Member
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- 525
I'm not big on "Zyuranger," but man, they have some of the best kaijin and fights in the franchise. I think that's why I love MMPR: They skip the goofy plots and just get straight to the footage.
Recommend a Sentai series!
- Thread starter Captain Shark
- Start date
The new Tendou Souji
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- Dec 8, 2009
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Flashman
Changeman
Megaranger
Abaranger
Gingaman
Kakuranger
I could go on but if you're not picky about subs, I'd really suggest giving these a run-through
Changeman
Megaranger
Abaranger
Gingaman
Kakuranger
I could go on but if you're not picky about subs, I'd really suggest giving these a run-through
Banned
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- Aug 4, 2007
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- 12,411
Did you really just try and say MMPR doesn't have goofy plots?
Member
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- Mar 21, 2011
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- 525
You're implying that they have plots. Every episode is "Something something teenagers something BADASS FIGHTS FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES." Hey, I'm cool with that.
The Ranger with the Cowbell
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2013
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- 150
Go-Busters, Gekiranger (The theme song alone is epic), Megaranger, Carranger, Go-Onger (yes I LOVE Go-Onger in all it's insanity) and Jetman (I would've liked to see an adaptation of that)
New Member
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Jetman is the greatest.
Gobuster, Shinkenger, and Gokaiger are also some of the most fun I've had in Super Sentai.
Gobuster, Shinkenger, and Gokaiger are also some of the most fun I've had in Super Sentai.
Nice post!!
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- 10,066
After reading a list of your preferences... Captain Shark, you want to watch Changeman. You want to watch the ever-living **** out of Changeman. You would also probably like Sun Vulcan, but I doubt as much as /m/, since you're already familiar with vintage tokusatsu.
Reading the /m/ Sentai threads, I get the feeling Sun Vulcan is the only older series a lot of those guys have seen (which is understandable). Sun Vulcan is a lot of fun, but it definitely doesn't stand up to the likes of Zubat or the original Kikaider.
The other recs in the thread are just fine. Sentai varies a lot from year to year, so most fans find one particular production run or stylistic approach to it that they really like. Raws are out there for most series, so just try things out and see what grabs you.
Reading the /m/ Sentai threads, I get the feeling Sun Vulcan is the only older series a lot of those guys have seen (which is understandable). Sun Vulcan is a lot of fun, but it definitely doesn't stand up to the likes of Zubat or the original Kikaider.
The other recs in the thread are just fine. Sentai varies a lot from year to year, so most fans find one particular production run or stylistic approach to it that they really like. Raws are out there for most series, so just try things out and see what grabs you.
Continuing the Creddie legacy
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- Feb 9, 2007
- Messages
- 4,562
For me, based on the episodes I saw both as a child and online, it will be:
Maskman*
Liveman**
Jetman*
Zyuranger**
Gaoranger**
Go-Onger**
Gokaiger**
And since it's still Sentai despite the unofficiality, Akibaranger S1 and 2.**
Best series to start out if you're new to sentai in my opinion.
* Watched as a child and also online
** Watched online only
Maskman*
Liveman**
Jetman*
Zyuranger**
Gaoranger**
Go-Onger**
Gokaiger**
And since it's still Sentai despite the unofficiality, Akibaranger S1 and 2.**
Best series to start out if you're new to sentai in my opinion.
* Watched as a child and also online
** Watched online only
Member of the Doomcock Army, w/o respect we reject
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Any particular reason you're stressing this one?:laugh:I will admit that it is funny that their main mech resembles Gaia from God Mars.
Member
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- 95
I figure the best way to help you out here is to take you through my personal history of Sentai-viewing. In the process, I'll elaborate on what worked in my chronology and what I wish I could have done differently.
To start, let me go over the shows I've seen in full, presented in the order I viewed them:
SHINKENGER - This is the first Super Sentai show I watched in its entirety, and it was a great entry point. Though it's not the best series out there, it delivers a lot of what sentai is good at in an appealing package: great action, lots of style, a decent collection of archetypal (and attractive!) heroes, interesting special effects (cheap, but creatively integrated), and morally complex villains. I'm not a huge fan of the origami-Mechs, the story drags in the middle (but what sentai series doesn't?), and I tend to enjoy 6th rangers that are a bit more tortured than ShinkenGold -- but these are slights that don't outweigh what the show does right.
BOTTOM LINE: It's a great gateway series, and because it's not the best in the franchise, you still have a lot of room to be impressed by other entries going forward.
GOSEIGER - While not the worst thing I've ever seen, I'd avoid watching Goseiger early in your Sentai development. It's the second series I watched in full, and it almost derailed me from pursuing the franchise further. The leads are flat, there's only one compelling villain (Bladerun, which, come on, with a name like that you have to be awesome), and the mechs do absolutely nothing for me. That said, the last ten episodes deliver in a way that the first 30+ episodes did not -- and I'm a fan of Alata as a atypical Red.
BOTTOM LINE: If you do decide to take the plunge into Goseiger, I suggest watching the first and last 10 episodes and skipping almost everything else -- but not until you have some other, better series under your belt (because a full appreciation of the franchise's tropes may elevate the experience).
JETMAN - There's a reason Jetman is among the most well-regarded Sentai series out there. It tells a great story, with sympathetic leads. It has excellent action and well-designed suits (both hero and villain). Its villains are complex and threatening. It perfectly balances the gritty and weird with the humane and lighthearted. Most importantly, it's withstood the test of time -- a lot of sentai shows from the 90s don't fare so well when watched today. I may prefer the aesthetics of the more modern shows, but when it comes to storytelling, Jetman is head-and-shoulders above most of the pack.
BOTTOM LINE: Jetman is excellent, and it should be the second (or third) series you watch.
GEKIRANGER - Gekiranger gets a lot of love from fans. I'm not one of those fans. Where to begin? Jan (GekiRed) is unbearable. GekiBlue and GekiYellow are paper-thin buzzkills. The kung-fu animal mentors are insufferably juvenile. There are good things -- the villains are infinitely better drawn than the heroes and the mecha fights are pretty great (once you get past that horrible fly who commentates each battle like a high-pitched Joe Rogan) -- but they don't save this series. Gekiranger is not for me. It gets more interesting during the final arc, but it's too little too late.
BOTTOM LINE: I don't understand the love -- but those who do love it LOVE it, so there's obviously something there. It just didn't appeal to me.
GOKAIGER - I LOVE Gokaiger. It's fresh, modern, and has a lot to say about Sentai's cultural impact. The leads are my favorite of any series I've seen -- they're distinct, more than just rehashed archetypes, and they ooze detached coolness. And how can you not love the idea of badass, anti-authority space pirates overcoming their cynicism and misanthropy by facing humanistic trials designed by past sentai members? If I didn't feel like you need a basic understanding of the sentai tropes Gokaiger constantly subverts, I'd recommend it as your first series. The only criticism I'd levy is that the villains, with the exception of Basco, aren't quite up to Sentai's high standards -- but the series thrives in spite of them.
BOTTOM LINE: Watch a few sentai series first, then fall in love with Gokaiger.
GO-BUSTER - Go-Buster has so much going for it. A grounded approach to the team's operation that subverts a lot of staid sentai tropes? Great! Co-opted Power Rangers elements that simultaneously criticize and pay homage to Sentai's popular western counterpart? Awesome! Outrageously well-choreographed mech fights? Incredible! An attempt to draw an allegory for the horrific events of the 2011 tsunami? Admirable! Detached, holier-than-thou, French-speaking hipster villain? Ridiculous (in a great way)! Unfortunately, Go-Buster drops the ball at almost every turn (rebounding slightly in the last 5 episodes). It's not that the show is bad, per se, it's just boring (the cardinal sin for a sentai show, IMO -- this **** can't be boring!), which I don't understand considering its exciting component pieces.
BOTTOM LINE: The highs are not worth the disappointing lows. Do not prioritize.
And now for the incomplete series I've watched:
HURRICANGER - Love it. But due to incomplete fansubbing, I have to give it a break.
BOTTOM LINE: Probably good to wait till it's fully subbed.
KYORYUGER: A return to the classic Sentai format after a couple of years of drastic departures. It cherry-picks everything popular about sentai over the years and jams it into a manic, satisfying whole. The cast has great chemistry, the spirit rangers are a fun addition, and there's budding romance (something the show has been avoiding for a long time, but which adds to my enjoyment when done well). I'm waiting for the villains to become more interesting, but I have faith that will happen.
BOTTOM LINE: Really enjoying this one. If it were already complete, I'd recommend it as your gateway series.
And finally...
I recently combed the internet for Super Sentai suggestions as well. In doing so, I sampled the first episodes of about 10 different series. They were picked because fandom holds them in high esteem and because they span Sentai's long history. I'll do a "bottom line" for each, based only on the first episodes:
CHANGEMAN: Didn't grab me immediately.
FLASHMAN: Liked the concept and aesthetic. I'd watch more, but there are other series I'd like to try out first.
MASKMAN: I can't express how much I loved this first episode. The aesthetics, the tone, the Godard-esque flashbacks... I'd recommend giving this series a shot; I sure as heck will be.
LIVEMAN: I really liked the direction this went, and there were some real shocks in the pilot. But as with Flashman, I'd put this one on the backburner.
DAIRANGER: Like Maskman, this is one that immediately caught my attention with its awesome aesthetics, tone, and themes. I'll be giving this one a shot in full after I finish Maskman.
KAKURANGER: Off-putting, cloying. Didn't really like any of it, except for the Batman '66-esque graphic treatments.
TIMERANGER: Put this in the class with Maskman and Dairanger. From the opening credits on down, I am on-board with this show. Give it a shot.
DEKARANGER: I'm not sure on this one. I won't be seeking out the rest any time soon.
BOUKENGER: Had an interesting concept and setting. I liked that there was no backstory in the pilot; we just jump into the group's mission. I also liked the dynamic between BoukenBlack and BoukenYellow. But all said and done, it's not high on my to-watch list.
Now, to conclude this epic post. Knowing what I know now, this is the order in which I'd view these series:
1) Shinkenger
2) Jetman
3) Timeranger
4) Gokaiger
5) Kyoryuger
6) Maskman
I hope my experience helps you (or anyone else!) out.
To start, let me go over the shows I've seen in full, presented in the order I viewed them:
SHINKENGER - This is the first Super Sentai show I watched in its entirety, and it was a great entry point. Though it's not the best series out there, it delivers a lot of what sentai is good at in an appealing package: great action, lots of style, a decent collection of archetypal (and attractive!) heroes, interesting special effects (cheap, but creatively integrated), and morally complex villains. I'm not a huge fan of the origami-Mechs, the story drags in the middle (but what sentai series doesn't?), and I tend to enjoy 6th rangers that are a bit more tortured than ShinkenGold -- but these are slights that don't outweigh what the show does right.
BOTTOM LINE: It's a great gateway series, and because it's not the best in the franchise, you still have a lot of room to be impressed by other entries going forward.
GOSEIGER - While not the worst thing I've ever seen, I'd avoid watching Goseiger early in your Sentai development. It's the second series I watched in full, and it almost derailed me from pursuing the franchise further. The leads are flat, there's only one compelling villain (Bladerun, which, come on, with a name like that you have to be awesome), and the mechs do absolutely nothing for me. That said, the last ten episodes deliver in a way that the first 30+ episodes did not -- and I'm a fan of Alata as a atypical Red.
BOTTOM LINE: If you do decide to take the plunge into Goseiger, I suggest watching the first and last 10 episodes and skipping almost everything else -- but not until you have some other, better series under your belt (because a full appreciation of the franchise's tropes may elevate the experience).
JETMAN - There's a reason Jetman is among the most well-regarded Sentai series out there. It tells a great story, with sympathetic leads. It has excellent action and well-designed suits (both hero and villain). Its villains are complex and threatening. It perfectly balances the gritty and weird with the humane and lighthearted. Most importantly, it's withstood the test of time -- a lot of sentai shows from the 90s don't fare so well when watched today. I may prefer the aesthetics of the more modern shows, but when it comes to storytelling, Jetman is head-and-shoulders above most of the pack.
BOTTOM LINE: Jetman is excellent, and it should be the second (or third) series you watch.
GEKIRANGER - Gekiranger gets a lot of love from fans. I'm not one of those fans. Where to begin? Jan (GekiRed) is unbearable. GekiBlue and GekiYellow are paper-thin buzzkills. The kung-fu animal mentors are insufferably juvenile. There are good things -- the villains are infinitely better drawn than the heroes and the mecha fights are pretty great (once you get past that horrible fly who commentates each battle like a high-pitched Joe Rogan) -- but they don't save this series. Gekiranger is not for me. It gets more interesting during the final arc, but it's too little too late.
BOTTOM LINE: I don't understand the love -- but those who do love it LOVE it, so there's obviously something there. It just didn't appeal to me.
GOKAIGER - I LOVE Gokaiger. It's fresh, modern, and has a lot to say about Sentai's cultural impact. The leads are my favorite of any series I've seen -- they're distinct, more than just rehashed archetypes, and they ooze detached coolness. And how can you not love the idea of badass, anti-authority space pirates overcoming their cynicism and misanthropy by facing humanistic trials designed by past sentai members? If I didn't feel like you need a basic understanding of the sentai tropes Gokaiger constantly subverts, I'd recommend it as your first series. The only criticism I'd levy is that the villains, with the exception of Basco, aren't quite up to Sentai's high standards -- but the series thrives in spite of them.
BOTTOM LINE: Watch a few sentai series first, then fall in love with Gokaiger.
GO-BUSTER - Go-Buster has so much going for it. A grounded approach to the team's operation that subverts a lot of staid sentai tropes? Great! Co-opted Power Rangers elements that simultaneously criticize and pay homage to Sentai's popular western counterpart? Awesome! Outrageously well-choreographed mech fights? Incredible! An attempt to draw an allegory for the horrific events of the 2011 tsunami? Admirable! Detached, holier-than-thou, French-speaking hipster villain? Ridiculous (in a great way)! Unfortunately, Go-Buster drops the ball at almost every turn (rebounding slightly in the last 5 episodes). It's not that the show is bad, per se, it's just boring (the cardinal sin for a sentai show, IMO -- this **** can't be boring!), which I don't understand considering its exciting component pieces.
BOTTOM LINE: The highs are not worth the disappointing lows. Do not prioritize.
And now for the incomplete series I've watched:
HURRICANGER - Love it. But due to incomplete fansubbing, I have to give it a break.
BOTTOM LINE: Probably good to wait till it's fully subbed.
KYORYUGER: A return to the classic Sentai format after a couple of years of drastic departures. It cherry-picks everything popular about sentai over the years and jams it into a manic, satisfying whole. The cast has great chemistry, the spirit rangers are a fun addition, and there's budding romance (something the show has been avoiding for a long time, but which adds to my enjoyment when done well). I'm waiting for the villains to become more interesting, but I have faith that will happen.
BOTTOM LINE: Really enjoying this one. If it were already complete, I'd recommend it as your gateway series.
And finally...
I recently combed the internet for Super Sentai suggestions as well. In doing so, I sampled the first episodes of about 10 different series. They were picked because fandom holds them in high esteem and because they span Sentai's long history. I'll do a "bottom line" for each, based only on the first episodes:
CHANGEMAN: Didn't grab me immediately.
FLASHMAN: Liked the concept and aesthetic. I'd watch more, but there are other series I'd like to try out first.
MASKMAN: I can't express how much I loved this first episode. The aesthetics, the tone, the Godard-esque flashbacks... I'd recommend giving this series a shot; I sure as heck will be.
LIVEMAN: I really liked the direction this went, and there were some real shocks in the pilot. But as with Flashman, I'd put this one on the backburner.
DAIRANGER: Like Maskman, this is one that immediately caught my attention with its awesome aesthetics, tone, and themes. I'll be giving this one a shot in full after I finish Maskman.
KAKURANGER: Off-putting, cloying. Didn't really like any of it, except for the Batman '66-esque graphic treatments.
TIMERANGER: Put this in the class with Maskman and Dairanger. From the opening credits on down, I am on-board with this show. Give it a shot.
DEKARANGER: I'm not sure on this one. I won't be seeking out the rest any time soon.
BOUKENGER: Had an interesting concept and setting. I liked that there was no backstory in the pilot; we just jump into the group's mission. I also liked the dynamic between BoukenBlack and BoukenYellow. But all said and done, it's not high on my to-watch list.
Now, to conclude this epic post. Knowing what I know now, this is the order in which I'd view these series:
1) Shinkenger
2) Jetman
3) Timeranger
4) Gokaiger
5) Kyoryuger
6) Maskman
I hope my experience helps you (or anyone else!) out.
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