Power Rangers

[Christopher]

Earlier I said:

There was a "bullet time" shot of the camera swooping around the Lupinrangers as they jumped off the skywalk bridge in slow motion, and I can't figure out how they did that. Some of the other shots in that sequence seemed to be shot with drones, but that one would've required the drone to move impossibly fast, I'd think.

I just realized, the stunt performers would've surely been on wires when they jumped, so maybe they were lowered in "slow motion" while the camera drone circled them.

 

[DigificWriter]

Cross-posting this from elsewhere:
I've now finished my rewatch of Jungle Fury, including a string of episodes (Tigers Fall, Lions Rise through Now the Final Fury) that I actually hadn't previously seen, and I have to say that while I'm not currently quite sure how far it will end up rising (since I need to do some 'comparison watching'), the season will definitely be moving into my Top Ten Favorite Seasons list.

Some in-depth thoughts/observations on the season, presented in bullet form:
* There have only been a handful of seasons of Power Rangers where I can genuinely say that I like every single character equally, and JF is one of them (along with RPM, Mystic Force, Ninja Storm, Zeo, and MMPR Season 3); there really isn't a 'bad' or underdeveloped character in the group

* I started out my rewatch still disliking the fact that the standard Rinshi hopped everywhere, but that has slowly gone away and now I no longer mind it

* Path of the Righteous felt to me like a team-up episode in the way that it brought Jarrod and Camille into the fight, which, in lieu of an actual team-up, is pretty cool

* Seeing the Pai Zhua Masters morphed into their animal forms in Now the Final Fury was pretty darn awesome, and it's too bad that Dai Shi had to come along and spoil things

* Now the Final Fury really reminds me, structurally, of Storm Before the Calm, the finale of Ninja Storm

* I don't know why Casey, Theo, and Lily didn't use their Jungle Master Modes at all during Now the Final Fury, but it was weird

* Now the Final Fury has a great denouement with Casey teaching at the Pai Zhua school and Jarrod and Camille "starting over", Theo actually asking Lily out for realsies, and Dominic asking Fran to tour Europe with him

Now it's on to rewatching Samurai, this time without the extraneousness of the 'holiday specials' and Clash of the Red Rangers.

 

[Christopher]

* There have only been a handful of seasons of Power Rangers where I can genuinely say that I like every single character equally, and JF is one of them (along with RPM, Mystic Force, Ninja Storm, Zeo, and MMPR Season 3); there really isn't a 'bad' or underdeveloped character in the group

Yeah, JF did a good job with the characters.

* I started out my rewatch still disliking the fact that the standard Rinshi hopped everywhere, but that has slowly gone away and now I no longer mind it

The Rinshi were based on the jiangshi, "hopping vampires" from Asian folklore. I think the idea is that they have to hop because they're corpses and therefore stiff.

Also, the Rinshi are the only foot soldier creatures that retain their original Super Sentai name in their Power Rangers incarnation.

* I don't know why Casey, Theo, and Lily didn't use their Jungle Master Modes at all during Now the Final Fury, but it was weird

I loved the twist that their final victory was achieved without morphing. It showed that they'd transcended the need for such technological crutches and tapped into their fullest spiritual power. After all, in this version, the Ranger powers didn't come from a spiritual source, but were the result of RJ adapting pre-existing Ranger tech -- which I seem to recall him saying he'd gotten from Operation Overdrive's mentor character, though RangerWiki doesn't confirm it -- to tie the Morphing Grid into the Rangers' animal spirits. At the end, though, they'd mastered their spirits to the point that they didn't need the Morphing Grid anymore.

 

[May 20]

Excellent points all around on Jungle Fury.

We watched the new Ninja Steel last night. And, meh. I feel as if the potential for this series has been severely watered down to make it more cutesy, probably to fit into the Nickelodeon-type kids' show. I am not sure where the blame for this falls - the writers, the network, the producer, or some combination of all of them. Here is a series in which, unlike JF, the characters seem to be equally undeveloped.

 

[Christopher]

We watched the new Ninja Steel last night. And, meh. I feel as if the potential for this series has been severely watered down to make it more cutesy, probably to fit into the Nickelodeon-type kids' show. I am not sure where the blame for this falls - the writers, the network, the producer, or some combination of all of them.

I'm kinda hoping it's Bandai America's fault and that the new deal with Hasbro will let them make better shows. That's pure wishful thinking, though. It does feel like Nick is pushing them to make the show more like one of their sitcoms. Although Dino Charge aside, the show's been pretty weak ever since Saban got the rights back from Disney, so Saban may bear some of the blame as well.

 

[Samurai8472]

If anyone is curious about how different Gekiranger is compared to Jungle Fury. This channel has the whole series. Search "Gekiranger"

https://www.facebook.com/pg/The-Super-Sentai-Series-1820368491584169/videos/

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It was only my second time watching a full sentai series while it was going on in 2007. Some pro's and con's like Jan the red ranger and his made up language. The music is excellent. The story arc's are really good. We start our first around episode 4 or 5?

 

[May 20]

Of the four Nickelodeon-era shows, I agree that Dino Charge is the strongest. But it doesn't measure up to some of the earlier seasons. Objectively (if one can be objective about Power Rangers), I wouldn't rank it in in the top 25%. Subjectively, I enjoyed it very much, especially after Mega Force. I hadn't considered the influence of the toy manufacturers, though that makes sense. More exposure of the zords means more interest, which means more sales.

I guess I'm feeling a little cheated with Ninja Steel. I really want to like it. There's just enough happening to make me see the potential for it.

 

[Christopher]

I guess I'm feeling a little cheated with Ninja Steel. I really want to like it. There's just enough happening to make me see the potential for it.

At this point, the only reason I'm still watching is because Chrysti Ane is so gorgeous. Although there's a symmetry in that, because the only reason I watched MMPR in the first place was because Amy Jo Johnson was so gorgeous. That first season was so dumb that its only appeal was the strong cast, as well as the creativity of the tech and creature designs.

 

[DigificWriter]

Of the four Nickelodeon-era shows, I agree that Dino Charge is the strongest. But it doesn't measure up to some of the earlier seasons. Objectively (if one can be objective about Power Rangers), I wouldn't rank it in in the top 25%. Subjectively, I enjoyed it very much, especially after Mega Force. I hadn't considered the influence of the toy manufacturers, though that makes sense. More exposure of the zords means more interest, which means more sales.

I guess I'm feeling a little cheated with Ninja Steel. I really want to like it. There's just enough happening to make me see the potential for it.

You're acting like it's some "universal truth" that Samurai, Megaforce, Super Megaforce, and Dino Supercharge are garbage; that, however, is not even remotely the case.

I firmly believe that Samurai is by no means as deeply flawed as perception says that it is, and will forever maintain that its problems are not what they're perceived to be.

I also firmly believe that Megaforce and Super Megaforce's flaws are exaggerated way beyond what is warranted, and that, in the case of the latter, the negative conversation is driven largely by petty nitpicking based on elevated expectations that weren't met.

I also firmly believe that Dino Charge has much more egregious flaws than any of the seasons I just mentioned, all revolving around the characterization of and focus on the characters of Tyler and Shelby, neither of whom are competently written characters despite being the two primary driving forces behind a lot of the season's early narrative as a result of being the audience's proxys into the already-established world of the season early on in the premiere.

 

[May 20]

On, no, I don't think they are garbage at all. I came to PR because of Samurai. I love Samurai. Antonio is my favorite 6th Ranger. I adore Emily; she's so sweet and hard-working. But I understand that my subjective affection doesn't equal objective quality. Mega Force had a lot of wasted potential, imo. Mashing two Sentai series into one PR series didn't do it any favors. And, as entertaining as Dino Charge was, it had its weird lines that really didn't make sense under close examination. Objectively, none of them are stellar seasons. Subjectively, well, I'm still watching the new season and rewatching previous seasons, these three included. My son is now a teenager, so I don't know how much longer he will want to watch. And when his desire evaporates, I suspect mine will, too. Until, then, I plan to do my best to enjoy this thing that he is still happy to share with me.

 

[DigificWriter]

Objectively, none of them are stellar seasons.

I disagree. I firmly believe that, from an objective point-of-view focused solely on the contents of Samurai, Megaforce, and Super Megaforce, those 3 seasons are perfectly decent, especially by the overall standards of the Power Rangers franchise.

Speaking of Samurai, I've started a rewatch, and had forgotten just how amusing I find the "Samurai totem pole" gag from Origins P2; it's one of those moments where the franchise can make fun of itself in-narrative and not have it feel 'cheap'.

 

[Christopher]

Objectively, none of them are stellar seasons.

I disagree. I firmly believe that, from an objective point-of-view focused solely on the contents of Samurai, Megaforce, and Super Megaforce, those 3 seasons are perfectly decent, especially by the overall standards of the Power Rangers franchise.

Umm, that's not disagreeing at all. "Stellar" means shining, outstanding, superb, top-notch. If the nicest thing you can say about those seasons is that they're "perfectly decent," then you are, in fact, agreeing that they are less than stellar.

 

[DigificWriter]

^ The point is conceded, although that's not what I meant.

 

[Samurai8472]

Last week was episode 3 of Lupinranger VS Patoranger. This Saturday/Sunday 9:30 am in Japan is episode 4

With all that out of the way on to the show!

Lupinranger VS Patoranger episode 3

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[Christopher]

Lupinranger VS Patoranger episode 3

Another effective one. More character development, more mysteries about the Collection and how the police acquired pieces of it. There's still a lot more focus on the Lupinrangers than the Patrangers (that seems to be catching on as the preferred transliteration, and it makes sense since the name's derived from "patrol"). This episode focused on the #2 male Rangers of both teams, but less so on Sakuya/Patren 2gou than on Tooma/Lupin Blue. And the thieves are getting more screen time and more personality, and they're more aware of the overarching story arc so far. I'd like to see more balance between the two teams in terms of development and emphasis.

The one way the Patrangers had the advantage was that they'd apparently already been briefed on how to Gattai (i.e. combine their mecha, form the "Megazord") rather than needing Good Striker to explain it to them. But they were still surprised by Goodie's puppet form.

 

[Christopher]

SNS: "Attack of the Galactic Ninjas": Once again, the show is feebly attempting to generate character conflict but doing it in a superficial, sitcommy way, with Calvin mistaking Preston & Hayley's Romeo and Juliet rehearsals for an affair. How exactly do performers in a school play keep their casting secret from one of their best friends? Isn't that sort of thing usually announced ahead of time? Doesn't Calvin have any non-Ranger friends who might also be in that class or know people who are? Not to mention that the play dialogue is either a loose paraphrase of Shakespeare (in the death scene) or completely invented (everywhere else).

Victor & Monty were a pointless distraction as usual, and this subplot was particularly stupid. Why would a crate shipped to an institute in South Africa be dumped in the middle of a savanna instead of in a mailroom somewhere? It could've fallen off a truck, maybe, but there was no road there. Besides, in the age of Black Panther, the media cliche that Africa is nothing but untamed wilderness really needs to die. (Also, what happened to the clothes that were in the crate with them before?)

The "Galactic Ninjas" are based on the Ninninger ninja clan that was led by the character Madame Odius is based on. The idea of a team of ninjas being celebrities is sort of a contradiction in terms; ninjas are supposed to be stealthy and secretive. I know there are competitive "ninjas" in real life, but they're just practitioners of ninjutsu-based martial arts styles, not actual combatants as these guys are supposed to be. It drives home how incongruous the whole Galaxy Warriors game show premise is for a season based on ninjas. But it does let the show use some of the fantasy ninja techniques that were no doubt featured more prominently in Ninninger (and that were featured heavily in Kakuranger, the season it used as its template), like the scarecrow illusion and the cloning technique. So despite the incongruity of celebrity ninjas, it actually felt more ninja-themed than the show usually manages.

I do wonder, though -- why bring in a whole team of ninjas to pit against a team of ninjas if you're just going to send them in one at a time? Why not have them all attack en masse? I guess that can sort of be justified as fitting the format of the show, but Madame Odius has less reason to be invested in the format of the show than Galvanax was. After all, Galvanax was the reigning Galaxy Warriors champion, but Odius always seemed to have a larger agenda, using her position to advance her own schemes. Now that she's in charge, it seems out of character for her to stick so faithfully to the show's rules. Unless that's protective camouflage -- maybe she still doesn't want to show her hand fully to the galaxy. But even so, you'd think a fighting show would have a provision for team-vs.-team bouts rather than strictly solo-vs.-team bouts.

Of course, the "one monster at a time" trope is a recurring problem in Super Sentai. It actually kind of makes sense in Lupinranger vs. Patranger, since the various Ganglers are taking turns trying to prove their worthiness as Dogranio's successor. Yet it looks like Kogure is also assigning the Lupinrangers to hunt down the Ganglers and their Collection artifacts one at a time, and by coincidence it's always the same Gangler. Unless maybe it's not a coincidence...?

 

[May 20]

Hmm...I haven't seen today's episode yet. Son is binge-watching Mystic Force right now. Apparently, I don't need to be in any hurry. So frustrating.

 

[DigificWriter]

I've made it through to Forest for the Trees in my Samurai rewatch, and, to my surprise, Kevin is actually starting to grow on me a little bit, whereas before I just found him offputting.

There Go the Brides remains my favorite episode of this early batch of stories, although I've come to a new realization about it in that it's more Mia-centric than I had previously considered it to be (having initially 'read' it as a "shared focus" episode for both Mia and Emily). I also realized, in a way I hadn't before, just how much of a spiritual companion both it and Broken Dreams are, being that both feature Mia and Dayu as their primary POV characters.

 

[JD]

Boom! Studios is going to be releasing a 25th anniversary special comic. It will feature work by Magdalene Visaggio, Joe Quinones, Sina Grace, and Marcus To,

 

[DigificWriter]

Cross-posting:
I'm into the thick of Samurai now, having now finished The Tengen Gate, which is among my favorite episodes of the season because of everything it introduces (the first mention of Serrator, the first explicit mention of Dayu and Deker's backstory, the first appearance of Arachnitor, the debut of the Claw Battlezord North, and the first appearance of the Black Box Morpher), and its overall narrative structure, and it's really a shame that more people didn't give Samurai a fair chance (IMO) when it originally aired, as there's a lot to like about it on the whole.

As an aside, rewatching the season is bringing back memories of the panel I attended featuring Alex, Naji, Hector, and Steven at Salt Lake Comic Con back in 2014, but at the same time making me sad that I wasn't able to meet them (because I couldn't find the booth they were at).