Random Rant: I Think I'm Getting Tired Of Super Sentai Reunion Movies

Maybe, I didn't want to write this. Sure, I do get stuck with nostalgia (at times). I did want to check out more older Super Sentai entries which I haven't seen. I must admit it wasn't easy to watch more Super Sentai after Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. I'm the type to be critical about results. If the changes bring in good things then fine. If not then change for the sake of it is just stupid. That's why I still believe that Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger has been WAY BETTER than Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. Now, I've heard (and it's confirmed) that Abaranger is getting a 20 years later movie (and so will Ninpou Sentai Hurricanger). Didn't Hurricanger have a 10 years later movie last 2012? Later, we had a 10 years later movie for Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger - one that was probably meant to bridge to Space Squad which premiered in 2017. Though, I'm wondering why there hasn't been a new Space Squad movie. Is Toei Ltd. biting more than it could chew AGAIN? Who could remember the Super Hero Taisen movie series? I feel they're best under a video game series instead.

What's the big deal? I remember the release of the movie Dragon Ball Super: Resurrection of Frieza on June 10, 2015. I watched the Dragon Ball Z series from the late 1990s to the 2000s. I remember finally getting more of Dragon Ball Z on GMA-7. It was a nice nostalgia. However, I think nostalgia fuel such as reunion movies can be a two-edged sword. Sure, it can bring older fans. I did feel some tugs in my heart when the Maskman team fought alongside Kamen Rider BLACK. I did feel tugs in my heart when Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger had one tribute episode to another. Sure, I wasn't too happy with Toshiki Inoue's "cruel episode" but it was nice to see Toshihide Wakamatsu guest-star. I felt there was this overdose.

Go-Busters finally came and I was afraid to admit I had a soft spot for it. Unlike Power Rangers Beast Morphers - the series hardly had those Ranger History lessons. Instead, Ranger History lessons were left for anniversaries. One of the biggest issues I'm having with Power Rangers is the tendency to have TOO MANY throwbacks. Beast Morphers could've tried to practically ditch Ranger History. Maybe, make Evox another Venjix-type character. Kamen Rider Zero-One created its own Venjix with Ark-One. Ark-One was practically a force of malice. Go-Busters created its own Venjix with the Messiah Virus. However, Beast Morphers decided to link it with Ranger History lessons, and turning Venjix into Evox is another. That made me ask myself, "Do I really want Ark-One to be the Messiah Virus or even the Not-So-Great Leader?" It sounds cool on paper. However, distances are there.

What didn't help IMHO is Engine Sentai Go-onger movie having a movie that takes place 10 years later. I initially didn't hate Go-onger but one thing happened. No, it has NOTHING to do with Power Rangers RPM. Instead, it has everything to do with Gekisou Sentai Carranger. Apparently, Carranger did run over several shows. Kosoku Sentai Turboranger may not get vindicated by history in the long run. Power Rangers Turbo tends to be viewed with disdain even by the fans. Carranger probably gave Turboranger, Turbo, and Go-onger a run for their money. I decided to skip it after I realized I no longer liked Go-onger.

I was glad that there was no Samurai Sentai Shinkenger reunion movie. Hopefully NONE and I want to leave the ending as is. Many of the main cast members are busy with bigger projects. It's funny for me that Tori Matsuzaka managed to stay longer as an actor than Kazunori Inaba. Inaba probably retired in the 1990s and is now a full-time businessman. The Maskmen do have reunions but I'm glad they never filmed a movie. I guess Inaba is too busy being an entrepreneur. Matsuzaka is still into the acting business and has been doing action flicks. Rin Takanashi tied the knot in 2018 with athlete Makino Tomoaki. Matsuzaka tied the knot with Erika Toda in 2021. Most of the Shinkenger casts may be too busy. I doubt there would be time for a reunion movie. Hopefully, they wouldn't get any. 

Gokaiger had a ten years later movie. An entirely new plot was played into. However, I'm getting nervous at the possibility of having more Gokaiger hype. I'm not too keen on people who keep saying that Gokaiger is the best series ever WITHOUT trying to check more of the older and newer Super Sentai entries. It's understandable if the Gokaigers had a movie crossover with the Go-Busters. It's understandable if the obviously not canon Super Hero Taisen movie had Gokaiger return and cross swords with Kamen Rider Decade. I still feel like that the Gokaiger arc in Zyuohger was probably nothing more than a bailout. 

I'm even wondering if there's even any significance with the Abaranger reunion movie. No surprise, really, that there will be a Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers 30th-anniversary reunion. Was this a huge conspiracy by Toei Ltd. and Hasbro Studios? I even feel Lord Zedd's return has something to do with an upcoming anniversary. Still, I'm now disliking Power Rangers even more due to that stupid summer break. I feel like these reunion movies are nothing more than cash cows. Cash cows are built on nostalgia. I did enjoy the Dekaranger movie with Gavan. However, I still feel that it was nothing more than a nostalgic cash cow. Seeing Kenji Ohba, Suzuka Morita (as Shelly), and the Dekarangers was probably just for a cash cow.

I'm not even checking out Dragon Ball Super. There's Netflix and other digital platforms. There's a lot of new stuff to check out. I feel relying too much on nostalgia can be a bad thing. A lot of stuff is getting obsolete. Remember the time when diskettes once contained information that could save or destroy the world? Well, we're already having DVD technology from Japan and USB technology from America invented by an Indian. Time moves forward. Sure, the diskette is now an icon for saving your work. However, nobody uses a diskette for saving their work because the USB is now more reliable. We have a keyboard is based on the typewriter. Yet, the typewriter is no longer used. 

Right now, I feel like Toei Ltd. needs to really needs to change things. Maybe, it's time to focus more on newer projects. If they want to continue Super Sentai - maybe make sure that it'd be focused to where it'd be focused. Maybe, it's time for Toei Ltd. to allow itself to expand more worldwide. Maybe, it's time to lower the royalty fees of Super Sentai for countries where it can be aired (ex. Philippines but I've been skipping bad dubs). I feel like that I've had an overdose of those reunion movies. Right now, I'm enjoying a lot of new stuff. I'm enjoying Kamen Rider Geats and Avatar Sentai Donbrothers. I feel like I'm no longer interested in the reunion movies for this reason - too much milking on nostalgia!