Crazy Rant: K-Drama VS. Super Sentai/Power Rangers In The World Market

It's known that I'm just a casual fan of just anything. If I ended up disliking something -- it's purely out of PREFERENCE. I'm writing this post as I prepare for another era of my life. I remembered that Shuriken Sentai Ninninger (yeah, screw that) had one episode where Shin Won Ho guest-starred as Silver. Won Ho (who starred in Legend of the Blue Sea alongside Shin Hye Sun aka Korean Ako-Chan) also spoke Japanese. So yes, Won Ho wasn't dubbed over in Ninninger.

This reminds me when I feel "the need to move on" to something new. I got critical of Super Sentai's new direction since the 2000s. The multiple combination modes of Megazords can get me lost. Himitsu Sentai Gaoranger started the multiple combination Zords gimmick with the Power Animals. I found it "bloated" until I first saw Power Rangers Wild Force in Cartoon Network. At the same time, Korean drama got more recognized worldwide in the 2000s. Is K-Drama the reason not so many networks air J-Drama or Toku as much these days? Korean entertainment companies might be way more aggressive than Japanese companies huh? However, I understand that any new gimmicks Super Sentai has is because old gimmicks may fail in the present. I prefer the older storytelling methods but I don't think they'd work in the present either!

Power Rangers had some people of Korean descent on the main cast

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Season 2 had its cast change. Walter Emmanuel Joneswas replaced by Johnny Yong Bosch. Johnny Yong Bosch was born to a white American father and a Korean mother. This is identical to the situation of American actor Daniel Henney -- an American actor born from a white American father and a Korean American mother. Johnny's character was known as Adam Park. I still find it strange that the show never bothered to establish him as a halfie and chose to portray Adam as a Korean American.

Power Rangers Turbo also had its cast change too. Sure, I already dropped Turbo and I don't intend to complete it. Patricia Ja Lee was a Korean actress. However, Patricia's character Cassie Chan is most likely a Chinese American. I'd probably prefer if Cassie Chan were named Cassie Kim or cast Patricia as a Korean character. 

Renaming Super Sentai dub as "Power Rangers" in South Korea

I don't like Power Rangers BUT I understand the international market. What amazes me though is that Toei allows Daewon Media to dub Super Sentai as Power Rangers. A certain group of people I know (they know who they are) have some who not only hate (which is more intense than dislike) Power Rangers but also Korean entertainment. These guys need to think twice before they face off against KPop males who have been "fully trained" by the military.

South Korea gave dub names for Super Sentai they dubbed over as Power Rangers. 2004 was the year when Power Rangers Dino Thunder was done in America. Strangely, Toei allowed Daweon to redub Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger as well.. the SAME NAME as the licensed American adaptation! It's pretty strange but it happened! The same treatment was given when Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger had its Korean dub in 2005. How in the world did Toei allow the Korean Dekaranger dub to be called Power Rangers SPD as well? Maybe that's why a Japanese dub of SPD was created then? 

Fortunately, the trend didn't last long. Did Toei give new conditions for the Korean dub or what? Mahou Sentai Magiranger was renamed Power Rangers Magic Force and Gougou Sentai Boukenger was renamed Power Rangers Treasure Force. Why Himitsu Sentai Gaoranger only had its dub (renamed as Power Rangers Jungle Force in 2010 was probably due to skipping Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Yes, there's still tension between South Korea and Japan. Studying the Imperial Japanese occupation of Korea (before it got split into two) can help one understand things!

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters was later dubbed as Power Rangers Go-Busters. However, this tradition was dropped presumably due to how strange it was. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger was renamed as Power Rangers Dino Force. Most series tend to get a more original name unsimilar to the American licensed localization. Yes, I prefer to use the term localization because the contents were adjusted for a different market! 

Dino Force Brave was a Korean spin-off created by both Daewon and Toei. Compare that to how Toei Animation created a Transformers spin-off called the Takara Trilogy. It's a what-if continuity that isn't meant to be canon to the OG source material. I'm not too interested in this one. I feel South Koreans are better with their K-Drama. I feel Japan may be the country that understands Tokusatsu better. That's just me though!

How 2013-present affected my mind and made me "urge to move on" to K-Drama but not really

I was in the closet as a Go-Busters fan. I was pretending to be a Power Rangers fan when I don't like it compared to its source material. Yes, that's why I even wrote that TERRIBLE STORY. I deleted it because I have NO INTENTION of continuing that awful mess! I developed a taste fatigue from Super Sentai. I felt Kyoryuger was, "Dinos again?!" It was just awful and 2015's Ninninger made me annoyed. Sure, Power Rangers Ninja Steel is bad. However, that doesn't mean Ninninger is automatically much better but only SLIGHTLY BETTER. Other than that, Ninninger isn't worth my rewatch either. I could enjoy Ressha Sentai ToQGer now. However, not the same can be said for Ninninger!

Taste fatigue is a reality. Yes, I got critical over Super Sentai. I even LMAO at the line, "The history of Sentai, it's over!" from Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger vs. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger movie. However, I was actually impressed that two interesting seasons came out after two beautifully pointless seasons. Zyuohger and Ninninger may not be on the same levels as Power Rangers Megaforce (or I prefer to call it Megafail). However, those shows are either so-so or fail to hit the mark for me. Fortunately, Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger made up for it. Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger made it up for me IMHO. They're not perfect but they renewed my interest. However, I was no longer much into Super Sentai due to my own preferences. I was also watching some old-school Super Sentai -- some stuff I felt I needed to watch before watching the newer ones. Yup, I enjoy watching things at my own pace! That's why I quit doing episode reviews!

Here's an edit I made of Kim Seol Hyun holding the Gaburi Revolver. I started looking for more K-Drama in 2017. I never thought I'd meet some K-Drama doppelgangers. Seol Hyun looks a lot like Ayuri Konno. I wish Seol Hyun fired the Gaburirevolver whenever she fired a gun on script. Other K-Drama doppelgangers include the following. Shin Hye Sun who looks like senior actor Sayuri Uchida from Chojin Sentai Jetman. Suzy Bae who looks like Maaya Uchida (who I first saw in Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger). Lee Seung Gi who looks like senior actor Hidenori Iura. Jo Bo Ah looks like Kazusa Okuyama (both are married now). Lee Min Ho looks like a younger Hiroshi Fujioka from The First Kamen Rider. What I failed to notice was that Go Yoon Jung looks more like the more serious-looking Yuzuki Hirakawa than the bubbly Kohaku Shida.

I also used K-Drama as another reason why I've ditched Power Rangers. Sure, I've developed a lot of reasons like how Mighty Morphin' went for more than one season, the overextended Zordon era, the tendency to rush things with just 32-40 episodes most of the time, the Nickelodeon era's really lousy schedule, and the tendency to be still stuck in Mighty Morphin' than to focus on how to cater to a newer audience. Yes, I feel those are moves that can cause any big franchise to STAGNATE. 

Watching more K-Drama blurred out my memory in some way. I couldn't even recognize Kousei Amano in Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger. I even had to Google to recall Grodie's actor in human form. Sure, I was enjoying King-Ohger BUT I was more into K-Drama and C-Drama (either from China or Taiwan). I even had to Google again to remember Kousei was in Kamen Rider Blade and Kamen Rider Fourze. How dull can my memory get? Am I getting old or is it because newer stuff overrode old memories? 

Has K-Drama played a role why not all Power Rangers air in the Philippines?

It's a hypothetical question that I've got no answer to. IMHO I feel that it's a supply and demand thing. The Philippines may be airing Power Rangers over Super Sentai because of its status as a former American colony. Ironically, Kamen Rider gets a dubbed airing in the Philippines but not in America. I don't like Power Rangers but I don't blame it either. It's probably due to marketing executives from Toei and Bandai over that decision for the Philippines. Anyway, not all Power Rangers aired on local Philippine TV. I can't determine why there's that "significant gap" between Turbo and Power Rangers Wild Force. So yeah, Power Rangers Time Force was part of that significant gap.

Are Korean entertainment companies more aggressive than Toei Ltd.? If so, that may explain the delay of certain shows. Not all Heisei-era and Reiwa-era Kamen Rider series aired in the Philippines either. GMA-7 showed Power Rangers Beast Morphers. Was it followed up by Kamen Rider Saber? If Korean entertainment gets aggressive in marketing -- they would be easier to notice than Toei. Toei may need to learn from Korean entertainment companies how to play the world market. 

It seems that Korean entertainment is one strong force. I wouldn't be surprised if Power Rangers fans watching Super Sentai may end up getting hooked more into K-Drama. It may be more feasible to air K-Drama than anything Toei offers. Heck, I even feel airing Super Sentai in the Philippines may not be as feasible as airing K-Drama of any form. I feel Kamen Rider series don't get aired as much also for that reason. I don't blame K-Drama but more on the companies producing them. Aggressiveness is badly-needed in marketing -- not just good ideas!

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Just my random rant to prepare for a new era in life!