[Fish Sandwich]

~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~

Episode 18 – Ninja Sentai Kakuranger



(Hey wait, I think we're missing some people again!)

Dude, Kakuranger is so freakin' cool. Like, right upfront, this is the first Sentai on the tour I've already seen in full. Plus, it's also the most recent "backlog" Sentai I've seen, and even though it's been a year and a half since then, it's still pretty fresh in my mind. I've been so pumped to write this week's post, you don't even know. There's naturally going to be a different feel to the ones about shows I've seen already, and I couldn't ask for a better show to figure that new style out with. Talking about Kakuranger is easy; I've already done it once, after all. Episode by episode, even, if you feel like digging back through the thread a ways. And yet, that still isn't enough for me, so let's get to this, shall we?

Kakuranger is— no wait I said cool already ...Kakuranger is the other exceptionally beloved Sugimura Sentai, and I have a feeling it will always kinda be "my" Sugimura show even once I've seen the others. It was my first, and while that choice was made entirely on a fickle whim, I couldn't be happier I made it. It's a show that is overflowing with creativity and style, to the point I don't think any brief summary I can give will get across the extent of it. A series that effortlessly blends the traditional Japanese concepts it draws its motifs from with the Western-influenced reality of the nation's present, resulting in a Sentai with an undercurrent of socially-conscious postmodernism to its storytelling... while also still standing totally on its own as just a darn fun show!

That last part is something that might need stressing, if you're unfamiliar with Kakuranger. My description of it probably makes it sound super highbrow or something, but part of what makes the thought put into Kakuranger so impressive to me, and part of why I describe it as having a postmodern flair, is that it's the kind of show that would never admit to being "smart". On the contrary, the real heart of the show from the outset was its emphasis on outrageous comedy scenarios. This is even one of Kakuranger's biggest innovations, going rather against the grain. I mean, how many times have I talked about a show paving the way for more complex drama up to this point? Kakuranger instead took all that freedom to tell new and different stories in the opposite direction, applying it to the offbeat tale of a group of misfit descendants of legendary ninja, who travel around in a bus that is also a cat, exterminating Youkai all around Japan while selling crepes on the side, because no cool organization is going to cover the expenses of these guys.

The Kakurangers are very much underdogs, if not outright terrible heroes at first, and the story centers on their growth, as they go from a bickering bunch of bumblers to a finely-tuned engine of justice with unshakable faith in each other and their cause. It's the kind of arc that never gets old no matter how many times you see it, and in Kakuranger's case, it coincides with a gradual shift to a more straightforward dramatic tone, complete with an explicit midway turning point, and it's to the show's credit how natural it all feels. I mean, I could go on about this show for so much longer, if I wanted. Jiraiya's not even in the first episode! It hurts not having a real excuse to talk about him in great detail, but unfortunately, I am technically here specifically to talk about that premiere.

I remember it feeling like a lot to take in, the first time. It's maybe worth mentioning that. The show's twist on a narrator, especially; that took some getting used to. I know why he's there now, though, and I honestly really appreciate the crazy old geezer? Learning that his whole bit is to talk about this flashy modern TV show in the form of traditional oral storytelling was all it took to turn me around. He's emblematic of the deliberate old/new clash that defines the show's style, and those lectures about the Youkai in each episode are genuinely quite helpful!

And going back to this episode a second time, with that in mind, it didn't feel like too much at all? It's mostly just an awesome premiere that does a lot to get across the appeal of the show? It starts off with a recounting of a battle in the distant past between ninja and Youkai, which is rad as heck world-building, because it involves ninja. And then from there, you're introduced to Sasuke and Saizou, two buds who are immediately arguing over what kind of cheap junk food they should get with the borderline nonexistent cash they have on them, which really says a ton about the characterization of the heroes in this show right away. They get to show a bit of a heroic side as well, readily intervening to stop a mugging, but that's merely the beginning of a fateful chain of events involving tons of awesome monsters getting revived in the modern age, ninja ancestors giving their successors hygiene tips as well as transformation devices, and a castle that stands up to become a giant robot, with a huge sword that's also on real fire. Does anything about this not sound like the coolest, craziest show out there?

And what's even crazier is that this is actually a rather restrained first outing, all things considered, as can be gathered from it being another one without the full team. The show just climbs up and up from this starting point. You get all the stuff you see here, and then so much more added on, as the show constantly refines its style. Again, it is actively painful not being able to talk about all that stuff, too. Jiraiya is one thing, but if you haven't seen the show, you have no idea how cool Tsuruhime becomes after these early days of everyone constantly disrespecting her authority. And Sasuke, too! That dude's got heroic guts like you'd never imagine from him whining about lunch!

It's easy for me talk about Kakuranger; it's a lot harder for me to stop, evidently. I haven't even directly touched on some of the other notable firsts, like the whole explicitly Japanese theme; or the aforementioned Tsuruhime, Ninja White, being the official leader of the team, smashing right the heck through that glass ceiling, and without even being red; or how Ninja Red's suit actor was Seiji Takaiwa's first big lead role, which should mean something to fans of both Kamen Rider and some of the later 90's Sentai. (He even married Ninja White's suit actor later!) I could go on about random things relating to this show all day, pretty much. The designs and action are endlessly stylish, the writing feels subtly ahead of its time in a lot of ways, the theme song is amazing, the ending theme is a bop in its own right... it's freakin' cool, like I said! Up until now I've been ending these things by saying how excited I am to watch these shows myself one day, but in this case, and probably quite a few more to follow, I'm more hoping I can get somebody else excited to watch it. Maybe you'll think Kakuranger is cool yourself, if you don't already!