[Fish Sandwich]

So I FINALLY finished Cowboy Sentai Shinkenger. I know it took me a while but you have to understand, this show is SUCH a slog to get through. EASILY the WORST Sentai I've seen yet. I feel bad I was so hard on Gingaman.

I don't even want to waste time talking about it because it's just that horrible. I watched the whole series and the only episode I even remember is the one where the Gold Ranger has some kind of sushi duel (???) with a random one-off character the audience is never going to care about, and the only reason I even remember it is because it might just be the single worst episode of Sentai ever made.

It doesn't help that it focuses on such a confusing, poorly written character. As if it wasn't stupid enough to have a sushi chef in a WESTERN, he has a stupid lantern sidekick with the kanji for "samurai" written as visibly as possible on its chest. They never explained where this guy came from (or maybe I just blocked it out because this show is so terrible I want to forget it), but no doubt the only reason he's in the show is to sell tons of stupid gimmicky toys to the snot-nosed brats that watch these things. Sentai is just so garbage nowadays. I remember when it used to get along just fine on quality storytelling, likable characters, and intense action, but lately, I just don't k-

HEY, wait a second! Quality storytelling? Likable characters? Intense action?

THIS IS ALL JUST AN ILLUSION!



What I'm actually here to talk about is that I've finished Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.

Unfortunately, the words weren't coming to me the way they did with the other Sentai I've watched recently, so I didn't post about it as much as I would've liked to, but make no mistake, this show is a real winner and I enjoyed every second of it.

Just to get the "negatives" out of the way first, it does indeed slouch in the middle. Sort of. The writing quality is just as good, there's tons of great episodes, and like the series as a whole there's a shockingly low amount of filler, with nearly every episode developing or otherwise fleshing the characters out in meaningful ways.

The thing is, the first 12 and the last 12 episodes are essentially pure Sentai perfection, so compared to that, it can come off comparatively... less epic, I guess? I generally prefer my shows to be a constant uphill climb, so this actually did hurt my enthusiasm for Shinkenger just a tiny bit. But hey, even Gekiranger, a show that is nigh flawless, slowed down a little around the time it introduced its extra Rangers, so I can't be too mad at Shinkenger.

Especially not when its high notes are so unbelievably high. Shinkenger has a flair for the dramatic unlike pretty much any Sentai I've seen. It's not that different on the surface but when it wants to create an engaging scene, be it a climactic sword duel, a touching conversation, or whatever else, it puts other shows to shame.

This is due in large part to the main characters being so phenomenal. Shinkenger sacrifices a particularly exciting overarching plot in favor of having extremely fleshed out characters and it works. Between the stellar writing and genuine talent from the actors, the Shinkengers themselves are hands down one of the single most well developed groups in the franchise. They all have layers, they all have growth, nobody feels left out despite the show ultimately being Takeru's story, it's just fantastic. Even Genta, a character I wasn't too warm on initially, managed to win me over big time by the end. They're all presented in a very real, genuine manner that makes them super likable.

Character is definitely where Shinkenger excels, and is THE reason to watch it, along with the action, to a lesser extent. However I don't feel like any of the other elements were bad or anything. The villains are on the average side overall, but I wouldn't say they're anywhere near as boring as guys like the Dethgaliens in Zyuohger. Juuzou and Akumaro pick up a lot of the slack in terms of overarching villains, by being really awesome and actually having plans, respectively, and the weekly monsters tend to have threatening, unique abilities that make for interesting episode plots. I'd also be remiss not to mention how I feel the show does an admirable job of handling the sheer onslaught of merchandise Bandai gave it to shill.

Ultimately I really enjoyed Shinkenger and would put it not too far behind Gekiranger in terms of quality. However, my Kobayashi bias is failing me once again, because despite being an excellent show I would call a must-watch if a good cast is what you're after, I think Gekiranger and Megaranger (especially Megaranger) are my favorites out of all the Sentai I've pounded out lately.

Which brings me to the conclusion of a rather long-winded journey of over half a year at this point, and you know what my one sentence review is this time? I'm sick of Sentai! Okay not really, but I've covered a bunch of shows I've always meant to get around to (and Gingaman), so I think a little break is called for. It's time to give some other shows the attention they deserve. And with that, there's only one thing left to say. Play me out, Takeru!