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What are you watching (Sentai edition)
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10-07-2021, 07:16 PM
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8905
Fish Sandwich
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Task. 30 – GoGo Sentai Boukenger
Coming at you in all its 16:9, high-definition glory, it's Boukenger, the show that celebrated that big 30th anniversary with boundless adventure spirits... and also the show that failed to become one of the first Sentai I watched.
Despite the hook, it's not actually a very dramatic story. Years and years back at this point, in the window where I was getting big into Kamen Rider but not yet into Sentai all that much, I was watching Kabuto for the first time, and I decided that – possibly as a conscious decision to try and grow my palate? – I should go ahead and watch the Sentai it aired with alongside it. It should totally spice things up, right? But as I recall, neither of those shows were totally gripping me, and I just sorta...
gave up
on Boukenger, after only a little over a half-dozen episodes?
It still feels so weird, thinking back on it. It's rare for me to drop a show that hard and not pick it back up again at some point, which means Boukenger has become most notable to me personally specifically for being that oddity – a tokusatsu series I chose to stop watching. Granted, it's not like I'm
not
planning to watch the whole show at some point, but like... I don't even feel that bad about taking this long? I didn't form much of an emotional connection with the show in that limited space, and while I think that was way more about me in that particular timeframe than it was about the inherent quality of the series, it's also worth noting this is another one I've largely seen people describe as okay at best. I'm not sure if it was quite part of the cycle of the Worst Sentai Ever, but there's a sentiment I recall seeing fairly often that it took them until the next time to finally get an anniversary show right.
Really though, none of this matters all that much. Apathy from the fandom happens to plenty of shows I end up liking, and my whole story there hinges upon how I was looking at Boukenger from the start as merely some kind of add-on for another show, which probably wasn't fair to it.
The weirdest part is, it's not even like I didn't enjoy what I saw.
For one thing, I'll throw in a quick mention that both the opening and ending themes for this series are fantastic. They have the same lyricist as Magiranger's themes, and as such benefit from that same really direct and uplifting tone, all while working the motifs of the show in there brilliantly. Especially in the case of the ED, which is also performed by Psychic Lover, who have quite the track record of all-time great Sentai tunes.
The show itself though, I mean, it's also pretty cool! I worry I took too long with that preamble and made it sound like Boukenger is some dour experience, but as I said upfront, this is a show about
adventure!
And that means the first episode goes big. The structure of this one is extremely unique and memorable, and has naturally stuck with me surprisingly well over the years. The simplest way to put it is that it's like the entire first episode is the exciting cold open part of a proper blockbuster adventure film. Things will slow down for detailed exposition
later
, because right now, what's most important is giving the audience a taste of how thrilling this whole world is, and Boukenger takes that mentality so seriously, you wait half the episode to see the heroes
undo
their transformations for the first time, rather than waiting for them to get their powers.
The Boukengers are professionals on a mission to secure incredibly dangerous ancient artifacts for safekeeping, and that's not a job that involves waiting around. Indeed, the episode comes right out of the gate with the team driving off to dive headfirst into the unknown in their huge super vehicles, since the mecha were a particular focus for the show as well. This is true in a lot of other places throughout the episode as well, but the emphasis here is
firmly
on practical effects and props. The GoGo Vehicles are portrayed in an extremely charming old-school fashion, with tons of detailed miniature work shot in a way that lends them a genuine feeling of scale and weight. It's some definitively tokusatsu stuff, and I'm definitely glad this was the approach they decided to go with for the first Sentai to have this kind of picture quality. I love me some good mecha action, and this premiere has it in spades. Again, it feels like a big movie in a way.
Similarly cinematic is the treasure hunting plot, which, in addition to all the discoveries and traps and secrets and what have you, even makes room for a shocking betrayal. A
really
shocking one, at that, because it's Bouken Black selfishly trying to make a daring escape with the loot to prove himself the superior hunter to Bouken Red. These are shows all about teamwork and heroism, and you're gonna bust that plot twist out
in the first episode?!
It's totally crazy, and I have nothing but praise for this choice. It's a way to establish the team dynamic while highlighting what makes Boukenger unique. In a show about anything other than the thrill of adventure, it would seem absurd for the leader of the team to be
proud
of someone for insubordination on that level, but here, it honestly fits the tone and themes for Akashi to just be
more
excited about having this new recruit onboard after seeing how bold he can be when he puts his mind to it. And you know, for my part, I was definitely more excited about this show after seeing what a bold bit of writing that was. That macho conversation above deadly lava is hard to forget, and communicates super clearly what this show, and especially those two specific characters, are all about – being
awesome.
So yeah, I should probably get back to Boukenger at some point. It's definitely a series that put some unique spins on the usual formula (I didn't even mention the multiple villain factions), and I imagine I'd be significantly more appreciative of it now than I was when I first gave it a go.
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誰かの笑顔のためだろ?
Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 03-05-2022 at
06:50 PM
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