Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog

That 70s Show, ALRIGHT!  I'm really feeling old as I feel the effects of the Space-Time Alpha Sword on me . I still find it weird that I had a love interest who looks like Mika Katsumura -- she's married to someone else now. It wasn't meant to be. I tried watching Battle Fever J then I took the challenge of watching Himitsu Sentai Goranger and Dengekitai JAKQ . Some people called me a baby back then for watching  Power Rangers in the 1990s -- that was all before I dropped the franchise out of PERSONAL REASONS . Officially, I've finally watched the whole 1970s era of Super Sentai . This was what might be the "simpler era" or figuring things out era. My late 30s self has an easier time watching older Super Sentai than newer ones -- even when I can still enjoy newer ones. But as said, it's not about older fans and rose-tinted glasses but on mostly younger fans! It can't be denied that before Super Sentai -- there was Tatsunuko's Science Ninja Team Gat...

  I posed a challenge by asking how many old-school Super Sentai series one watched . It's also important to ask how updated is the person. It's because there's the possibility of GENERATION GAPS . Realizing Voltes V was from the 1970s made me think that I had a better connection with Golion from the 1980s. It's easier to watch a show not much older than me than a show way older than me. I watched Kamen Rider Amazons which was very 1974 -- 40 years ago today! I could relate better to Kamen Rider Amazons which was in the 2010s. The same goes for the first two Super Sentai series -- namely Himitsu Sentai Goranger and JAKQ Dengekitai . These shows can be as ancient because Goranger is going 50 years old next year. JAKQ was in 1977.  There will be some spoilers! Watching Goranger can be challenging due to how "the first" can be THAT LONG and THAT OLD A lot of earlier series extend to absurd lengths. Mazinger Z had 98 episodes compared to  Great Mazinger and Grendi...

Watching old school Super Sentai can be a challenge. That's why I even want to advise now that if an old school Super Sentai doesn't match your taste - you might as well drop it. Then again watch it before you drop it - that is try to at least see a few episodes. I think the two seasons that might be a challenge to watch are Himitsu Sentai Goranger and Dengekitai JAKQ . For what reasons? They are 1970s Super Sentai and it's already 2020. Goranger has turned 45 years old and I wonder how many are willing to watch it? What's with Goranger? Goranger shares the same problem with the first season of Gatchaman and the first Kamen Rider. Gatchaman and Goranger are very long series. Interestingly, Isao Sasaki sang for both Goranger and Gatchaman. The first Kamen Rider had 98 episodes. Gatchaman had 105 episodes. Goranger is a little merciful because it's at least only 84 episodes. Thankfully, Gatchaman's follow-up sequels had much lesser episodes to count. It's pr...

While yellow is a very dominant color in Super Sentai, here are a few seasons together with Kyoryuger that lacked a yellow ranger... First was JAKQ where the first four members are red in Spade Ace, green in Clover King, blue in Diamond Jack and pink in Heart Queen and then the first white ranger in Big One. Battle Fever J lacked a yellow ranger and had an orange ranger instead. Changeman was the next season to have no yellow ranger, instead a female white ranger in the person of Change Mermaid was introduced.

Here are the extra rangers meant to add up the team members to five: Soukichi Banba/Big One- In a team of four rangers, he became the fifth and their leader. He reappeared in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai even if JAKQ had NO giant robot yet. Junichi Aikawa/Green Rhino and Tetsuya Yano/Black Bison- They were extra rangers that came in together to create the Liveman team from three rangers to five rangers. The two were motivated by their desire for revenge only to discover that their real reason to fight was justice. The Gouraiger siblings Ikkou Kasumi and Isshu Kasumi functioned as two additional members. They were the first maroon and navy blue rangers. With a twist, these two started off as enemies and became friends in contrast to their Liveman equivalents. Shishou apparently had a relationship with Nanami. Asuka of Dino Earth/Abare Black- He's the fourth member of the Abarangers and from Dino Earth. I find his love story with Mahoro to be an interesting theme. He lat...

Back to the past aren't we? It's time to remember how Goranger and JAKQ would have molded Super Sentai history from the time Shoutarou Ishinomori of Kamen Rider fame created them. Goranger introduced the standard of a five-team and was the first Sentai series. It had 84 epodes total. I heard it somewhere that Peggy was supposed to be a white ranger. JAKQ was the second series and of high irregularity, maybe a model that wasn't so popular. It started with four members and then ended up with five, the additional member becomign the leader in the place of the red ranger, that is Big One the first white ranger. It was also that short- only 35 episodes, something that Sentai seems to frown upon but the concept of an additional ranger was used quite differently later. Both series were not included as Super Sentai during the special opening of Turboranger for some reason. Was it because these two shows had no giant robots then? Maybe. Remembering Battle Fever J, that...

Although these rangers/characters didn't have any PR counterparts, I think they did however inspire the creation of Tommy in Power Rangers. When Tommy shifted from green ranger to white ranger at the same time usurped the red ranger's position as leader, it was kind of like in JAKQ when Big One arrived as an additional hero of the team of four and replaced the red ranger Spade Ace as the leader. I count Big One as the first white ranger. Tommy kind of got as cocky as he was. In fact, both characters are mascots of their own respective franchise despite the huge time lapse. I think Takeru of Maskman seems to have inspired Tommy in some way. Both are that devoted to karate and tend to get cocky at times. When Tommy became the red ranger in Power Rangers Zeo, I felt like he had a little of Takeru in him. Strangely the actor Ryosuke Kaizu who played Takeru appeared in episode one of Ohranger but sadly not the commander. Jason was nowhere near this guy. In fact, I felt like ...

Super Sentai also got notorious for using crucifixion as well. Crucifixion is a method of punishment for the worst criminals in the ancient world. Although Japan is hardly into Western influence, still east meets west. What's interesting is that in Japanese history, there was the execution by haritsuke which a victim was bound to the cross prior to being finished. In Super Sentai, there were failed haritsukes that occured. Here are some of them: JAKQ had this crucifixion scene where Jack, Ace, King and Queen were supposed to be executed but a fake missile saved them. In Bioman episode 28, Dr. Man designed these crosses to be their gravesites which would slowly kill them in agony which was a course of action to punish the Big Three for treason. In Maskman episode "Prince Igam's A Woman", it was during this episode when Akira became Fencer Unas and Igam had them set on crosses, symbolizing death before Igam's true person was revealed before many. The Je...