Boukenger is awesome; but then why do so many people hate it?

[Lynxara]

"My friend died for adventure!"

"My teammates almost died... for adventure!"

"I'll help this guy get his home back..... for adVENTUREEEEE~!"

I think there's also an episode, a Sho Aikawa episode no less, which suggests that Akashi is not really a hero, but instead just a man who's addicted to adventure, who might be willing to sacrifice his team's lives to satiate his overwhelming need for constant adventure.

For me, I was okay with watching Boukenger weekly. I really enjoyed the mecha, and the rest was inoffensive to me (at the time). My problems with the show started when I got to the end of the show and really thought about what happened. I realized I'd basically watched a TV show about a bunch of supervillains who value security over freedom, and take that to the brutal extreme of destroying important historical artifacts simply because they might be misused. This is kind of an issue in a Sentai season.

 

[Aoi Kurenai]

I think there's also an episode, a Sho Aikawa episode no less, which suggests that Akashi is not really a hero, but instead just a man who's addicted to adventure, who might be willing to sacrifice his team's lives to satiate his overwhelming need for constant adventure.

I think those are episodes 10 and 11. They're also the ones that made him a despicable red in my eyes. In 10, he keeps secrets from the team the entire episode, does something that makes Natsumi cry or something, and then gets DaiBouken stolen. The next episode reveals that it may have been to get it to an island or some nonsense that magically makes things okay and right when you think that might have been Akashi's reasoning, he blurts out that he did everything for the sake of an even bigger adventure.

Whatever message Aikawa might have been trying to send, I don't think I could appreciate. Whether it was a critique on specific character types or just...I don't know. I was too disgusted by Akashi as a red to even care.

 

[NeonZ]

I like Boukenger, but I guess at least part of that is because I'm really biased for the episodic premise of something like Boukenger and Dekaranger. Sentai rarely has actual serial storytelling, so I think an actual episodic premise just works better for the show, rather than a serial premise that somehow results in mostly episodic stories.

I also liked the cast, but I guess not specially more than in many other Sentai series. I did like the mecha's busy, but not messy, suits and how consistently they handled the mecha themselves throughout the show. I remember keeping track of the Ultimate Daibouken's battles and its defeats after it debuted stomping through everything else, and it was interesting to notice that basically all the time there was some explanation regarding its losses, with the Ultimate Daibouken only starting to be just outpowered by the time we got to the end of series villains that resulted in the destruction of each villain faction.

I realized I'd basically watched a TV show about a bunch of supervillains who value security over freedom, and take that to the brutal extreme of destroying important historical artifacts simply because they might be misused. This is kind of an issue in a Sentai season.

Huh... what? Most precious were just collected through the show, not destroyed, unless they had become active weapons and there was no other way to stop them. Near the ending of the series their storage blew up, but it's not like that was their goal.

 

[Houseki]

I watched maybe half of Boukenger some years back when my brother was the Sentai enthusiastic in our house. I don't remember much about the plot or characters except for Akashi, he was ******* brilliant.

I'm going to watch again this summer, see if the magic is still there.

 

[Loghorn]

I think there's also an episode, a Sho Aikawa episode no less, which suggests that Akashi is not really a hero, but instead just a man who's addicted to adventure, who might be willing to sacrifice his team's lives to satiate his overwhelming need for constant adventure.

He did the same thing with the Gokaigers in episode 21 of their own series.

 

[SamuraiEchidna]

Oh boy, on of THESE threads again. Well then...
*Puts on my official, adult sized Bouken Red jacket*
It's time for the Immortal Fang to rise! As a Boukenger fan, I must add my 2 cents! Boukenger, Start Up!

...And really, I don't have much too add. Everyone has said it, all ready. :sweat:

As much as I like Boukenger, the biggest negative about the show is that it's "boring", and even I can see how some would see that.
Granted it's a little better than your average Sentai that has nothing better to do than fight the MOTW, but I think people were expecting more than we got. Boukenger was an anniversary series, and I think people were expecting something as awesome and as fanservice-y as Gokaiger, and that was before Gokaiger even exsisted. :sweat:

But after reading more about Boukenger on Wikipedia, there was clearly a lot of Super Sentai references and homages, but they were so subtle that they'd go over the heads of new fans. I'd say the writers just didn't know where to focus their creativity. Even the Boukenger VS Super Sentai special was lackluster compared to specials before it, like GaoRanger VS Super Sentai.

All I am saying is, Boukenger is not horrible. I just think it's more of an acquired taste. But it's been years since I saw it. Memories are blurred, and I only had the TV-N version to go off of, but I wouldn't mind revisiting it one day! After all, it is a favorite of mine.

 

[Shoichi]

I loved Boukenger until just before Dai Voyager appeared. I found myself sleeping halfway through episodes and it was midday.

 

[Sentaifan'07 Xman]

I think that a lot of people had a problem with the lack of character developments in both the heroes and villains, except for Eiji/Bouken Silver and the Questers. But they were some memorable moments that were quite enjoyable to watch again, like Akashi's bad luck, Natsuki piloting the Dai Bouken, the Dai Voyager's debut, and Questers' final battle.

But, the rest of the show sort of felt like there wasn't anything that actually showed why the precious really needed to be gathered or whatever. But I could be wrong though, since it's been a while since I've seen the show.

That and it could be the fact that they thought that Boukenger vs. Super Sentai was a baby-version of Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai because of Aka Red's role in the team-up. Me, I used to dislike Aka Red, but once I saw him again in Gokaiger. I actually changed my thoughts about him.

 

[kamil88]

Beside what was already say in this thread, i really hated how writers handled Masumi with "Im going to be rival wth Akashi in 1st episode, forget about it for 45 episodes, then remember it, because i saw a picture" i also didn`t like Sakura, not fan of cold bi... characters

 

[FlashNeko]

Huh... what? Most precious were just collected through the show, not destroyed, unless they had become active weapons and there was no other way to stop them. Near the ending of the series their storage blew up, but it's not like that was their goal.

They were collected with the intent of sealing them away from humanity forever though.

There is no point in the show where the stuff they collected was ever going to be researched or used to benefit society in any way (even if only to be put on display for their cultural knowledge value). They just had to be stuffed inside cold metal boxes, shoved in a giant warehouse to rot because humanity could not be trusted to ever responsibly use their powers.

And then you set up bombs inside that warehouse so that if even one has the slightest potential to be taken away you destroy them all forever, just to be sure.