Just Because I Dislike Power Rangers Doesn't Mean I'd Say Super Sentai Is Flawless

 

It's really no doubt that I tried to hide how much I ended up disliking the Power Rangers franchise. My reasons have been such as the overextension of Mighty Morphin' (which makes the rumor it was supposedly more popular than Zyuranger in Japan a lie, it was Jetman and Dairanger that actually overshadowed it) into three seasons (which made it REALLY PAINFUL to rewind), how Zeo ended up just a continuation in contrast to how Ohranger is an entirely new series, I even think Turbo itself really just got messy especially with a midseason change, I think Space is overrated even if it did save the franchise, the pacing is usually rushed due to the seasons having less than a year run in the past, the Disney's very rushed seasons, and how Nickelodeon is forcibly splitting it into TWO SEASONS when it should be just one. Need I mention that I also find the use of Super Sentai fight footage and mixing it with their own fight footage awkward? I mean, think how the out-of-suit American footage can get everyone transported to JAPAN in a flick. Yet, I also accept that Toei Ltd. is also behind it. Though, I still feel I want to argue, "Yes it's legal but it's lazy to simply pay footage than film everything themselves!" 

In my case, watching a lot of old and new Super Sentai entries (and I don't find myself enjoying Zenkaiger unlike last year's Kiramager or Gokaiger from 10 years ago) can really cause me to change a lot of opinions to formulate towards the Power Rangers franchise. Watching the pre-Zyuranger era even changes my mind a lot - even made me think lesser about Power Rangers. Good examples would include how watching Turboranger just makes me think of Mighty Morphin' as an old shame. Why I even dropped my fascination for Lost Galaxy is rather absurd - it wasn't Gingaman but Flashman that caused it! Maybe, I need to really say that my criticism of Mighty Morphin' was further increased because of how Peebo from Bioman was better implemented than Alpha Five ever was. Zyuranger may not be solid gold for me but it's still been a better rewatch than Mighty Morphin' IMHO. Even more, the return of Saban Brands with Samurai and Megaforce just made the source materials Shinkenger, Goseiger, and Gokaiger really more fun of a rewatch as both seasons really dipped too hard!

However, it doesn't mean that Super Sentai doesn't have its flaws whether it's older or newer Super Sentai

Some older Super Sentai may not be someone's cup of tea. Some people may end up finding newer Super Sentai to be cheesy. I even wanted to leave Super Sentai as early as the 2000s. I still managed to enjoy some newer Super Sentai. Though, we need to remember some Super Sentai series that also got berated in the past. JAKQ was overshadowed by Goranger and it got rushed into just 35 episodes presumably due to lack of popularity. It took two years before Sentai started the yearly run and both Goranger and JAKQ were only retroactively added during the 1990s. Fiveman is really infamous for becoming the near-franchise killer. Ohranger and Carranger were two years of lower ratings for Super Sentai in the 1990s. I can't really appreciate Ohranger if it wasn't for Zeo's existence! Carranger does get berated though it got vindicated (eventually) to the point that a lie was made it "saved" Super Sentai when it was really Megaranger. 

One needs to take a look at some older and newer Super Sentai to see some flaws. There was some lack of characterization early on but it's understandable - it's pretty much still trying to understand what to do. However, there's also the problem of several factors that can affect performance - which includes writers eventually burning out. Turboranger and Fiveman are series where Hirohisa Soda was overworked. Fiveman doesn't have interesting merchandise either. Thankfully, Toei Ltd. learned from the experience and gave us GoGoFive. Though, I admit that it's really very easy for me to berate Fiveman (and I could ignore Lightspeed Rescue that easily though I love to raise how it's rushed as Metalder) whenever I watch GoGoFive. Maybe, I could also dare say that Carranger also helps one see the weaker sides of Turboranger (and not just Turbo) AND Go-Onger. Go-Onger ends up becoming less watchable IMHO after watching Carranger. Megaranger also manages to show where Turboranger went wrong with trying the high school setting. GoGoFive managed to fix up the mess that's Fiveman with the Tatsumi family. Though, I would say that I also berate Magiranger to such a great extent due to Kai Ozu and HOUKA. 

Besides, learning to watch Super Sentai without thinking about Power Rangers made me think about the flaws standing on its own. For instance, Zyuranger tends to focus too much on the child of the week. Ohranger was pretty bloated with its merchandise presumably done because of low ratings. Carranger can take getting used to due to its unusual sense of humor. Timeranger is viewed by some as too serious (though it's MY favorite season with Kobayashi as its head writer) and I criticize it for the rather late arrival of Naoto Takizawa. Some fans just love to say it was Shinkenger that was Kobayashi's best which I still DISAGREE until today. Dekaranger IMHO had a better cast than SPD but that hasn't stopped me from actually pointing out that it isn't as enjoyable as the Rescue Police Metal Hero series. Boukenger is a load of crazy fun since the heroes feel like they're always getting drunk. Shinkenger may be a fan favorite but I felt that the show was mostly on the lighter side of things. I also felt that Go-Busters actually should've been a doomsday Super Sentai season. I could rant on and on just how Ninninger ends up as a low-tier season (and I think it required Ninja Steel to fail hard to make it watchable) - better watch Hurricanger instead! Kyoryuger and Ryusoulger just end up not my cup of tea in contrast to Abaranger. For the seasons that were skipped - I'd like to share my thoughts too. Maybe I'd like to still say that ToQGer has a burned-out Kobayashi working on it. Zyuohger IMHO ended upnot being able to match up to Gokaiger. Kyuranger tends to be Lucky-centric (but I can take this over Kyoryuger any day). Lupinranger vs. Patranger left the ending hanging (which for me was a downer).

Lately, I admit that Zenkaiger may be trying to test something new BUT I feel like the season isn't that great. I can't decide on what really is going on. Maybe, it's because of newer stuff out there that's distracting me from Toku. Maybe, it's because the digital age is giving me access to older shows that also look interesting. Maybe, it's because I feel like Gokaiger is still that good anniversary season that's hard to replicate. While watching the latest episodes - I feel like Zenkaiger is really not matching up. The recent episode tried to parody Gai Yuki's demise in Jetman to defeat a monster. I can't decide if it was cool or just plain disrespectful - unless of course if Toshihide Wakamatsu is perfectly fine with it since it turned out he trolled everyone by requesting Gai die like that! Then again, superhero invincibility was never the theme of Super Sentai. I guess they just wanted to try something new. Though, I also feel that Zenkaiger can still have the potential to rewrite the way Super Sentai will be rewritten. However, I do still feel that I'll be dragging on it again hence no new episode reviews either! Hopefully, Toei will be able to find newer ways to work with the new audience and that they really should get more aggressive with the international market. 

The best thing to keep in mind is that no perfect Super Sentai season exists! Innovation means trying something new AND making mistakes to learn from along the way. That is, when you innovate, you find what went wrong and make it right. If it doesn't deliver results then check what went wrong. Super Sentai, like any franchise, will be subjected to ups and downs every now and then.