Toqger : one of the worst sentai series ever done?

[Black Fang]

I don't like the show implying that Mio will get over her awkwardness with romance and fall for Tokacchi just because HE wants her

Where do you see this? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.

and more importantly I don't like its focus on Gritta and Schwarz (especially when even the heroes keep showing concern for her and wanting to protect her - I don't care how sad she is about "Schwarz-sama!")

Here I'll grant you somewhat. I don't mind Gritta pining over Schwarz other than the fact that they had to drill it in our heads all the time in the early episodes. (Making her a fat purple lizard doesn't much help either.) What gets me is Schwarz suddenly wanting revenge for her sake after being indifferent towards her before. Perhaps he's doing it simply for honor, as she "died" rather cruelly. But the revenge/going rogue plot is a bit disappointing to me, as I'd hoped to see something more original with Schwarz. (Say, instead of getting personal revenge he wants his position back so he can control the army, and simply finds Zet's disinterest in matters of state irritating.)

 

[kuroihikari]

Sentai in the 90s was for kids too, but I didn't see them being overly childish, red rangers that scream at the top of their lungs, over the top slapstick comedy, and villains that were more comedic than threatening. The 90s had a balance of comedy and seriousness, where as most of the shows over the last 10 years have put slapstick over seriousness. And by slapstick I mean the extreme side to the point where they need to make fart and boner jokes.

The 90s is an entirely different time, though. Many standards have changed. The market has changed. The forms of entertainment have changed.

Plus, opinion. For me, or at least a part of me that I had outgrown several years ago, everything from the 80s to the present is "childish drivel". And that's why I watch them.

This "It was done better back in my time" thing is narrow-minded and simplistic.

 

[Black Fang]

What does a changed market have to do with what someone likes or dislikes? The market right now is for degenerate rap and auto-tuned pop. That means I like to like it because it's stupid to say stuff was better before? Maybe standards have broken down and the market is full of idiots. That's an opinion just as valid as saying anything from the 80s onward is childish drivel. (Which begs the question of why you would watch something you consider 'drivel'.)

You're essentially saying that everything is relative and that no one can ever set a standard for anything.

 

[Dr Kain]

The 90s is an entirely different time, though. Many standards have changed. The market has changed. The forms of entertainment have changed.

Plus, opinion. For me, or at least a part of me that I had outgrown several years ago, everything from the 80s to the present is "childish drivel". And that's why I watch them.

This "It was done better back in my time" thing is narrow-minded and simplistic.

Uh except I'm not saying it was done better back in my time, I am providing the facts as to why it IS better. I already said, there was a balance between comedy and seriousness. Look at KakuRanger as a prime example. It knew how to balance everything out. Yes, sometimes there were short comings such as Jetman's monsters of the week being quite dumb. However, they still fleshed out the villains just as much as the rangers (well, three of the rangers). ZyuRanger may have had the annoying child of the week, but that was countered by the storytelling be it between Burai's time limit to Bandora's reasoning for turning to evil. DaiRanger also took a risk by incorporating Chinese mythology into the series. GoGoV had a family dynamic between both the rangers and the Saima Clan alike. TimeRanger took a risk with an entirely new theme and gave us a strong ranger cast with a lot of mature storytelling. Gingaman kind of rehashed ZyuRanger, but they took a new approach to it and gave us a great variation of villains to go with it. Then of course we have CarRanger, which just went all balls out on the comedy, and yet, it still maintained a sense of seriousness in its tone with how stories were handled (such as Richihiker defeating the rangers and taking RV Robo). MegaRanger even found a way to take teens and make them rangers without amping them up on drugs. Not just that, but the series even had an episode where the rangers only had 24 hours to live, and while it was obvious they were going to find a cure, the story was written to show us their fears of dying so young. I don't even think another Sentai series has ever redone that episode plot.

 

[kuroihikari]

What does a changed market have to do with what someone likes or dislikes?

It has nothing to do with what someone likes or dislikes. What it has to do with is the nature of humor. The nature of art. The nature of entertainment. What people enjoy and get entertained by are not the same anymore.

That is, if it may not be made for us anymore. Expecting it to be the same is setting yourself up for disappointment.

The market right now is for degenerate rap and auto-tuned pop. That means I like to like it because it's stupid to say stuff was better before?

Invalid analogy. You still have access to a wide variety of music. You're just not looking hard enough.

Maybe standards have broken down and the market is full of idiots.

Who sets what the "unbroken" standards are? Certainly not me, nor you. Am I presumptuous enough to think that my standards are better than anyone else's? No I'm not. Half my life I've spent thinking I would stick to deep, thinking material to entertain myself, but I still found myself enjoying pop music of whatever time I'm in. Why should I pretend to be some one I'm not just because of some self-imposed "standards"?

That's an opinion just as valid as saying anything from the 80s onward is childish drivel. (Which begs the question of why you would watch something you consider 'drivel'.)

Because oftentimes I want to sit back from a day of overthinking and enjoy simple, fun stuff.

There are a lot of concepts that irk me and turn me off from a lot of popular and critically acclaimed material: Oftentimes they stress me out more than they entertain me, even though I can say they're technically great. But with simple kids' shows I find myself just turning off inhibitions exactly because there's no other way to enjoy it. And it has served me well.

You're essentially saying that everything is relative and that no one can ever set a standard for anything.

Everything IS relative, though, and everyone CAN set a standard. That's the entire point.

From Merriam Webster, "Standard" is a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable. Note the use of the passive tense ("is considered"). That means there is no set person or entity that sets what a standard is. So, no "broken" or higher standards, just different ones. Oftentimes, it's a matter of convention.

Uh except I'm not saying it was done better back in my time, I am providing the facts as to why it IS better. I already said, there was a balance between comedy and seriousness.

Have you considered that maybe people of this time prefer a different balance than you do? Or that shows are specifically designed to accommodate the present culture rather than that of 10+ years ago?

 

[live jetabare]

Not just that, but the series even had an episode where the rangers only had 24 hours to live, and while it was obvious they were going to find a cure, the story was written to show us their fears of dying so young. I don't even think another Sentai series has ever redone that episode plot.

This plot is a classic Kobayashi stock plot : she did it again in GogoV (episode 34), Shinkenger also had a similar plot with Kotoha in episode 20, and Toqger used that kind of plot no less than TWICE : episode 10 with Tokatti and episode 33 with them all.

 

[DaikaijuSokogeki!]

This plot is a classic Kobayashi stock plot : she did it again in GogoV (episode 34), Shinkenger also had a similar plot with Kotoha in episode 20, and Toqger used that kind of plot no less than TWICE : episode 10 with Tokatti and episode 33 with them all.

Hell, that episode of Megaranger was even the very first Sentai episode she wrote. Must have gotten really good reception.

 

[The 2nd Evil]

Hell, that episode of Megaranger was even the very first Sentai episode she wrote. Must have gotten really good reception.

Well, let's be fair, that MegaRanger episode was really good.

 

[Dr Kain]

This plot is a classic Kobayashi stock plot : she did it again in GogoV (episode 34), Shinkenger also had a similar plot with Kotoha in episode 20, and Toqger used that kind of plot no less than TWICE : episode 10 with Tokatti and episode 33 with them all.

I don't remember it in GoGoV. You are right about Kotoha, but it was not executed the same way as wasn't she unconscious the entire time? That had no direct effect on her personality.

 

[live jetabare]

In episode 34 of GogoV, the plot was well developed, but they find salvation by sending the toxic pollen in space.
One of the reasons I started to dislike Toqger was its excessive use of stock plot, and notably the "ranger who's gonna die soon" plot, done twice.
The next few episode are introducing the first part of the final showdown; perhaps there might be some hope, with some of the potential of the villains which will blossom now; who knows?