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.