Damn Straight!

Yeah, I personally don't get the hate, but whatever. This show continues to be fantastic and probably my favorite since ToQger. It's refreshing to have a Sentai I actively look forward to after two years of duds.

The Stinger reveal was interesting because, yeah, he's not evil or whatever, but he's clearly still going to have issues with Champ at some point. I look forward to seeing how they reconcile him being a loner with him (possibly) having killed Champ's creator at some point in the past. His actor is also the best of the bunch, so it's great he's given the most meaty role.

I was really scared the series would be grounded on Earth for the rest of its run, but the way Toei have actually branded this as "the first chapter" of the series and given this story arc an actual name gives me a lot of hope that we won't be on Earth for the rest of the show. It's literally called the "Earth Liberation arc", that implies it's only one part of the series. If anything, saving Earth is what will kickstart the team into going back out to space - they show they can defeat so many generals on one planet and that's something they can use to give hope back to people.

But yeah, Kyuranger continues to be a very well done series for me. I absolutely did not enjoy the first episode, it was rushed and Lucky was overbearing as all get out. The show immediately did a 180 and toned Lucky down - he's still a vocal Red, but he seems like a genuine character who cares for his team mates and people he interacts with. So much of the show seems like it's very well thought out and detail is given to aspects I'd never even really focused on before. My favorite part of the episode was actually seeing the crowd finally support the Kyurangers. It wasn't your typical "crowd wildly cheers on the heroes" scene, it was a few people muttering their support. It nails the idea that these people have been so despondent for who knows how long and this is their first real taste of hope, which is something they don't even really know how to react to. It was my favorite moment of the episode.

Naga is a damn trip haha!!! :lol

If we were talking about Zyuohger, then I'd be in complete agreement :lol

Sorry, this series is just doing nothing for me.

Same here.

I think the last couple of episodes have been great. It's still a bit of a shame that the "prologue" was rushed but i'm interested in seeing how the show handles itself now and if saving Earth is just PART of the Kyuranger story.

The robot stuff in this show has been pretty cool so far. I like that there was a big ol' space battle with the Kyurangers flying their Voyagers around and just... doing stuff. Not just combining in stock footage.

Lucky seems to have changed the way he YOSHA RAKIs, it was way less grating in this episode than in the past. He still needs to do it less though.

Raptor's cute as fuck. It was last week's episode but whatever.

That was still better than a straight filler episode. I got nothing against the basic formula (hey, that's super sentai), but I'll appreciate if along the way they'd avoid easy conveniences like the Kyulette that did absolutely nothing 1 episode after its introduction (*poof* here's the 9 of us just because), and the antagonist rival plot just throw out the windows because the guy was in fact a spy.
Let's hope the earth "arc" is not 45 episodes long.

Well, I'm enjoying the show. This episode was fine.

Was worried about the possibility of a child Ranger for acting reasons but I really didn't find Kotaro objectionable. And they're already setting him up as Stinger's pupil, so, that's good.

Didn't they mention that Gokuma Skyblue is supposed to be like Sasori Orange's friend or something?

I think all it said was that they have was a connection of some kind which is odd because I don't remember Sasuke getting along with a kid younger than him or anyone at all.

Yes, KogumaSkyBlue is supposed to be SasoriOrange's partner. This episode hints pretty blatantly why this is the case.

Yeah, so, putting two and two together here, I'm gonna go ahead and say anywhere in the 18-24 range we're going to see this kid either become a Kyuranger during the big climax of them saving Earth or, after they do that, be like "Wait guys, I wanna be a Kyuranger too! Take me with you so I can help beat up Jark Matter!" before they leave.

We'll see though. If they're explicitly calling this an arc there's basically zero chance they're staying here until the end of the show, especially since they explicitly talk about liberating Earth first in the episode.

Ok, so I followed y'all's advice and came back after episode 5. And I… kinda wish I hadn’t! Cause I was instantly set off by some of these criticisms. And of course, me being me, I can’t just let them slide without some biting commentary! :lol

First, some speculation...

My guess is that Scorpio killed Champ’s creator and Stinger took the fall for it. Actually, the more I think about it, the more obvious that outcome seems. But who knows! I’m definitely more interested in Stinger’s story than anyone else’s.


Now, some disagreement...

Gee, it's almost like there have only been 5 episodes. But surely, if they haven't answered any lingering questions by now they never will. Cause, I mean, they only have, at minimum, 43 episodes left to address all this stuff. How will they ever find the time!?!?

Wait, didn’t you just say the following like, a page ago?

So… your solution to what you see as the show’s problems is for the creators to stop trying something new and revert to a more familiar status quo? When you just clearly implied that you didn’t want the show to be a “run-of-the-mill crappy Sentai show?” I... don't get you.

Why is that stupid? I admit it's kind of a throwaway joke, but I think we did see Stinger go through a pretty dramatic arc in the episode. We saw his change of heart play out in the episode, and that was effectively executed, even if at the end it was undercut by the reveal that he was a spy all along.

But think about how that reveal rounds out Commander Dragon Dumpling's character. His actions show he's willing to lie to and manipulate his subordinates -- to put them through the emotional wringer -- to achieve his objectives. I think that's pretty interesting, and it isn't the first sign of questionable morality from the big purple furry. His mission is clearly noble, but his methods are questionable. That complexity is unusual in Sentai, which rarely gives us heroes with shades of gray. Already, Kyuranger has given us two less-than-fully-heroic heroes in the Commander and Stinger, and that makes me pretty happy.

Ahhh, now we’re getting to the meat of your discontent. Could it be that you created a show in your head based on the promo materials, and Kyuranger isn’t aligning with your expectations?

I suspect you're letting your disappointment over discovering that Kyuranger isn't the show you expected blind you to all the good things it's doing. I mean, it's not flawless, there have been bumps in the road and things I'd change -- but props to everyone for trying something new and exciting. I think it's worked way more often than not.


Now, finally, for some agreement...

I still have a suspicion that the show will remain primarily on Earth after the Liberation arc, though I do think there will be away missions to other planets, or possibly solo journeys to other planets (i.e. Stinger goes in search of his brother with whoever the Koguma Sky Blue kid ends up being).

After all, Super Sentai heroes are, explicitly, the defenders of Earth. While it would be refreshing to see the heroes go off-world more often than not, I think the “defenders of Earth” is a key part of the show for Japanese audiences. As much as I want the show to take place primarily off-world, I think Japanese fans and kids would rebel if they didn’t hang out on Earth for at least half of the show.

I’ll be satisfied if there are just a few away missions scattered about, and I’d love to have my suspicions proven wrong.

I totally agree with all of this, especially the section I bolded!

I think part of my enjoyment of the show so far has been watching how the creators take well-worn Sentai tropes and twist them a bit. If one isn’t a fan of those tropes to begin with – or if one is not intimately familiar with all of the tropes being twisted, avoided, or otherwise subverted – I can maybe see how one would be less than enthused with Kyuranger at this point.

But guys. That doesn’t mean Kyuranger sucks. It means that it’s not your thing.

Yeah, having Scorpio be the killer and Stinger taking the fall would be the obvious and most likely route.

Now will they go the obvious route or not

I'm dropping this show.

I promised myself, after the first episode didn't exactly wow me, I would stick with it, until the full 9-person starting lineup came together. Then, I felt, I would have an idea of where the show is going. I still don't like what I'm seeing. Everyone is either an idiot, or grating, or both.

Also, way to keep with the space theme by... staying on earth for a while.

What? Who said that? I would've waited much, much longer. Because at this point people like me still have hope for this show.

Did I criticize the show for not explaining it? I just used our lack of knowledge on the origin of the Seiza Blasters to build up two scenarios and explain how easy it would’ve been for Stinger to have one without being a spy in both of them.

If having 5 core members while simultaneously featuring additional Rangers in both supporting and antagonistic roles from the start is more of a status quo to you then yes.

And that’s why it's stupid. Also because they had one, one Ranger who didn't want to join the team in the episode he was introduced and they magically resolved that issue in 2 episodes. That sucks. It feels way too early.

Yeah no, you're reading way too much into this. The joke is that he seems unprofessional and happy go lucky but is apparently a serious strategist who only hides his abilities for a reason we might or might not find out. Right now there's nothing I would call "complex" about him.

Nope. I never had any expectations for this to begin with, I just tried to make some sense of what I saw in the toy scans and of the rumors we heard, that's all.

Nice try Sherlock, but that's not it. I just don't like the show right now.

Given that Ryu Commander and Koguma Skyblue toys are scheduled for an April 1st release we might not have to wait super long. Of course, there is the chance of rescheduling so guess we will have to wait regardless.

So that's it for the planet hopping huh? The rest of the show is going to be constrained to Earth now? God I hate it when I'm right sometimes.

This episode was average. Hopefully now that the 9 rangers are introduced we can actually start developing the characters and plot and introduce villains that aren't going to suck.

It absolutely read as criticism to me, especially in light of your proposed alternate scenarios. It was certainly surrounded by criticism in all directions. Apologies if misread your intent.

I mean... even that description is pretty complex for a major Sentai character, especially in terms of more recent series.

Look, if you're going to watch and criticize this show, you need to meet it on its own terms. Sentai is, in many many many ways, not objectively good. Every single show contains a multitude of glaring flaws, and it's extremely easy to pick them apart if you're not sold on a particular show's chemistry (whether that's because you don't like the actors, the designs, the music, the fights, the SFX, or a combination of any number of other ephemeral elements). Like, for example, I passionately hate Magiranger. But do I think it's objectively worse than any other Sentai show? No, I just have an intensely negative emotional reaction to the entire cast. Similarly, I love Zyuohger -- is that because the show is better than most other Sentai? Emphatically no -- I just really love the cast's dynamics and the show's overall design aesthetic. (Caveat 1: Obviously, there are shows that are objectively better or worse than others, from a pure craft standpoint, but the difference in quality level is often and heavily exaggerated.)

The joy of Sentai, for me at least, is not often found in its unquestionably high level of quality. The joy is found in how the creators solve problems given their production limitations and time constraints, and how the writers employ certain omnipresent tropes and well-worn stories in subtly unique ways. In that way, Sentai is almost the definition of pulpy, "low" art. If you go into it expecting the creators to layer nuanced drama with multifaceted characters and never-before-seen plot twists every single episode, you're going to be disappointed. (Caveat 2: Obviously, that's not to say the shows never execute these things well, it's just rare to see them consistently employed over a whole series, especially in a show's first 20-ish episodes.)

If the show is not working for you, it's not working for you. But I doubt it's because it's so much more flawed than any other Sentai.

I notice you've moderated your tone a bit, going from "this sucks" to "I just don't like it." If my post contributed in any way to that, I call it a win. ;)

This argument is rather asinine.

Is it? Yamato and Misao had much more better stories to tell, and even one of the very few interesting villains from that show, Kubar, had more to offer than that. I mean sure, Yamato is the main character technically, but hey, at least they used that focus for something good. Instead of wasting it on a screaming idiot.

No I don't. If I find something stupid or lame I will point it out, no matter if Sentai or Rider or whatever else did it. Even if they are notorious problems, because those are the easiest to solve. And it’s not like I have particular issues with tropes anymore. I'll continue to speak my mind about the ones which I don’t like if the occasion requires it but it’s no use crying about them anymore.

But please don't hold this against me if I'm sick of forced mecha fights in the future. I'm only human after all.

I don't care. If they can give me likable characters and an environment to be invested in I’ll watch it. Kyuranger does none of that, at least not right now, so I don't enjoy it.

That’s essentially what you’re trying to tell me anyways, isn’t it?

I don't want to take that from you but I haven't wasted 20 minutes of my life prior to writing these particular comments so I have nothing to be upset about really.

Yeah, uh no, sorry, can't agree. The reason Dairanger is hands down the best Sentai show ever is because it is just the best show all around. It has the best designs, the best mecha and mech battles, awesome villains that can be comedic and down right terrifying at the same time, a strong cast, some of the most energetic music and fights in the entire franchise, and is the most story driven show. It only has 6 filler episodes. Everything else is plot.

So it kind of feels like I'm stepping into a warzone here but I had some stuff I wanted to add to the discussion.

You did, actually. Sort of.

I think you meant more like "five episodes from now", but still.

This is surprising to even me but I'm gonna go ahead and side with Kiwami on this one. "He's one thing and then under the surface he's another single thing" could actually describe quite a few major, recent Sentai characters. Of course, we're only five episodes in, so maybe Captain Dumplings could turn out to be exactly what you're hoping he is, but right now I think you're either giving Kyuranger a bit too much credit or recent Sentai a bit too little.

See that's a very agreeable statement and it's easy to see where you're coming from there, but when you talk about Kyuranger as being stupid or s*** or whatever so much instead of wording it politely like that, it can come off kind of abrasive to people like me or Lucha who don't feel the same way.

Let me be extra clear about this in case I'm coming off the wrong way though. I'm not asking you to sugarcoat your posts from now on or anything dumb like that. If you want to come in here and rant about Kyuranger being crap, that's what a forum is for. Your opinion is as valid as anyone else's.

That being said, I stand by this bit.

Dr Kain, you gotta understand, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Literally everything you just said is subjective and can be "proven" wrong with a simple "nuh-uh!". There's absolutely a such thing as objective quality (a plot-hole is a plot-hole and most people would probably agree a boom mic in the shot constitutes bad cinematography, for example), but the concept of the objective "best" is basically a myth, because everyone is going to define that a little differently. Observe this hypothetical conversation that has probably actually happened somewhere:

"Dairanger is the best Sentai because (stuff you just said)!"

"Nuh-uh! Jetman is the best because it's the most influential Sentai EVER!"

"WRONG! Jetman is overhyped garbage. Carranger is the best because it's such a great parody of the franchise."

"Says you! Carranger is way too comedic to take seriously. Gekiranger is the best because it's so unique and Rio-sama is the best villain in Sentai!"

"Yeah, well Gokaiger was a totally amazing celebration of all things Sentai so it's the best!"

*and so on*

...So are we cool? Some of us like Kyuranger and some of us don't and that's all okay and we can still get along?

Also, unrelated note: I should really get around to Dairanger. :lol

I'm pretty offended by this hit & run comment (probably more than I should be because I do respect your opinion).

Please. Tell me how my argument is "asinine." I think it's pretty well reasoned, but I may be biased. ;) What part do you think is so stupid? Do you disagree that people should watch Sentai on its own terms? Do you disagree that the vast majority (the majority, not all) of Sentai shows are pretty similar in quality, and what little variation exists is exaggerated by fandom? I mean, disagree all you want, but I'm sincerely failing to grasp why anyone would find any of these positions outright foolish. I think they're pretty defensible.

Don't get me wrong, I fucking love Sentai. It's one of my favorite things in the world, as you've probably already gleaned. But even I can recognize that every single season, of the 19 I've watched in full, is deeply flawed. And it's very easy to pick each season apart on a technical level if you're not fully on board with it.

First, I agree with you about Misao, he's one of the most complex characters in Sentai history, and his story is stellar. You'll find no argument from me there.

But I don't agree that Yamato is particularly complex. At all. He's likable, he has an interesting journey, and his story is cool... but he's a very straightforward hero archetype. What you see is pretty much what you get, and he's more or less the same at the beginning of the story as he is at the end (except for his improved attitude toward his father).

Kubar is eventually interesting, but he spends around 30 episodes as your bog standard "smart Sentai villain." If the character as presented in the first five eps of Zyuoger had been a part of Kyuranger, I suspect you'd be railing against him right now as well.

But also, do you not see how flawed this whole argument is? You're judging characters who had 48 episodes of development against characters who have had five. Perhaps I should have said "potential" for complexity. Would that have been better? Considering there have only been five episodes, that should have been taken as a given.

I'm not trying to silence you, I'm just pointing out where -- and why -- I disagree.

Regarding those "notorious problems," well, what you think of as flaws, other people think of as features. I love many of Sentai's "notorious problems," and I think without some of them, Sentai just wouldn't be Sentai.

At the end of the day, I guess I just don't understand why you're still watching -- let alone taking the time to write about -- something you appear to hate a lot. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I had no idea my views would be so controversial! :lol


That's probably fair. But what other heroic characters -- particularly modern heroic commander characters -- have intentionally put their charges through the emotional wringer when they could have easily avoided all of the drama with a single conversation? Who else has underhandedly manipulated their Sentai members to fight against each other? I'm struggling to think of a commander/mentor who would be so casually cruel. Maybe The Last Ninja? Then again, he was always pretty up front about his cruel intentions.

Maybe I indulged in a bit of hyperbole, but I'm an eternally optimistic sort. I'd rather search for ways a show impresses me than seek out all the ways it's irredeemably awful.

I totally agree with this. But I just want it to be clear to Kiwami that if he's going to dish out incendiary comments, he can't be shocked when people react accordingly.

You took the words right out of my mouth!

Just the general notion you put out.
"Sentai isn't objectively good, thus, no Sentai is worse than any other."

I feel it's an asinine statement. Your caveat at the end of the post basically says the only way a series can be seen as better or worse is solely on film work and production levels.

Objectivity is a difficult matter to touch down on, but your phrasing makes it come off as coming up with a quantifiable list of why X or Y series in specific is bad is a worthless effort because the franchise as a whole is subpar and the series are too similar to really make it worth it.

:lol That was my point.

No, it's not the end of planet hopping. This is just the start of the first arc. The first five episodes are the "prologue" of the story and episode 6 onward marks the first major story arc, called the Earth Liberation arc. We might be on Earth for a while, but I by no means see any reason to think it'll be the rest of the show when they specifically went out of their way to brand the next stretch as something different.

(I'm thinking we'll see the characters see earth either by episode 13 or 26)

Hey, I've been there before! Ever since Kyuranger started I've been actively trying not to go full "late Ghost episode threads" in here to avoid exactly this kind of scenario. :lol

Yoshitaka was actually exactly the person that came to mind, but like you said, that's forty-some episodes versus five, so it's only so fair, and thus I didn't bring him up. I actually sort of hated him for the first half of the show but by the end and especially after rewatching Ninninger I find he's a remarkably nuanced, layered character for Sentai. The Ninninger cast in general is really strong in my opinion. I probably don't need to explain to you why Kasumi is great.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

You threw me off with the "most story driven show" bit. This is what the ;) and/or the :p are for, man! The ;) and/or the :p are essential if you want it to read as sarcasm. :lol

Well that part was true because it is. I'm just talking about the whole thing in general.

That is exactly what I meant actually.

Sure, but you were the one who brought this up, not me.

And even if we judge them on initial appearances I don’t think Commander Barney here is as special and complex as you’re trying to make him look.

Easy, because if I drop the show now without giving it a chance then people like you will disregard my opinion of the show in the future because I haven't watched more than 5 episodes.

I will drop this if it doesn't get better soon, don't worry, but it's obvious that they only now finished their prologue and really start with the show.

That's not actually what I said though. I said, "in many ways, Sentai is not objectively good." The "in many ways" part is the key. And from a production standpoint, that is absolutely true. It's cheaply made, is generally cast with very inexperienced actors, and the pace at which it's written means not every episode/plot development can be given the care it deserves.

Sentai is excellent for what it is -- a fun, weekly kids show -- but you can't judge it with the same rubric you would something like War & Peace. If you do, every season would be crushed under the weight of those critical demands.

Whoa whoa whoa. That's not what I meant at all. When I say "craft" I don't mean solely film work and production levels, though that's part of it. By craft, I mostly mean writing and storytelling craft -- I mean fundamental storytelling mechanics, like character conflict, plot twists, escalating stakes, consistent tone, compelling characters, etc. Writers often refer to the mechanics of their writing as "craft." As they get better they "develop their craft." That's what my background is, so that's the word I used. Sorry if it was unclear what I meant. There are a handful of Sentai shows that, I think, demonstrate excellent craft, but the vast majority of them are mostly on the same level, quality wise. I think enjoyment of those series depends more on specific personal preferences than it does on objective quality.

What I'm trying to say is, since the majority of series are pretty similar in quality, our individual, subjective feelings toward small elements of those shows can make or break our enjoyment of them. I think this, in part, accounts for Sentai fans' wildly diverging opinions of which series are best. And because I think this way, I think it's important to approach those inventories of "why X or Y series are bad" with more subjectivity than you would in other franchises.

This episode again could have been split into two...one with the magistrate, then the second with the spy reveal...just again the ending of two mecha battles compressed into so little time...I kid you not, it had the same feel as a Season two episode of Power Rangers. Just a lot of good potential negated by immediate final attacks. It is incredibly anti climatic. I'm sure once we get the tenth mecha that can also use the 4 other limbs that may break it up a bit...but still...

I am hoping to get some good story from Scoprio...but where the previous had me getting happy, this just dashed it all.
One thing that struck me odd...when they did the full team transformation, why did blue get out of line and stand next to Lucky? It kind of broke the balance of the line of 4 on each side flanking...just was odd to me.

Well I will give this show another 5-7 episodes to convert me....hopefully with the new arc we can get some better pacing.

This whole series so far could have been multiparters. Episode 5 should have been 9 and 10.

Do you have proof of this?

The website, the first 5 episodes are the prologue ,after the prologue comes the Earth liberation arc.

http://tokusatsunetwork.com/2017/03/...ion-story-arc/

This is the source:
http://www.toei.co.jp/tv/kyuranger/s...9322_2686.html

This is the line that mentions it:

ここまでを序章とするならば、６話からは＜地球解放編＞とでも呼びましょうか。第１章の始まりです。

If up until now has been the prologue, shall we call episode 6 onward the "Earth Liberation" arc? This is the beginning of chapter 1.

I meant how he knows the arc on Earth is only going to be up to episode 13.

That's just a guess based on Japanese TV seasons (and coinciding toy quarters) running in 13 week blocks. So around 13 and 26 is a good place for the conclusion of a story arc. (if you look back, a lot of major Sentai episodes happen close to episodes 13, 26, and 39)

Sentai doesn't abide by the rules of 13 weeks though. It's a year long show so it is immune to those standards. The same goes for long running anime series like One Piece.

Not really, though? I mean, yes, it's a yearlong series -- but look at where each show's big moments (signified by the introduction of major new mechs/power-ups/toys, first/final confrontations between heroes and generals, major plot reveals, dramatic character moments, etc) tend to occur. They usually happen pretty close to every 12-13 episodes, which translates roughly to episodes 11-14, 22-25, 34-37, and 46-50.

It's not a perfect indicator, especially with pre-2000 series, but it's consistent enough to show that Sentai operates in mostly quarterly cycles.