Seijuu Sentai Gingaman's Possible Status With Western Fans On Its 25th Anniversary

This might sound really biased because I dislike Power Rangers. However, I can understand if there are Power Rangers fans who check out Super Sentai and conclude they still like the American localization namely Power Rangers Lost Galaxy better. The rumor that Lost Galaxy is more popular than Gingaman has been disproven. Meanwhile, it can be proven that the American fandom thinks Lost Galaxy is better than Gingaman even without citing the disproven rumor. Gingaman continues to be as So Okay It's Average with or without Lost Galaxy in the picture. I watched Gingaman without thinking about Lost Galaxy. The same couldn't be said about Choshinsei Flashman where I dropped Lost Galaxy like a hot potato. Weird but it happened! The show finally got a licensed DVD release. Is the show considered enjoyable but never excellent? In my case, I've enjoyed a few watchable messes like Kamen Rider BLACK RX and B-Fighter Kabuto. Some shows do well but may have never gotten beyond that!  

I wrote an article about why Gingaman was even given the title. Yes, I get it that the forest was called Ginga Forest. Yes, I get it that the Starbeasts are from space. Yes, I get it that Balban is from space. There's also the Steel Starbeasts presented by Biznella. However, the Gingamen are aboriginal people. 133 generations of Gingamen derive their power from nature and the stars. The show has been more mystical than science fiction. Still, the Japanese word ginga means galaxy. It just feels weird (at times) to use a very space-like name -- the show has heroes similar to the native tribe of Ainu from Japan. In my case, I think of the aboriginal tribes in other Southeast Asian countries like Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These attires make them look like the Austronesian people. 

The Starbeasts are the source of the power of the Gingamen. The title is Seijuu Sentai Gingaman. They could've chosen a name closer to the motif of Starbeasts and nature. The name Shizen Sentai Seijuuman (Nature Taskforce Starbeastman) would've fit them better. The mechanical beasts resemble what Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger and Gosei Sentai Dairanger introduced. Why did Toei even greenlight the title Gingaman when the show was nature-oriented? Sure, I enjoy the show but I still find it to be just weird.

If there was any show that should've been named Gingaman - it was Flashman in 1986. The Flashmen were five children who were raised in the farthest reach of the Universe. It can be interpreted as a lost galaxy. I couldn't watch every second of Flashman without thinking of Lost Galaxy. The scene where Mess arrives made me pretend Scorpius was leading an invasion on Earth with Dr. Hinelar from Denji Sentai Megaranger as the right-hand man. The villains are namely Ra Deus and Professor Keflen. The Zorors were insectoid foot soldiers similar to the Stingwingers in Lost Galaxy. So far, Flashman has no official Shout! Factory DVD release yet. 

With Flashman having had fansubs - I could imagine it if Power Rangers fans viewed it. Maybe, they viewed Gingaman and said it's fine but not great. The reaction toward Flashman might be more positive. It's not enough that Gingaman had to contend with fan-favorite Megaranger. It would have to contend with series before and after it. Flashman may be one series that would've caused Gingaman not to be considered all that great. Flashman was more enjoyable than Gingaman for me. Sure, I like them both but Flashman has been the better choice. 

I could speculate that Gingaman was probably, later, overshadowed by Flashman by Power Rangers fans who check out Super Sentai. However, there could be other reasons. I don't think Zyuranger could be a reason. Maybe it's Dairanger. However, there are a couple of stuff that could've caused it to be Vindicated By History but not exactly. 

Purely speculative but I believe Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger is another show that may have affected what some people think of Gingaman. It's been some time since another space-themed show came. I know some people dislike this show (such as Kaiju No Kami whose bad review of Kosoku Sentai Turboranger was entertaining even if I'm a fan). However, it's been better than trying to rewatch Power Rangers in Space IMHO. Kyuranger goes with the theme of space itself. It's been traveling across space. Most episodes do take place in Jark-Mattered conquered Earth in their continuity. The year is most likely 300 years from 2017 since there was a 300-year gap between past events and the show's setting. 

Watching Kyuranger, I viewed it as reimagining Space without thinking of previous shows. It could also be considered a pseudo-sequel of Space and Lost Galaxy. I couldn't help but call Don Armage "Emperor Palpatine" from Star Wars and "President Skroob" from Spaceballs or even the Dark Specter from Space. Sure, I did compare Star King Bazoo from Dengeki Sentai Changeman to Dark Specter. It could be possible that watching Kyuranger would have some people say, "Wait, why was Gingaman even named Gingaman when it's not a space-themed show?" 

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Gingaman may have been Vindicated by History. It could be caused if some people saw possible flaws in the fan-favorite Lost Galaxy. However, I doubt it that's such the case. I only believe this because people wanted to view Gingaman and enjoy it for what it is. They may have intended to check it out and thought it was good. Some Power Rangers fans may still say Lost Galaxy is better overall while liking both shows. Some Power Rangers fans check newer Super Sentai through fansubs or the licensed releases. There will be better stuff than Gingaman from within the franchise - causing the show to be appreciated to a lesser extent. 

In the end, I think Gingaman can be a weird show. It could be difficult to get into due to cultural differences. It was also the launch of Yasuko Kobayashi's career as a head writer. Some people who like Lost Galaxy over Gingaman may have praised Kobayashi's work as its head writer. I could think that other later installments such as Mirai Sentai Timeranger (which is debatable since some people prefer Power Rangers Time Force and anything AFTER IT) as well as Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, and I'd probably include Ressha Sentai ToQGer are viewed as better series. Gingaman may be viewed as an important stepping stone by other fans.

Still, I loved the show and I enjoyed it. The show gets its appreciation either way. I doubt it's going to be viewed much more. However, I'll enjoy it regardless of what opinions may be formed about the show.