Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog

Santa Claus: Look kid, there's no Super Sentai timeline, okay? I guess the debate will NEVER end whether or not there's a Super Sentai timeline, right ? Well, maybe. This week's Donbrothers' episode does give us another view of Santa Claus. Interestingly, Ichiro Mizuki died on December 6 -- the traditional feast day of Saint Nicholas aka the real Santa Claus. Here, we're talking about a fictionalized non-existent Santa Claus who either lives at the North Pole or in some strange dimension. The portrayal of the jolly old man in a right red suit really differs. I even believe Santa Claus isn't established to be real in other Super Sentai seasons.  Let's look at how Santa Claus gets portrayed all too differently... Our first portrayal of Santa Claus explored Ninja Sentai Kakuranger introduced us to a very different reimagining of Santa Claus. Scientifically, one man can't deliver gifts all in one night. Santa Claus movies do some explaining. Anybody who saw ...

So much for claiming I'm snailspeeding Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger huh? The recent episode has Yasuhisa Furuhawa resuming his role as Sosuke Esumi from Engine Sentai Go-Onger . This episode also verifies that most Super Sentai entries belong to another dimension or Universe. It's best to treat Super Sentai Strongest Battle as just another crossover event. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger should be treated as part of the VS. Universe or a year-long crossover.  Speedor mentions that he and his partner Sosuke came INTO THIS WORLD - referring to the continuity of the Boonboomgers. Go-Onger operates with the concept of Braneworlds. I may dislike Go-Onger now but it seems it's getting Vindicated by History. Sosuke was racing across different worlds and landed in the world of the Boonboomgers. Speaking of which, Go-Onger even had a 10-year-after special (which I didn't watch and I'm no longer looking forward to Super Sentai reunion movies) - something that the better shows before an...

I remembered I wrote what I'd call a rather random rant on choosing Go-Onger over Go-Busters . I still think of the rather weird cycle that went on -- Go-Onger is the source material of the very different Power Rangers RPM which would somehow inspire Go-Busters. Okay, Go-Busters isn't a doomsday Super Sentai (and I guess doing it last 2012 with the obviously fake rumor) but you can't deny that it does take from RPM. I did give RPM a shot but it does share the problems of the Disney era of Power Rangers -- cutting corners to quickly wrap up a plot when you're dealing with a team of superheroes. I also found using the Go-Onger footage for a rather serious show just funny. I think Go-Busters actually does nearly   fulfill RPM's potential except the people behind it were too afraid to make a doomsday Super Sentai out of it. The rangers revisited I remembered how I commented that the Go-Ongers were livelier. Heck, the ToQGers are also livelier. I remembered how I...

Santa Claus may or may not exist in various Super Sentai seasons. The only seasons that made him real in their continuity are Kakuranger (where there's a bunch of Santa Clauses in contrast to elves and there's a Big Santa Claus in charge of them), Boukenger has Eve instead of Santa Claus and Go-Onger gave us another version of the jolly character. Go-Onger's mythology of Santa Claus varies from the other Santa Clauses that Super Sentai created. In this case, it's unknown how Santa Claus operates but we know he doesn't live in the North Pole like the older stories would have. Instead, he lives in the Christmas World which is an alternate retelling of Kakuranger's Christmas episode. But did he give coal to the naughty ones as far as this continuity is concerned? If so, nice job breaking it Santa Claus. It's possible that he kept giving coal to the Gaiarcs for being naughty until they had more than enough coal to make their world the way it is. I guess he di...

Engine Sentai Go-onger is a hit or miss series.  Okay I may belong to the few who actually like the series but take note, I don't love it.  I just like it in the sense, I don't hate it but I don't consider it an awesome series.  However I would rather watch it over ToQGer, Kyoryuger, Gobusters and Goseiger.  Moving on to its episode writer analysis: Junki Takegami (main writer): 1-6, 9-10, 15-18, 21-22, 27-28, 32-34, 38, 42-43, 47, 49-50 (25 eps) Junki Takegami was the head writer of Megaranger and Gogo V, here he is trying to do comedy.  Well I would share my opinion that I still think Go-onger is a decent series overall but just doesn't get into my list of loves, only likes. Grand Prix 1-3 is basically an introduction arc.  We start with the three Go-ongers namely Sosuke, Saki and Hant.  On the other hand, we have Hant who is the "Patrick Star" of the series and with Gunpei, well they do something pretty much anti-heroic since they steal somet...

Although I do like Go-onger for its comedy approach to Super Sentai (while I'm watching Carranger online and my opinion hasn't changed about Go-onger in my list of likes), its lighter approach than usual and in short I don't hate it but like Fiveman, it will never get into my list of awesome because of issues the show suffers from. Here's some issues I had with Go-onger: Mecha is an issue for this show. While I did find the Go-on Engines cute but the way they combined is very UGH... I really just couldn't like their designs whenever they combined. And you have mecha overload, the cluster combinations and with how mecha is dealt with in the show, it sort of brings down plot value in exchange for toy sales. This is one of the issues I had with the show. Villains tend to be disposed off too easily and transition too easily. First we had Hirarchimedes who gets written off so easily after being a game changing villain. Then Yogostein gets written off so easily, I ...

Here's my reason why I prefer Go-onger over Gobusters... and I would like to compare two shows that had mixed reception and two shows I have finished from start to end. I would like to express why while I am really putting Gobusters at the bottom, I could still like Go-onger even if it's never going to be entering into the list of awesome for me. The comparison here is also done because of a rather forced comparison between RPM and Gobusters, at the same time I would watch Go-onger over those two shows that I just mentioned. Characterization of Rangers I would say that the Go-ongers are a team of mostly silly people but hey, they're not boring at all for me and neither do I find most of them obnoxious though I do have my face palm moments with these guys. I would really, really credit the fact that there is some interesting development. Hant is dumb, yes but I love how he chose his comrades over his initial stupidity of getting a job to get near girls and was able to h...

Okay Go-onger may be in my lower part of the list, I don't really find anything that appealing to it aesthetic-wise or execution-wise, etc. but I just don't hate it. In fact, while it's silly but I certainly don't consider it a disasterpiece. So far, I still think this series is still passable even if I don't consider it awesome. It's nice to have a comedy season for once. I know some of you may not agree with me, some of you say Go-onger sucks but I don't find the cast boring compared to Goseiger.  ow don't flame on me, this is more editorial. Factual-wise, Go-onger is a comedy season which at the same time provides room for some character development.  It sort of makes fun of Super Sentai by actually giving us characters who are pretty silly (even Renn's intelligence doesn't spare him) and it's pretty comical at the same time. Plus, at least characters get development even for the Patrick Star-type character of Hant gets character devel...

Go-onger is pretty much a like it or hate it season, for me it's a guilty pleasure.  I don't hate it but I can't praise it either.  For me, I just watch this show for blatant silliness than storyline since I'd admit it's truly a messy one. The cast of characters.  Pretty much, the characters are usually imbalanced or something.  Like I would comment that Saki's pretty dumb.  I don't have much problems with Sosuke, Gunpei or Renn (despite him being the nerdy type) but sometimes Hant gets me mixed due to the fact he can be very funny but there are just some scenes that makes him very annoying.  I don't find them hateful no matter how stupid they are.  Even Hant is less annoying than Patrick Star. For the Go-on Wings, Hiruto is VERY much like a Squidward-type character.  I really find him annoying but at least he's got real talent but whatever.  Really Hiruto does get on my nerves with how self-obsessed he is and Miu, well she does have t...

Go-onger was the first Super Sentai season to incorporate the fictional character of Santa Claus into the world of Super Sentai as a real guest character, not just as a mentioned figure. So what do I really think about it? So here's my real big review and after rewatching it, I'd say it's really quite getting the MMPR "I'm Dreaming of a White Ranger" special right with two episodes of wacky goodness... well let's get moving... and twas the fight before Christmas. So here's a little bit of true holiday spirit from the Go-ongers themselves that they are celebrating Christmas in the trailer or that. Would have wanted it done in the Go-on Wings' residence though but still, it's a happy time and it's the family and friends we really enjoy. Of course we have Santa Claus. I have a feeling I have seen this guy before... in J-Dramas or Toku. Regardless I wonder why he shaved his beard off and I find him hilarious. Quite the jolly old man yes,...

Not ever since the Power Rangers Samurai special appeared with Power Rangers RPM, now it's time to do my review on Shinkenger vs. Go-onger as my means of getting off my mind of the episodes "Clash of the Red Rangers Part 1 and Part 2": The good: Taking the whole idea from the end of Go-onger (after the defeat of the Gaiarc President), it was kinda cool to have Batcheed a remaining survivor attack.  So in the process, the Shinkengers meet the Go-ongers but not without that conflict at the start to keep it realistic.  Takeru Shiba a highly trained samurai at first couldn't agree with Sosuke Esumi but as they try to find their friends, they realize they need each other to defeat Batcheed and his new ally Homurakogi.   So I have to be honest- a serious show like Shinkenger being mashed with a funny show like Go-onger seems a bad idea but not at all.  Why?  Well, Shinkenger isn't very serious either and it was fun seeing the Shinkengers land into different Branewo...

Looking at the Gokaiger tribute of Go-onger (and yeah Sosuke Esumi played a big part) we have the son of Speedor and Bear RV namely... Machalcon.  Hmmm it was just a few years ago and now Machalcon is a full pledged mecha.  Boy they grow fast.  Maybe time runs different with Go-on Engines.  What if they like pets die earlier most of the time? Just crazy to know how Speedor and Bear RV ever got married while Sosuke Esumi and Saki Royama never did.  Sosuke Esumi was last linked to Miu Suto.  Hmmm... this is really a development that should be too funny. LOL this is so much like Disney's Cars movie in a sense.

I have noticed that in the later Sentai series, there seems to be concepts that were ultimately "hybrid" or merging concepts and themes of previous Sentai series. These are: Gogo V- As a series, it seemed to combine the concepts of Fiveman as a sibling team with Maskman (technology vs. supernatural) as well as a bit of Kakuranger when it comes to enemies. I pretty much thought of it that Toei was making rip-offs within its own company. Hurricanger- The concept of the ninja came from Hurricanger. However it also had elements from Liveman such as the primary robo, the addition of two more rangers in the series and the themes of revenge, redemption and academics. Abaranger- It had the dinosaur concept from Zyuranger and the multi-gattai concept from Gaoranger. Go-onger- The color coding was taken from Liveman while the comedy concept was taken from Carranger.

While Power Rangers is mostly liked for its rather fun nature and deviating from standard dark themes, Carranger and Go-onger however were kind of reverse in their adaptation forms of Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers RPM. Carranger to Power Rangers Turbo- Writers intended that Power Rangers Turbo should be a more serious season than Carranger, IMO to be a serious season like Turboranger. Douglas Sloan in contrast to Judd Lynn wasn't very fond of darker themes, so I guess that would explain why Power Rangers Turbo was kind of a funny season while intended to be a more serious season. Go-onger to Power Rangers RPM- I personally thought that Eddie Guzelian however took the idea too far as to destroy Earth in part was far-fetched. Unlike Douglas Sloan, Eddie Guzelian and later Judd Lynn (the writer for the later half) was kind of creative in handling Go-onger footages and their own script to make it work out well. In one case, I personally thought that Go-onger wasn't a cra...

Before Shinkenger, the idea of the samurai seems to be hinted for a decade or more. Here are the following series as one or more of the team wore samurai suits or at least, the actor or actress: Battle Fever J introduced a samurai-like robot and Commander Kurama Tetsuzan was an expert in handling the samurai sword. Takayuki Hiba/Vul Eagle II was a master in Kendo. One episode of Denziman had the team in several cosplays, one of them being the samurai.