Pros and Cons of GoGo Sentai Boukenger and Power Rangers Operation Overdrive

In Justice, We Trust!
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Feb 10, 2007
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One thing I don't like about OO?

How all five rangers repeat "Kick it into Overdrive (Insert color here)" For their roll call, lame.
 
"Let's DRIVING!!!!!"
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Jun 19, 2007
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Yeah!! NATSUKI RULEZ!!! :buttrock: :buttrock: :buttrock: :anime: :anime: :anime: :thumbs:

NATSUKI 4-EVER!!!!!!!

Oh!!! Thank for clearing up on the Roll Call part, Dark Kabuto. I never did like that role call anyways. Nor did I like Ronny's pose. It was like she was ripping off a Body Builder's flexing posture with WWE-Bullshit.
 
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In Justice, We Trust!
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
22,126
Its weird, I wasn't too keen on Natsuki's pose. But then when they changed the pose for Ronny, I found myself prefering Natsuki's pose.
 
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Pros and Cons...

Warning these are typed as they come to me and these are all strictly my opinion on things. Please don't take any of these seriously and I hope no one finds them offensive...

OO
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+Mack's storyline. At first Mack was set up to the typically annoying PR 'outsider' Red Ranger, that we've come to know and mostly embrace. Then we started getting some interesting comments and hints about a time prior to the begining of the series. Finally the cat came out of the bag and Mack was revealed to be an Android. From there until the end of the series, we got the storyline progression of Mack's increasing alienation from his teammmates, the man he formerly called father and even his humanity. This culuminated in Mack killing Flurious cold-bloodedly in a sequence that while on the surface similiar to Leo stopping Trakeena actually was quite different once you watched it.

This was by far the strongest storyline in either Overdrive or Boukenger and to their credit, the cast nailed it.

+Once a Ranger: As always the hype surrounding crossovers and other anniversary-type events obscures and in some cases hurt what actually happens. So to in this case, but once the overly harsh criticisms and celebrations are set aside, Once a Ranger actually works as a crossover event, IN continuity. Not only does it advance the plot of the series its crossing with by introducing the Sentienel Knight, it also brings back former rangers (some more popular then others) in a way that isn't demeaning to their character. It also gives long time fans a nice touch with the son of Lord Zedd's introduction and satisfying demise as well.

+The villians interaction: This was the first (and only time) we've had competing groups of villians throughout a series. Usually as illustrated by Mystic Force, the storylines begin with one group of villians that try and fail, resulting in their eventual demise and subsequent replacement by stronger foes. That didn't happen in OO, instead we got four competing groups of villians throughout the whole season and none of them got the redemption aka easy way out ending. Instead all four were killed off in satisfying fashion. Good.

+Usage of the artifacts to continue and tie the story together: Unlike in Boukenger which featured almost entirely standard alone stories where the relics were recovered, used and then contained in the span of about 23 minutes, OO managed to find these items, recover them and then use them to advance the overall series plot to the end. A very daunting task indeed and one that should be applauded.

Cons:
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-Who are these people: Aside from Mack, none of the other rangers, got any real character development. I mean NONE of them. We know a lot about how they would act in a given situation but beyond that, nothing. Not much is known about their backgrounds aside from some dialogue and in Tyzonne's case, just didn't completely fit. I have to think that was Disney's idea, forcing a sort of happy ending for someone, like they did with Doggie and his wife. At least, that's what I think.

-Music: OO's music was well.. forgettable. I'm not talking about the series theme song which grew on me and which I didn't mind, I mean everything else. Even the Battlizer music was kind of bland. Now in contrast MF had some fairly good less generic, more orchestral type sounding music and it's entrance music (which again people hated) was pretty good. This was the first Disney season where I found the music to be not memorable in the least.

-DAMN YOU BANDAI: The toys, the real moneymaker of any PR or Super Sentai series. Yeah, these mostly were not of the good category. First let me say, I'm getting rather tired of the series were they have to introduce and use all these annoying auxillary mecha. I'm not talking about the US only CG Transtek armor (which I didn't think looked too bad all things considered). I'm talking abou the actual toyline itself which looks like crap. The overized Drivemax megazord being one offender but the other of course is the Triple Transforming Megazord which was toy only and also was crap.

Boukenger:

Pros':
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+Musically inspired: I liked a lot of, if not loved all of the Boukenger music. From the opening to the ending, and even Go On fighting. Except the cash-in attempt, I mean Image Songs. One thing of note (and I'll go to my grave believing this), I have to think Bouken Dreams shares some similiarities to an old anime themer. Have a listen for yourselves.

Here's Bouken Dreams: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EugMy3xRoVg
Here's the second opening for Tenchi Muyo OVA (the first OVA series), "I'm a Pioneer": http://youtube.com/watch?v=FeWM60maq6E

Given that "I want to be a Pioneer" in English sounds almost like something that would be done in Boukenger, I cant say that's a bad thing.

+No gratituous power-ups.. almost: Thankfully Boukenger did break one annoying 'new' sentai tradition. They didn't receive a 'series' power-up as a half-assed reward for passing or fulfilling some not really well spelled out goal. Instead they got themselves a brand-new shiny megazord. Oh well, it almost worked out.

+Characterization: I was almost going to list this as a mixed bag but decided not to. To it's ever lasting credit Boukenger did manage to give a backstory and character development to two rangers instead of one like was done in OO. Unfortunately those two characters were Masumi and Eiji, neither of whom I found to be very interesting or original. Eiji I've bashed repeatedly for being a rip off of Inuyasha and Masumi I never cared too much for since the begining. I would include Satoru in this argument but he never really got any development either. He like a certain beetle themed Rider, was always right in his decision making throughout the series. Even his supposed to be angsty background, he made the right choice as he would have been killed otherwise. Never once is his decision making seriously challenged and him shown to be wrong. He gets the writers fiat card.

And the other characters fared just as poorly. Souta's a super agent/Spy/ladies man. Shame none of this is actually you know important. We get told (more or less) that he's allegedly responsible for the downfall of a government by one of his former buddies. Then nothing happens. I kept waiting and waiting for that little girl they showed to reappear all pissed and out for revenge but she never did. Then we sort of get his ladies man treament when All Purpose Idol Girl shows up and embarasses him for an episode then I don't rememer seeing her again in either form. I would have liked to have seen his relationship with Kaze actually go somewhere other then her inspiring him at the end but....

And lets not forget the girls, Sakura and Natsuki. Oh wait the writers already did. Sakura comes from a wealthy family, is a former member of the Japanese military, has a fairly obvious crush on Chiefu. Yet... nothing happens. Natsuki is a long lost princess that's really cute and funny (Natsuki at the controls of Daibouken for the win) and also nothing happens. One gets the feeling that much like their American counterparts, Sentai writers don't know how to properly write female characters.

+Respect the Past: The various homages done in the monsters and villians to previous sentai mecha were well done. And it was nice seeing all those former Toku alumni show up in the guest roles (although MegaPink as anyone's mom, very disturbing)

Cons:
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-Characterization: See the above.

-That's one of my favorite mountains in Illinois: Okay we the viewer, get that it's a world traveling Sentai team out to protect the globe and everything. But if you're going to film strictly in Japan, you should not try to pass off a very obvious Japanese location as part of America or anywhere else for that matter. Just say it's in Japan, we'll understand. And we won't be making fun of you later.

-Jupiter STAR POWR, MAKE-UP!: I get that costuming and special effects really aren't that important on a show that has 49 episodes on average aired every year. But just for once, can Toei invest in make-up and special effects that at least LOOK somewhat modern. That big investment and switch they made to HD, is not helping that rather bad costume and make-up job they did on the kid potrarying the Fox child.

-They're EVVVVILLLL I tell Ya: Know what the true evil in Boukenger was? The writers. I mean, we went from the ABSOLUTE GOD of N'ma (who I really liked) to this bunch:

An incompent priest character who's last words should have been, "And I'd have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their dog".

The victim of one too many pantsings who decided to kill everyone in the world for unclear reasons and using not well thought out methods.

Ninjas that make Naruto look like Ryu from Ninja Gaiden.

and of course the really evil group who's ruthlessly and effortlessly runs loops of stock footage explosions of models whenever they're onscreen.

Design-wise, these guys were cool. Execution wise, I was in favor of all of them.

Things both series did well:

Giving the guys what they many wanted but wouldn't admit to. In PR, we got to see the girls dress-up and wear Pigtails. Check. In Sentai, we sw the girls dress-up in vaguely sexist outfits and roles, check.
 
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