Which Do You Think Is Yasuko Kobayashi's Super Sentai Magnum Opus?

Perhaps one of the most overrated head writers back then is Yasuko Kobayashi. I would say that it's because Hirohisa Soda's era of Super Sentai didn't get translated immediately. If Power Rangers has Judd Lynn then Super Sentai has Kobayashi. Just thinking how the two probably get more credit than they deserve. I feel they even unintentionally overshadow Soda - a writer whose contributions to Super Sentai brought it out of the basic cardboard formula into better development. ThRis also leads some people to wonder which is her Super Sentai Magnum Opus? Answers may differ. In my case, people know my favorite will still be Timeranger. My least favorite from her is still ToQGer. However, they are just personal preferences and I can respect negative opinions on Timeranger and positive opinions on ToQGer. Now, it's time to consider the times she became Super Sentai's head writer.

Seijuu Sentai Gingaman

Gingaman is Kobayashi's first time to be a Super Sentai head writer. Before that, she was an important contributor to Megaranger. I still remember how Sentai Bandicoot expressed his love for this series and why it's his favorite. In my case, I do still like it but my preference for it has waned in some way. Sure, it's better than Shinkenger but I'd pick Timeranger over it. I think Kobayashi was given this series to be her first due to her Megaranger episodes. She did have help from Junki Takegami and Naruhisa Arakawa who were with her in Megaranger. She would proceed to write 11 episodes for GoGoFive. 

The show contains some mythological ideas from Zyuranger (tribes) while they derived powers from an extraterrestrial source (the Ginga Beasts). The enemies are from space though it's weird how they're riding an ancient pirate ship. I think Gingaman is a pretty weird show that I grew to love. The word "Ginga" means galaxy yet it had more of the nature motif while using powers from alien mecha that came to Earth long ago. Are the people of the Ginga Forest actually aliens? They're too different from normal humans. It ends up with the Gingamen actually trying to adjust to modern society with Yuuta and his father as their guide. Meanwhile, the Balban do have their quest to revive Daitanic where they end up doing rather weird stuff in the quest for its revival. The Balban have character arc villains (like Goranger and the earlier Kamen Rider series of the Showa era).

How does it stand out as a masterpiece? Somehow, I think it's an acquired taste on its own. Some people actually grow to like it while others tend to still compare it to Lost Galaxy. Others who still like Lost Galaxy have thankfully learned to examine it on its own merit. In my case, I didn't think about Lost Galaxy at all watching this show. I think the show is still really fun to watch on its own but not as fun as my favorite, Timeranger. 

Mirai Sentai Timeranger

Some hail it to be Kobayashi's Magnum Opus while others don't. It's far too known how I've got some extreme favoritism for this show. Good thing I was able to watch this show without thinking too much about Time Force. Time Force had potential but ended up having Metalder's problem of rushing things due to the episode count. I think this show gets its appreciation but it took some time. There were the poor quality subs then there were the TV-Nihon subs. Over-Time never got to finish it and then came the Shout! Factory DVD release. Timeranger itself is a highly ambitious series though I find myself thinking GoGoFive was a better trip. 

Timeranger itself introduced new concepts. For one, the heroes were focused on fighting against fate. The villains themselves are a typical gangster given a sci-fi upgrade. Don Dolnero was more focused on amassing wealth than world domination. Lila, well, I think she's a flaw in the writing. The backstory of Gien as a cyborg losing his sanity was also interesting. The show also had some family conflicts and Kobayashi is known for writing important relatives. Timeranger had the father/son conflict between Tatsuya and his dad Wataru. Later, we'd know more about Yuuri's dead family and Domon's siblings. There's also a ranger dying of the Osiris syndrome. The sixth ranger Naoto is more of an anti-hero who never officially joins the team but becomes a reluctant ally. The show was trying to have a fight against fate itself as the series went on. There are lots of gray areas the show has to offer that it's better to watch it yourself.

For me, it's been an ambitious sprawling tapestry that became a masterpiece. It can get untidy in some way but it also gives a lot of good stories. I still feel there are some little parts to nitpick while I praise it for its high amounts of ambition. The story itself can be mess but also ambitious. There's also Kobayashi trying to make complex layers or trying new stuff. I also like how the show really was more ambitious than usual in the storytelling department. It's hard to talk about Timeranger without revealing some good revelations. Maybe, that's why it's my favorite of Kobayashi's series. 

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

No ten years after? Well, I'm kind of relieved actually not to get a comeback movie. I'll confess I actually disliked the Dekaranger return movie. I always wondered about it whether or not Shinkenger is truly an instant classic like Jetman. The series gets held in high regard. It's one of the Super Sentai series that had some fansubs (which TV-Nihon did first before Over-Time) so reaching out to non-Japanese speakers to Super Sentai became a thing. It was also my actual first exposure to Kobayashi as a writer of Super Sentai. My first actual exposure was Kamen Rider Ryuki - back when I had no idea who the writers, producers, or even stuntmen were. What do you expect from a guy who only knew who Kazuo Niibori was through Akibaranger?

Why Shinkenger is that well-liked is no surprise. It's not just because of the English subtitles that fixed language barriers. I could even dare agree that the characters of Shinkenger are more likable than Timeranger. Takeru Shiba may be aloof yet he only does it to protect others. Ryunosuke tends to be the comic relief (due to how his element is water yet he's always blazing) and somewhat of a team genius. Mako tends to fire the sarcastic or witty retort without being a bitch. Kotoha is a young ranger who got drafted due to unfortunate circumstances. Chiaki is pretty much a guy who is still young yet learning. Genta was later added as another comic relief and Takeru's childhood friend. I felt Genta was probably just there for toy sales than plot material. I think Genta was pretty much a testing ground for a ranger wannabe who becomes a ranger. Gai Ikari would later get that in Gokaiger. 

How does this series stand out to me as a masterpiece? For me, it's sort of overrated even if I still like it. Good characters are present yet I feel there was a plot stall in the middle. Some episodes felt more like, "We've gotta sell Bandai merchandise." such as Daigoyou and the Mougyudaioh Arc. I felt like Kobayashi was trying to improve Soda's episodes in Maskman and Ohranger with a rampaging robot. For me, the insertion of Mougyudaioh felt more random than the Galaxy Robo arc (Maskman) and the introduction of Red Puncher. There wasn't much of a reason for producers to insert Mougyudaioh except "Gotta sell toys!" huh? I used to think it was Kobayashi's best until I saw more of Gingaman and Timeranger. Though some fans still feel it's the right balance of serious and comedy like Power Rangers Time Force. 

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

A show that I was initially afraid to admit I liked due to some opinions here and there. Yet overtime, it has developed a devoted fanbase. Before ToQGer had its devoted fanbase - NEVER forget about Go-Busters. I was thinking of how there was a comparison between Go-Busters and Power Rangers RPM. I did try watching RPM though it sadly got rushed with just 32 half-hour episodes. RPM also had some issues such as sudden writer change. Lynn became RPM's writer. In 2012, we had Kobayashi as the writer of Go-Busters. Later, we've got Lynn as the writer of the still ongoing Beast Morphers project. Coincidence cycle?

Go-Busters was also trying to go back to darker and edgier after Gokaiger. However, the move may not be so smart if you consider that Super Sentai has been using the lighter and softer formula a lot more these days. I guess lighter and softer sells more, huh? Go-Busters also started showing signs of Kobayashi running out of charge. I've mentioned how I think the Go-Onger finale was better implemented than RPM's. I think Go-Busters' finale isn't much either. Kobayashi, like Inoue, isn't really that good with finales either. Until now, I still wish Go-Busters took place in a post-apocalyptic world where 2012 AD has the Messiah Virus enslaving humanity. I wanted Akihabara to become the only last safe haven for humanity. I also wanted to have the Go-Busters an assembled team that would seek to reclaim the world from Vaglass. I guess all the malicious rumors that the world would end in 2012 may have caused it not to be like that. 

How does Go-Busters fare overall? It's pretty much trying to focus on quality over quantity. I really do think the characterization started to fizzle out eventually. True, there are some interesting backstories and the like but I think Timeranger had better characterization. I still think that it's also missed potential. Yet, it really did develop a devoted fanbase in some way. In my case, I'm still glad that I ended up liking Go-Busters. Like Kamen Rider Faiz, I can enjoy it but I can't deny that writers were simply starting to run out of ideas while writing it. 

Ressha Sentai ToQGer

Kobayashi's last known head writing job, right? I'd call this series the "seed of Kiramager". I was getting overdosed with Super Sentai since 2013, and taking a break has been beneficial to my head. I initially didn't like this show though it ended up with a devoted fanbase. I've been reading Dryed Mangoez and the author himself wrote his own defense of ToQGer.  If anything, I could actually respect the fanbase even if this show happens to be my least favorite of Kobayashi's list of Super Sentai series where she's the head writer. I did eventually watched it at my own pace and discovered the positive side of it.

I could talk on and on about how Kobayashi just needed a break. However, there are some things I could talk about positively about it now. For one, the Railroad Day Award is still well-deserved. Japanese children knowing about the importance of trains in their country is very important. I could also consider the likable characters and how they develop along the way. There's some goofiness but isn't it that goofiness makes a superhero show fun to watch? I think them trying to import Kamen Rider Kiva's into Super Sentai is also a nice try. The likable characters and some entertaining villains (especially Zetto who gets hammy and badass) are IMHO good reasons to actually like the show. 

Should it be considered as a masterpiece and a textbook example of what Sentai should be? I can't really say. However, I've ended up warming up to it in some way even if it's not that much for me. Still, it deserves some love and respect, right? 

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In my case, if I'll rank my favorites from first to last they would be - (1) Timeranger, (2) Gingaman, (3) Shinkenger, (4) Go-Busters, and (5) ToQGer based on my personal preferences.