Nice post!!
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- Nov 20, 2008
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What reason drove scenarists to make villains weaker?
Nothing drove them, I think it's just a matter of the Japanese audience's tastes changing. People are into heroes and there's not a lot of interest in nuanced villians, or even giving them a lot of camera time. One of the big complaints about Gekiranger on the Japanese side was too much time spent on Rio and Mele. (I think I've seen this phrased sarcastically as, "Why are Rio and Mele the main characters of Gekiranger?")
I assume it its to tone down the "violence" supersentais are blamed for, but maybe there is another reason.
Not really a correct guess. Japanese parents don't really give a crap about violence as long as there's not a lot of gore or quasi-realistic elements to it. The last show there's any reason to believe Japanese parents objected to was the early run of Kamen Rider Amazon, where monsters were getting limbs torn off with jets of brightly-colored paintblood shooting everywhere.
I dont agree on seeing Takeru as a non vulnerable red ranger.He had a psychological fight with himself, thats a way to be vulnerable.
I wasn't talking about character vulnerability, just the way the character is depicted in fights. Takeru fights maybe one or two foes as ShinkenRed who are depicted as posing a serious threat to him. Even his final battle with Doukoku feels utterly one-sided.
Your other examples are similarly beside the point. In fights, Bioman was generally depicted as fighting truly fearsome foes who could easily win a battle with them. Red Hawk was usually portrayed as the most competent of the Jetman characters, but really had to struggle on a fairly regular basis to defeat his foes.
only ever winning the day because "we have to believe!"
I think this is a story beat the show could've gotten away with if people had liked the characters more. Magiranger treats magic in a pretty similar way (just substitute "belief" for "courage") and nobody much has a problem with that. Magiranger just has stronger overall character writing, so people are more inclined to let the cast get away with using deus ex machinas to solve their problems.