King-Ohger Episodes 4-5: Completed Team And I'm Having My Concerns For Future Episodes

I guess my experience with the Super Sentai franchise can be a rollercoaster. I had issues with Super Sentai after Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. I may consider Power Rangers Megaforce to be the biggest mess in Toei Ltd.'s intellectual property list. However, that hasn't stopped me from berating Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger to be a weaker series. I also feel Kishinryu Sentai Ryusoulger was indeed weak and unenjoyable IMHO. I could go ahead and rant how I felt Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger has to be another weak anniversary by Junko Komura. Heck, I don't even find myself wanting to rewatch Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger - a series I feel tends to focus more on the chicks than the content. That's coming from a guy who tends to obsess over chicks!

I'd like to give my random weird rant. Yes, if you disagree with anything, remember that I'm here presenting facts and giving my thoughts. I could say that this show seems to be an unofficial sequel to both Knights of Tir Na Nog followed by Kamen Rider Saber. I even wonder if Haim Saban has been going to Japan back and forth after he sold the Power Rangers contract to Hasbro and Toei Ltd. signed the deal? Though, I could imagine that Toei Ltd. must've been going to Square-Enix or any other company. If we knew more about Toei Ltd. - Toei Ltd. also had, with Hasbro's permission, created their own continuity for the Transformers cartoon where they were the animation studio. The Takara Trilogy was under Toei Ltd. 

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Well, let's dine in some tofu right?

The show doesn't seem to run out of puns here. Kaguragi's homeland is Toufu. Is it a play on tofu? Granted, I'm a fan of tofu dishes, I think I'm liking Toufu as a country. Toufu land does look like feudal Japan. Wait a minute, what has really happened here in this continuity? At first, I wanted to imagine that Kaguragi is actually ruling a China freed from Communism and turned it into a democratic agricultural country. It's a prosperous agricultural country and we've got Kaguragi the anti-hero who lies and cheats on the villains. Okay, not a really good start but Asians tend to be infamous for well-intentioned lying huh?

It turns out that Kaguragi secretly HATES Racules Hastie. Well, I guess Racules' bad attitude hasn't been too secret. Like Captain Ryuuya from Mirai Sentai Timeranger (Walking Spoiler) whose actions would make you wonder what he was truly up to. In this case, Racules is also fighting against the Bugnarok but he also has his own selfish interests. Kaguragi's safety is really there as some people have known what Racules is - a selfish Manipulative Bastard. Kaguragi is morally gray that he lies and cheats to SAVE HIS PEOPLE. Meanwhile, it seems Racules is a Blatantly Evil character where his name seems to be a play on Reckless Haste, his black and red attire makes him look like a demon, and that Racules pretty much is a third wheel.

I got some information from Dryed Mangoez which reveals this one about Toufu:

So far, I like Toufu the most out of the four kingdoms we’ve visited. If only because the rural setting has been used as a nice, nostalgic and humble foundation for emotional stories on Sentai and Kamen Rider. It was wonderful seeing the establishing shots of rural Japan. Though of course I wish they actually did film in those countryside farmlands. But it’s cost-prohibitive I guess for Toei who has been looking for ways to save money and maximize profits.

The real-life locations, especially Toei’s Kyoto studio park, are also very refreshing after the three weeks of CGI-heavy environments. So I enjoy actually seeing the characters in an actual, real-life space. As opposed to seeing scenes of actors moving out of sync with the inserted backgrounds and stuff like that.,

Speaking of filming and what could be cost-cutting, I guess that's why Toei Ltd. had a long partnership with Saban Entertainment. Heck, Cake Boss from Kamen Rider OOO might be a parody of good gesture to Haim Saban himself. I wouldn't be surprised if actor Takashi Ukaji will be a guest in a future episode! Toei did have some opportunities to expand the costs such as in Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger (that is, making more planets). I feel that Saban also was guilty of not expanding costs when necessary (ex. I still feel some the 1990s Power Rangers' were rushed because of COST-CUTTING). 

The country of ice where Rita Repulsa ahem Kanisuka rules

 

The Country of Ice or Gokkan (literally Midwinter) is there. Okay, I'm going to really get nasty here so be careful. I still feel that Rita Kanisuka's name isn't really a coincidence. There are times Super Sentai may end up throwing references to Power Rangers. I think it wasn't a coincidence that Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger gave us a jungle boy in Jan Kandou - five years after Power Rangers Wild Force ended. I still always call Kamen Rider Decade the "spiritual successor" of Saban's Masked Rider. Heck, Decade had the first official TV crossover when it had two episodes dedicated to Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. In this case, I wonder if Rita herself has a telescope that lets her monitor things as she's the ruler of the international court. In Rita's case, it seems she is referred to as "they" since she probably suffers from multiple personality disorder as evidenced by her talking to stuffed animals.

Rita does have a cold personality though. I did hear that footage of the late Soga Machiko was used in Power Rangers Mystic Force. Heck, I feel like making Mystic Mother as Rita Repulsa's redeemed self would contradict the upcoming TV special. Mystic Mother did have an encounter with the Snow Prince. I would like to pretend that Rita Kanisua is actually Lord Zedd's and Rita Repulsa's daughter, raised by the Snow Prince, hence giving her an icy personality. I think it'd be very funny if Rita here would probably have some references to Rita Repulsa such as having a telescope. Heck, Rita here tends to screech like Rita Repulsa. 

I do have some issues with the pacing here. It's pretty much how I didn't like the sixth rangers showing up too soon in later Super Sentai series. The sixth ranger showed up too soon IMHO in Power Rangers Time Force. I felt the same way for Kyoryuger and the terrible Shuriken Sentai Ninninger. Yeah, Ninninger is the series that's only "better" than Power Rangers Ninja Steel because the girls are hotter. Here, Rita does have some of her scientific inquiry at work. Gira was arrested and was iced. We do have a scalper arrested as well. Was this a reference to the crime of scalping that happened during the Legacy Virus pandemic? Rita does get a mosquito swapped (and slaps Racules) and a hair sample from Gira.

This is where my problem lies. Granted, I'm a guy who usually prefers older Toei Toku series (except that I dislike most of the Showa-era Kamen Rider shows due to the love of throwbacks). What I loved about how Kamen Rider went from Kamen Rider Kuuga up to the present is that revelations have a slower pace of development I think revelations need to be reserved midseason or finale. Instead, Rita ends up discovering the predictable. Gira could use the sword because he's the YOUNGER BROTHER of the a**hole Racules. Yes, Gira turns out to be royalty. Racules is a person who's pretty much Tyrant Takes the Helm. I do have a bad feeling Racules threw off Gira somewhere while they were children to avoid any threats. Racules must've been unusually evil!

The progression and what could happen

This reminds me of what Kamen Rider Saber suffered from. I would confess that there are some Toku series by Toei that are messy but somehow enjoyable. I could go ahead and rant about how much I think Kamen Rider Black is better than its failed predecessor Kamen Rider BLACK RX. However, I'm not going to lie that I actually enjoyed BLACK RX or B-Fighter Kabuto. BLACK RX did cause the 11-year-hiatus and I'm fine with it. Without BLACK RX, I doubt Toei would eventually figure out what they wanted to do with Kamen Rider and the sell-offs. BLACK RX's many ideas such as the multiple forms, use of weapons, the car, etc. were soon improvised in the Heisei era. I even feel that the masterpiece Kuuga actually benefited from BLACK RX's failure. I enjoy Saber but I'm not going to deny that early series revelations went too fast.

What if I told you I preferred some mysteries dragging on more? I think about how Hirohisa Soda, Toshiki Inoue, and Yasuko Kobayashi handled the mysterious elements. In this case, why reveal it so soon that Gira could use the saber because he's a member of the royal family? I felt it would be more interesting if Gira's origins were dragged to a bit, revealed midseason, and that. I guess Toei either wants to shake things up with a new pace of writing. I guess that's just part of the mysteries going on. In my case, I still feel Gira's revelation to be royal family is quite fast. I guess other mysteries that may be developed is on Racules himself. Maybe, Racules was already a bad child who threw away his younger brother when they were still children?

What's interesting is that King Racules will get a spin-off called The Secret of King Racules. I'm personally interested in this idea since it might explore Racules himself. What if he's some kind of demon seed that's just waiting for kill his own family? What if this guy was just plain evil like Palpatine was in his younger years in both the Lucas continuity and the Disney continuity? This would be a very interesting take especially Racules can also transform. It seems Racules might be an attempt to create a new Abare Killer-type character or what? 

I'd say there's a good impression. For every good impression, I'll always find something to criticize. Right now, I think this Racules spin-off might be an interesting take on a selfish king.