Now this could just be me, but there has to be someone else who has somewhat noticed this, at least one person. And as the title for this thread is a bit vague, I’ll explain myself better.
For the past 5 or so years, these past Sentai series have been interesting entries to say the least. From Samurais, to Angels, to Pirates (from space), to Super Spies, to Dinosaurs, to it’s current form, Trains. Then again the Sentai seasons before this also go radical in their themes, like Dinosaurs (the 2nd one), to Future Police (the 2nd one), to Magic, to Adventurers, to Cars (the 3rd one).
But the issue is not what the season and its season specific theme was (or “is” as ToQger is still ongoing), but to try and make adaptations of these past seasons must be a b---- and a half for other reasons. And like I said, it can’t be intentional on Toei’s part. Let me elaborate myself. I'm going to list the shows and explain show by show the issues adapting these past few seasons have been. Also I promise that the Shinkenger section will be the longest, so bare with that and try to read the other sections. Also I may interchange the word season with series as it’s a habit of mine since none of the Sentai seasons have been directly connected so mentally I think up series instead of seasons, plus I hear people interchange the word for many Toku series, including Power Rangers. I apologize ahead in case that bothers you. If it makes you easier to take it in, seasons in the UK is called series, so yeah.
Shinkenger/Samurai & Super Samurai: What is on of the first things you think of when you think “Shinkenger” other than samurai? Well, Japanese! It is probably the MOST heavily Japanese culture focused thing to come out in... ever! And I don’t mean modern Japanese culture, but more so it’s Japans past culture during the time of samurai, and how certain values and ideals from the past that still live on today or how it’s old ideals clashes with a more modern values. All this from a series about people in tight suits and helmets fighting rubber monsters, who expects something like that to get in any levels of deepness? Other than people who watch a lot of Toku shows and have seen what they can do.
Okay that may not be the total focus, but it’s a big element and the season itself has a bigger focus on characterization over plot. And that may be one reason Samurai wasn’t all that hot because of weak characterization due to being pretty much Shinkenger lite and its weak characters pulled away on how the base plot of Shinkenger wasn’t really the stuff of legends.
Now Saban (and Disney) in the past can and have made radical changes from the source footage to its Power Rangers season adaptations, but for some reason Samurai was a straight adaptation, and I listed one of it’s bigger issues above because of being a straight but lite adaptation. Characterization aside, even if they made a more pragmatic season and made major changes from the source (In Space, Dino Thunder, the MMPR seasons to name a few) there is just so much aspects the source footage has in it’s “Japaneseieness” that those things would be difficult to ignore or adapt into something else, like how In Space adapted the Tech focused Megaranger to be closer to be more space focused. I can see that as the biggest reason why Samurai was just straight up “Shinkenger vanilla flavor” (that and the fascination Jon T has with Google translate). And a problem with adapting Shinkenger straight up is that Japanese values do not translate well into American values, or values into many other countries. An example of different values (and is not specific to Shinkenger but to all around Japanese culture) is that having "daddy issues" over there is a really big thing. Dishonoring or even just hating your father means something there, while here we just say "daddy issues" and look down at the person who have them because we automatically assume them to be dumb or something.
Now I’m not saying you suck or are wrong for liking Samurai and Super Samurai because I kinda like it too, but all I’m saying that it has many things that probably made it a hard adaptation for Saban to work with. Also remember this sentence anytime I have a little rant or something on the next Ranger seasons I'll be discussing, because I don't want to come off as a person who thinks you're dumb for liking a certain season. I won't really say if I like Megaforce and Super Megaforce, but I think we can all agree that all these recent seasons can be better than what they have been now.
Goseiger/Megaforce: We can all agree that Nickelodeon is to blame for these 20 episode seasons and long hiatuses. And that’s why Goseiger had to be used for the 20th anniversary season instead of the more sensible Gokaiger, though the shows are now connected anyway, and many have agreed that the results have been messy. Back on track, Goseiger was a Sentai season with the Rangers being literal Angels on Earth. Automatically you can see the issues this series has if you make a straight up adaptation of Goseiger to a Power Rangers season. If you don’t get the controversy, then you have no clue how big Christian religion is in the USA and other controversies on religion in general. Thankfully Megaforce does not adapt that aspect; no, no, its BIGGEST issue to make an adaptation of Goseiger is in the editing department.
What do I mean? Well the Gosei Angels are angels and have the stereotypical angel wings sometimes shown, which was cut off from Megaforce footage, but imagine the process for that. Then there is the fact the names of a lot of things are on cards everywhere! Why else do you think they kept the Sentai names for so many things when the usual thing that happens is that they’re changed to different names? Imagine the entire creative board room trying to reason out how they can fit in the word Gosei into Power Rangers.
And yet there is still glaring issues if you like to focus into this editing stuff. Even casual viewers can probably find weird issues here and there, like the Ultra Gosei Megazord being summoned by the HYPER Gosei Great cards. Yeah. There are other obvious editing issues that are very blatant here than there ever have been before with the more recent Power Rangers seasons, like character personalities being somewhat different when they’re morphed if you can spot the body movement (which is present in the next season too), and Japanese words in some places on the streets, and the red Gosei ranger making an unofficial appearance once, and other stuff.
Basically, they probably wasted all their editing money and care into removing wings and justifying names, but that must have still been one hell of a process.
Gokaiger/Super Megaforce: Do you remember how earlier I stated that you just really can’t ignore the heavy samurai and all around Japanese aspects Shinkenger had, thus my guess why Samurai was a straight up adaptation was because of that? Well Super Megaforce blatantly ignores the heavy Pirate aspect Gokaiger has, and yet some episodes are still sometimes copy and paste episodes of Gokaiger, here and there. And remember my ranger personality change complaint? It’s still here, so certain Rangers act different when morphed in this season than the last season, though they’ve tried to justify it with certain reasons here and there. Or ignore the change in “morphed personality”.
Also there is a character missing, Robo Knight, the sorta 6th ranger for the Megaforce team, and this is because trying to adapt 2 unrelated seasons that did not have the same characters will cause problems. They got around that by saying Robo is missing and are apparently trying to look for him, but so far this seems dropped.
But onto the main issue.
As many of you know, Gokaiger was the 35th anniversary of the Super Sentai series and it celebrates all of Super Sentai. One way they do it is by having the Gokai Rangers change into the previous rangers of old and use their powers. Meaning that this season had a good chunk of pre-Zyuranger and Dairanger suit usage in it. And fans have said before, an issue Super Megaforce has is the heavy usage of the pre-Zyuranger and Dairanger suits when they should be more focusing on the suits only used in Power Ranger seasons.
Now they have justified this by saying that the unused suits are just powers never before seen on this world (which personally I’ll buy), but then when you want your plot to move forward and have to use the non PR suits... a lot, then we have issues. Like the Super Megaforce 2 part episode where the new 6th ranger got his super mode and the ranger helping him out was in a suit that was never used in Power Rangers ever. This may be an issue more with Saban’s handling and adapting than the product that Toei produced, but still Toei are the ones who made the series, and Saban has to find ways around this problem because they can’t just ignore their 6th Super Megaforce ranger magically getting a power up suit that celebrates all of “6th rangerness”. This isn’t a head of a Megazord you guys, this is plot important stuff. But this season isn’t over yet, so who knows how they handle their later episodes that aren’t out yet, though the track record isn’t really looking that entirely good people.
Looking Back: While I am more towards the mentality that Toei was the (unintentional) fault for some of Samurai’s adaptation issues, and I blamed Saban more for the issues Megaforce has with adapting Goseiger (though I still say Toei messed them up hard with putting words absolutely everywhere, and so many angel references, and stuff), I see Super Megaforce being a 50/50 deal here. Saban could do better with the editing process and not focus so much on the non used PR suits, but Toei is the one who made blockades that Saban has to climb over when it comes to their suit usage, and sometimes Saban can’t get past a blockade and have to find weird ways around to make things work. (I forgot to bring up the Legend War, but all I have to say is that you can see the Rangers never used in PR if you look close enough, but the justified that like I said already.)
Now for stuff that isn’t out yet!
Go-Busters & Kyoryuger/Dino Charge & Dino SuperCharge: As of September 2014, these seasons aren’t out yet, but let’s put our main focus on why the Sentai series being used would be hard to adapt. Really the hardest is Go-Busters, because even as a Sentai series, it was so different from what many seasons before it, and funny enough it contained a lot of references to Power Rangers. But it’s not just what is said from the screen that is different; it’s also what is shown on the screen. The Go-Busters look so very different from the typical spandex wearing heroes of past. The buddyroids are a weird thing all around, even for Japan probably (and defiantly for America and other countries).The mechas are designed and handled in more plausible fashions. And really you can take a good look at this series and go “what?”. Ironically for this Power Rangers referencing season, this season was skipped (mostly) to be made into a Ranger series. Though there is little info known, they are adapting aspects of Go-Busters into Dino Charge, but to what degree is currently unknown. In fact, one theory why Go-Busters got skipped was because it would be too hard to adapt into Power Rangers, though the actual reason is because Bandai is forcing Saban to skip Go-Busters due to its horrible toy sales in Japan. Sorry to all those Go-Buster fans out there, but Bandai says no. But from a business decision it makes total sense, so there’s that.
Now for the possible issues for adapting Kyoryuger... I don’t see anything. Yeah, well except for one thing. The team uses their side arms to serve as changer, and with the many recent shootings that have been happening in America, it maybe be smart to change the way the Dino Charge Rangers morph. Other than that, nothing from the Kyoryuger side of things. Dinosaurs worked before multiple times, so why not now? Plus from the Saban side of this adaptation spectrum, Judd Lynn is the head and he isn’t into directly adapting as much as Jon T was, so really nothing wrong here.
All and all, this season probably won’t have as much as a hard time as adapting as the previous 3 seasons (we’re not counting Go-Busters since it’s merged with Dino Charge somehow).
ToQger Adaptation: I'll maybe add stuff into this section later, but as of now, I'm mentally pooped. So yeah. Sorry.
So yeah, if you have anything to say on this matter, or comment about what I said then please do so. This is a forum meant for discussion. And if you agree or disagree with me then explain why and be specific. :)
For the past 5 or so years, these past Sentai series have been interesting entries to say the least. From Samurais, to Angels, to Pirates (from space), to Super Spies, to Dinosaurs, to it’s current form, Trains. Then again the Sentai seasons before this also go radical in their themes, like Dinosaurs (the 2nd one), to Future Police (the 2nd one), to Magic, to Adventurers, to Cars (the 3rd one).
But the issue is not what the season and its season specific theme was (or “is” as ToQger is still ongoing), but to try and make adaptations of these past seasons must be a b---- and a half for other reasons. And like I said, it can’t be intentional on Toei’s part. Let me elaborate myself. I'm going to list the shows and explain show by show the issues adapting these past few seasons have been. Also I promise that the Shinkenger section will be the longest, so bare with that and try to read the other sections. Also I may interchange the word season with series as it’s a habit of mine since none of the Sentai seasons have been directly connected so mentally I think up series instead of seasons, plus I hear people interchange the word for many Toku series, including Power Rangers. I apologize ahead in case that bothers you. If it makes you easier to take it in, seasons in the UK is called series, so yeah.
Shinkenger/Samurai & Super Samurai: What is on of the first things you think of when you think “Shinkenger” other than samurai? Well, Japanese! It is probably the MOST heavily Japanese culture focused thing to come out in... ever! And I don’t mean modern Japanese culture, but more so it’s Japans past culture during the time of samurai, and how certain values and ideals from the past that still live on today or how it’s old ideals clashes with a more modern values. All this from a series about people in tight suits and helmets fighting rubber monsters, who expects something like that to get in any levels of deepness? Other than people who watch a lot of Toku shows and have seen what they can do.
Okay that may not be the total focus, but it’s a big element and the season itself has a bigger focus on characterization over plot. And that may be one reason Samurai wasn’t all that hot because of weak characterization due to being pretty much Shinkenger lite and its weak characters pulled away on how the base plot of Shinkenger wasn’t really the stuff of legends.
Now Saban (and Disney) in the past can and have made radical changes from the source footage to its Power Rangers season adaptations, but for some reason Samurai was a straight adaptation, and I listed one of it’s bigger issues above because of being a straight but lite adaptation. Characterization aside, even if they made a more pragmatic season and made major changes from the source (In Space, Dino Thunder, the MMPR seasons to name a few) there is just so much aspects the source footage has in it’s “Japaneseieness” that those things would be difficult to ignore or adapt into something else, like how In Space adapted the Tech focused Megaranger to be closer to be more space focused. I can see that as the biggest reason why Samurai was just straight up “Shinkenger vanilla flavor” (that and the fascination Jon T has with Google translate). And a problem with adapting Shinkenger straight up is that Japanese values do not translate well into American values, or values into many other countries. An example of different values (and is not specific to Shinkenger but to all around Japanese culture) is that having "daddy issues" over there is a really big thing. Dishonoring or even just hating your father means something there, while here we just say "daddy issues" and look down at the person who have them because we automatically assume them to be dumb or something.
Now I’m not saying you suck or are wrong for liking Samurai and Super Samurai because I kinda like it too, but all I’m saying that it has many things that probably made it a hard adaptation for Saban to work with. Also remember this sentence anytime I have a little rant or something on the next Ranger seasons I'll be discussing, because I don't want to come off as a person who thinks you're dumb for liking a certain season. I won't really say if I like Megaforce and Super Megaforce, but I think we can all agree that all these recent seasons can be better than what they have been now.
Goseiger/Megaforce: We can all agree that Nickelodeon is to blame for these 20 episode seasons and long hiatuses. And that’s why Goseiger had to be used for the 20th anniversary season instead of the more sensible Gokaiger, though the shows are now connected anyway, and many have agreed that the results have been messy. Back on track, Goseiger was a Sentai season with the Rangers being literal Angels on Earth. Automatically you can see the issues this series has if you make a straight up adaptation of Goseiger to a Power Rangers season. If you don’t get the controversy, then you have no clue how big Christian religion is in the USA and other controversies on religion in general. Thankfully Megaforce does not adapt that aspect; no, no, its BIGGEST issue to make an adaptation of Goseiger is in the editing department.
What do I mean? Well the Gosei Angels are angels and have the stereotypical angel wings sometimes shown, which was cut off from Megaforce footage, but imagine the process for that. Then there is the fact the names of a lot of things are on cards everywhere! Why else do you think they kept the Sentai names for so many things when the usual thing that happens is that they’re changed to different names? Imagine the entire creative board room trying to reason out how they can fit in the word Gosei into Power Rangers.
And yet there is still glaring issues if you like to focus into this editing stuff. Even casual viewers can probably find weird issues here and there, like the Ultra Gosei Megazord being summoned by the HYPER Gosei Great cards. Yeah. There are other obvious editing issues that are very blatant here than there ever have been before with the more recent Power Rangers seasons, like character personalities being somewhat different when they’re morphed if you can spot the body movement (which is present in the next season too), and Japanese words in some places on the streets, and the red Gosei ranger making an unofficial appearance once, and other stuff.
Basically, they probably wasted all their editing money and care into removing wings and justifying names, but that must have still been one hell of a process.
Gokaiger/Super Megaforce: Do you remember how earlier I stated that you just really can’t ignore the heavy samurai and all around Japanese aspects Shinkenger had, thus my guess why Samurai was a straight up adaptation was because of that? Well Super Megaforce blatantly ignores the heavy Pirate aspect Gokaiger has, and yet some episodes are still sometimes copy and paste episodes of Gokaiger, here and there. And remember my ranger personality change complaint? It’s still here, so certain Rangers act different when morphed in this season than the last season, though they’ve tried to justify it with certain reasons here and there. Or ignore the change in “morphed personality”.
Also there is a character missing, Robo Knight, the sorta 6th ranger for the Megaforce team, and this is because trying to adapt 2 unrelated seasons that did not have the same characters will cause problems. They got around that by saying Robo is missing and are apparently trying to look for him, but so far this seems dropped.
But onto the main issue.
As many of you know, Gokaiger was the 35th anniversary of the Super Sentai series and it celebrates all of Super Sentai. One way they do it is by having the Gokai Rangers change into the previous rangers of old and use their powers. Meaning that this season had a good chunk of pre-Zyuranger and Dairanger suit usage in it. And fans have said before, an issue Super Megaforce has is the heavy usage of the pre-Zyuranger and Dairanger suits when they should be more focusing on the suits only used in Power Ranger seasons.
Now they have justified this by saying that the unused suits are just powers never before seen on this world (which personally I’ll buy), but then when you want your plot to move forward and have to use the non PR suits... a lot, then we have issues. Like the Super Megaforce 2 part episode where the new 6th ranger got his super mode and the ranger helping him out was in a suit that was never used in Power Rangers ever. This may be an issue more with Saban’s handling and adapting than the product that Toei produced, but still Toei are the ones who made the series, and Saban has to find ways around this problem because they can’t just ignore their 6th Super Megaforce ranger magically getting a power up suit that celebrates all of “6th rangerness”. This isn’t a head of a Megazord you guys, this is plot important stuff. But this season isn’t over yet, so who knows how they handle their later episodes that aren’t out yet, though the track record isn’t really looking that entirely good people.
Looking Back: While I am more towards the mentality that Toei was the (unintentional) fault for some of Samurai’s adaptation issues, and I blamed Saban more for the issues Megaforce has with adapting Goseiger (though I still say Toei messed them up hard with putting words absolutely everywhere, and so many angel references, and stuff), I see Super Megaforce being a 50/50 deal here. Saban could do better with the editing process and not focus so much on the non used PR suits, but Toei is the one who made blockades that Saban has to climb over when it comes to their suit usage, and sometimes Saban can’t get past a blockade and have to find weird ways around to make things work. (I forgot to bring up the Legend War, but all I have to say is that you can see the Rangers never used in PR if you look close enough, but the justified that like I said already.)
Now for stuff that isn’t out yet!
Go-Busters & Kyoryuger/Dino Charge & Dino SuperCharge: As of September 2014, these seasons aren’t out yet, but let’s put our main focus on why the Sentai series being used would be hard to adapt. Really the hardest is Go-Busters, because even as a Sentai series, it was so different from what many seasons before it, and funny enough it contained a lot of references to Power Rangers. But it’s not just what is said from the screen that is different; it’s also what is shown on the screen. The Go-Busters look so very different from the typical spandex wearing heroes of past. The buddyroids are a weird thing all around, even for Japan probably (and defiantly for America and other countries).The mechas are designed and handled in more plausible fashions. And really you can take a good look at this series and go “what?”. Ironically for this Power Rangers referencing season, this season was skipped (mostly) to be made into a Ranger series. Though there is little info known, they are adapting aspects of Go-Busters into Dino Charge, but to what degree is currently unknown. In fact, one theory why Go-Busters got skipped was because it would be too hard to adapt into Power Rangers, though the actual reason is because Bandai is forcing Saban to skip Go-Busters due to its horrible toy sales in Japan. Sorry to all those Go-Buster fans out there, but Bandai says no. But from a business decision it makes total sense, so there’s that.
Now for the possible issues for adapting Kyoryuger... I don’t see anything. Yeah, well except for one thing. The team uses their side arms to serve as changer, and with the many recent shootings that have been happening in America, it maybe be smart to change the way the Dino Charge Rangers morph. Other than that, nothing from the Kyoryuger side of things. Dinosaurs worked before multiple times, so why not now? Plus from the Saban side of this adaptation spectrum, Judd Lynn is the head and he isn’t into directly adapting as much as Jon T was, so really nothing wrong here.
All and all, this season probably won’t have as much as a hard time as adapting as the previous 3 seasons (we’re not counting Go-Busters since it’s merged with Dino Charge somehow).
ToQger Adaptation: I'll maybe add stuff into this section later, but as of now, I'm mentally pooped. So yeah. Sorry.
So yeah, if you have anything to say on this matter, or comment about what I said then please do so. This is a forum meant for discussion. And if you agree or disagree with me then explain why and be specific. :)
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