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crimson-ace-reviews · 2 years ago

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Crimson Ace Reviews: Power Rangers Samurai, a Nostalgic Translation

Let's be honest, if you're a fan of tokusatsu, Power Rangers is most likely one of the franchises that got you hooked in the first place. It's hard to deny the cultural impact the franchise has had in its nearly thirty-year run, in spite of its various ups and downs. Today, we're going to take a dive into one of the entries in the franchise that sparked a new generation of fans of Power Rangers, myself included. But first, let's go into the history of the circumstances behind this installment.

In 2001, Disney bought the rights to the Fox Family Channel, which Power Rangers was airing on at the time, leading to a lot of major changes behind the scenes. Despite the recent acquisition, the higher-ups wanted almost nothing to do with the franchise, and were about to cancel it until they were convinced that they could lower production costs if future installments were filmed in New Zealand as opposed to filming in California like it had been since the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. In addition, Disney decided to make the show non-union, meaning a lot of the old crew was let go.

These changes, in addition to action scenes relying more on pyrotechnics, questionable performances from actors trying their hardest to hide their New Zealand accents, and a lack of strong continuity compared to when Saban Entertainment was running the show, ended up alienating a lot of long-time fans of the franchise, and causing a major divide in the fandom. And don't even get me started on how much of a nightmare production was. However, common consensus has changed over the years, and the Disney Era is looked back with more fondness than when it was first airing, though there's still debate on whether its better than the Saban era overall.

Eventually, after Power Rangers RPM finished airing in December 2009, Disney decided to officially pull the plug for a number of reasons like low toy sales, production costs increasing, and a general lack of interest in working with this franchise. However, in May 2010, Haim Saban, the man behind Power Rangers in the first place, bought back the rights to the franchise. He even managed to hire back one of the older executive producers for the franchise, Jonathan Tzachor, to aid in production.

This all sounds awesome, right? After almost a decade, Power Rangers is back in the hands of its creator, one of the older producers is coming back to work on it, and it can get a fresh start on another network. How can this lead to anything going wrong? Well...

Because Saban wanted the next season to premiere in February like most seasons did, the production team only had about six months to film the whole thing, coupled with Nickelodeon having weird rules for the franchise that would affect the airing schedule until the end of Dino Fury's first half, but I'll get to that later.

For now, let's take a look at Power Rangers Samurai

THE STORY

Centuries ago in Japan, Nighlok monsters invaded our world, but samurai warriors defeated them with power symbols passed down from parent to child. Today, the evil Nighlok have risen once again and plan to flood the Earth with water from the Sanzu River (which hydrates them but is deadly to everything else in the human realm) by causing human misery. Luckily, a new generation of heroes stand in their way. They are the Power Rangers Samurai.

This team consists of Jayden (Played by Alex Heartman), the charismatic, yet quiet Red Ranger with control over fire, Kevin (Played by Najee De-Tiege), the team's stoic Blue Ranger with the most traditionalist mindset and control over water, Mia (Played by Erika Fong), the Pink Ranger who is the most compassionate of the five and has control over wind, Mike (Played by Hector David Jr.), the Green Ranger who is arrogant, but still has a good heart and control over the forest, and Emily (Played by Brittany Anne-Pirtle), the Yellow Ranger who was actually forced to fill in for her sick older sister, and has control over earth. Later on, they're joined by Antonio (Played by Steven Skyler), a childhood friend of Jayden's who forged his own gear and becomes the Gold Ranger, with control over light.

The Rangers main ally comes in the form of Mentor Ji (Played by Rene Naufahu), a stern, but caring man who acts as Jayden's primary confidant and father figure. In addition, while they don't directly interact with the team for most of the season, we occasionally follow the comedic antics of returning Mighty Morphin' character Farkus “Bulk” Bulkmeyer (Played by Paul Schrier), and his young nephew, Spike (Played by Felix Ryan), as the two train to become samurai themselves.

As for the Nighlok, they consist of Master Xandred (Voiced by Jeff Szusterman), an angry warlord who spends most of his time waiting to be free while he drinks alcho—I MEAN MEDICINE, Octoroo (Also voiced by Jeff Szusterman), a more intelligent general who orchestrates a few of the group's schemes, Dayu (Voiced by Kate Elliot), the snarky female general whose music is able to help Master Xandred calm down, Deker (Played by Rick Medina), a human/Nighlok hybrid seeking to break his curse by finding a worthy opponent in battle, and Serrator (Voiced by Derek Judge), a deceptive intellectual with an agenda of his own.

Due to the rushed production, a lack of original Ranger footage, and Jonathan Tzachor generally being a huge fan of the Super Sentai season he was adapting, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, the writing for the episodes fluctuated in quality. There would be some times where the dialogue didn't match the Sentai footage or story it was adapting, like in the very first episode, where Jayden tells the other Rangers that it's important they work together... right before charging off into battle on his own. The show generally tries to make Jayden out to be a more open leader without really acknowledging the struggles his Sentai counterpart had to go through while accepting the help of his teammates.

Then there are the episodes that try to adapt Shinkenger plots without understanding that there are moments where they tend to fit the Sentai characters more instead of making more of an effort to tweak the writing. “Forest for the Trees” is an episode that is supposed to portray Mike as lazy and not worthy of getting to pilot one of the new Zords on his own, but it doesn't work because in Shinkenger, Mike's counterpart was shown to slack off and didn't take things as serious as his teammates did, which justified the plot of the Shinkenger episode.

There are also times where even without the use of Sentai footage, episodes that adapt stories from Shinkenger tend to be iffy, either with the conflict or dialogue. A particularly glaring example comes from the episode “Jayden's Challenge”. Basically, Jayden runs away to fight the Nighlok on his own because he doesn't want the other Rangers to get hurt for his sake (long story short, only the Red Ranger can use the sacred sealing symbol to defeat Master Xandred for good, so the Nighlok start to target him more when they find out), but once the other Rangers catch up with him during the next Nighlok attack, Jayden says “I don't like putting you in danger, but someone has to stop the Nighlok... and I'm glad it's us.” The teamwork message isn't bad on paper, it's just that it doesn't really resolve the guilt Jayden feels regarding the other Rangers being willing to sacrifice themselves for his sake. I feel like the episode could have worked more if the conclusion he came to was that if he didn't want to endanger the other Rangers, he needed to focus on being a better leader instead of running away from his problems.

That's not to say all of the episodes are bad, as there are a handful of gems like “The Team Unites”, “There Go the Brides”, “Team Spirit”, and a few others in the second half. But before we get there, let's talk about the reason why I need to clarify the second half of this show is different: Nickelodeon.

For some odd reason, not only did the higher-ups at Nickelodeon mandate that that Samurai be split into two different twenty episode seasons, they also mandated the two part pilot episode, “Origins”, aired last in the first half when it's crucial for establishing the conflict of this season and introducing the characters. Seriously, even though the first episode that aired was called “The Team Unites”, the team is already united, and if you watched this as it premiered like I did, you were just thrown in and forced to understand what the hell was going on from the brief narration that plays at the beginning of every episode.

Then there was also how the writers tried to loosely connect the two seasons by extending an arc in Shinkenger and making it continue into the next season. When the battle with the Nighlok intensifies in “The Tengen Gate”, Mentor Ji suggests obtaining a mystical, yet unfinished talisman called the Black Box for Antonio to unlock the powers of. With how the conflict is framed, you would assume that the next episode, “Boxed In”, would focus on that power being on display, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, this concept gets dragged out/abandoned for the next few episodes since Antonio fails to complete the Black Box so it can be saved for the first episode of the second half of Samurai, Super Samurai... Except the one hour special that aired inbetween the two halves, “Clash of the Red Rangers”, not only featured the Black Box in action, but it also revealed another powerup that hadn't been revealed yet either, meaning that all that effort to make the premiere of Super Samurai all the more exciting was once again a case of Power Rangers getting screwed over by the network it airs on.

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Thankfully, Super Samurai is a much-needed improvement in the writing department. There's more original footage and deviation from Shinkenger, character dynamics are explored more, and the stakes are higher, leading to more drama and more interesting conflicts. We even get more episodes where Bulk and Spike interact with the Rangers for more than a few seconds like “Runaway Spike” and “The Strange Case of the Munchies”.

The final arc is very hit or miss in my opinion, as while it does have some good moments, there are a lot of problems related to certain characters and how they act that impacts the story, but I won't give anything away. For now, let's tall about...

THE HEROES

In my opinion, Power Rangers Samurai has one of the more underrated casts in the franchise. While I wouldn't call the characters outright phenomenal, there's still a great deal of effort put in by the cast where you can see how strong their chemistry is. Compared to later entries like Megaforce or Ninja Steel, the characters still display a lot of personality, and you can tell the actors are having a good time.

As a Red Ranger, Jayden is a bit of a mixed bag. I like how Alex Heartman gives more of a relaxed performance around the others, showing he can be open, but is more than capable of playing the role of the serious leader. He's somewhat friendly, but when faced with the slightest challenge, he won't hesitate to jump into action, a trait that is put in a new light with a reveal late into the series. “Day Off” is an episode that really shows off his acting chops, as you can really see the struggle Jayden goes through trying to master a new technique.

At the same time, he also doubts his skills more than most Red Rangers, even his predecessor, Scott from RPM. He worries about the good of the team, and will go off on his own if it means they'll be safe... even though he's the one to talk about the importance of working as a team in the first place. This is the biggest problem I have with Jayden as a character. Some episodes, he's the one who tries to rally the team together and does a decent job at it, but other times, he'll abandon them if his ideals are challenged in the slightest.

I feel like making Jayden more friendly also messes with some of the moments where he tries to be more aloof, but I don't mind what this show does with the character. He's nowhere near my favorite Red Ranger, but he's still a serviceable lead.

Kevin is arguably more dedicated to the cause than Jayden is and gets more development as the series goes on. Before the Nighlok attacked, Kevin had dreams of being an Olympic swimmer, and he had to give it all up to fight for the greater good. He's so dedicated that he doesn't hesitate to find ways to keep training. When the Rangers get a day off in “Day Off” (I know, shocking, right?), Kevin's first thought that it was a test of their loyalty because “A samurai never takes a day off”, and while he's bedridden after several injuries in “Jayden's Challenge”, he spends his time coming up with a new Megazord combination instead of just resting. In a way, it's like he wants to put as much effort into this role as possible after giving up his dream, and it's why he has the most traditional views on being a samurai.

Most of Kevin's focus episodes revolve around testing his will as a samurai, whether it be finding a Zord to heal the Rangers with in “A Fish Out of Water”, growing to accept Antonio to the team in spite of his differences in “The Blue and the Gold”, and struggling to accept the fact that he had to abandon his swimming career to fight as a Ranger. Granted, that last example is kind of muddled by how the episode ended with Kevin subbing in for someone on his old swim team, but I digress. He honestly goes through the most development of everyone on the team, still maintaining the high standards he puts on himself, but still finds ways to open up to the others more. Overall, a decent character in my opinion.

I'm probably going to get accusations of copying what Linkara said during his review of this season, but Mia is honestly my least favorite character in the team. While she's compassionate and tries to serve as the heart of the team, more often than not, you can boil her character down to “likes to cook, even though she's bad at it”. So many episodes mention Mia's inability to cook, and even when a Nighlok with the ability to hurt people with his insults points it out, nobody ever flat out tells her how they feel, instead choosing to make quips about how bad she is at cooking behind her back. Because that's a good lesson to teach kids, right? They don't even do anything funny like exaggerate how terrible her food tastes. There could have been a really nice episode where Antonio tries to give her some advice on how to improve her cooking, given that he's no stranger to food himself.

She also has a bit of a rivalry with Dayu, which I'll get to later, but other than that, she arguably gets the least amount of focus out of the cast. Most of her major roles in Super Samurai basically involve her being the target of Spike's affection, but that never goes anywhere. The only episode she gets that really focuses on her is “He Ain't Heavy Metal, He's My Brother”, and even then, it focused more on her relationship with her brother Terry. The conflict of the episode revolved around Terry starting a rock band while his family tried to get him to focus more on getting into medical school. Instead of actually supporting his dreams and being happy he can do what he wants since she's in a different position being forced into life as a Ranger, she decides to tell him to “be realistic” and blows him off for most of the episode. You would think this would be a conflict where Mia helps her brother achieve his dream, but instead, she just repeats what she was taught since she was a child, only instead of being forced to be Ranger, she tells Terry that he has to be a doctor. To be fair, she does come along, but the episode never draws any comparison between their lives, which is a real wasted opportunity.

In general, this season just brushes over the idea of the Rangers being trained for this mission since birth, not really going into how unethical this can be. I wouldn't outright call them child soldiers, but the writers honestly needed to have more moments where the Rangers talked about how their lives have been, especially in comparison to someone like Antonio. A really interesting idea you could have done with the cooking gag was to show how strict the regimen was for the Rangers growing up. Imagine if out of all the Rangers, Mia is the only one who has almost no life skills outside of being a samurai? Show her struggling to cook a basic meal or even drive a car because she was focused so much on training, being a samurai is the only thing she's good at. But no, instead, we got easily one of the most boring Pink Rangers in the history of the franchise.

Mike is another character I have conflicting feelings on. Hector David Jr. gives a good performance showing how easygoing Mike can be at times, making him out to be a really chill guy to hang out with. The problem lies in how the focus episodes highlighting how “lazy” he can be don't really work because Mike is never shown to be behind any of the other Rangers in battle. My best guess is that the reason Mike tries to outsmart his opponents more than the others is because he's aware he isn't the best fighter, and needs to resort to trickery more, sort of like what he did in the cold open to “A Sticky Situation”.

But again, as creative as his fight scenes can be, he isn't really shown to be any less competent than any of the other Rangers. I feel like if you wanted to show Mike as the outlier of the team, maybe the writers could have made him be the one who comes into conflict with Jayden's leadership the most due to having arguably the least amount of dedication to the cause compared to the others. Have him be the one to question why he got roped into a war he never wanted to fight because he happens to be the descendant of a samurai, or call out Mentor Ji for not immediately accepting Antonio into the team because he isn't a descendant of a samurai. Basically, make Mike a cynic who isn't afraid to talk back to Jayden, but at the same time, begrudgingly places his trust in him because he's aware that Jayden is still a good leader for all the problems he has with this whole situation. I'm not saying I hate Mike, as I still enjoy his character. I just feel like out of all the Rangers this season, you could have done so much more with him.

Emily is honestly my favorite Ranger this season. The idea of her not being the first choice for the Yellow Ranger on top of having a lot of self-confidence issues leads to some really interesting focus episodes. Yeah, she can be clumsy and has a habit of needing to be helped, but she isn't really shown to be less capable than the rest of the Rangers. Like Mike, she can be very clever when the situation calls for it, like in (Sticks & Stones, Trading Places, A Strange Case of the Munchies). At the same time, the others tend to act like she's less of a Ranger due to her vulnerability, so she has to prove herself in response. Just because she appears to be harmless, it doesn't mean she's a complete coward or liability in the battlefield.

The one problem I have with Emily is how her backstory is handled. It's a minor nitpick, but I think it would have been a little more interesting if we got to know Emily's sister, Serena, a little more outside of a single flashback. Maybe there could be an episode where Emily goes to visit Serena and tells her about her adventures as a Ranger and see how their relationship could change as a result of years of training for Serena amounting to nothing. There's also a huge plot twist later on that really could have been used in comparison to Emily's backstory, but the show never acknowledged the connection.

Ironically, Antonio gets the silver medal as my second favorite member of the team. He's full of energy, genuinely wants to help people, and his friendship with Jayden is very believable. The fact that he managed to barge into the team by reverse engineering Zord technology and helped them unlock several new upgrades as a result of his skills with technology makes him stand out from the traditional setup we all came to expect for the first half of Samurai. At the same time, his overbearing nature makes it easy for others to underestimate him, like in “Room for One More” and “The Blue and the Gold”.

Generally, Antonio's computer knowledge helps one of the underlying themes of this show, finding new ways to work with tradition. It's because of him that the Rangers gain access to forms and weapons that none of their predecessors had access to. While Kevin and Mentor Ji initially struggle to accept Antonio into the team thanks to his use of technology and unorthodox fighting style, they realize that he is just as much of a samurai as the others are. For a show focused on bloodlines and destiny, Antonio's introduction was surprisingly well-done, and it adds to the appeal of his character.

As for the allies, we only have three: Mentor Ji, Bulk, and Spike.

Mentor Ji is honestly a pretty forgettable mentor, all things considered. The Rangers already spent their entire lives training, so why is he even there? We don't get a lot of scenes where he helps them train, and unlike other mentors like Master Splinter or Sensei Wu, he doesn't get to help the Rangers on the field as much as he should. Yeah, he doesn't have powers, but he's still shown to be a pretty capable fighter regardless. He just doesn't have as commanding of a presence that a mentor has compared to Zordon, Doggie Cruger, or Doctor K.

The most we really know about his past is that he pretty much raised Jayden since he was a kid, and that he has a motorcycle (implying he was a rebel in the past), and that's it. We never see how deep his relationship with Jayden goes despite being the only one to know an important secret the latter has. For the most part, he serves more as a yes-man for Jayden who occasionally scolds the other Rangers. Even Gosei was memorable for how boring he was and how he gave his Rangers power-ups every day, but Mentor Ji? I still can't really tell you much about his personality other than that he's strict.

It's pretty clear that the return of Bulk was meant to be a selling point for older fans who hated the way the Zordon Era had been forgotten by Disney, but the problem I have lies more in how not much is done to draw connections to older seasons, and even the plot for this season. Remember, this was the first season of Power Rangers I ever saw as a kid, and thanks to the incompetence at Nickelodeon preventing me from seeing the actual pilot until the first half was over, I never got a proper introduction to Bulk. Even “Origins” just casually has him mention that has a history with the Power Rangers, but he doesn't say much beyond that.

With Tommy's reintroduction in Dino Thunder, more emphasis was placed on how important of a character he was in the franchise, and how much of a surprise it was for the new team to find this out. With Bulk and Spike, you could easily replace them with any other two characters, and not much would change. You could have had made all kinds of jokes with Bulk having lived through so many monster attacks, like have him note that samurai-themed Power Rangers is a surprise, or that he's not even surprised by monster attacks at this point. I know Linkara made this a joke in his video, but you could have had a funny running gag where Bulk goes off on tangents about things that actually happened to him, like the time he and Skull got turned into monkeys, only for Spike to brush him off due to how ridiculous they sound.

Another thing I don't get is why Bulk suddenly wants to be a samurai. I mean, it's not completely out of the ballpark, considering he and Skull pretty became police officers on a whim, but at least there, it was established that they did it to attract girls. Here, it's never explained what made Bulk want to become a samurai, much less train Spike to be one too. He said that he's watched a lot of samurai movies in “Origins” (meaning that Bulk is canonically an Akira Kurosawa fan), and another line right after that slightly implies that he was inspired by the appearance of the Samurai Rangers, but there's not much of an explanation beyond that. I just think if you wanted to make this the main focus of their plotlines, there should be more of an explanation behind Bulk's sudden interest in samurai culture, and that he and Spike should actually get to spend time with the Rangers. Most of the time, they just do their own thing that's vaguely related to being a samurai or wanting to help people, and it feels like you're watching an entirely different show. Even in Mighty Morphin, Bulk and Skull regularly interacted with the Rangers in their civilian lives like supporting characters should, but they don't start to talk with the Rangers in person until Super Samurai.

That being said, Bulk and Spike's antics are still pretty fun to watch. I like the idea of Bulk being this exasperated uncle to someone like Spike, and while I have some problems with the motivation, it's nice to see Bulk take Spike under his wing and teach him about the code of honor a samurai has. Yeah, he still sees being a samurai in a superficial light at times, but at the same time, he still encourages Spike to do the right thing with no ulterior motive, like attempt to fight the Nighlok themselves in a few episodes (Sticks & Stones, Test of the Leader, Stroke of Fate). You can tell that Bulk wants the best his nephew, and when Skull (once again played by Jason Narvy) makes a cameo in the final episode, he's grateful that Bulk watched over Spike.

Spike himself is a decently written character. He's hyperactive and has a laugh that SpongeBob SquarePants would find annoying, but he very clearly wants to help people. I honestly think the show would have been more interesting if the subplots with Bulk were building up to Spike creating his own Morpher and becoming the Gold Ranger instead of Antonio, because Spike clearly has the heart of a Ranger.

Overall, this was a pretty okay cast. There were some who were more memorable than others, but I never outright hated anyone. The Samurai Rangers in particular are a lot more memorable than future Neo-Saban teams like the Megaforce Rangers or the Ninja Steel Rangers.

THEIR ARSENAL

The Samurai Rangers morph using the Samuraizer, a cellphone capable of utilizing Symbol Power. Since this is the source of their powers, they can do things with it other than transform, like create elemental attacks, access their Megazord, and pretty much do whatever the plot needs them to do. Unlike Shinkenger, the Samuraizer doesn't transform into a brush while in use, which is kind of weird, since it makes the Rangers look stupid waving their flip phones in the air. Even Antonio's Morpher, the Samurai Morpher (real creative name, fellas), doesn't resemble sushi like its Sentai counterpart, and looks like a more modern take on the Samuraizer. Either way, it's still a weird change to make, especially since another character just uses the same kind of Morpher the Shinkengers used anyway.

I really like the design of the Samurai Ranger suits. There's a nice balance of black and their respective colors, and the symbols on their helmets are unique. The way their suits are designed after samurai robes is also a nice touch.

The core five Rangers' primary weapon is the Spin Sword, a standard samurai sword with the ability to use different elemental attacks depending on the use of a Power Disk. The Spin Swords can also transform into each Ranger's signature weapon. Jayden gets the Fire Smasher, a giant sword that can transform into a cannon to fire disks with, Kevin gets the Hydro Bow, a bow that can fire off energy arrows, Mia gets the Sky Fan, a fan that can create gusts of wind, Kevin gets the Forest Spear, a spear capable of extending to serve as a pole vault, Emily gets the Earth Slicer, a giant shuriken that can be thrown like a boomerang.

Instead of a Spin Sword, Antonio gets the Barracuda Blade, a backhanded sword that he can use to attack enemies at high speeds, something none of the other Rangers can do. In Super Samurai, Antonio gets another weapon in the form of the Lightzord, a lantern capable of shooting disks that comes with a sword, and can even form its own Megazord.

Speaking of Super Samurai, once Antonio unlocks the full power of the Black Box, the core five Rangers are able to access Super Samurai Mode, a pretty elegant-looking new form which boosts their elemental powers and gives them the ability to access more Megazord combinations, but can only be used one at a time. Jayden in particular gets a new weapon to go with his Super Samurai Mode, the Bullzooka, a blaster that can be combined with the Spin Sword. They also get one more mode, Shark Attack Mode, which gives the user a red version of the Super Mode and a sword that stretch around like crazy.

Overall, this is a pretty solid arsenal. There's plenty of variety to what the Rangers can do, but it doesn't feel too overwhelming to keep up with. They saved that for the Zords.

The core five Samurai Rangers have a Folding Zord, these tiny shapes that can grow and resemble animals to fight giant Nighlok with. Jayden gets a pentagon/lion, Kevin a hexagon/dragon, Mia a circle/turtle, Mike a square/bear, and Emily a triangle/monkey. These five Zords combine to form the Samurai Megazord.

While it's a little blocky, I really like the design for the Samurai Megazord. The sword and helmet really make it stand out among other base Megazords, and I think the basic finisher, Katana Power is one of the coolest attacks in the entire series.

The rest of the Zords are themed around the various disks the Rangers use. The Beetle Zord is the first auxiliary Zord Jayden unlocks (though he later hands it down to Mike), and it can combine with the Samurai Megarord to form the Beetle Blaster Megazord, with the ability to fire energy blasts from its helmet.

It's a pretty simple looking upgrade, but I dig it. I especially like the finisher, Rotating Beetle Blaster, where the beetle head spins around and shoots a huge fireball.

Kevin's auxiliary Zord is the Swordfish Zord, which can fly around in addition to swimming, be used to cure any poison, and can even shoot torpedoes at enemies. Wow, this is a really solid Zord, so surely, the Megazord combination should be really cool, right? Well...

Because a majority of the Swordfish Zord is on the back, the Swordfish Fencer Megazord doesn't look that impressive, and is one of the combinations that sees the least action. It doesn't help that the finisher where he sticks its sword in its head and swings it down looks ridiculous.

The final member of the original three auxiliary Zords is the Tiger Zord, which Jayden unlocks. It doesn't really get to do a lot on its own, and mainly serves as a centerpiece for the other Megazord combinations.

The Tiger Drill Megazord, a Megazord which can drill through enemies, isn't that impressive, though I feel like it's more because it doesn't get to do much compared to its other combinations.

The Beetle, Swordfish, and Tiger Zords can all combine into the Samurai Battlewing, which in turn, can combine with the Samurai Megazord to form the Battlewing Megazord. All things considered, I think this is one of my favorite combinations in the series, because there's a good balance between all eight Zords combined, and giving it the ability to fly helps it stand out.

Antonio's first Zord is the Octo Zord, which naturally, looks like a giant squid.

What? Octopus, squid, they're the same thing, right? This Zord can combine with the Samurai Megazord to form the Octo Spear Megazord, giving it a freeze ray and an electric lance.

It's simple, but I like the way the Octo Zord forms all these weapons for the Megazord.

One last auxiliary Zord that only really appears twice, but is still worth mentioning, is the Shark Zord, basically a giant version of the Shark Sword in Shark Attack Mode.

It can combine with the Samurai Megazord to form the Samurai Shark Megazord, using the Shark as a giant sword.

Not much else I can say there, other than that it exists.

Antonio's primary Zord is the Claw Zord, a lobster that can transform into the Claw Battlezord. Unlike most Megazords, it has four different modes based off what head it has. East is the default mode that can weaponize the Zord's claws, South uses twin katanas, West has a fan for a weapon, and North is the only mode that can combine with the Octo Zord, using it as a giant spear.

Once the Rangers unlock the power of the Black Box, they can combine the Samurai Megazord and Claw Battlezord to form the Claw Armor Megazord, while the Beetle, Swordfish, Tiger, and Octo Zords can combine to form the Samurai Battle Cannon.

While I think the cannon looks cool, the Claw Armor Megazord is pretty disappointing. It just looks like the Claw Battlezord with the Samurai Megazord's legs with the Turtle and Ape being reduced to sword holders.

The last Zord the Rangers unlock is the Bull Zord, a giant bull armed with cannons, and can transform into the creatively named Bull Megazord.

I really like how the design for this Megazord emphasizes the strength of the animal it’s based on, as well as the focus on ranged attacks. All eleven Zords can combine to form the Samurai Gigazord.

To say I'm not a fan of this combination would be an understatement. So many Zord parts just look like they were stuck on somewhere because the designers didn't know where else to put them, like the Samurai Battlewing on the back, or the Turtle and Ape Zords at the bottom.

Overall, there are a lot of cool Zords in the Rangers' arsenal, and the only real problems I have lie in the last two major combinations. Well, those and the dreaded Megazord cockpit forms, which would be common for most of the Neo-Saban seasons.

In order to access their Megazords, the Rangers transform into Mega Mode, and their Spin Swords become Mega Blades, which can be used to control the Megazord... when it's never explained why they need to use this form in the first place. Yeah, this franchise is no stranger to promoting toys, but why spend this much money on a form that adds nothing to the team's arsenal? This season has already gotten a lot of flak for just copying Shinkenger's story, so a lot of the Mega Mode scenes could have easily been cut to focus more on original fight scenes.

And it gets worse. The super modes have a Mega form too, and they're just as pointless. There's not much I can say other than the Super Mode vest gives them more armor, but I don't see the point of giving them more armor when they're not fighting a Nighlok head on. You could have easily said something like this form is necessary because a lot of Symbol Power is needed to control the Megazords, and this form is the safest way to channel it in a high amount. But instead, there's never any real explanation for this form.

And that's not even getting into Shogun Mode. After Jayden unlocks the Bull Zord, a Ranger in Super Mega Mode can access Shogun Mode right before the Megazord's finisher... and nothing changes. You could at least argue it's necessary for the Bull Megazord and Samurai Gigazord, but then Mia goes Shogun Mode in a later episode to use the Samurai Battle Cannon with no changes. They don't even try to edit the finisher to make Shogun Mode seem more powerful.

The only time any of these forms get action outside of the Megazord cockpit is in the finale, when Jayden can suddenly use Shogun Mode, but it's not explained why he can do that. Later seasons with original Megazord cockpit scenes and Megazord cockpit modes would at least use the footage to get more creative with the setting by involving characters who weren't involved in the Sentai originally, like in Dino Charge and Dino Fury. As a whole, these forms just don't add much to the arsenal or story compared to later entries.

THE VILLAINS

While I think these villains have an interesting idea behind them as a whole, the Nighlok as characters really leave a lot to be desired.

Coming off the heels of Venjix, arguably one of the scariest and most successful villains in the franchise, to say Master Xandred is a letdown would be an understatement. We're supposed to see him as this unstoppable demon lord, when most of his screentime consists of him sitting around and drinking booze—I MEAN MEDICINE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY HEADACHE MEDICINE HE IS DRINKING. When he's not slacking off, he's just yelling at his subordinates for breathing wrong, all while it's impossible to take him seriously when he sounds like someone doing the world's worst Alex Jones impression. Yeah, he's shown to be pretty damn strong when he's on the surface, beating up the Rangers with ease while he's weak from Sanzu River dehydration, but there isn't really a lot of emotional drama or connection to him on the Rangers' front. The show doesn't go into detail about how brutal the war has been over the years, and even the idea of Jayden's father being the person who sealed him away originally doesn't really change how he sees Jayden, or any of the other Rangers for that matter.

I just feel like if you wanted to show how strong he was, have him fight the Rangers earlier in the series to give the audience an idea of how deadly he is, long before the Rangers even get the Black Box or any of their other Megazord combinations. It would put more incentive for the Rangers to get more upgrades instead of his growing power doing nothing but occasionally sending out hordes of footsoldiers. There's actually another villain who really should have taken his place as the leader of the Nighlok, but I'll get to him later.

Octoroo is arguably the second most competent of the Nighlok, and the most loyal to Master Xandred. He actually comes up with plans that would benefit his kind in the long term, like targeting Jayden to make sure he doesn't use the sealing symbol (Unexpected Arrival, Fight Fire With Fire), trying to refill an old gate with Sanzu River water for the Nighlok to travel through (The Blue and the Gold), and risking his life to power up a Nighlok to create extra misery before they get sealed away for good (The Great Duel). Of course, all Master Xandred does is, as I mentioned before, yell at the only one of his generals to not betray him in some way because he's a really stupid demon lord. I think it would have been interesting for something to happen that would test Octoroo's loyalty to Master Xandred, or at the very least, expand upon their relationship in some way.

Dayu is honestly a pretty interesting character, mainly due to the way her backstory was handled compared to Shinkenger. Without giving too much away on either side, Dayu is much more sympathetic than her Eastern counterpart, and it also connects her to Deker in an interesting way by making her half-human as well. The way her instrument (it's called a harmonium, but it looks and sounds nothing like one) is connected to her backstory gives her a much more tragic element to her, and when it's broken by Master Xandred, not only is it enough for her to leave the Nighlok out of spite, her desperation to get it fixed is given greater meaning because of how much it means to her past. She's been through so much, and her instrument is the only thing she has that can remind her of her past, when she was far happier, but it's shown to be a very self-destructive lifestyle.

She's so dependent on reliving her past where she was about to start a happy life with her loved one, she's willing to go back to Master Xandred if it means she can get it fixed, and as soon as the reality that her loved one is gone sets in on her, she feels like she has no choice but to give into her Nighlok side and help Master Xandred reach the surface. It's a pretty tragic character arc, all things considered, and I feel like the changes made from the Sentai really help to make her stand out.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Deker. Despite being billed as Jayden's main rival, Deker doesn't really have a lot going for him other than his backstory and how often he likes to talk about his sword, Uramasa. And don't worry, he says it all the time so you don't forget the name. Again, without spoiling Shinkenger for newcomers, Deker's Sentai counterpart is arguably more deranged than even Dayu's, and the problem here is that this show wants to have the best of both worlds with Deker as a villain. The writers clearly want him to be held in the same level of disdain as even Master Xandred, but also want him to be a more sympathetic villain. I'm not saying you can't do that, but even with Zen-Aku, he did plenty of evil things before we learned he was cursed.

With Deker, the show spends so much time trying to remind the audience of how tragic of a figure he is, they forget to have him actually do anything evil to balance that out. Yeah, he interrupts a Nighlok fight to duel Jayden (Test of the Leader), but he never really does anything else like that. The closest he comes to being evil is when he temporarily operates under Serrator's faction, and even then, it's so he can get Uramasa fixed. When he fights, all he talks about is how he wants to break his curse, but we never see him go to any extreme measures to break the curse. Instead of a noble demon, show Deker as someone who will threaten Jayden into dueling him so he can break his curse, and resort to dirty tactics so he can find a way, any way to break the curse. He's lived for over a century, but he never really shows any desperation or drive to end his misery like what we see with Dayu. It ultimately makes it hard to get invested in his final duel with Jayden because he's not too big of a threat who needs to be stopped like Jayden claims.

Again, not to parrot Linkara's views on the show, but Serrator really should have been the final villain. He's easily the most deceptive, has a bigger role in the backstories of Deker and Dayu, and he has a bigger plan in general. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Master Xandred was a red herring and that he only existed as a placeholder until Serrator took over. He has a much more unique arsenal of soccer balls, giant bladed gauntlets, and even his own personal footsoldiers, showing how he is able to keep up with the Rangers on his own. The fact that he almost came close to achieving his goal only serves to show how effective of a villain he was.

You could have easily changed the story for Serrator to take over. Show how weak and pathetic Master Xandred has become after generations of battles with the Samurai Rangers, and the first time the current generation of Rangers sees him surface, he isn't this threatening juggernaut they were taught to see him as. Instead, Serrator kills him and asserts himself as the true master of the Nighlok, throwing the Rangers through a loop as he plans to do something worse than flooding the Earth with the Sanzu River. Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Master Xandred instead.

The Nighlok's footsoldiers, the Moogers, have some pretty cool designs. I like the demonic look to them, and they have a pretty cool arsenal. They also get giant variants to fight the Rangers with in their Megazords, alongside the Spitfangs, these walking crocodile heads that can breathe fire.

The standard Nighlok monsters also have some unique designs to them, as well as some really cool powers that show a noticeable flaw in the Rangers' training. Because the Rangers are trained to be samurai, they struggle against Nighlok they can't match in sword combat. There are Nighlok like Rofer, who can extend his arms to punch enemies, Dreadhead, who is immune to sword strikes, Madimot, who can brainwash people, Steeleto, who can manipulate the blades on his body to attack enemies, Armadeevil, who has a near impenetrable shell, and Maldan, who leads a squadron of Moogers armed with laser blasters.

A lot of these Nighloks are pretty intimidating, and thanks to their abilities, prove to be a real challenge to the Rangers, which makes them finding ways to beat them all the more cathartic. If I had to pick my favorite, it would either be Dreadhead for his entertaining cowboy voice, or Robtish for his design.

Overall, these villains can be very hit and miss. While they're far from the worst villain group in the franchise, there was a lot of room for improvement.

HIGHLIGHTS

Top Five Worst Episodes

#5: Boxed In

After being poisoned by Octoroo, Jayden is abducted by Deker while the other Rangers are injured by the treacherous Nighlok, Arachnitor. So not only does Antonio have to continue working on unlocking the power of the Black Box, he also has to find Jayden, while the rest of the Rangers have to fight against Arachnitor, who had recently been mutated by Master Xandred.

This episode isn't necessarily bad, but the problem lies in how it tries to extend the Black Box arc for Super Samurai. With the way its set up, you would think Antonio borrowing the other Rangers' Power Disks would mean he would make more progress on the Black Box, but then it never comes into play during the climax. The Rangers don't even beat Arachnitor, as he just gets away while they say that he did multiple times to make sure the audience knows.

The Megazord fight at the end with the Giant Moogers is just poorly edited, blatantly reusing footage from earlier and future episodes that doesn't even match up with the current events, like Jayden's control panel having the Beetle Zord emblem when he gave it to Mike a while ago, Antonio's cockpit showing the Claw Battlezord is in South mode when it stayed in East for the entire battle, or having Claw Battlezord East's finisher lead to the footage of Giant Moogers being taken down by the Claw Armor Megazord's Double Katana Strike in “Super Samurai”.

As a whole, the episode just feels like padding because nothing is really accomplished other than a little more knowledge on Deker's backstory, and this leads to the fight scenes in the next two episodes being heavily edited thanks to the Rangers not having the Black Box yet. It's at the bottom of the list because its flaws are more in how the writers chose to handle the Black Box in general by dragging out the debut.

#4: The Blue and the Gold

While trying to adjust to his new life with the team, Antonio starts to spy Kevin to find a way to understand him better, the two accidentally uncover a Nighlok plan to refill an old well with Sanzu River water so they can use it as a portal. In addition to Octoroo's barrier blocking their cell signal, his accomplice, Antberry, uses his Sanzu Slime to make it hard for them to actually use their weapons. Kevin and Antonio have to put aside their differences and find a way to deal with the Nighlok without the help of the other Rangers.

Like “Boxed In”, this episode isn't really bad, as it's some good character focus for Kevin and Antonio, and hearing Octoroo say “The Red Ranger's gonna fry your boo-tay!” near the end was pretty funny. The problem lies in how it adapted the Shinkenger plot. In the corresponding Shinkenger episode, the villain's plan was still to use a well as a portal for his kind, but he planned to sacrifice several schoolgirls to do so. How does Saban handle this? Their plan is to break a bunch of stolen toys. I am not making this up.

Okay... first, how would breaking toys cause a lot of sorrow if the kids who owned them aren't around to see them being broken? Second, how does the axe Octoroo gave Antberry work, and why does it need to be used to break toys instead of any old weapon? Third, why does the axe need to be sharpened if it's only being used to break some plastic toys? Fourth, why would Octoroo recruit a Nighlok with the most conspicuous powers for a covert operation? And finally, why was stealing toys from kids to cause sorrow “Plan A”?

The whole story just has so many plotholes, and the idea of stealing toys just makes the Nighlok look inept instead of the fearsome demons the show wants us to see them as.

#3: A Sticky Situation

Epoxar, a Nighlok with glue powers, glues both Mike and Kevin's hands together, making it hard for them to actually fight. When the other Rangers are incapacitated by the Nighlok, it's up to Mike and Kevin to put aside their differences and take down Epoxar.

I'm not a fan of the “two characters get glued together” plot a lot of TV shows do, so as you can imagine, I'm obviously not a fan of this episode, and most of it boils down to how the story is handled. First off, the Rangers only try to get rid of the glue once, by having Jayden swing his sword at the makeshift handcuffs. Nobody tries using their Symbol Power to melt the glue or maybe make it easier to stretch a little. Second, both Mike and Kevin think that they can work together while stuck like this, and the scenes of them trying to train in this state just drag on. Third, even though they know what the Nighlok's powers are, the Rangers don't even think to be careful while chasing him, and fall victim to his glue trap.

This episode is just full of poor decisions, and it isn't even that funny. It doesn't help that this was the last filler episode before the final two arcs, and it was a pretty bad filler episode at that. Also, there was a scene where Kevin had go to the bathroom while he and Mike were still stuck together, and now all I can't get that horrible image out of my head.

#2: The Great Duel

While the Rangers get used to a new addition to their ranks, Jayden faces off against Deker for the final time.

I don't want to give too much away, given that this episode is during the final arc and involves a new character, but a lot of the problems I have with the episode boils down to how this new character is treated by the other Rangers. They don't really do anything wrong, yet all the other Rangers do is judge them for no reason.

Another problem I have lies with Jayden's final duel with Deker. Like I said earlier, there's no real drama between the two that makes you get excited for this fight, and what should be an important moment for Jayden's character arc just comes across as filler.

It's just not a good episode because even though we're this close to the end of the series, nothing really feels important here.

#1: Something Fishy

After he was almost eaten by a cat while he was in the body of a fish in the previous episode (I'll explain later), Antonio develops a crippling fear of fish to the point where he can't even draw his Barracuda Blade. When it seems like the Rangers can't snap him out of his fear, they go to face Serrator for the first time, while Mentor Ji tries to help Antonio find a new weapon to use.

While I like the idea of a Ranger having to deal with the trauma of a monster attack, the way it's handled just doesn't work. It's framed as a standard “face your fears” episode while not really acknowledging what caused Antonio to develop a fear of fish: association with a negative incident. Most of the team's attempts to help Antonio amount to “I'm going to force myself to do something I don't like so you can eat fish and overcome your fear”, and before that, they pretty much tell him to grow a pair and get over it.

In general, Antonio's fear is treated as unreasonable and even the way it's resolved feels like an insult to anyone who struggles to face their fears. Mentor Ji just goes up to Antonio, shoves a piece of sushi in his mouth and tells him to just deal with his crippling fear of fish that he only got after a near-death experience.

This could have been a great character focus episode for Antonio. You could have explored why he chose to follow his father and become a fisherman himself instead of what we got. And the worst part is with the debut of Serrator and the Light Zord, this episode is very relevant to the plot. They seriously made an episode where a major villain debuts at the same time as an annoying subplot that fails to actually explore fear, and that's just one of the reasons why I think this is the worst episode of the season.

Top 5 Best Episodes

#5: Super Samurai

When Arachnitor returns and overwhelms the Rangers, Antonio has to hurry and finish the Black Box as soon as he can and give the team the power boost they need, all while water from the Sanzu River starts to seep into the human world.

While I had a lot of problems with how the Black Box arc was stretched out so it would start in Super Samurai, this episode honestly does a great job showing off the new powers and setting the stage for the second half of this season. The scene where the Rangers see a puddle of Sanzu River water is seen as bad because we know the Nighlok need it, but the simple image of a stick catching on fire as soon as it's dipped in the water is honestly pretty chilling. It pretty much tells the audience, “You thought the Sanzu River flooding the world was bad? Wait until you see what the water does to anything that isn't a Nighlok.”

The stakes are raised even further when the Rangers encounter Arachnitor, and thanks to Octoroo's meddling, can't morph to fight him or the Moogers. We even see some of Mia's hair get singed thanks to touching some Sanzu River water. It's some pretty tense stuff, which is what makes the Rangers getting their powers back in addition to Jayden's first Super Samurai Mode transformation all the more triumphant.

I also really like the ending where Jayden acknowledges that they'll need to use the Black Box more to keep up with the growing threat of the Nighlok, as it really shows how things have gotten more serious. It's a great way to open up the second half of this season.

#4: Trading Places

Switchbeast, a Nighlok under the command of a mysterious benefactor (later revealed to be Serrator), uses his powers to switch the minds of civilians with everyday objects, including Jayden, Kevin, Mia, and Antonio, so it's up to Mike and Emily to stop on their own.

Body swap episodes are a hallmark of TV shows, especially ones aimed at children, and unlike “A Sticky Situation”, which played the cliche plot straight, this episode tries something different with the body swapping. Instead of the standard conflict of the Rangers needing to get used to each other's powers, the swapped Rangers are taken out of the conflict entirely due to being stuck as inanimate objects, leading to a more character-focused conflict with Mike and Emily being the only ones able to stop it, where earlier episodes just left one Ranger out of commission at a time (Team Spirit, The Great Duel).

Another interesting thing is the way the conflict is treated. When you first think about the plan, it's pretty tame by Nighlok standards. It's not stealing and breaking toys dumb, but it's up there. But then the episode reveals Switchbeast's true plan. Why did he place the minds of random people in inanimate objects? Simple, all so the objects could be taken out and disposed of, killing the people inside while their bodies remain emotionless husks, causing all kinds of sorrow. It's honestly a pretty demented plan, and it makes sense when you remember this Nighlok works for Serrator.

This episode also does a good job showing off how far Mike has come as a character. He and Emily have both been underestimated the most out of the team, and even when Emily brings up the events of an earlier episode where Mike tried taking on a Nighlok by himself, Mike is more focused on the fact that Jayden had to save him at the end. Even when Mentor Ji gives him the Black Box to use, Mike isn't sure if he can handle the power. It's pretty interesting to see Mike doubt himself when the stakes are so high, which only makes his and Emily's eventual triumph over Switchbeast all the more satisfying.

I also have to give credit to the actors who were playing the victims this episode, specifically the scenes where Mike and Emily are talking with Mentor Ji while the others are standing there as inanimate objects. It must have been really hard to keep a straight face, especially Najee De-Tiege when Mike put Kevin in a tutu while standing still as a joke.

It's just a really fun episode with really high stakes.

#3: Runaway Spike

When the rent on Bulk's home is overdue, Spike goes out and tries to get a job to help raise money. Meanwhile, the Rangers have to deal with Duplicator, a Nighlok who can create clones of himself.

Despite being billed as important characters in the opening, Bulk and Spike never really got a lot of focus episodes. Thankfully, that changes here. While this is still a rather lighthearted filler episode, it's a good character study for both Bulk and Spike. Spike generally wants to help his uncle out, and while him screwing up on multiple jobs is played for laughs like you'd expect, we see how it affects his self-esteem to the point where he doesn't even notice Duplicator's first attack due to how down he's feeling. After the attack, Spike vents to Mia (who went to make sure he was okay after Duplicator escaped) about how much of a loser he thinks he is, and it's some pretty engaging stuff.

It's also a great episode for Bulk. When he sets out to look for Spike once it gets dark, it really shows how much he cares for his nephew. He doesn't ramble about any ulterior motive like saying Skull will kill him if anything happens to Spike. He chooses to let Spike go out and get a job on his own, but when it gets late, he decides to go looking for him. It's subtle, but it's a great way to show the level of trust Bulk has for Spike, and when it's hinted that Spike got fired from his last job as a security guard, he tries his best to reassure him that he did his best. I really wish we got more episodes like this that explore the relationship between Bulk and Spike, because the two are great here.

Spike's brief interaction with Mia is the highlight of the episode, as not only is a clever follow-up to the running gag about him falling for the Pink Ranger (like father, like son, am I right?), but it's one of the few scenes where Mia can really shine as a character with her, an actual samurai, telling the samurai-in-training to never give up. While I never really shipped Mia and Spike, I can honestly see the two hanging out and becoming close friends after the events of the series. There was also a real missed opportunity to have Spike be one of the few people to actually enjoy Mia's cooking.

The climax here is also one of the more visually stunning fights in the series, using a lot of shadows and clever lighting. Like Duplicator says about himself multiple times in the episode, it's really cool. It's just a great episode that manages to have a fun monster fight while expanding on the characters of Bulk and Spike.

#2: Unexpected Arrival

Octoroo sends Vulpes, a Nighlok with mirror and illusion spells, to spy on Jayden to learn more about the sealing symbol, while the other Rangers try to investigate a mysterious fisherman who sent a message about seeing them soon.

This is the only episode of Samurai's first half on the list, and oh boy, is it a good one. The first half is full of suspense and intrigue as to what the Nighlok's plan is. There's a real sense of uneasiness, especially with how the Nighlok seems to target Jayden specifically. He becomes so paranoid, he actually comes close to accidentally harming Emily in one scene.

The episode also does a great job at introducing Antonio. With how it's structured, you would initially believe that he's connected to the Nighlok's plan, which makes his appearance as the Gold Ranger just as surprising to see as it is for the other Rangers. Granted, Nickelodeon's promo outright spoiled that Antonio was the Gold Ranger, but it's the thought that counts.

After how uneasy the first half felt, Antonio's debut lightens up the tone and makes it incredibly satisfying to see Vulpes get his ass handed to him while showing how eccentric Antonio can be. At the same time, it sets up the next episode where we learn more about Antonio as a character, introducing him but not giving everything about his backstory yet, making the reveal that he and Jayden are old friends intrigue audiences. The episode featuring the debut of the Gold Ranger clearly lived up to its title, as it was clearly a golden one.

#1: The Strange Case of the Munchies

Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Antonio are all afflicted with an insatiable hunger thanks to Grinataur, leaving Emily the only one capable of stopping him and keeping the others in order. Meanwhile, Bulk and Spike find Mia's wallet and try to return it by going to the Rangers' home, only to get roped into “Samurai training” by Emily as a diversion.

This is honestly my favorite episode of Samurai just because of how wacky it can get. The sheer amount of energy put in by the actors as they try to eat whatever they can get their hands on is just hilarious, especially Najee De-Tiege, who tries to eat flour from a bag. Even Mentor Ji gets a few good lines in as he tries to keep up with the insanity, seeing how he's the only one besides Emily who wasn't hit by the Nighlok.

The way Bulk and Spike were used was also really funny. When the two come to the Shiba house to give Mia back her wallet while the Rangers are stuffing their faces, Emily pretends to be a drill sergeant to keep Bulk and Spike occupied with a bunch of rigorous training, and she basically channels her inner R. Lee Ermey to scare them away. It's just a riot.

There's not much else I can say about the episode. There's so many funny jokes and slapstick, it's hard to really describe what I like about it. If you watch any episode of Samurai, it should be this one.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Samurai... is a very mixed bag. While its relatively standalone nature makes it a good starting point for newcomers, there are a lot of moments where the writing can be confusing when it comes to what they do and don't change from Shinkenger. At the same time, there are still a lot of good performances from the cast, and some interesting characters that, while not fully used to their full potential, are still enjoyable in their own way. Compared to later Neo-Saban seasons, you could tell there were some growing pains here, and the rushed production didn't help things at all, but honestly? I still think the writers did an okay job with what they had. Yeah, you can probably chalk some of it up to nostalgia, but I still thought this was a pretty decent show. It's nowhere near my favorite in the franchise, but it never reached any of the lows future Neo-Saban entries like Megaforce or Ninja Steel reached.

I'd say if you're someone looking to get into Power Rangers or tokusatsu as a whole, this is a pretty decent starting point. It wouldn't be my first choice for beginners (I'd go more with Lost Galaxy, Wild Force, or Dino Thunder if you were curious), but compared to other Neo-Saban shows, there's still a clear sign of effort here in spite of the rushed production schedule. Even if you've already seen it, or have seen Shinkenger before, I'd also say it would be fun to check out a few episodes of Samurai and see how the source material was handled, either with what was changed, or with the moments blatantly copying scenes from the Sentai.

Although if you were looking to get into Super Sentai, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger is still a great season to start on. It's over ten years old, and it's still considered one of the best entries in the entire franchise. If you grew up with Power Rangers Samurai and want to get into Super Sentai, I highly recommend watching Shinkenger.

#crimson ace reviews #power rangers #power rangers samurai

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