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Posted March 20, 2017 by Yuri Mangahas in Movies/TV
 
 

Morphenomenal Memories: 25 Years of POWER RANGERS

Neo-Saban Era (Samurai onwards)

Even after Saban bought back the rights to the show, the show continued to be filmed in New Zealand. It makes sense considering what I’ve mentioned earlier about Toei also filming some of their shows there as well. My biggest nitpick here is that the second season devoted to one team always had a “Super” in its name when there’s nothing really that super, upgrades aside.

I wasn’t able to tune in to Samurai and Super Samurai because I had some issue with the treatment for the series. Normally, I wouldn’t have an issue with other ethnicities learning in a dojo. But I took issue with the central character of Samurai, Jayden Shiba. I can’t exactly compare it to Tom Cruise for The Last Samurai but to me, it still felt like he was forced into his lineage. Also of note for Samurai was Ricardo Medina, Jr’s return to the franchise, but as the lone swordsman called Deker. It’s also disconcerting that Medina himself recently pleaded guilty for voluntary manslaughter after stabbing his roommate with a sword.

As for Megaforce, I only got to see the first episode. Right off the bat, I could tell that it was a direct copy of the pilot. It just made me think that the rest of the season will be rehashed stories from the Zordon Era. While I get that the series is aiming at a newer generation, it just seems like lazy storytelling for me. It felt like the last half of Baywatch before they moved to Hawaii or Saved By The Bell: The New Class before Screech returned. With Super Megaforce, I only focused on the Extended Edition of “The Legendary Battle”, wherein the Megaforce Rangers teamed up with Legendary Rangers to defeat The Armada led by Emperor Mavro. While the finale was worth watching, it was such a shame that the final battle between the army of X-Borgs and the Megaforce and Legendary Rangers was short and lacking. Maybe if the leaders of the Armada fought alongside the X-Borgs in the field and the battle didn’t last for two minutes, it could’ve upped the ante a little bit more. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure seeing some of the Rangers from the past join the fight.

I have yet to watch Dino Charge and Ninja Steel but I’ve been hearing good things so I’ll give it a go. I’ll pay closer attention to Dino Charge in particular based on the theme song alone. If Zeo, In Space, Lightspeed Rescue, and Time Force completely hooked me with the theme song, then Dino Charge could be worth a shot.

All in all, Power Rangers had its share of ups and downs throughout its 25 years. Everything may have changed — teams, allies, enemies, arsenal, and Zords — but the lessons the show imparts remains the same. It’s more than just depict a team of multicolored superheroes use giant robots to defeat monsters. It’s working together to reach a common goal, even in the face of adversity. It’s never giving up especially when the odds are stacked against you. It’s good always triumphing over evil in the end. It may be old-fashioned but, as a famous line goes, people might just need a little old-fashioned.

 


Yuri Mangahas

 
Yuri is magnanimously juggling between two managerial jobs: A technical manager position for an advertising/copy-writing company, and an associate editorial position for a fashion and lifestyle magazine. Nevertheless, he still finds time taking photos and seeking for geek nirvana.