Wacky Post: I'm Enjoying King-Ohger While Feeling Awkward Over The "Western Feel"

 

I guess it's time for me to make another confession now, isn't it? Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger may be a Japanese show but notice how Toufu (which is really based on Asian culture) is sidelined. I wonder if N'Kosopa is actually supposed to represent another Asian country or not. The other nations such as Shugoddom, Ishabana, and Gokkan are really representations of Western countries. There's a budget really which would explain why CGI is used. There are going to be different locations here and there - unlike Knights of Tir Na Nog which did all the filming in Ireland. The show's got a big budget like it's an anniversary season after all.

The Super Sentai franchise usually invokes the Tokyo is the Center of the Universe trope. Yes, that is rather absurd superhero logic in many superhero shows. In American shows, America is the center of the Universe presumably to avoid spending too much. King-Ohger took a much braver direction by actually letting the whole series take place with its setting. At first, I believed it was just some alternate Earth since Chikyu is the Japanese word. However, the Chikyu-Earth revelation - some people of differing ethnicities did leave the Earth. What happens is that I feel that strange awkwardness when Japanese productions actually produce shows with an authentically Western setting. I could name Vision of Escaflowne and Magic Knight Rayearth. There are also Japanese-produced video game franchises that have a very Western setting too. I could name classic icons like Megaman and Super Mario who are actually Western characters. Hearing Western-based Japanese-made characters voiced in the original Japanese is VERY FUNNY. My desire for some "authenticity" has made me love while I'm actually pulling a Cinema Sins on King-Ohger. Just because I like a series or video game doesn't mean I wouldn't criticize it.

When white people feel more appropriate IMHO to play certain parts...

I love to raise my corny joke that Jacqueline Scislowski and her friends are "far more deserving" to play the people of Ishabana. I even still feel Jacqueline should cosplay as Himeno Ran and it'd be believable. However, that's the language barrier to really face. Interviews conducted during Power Morphicon with the Japanese cast members needed an INTERPRETER. I bet Yuuta Mochizuki probably felt awkward shaking Austin St. John's hand. Apparently, Yuuta doesn't speak English and Austin doesn't speak Japanese. I guess trying to get Jacqueline and her pals to play the cast of Ishabana (and Kristina Ho would make a good Elegance Moun) would require multiple dubbers. 

It was funny to see how Himeno's parents are acted by Japanese people. Jacqueline's real-life parents would've filled the cameo "better" as Himeno's parents. Yes, the ones murdered by Grodie some 15 years ago. Instead, circumstances really can't allow this absurd wish of mine. I doubt Jacqueline can really speak Japanese and neither can her parents. The child actress portraying Himeno is a half-Australian named Melody Anderson. Himeno's parents were acted by obviously Japanese celebrities though. It just feels very awkward if you ask me.

The best thing Toei could deal with was work with the half-white, half-Japanese actress. Yes, we've got Erica Murakami who kinda looks like Jacqueline. Jacqueline dyed her hair during Power Rangers Beast Morphers. Erica wore different-colored wigs depending on the episode. In so much, Erica was the only person who had Caucasian features. The rest were flat-out Asian celebrities playing what would be European characters. Some people might voice out talking about their stage play days. It's like how someone may have been a white man portraying Aladdin in a school play. I even feel like it's more like some big-budget stage play (where people play characters as characters outside their ethnicity) than a huge-budget TV production. Only So Kaku and the people of Toufu felt "authentic" in many ways. The rest just feel awkward. 

My closing thoughts

There will always be some awkward moments every now and then. I guess Super Sentai is taking that brave direction by making this awkward moment. They're now making Japanese people carry out a big-budget theatrical play on television. Sure, it's funny but I guess that's part of the fun. Who hasn't had fun pretending to be American superheroes and Japanese superheroes but NEVER being American or Japanese? I've pretended to be a Toku hero a lot as a child (hence my nom de plume). I guess some Japanese children also pretended to be Batman or Superman. 

I guess that's what King-Ohger is doing. Making some newbie actors feel like they're reliving some childhood memories. That's what I think is going on. The lack of this "authenticity" I'm nitpicking now is part of the charm.