The Tommy Fanbase

Within the Power Rangers fandom, there's a sub group of fans who's love for Power Rangers all revolves around one character. The Power Ranger Legend, Tommy Oliver. Some fans say that Tommy is the pinnacle of Power Rangers. Other fans say that Tommy is the only good thing about Power Rangers, while the rest of the franchise sucks. Of course, such fans entitled to such opinions would bring conflicts amongst the other fans.



So what's so great about Tommy? What has he got that no other ranger has got? Well, let's take a look. When Power Rangers first started, it wasn't anything spectacular. The writing quality was below par, the characters were stereotypical, and the footage splicing was bad. Power Rangers did not become popular until the "Green with Evil" arc. A five episode long arc that starred Tommy. This arc made Power Rangers huge and Tommy instantly became a favorite amongst fans. During the time (and even now), five part long arcs were extremely rare for a kid's show. To date, there has never been a five part long arc in Power Rangers ever again.

Tommy first made his appearance with a bang. He had a cool personality, and was the lucky guy to end up in a romantic relationship with the lovely Kimberly. Tommy's fighting skills were also on par with Jason. He even demonstrates his skills against putties on his own in a way that wasn't done with the other rangers before. Tommy also did many things that shocked a lot of fans. He infiltrates the Megazord and knocks the rangers out and takes all five of them on with no problem! He also breaks into the Command Center, wrecks it, and severs the link to Zordon. Things get even worse for the rangers when Tommy helps destroy the zords and leaving the rangers powerless. For the first time, the rangers were almost defeated. Tommy also introduced the new Dragonzord which looked really cool, and was summoned by a really catchy tune with the Dragon Dagger. When the arc came to an end, Tommy is freed from Rita's spell, and joins the team as the sixth ranger, which caused lots of fans to cry in joy. It was even better to watch this new sixth ranger do a roll call with the team, morph with them, and to have his Dragonzord combine with the others for brand new powers and combinations (lots of fans would so buy the toys for this). As Zordon said "We're watching history in the making." And quite the history it would be.

So with Power Rangers really popular, mostly thanks to Tommy, a lot of fans were now huge fans of him. Tommy also started a rivalry with Jason for who was the best. The fans did the same. :P  It was a brilliant idea when the Green Candle Arc came and wrote Tommy out. It showed that fans truly liked him and that Tommy really was the most popular character on the show. And it surprised many when Tommy later came back. Basically, all the plots focused around Tommy. And it saddened fans even more when Tommy lost his Green Ranger powers for good.

Regardless of Tommy's evolving character, Sentai fans often viewed Tommy as a watered down version of Burai. To an extent, this is true, as all of Tommy's story arcs (up to this point) were based on Burai's arcs. But we all know that Tommy goes beyond the Green Ranger and picks up some other things to do. So it's mainly his Green Ranger form that gets criticized by Sentai fans.



One of the most famous two-parter arcs in Power Rangers was "White Light." It was a huge mystery as to who the White Ranger was going to be. And it shocked many when Tommy was revealed as he pulled his new helmet off. The White Ranger powers were made from "good energy," meaning that Tommy was officially part of the team to stay.

Now, this is where the Tommy fans really started to appear. So many fans were so overjoyed with Tommy, that they just wanted to keep watching the show just for him. Especially since he was now the team leader, the show focused on him more, and Jason was gone (which stopped the rivalry). Other fans didn't like how Tommy became the star of the show, rather than the whole team getting equal attention. Others felt Tommy got a little too cocky and annoying for his own good. Some Sentai fans felt the same way. Especially when Tommy fans criticized Kou for being younger than Tommy. This infuriated many Sentai fans, who shot back by saying that Kou at least had an emotional and believable story. This could also be the case with Tommy fans having experience with Justin (since Tommy fans obviously have watched Turbo).



For the fans who were annoyed with Tommy as the White Ranger, they were were glad when Tommy was toned down by the time Zeo had started. Tommy finally got his very own Red Ranger suit, showing off his status as the team leader even more now. Around this time, Power Rangers' popularity was starting to decline, and fans were finding less reasons to stick to watching the show. Since Tommy already laid a huge impact on Power Rangers, it wasn't surprising that fans would continue to watch Power Rangers for him as one of the reasons to keep watching. The other characters in Zeo didn't really have as big of a legend as Tommy did.

Some fans felt that Tommy wasn't a very good leader, and did better as a sixth ranger. Many believed that Jason was much better at being a leader. This happened even more when Jason returned in Zeo.

And of course, writing Tommy out in Turbo, along with the other four rangers was a huge deal. Especially when the "Passing the Torch" was very poorly written. Many fans just dropped Power Rangers there.



After Tommy's departure from Turbo, Power Rangers continued on, with very well made seasons, thanks to Judd Lynn. In Power Rangers Wild Force, Tommy helped gather together ten Red Rangers to help fight against remnants of the Machine Empire. Such an act to lead the leaders of all the Power Rangers seasons up to that point, truly earned Tommy the title of "Best Power Ranger ever." Of course, not all the Red Rangers agreed. :P

To pay homage to the very first season, Dino Thunder made use of it's dinosaur motif, and also attempted to bring back a veteran ranger. Originally going to be Jason, instead, Tommy came back, which further boosted his reputation as a ranger. In this new era of Power Rangers, many fans kept rooting for older rangers to return to the show and to build up their reputations and legends as rangers. Tommy started this. And shortly after, Adam would follow (which also made him quite legendary).

Not only did Tommy return to Dino Thunder as a mentor, but also became the new Black Dino Ranger, making this his fourth color as a ranger. Tommy by now had an entire arsenal of different powers all throughout the franchise! Tommy also had recorded an entire history of the Power Rangers (including Ninja Storm) to keep track of where things were going. Everything about him was truly a legend. And it amazed fans when he fought his former selves in "Fighting Spirit."

Though other fans weren't pleased about Tommy's return, thinking he had overstayed his welcome in the show. Plus, other fans didn't think Tommy was as great in Dino Thunder, especially when he got stuck in his suit for most of the season. Some fans were also annoyed when many fans thought Dino Thunder was amazing, just because Tommy was in it. Especially when fans chose to watch the season just for Tommy. It also annoyed Abaranger fans, since lots of Tommy fans criticized Abaranger as an inferior show due to not having Tommy in the show.


To date, Tommy has served as a ranger in more episodes than others, as well as more forms and more colors and more seasons. Today, many fans root for Tommy to return to more seasons, in order to further add on to his reputation as a ranger and making his legend even bigger. Tommy truly has a huge fanbase. A fanbase that not too many would argue with. MMPR fans, Zordon Era fans, and fans of all seasons support Tommy. Most of the non-Tommy fans exist within the Saban/Judd Lynn era of seasons. Some of these fans believe that despite Tommy's legendary status, he has yet to appear in a "good season." There are lots of fans now who watch Power Rangers just to see the rangers come back and boost up their legends and reputations. Overall, the Tommy fanbase seems quite stable (even though it goes overboard at times).

Poll Results: 5/26/10

Shinkenger prevails 12/17 over Goseiger for your choices on Saban's brand new season. You never know, though.

"Power Rangers forever!!" ends with 8/21 of the votes. 2/21 believed it should've ended with RPM. 11/21 believe they're happy only because Saban is back. Hmm... Wouldn't be surprised if lots of Sentai fans were on this blog.

3/14 claimed Disney to be offensive to Asians. The other 11 said they're not. Meh, paranoid Sentai fans who hate on Disney probably voted Disney was racist. To be honest, lots of Sean Akizuki's followers believe the same way. =/

14/20 people say MMPR is overrated. I would agree that's enough votes for the series. After all, the one season is one of the reasons later Power Rangers were underrated.

6/22 voters say they grew up with both Sentai and PR. 1 said they grew up with Sentai only. The last 15/22 grew up with Power Rangers only. My conclusion is probably because of the majority of Americans on my blog won't even know what Sentai is to begin with while growing up.

__________________________

Once again, followers, my deepest apologies for not being online often. My final exams are in 2 weeks and I must prepare for them as much as possible.

Thanks for your support, however. :)

~*DancingAlienDude*~

Shinkenger fans vs 00's Era Sentai fans

I will probably not be active for a very long time. Until Summer Vacation starts here in the US (for my foreign fans), expect less and less blogs from me. Don't worry, as long as the blog remains than Power Rangers and Super Sentai will never go against one-another (in our grounds). :-)

The hype for Shinkenger had been far more annoying than the Jetman hype had reigned during the 90's. Why is that? Shinkenger had been so "great" a Sentai and surpassed fans' expectations after they had seen the supposed failure of Go-Onger. Go-Onger had not been a bad Sentai, actually. However, Power Rangers RPM fanboys and Shinkenger fanboys both had their share of underrating the series.

I will admit the fact the cast of Shinkenger was amazingly memorable. The characters were amazing, and most were dynamic throughout the series. The only problem which caused this to suffer somewhat is the entire story was circled around Takeru Shiba, ShinkenRed. Furthermore, he is perhaps the one of the only Sentai heroes wielding an armor very similar to the Power Rangers battelizer. Fanboys will love it, but average Sentai fans will disagree on the use of Hyper ShinkenRed.

The mecha wasn't the best either. The origami idea, from the point of view from many Sentai fans, had been corny for them. Many fans of Super Sentai claimed some of the mecha wasn't necessary, and the overall layout of the robots could do with improvement. Not that the overpowering of the mecha is bad, but many want to know "Why would they need this?"

Also, Shinkenger fans had overrated the show due to the Kamen Rider Decade crossover. It wasn't bad at all, but there've been much better crossovers in Sentai history. The most memorable being "Gaoranger v. Super Sentai" and "Boukenger v. Super Sentai" were all amazing crossovers from TV Japan.

A typical Sentai fan who enjoys the 00's Sentai shows will probably choose either Timeranger or Gekiranger as the best. Due to their more original ideas and lack of the corniness. They would also take more time in watching every series before making the conclusion. Shinkenger would be one of the best, but yet the fans of the one show fail to realize several other Sentai series' hold much similar features.

Shinkenger, however, had been a very appealing show to many Sentai fans who've been close to abandoning their interest. Which is not a bad thing, and Shinkenger could perhaps be the reason why Goseiger is getting enough attention. The only down side was other Sentai series' were shunned due to Shinkenger's popularity.

MMPR fans vs Zordon Era fans

A couple of major groups in the Power Rangers fandom are the MMPR Fans and the Zordon Era Fans. And like any long-running franchise, we've got sub-groups of the fandom that are constantly at each other's necks. What has this got to do with PR fans vs Sentai fans? Well, peace can't be made amongst the two fandoms, unless peace is made within the two fandoms first. And at the moment, both the Power Rangers and Sentai fanbases are quite broken.

Now, it's obvious that Zordon Era fans love MMPR. Cause after all, it IS part of the Zordon Era. But the problem here is that MMPR fans don't accept Zeo, Turbo, or In Space. Zordon Era Fans complain to the MMPR Fans that MMPR doesn't have any proper ending and that In Space gives the ending of the story that MMPR started. Thus, the entirety of the Zordon Era should be respected. But of course, MMPR fans don't really care about that, for they liked MMPR for other reasons.

MMPR Fans for starters, don't like any PR season that doesn't have the Zyuranger look. These fans have become so accustomed to the suits, that they just don't care for the several new sets of suits that succeed it. Everything that made MMPR nostalgic for the fans are almost completely gone by the time Zeo began. And of course, even more so when Turbo started. MMPR Fans can't even stand to look at In Space, due to how "it doesn't even resemble Power Rangers" (of course, this is when PR took it's huge turn with Judd Lynn). Amongst Zeo, Turbo, and In Space, MMPR Fans apparently dislike In Space the most, due to how it looks the least like MMPR. Of course, many of these fans didn't even bother to watch In Space due to many of them leaving after Turbo. This also angers Zordon Era Fans. Amongst the fans of the Zordon Era, the chances of one liking In Space the most is very high. So this causes some conflict between the two groups.

Though a lot of MMPR fans never really watched beyond Turbo. A lot of MMPR fans just stopped when Kimberly got replaced by Kat. And even more stopped when Zeo started, due to the major changes (including a new theme song). The Zordon Era fans, quite a good portion of them continued to watch PR even after In Space. Most likely as far as Wild Force. Other Zordon Era fans just stopped with In Space, wishing to keep Power Rangers good in their minds, as "Countdown to Destruction" seemed perfectly complete for them. It's possible that the MMPR Fans could just be a fan group, that's separate from the rest of the Toku fandoms, and prefer to stick to their nostalgia (which of course, is okay).

Honestly, I don't think there really needs to be much conflict amongst these two groups. But the Zordon Era Fans don't really like how the MMPR fans refuse to watch the end of the story that they started. I can understand how they would feel. I personally would go crazy if I didn't have a completed beginning, middle, and end for a story. But, the MMPR fans are really just in their own group. I doubt they even care much about the fans of the Post-MMPR seasons. Though plenty MMPR fans still attack the other fans, which is a minor problem.

Saban's New Season, and using Goseiger

Well, I gotta say. Like everyone else, I was shocked to find out that Saban had taken back Power Rangers from Disney. I admit, I did feel a bit shaken about this, as I wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not. But after some thinking, I think I can safely say that this is indeed a great thing!

It is said that Saban took back Power Rangers, because he was disgusted with what Disney had done to Power Rangers. Particularly MMPR v2. Can't blame him, as his own work was being messed with and was being claimed as being a whole new show. But anyway, I must say, anything that can defeat Disney like that definitely deserves praise. And if Saban took back Power Rangers for those reasons, then that must mean that he truly does care about Power Rangers, and will try his best to make it a good show. So it's definitely much easier to look forward to the next season, rather than looking forward to check out the next "Sentai adaptation failure by Disney/Kalish."

I think Power Rangers can help Tokusatsu in many ways, if it stays good. For many, Power Rangers was the gateway to Sentai. Thus, the gateway to all of Toku. If Power Rangers has a good image, then things will get better for this genre.



To answer DancingAlienDude's question, I think Goseiger can be adapted into a fine Power Rangers season. Just as much as Shinkenger. I think the fact that Go-onger was adapted under Disney, into the awesome RPM shows that anything is possible. If Goseiger get's adapted, we'll most likely be getting those Dice-O cards imported over here. But will we get the Dice-O video game? I sure hope so! It looks like so much fun!

I also had this crazy idea that because it's Saban, why not try adapting both Shinkenger and Goseiger and turn them into a single show? Kind of like how he did it with MMPR. Just a thought for possible originality.

I would also like Saban to bring back team-ups. That's definitely one major element that Disney had lacking. Plus, I would really like it if Saban paid homage to Sentai, kind of like how Dino Thunder did it, but better. Heck, I would absolutely love it if both Power Rangers and Sentai did a team up! It would definitely help Toku out a lot! And I can definitely see this as a possibility more so than Power Rangers being under the hands of Disney.

Just thought but... I wonder which Sentai is Saban's favorite? That's another thing. I'd like some interviews done for once!

Power Rangers Originality: Disney Seasons

Wild Force copied many elements from Gaoranger, more so than Lightspeed Rescue and Time Force. Wild Force had the exact same villains (minus Master Org), and almost every plot was copied from Gaoranger's episodes. Wild Force was pretty much the exact same as Gaoranger, with a few key differences. Whether this was for better or for worse is up to the viewer. Wild Force happens to be more remembered for it's two original team up stories.



Ninja Storm also copied key episodes from Hurricaneger. The original things about Ninja Storm was how the show was a self-parody of the Power Rangers franchise, just like how Carranger was to Sentai. So the writing was much more original than Wild Force was before it. The villains were also much more humorous. Lothor being the prime example, and becoming a fan favorite because of that. Another bit of originality on Ninja Storm's part was Cam. His Japanese counterpart never really had a consistent identity. So this was definitely different. And like usual for Power Rangers, the finale is different as well.



Like MMPR before it, Dino Thunder also used the High School setting, instead of it's Sentai setting. There were no talking dinosaurs like Abaranger had. Dino Thunder also had completely original villains. Dino Thunder also decided to bring back a veteran Ranger as a main character (Tommy) and had episodes like "Fighting Spirit." The stories were completely original. Such as Trent's story (which was homage to Tommy as the Green Ranger). Like Ninja Storm before it, Dino Thunder also slightly parodied itself (not as heavily as Ninja Storm).



Power Rangers SPD pretty much had the same exact setting as Dekaranger. The major difference for this show was the characters. The cast of characters were all very original and unique, which was especially shown during the first 13 episodes. SPD used original stories during the first 13 episodes. But after the first 13 episodes, SPD started to copy Dekaranger's plots more and more. The episodes that were noticeably original were the Team Up episodes, and "Reflection," and the finale. Another major difference was that the Omega Ranger didn't have an actor and was just a ball of CGI light. Whether this was for better or for worse is up to the viewer.



Mystic Force's story was pretty much the same as Magiranger, with a few differences here and there. Most notably the finale. The cast is different from Magiranger's. Though many of the villains are copies of Magiranger villains.



Operation Overdrive is sort of original in terms of it's plots. It usually goes in it's own directions while using bits of Boukenger's plots. So in a way, it's original and unoriginal. The cast is different from Boukenger's as well, which does make the plots different in many ways, since Boukenger was very character driven. Operation Overdrive gets more original towards the end, starting with the episode, "Things not said."



Jungle Fury also copied Gekiranger's story. But it did have some differences here and there. A major difference was the Spirit Rangers. Also, the cast was different from Gekiranger's.



RPM was pretty much original in every single way, compared to Go-onger. People who weren't fond of RPM often say RPM was unoriginal for being too much like Mad Max or the Terminator.

Saban's New Season? Shinkenger?

Recently there've been rumors going around that Haim Saban had been given the rights to make a new PR season. However, it's also argued whether he will use Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (2009 Sentai series) or Tensou Sentai Goseiger (current airing series). A lot of Power Rangers fans are proud to have a new season, while Sentai fans are more of mix-minded. Meh, some will love it and some will not... Lets talk about this right now.

Seeing as though I didn't find Shinkenger to be to enjoyable, I think it would actually find it possible for a PR counterpart. Sentai fanboys can shut the hell up about Shinkenger being "OMG ITS TOO JAPANESE FOR PR". Well, PR actually did a great job with Ninja Storm and surprisingly half-decent with the Alien Rangers.

Well, yeah they weren't really good seasons. But how could it possibly make Shinkenger's adaptation any different. Possibly if Saban had Judd Lynn involved in the new season of Power Rangers, Shinkenger's Power Rangers will be as good or even better than the original.

Now suppose it turned out good. Should we be expecting a movie if Saban takes this serious enough?

_______________________________

Since I haven't seen a single episode of Goseiger yet (I had been focusing on anime and tennis recently), it's impossible for me to make a Goseiger side of this story.

I'll base my opinion on Fantasy Leader's, that is, if he still even knows this blog exists. Please make a blog for your opinions on Goseiger and PR, FL. And please be more active.

But other than that. Please give your opinion on this blog. Polls will be up very soon. Remember to vote! :)

3 Reasons (more coming soon) Why Disney's Power Rangers IS NOT racist to Asians.

Sorry for not blogging in a while, but I've had some serious stuff on my shoulders lately.

(No offense, Sean.) But a lot of whiny fans on Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog used to have complained much about Disney showing hate towards Asians. As an Asian, myself, I take no offense to it. I also have very good reasoning why they're not racist AND they're not portaying Asians as idiots.

Furthermore, Power Rangers is not the only TV show to portray other races as such.

1. Ashley Tisdale, a famous blonde actress for Disney, is often portrayed as a "dumb blonde" in many of her shows. High School Musical and the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, for example, both portay her the same way any Asian in Power Rangers would.

2. Had anybody forgotten about Boom and Chip? Both PR actors are white, and are often portrayed as nuisances and sometimes a comic book geek. Boom, especially, is an overweight character of SPD who acts like a pathetic wannabe ranger. Does that not go the same for Gem and Gemma?

3. Now for those who say that Disney has never had an Asian lead role. This has nothing to do with Power Rangers, BUT... Jake Long from American Dragon, a popular Disney show, is part Chinese and white. He's often portrayed as a kick-ass fighter and dragon who kicks major butt. Of course, he can be an annoyance from time-to-time, but does that make him different from the other kinds of humor from the show?

_____________________________________

Please support your opinions as long as it doesn't bash mine. All I'm gonna say.

Also, my reasoning may not be the best. So if you ever find another reason or one reason should not be here than please state so.

Also, as a fan of Super Sentai, also, I am in no means bashing the fans. Only pointing out some important details in areas. I am also not racist or are attacking any ethnicity in particular.

~*DancingAlienDude*~

Power Rangers Originality: Saban Seasons

For MMPR S1, the setting was completely different from Zyuranger, making it quite original. Instead of ancient warriors, it's about high school teenagers with attitude. However, when it came to the major plot arcs, most people would agree that the plots were watered down versions of Zyuranger's. Such as the Green Candle arc (where Tommy lives and Burai dies tragically). Regardless, the characters were still a fun bunch and was another bit of originality to Power Rangers, despite them being stereotypical.

For MMPR S2, the show completely went in it's own direction. Actually, it was more like after episode 40 (Doomsday) when the show started using the exclusive Zyu2 footage. Instead of using any elements from Dairanger other than Kibaranger's suit and the mecha, MMPR S2 was completely original. Plus, seeing how American shows work, MMPR S2 had to be a direct continuation of the previous season, continuing the story.

MMPR S3 continued being as original as MMPR S2 did. Using Kakuranger's mecha footage and eventually the actual Warrior suits as well.

Zeo used both the Ohranger suits, villains, and the mecha. But like MMPR S1 before, it was still quite different. Instead of the military settings, Zeo continued to use the high school teenagers with attitude. And Like MMPR S2 and S3 before it, Zeo continued the ongoing story with the same characters. So this greatly showed a difference from Sentai, where Sentai's stories ends every year. For Zeo, the season starts off after three whole seasons of stories had already been told. It helped even more when Jason, back from MMPR S2, came back to become the Gold Ranger (KingRanger's suit). In terms of plots, unlike MMPR S1, Zeo does not copy most of Ohranger's story.

Like Zeo before, Turbo used both the Carranger suits and the mecha. This is what Power Rangers would be doing every season now. The villains were mostly an original bunch (especially Divatox). Unlike Carranger, which was a self parody of Sentai, Turbo chose to be serious instead, making it more original, and completely changing the plots for the episodes. Whether for better or for worse, that's up to you to decide. Turbo continued the story from Zeo, using the same cast again.

While the previous five seasons starred teenagers with attitude, instead of ancient warriors, military officers, or automobile mechanics, the team still utilized the same motif from their sentai counterparts. Power Rangers in Space was the first season to completely use it's own motif. Instead of Megaranger's hi-tech digital motif, it used space travel instead. This season was the final season to use the same cast from the previous season. This was also the first season not to be written by Doug Sloan. Instead, Judd Lynn would write it, changing the ways the franchise would be handled. In terms of plot, In Space had originality, like the whole Andros and Karone story. This season did also stay true to some of Megaranger's plots. Such as the Psycho Rangers arc. Whether this was for better or for worse is up to you.

Like In Space before, Lost Galaxy did not use Gingaman's mystical forest and nature motifs. Instead, it used the space travel motif again, taking place on the space colony, Terra Venture. What makes Lost Galaxy original, is that it's semi-connected to In Space. Elements like Bulk, Alpha 6, the Megaship, the Psycho Rangers, and Karone all return in this season. Starting this season, the cast of characters would be changed every year, just like sentai. Despite now copying one of Sentai's elements, the Power Ranger's casts are still different from the Sentai characters. Though at times, this isn't always the case. For Lost Galaxy, the cast was very different from Gingaman's. Leo, Mike, and Maya all have similarities to their Gingaman counterparts, but are still very different in their own right. In terms of plot, Lost Galaxy does some original things like the journey to find a new planet, Trakeena's relationship with Scorpius, her relationship with Villamax, Deviot's treachery, Kendrix's death, and Karone replacing her. Lost Galaxy also copied a lot of Gingaman's plots. Like Mike's "death," the Lights of Orion, and the Magna Defender. Whether this was for better or for worse is up to you.

Lightspeed Rescue went back to using the Sentai villains and using GoGoFive's rescue motif. Lightspeed Rescue never had GoGoFive's family themes going on, so the plots were very different. But in terms of plot for the villains, they were pretty much the exact same as GoGoFive's. Which basically meant that the overall season long story was just about the same as GoGoFive's, but without the family aspects. Another major original plot that Lightspeed Rescue had going was the Titanium Ranger arc. This arc was the only major story arc to involve family. And some pretty good drama too. Because the family themes weren't the focus of the show, the characters weren't all siblings, which drastically made the cast different from the GoGoFive characters. Lightspeed Rescue was also the first season to not have any connection to the previous season, working more like how Sentai works, from now on. Whether this is for better or for worse is up to you.

Time Force also copied Timeranger's villains (except Ransik) and used the time motif. Not only that, but Time Force also used Timeranger's story theme of "Even if you can't change your destiny, you can always change tomorrow." However, instead of using this theme for the whole team like Timeranger, Time Force only used it for Wes, and eventually, Ransik (in the finale). In terms of plot, Jen's story was very similar to Yuuri's. Yuuri loses her family, whereas Jen loses her fiance. In terms of plot, Time Force was very similar to Timeranger. Time Force's originality seem to be in it's characters. Unlike the Timeranger characters who all had to deal with their screwed up lives, the Time Force characters had other things going on for them. Their problems were still somewhat similar to the Timranger characters.

Power Rangers Originality

I think originality and lack of originality plays a huge role amongst why fans can be so divided. Some fans say that a Power Rangers season is good, if it has more originality. Others say that Power Rangers can only be good if it stays true to the source material.


But for starters, let's take a look. What describes Power Rangers?

We know that Super Sentai is described as a show where a team of three or five color-coded heroes fight evil, using teamwork and giant transforming mecha. Super Sentai has a new setting, characters, themes, and stories every year.

So what describes Power Rangers? Is it the exact same as how you would describe Sentai? Well, yes. But there's one more element that's added to it's description. Power Rangers adapts from Super Sentai. By using it's costumes and source footage material. Because of the source footage, Power Rangers must follow the same formula that Sentai uses. And that includes giant fight scenes. Plus, the companies will get more money in their pockets from the U.S. for toy sales. :P


So let's see. The people making Power Rangers can do whatever they want to do with the show.

Do they HAVE to use the costumes made in Japan? Not necessarily. After all, Power Rangers got some original costumes like Lord Zedd, Divatox, Astronema, Dark Specter, Trakeena, Ransik, Mesogog, and the Titanium Ranger. However, because Power Rangers has always used the same costumes from it's Sentai counterparts, it has become a bit of a staple for the franchise to use them as part of Power Ranger's  image to make it what it is. This goes the same with the fighting footage. Though this does save the people a lot of money. :P

Power Rangers is basically a fanfiction to Sentai. It should use the source material. And with it, make it's own characters and stories. That's what makes Power Rangers what it is.


So with all that talk about using Sentai materials in the shows out of the way, lets get on with the BIG debate in terms of originality in Power Rangers. This would be the characters, the plots, the themes, and the stories. Why would some fans hate the originality in Power Rangers, compared to those that would praise it? I will be making a couple posts that will go over the Saban and Disney seasons, for in depth analysis for each season.

Fans love originality in Power Rangers, because it can show that Power Rangers is it's own show, having elements that Sentai does not have. Which is why MMPR, Zeo, Space, Lost Galaxy, and RPM have been praised.

So what about the seasons that copy a lot from it's Sentai counterpart? Some fans say they're boring to watch, as it's just more of the same. However, other fans love to watch them regardless. There are two main reasons. One, it's because they view it as an English translation of a Sentai they might not be able to watch, and that this is the best that they will get (something that the more original seasons couldn't do). And two, fans believe that the difference in cast is more than enough to make the seasons enjoyable to watch and to make them their very own shows. Because of this, Lightspeed Rescue and Time Force have been praised. This is how you can either like or dislike a Power Rangers season that's handled this way.

I will be sure to get the other two posts up so we can go into more detail for each season. But on this post, I wanted to point out the main pieces of information, and to explain why both originality and unoriginality in Power Rangers can be both enjoyable and unenjoyable among fans. This debate tends to play a role in affecting how fans of both Sentai and Power Rangers view each Power Rangers season.

Some Unique Characteristics in PR Villains. (Disney)

Master Org is the first and perhaps the best villain within the Disney arc. He had an enormous history with Cole (Red Ranger) according to his history. Having killed his parents and along with many to follow, Master Org proved to be one of the top villains in PR history. Having Cole forgive him in the end of Wild Force marked a merciful event for the Disney era.


I found Lothor to be more on the comical side of Power Rangers Ninja Storm. But the fact that Cam (Green Samurai) was actually related to the main villain of this series made it more intense within the plot. Not to mention the rangers' mentor, Sensei, was Lothor's younger brother. Lothor lacked a Sentai counterpart.

Mesogog had the most significant motivation amongst PR villains. Rather than wanting to take over or destroy the world, Mesogog actually wanted to convert the world back into the age of dinosaurs. Having a brief rivalry with Tommy (Black Ranger) and family relationship with Trent (White Ranger) made it even harder for the Dino Thunder Rangers to face him off. Mesogog also lacked a Sentai counterpart, making him somewhat more unique.

Emperor Grumm was rather like Lord Zedd in the later series' of the Zordon arc. But before he became comical towards the end of SPD, he was actually enormous rivals with the Rangers' mentor, Doggie Kruger. Grumm had destroyed Kruger's home planet and almost taken his wife!! Once again, Grumm lacked a Sentai counterpart.

((The rest of the Kalish seasons will be skipped due to poor quality of the series' overall.))


Venjix was a perfect villain for RPM. If you had seened the movie Jaws by Stephen Spielberg, you would think he'd be an unstoppable force just like the shark had. You'd also get nostalgia from the Terminator, because Venjix had very close relations with SKYNET. Venjix is perhaps one of the the best villains within the Disney era. ((EDIT ME IF I'M WRONG IN SOME AREAS, I DIDN'T FINISH RPM YET.))

Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Tenaya have any kind of relationships with Dillon (Ranger Black) in RPM? She was an intense rival to Dillon in the first half of RPM. She had also been very serious throughout the series, trying to avoid to smile. Almost capable of hijacking the rangers, she became the mastermind of the Venjix Virus.

________________________________________

I had done more opinions in this blog since I haven't been watching many Disney series'. Also the fact I kinda rushed my thinking, too. I may not be 100% accurate in my facts, but I'd love to have you edit any mistakes I made.

Please share your opinions. :-)

PR/Sentai fandom Statistics

To start this off my first post, I thought I'd go over what the PR and Sentai Fandoms are made up of, with this graph I made. For Power Rangers, the fandom is divided up into five major groups. We've got the MMPR fans, the Zordon Era fans, the MMPR-Wild Force Fans, the fans that like everything in PR, and finally we've got the Tommy fans. For Sentai, there are the fans of the current century seasons (Gao-Gosei). And then there are the fans of the seasons in the previous century (Go-Time). And to be even more precise, fans of the pre-Zyuranger sentai (Go-Jet). Then there's fans of all Sentai. Finally, there's the group that loves both Power Rangers and Sentai.

I made this graph to show how divided the fans were, and that there would be specific reasons as to why each division bashes each other. If we can get rid of these lines and merge the spaces together, it'll bring us one step closer to getting even more peace amongst the fandoms.



This graph here, shows what we would like to accomplish. I was trying to be realistic with this, though I think I still stretched it a bit. XD

Fantasy Leader is the new Author of Power Rangers Union!

It took long days of thinking and influencing from the poll to help me decide whom shall become the next leader of the Power Rangers Union. But it's all over now, I've chosen Fantasy Leader to be my second-in-command in helping me promote PR/Sentai peace. Congratulations FL! :-)

And thank you, MegaPurple and Sean, for your wide-support for my blog. :-D Your support is also appreciated.

___________________________________________

I wasn't totally biased on just Fantasy Leader. I would've made Sean the leader, due to him being #1 in the polls. Sean however, agreed he wouldn't make the best leader having not the most knowledge of PR. I can promise you, though, both MegaPurple and Sean will make excellent sidekicks.

Then again, folks. This was NOT a popularity contest. I hope not only to continue to bring peace between the franchises, but also bring unity amongst my friends. Thank you, everybody.

Be prepared for even more fascinating blogs by me and Fantasy Leader! :-)