First Impressions And My Own Expectations From Boonboomger's Lightspeed Delivery Services

I wrote what I'd dub an even lower-than-amateurish review of Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger's first episode. Writing episode reviews can be enjoyable but also exhausting. I enjoyed doing my whacked-out Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger reviews that can create a drinking game. That whole season was so unique on its own that it's hard for me to drop it. Right now, I feel I'll drop doing episode reviews while I can choose to react to updates. Recently, digital platforms have given me a lot of stuff to "move on to". I'm watching the J-Drama series Vivant. I was overhyped with Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger and I feel the need to slow things down. Talk about slowing things down while Boonboomger is trying to LITERALIZE Lightspeed and Bakuage means "Explosive Increase" or "Blast Off".  I think I'll just do reactions on Boonboomger the same way I did with Avatar Sentai Donbrothers. I think watching Boonboomger on a flexible schedule can help me regain my flexibility. 

Boonboomger's premise is pretty much based on delivery services. Can you really entrust the power of Lightspeed to these amateurs? Maybe, as Signalman from Gekisou Sentai Carranger would say "unremarkable civilians". The first episode did a literal lightspeed rescue to Mira - who's pretty much not even a professional rescue worker. Taiya is a rich guy and he's close to Ishiro. Ishiro might be the only real professional as a freelance spy. We've heard of speedy delivery services. We've heard of snappy responses. The term lightspeed is best used as a metaphor - that' unless you're talking of The Flash franchise from DC Comics. Toei attempted that move with Tokosou Exceedraft. Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue used the term as a metaphor for their professional rescue skills. The Boonboomgers are professional deliverymen and not rescue workers. I guess Toei's now parodying fast delivery services through Super Sentai. Toei tends to make fun of Western pop culture references too. 

Speaking of which, 2024 would be 10 years after Kamen Rider Drive aired. Drive also tried to revive the idea of literalizing a lightspeed rescue. Lightspeeding is the antithesis of the Roidmudes' slowing things down. I really think that Toei has Drive in mind while carrying out Boonboomger. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the cast of Drive will guest-star (hopefully). 

The Hashilien might be a rehash of the Bowzock in some way. There's this plan to get something called Gyasholine (a play on GASoline). Commander Mad Rex isn't shown but his voice is heard. This reminds me of how the Great Leader from the Showa era Kamen Rider franchise was. People who watched the Showa era Kamen Rider series may notice the Great Leader hardly shows himself but speaks in a menacing voice. Hiroshi Kamiya voices Commander Mad Rex. Kamiya was the voice of Shou Ronpou from Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger. It's nice to hear Shou Ronpou's voice played as a villainous commander. Sure, I did wish for Atsuki Tanki who voiced Don Armage from Kyuranger. It's nice to hear Kamiya voice the mysterious character. 

Next week will show Shirabe Saibu from the International Space Agency. The organization may have been formed because of intergalactic crime Hopefully, nobody will try to link it to the Special Police Dekaranger organization. However, this soon-to-be-introduced concept might be because it's been 20 years since Dekaranger aired. Shirabe might be the team mentor needed. Her nerdy appearance suggests that she's a brilliant person. I might put Shirabe with higher expectations than the Boonboomgers. Her smart, nerdy girl image might be the balancing factor for the team. 

It's also a delight to see that the ending theme has returned. There was no ending sequence in Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger. The ending theme resumed in Kishinryu Sentai Ryusoulger (which I find very ROCK BOTTOM NOW). After that, we didn't see an ending sequence in the ANNIVERSARY Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger up to last year's King-Ohger. It was nice to see the ending theme again in Boonboomger. The sing-and-dance sequence was there again. Fans probably demanded it back or Toei decided to finally put it back. I can't be certain what's going on.

It's back to Modern Japan since Super Sentai operates with Tokyo as the Center of the Universe. King-Ohger had an intense CGI budget creating the very fictitious settings in another world that's not ours. I expect more people to stick to that narrative of Super Sentai series still belonging to an Expanding Universe when evidence says otherwise. Meanwhile, I do think these people just do that narrative for the fun of it than anything.