GoGoFive: A Love Letter To The Rescue Police Trilogy? (Spoilers)

 

Metal Hero is a franchise that's canceled but never forgotten by Toei. Super Sentai and Kamen Rider carried over the influence. Metal Hero was discontinued like the Super Robot Anime series by Toei. Megazords sell better than the Super Robots. Metal Hero probably failed to create a unique identity. It jumped from one concept to another -- the Space Sheriff Trilogy with some clones. One could also talk about certain entries in Metal Hero being more mature than Super Sentai. Eventually, Robotack was in 1998 and it was the final installment. However, Toei ended up creating Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive with a lot of Metal Hero references -- something that was repeated in Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger.

Watching GoGoFive made me think of Chikyu Sentai Fiveman most. It can be easy for me to ignore Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue but not Fiveman. Both Fiveman and GoGoFive are family-themed. There are times I feel that the family theme overshadows the rescue theme. Some may disagree withme but I think it happens. The show focuses on the power of family to defeat the Saima Clan -- a dysfunctional family. However, references to Metal Hero can't be ignored one way or another.

No one should deny that Tokkei Winspector was in the same year as Fiveman. Winspector became a hit that a direct sequel Tokyuu Solbrain was made. Solbrain replaced the main protagonist. Tokosou Exceedraft was linked to Solbrain but only in the finale. The three series may have created several inspirations for the sibling Super Sentai. The hero in red was a fireman. Winspector's main hero was called Fire and later upgraded to Knight Fire. Exceedraft added a more supernatural element by introducing Iwao Daimon or the Devil in the Flesh. Exceedraft's finale would be too scary for TV-Y7-FV standards!

The Super Sentai elements diminish the maturity found in the Rescue Police Trilogy IMHO. What made the Rescue Police Trilogy more mature was that the heroes have more limited power and real foes. GoGoFive is still confined to facing off against the typical foes and their dangerous but questionable plans for world domination. The Saima Clan was focused on gathering negative energy for their mother Grandienne. Grandienne isn't any laughing matter considering she mistreats EVEN HER OWN FAMILY. Grandienne has no qualms about forcing her children to fight each other -- just so she can achieve ultimate power!

GoGoFive's finale might be best described as a grandiose scale of Exceedraft's finale. Exceedraft had Daimon trying to bring the world to an end. GoGoFive had Grandienne putting the world in a Doomsday-like state. The heroes on both sides suffer tremendous defeat. I can't deny the nightmare fuel that hit both sides. I still prefer Exceedraft's more personal confrontation with the Devil than Grandienne enveloping the Earth. However, I can't deny that Grandienne enveloping the Earth is terrifying. Grandienne's identity as the Negative Energy of the Universe is terrifying! 

GoGoFive may not feel as mature and dramatic as the Rescue Police Trilogy. However, one can never deny that it really references it a lot. Metal Hero was canceled in 1999. No new Metal Hero series came. However, Toei is still keeping its memory alive in GoGoFive in that same year. It seemed to say, "Metal Hero isn't returning but we've never forgotten about it."