Confession: Why I Don't Regret Pausing On Newer Super Sentai, To Watch Older Super Sentai (That I Haven't Watched Yet)

Today is Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers' 32nd anniversary. This year is also when Himitsu Sentai Goranger turned 50 years old last April 2025. Feeling old? I had a rollercoaster of emotions after Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger ended. Gokaiger felt like a yearlong finale. This year's Gozyuger feels like a yearlong finale. Gokaiger, more so, since it managed to get as many alumni to guest star as possible. It was almost a farewell party. However, Super Sentai tends to have that "reboot treatment", such as when Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters came after Gokaiger.

I was too afraid to admit that I was a Go-Busters fan. I ended up rewatching Go-Busters after I finished Power Rangers Beast Morphers. It was also hard for me to watch more Super Sentai after Go-Busters. It doesn't help I was riding on fan opinions. For instance, I remember Shougo B'Stard actually hitting Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. I felt like, "Okay, maybe I need to spare myself from the disappointment!"

I don't regret seeking to divert attention away from Kyoryuger for the first two dinosaur Super Sentai series

Is it me, or does Toei actually acknowledge Mighty Morphin'  Power Rangers every decade? I don't like Power Rangers (but that's just me exercising my right of choice in the FREE MARKET), BUT I acknowledge that cultural differences was why it had to exist. Interestingly, Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger was in 2003, and Kyoryuger was in 2013. Both shows were on the 10th anniversary and 20th anniversary of Mighty Morphin'! However, Kyoryuger got overly hyper -- which was a minus. Kyoryuger had extremely cool unmorphed fights, but I craved some violence that wouldn't be permissible in today's Super Sentai.

It was back then when Grown Ups In Spandex and Imagination Station did fansubs -- all before Shout! Factory made the official subs! I watched Zyuranger, trying to contrast it with Mighty Morphin'. I found myself lost at the violence that Zyuranger had that Mighty Morphin' wouldn't be allowed to have. Abaranger belonged to a more tame era though it also had Mikoto Nakadai as a psychopathic villain. Abaranger may be tamer but there was still the controversial Mikoto bleeding in the finale arc scene. Mikoto's redemption was practically forced on us! I felt Burai had a better redemption in Zyuranger.

I would need to watch all three shows before deciding which was the best. I concluded that Abaranger was practically the best of the three series at that time. Kyoryuger felt overhyped and all. Daigo Kiryu tends to be given too much focus by the writers. Neither Geki nor Ryouma Baba from Zyuranger and Abaranger had that focus. Sure, Geki had his arc where he wanted to save Burai from certain death. However, what "saved" Zyuranger from getting the red ranger focus was the child of the week -- something that would be YMMV if it's good or bad. 

I watched both Zyuranger and Abaranger. I decided to watch Kyoryuger from start to end -- at my OWN PACE. Watching shows at my own pace can be more comfortable than waiting for next week's episode. I still stick with my PERSONAL OPINION that Abaranger is better than Kyoryuger. So sorry for certain people who always think newer is always better. It DOESN'T work that way since results matter more.

Why watching more Super Sentai from the past actually helped me understand the evolution

This year, I played the challenge of how many Showa era shows have you watched. Before that, I also asked how many older Super Sentai series have you watched. Of course, it's also good to ask how updated are you -- before developing any critical opinion should what's new, deliver bad results. Innovative thinking should be carefully done, and the results should be examined. Is our new idea working? Is it the idea itself or just the implementation? Those were questions that need to be always asked. Just think how Kamen Rider BLACK RX was considered lackluster. However, ideas from BLACK RX, such as having non-transforming friends helping out the hero (ex. Joe the Haze and Kaoru Ichijo) and having multiple forms worked better in Kamen Rider Kuuga. BLACK RX's car Rideron inspired the creation of the Tridoron in Kamen Rider Drive.

At that time, I also watched more old-school series. These series were from the 1980s to the 1990s. It also included Battle Fever J. Basically, I've watched the entire Showa to Heisei era Super Sentai series. Doing so, I found more appreciation of Hirohisa Soda's efforts (and soon enough developed an UNPOPULAR opinion that Judd Lynn was overhyped, as a result), such as Dengeki Sentai Changeman. It also helped me understand how Soda was overworked and that's why Kosoku Sentai Turboranger and Chikyu Sentai Fiveman aren't as well-appreciated. Watching Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive made me question Fiveman and what went wrong. However, I've grown to reappreciate Fiveman despite GoGoFive being the better series. I also grew to enjoy Mirai Sentai Timeranger's super serious atmosphere. However, Timeranger was the last time Super Sentai was ever allowed to have an overabundance of stuff that clearly won't be allowed in Power Rangers! Timeranger was also like some kind of finale before Hyajakuu Sentai Gaoranger.

Watching Ninja Sentai Kakuranger and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger can be a big relief. Honestly, I had issues with Shuriken Sentai Ninninger. There are times I feel that the show could address generation gaps. I also felt that Ninninger's probably only Vindicated by History because Power Rangers Ninja Steel was just OH SO HORRIBLE. Ninja Steel was practically to be Mighty Morphin' OVER AND OVER again. Victor and Mony make Takaharu Igasaki LOOK LIKE A GENIUS. However, I've come to say that Ninninger is only SLIGHTLY BETTER than Ninja Steel. That's why I came to a panic when I heard Kento Shimoyama was going to handle Kamen Rider Zi-O. Both Kakuranger and Hurricanger had better implementations. Sure, Nanami Nono in Hurricanger is attractive, but the good narrative makes it nothing but a bonus. We know how Power Rangers Megaforce CRASHED DOWN despite having attractive females! 

Sure, I've grown to enjoy Ressha Sentai ToQGer in the later years. However, it couldn't be denied that Yasuko Kobayashi was in a similar situation as Toshiki Inoue during Kamen Rider Kiva and Soda during Fiveman. Add to that, Junki Takegami wasn't really doing Engine Sentai Go-Onger good. In fact, I've grown to dislike Go-onger for years to come. I refuse to say Super Sentai is perfect because it's not. I could say good stuff about it, like how Super Sentai doesn't keep throwing back to Goranger or tries to move forward more than backward. I've had issues with theme repetition and the whole, "Why are we having a dinosaur Super Sentai for the fourth time so soon?" with Kishinryu Sentai Ryusoulger. 

I've watched more of the older Super Sentai series at my own pace. I didn't want to admit it but I got critical of Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger. I'm going to confess that I find Amu and Sela (in their human forms) prettier than Emma Goodall and Gia Moran. However, I found Zyuohger and Ninninger to be shows that are beautifully pointless. Thankfully, Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger and Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger had some imaginative drives. By then, I've watched a load of the older stuff I haven't watched. It was finally time to watch some newer stuff AND catch up on what I paused on.

It can be good to get critical of the direction Super Sentai goes. I don't like Power Rangers, BUT I'll never say, "Oh, Super Sentai is perfect and there's no bad series." It's just blind fandom, and I still list some flaws. There's always the need for feedback. There's NO perfect Super Sentai series. Watching the old and the new made me think as well, "We can keep doing this while we're learning new things." It's pretty much like, "Celebrating the old and learning something new."