[Lord Benendearu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EpsilonX

So, I've been wanting to watch a newer Sentai lately, and I think i've narrowed it down to Kyoryuger, Go-onger, Go-busters, Goseiger, Shinkenger, or Boukenger. What are the pros and cons of each? Why should I or shouldn't I watch one? Which one has the most and least amount of CGI and practical effects?

Here is my opinion on these series:

Boukenger:
Pros:
* Interesting ranger characters: Every ranger has a clear personality and has a chance to shine. Also, Boukenred is a real leader here, instead of the inexperienced hothead rangers we usually see in newer Sentai.
* Four villain factions at the same time: All of them are unique and seem to be homages to Sentai villain faction types from previous series. For example: one faction is a magical priest from an extinct civilization, referencing villains of magical origins, while another faction is formed by a scientist who managed to change himself into a half-reptile half-human type of creature, referencing the more scientific villains. Each faction also employs different tactics. Some rely heavily on monsters, while others rather build evil mecha. These factions also form rivalries with eachother, which makes them interesting to watch.
* The Villain Designs: Because it is an anniversary series, the villains, including monsters and foot soldiers, are all based on Sentai mecha of previous series. I always found it fun to see if I could recognize the designs.

Cons:
* Episodic series: The series has no real tight plot to speak of. While the individual episodes are fun to watch, the lack of a dynamic status quo can be a bit frustrating when the series has such an interesting setup.

Conclusion: Boukenger is a fun episodic series that is primarily carried by the characters. This series is recommended if you like episodic shows with fun and interesting characters. If you like a more tighter story, this will not really appeal to you.

Go-Onger:

Pros:
* Fun lighthearted (almost parodying) tone: The show really does not take itself seriously. It likes to make fun of Sentai tropes by either playing with them or exaggerating them to ridiculous levels. For example: transforming alone requires the rangers to shout multiple phrases.
* The characters: Both heroes and villains have fun personalities, which really shine when they interact with each other. The villains themselves are also unique in that they are a lovable bunch of goofballs. They subvert the 'you have failed me for the last time' trope by actually showing they care for their minions.

Cons:
* Episodic series: This is yet another episodic Sentai series that has no overarching plot.
* The Mecha: While they do offer some fun moments because of how they work, I do not really care for the mecha of this series. They look very ridiculous in a bad way. Especially when you see the toy versions.

Conclusion: Go-Onger is recommended if you like a lighthearted comedic series that offers many ridiculous plots. This series is not recommended if you prefer more serious Sentai series, as the focus is clearly the humor.

Shinkenger

Pros:
* The ranger characters: This series has a really nice cast of rangers. The way they are written and acted on screen really made me care for them. They start out as complete strangers to one and another, but slowly start growing towards each other like a family.
* The plot twist: Near the end, a plot twist happens that shakes up the entire team. I will not reveal what it is, because it can ruin the show for you. But the twist is foreshadowed in such a way that it is fun to watch the show a second time.
* Some of the villains: Some villainous characters are interesting to watch in their interactions with the Rangers. One of them in particular is very enigmatic about which side he would ultimately be on.
* The battle scenes: The choreography is very awesome to look at in this series. The Rangers fight the majority of their time with a sword, but can also use elemental magic, making battles fun to look at.

Cons:
* The middle part: The middle part is where the series temporarily lost its pace and went full on Filler mode. It does pick up the pace again near the episode 40 mark.
* The way new mecha combinations are introduced: It basically comes to one of the rangers having an idea for a new combination and voila...new robot is born.
* The main villain He stays inactive for most of the series. He does have a valid reason why, but it is a bit annoying to see him spend the majority of his screen time complaining about it.

Conclusion: Despite the amount of cons I mentioned, I actually highly recommend watching Shinkenger. It has fun characters, a good balance of drama, action and humor.

Goseiger:

Pros:
* Multiple villain factions: Like Boukenger, this show has multiple villain factions. Each of them has a distinct identity and each of them also has their own types of monsters.
* The main villain: The plot regarding the main villain is the most interesting aspect of the show in my opinion.
* An exciting finale arc: This ties in with the main villain as he is the one causing the events of the finale.

Cons:
* Slow predictable pacing: While this series does have multiple villainous factions, they succeed each other, rather than exist concurrently. This means the plot is fairly predictable in that one faction gets defeated, another takes its place and so on.
* Inconsistent Ranger characters: The writers sometimes really don't know what kind of personality they should give the Goseigers. Take for example the blue ranger: In the second episode, he shows effective leadership skills in a battle against a monster, but in another, he takes over leadership, but fails because he thinks too logically. (he wanted to manually try every combination on a sealed vault)

Conclusion: I can't really recommend this series when comparing it to others you named. While it does have its good points, its slow predictable pace made it boring to watch for me. You might like it if you like more lighthearted series. If so, try a few eps and see if it catches your attention. If not, move on to another series.

Kyoryuger:

Pros:
* Interesting Rangers: The Rangers all have interesting characteristics and also have nice unique fighting styles.
* A team of secondary rangers: Alongside the standard six rangers, this series also has a team of four extra rangers, who sometimes appear to help the main team out. The fun thing is that they are based on the Rangers' auxiliary mecha. They are also played by actors previously appearing in Super Sentai and other Tokusatsu. Some of these actors also played rangers themselves.
* Interesting villains: The best way to describe the villains is basically Pixar's Inside Out with a giant alien god, because three of the villains are based on the human emotions of anger, sadness and joy. They are tasked with absorbing said emotions from humans, so the main villain, which is said giant alien god, can learn about how to effectively make humans go extinct. Therefore, most of the villainous plots are centered around these emotions.
* A recurring cast of side characters: Many of the rangers had family members or friends who made recurring appearances. This made the series very consistent in
* Cool mecha: This series has some very awesome mecha, which are also able to make very cool combinations. Examples include a robot with a wrecking ball and a giant lasergun shaped like a Plesiosaur.

Cons:
* Too much focus on red: The series gained the nickname Daigo Sentai Kingranger/Kiryuger, as the red ranger gets way too much focus. He gets a Battlizer like powerup, has almost the entire plot of the show revolving around him and his father and some episodes have him kill the enemy while the others look at him in awe. The big problem was that he wasn't that interesting a character to me. He was the same hothead, who solved his problems by plunging into them, we have seen for ages.

Conclusion: This series was OK in my book. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't great. The biggest problem for me, was that it came after my favorite Sentai Go-Buster, which made me a bit prejudiced.
On its own, this series was a fun lighthearted ride, had some interesting and likable characters, and the concept of having an auxiliary team of rangers was very unique. There also wasn't any dull moment I could think of. The thing that does really bother me is the heavy focus on the red ranger.
I do recommend this series, as I did not regret seeing it at all.