Power Rangers Zeo Review

Power Rangers Zeo (1996-97) continued MMPR's story and used footage from Ohranger. Zeo was the first season to change the suits, the series title, and theme song every year. Zeo differed slightly from Ohranger's motif in that it wasn't a military organization, but was still largely technology based as well as having its powers centered around the Zeo crystal. Zeo also went back to using mostly Sentai footage as compared to MMPR season's 2 and 3 which used a lot of American footage. It also marked the return of Austin St. John who reprised his role briefly as Jason the Gold Ranger. Zeo tends to be viewed more like Lightspeed Rescue, as a rather average season. Personally, it's one of my favorite seasons and IMO a big step up from the dissapointments of the last half of MMPR S2 and S3 as a whole.

The Good
What I felt really makes this season enjoyable is that it really allowed for all the characters to develop and florish through the whole season. In particular, Rocky and Adam whom both received little development in previous seasons, really got a chance to shine here. The new characters, Tanya and Katherine, received much more development than the new cast received during MMPR S2. It was also refreshing to see the Sentai footage instead of the terrible American ranger fight footage present through the second half of MMPR S2 and S3. Though this season was episodic much like MMPR S1, the episodes were quite good with some very memorable episodes such as Instrument of Destruction and Another Song and Dance. It still had some good story arcs such as the mystery of the Gold Ranger as well as Tommy's relationship with his brother, both made for some interesting drama. Jason's return to the show was a nice touch although he wasn't as awesome as he was as the red ranger. The theme song was pretty descent as well.

The Average
The villains (the Machine Empire) weren't nearly up to the level as Lord Zedd and Rita but they were definitely better than Turbo's villains. It was also a bit of a dissapointment seeing Billy have a reduced roll during this season. Also, Eric Frank's acting, JDF's real life brother who played Tommy's brother, was kinda wooden. Though fortunately he's not present through the majority of the season.

The Ugly
The only major gripe I have about how this season was written was the whole Dear John letter scenario involving Kimberly and Tommy as well as the forced relationship between Tommy and Kat, and the crappy Christmas episode that followed. To be fair, Tommy and Kimberly breaking up was pretty realistic but forcing a relationship between Tommy and Kat was a bit much. What was also very ugly was how David Yost (Billy) was treated behind the scenes by the production crew.

My Rating
B/B+. This is a solid season, that I thouroughly enjoyed watching as a kid and still enjoy watching reruns today. By no means the greatest, but still fun to watch.

My Favorite Episodes
Episodes 1-2, A Zeo Beginning: A Zeo Beginning was a solid start to the season.
Episode 12, Instrument of Destruction: My favorite Bulk and Skull moment ever, involving Bulk's appreciation for Skull's musical talent.
Episode 14, Mr. Billy's Wild Ride: One of the few focus episodes that Billy received during this season, and it was a pretty dramatic one.
Episodes 18-21: A descent story arc concerning Tommy and his brother David.
Episode 28, The Power of Gold: The introduction of the Gold Ranger.
Episodes 33-34: This two parter involved the revelation of the Gold Ranger's true identity as well as Jason's return and assuming the Gold Ranger powers.
Episodes 41-43: A three parter that included Tommy getting kidnapped, brainwashed, and fighting against the rangers once again. Nothing like the Green with Evil arc, but still fascinating.
Episode 46, Another Song and Dance: One of the funnier episodes during PR's early history. This episode included Tanya and Tommy singing their morphing lines as well as zords dancing.
Episodes 47-48, Rangers of Two Worlds: First major team-up in Power Rangers history, involving the Alien Rangers and the Zeo Rangers. It was also Billy's departure, which wasn't well done, but the cool part was the team-up.

Remembering Bulk and Skull, the Dynamic Duo

One of the main reasons why MMPR and the Zordon Era is so popular among Power Ranger fans is the characters of Bulk and Skull. While Turbo was airing, Fox Kids was experimenting with a spin-off Bulk and Skull TV series, but this project never left the writing board. Bulk and Skull were comic relief characters that developed from bullies to good nature bumblers and eventually to heroes. The humor involving these two was often campy and cheesy, but fans still loved it. Every year they were on the show there was a new theme for these two. For example, in MMPR S1 they were bullies, S2 they tried to reveal the identity of the Power Rangers, and S3 they became cops, and so on. However, being on the show for 6+ years, over time they would develop out of their one dimensional characteristics.

The two were actually written off at the end of Zeo when Skull's actor, Jason Narvy, wanted to leave the show. However, Bulk's actor Paul Schrier, convinced Narvy to stay on for two more years. Despite this, no adequate explanation was given to why them and Lieutenant Stone were back in the police force at the beginning of Turbo, especially given that they were fired from the force in Zeo and that Bulk and Skull would quit on Lieutenant Stone at the end of the season.

Despite their popularity for the comic relief they provided, some of the most popular Bulk and Skull moments are their most serious ones. These include the episodes When is a Ranger Not a Ranger from MMPR S2, Instrument of Destruction from Zeo, and Countdown to Destruction during In Space.

My personal favorite is Instrument of Destruction, when it revealed that Skull is a very good pianist. Bulk had dismissed classical music during the entire episode but came to terms with it and recognized Skull's musical talents. This episode did two things to develop these characters. Pretty much every episode before Instrument of Destruction portrayed Bulk and Skull as one-dimensional dummies with little or no talents. This episode however, showed that Skull was more than a one dimensional dummy, and did have some talent. The other thing it developed was how deep their bond was. Even though Bulk hated classical music, he cared more about Skull and came to recognize his talent.

Perhaps the most popular Bulk and Skull moment occurs simultaneously during Countdown to Destruction, which happens to be the most popular final battle ever in Power Rangers. After it appeared the rangers were defeated, Bulk and Skull reenacted the "I Am Spartacus" scene, each claiming to be a fellow power ranger. The citizens of Angel Grove would follow their lead. Later on after the Rangers morphed, Bulk and Skull led the charge to fight off the Quantitrons and to protect the rangers. This was a fitting end to their story, and for that matter, Countdown to Destruction would have been a fitting end to Power Rangers if it had ended there, which we know didn't happen.

Bulk showed up sparingly during Lost Galexy, while Skull made a cameo during the season premier. Both of them would make a cameo in the episode Forever Red, much to the delight of the PR faithful. At that time Bulk owned a cafe and called it "Bulkmeyers." Tommy happened to be there, and it seemed they knew his identity as a former power ranger by then.

Through it all, it's safe to say that Bulk and Skull are the most popular comic relief characters in Power Rangers. Dino Thunder tried to duplicate these two with Cassidy and Devin. Power Rangers Samurai will also try to parody these two, with Fat Jack and Spike. Though, it's unclear how it will turn out.

MMPR S3 Review

MMPR S3 (1995-96) continued MMPR S1 and S2's story and used footage mostly from Kakuranger, with a touch of Zyu2 and Dairanger footage. This season came off a moderately successful movie (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie) and used a ninja motif. This season starts similar to the movie in that the rangers lose their powers and their zords, and then go on a quest to get new powers and zords. There are a few new characters added to this season, such as Rito Revolto and Master Vile, as well as a new army of foot soldiers, the Tenga Warriors. The rangers also have a powerful ally, Ninjor, who's like the team's 7th ranger. Leaving the show during mid-season was Kimberly because her actress Amy Jo Johnson wanted to pursue other career opportunities. Replacing her was Katherine, a tall, blond Australian girl. This season tends to have mixed reactions, with MMPR old faithful fans still loving this season. Still, this season gets it's criticism for Kimberly's departure, villain decay, having too many multi-part episodes, and for the Alien Ranger arc. This season had the most American footage of any season, and relied less on Sentai footage.

The Good

This seaason still has much of the likable cast that it had the previous two years. Some of the characters that received little development the previous season, like Rocky and Aisha, got some development here. Kimberly's departure was handled perfectly, and is IMO the best story arc during this season. The writing and the acting is also much better in this season than it was in the previous seasons. Also, unlike the second half of S2 that felt more like "Tommy and his sidekicks," the other characters got a fair amount of attention and we saw the rangers working together as a team. The zords are cool, cooler than season 2's zords IMO.

The Bad

This season was the worst of all MMPR seasons in terms of villains. Yes they were the same villains as the previous two seasons, but they suffered massive decay during this season. It had already begun with Lord Zedd and Goldar towards the end of season 2, but this was an entire season of it. Meanwhile, Master Vile is suppose to be "the supreme evil of the universe" but yet he gives up after like what, 7 episodes? Also, this season dropped nearly all the cool music it had in season 1 and 2, although they did keep the extended version of Go Go Power Rangers. The American ranger footage during this season was terrible, and there's lots of it without Sentai footage. While many fans don't like the Alien Ranger arc, I actually liked it better than most of the rest of this season because I hated watching the awful American footage. Also what was awful were the ultrazord combinations using the toy zords.

The Ugly

While Kimberly's departure was well handled, Aisha's departure at the very end of this season was terrible.

My Rating

6/10 (Grade C-). Ok, this season isn't all that bad, but it is a season that bugs me and by far my least favorite season of MMPR.

My Favorite Episodes

Episode 10 (Wizard for a Day)- This one gives Rocky some development and helps him to mature some, when he learns that being a teacher isn't that easy. It's a good life-learning episode.

Episode 11 (Fourth Down and Long)- One of only two episodes in Power Rangers that I can remember involving football. The other one in season 1 is better, but this one is alright.

Episodes 12-13 (Stop the Hate Master)- A descent two-parter that gives Aisha more development than she had in all of season 2.

Episodes 18-20 (Changing of the Zords)- A well written three parter that involves Kimberly losing her powers, being kidnapped, Tommy fighting Lord Zedd one on one and getting owned, and the introduction of the Shogun Zords.

Episode 21 (Follow That Cab)- A filler episode but a good one in which Bulk and Skull actually do some good, by catching a car theif.

Episodes 22-24 (A Different Shade of Pink)- The arc that involves Kimberly's departure, and IMO the best story arc during this season.

Episodes 41-42 (Hogday Afternoon)- While Aisha's send-off during this two parter is terrible, it is a good final battle for the Alien Rangers arc and ends MMPR with the command center completely waisted.

Crowning Moment of Funny- Power Rangers Zeo; Another Song and Dance

Probably the funniest moment during Power Rangers Zeo. Queen Machina cast a singing spell over Tommy and Tanya. Until they defeat the MOTW, Tommy and Tanya can only sing all their lines (including their morphing calls) and can't talk regularly. To top it off, during the zord battle, the Super Zeo Megazord and the Red Battlezord are placed under a dancing spell. So in this episode, we have both opera singing rangers and dancing zords. It's wacky, corny as hell, but hilarious. The whole scene can be seen below.

Power Rangers Turbo, What Went Wrong

One of the most controversial Power Rangers seasons among the fandom is Turbo. It was PR's third installment and fifth season overall. The first 20 episodes of Turbo are particularly unpopular. So what was it about Turbo that turned it into such a failure? Justin, a twelve year old who was selected to replace Rocky during Turbo, is single-handily blamed by some fans for Turbo's failures. However, when taking a closer look, we can see that Justin wasn't the only mishap during this season. First, lets look at the past seasons leading up to Turbo.

Previous PR Seasons

MMPR S1 and S2 were monster hit seasons that allowed Power Rangers to become the biggest kids show during the mid-90's. It was so popular that after just two seasons, the series got a movie (MMPR The Movie), which received a respectable $66 million in revenue. However, it was after this point that PR's ratings started to decline. MMPR S3's ratings saw a dip that continued into Zeo. Some fans became bored with Power Rangers, particularly the constant cast changes.

Zeo, while a good and generally popular season among PR fans, had some hiccups that did its share to lead to Turbo's failures. The most notable was the Dear John Letter sent to Tommy by Kimberly, and the subsequent relationship between Tommy and Katherine. While some female fans liked this relationship, it was unpopular among male fans (the bulk of the fandom) and was seen as forced. As mentioned above, fans were already getting tired of the continuing cast changes, although Jason's return in Zeo was very well received.

Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie

Before analyzing the movie's impact on Turbo, I will say that as a movie, Turbo wasn't a bad movie. Not the greatest, but it is watchable. However, due to being in continuity with the season, there were several mishaps in this movie that started the free fall in PRT's ratings. Saban and the production crew recognized that PR's ratings were gradually declining since MMPR S3. As a result, they tried to revive the series by changing the suits, zords, and villains in Zeo (this also doubled as a cost-cutting measure). However, while Zeo was respectable in the ratings department, it was still lower than MMPR S3.

The next move was to make a second movie, which was the Turbo movie. This movie flopped in the box office, grossing out just $9.6 million in comparison to MMPRTM's $66 million. Furthermore, the movie did a terrible job of transitioning from Zeo to Turbo. There was no good explanation given as to why the Turbo powers were needed and what happened to the Zeo powers and the zords. There's been some speculation that Billy, who departed at the end of Zeo, created the Turbo Powers and that the original script of the movie also involved Divatox destroying the Zeo Zords. However, none of this speculation has ever been verified. There is also the infamous hoax episode Scorpion Rain which was suppose to explain what happened to the Zeo Zords as well as Lord Zedd and Rita, but I won't go into that since it is a hoax.

Behind the Scenes of Zeo and Turbo

Besides the gradual decline of the ratings, the Dear John letter in Zeo, and the Turbo movie failures, there was the behind the scenes drama going on at the end of Zeo and the beginning of Turbo. Starting off with Zeo, David Yost (the actor who played Billy) left the show just before Zeo's ending. It was speculated for years that he left due to either pay reasons or because of his reduced role. However, recently, Yost revealed that he left due to constant homophobic remarks made towards him about his sexuality.

Stephen Cardenas, who played Rocky, also had to leave the show due to being injured while attempting a stunt during Zeo. This would lead to the controversy with him being replace by Justin, which I will discuss in a minute.

Also at the time of Turbo, the producers and writers had planned to bring back Lord Zedd and Rita as the main villains in Turbo, but were unable to because the voice actor of Lord Zedd, Robert Axelrod, was unavailable.

Also at this time, Jason David Frank (Tommy) and Catherine Sutherland (Kat) wanted to leave the show to pursue other career opportunities. They both eventually agreed to stay for 20 episodes to allow the writers to write them off. However, the head writers (Douglass Sloan and Ann Austin) would leave the show as well during the first half of the season.

Handling of the Carranger Footage

One of the major missteps behind the scenes was the handling of the Carranger footage. In Japan, Carranger was a big hit that was seen as the savior of Sentai after the failures of Ohranger, a dark season at the wrong time in the midst of a terrorist attack and a big earthquake in Japan. Carranger was known for its wacky, slapstick humor and ridiculous monster suits. The writers and producers of Turbo were split between making Turbo a dark, apocalyptic season and embracing the slapstick humor of the Carranger footage. What they got was something in between that was horrible, which is putting it lightly.

Justin and the First Cast Change

Then, there's Justin. Justin, who was played by Blake Foster (who was 11 at the time), replaced Rocky after his actor, Stephen Cardenas, suffered an injury during Zeo. This is perhaps the most unpopular cast change ever in PR's history. Although, Saban wasn't entirely to blame for the cast change. Seeing PR's decline in the ratings, Fox Kids executives demanded Saban to replace Rocky with a child character in an attempt to appeal to younger audiences, which was PR's original fanbase. So basically, this was forced by Fox Kids. What Fox Kids and Saban didn't realize was that PR's fanbase was aging and was older than it was during MMPR S1 and S2. Casting Justin did nothing to appeal to younger audiences and alienated the older audience. Older audiences didn't like how he acted like a little kid (even younger than his actual age) during the first half of the season, and found him annoying.

As well as Rocky being replaced by Justin, two other popular characters, Zordon and Alpha 5, were replaced as well. They were replaced by Dimitria and Alpha 6. This change was equally as unpopular among PR fans who found both of them annoying.

The Villains

As if all the behind the scenes drama, Justin, and the Carranger footage weren't bad enough for PR fans, the villains in Turbo are also unpopular among fans. Both Elgar and Divatox are viewed as some of the worst villains ever in PR's history. Elgar was viewed as pathetic, especially after getting beat by an 11 year old unmorphed Justin, while fans found Divatox to be annoying.

The Second Cast Change and Second Half of Turbo

After the mess that was the first season came the second cast change, as well as a change of writers and producers with Jonathan Tzachor becoming the executive producer and Judd Lynn becoming the executive writer. While some fans didn't like the second cast change (partly because the two part episode Passing The Torch is unpopular and partly because Tommy departed, the ratings went up during this time, and is viewed by some for saving Power Rangers for at least one season. Unlike previous seasons where the writers had failed to develop new cast members early on, the new cast quickly received development. The quality of the writing improved during the second half of the season, while Lynn embraced the Carranger footage, and managed it much better. Still, even with the improvements during the second half of the season, Fox told Saban to make the following season (Power Rangers In Space) its last season. However, In Space was successful where Zeo and Turbo had failed, and restored the ratings that MMPR had, which allowed Power Rangers to continue.

MMPR S2 Review

MMPR S2 (1993-94) continued S1's story and used leftover footage of Zyu2 as well as zord footage from Dairanger. This season introduced a new villain, Lord Zedd, who took over Rita's spot as the main villain. This season also had new zords, as mentioned above from the Dairanger series, known as the Thunder Zords. The season also continued some story arcs from season 1, such as the Green Ranger's limited power supply slowly being drained because of the Green Candle's effects. Interestingly, during the two part episode Green No More, with Tommy's green ranger powers drained, Lord Zedd used its powers to create the dark rangers. Original plans involved the dark rangers wearing the dairanger costumes and supposedly fighting either the rangers or destroying Angel Grove, but this was scratched. After Tommy's Green Ranger powers ran out, he was later recast to play as the White Ranger, which was rumored to be Brad Hawkins (VR Troopers actor) instead. Eventually, Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Jones left the set reportedly due to lack of pay, and the series went through a significant cast change. As Jason, Trini, and Zack were written out, new actors, Steven Cardenas, Johny Young Bosch, and Karen Ashley were cast to play as Rocky, Adam, and Aisha who became the replacements. Towards the end of the season, Lord Zedd was toned down significantly due to parental complaints that he was "too scary." Among the fandom, this season has mixed reactions. On one hand, Lord Zedd is highly praised as being one of the best villains ever in the series history, and Tommy's return as the white ranger is also well praised. The music present during this season and the last half of season 1, is also widely praised, as well as the extended version of Go Go Power Rangers that debuted during this season. On the other hand, the season is ridiculed at times for the splicing of footage (particularly in the first half with the Dairanger mecha fighting the Zyu2 monsters), the cast change and lack of development of the new cast, Tommy getting too much focus and too cocky (I agree with the former but disagree with the latter), and the villain decay that Goldar and later Lord Zedd would receive. Though some fans argue that after the villain decay of Lord Zedd, he accomplished more, particularly in season 3.

The Good

The first half of this season is really better than season 1. It was much darker, with a much more fearsome villain, Lord Zedd. The green ranger's powers were being drained to nothing and were planned to be used for the destruction of earth. In the beginning of the season, we see that much of the cast had matured dramatically, in particularly Billy who was initially a big nerd had become a muscular and very capable fighter. Tommy's return as the white ranger was a bit of a surprise and made the show more interesting. The music during this season (some of which was introduced in the later half of season 1) was a big improvement from season 1, and imo still the best ever in the franchise history. But then, came the cast change...

The Bad

This season had so much potential that didn't go anywhere. Seeing the Dark Rangers would have been interesting to see. While Adam was given a couple good character development episodes (particularly Goldar's Vice Versa), Rocky and Aisha lacked development and personality during this season. The writers weren't yet comfortable with the new cast, and ended up giving Tommy a little too much power. Then there's the villain decay that Goldar starts receiving with Green No More when an unmorphed Tommy thoroughly kick's his ass, and later in the season Lord Zedd is toned down.

The Ugly

Many talk about the splicing of the footage being bad during this season, but for me the worst part is the American footage used during this season and season 3. It just couldn't live up to the big explosions or the intense battles of the Sentai footage.

My Rating

7.5/10 (Grade B-)- This season had a good start to it, but the last half of the season didn't do it justice. Still, a descent season.

My Favorite Episodes

Episodes 1-3 (The Mutiny)- This arc introduces Lord Zedd and the Thunder Zords, and it was a very good introduction for Lord Zedd.

Episode 6 (Bloom of Doom)- This episode gave some good depth to the Trini-Kimberly friendship.

Episode 11 (The Song of Guitardo)- This episode helped to strengthen Tommy and Kimberly's relationship, and also the inevitability that Tommy's Green Ranger powers are about to run out.

Episodes 12-13 (Green No More)- The Green Ranger powers finally drain away, which ended some good drama. The best part is that Tommy discovers he doesn't need the powers, just to be himself, and he kicks the crap out of Goldar while he's unmorphed.

Episode 15 (Missing Green)- Gives some character development for Jason, who's down about Tommy losing his green ranger powers.

Episode 16 (Beauty and the Beast)- A filler episode, but a funny one when Goldar tries to turn Kimberly into a replacement for Rita.

Episode 17-18 (White Light)- Tommy is given the White Ranger powers, and it was given a little bit of mystery as to who he was early in the episode.

Episodes 22-24 (The Ninja Encounter)- Introduces Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, and gives them a pretty good introduction. However, not much positives would come for these three for the rest of the series.

Episode 29 (Goldar's Vice Versa)- The only time we get to see Scorpina in the entire season. This episode also gave a little bit of development for Adam.

Episode 31 (When is a Ranger Not a Ranger)- This episode actually gave Bulk and Skull some development. It showed that they were more than one dimensional characters, when they saved the rangers.

Power Rangers In Space Season Review

Power Rangers in Space (1998) was the 4th installment of Power Rangers and the 6th overall. PRIS used footage from Megaranger. This season was the first to deviate from its Sentai's theme, mostly by accident. When the producers first saw the mecha footage from Megaranger, they thought Megaranger was a space themed Sentai. In reality, Megaranger was a video game themed Sentai. However, because they were already in pre-production, writer Judd Lynn decided to go with the space motif. After the failures of Power Rangers Turbo, it was thought that PRIS would be Power Rangers' last season. As a result, the writers went all-out, with one of the most ambitious seasons ever. The result was a semi-dark season that would tie six seasons worth of story lines into one whole season, in a race against time to find Zordon before the evil forces take over the entire universe. This season had a recurring story line, with continuity from one episode to the next. Much of the campiness that was visible during the first five seasons was toned down significantly during this season. Andros was and still is one of the deepest, most well developed characters ever, and the main villains, Astronema and Ecliptor, even received a high level of development compared to most villains. Later on, it was revealed that Astronema was Andros' long lost sister, Karone. This season is one of the most popular seasons ever, and the two part finale, Countdown to Destruction, is considered by most to be the best season finale to date as well as one of the most popular episodes ever. This season is widely viewed as the season that saved Power Rangers from cancellation.

The Good

The character development and the story writing imo are among the best ever during a PR season. The cast, for me, is the second best behind MMPR S1, and has both my favorite pink and blue rangers. This season had some very intense drama with many cliffhanger moments. The production job, considering the low budget and the misunderstanding regarding the Sentai footage, is among the best ever done. This was also one of the first seasons that actually had descent American-ranger fight scenes, where as the American footage in previous years was for the most part awful. Also, a big bonus was that Ron Wasserman returned to sing the opening theme song, which is one of my all-time favorites for PR openings.

The Bad

The only bad thing about this series is that it was the first to feature a battlizer, this weapon would get out of hand imo in the seasons to come.

The Ugly

There's nothing ugly about this season, it's one of the best seasons ever.

My Rating

9.5/10 (Grade A)- In Space has the best story of any Power Rangers season.

My Favorite Episodes

Episode 4 (Shell Shocked)- While many people berate this episode I actually liked the fact that the Power Rangers teamed up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, especially since I'm a fan of both shows.

Episode 5 (Never Stop Searching)- Reveals that Andros has a missing sister, and develops his bonding with his new team, especially Carlos.

Episode 10 (A Wasp with a Heart)- Technically filler, but I would argue this episode gave Cassie some good character development. It also showed that not all monsters are one dimensional.

Episode 14-17- This arc involves the first appearance of Darkonda and eventually leads to the Mega Voyager.

Episode 19-20- The first appearance of Zhane, the Silver Ranger.

Episode 23 (A Date with Dangerr)- Zhane dates the main villain, Astronema.

Episode 25 (Always a Chance)- Adam returns to help Carlos regain his confidence.

Episodes 26-30- This arc involves the reveal that Astronema is Andros's long lost sister, and has many good emotional moments.

Episodes 31-36- This is the Psycho Rangers arc, and the Psycho Rangers are badass.

Episodes 42-43 (Countdown to Destruction)- Simply, the best season finale ever in Power Rangers.

MMPR S1 Review

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (MMPR) (1993-94) was the first installment of Power Rangers to be adapted from the Super Sentai series, using Zyuranger and later, Zyu2 footage. Since Mighty Morphin was three seasons long, I'll review each three seasons separately instead of the series as a whole. Their powers were drawn from the spirits of the ancient Dinosaurs, which is technically only partly true, the Saber Tooth Tiger and Mastodon were NOT dinosaurs. The characters were teenagers based on teenage stereotypes (as well as their actors' characteristics) that eventually mature outside of their stereotypes. This season (and the first 4 1/2 seasons in general) differed somewhat from its Sentai counterpart in which it also had a martial arts theme to it. To make it work, Saban hired actors that were more skilled in martial arts than they were in acting. In fact, when Jason David Frank got the part for Tommy, Saban told him "we'll teach you how to act, you just keep kicking." This season was campy, the comedy relief characters Bulk and Skull, and the villains sans Goldar and Scorpina, were mainly comedic. MMPR is the most popular Power Rangers series with the biggest fanbase, with season 1 being the most popular season during MMPR. This season is remembered by many who grew up with the show (including myself :P). Fans like this series for its memorable cast, the catchy theme song, some of the cool zords and monster suits, and for being "old school." This is also the beginning of the Tommy Oliver's legacy, who was so popular on this show that fan demand Saban to bring him back. At this time, however, Saban had ran out of Zyuranger footage and had to request more footage to be made (now called Zyu2) which TOEI gladly gave to Saban. This season had some of the best out of suit fight scenes, particularly against the putties, which is mainly due to the martial arts skills that the actors and actresses possessed. At the same time, all three MMPR seasons had some of the worst American in-suit ranger fight scenes in the series history. While this season is very popular among many fans, it is often criticized for its campiness, a simplistic plot, and below par acting during the early stages of the season.

The Good

Well, I can't say enough about the cast. It's a very memorable cast that deserves its recognition. The music to this season and season 2 are still the best to date in Power Rangers. I actually think the Zyuranger and Zyu2 footage was used quite well in this season, which wouldn't be the case for season 2. I also love the fight scenes, particularly against the putties. The characters were also well developed and matured dramatically from their stereotypes by the end of the season. Theplot may have been simplistic but there were still plenty of good episodes and good subplots.

The Bad

It's true the acting wasn't the best early on, but it got better as the season progressed. Also, as mentioned earlier, the American ranger footage during this era was rather, bad.

The Ugly

The worst part was the American Green Ranger costume, particularly because of that soggy-looking cotton shield. Saban would have been better off importing the costumes from Japan instead of making his own.

My Rating

9.5/10 A. Despite the level of acting early on, this series has plenty of good, solid characters. IMO the best PR cast still.

My Favorite Episodes

Episode 1 (Day of the Dumpster)- Where it all began.

Episode 2 (High Five)- A good episode that gave Trini some character development.

Episode 4 (A Pressing Engagement)- Jason learns how much he needs his friends.

Episode 16 (Dark Warrior)- Technically a filler episode, but I like the family aspects with Trini and her uncle in this one. This episode also gave some very strong development to Billy, and was the start of him maturing from a nerd always being picked on to a very skilled martial artist.

Episodes 17-21 (Green with Evil arc)- Where Tommy's legend began, and it was pretty epic.

Episode 24 (The Spit Flower)- This is where the Tommy-Kimberly relationship starts to progress.

Episode 34-35 (The Green Candle)- Where Tommy loses his power the first time.

Episode 36 (Birds of a Feather)- Gives Zack some strong character development as well as a CMoA for Jason.

Episode 48 (Plague of the Mantis)- Another strong character development episode for Trini, in which she learns the value of honor.

Episodes 49-50 (Return of an Old Friend)- Involves Tommy's return and some good family aspects.

Some Reasons Why the Post-Zordon Era isn't as Popular as the Zordon Era

As is well known in Power Rangers fandom, the Zordon Era is much more popular than the Post-Zordon Era, even among fans who watched the show through RPM. Among the reasons why the Zordon Era is more popular include...

The post-Zordon Era broke away from traditional American and Power Ranger themes such as having a recurring past and storyline. This became very unpopular not so much in Lost Galaxy, but in Lightspeed Rescue which completely severed all connections to past seasons with the exception of the team up with the Lost Galaxy rangers.

While breaking away from recurring cast and storylines alienated some fans, its not the lone reason why Power Rangers lost its flavor in the post-Zordon Arc. Another reason is that 7 of the 11 post-Zordon era seasons, (8 if you include Wild Force) are Disney seasons. While there have been some popular seasons during the Disney Era, in particular Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, RPM, and to an extent SPD, Disney's handling of the franchise has been very unpopular. Particularly the Bruce Kalish seasons.

Many of the post-Zordon Era seasons are virtual carbon copycats of their Sentai counterparts. While this is popular with some Sentai fans, it is for the most part, unpopular among the Power Ranger fandom. All of the Zordon Era seasons were completely original, with only a few episode plots being copied from Sentai material, the most obvious being the Psycho Rangers arc. This is evident in that many of the more popular seasons are virtually original in terms of plot, including MMPR, In Space, Dino Thunder, and RPM. Many of the more unpopular seasons such as Mystic Force, Jungle Fury, and Wild Force are virtual copycats of their Sentai counterparts.

Another reason that might be added is most seasons (save for Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder) either lacked or failed comic relief. The Zordon Era was truely Power Rangers at its campiest, which is one of the main reasons why it's loved by fans.

Why Campy Seasons Can Be Good Seasons

Earlier this week, the Power Rangers Union blog discussed weather or not Power Rangers or Super Sentai should be more serious or more campy. This was also argued on my blog a while back in the comments section, when another user mentioned that he didn't like the 1990's Power Rangers seasons because they were "so campy." While there are many good dark, serious seasons in both Power Rangers and Super Sentai, the more campy seasons are good and often underrated as well.

Power Rangers

In Power Rangers during the Zordon Era, and especially from MMPR-Turbo (In Space was the most serious and darkest season during this era), Power Rangers was at its campiest. As well as having the comic relief of Bulk and Skull, these seasons had many comedy oriented villains such as Rita Repulsa and her brother Rito Revolto, Squat & Baboo, Elgar, Divatox, exc. With the exception of Turbo, these are also among the most popular Power Ranger seasons as well, and deservedly so. The Zordon Era is often referred to many as Power Rangers' "golden age." However, these seasons get ridiculed unfairly for their "campiness."

Two other rather campy, Power Ranger seasons that I would say are among the best are Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder. Ninja Storm had comedic villains such as Lothor and like Carranger in Super Sentai, Ninja Storm parodied Power Rangers' past. Dino Thunder brought back many MMPR elements such as stereotypical teenagers, and its two comic relief characters, Cassidy and Devin, were a tribute to Bulk and Skull. One of the reasons why Power Rangers lost its flavor during the Bruce Kalish era was the lack of comic relief available during his four year tenure.

Super Sentai

In Super Sentai among the most underrated and unappreciated seasons is Go-Onger. This season is often ridiculed by both Power Ranger and Super Sentai fanboys for its campiness and outright kiddy nature. Go-Onger is actually a very good series, one of the better 2000's Sentai's in my opinion. Go-Onger's campy and kiddy tone is what makes this series so fun to watch.

Even the more serious, darker seasons in Super Sentai such as Dekaranger and Shinkenger have their very campy and hilarious moments. Above are two of my favorite scenes from each season. The first is in Dekaranger, Tetsu had a bisexual, bug-like alien admirer that loved him relentlessly. That seen is from Episode 45 and one of the most hilarious scenes from that season. The second picture is from the recent V-Cinema, Shinkenger movie. In this scene the Shinkengers are in the dream world, switching from illusion to illusion that are based off of common movies/dramas. In this scene, the Shinkengers are dressed in costumes resembling their Origami's, and the funniest part of all is that instead of Takeru being the lord, Ryuunosuke is and he's the 18th head of the "Ikenami clan." Basically, Takeru and Ryuunosuke's rolls are reversed.

Common Misconceptions with Power Ranger Cast Changes

I think one of the rather biggest misconceptions about Power Ranger cast changes, especially during the Zordon Era, is that they're all unpopular. This is not always the case.

The first Power Ranger cast change during MMPR S2 saw the departure of Jason, Trini, and Zack because their respective actors all left the set because their salary demands were not met. All three of them were very popular rangers, but that did not stunt the show's popularity. In fact MMPR S2's ratings were higher than S1, which in turn led to the movie being released during the summer of 1995, which did quite well. Some of the new cast members, particularly Aisha and Rocky, aren't exactly popular characters. This is partly due to the poor character development that these two recieved, the fact that they were overshadowed by Jason and Trini, and also partly because for a long time the actor who played Rocky, Steve Cardenas, wanted nothing to do with Power Rangers. Cardenas would later change and has regularly been coming to Power Ranger conventions. Adam, on the other hand, is generally well liked by most PR fans from from all fan bases (MMPR, Zordon Era, Post Zordon Era, exc). In recent years, Adam has become more popular than Zack.

Power Rangers Turbo had one of the most unpopular cast changes as well as one of the most popular cast changes during Power Rangers history. Rocky, a rather so-so character was replaced by an even less popular ranger, Justin. At the time, Fox Kids basically forced Saban to cast a kid on the Power Rangers set because they wanted to appeal to Power Rangers' kid's fanbase. What Fox Kids didn't realize was that by this time, the show was already five years old and the fanbase was getting older. The majority of Power Ranger fans during Turbo and even now berate Justin not only because he was a kid, but because he acted like an immature kid. This went heavily against the show's tradition of teenagers with attitude.

On the other hand, the cast change during the second half of Turbo is misconceived by some to be unpopular and what ruined the show. The truth is that while some PR fans didn't like the cast change, most loved the cast change. Immediately after the cast change, Turbo's dwindling ratings went up which saved the show from cancellation. Ashley and Carlos were already present during the first half of the show, while TJ and Cassie were introduced just before the change and went on to become popular characters. The second half of Turbo was also helped by the change of writers with Judd Lynn taking control.

While not initially as unpopular during Lost Galaxy, because Lost Galaxy still had many Zordon Era connections, the cast change as well as the changing theme every year was rather unpopular in Lightspeed Rescue. It didn't help much in Lightspeed Rescue that it had a rather so-so cast. However, Power Rangers Time Force excited many fans with a rather likable cast, and by this time most PR fans understood more about Sentai and were over the continually changing cast from year to year.

American Cultural Biases Against Super Sentai and Japanese/Asian Cultural Biases Against Power Rangers

One of the big reasons why Sentai fans and Power Ranger fans tend to bash each other tends to be cultural differences and cultural biases. When talking about cultural biases, I'm not saying that its a culture war, just that the cultural differences in how each show is produced tends to lead to one fandom bashing the other. Here are a few examples.

"My series is better because its from my country."

This is one cultural bias that tends to go both ways. A lot of American Power Ranger fans will refuse to watch Super Sentai and sometimes ridicule the series because it's not American. While some Japanese/Asian Super Sentai fans have the same sentiment, and also at times criticize Power Rangers for "copying" their show as a "rip-off." These assertions from both sides are utterly ridiculous and indicate closed-mindedness.

"I don't like how long/short the other show's series or story arcs are."

This tends to be a fight between Zordon Era Power Ranger fans against both Sentai fans and Post-Zordon Era Power Ranger fans. In Japan and Asia in general, the most successful shows are the ones that have a one-year plot, and change cast, characters, suits, and themes every year, or are one year flings. This leads to Sentai and some Post-Zordon Era Power Ranger fans ridiculing the Zordon Era as too long and often ridiculing Power Rangers for having recurring characters that comeback year after year such as Tommy Oliver. This is also why many anime and jdorama's are no more than a year long in Japan.

In the United States, its the opposite. It is likely that if a show is successful one year, it will likely have a second and sometimes many many more seasons. Thus, a successful season in America is one that has continuity year after year or has a sequel. This is true for other American kid shows such as Ninja Turtles, Spider Man, X-Man, and Batman. Americans always want to see a good show continue. This often leads to Zordon Era Power Ranger fans ridiculing both Post-Zordon Era Power Ranger seasons and Super Sentai seasons as "too short," and is also the reason why it took Power Rangers a rather long time for it to adapt Sentai elements such as changing the cast, characters, themes, and stories every year. Thus when Lightspeed Rescue debuted it was unpopular at the time because it severed virtually all connections with the previous 7 seasons. This to me seems to be more of a misunderstanding of cultures than anything else. I think if both sides could get a grip on the cultural differences, this one wouldn't be much of an issue.

Zordon is a Racist (humor video)

With all the racism talk in Power Rangers, rather its Disney portraying Asians in a racist manner, MMPR having an African American black ranger (Zack), an Asian American yellow ranger (Trini), and even a caucasian white ranger (Tommy), I think all of these accusations are ridiculous. I decided to post a hilarious video that parodies these stereo types. Its titled Zordon is a Racist. I do not mean to offend anyone by posting the video. It does play on some racial stereo types, but I think its a bit of comic relief from the criticism that Power Rangers has recieved.

Welcome

As a fan of both Super Sentai and Power Rangers, I would like to welcome you to my new blog. This blog will be both informational, and my personal opinion. I grew up as a Power Rangers fan and have over the last couple of years started watching more Super Sentai footage. Disclaimer, I have not seen every single Power Rangers or Super Sentai series, so I do not claim to know everything about both series. However, I have begun to watch more of what I haven't seen, so that will change soon :).





About Super Sentai









Super Sentai is a Japanese kids show owned by TOEI, and is part of the Tokusatsu genre (or Super Hero in English). The Tokusatsu genre includes other Japanese shows such as Kamen Rider (also owned by Disney) and Godzilla. The word Sentai translates into English as "task force" or "fighting squadron. Super Sentai begain with Himitsu Sentai Goranger in 1975 and lasted two years. Since then, Super Sentai has changed incarnations, cast, suites, and weapons every year. The current Super Sentai series is Tensou Sentai Goseiger. Most Super Sentai series' have at least five super heroes or "rangers". Starting with Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger in 1992, a sixth hero (and sometimes a seventh) has also been added to the show midway into the season.





About Power Rangers

Most people who come across this blog will know what Power Rangers is. For those that don't I will give a brief discription. Power Rangers is the American adaptation of the Super Sentai series. Power Rangers was originally created by Saban Entertainment but is now owned by Walt Disney. Power Rangers uses battle footage from its Super Sentai counterpart, but Power Rangers is NOT a dubbed version of Super Sentai. Instead, Power Rangers has its own characters and its own story line. The first Power Rangers series- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (MMPR)- begain in 1993 adapting footage from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. MMPR lasted three seasons until 1996. After MMPR, the next series, Power Rangers Zeo (PRZ) begain. Unlike Super Sentai, the four incarnations of Power Rangers (and first six seasons) had the same characters and a common storyline. This is commonly known as the Zordon Era (named after Zordon, the Power Rangers commander who dies at the end of the "Zordon Era"). The Zordon Era includes MMPR seasons 1-3, PRZ, Power Rangers Turbo (PRT), and Power Rangers in Space (PRiS). Starting after the Zordon Era in 1999 with Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (PRLG), Power Rangers adopted more Super Sentai traditions such as changing the cast and storylines every year, and making team-up specials. Changing ranger suits every year had begain in 1996 with PRZ. Power Rangers ended (or at least is in hatius) in 2009 with Power Rangers RPM.





Differences between Power Rangers and Super Sentai


Besides what is written above, there are many other differences between Power Rangers and Super Sentai, mainly because of cultural differences. For example, what may be viewed in Japan as appropriate or acceptable for children to watch may not be in the United States. Super Sentai tends to have stronger, more mature content than Power Rangers. This includes more violence, sexual innuidy, and foul language.