herself is hardly the stereotypical pink ranger. The rangers also have formed interesting rivalries with the villains.

I love the villains in Changeman for how threatening they can be as a united alliance of evil. A good example is their leader Star King Bazoo as the supposed Grand Monarch of All Evil. Bazoo shows he means business with his ray of damnation or threatening to destroy the home planets of his subordinates should they fail. Giluke himself is the second-in-command yet had a background for initially trying to overthrow Bazoo. Buuba himself becomes Tsurugi's rival and would later be the noble demon. Shiima herself is a brainwashed and evil villain who finds redemption at the end. Ahames later arrives as a dangerous villain who bitches everyone for her own benefit while still being fiercely loyal to her planet. 

Choshinsei Flashman

Flashman itself takes ambition to a whole new level. Last year was supposedly focused on space but instead, the MILITARY took over. I would say that Flashman itself has a new level of ambition that's hard to replicate. Okay, it's easy to think about maybe Lost Galaxy or Kyuranger for space. However, no one should deny Flashman itself as an important groundbreaking series.

The series itself has a different set of rangers. Rather than rangers trained on Earth - they were trained in space. Nope, they aren't astronauts. Instead, they were five children from Earth namely Jin, Dai, Bun, Sara, and Lou. The background stories aren't as good except that they are searching for their parents. Jin is willing to let go of that chance since he sees the battle with Mess is more important than their feelings. They also did another team robot mentor named Mag. I dunno what's with Soda and using a team robot mentor who is pretty much like a child genius than one who thinks like an adult? 

The villains themselves are the Reconstructive Empire Mess. Mess itself aims to perform sinister genetic experiments across the Universe. Its leader Ra Deus is what I'd call a more elaborate version of Taboo from Goggle V. The villain Great Professor Keflen is one amazing hidden troll that menaces the cast throughout the series. The villains Wanda, Nefel, and Garus are reconstructive monsters who perform field duties. Later, we see the badass SOB Sir Kaura show up with his Alien Hunters. Sir Kaura may be a threat but he also has his sense of honor. Keflen's dark secret would play a role in showing the wickedness of humanity. 

Like Bioman, Flashman was involved with heavy doses of science too. I'd say that the moral lessons of the week usually involve family and origins. One can also have it that Professor Tokimura is not just a random mad scientist with an obsession with aliens. Tokimura has lost a child of his and brilliantly writes himself into the plot. Tokimura also has a couple of times helped the Flashmen whenever he appeared.

Hikari Sentai Maskman

If Bioman was my first then Maskman was my second. I remembered how this show didn't immediately click with me due to how serious it was. The show itself moves to a whole new level by introducing star-crossed romance into the plot. Yup, Soda himself, not Inoue, wrote the first love story in Super Sentai. While I do think the romance itself wasn't so well-used but it was the start. Takeru's love story with Ial was pretty much the driving force of conflict in the show. Not to mention, the show does seem to have the problem of becoming red-centric. Though it was that red-centricity that made Takeru my first favorite red ranger!

The show itself has an unusual arrangement since the rangers have been arranged before the show began. The show has Takeru falling in love with Mio who is actually Princess Ial of Tube. The heroes do seem to have less of a backstory. Kenta though has the backstory where he had a dream car. Akira himself is the only teenager of the show and grew in a single-parent home. Haruka is a female ninja who didn't have a normal childhood. Momoko was pretty much the show muse though she had a backstory of meeting the deceased true queen of Tube.

The villains do have a darker backstory. Zeba is a mysterious usurper who took YEARS to establish his kingdom. Igam is the true heir of the throne but blindly follows Zeba. Also, Igam is a woman pretending to be a man but most people can't spot it due to men in Tube also wearing lipstick. Baraba is a gruff villain aided by Oyobur. Also, Fumin is a female ninja a close ally to Igam. Was Fumin there to guard Igam's secret identity or what? Later, we have Kiros who arrives as an initial ally of Tube but would later be in conflict on both sides. Kiros plays as Takeru's foil in many ways. Takeru represents pure love while Kiros represents lust. 

So how is Maskman important for later seasons? One could consider that it inspired aura power and martial arts. I remembered forcibly comparing it to Shinkenger though only three out of five characters have similarities. Was Shinken Red purposely renamed Takeru too? It also gave us Dairanger and later Gekiranger as two really badass martial arts shows. I'd say that Maskman, Dairanger, and Gekiranger is the martial arts trilogy of Super Sentai. I'd say try checking them all out and choose which of the three is your favorite.

Chojuu Sentai Liveman

Before Hurricanger, there was Liveman with nearly the same setting. Liveman would be the last of Soda's scientific installments. Bioman dealt with robotics and Flashman with life manipulation. In the case of Liveman - it presents some rather darker, serious issues as the show goes on. The heroes and the villains have a very closely-knit history - something Soda didn't do so much in the past.

The history of Liveman has the original trio Yuusuke, Megumi, and Jou with their friends Kemp, Mazenda, and Obular. Great Professor Bias turns their friends into the worst they could get. It was interesting to see how Kemp, Mazenda, and Obular turned into science without conscience. Great Professor Bias as a god complex going on for him. The original trio would massacre their own classmates for more knowledge. The first episode opens up with a massacre. Compare that to the CGI massacre of students in Hurricanger. Great Professor Bias himself shows just how brutal science without conscience is - something the Liveman team battles as science with conscience. They are aided with Colon who was left to them by their professor to help them. Later, two more Livemen join up namely Junichi and Tatsuya. The Livemen must learn the difference between revenge and justice in order to save the day.

I think the villains themselves are an interesting bunch. Great Professor Bias' history isn't too well-established which I think is a weakness. I was expecting maybe Bias would have been the long-lost brother to the Academia professor or something. Instead, he is a bit backward unlike Doctor Man in Bioman who had a rather good backstory. Kemp was once best friends with Yuusuke. Mazenda was once Yuusuke's first love but later turned herself into a cyborg. Kemp and Obular represent the manipulation of life. Obular himself was a child who never had a normal childhood. Obular was later replaced by Ashura who had a mathematical disorder. Two more generals were added who felt like they were aliens but were just mechanical constructs. Later, Obular or should we say Gou finding comfort in God (and some episodes do drop it a lot) prove how Volt's vast knowledge only lead to more stupidity. While some may say that it could lead to controversy - I think Gou's newfound faith is a vital key to defeating Volt. Volt's existence was somehow showing how science without conscience is meaningless. 

Kosoku Sentai Turboranger

Soda himself would be departing from the science theme and seeking new themes. I'd say Soda or better yet Toei was trying to Shift Into Turbo with Turboranger. I know I've had a shaky stand in this series though it's safe to say that I's still prefer its car magic over Carranger. Soda was starting to show signs of burning out. The series is also having some controversies such as the Bouma Realingment Arc which was probably due to executive meddling above all else.

Turboranger itself takes a new turn. Rather than adults, it's the first true ranger show that featured teenagers with attitude. It just made me WTF as to why Seelon would choose TEENAGERS who are still obligated to study a lot of difficult lessons. In this case, their class adviser Misa is a Math teacher and we know it isn't an easy subject. Misa is constantly worried about them as they miss classes. The heroes are somewhat randomly picked to fight the Bouma tribes. The plot has it that human wanton destruction of nature led to the events of the show. The Turborangers must fight off the villains who are freed after 20,000 years.

What could be a step backward for Turboranger are the heroes. It's not just because they're teenagers with attitude. Their problem is that they're Turborangers. Apparently, Dr. Dazai wrote the three rules of Super Sentai secrecy. These rules are not to play with your Turbo Brace as a day, use your powers for defense, and NEVER let anyone know you're a Turboranger. Riki himself was once a decent (but not an outstanding guy) but his grades dropped since the day he became a Turboranger. Daichi himself is still a good guy. Well, Youehi is practically the lowest of the group with the poorest performance. Shohei himself would later have a backstory that wasn't really explored later on. Haruna herself though tends to be the show eye candy more often than not when it's not her focus episode. 

The villains though do have a lot to be desired. Their backstory is that 20,000 years ago they were enemies of ancient mankind. They were sealed off but modern-day pollution opened a can of worms. Their release would multiply the wickedness of humans even more. Ragorn himself the grand emperor of evil. Rehda is the wiseman and it's sad that his actor the late Masashi Ishibashi wasn't utilized until the midseason finale. Zimba and Jarmin are portrayed to be hate-loving individuals. Zimba though had a backstory of being a Bouma rejected by a human but it wasn't fully explored. I think Zimba and Jarmin were probably meant to be a couple showing an irony that they hate human love even they have loved ones. Jarmin felt sad that Zimba died. Zulten though for me is the show's weakness since he was just there to be clobbered up. Later, the Nagare Bouma members Yamimaru and Kirika were both outcasts and took over the second half. The Nagare Bouma story was said to be there as a game-changer. Though, the series started showing more weakness proving Soda was already on the verge of a burnout.

However, Turboranger should NOT be discarded at all. Turboranger would be very essential for the rise of Megaranger. Megaranger would be the second Super Sentai series to feature teens with attitude but only done better. Turboranger for me would also probably be better received than Carranger ever will in the long run. 

Chikyu Sentai Fiveman

Sadly, Soda's era came into collision with Fiveman. I was really shocked to learn Fiveman (a show which is part of my childhood) nearly died with this show. You can imagine just how this show nearly ended the franchise. I think the toys were just one. Another is making Soda write when he's burnt out was another. So what Soda did was trying to rely on past successes. One can even say Toei does have the bad habit of burning out its writers. It's also that inevitable time when writers burn out and Fiveman is no exemption to the rule. 

Fiveman was the first sibling Super Sentai. It's an ambitious concept but the show was lacking it. While the show's heroes are indeed likable but some episodes are just questionable. While there was the good episode of Ken beating a monster by himself unmorphed but more episodes just felt like they catered to children more than the older audience. While there are fun moral lessons of the week but I think the show just raised the eyebrows of longtime fans. A lot of stuff just got out of hand such as the fortunately short-lived Fiveman puppets. Though the Hoshikawa siblings themselves just become not so well-used in contrast to how GoGoFive would handle them. 

The villains themselves leave a lot to be desired. I think a lot of twists such as Empress Meadow's true identity just throws potential out of the window. For instance, I just love to say that GoGoFive's Grandienne is Meadow done right. The villains in Fiveman are mostly rehashes of Soda's old works and didn't do much. Garoa started out as a genuine threat like Giluke but would later end up as a brute force laughingstock. The show's midseason villain Chevalier may be more aggressive but he's nearly just as stupid as Garoa. Dordora and Zaza tend to be cardboard copies of Farrah and Farrah Cat. Dongoros was just another dumb villain who was forgettable. The Ginga Sentai Gingaman villain are a waste of space. In fact, I feel like a lot of the villains end up as a serious waste of space.

However, I just don't want to deny that Soda's collapse also brought in new opportunities. I still feel that no matter how low my view of Fiveman has become - it's still that essential series that brought in GoGoFive. GoGoFive felt like a season where people finally learned what went wrong with Fiveman and finally fixed it. I'd still say it may be my least favorite Soda season but it's still an important season nonetheless.