Monday, July 5, 2010

Mixed Terms I Find Among PR/Sentai Conversations

The fact is there's been some confused language between Power Rangers and Super Sentai fans. In fact, after some people discovered their "childhood was a lie" or that "Toei gave Saban the license to franchise the shows so that's why there's the American version. Zyuranger was the original." there has been a LOT of mixed terms that happen in a typical smooth conversation on Super Sentai and Power Rangers.

Like how? Well here are some:

1.) For example, using the word "ranger" instead of "warrior" when referring to a Sentai warrior in spandex, which in fact I grew accustomed to. Just an example is that, "Well who can remember Mika Koizumi the first yellow ranger in Bioman who died when she took the shots off from the Bio Killer Gun?" or "Well some shows don't have a black ranger like Bioman and Goranger." Also when people found out about Zyuranger, they say, "Woah! So the red ranger (ignoring his name as Tyrano Ranger) and green ranger (ignoring his name as Dragon Ranger) are brothers." or if they found out about Dairanger they say, "So the white ranger was a kid and the green ranger died?" In fact, somebody who paid tribute to Thuy Trang even said, "At least you didn't die like Mika Koizumi the first yellow ranger in Sentai died." In Super Sentai, the word "warrior" is used and NOT "ranger" which I may need to keep getting used to.

2.) Using the name "zords" instead of "mecha". For example, I've had a habit of using "zords" instead of "mecha" when talking about the Japanese versions, however referring to the mecha to their Japanese names. For example I'd say, "In Flashman and Jetman, they lost all their zords in the end and it makes the show more realistic." or "Battle Fever Robo was the first Megazord." or "Turboranger introduced the first Ultrazord." or "Gaoranger introduced the multi-gattai Megazord." among a few.

3.) Some fans even call Super Sentai as "Power Rangers" or "Japanese Power Rangers". Those who didn't know what "Japanese Power Rangers" was called, they kept labeling it also as "The Japanese version of Power Rangers." which is very common. I think the rarely used has to be "American Sentai" as well. In fact, I can remember my younger sister in her pre-elementary days who used to say this after seeing a short scene from Bioman or Maskman on TV saying, "Power Rangers, they're fighting-fighting." seeing the rangers of the respective shows beating up the enemy foot soldiers.

4.) The term "henshin" is replaced by "morphing" instead, however both are the same in meaning but are in different languages. I've used transforming instead of morphing even after the existence of MMPR. In fact, Power Rangers later used transforming instead of morphing. Also the devices are dubbed as "morphing devices" and "transforming devices" instead of "henshin devices" maybe to avoid confusion.

5.) Carrying over of U.S. translation names while talking about Super Sentai when they discover the original save the names of the rangers in the respective shows due to VAST differences (ex. gender between yellow rangers). For example, some have even dared to dub Gorma Emperor XV as "Lord Zedd" (even if they look different and only their personalities seem to match). One conversation can be like, "Well Rita Repulsa (Bandora) was a lot meaner in Zyuranger than she was in MMPR especially with how Zordon (Barza) talks about her." or "In Kakuranger, Rito Revolto (Gasha Skull) wasn't Rita Repulsa's brother although Master Vile (Daimaou) is his father." or "Masheena (Hysteria) died at the end of Ohranger to save her grandchild." are just a few examples. Maybe the weirdest has to be saying, "Well Flurious was undead in Boukenger." referring to Goddom's supposed sole survivor Gaja or "I didn't realize that while Emperor Grumm didn't exist, Broodwing was a much bigger villain that I thought in Dekaranger."

However it doesn't only stop with Super Sentai but also with Metal Hero (after fans discover what VR Troopers was made off still call Emperor Neros as "Grimlord") and Kamen Rider (that is on Saban's failed adaptation of Black RX they use the U.S. names) or even in the Super Robot franchise like how Golion may have replaced Lion Voltron but the original names are still used.

5.) I think the weirdest has to be using "Japanese version of Forever Red" as a terminology for "Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai" because in both series, the red rangers that existed within their own franchise appeared. For example in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai, all the red rangers from Goranger-Timeranger showed up minus Time Fire.

2 comments:

  1. Just for the phonograph, I use the term "Ranger" (since the term "Ranger" is in a majority of the Super Sentai titles) for the warriors in Super Sentai, but I don't use the term "Zords" for the mecha, nor do I refer to Super Sentai as "Japanese Power Rangers."

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  2. @Hallwings- Sadly some people who saw Super Sentai doesn't even know it's called Super Sentai. Some of my friends give a "huh" when you mention the word Sentai then they say something like, "Boukenger was a better Power Rangers season than Operation Overdrive." Funny.

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