Category: Power Rangers

(2023 Update: The original post was dated November 5th, 2006, but was originally ripped from a Bite commentary that was posted on November 13th, a week later. Nov. 13th was also the date that the Mystic Force finale aired on ABC, but UK viewers got to see it a week earlier. Recently, I came across an updated version of this post that expands on the original Bite comments and so I present that here.)

In 2004, I stated in a blog post that Power Rangers Dino Thunder’s finale was an okay ending to a good run.

In 2005, I expressed my utter relief and happiness that the crapload known as Power Rangers SPD is finally over.

In 2006, I can’t comment on Mystic Force’s finale because I haven’t seen it. In fact, I can honestly tell you that I have yet to see one single episode of the recent Ranger offering. Outside of a brief glance at a fight scene signalling the end of an episode, I haven’t sat down and watched an episode of the series to really judge it. Of course, some would say that by not watching it, I’m already sending a strong message concerning the product.

Mystic Force didn’t get a viewer in me for two reasons.

First off, the previous Power Rangers offering, SPD, was such a huge pile of shit that it had essentially wiped out any interest in seeing what the current creative team has to offer in subsequent series. And while general talk about these particular series has been more favorable than before, it still isn’t enough to get me back into the fold… and the truly sad part was that there wasn’t one time when I wanted to go out of the way to catch an airing. Contrast this to Ninja Storm: while I didn’t care for that series because of the overall tone, it did have some interesting stories that drew me in, even if it didn’t keep me around for the long run. Mystic Force didn’t offer anything to reel me in at any point and thus I ignored it promptly.

The other reason why Mystic Force failed to interest me is because all the stories in that series was nothing more than rehashes of its Japanese counterpart, Magiranger. Yes, the same can be said for SPD being a near-carbon copy of Dekaranger, but I can honestly… wait a minute, I gave up on SPD for that very reason among other things. Because it’s a rehash of a previous show, it signifies that no actual effort is shown in making the show enjoyable or original. There’s no actual heart being put into the show; it seems more like a paint-by-numbers affair. I couldn’t stand that sort of treatment for one show; two shows in a row following that route is a nightmare.

I’m hoping that the next incarnation turns out to be better and, considering the 15th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise is coming, I’m hoping something really special will be done.

In the meantime, I’ll ignore the previous crappy shows that have infected the airwaves and stick with old episodes on tape as well as the fanfics… the only entertaining aspects left in Power Rangers as far as I’m concerned.

Later.

2010 UPDATE: Well, Operation Overdrive sucked and its 2-part “Once A Ranger” anniversary episode was a waste of time. I’ve only caught a couple episodes of Jungle Fury before I figured my time would be better invested elsewhere… and the Disney era of Power Rangers ended with RPM, which was actually a pretty solid show despite the new blood.

Now, with Saban having bought back the franchise, I’m having somewhat elevated hopes for the upcoming Power Rangers Samurai series… too bad I don’t get Nickelodeon. Oh well… I guess it’s back to YouTube for me.

Something has been happening as of late. I can’t really explain it and I don’t know why.

As you may have noticed, there have been few Power Ranger-related postings as of late. In fact, the last time I’ve touched upon the subject was in a Bite post and in a fanfic update that never came to fruition. I haven’t been overly critical of the recent series on air because I have yet to see it… even now, when the series is already halfway through. Could it be possible my interest in the series is finally waning?

Can’t be, because I still watch the old stuff from time to time. I still read the occasional fanfic (now if only I can haul my ass to write the stuff left hanging). So what happened? Could it be that the more recent incarnations have lacked any value for me to be even remotely interested?

I don’t know. But I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.

The long nightmare is finally over. Power Rangers Space Patrol Delta. Or SPD if you will. Its final episode recently came to pass.

Admittedly, I have seen roughly 10 percent of the entire series. The premiere episodes did NOTHING for me and the subsequent episode was actually an early sign that this wouldn’t be worth my time. In addition to that, I watched the episode that aired early in Canada (Wormhole) and thought that was horrible. And then there was the finale, which had to salvage the series in some form or another.

I don’t know. Call me harsh, but the finale was almost as bad as the rest of what I’ve seen. It proved that I didn’t really miss out on anything. Some time ago, I had complained about Ninja Storm, but at least it had a few good episodes to its credit… not to mention I’ve regretted missing the finale. But SPD does nothing for me and from what I’ve been hearing, there isn’t really much reason for me to commit to the show.

One can only hope Mystic Force turns out better than this piece of shit.

Next.

Didn’t get a chance to watch much of SPD so far. Sadly, a lot of it has to do with the ABC station pre-empting the show with alternate programming means and I don’t have the Family channel that normally houses these things otherwise. However, I did gauge a few reactions to the show and some of the… interesting edits made by the new creative head of sorts, Bruce Kalish.

More comic book style transitions is what I’m hearing… not sure if that’s the case because I’ve not seen any of this stuff myself, but that looks to bring this further into camp territory than it’s already been. I would have thought the near-future timeline of this series would have put a damper on that piece of business, but then I’ll read a recap and somewhere along the way, there’s mention of someone named Bridge being obsessed with butter.

I don’t know, guys. Am I really missing anything here?

So another run of Power Rangers comes to a close last weekend. The finale was alright; nothing special, but alright. If nothing else, it brought closure to all the plot threads, gave us a nice raid on Mesogog’s base as well as a couple final battles that pushed the pyro to the limits, and of course, that goddamn semi truck from Ninja Storm makes its return because of course it does.

All in all, DinoThunder was an impressive run that had some really cool filler episodes in addition to some stinkers. The episodes that were supposed to deliver did what they did and more… and the episodes that existed solely for the purposes of fan service certainly covered that ground adequately enough, whether some people agree or not.

Kudos to the cast and crew of DinoThunder for an impressive run and for reinvigorating my interest in the series.

Looking forward to the next incarnation in February, which apparently is getting a new crew and takes place in the near future. Should be interesting.

Later.