TYPE OF REVIEW : GOOD OL’ REVIEW
Moderately big spoilers. I suggest watching the movie first. =)

Ressha Sentai ToQger Returns: Super ToQ 7gou of Dreams is another beautiful chapter in the story of those awesome rainbow children.

We first meet the five ToQgers in 2025 where they are now adults and far removed from their Imagination-filled childhood. That is, until the Shadow Line unexpectedly shows up out of nowhere. A seemingly familiar enemy, Archduke Hei, appears, but the ToQgers are no longer able to henshin. They decide to run to safety, only to fall into a time vortex taking them all the way back to 2017.

It is the day before their elementary school graduation. The ToQgers have a feeling something important happens on this day and it isn’t until they watch their younger selves try to fight Archduke Hei that they realize what has happened. And the sight of seeing their younger selves disappear over the train tracks (really, entering the Resshas which they are no longer able to see) reminds them that they have indeed grown up.

As the story continues from there, we see the familiar themes that made the series so creatively successful. The film speaks to the young and the young at heart.

And in a sense, the film also speaks to the toku fandom, particularly of Super Sentai. When the big ToQgers regain their Imagination, they do it after reflecting on what it means to be adults. That it is never too late to remember a forgotten Imagination as long as one always remembers their childhood.

Remembering one’s past and looking back at your roots is probably one of the absolute best themes any child (and adult) could learn from a television show.

The idea of being scared to grow up, depicted through Tank Top Shadow’s wanting to protect Akira from becoming a human (thus, being able to grow old and die) is so delicately handled here in a perfect way. There is no need to be afraid to grow up and you should be able to make as many memories as you can.

Archduke Hei almost ends up as a mere plot device to the real goal of the film. That appears especially true as the end credits of the film begin just as the ToQgers enter their final battle against Hei. That battle isn’t the climax of the film. The climax is the ToQgers’ realization of that they have now remembered what they have lost or seemingly slip away. And that even as adults, their Imagination can be as strong as ever.

The poignant nostalgia in the overall story and in each of the little moments between the ToQgers highlight that ultimate lesson.

And those are themes that are in addition to the familiar and excellent focus on friendship and family that were at the heart of the series and for the ToQgers themselves.

This film is written by Aikawa Sho who has worked on such seasons as Boukenger, Gekiranger and Go-Onger. He is able to perfectly capture Kobayashi Yasuko’s vision for ToQger while crafting a pitch perfect film. Arakawa Fumie makes a successful directorial debut as she is able to bring to life exactly what made many love and enjoy ToQger and what allowed the story to be so emotionally affecting. (Plus, she gave a great shoutout to international fans.)

The film also reminds what a great cast was assembled for the series. Both the adults and the kids turned out effective, many times amazing performances that allowed the viewer to get so emotionally invested in these characters. That was true for the series and it is especially true here in this film as we get to see them all interact with one another.

Right’s two actors, Shison Jun and Mabuchi Homare, delivered especially great performances here. One of the best scenes in the film is of young Right being upset that his older self is so easily resigned to the idea that one naturally loses their Imagination as they grow older. That is the final catalyst to the ultimate realization of the big ToQgers.

Elsewhere, it was awesome to see Conductor as ToQ-7gou. And of course Wagon getting promoted to Conductor as well. (With Ticket still his non-puppet-self.) I think most fans of the series knew a purple ToQger was going to pop up sooner or later. (Last color of the rainbow!) My bet was always on either Conductor or Wagon (or Ticket) as the series made a point to establish how much of a family they all became. How can one forget that final scene of the ToQgers waving goodbye as the Resshas sped off down the tracks with Ticket yelling “Thank you!” back to them.

Also the small revelation that Akira had always been watching over them, even if they couldn’t see him anymore was just one of the many moments that sent me curling up in a ball crying my eyes out.

Seeing everyone, and I mean every single one of them, fighting side-by-side, the big ToQgers with the little ToQgers, was just a fanboy and fangirl’s dream come true. Those secenes were amazingly and perfectly executed.

And of course the excellent soundtrack was again put to good use.

One of the best qualities of Ressha Sentai ToQger is its realism and sincerity. There is no question that the series had a lot of heart. And that is true of this film. The friendship and bond that they all formed, as this film has shown, are unbreakable. Ressha Sentai ToQger Returns is realistic and relatable, regardless of age or culture. And it reminds us all that you can never be too old to have a strong Imagination.

TYPE OF REVIEW : GOOD OL’ REVIEW
Full spoilers, but with a warning before it starts in the review.

I absolutely hate Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger the Movie: Ninja in Wonderland !

I hate it because it means that this is the last official time we’ll be seeing our awesome train children. ='(

But as for the movie itself, I think this might be the best Sentai vs. movie in years. (Go-Busters vs. Go-Busters, not included) The last couple of outings have been forgettable and/or repetitive. But Ninninger vs. ToQger felt like it was a more cohesive and engaging story. It used some familiar set-ups, but was able to draw more upon both seasons’ storylines and characters to create a full stand-alone movie.

Now I’ve already expressed my deep love and admiration for ToQger as well as my defense of Ninninger. So when I saw the predictable tweets disparaging both series after the movie was first made available on DVD and now with English subs, I just rolled my eyes and proceeded to excitedly sit down and watch it.

*spoilers begin now!*

The movie starts off with the Ninningers in a very familiar-looking train. They’re on vacation and on their way to Ninja Land. There are still a couple of stops before they arrive, but the cousins suddenly get picked off at each of the stops which turns into strange dream sequences. And in each of those dream sequences, they meet the ToQgers.

Rock star Kinji is saved by pop idol Kagura.

Ninja spies Yakumo, Nagi and Kasumi are saved by the one and only Kendama Detective Hikari.

And finally, Mio runs into the church to stop Tokatti and Fuuka’s wedding.

The dream sequences were a great way to quickly introduce the ToQgers. And each of them touching on character beats from the series was pretty awesome. We saw Kagura the future idol/director and the return of Hikari’s unbeatable kendama. And then we got the continuation of Tokatti and Mio’s OTP-ness. (“I was just carried away. We’re still good, right?”) Be still my shipper heart.

After a great little montage of ToQger‘s most fun and memorable scenes, we have the meeting of the Reds as Right saves Takaharu from the Shadow Line’s newly arrived Doctor Mavro. Right sees himself in Takaharu. They are both selfless, but also sometimes too impulsive and forget about the people who care about them.

The movie sees Doctor Mavro wanting to steal the Ninningers’ Nintality to help spread darkness over the world. And when he is able to take Takaharu’s Nintality and turn it evil, Takaharu slowly begins to disappear. He is fully ready to just die, as long as he will be able to stop the evil plan and save the world and his family.

The situation of course draws a parallel to Right’s own impulsive decision to sacrifice himself to save his best friends. And he himself realizes it. Throughout the movie, we see the story reinforce the idea that it’s better when they’re all together. Whether it’s as a team, as best friends or as family, nothing beats working together rather than carrying a burden all alone.

The scene at the dojomanse of a worried and frightened Tsumuji was one of the best of the movie. It might have been the most emotional one.

And whenever the ToQgers are involved, I expect some emotional sentimentality. Interestingly enough, this movie lacked that usual MaGMCM the ToQgers are ones to provide. But this scene came closest to it for me.

One criticism of Ninninger is the lack of story that supported the family aspect of the characters. I already explained my take on that in my Hindsight Review. And it basically played out again here. You wouldn’t see this kind of emotional gut reaction to a dire situation if the team’s bond wasn’t by blood or close to it (like the ToQgers) or been preceded by a perfectly crafted story.

The final final scene of the movie, when the cousins arrive home to a relieved Tsumuji, illustrates this point very well.

So pairing the ToQgers and Ninningers definitely provided an easy template for a story that would blend both series’ strengths.

Not to mention IMAGINAAAATION being one of the biggest drivers of the story as well.

Back to the story… With some great cameo appearances from General Schwarz, Madame Noire, and the just can’t catch a break with big intros Baron Nero, we get the requisite team-ups from the ToQgers and Ninningers. Each little group of team-ups again worked well to draw upon each character’s personalities as well as provide some fun gags and jokes.

Simultaneously, we saw Takaharu and Right starting the battle against the evil Akaninger and Akira finally arriving to stage an epic battle against Doctor Mavro.

Speaking of, that battle between Akira and Mavro was spectacular. Toei only recently started to increasingly using drones to film their series. And I would not be surprised if they used drones to film this epic fight. (Drones aren’t limited to only aerial shots, of course.) It was an excellently choreographed battle and maybe the most exciting human battle of the movie.

That doesn’t discount the final on-ground morphed battle which was very good as well. Though it hurt to see Noire, Schwarz and Nero get killed all over again (even if just copies), the battle was full of fun action.

But it only got better after that with an incredible mecha battle. Nighttime (or in this case, just regular darkness) mecha battles always present a different, more exciting feel than the usual. And the set design and direction for this final battle was just amazing.

The different, new combos (Ha-Oh ToQ-Dai-Oh!) and weaving the mechas of both the ToQgers an Ninningers together in interesting ways added a great deal to make the movie’s climax well worth it.

As the ToQgers bid farewell to the Ninningers, I was just hoping and hoping that we’d get just even a short glimpse of the amazing younger versions. And right after they passed through the turnstile, we did. I’d say the Ninningers’ reaction to the “ToQgers are kids” reveal was much better than the Kyoryugers’ reaction.

Going back to the rest of the movie, it’s interesting how the ToQgers (who are still kids of course) basically took the lead and came across as more mature than the cousins. Some might point out that puts the Ninningers in a bad light. But then again, the ToQgers went through a much rougher ordeal than the Ninningers. And they did A LOT of growing up during their year. It’ll be something that really sets the ToQgers apart from any other team. They were of course the vets too. But the Ninningers’ story didn’t really have them “grow up” like the ToQgers did. Instead, they acted like they did in the series; as young, teenage cousins who are more carefree than young kids who had to fight evil to get home to their families.

Elsewhere, it was just amazing to hear ToQger‘s excellent grand score playing again. And Ninninger‘s score was able to fit very well too. Doctor Mavro’s design continues the streak of excellent, creative designs from ToQger and the Shadow Line. It really is a shame that Saban Brands, Bandai and Nickelodeon are so dumb and incompetent that they can’t figure out how to get one adaptation a year and make it work instead of skipping seasons.

While it was great to see Ticket again, I’m sad we didn’t get even small cameos from Conductor or at least Wagon. And the Zyuohgers were forcibly shoehorned in again like every next-Sentai team, though not as bad as previous years.

Overall, Shuriken Sentai Ninninger vs. ToQger the Movie: Ninja in Wonderland is the best and most cohesive vs. movie in years. It was able to take the best parts of both seasons to put together a great story, using each characters’ strengths and quirks to full advantage. It definitely made me miss both teams, but of course ToQger more. While the Ninningers still have two more movies to go, this is the last time we’ll see the ToQgers in a full and official capacity. (Unless in 10 years, we get the kid actors and main cast all in one hilarious, fun, crazy and emotional reunion special.) And it was a nice way to say goodbye… that is, “Until next time…” to these wonderful train children.

The Gokaigers (minus Luka) are being absolutely wrecked by a mysterious purple knight. Marvy-chan confronts the knight and he is shocked when the knight uses Luka’s attack.

The knight delivers a finisher that forces Marvelous to demorph. He introduces himself as Gaisorg who travels the galaxy searching for “the strongest.”

Gaisorg walks away.

Just then, a mysterious gold ticket appears in front of Marvelous.

Meanwhile back in Tokyo, Keiichiro also gets a gold ticket. A young woman pops out of the ticket to say he has been chosen to participate in the Super Sentai Strongest Battle. If he wins, he can have any wish granted.

Keiichiro says he only has one wish. He is suddenly transported, along with all the other Sentai participants, to some kind of large hall in a strange planet. Also spotted are Yamato, Takaharu, Kagura, Stringer and Marvelous.

Keiichiro acknowledges all these sempais who have fought before him. Yamato immediately notices the newbie.

The woman from the invite, Rita, welcomes them all to Planet Nemesis. She says she is the protector of the Moebius Connect which can create a miracle every 500 years when the universe aligns. So whoever wins this battle will have their wish granted.

She first splits everyone up into 32 teams of five. Yamato is the last one to get beamed away and he smiles at Keiichiro thinking they will get along very nicely.

Yamato finds himself in a team with Kagura, Takaharu, Stinger and Marvelous.

Yamato says they should introduce themselves. Takaharu goes first and says his wish is to become the nuLast Ninja. Kagura says her wish is for her family to be happy. Yamato says he wants to keep a certain (secret) promise.

Stinger has his back to everyone else. Kagura notices his tail and she excitedly grabs it. He spins around and tells her not to touch it. Yamato asks if he’s a Zyuman.

Stinger introduces himself and Kagura is amazed that he’s an alien. Yamato asks to touch his tail.

Takaharu turns to Marvelous Oniisan. But Marvy tells them not to talk to him. Yamato introduces him to the others instead since they’ve already met before. Kagura thinks he’s scary.

Rita appears and announces the tournament will begin. The members of the team that wins five matches will have their wish granted. In the first bracket, it’s the Oddball Team (Yamato-tachi) versus the Serious Team. And battling first will be Yamato and Keiichiro.

Yamato can’t believe he’s an Oddball, but it’s alright. He heads to the battlefield.

Keiichiro bows and says while reluctant to fight his sempai, he will do his best. Yamato tells him it’s alright. They’re not trying to kill each other, after all.

Rita appears to explain the rules. Moebius Connect causes the planet’s energy to crystalize into gems. The first person to grab the gem in each face-off wins. When they grab the gem, it is transferred into the Nemesis Pulse. And when the gems fuse into a giant crystal, it can grant a wish.

Rita declares the first round has begun. Yamato and Keiichiro morph and they battle.

Other battles in this first bracket continue in the other three locations, the Quarry, a Rooftop and an Underground Carpark. Team Oddball are watching the action from their HQ.

Back at the Waste Warehouse, Yamato is impressed by Keiichiro. Keiichiro says he has a wish greater than anyone else’s: World Peace.

Yamato demorphs and invites Keiichiro to come and sit. Keiichiro says World Peace is what everyone on the Serious Team wishes. Yamato says all of them wish that, but they just don’t say it. World peace isn’t something one person can give. Its something everyone in the world must work together to achieve.

Keiichiro understands. Takaharu and Kagura think this exchange is very refreshing.

Keiichiro asks Yamato what his wish is. We don’t hear it though and Keiichiro allows Yamato to grab the stone. Keiichiro says Yamato’s wish deserves to be granted. They will all continue to fight for world peace in the future.

As the next section of the bracket commences, Yamato returns to HQ. Kagura and Takaharu congratulate him on being a nice guy. But Takaharu says they’ve got to keep going. He turns to Stinger and he agrees.

Marvy-chan plops down on the couch as Kagura asks Yamato about his wish. Takaharu says they couldn’t hear Yamato and Keiichiro earlier. Yamato wants to keep it a secret for now since he feels embarrassed about telling everyone.

Rita excitedly watches the next battles wrap up. But suddenly, Gaisorg appears on the Rooftop battlefield.

Rita does not recognize Gaisorg as being from Super Sentai.

Gaisorg is disappointed when he easily defeats BoukenYellow, Green Sai and GaoBlack. He wants a stronger opponent.

When the others see Marvelous recognizes Gaisorg, he initially tells them to mind their own business. But he eventually tells them about how Gaisorg has been attacking Sentai teams to find the strongest person in the galaxy.

Kagura says this is no time to be playing around in the tournament then.

Rita pops in to confirm Marvelous’ information and she promises to take care of the situation. She pops out again to start Round 2. Kagura says it’s like magic how she can pop in and out like that.

Stinger wonders about magic.

For this second round it’s Stinger and Takaharu against BoukenSilver Eiji Takaoka and Go-On Red Sosuke Esumi. Before they leave, Marvelous warns them to stay out of it if Gaisorg appears again.

The battle begins. Sosuke tries summoning Speedor, but he gets no response. Stinger engages Eiji and asks him if he’s noticed anything strange while on the planet. Eiji says there seems to be a powerful jamming signal blocking access outside the planet, though they’re all still able to morph.

When Stinger blocks Eiji’s attack, he sees it bounce off an invisible barrier in the sky. He remembers Kagura mentioning “magic” earlier.

Eiji and Sosuke have Stinger and Takaharu on their backs so they approach the stone. But they bump into each other and force themselves to demorph. While enjoying some celery and tomatoes, Takaharu is able to swoop in and grab the stone.

Eiji and Sosuke wish them well before getting zapped back.

But just then, Gaisorg appears and sends Takaharu and Stinger flying! Marvelous quickly runs out.

Elsewhere, we get a Ryusoulger tease.

Episode Thoughts

Yes!!! I’ve been looking forward to this since it was first announced! Definitely the most excited I’ve been for anything Sentai or Power Rangers-related since Kyuranger, to be completely honest.

I actually very much like this All-Star “Oddball” Team. It’s a great mix of personalities and would be fun to watch for more than just four episodes.

Though I must say, Yamato mentioning he had met Marvelous already reminded me that I actually haven’t watched Chou Super Hero Taisen yet! I will be getting right to that later today. Hehe

Anyway… looks like we have another “Have your wish granted” plot eh? Considering we just did that with LuPat, it does feel kind of tired. But it’s a good reason to have the Sentai teams fighting each other. Like, a charity match or something. They’re more willing to fight each other for the wish, even if it’s just light and not serious or “real” in the sense that they hurt each other badly.

Obviously, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rita ends up the Big Bad and put this tournament together just to use the Sentai teams to get her a galaxy-dominating power. But the Gaisorg-aspect seems to add a different element to the plot.

I definitely liked Kagura’s wish. She just wants her family to be happy. That’s a wonderful wish and certainly something Kagura would think of. So cute. Though I wonder if she’s supposed to still be a kid or grown up already. It’s only been four years since ToQger.

I also liked Yamato’s explanation to Keiichiro about world peace being achieved by not just one person, but by everyone. Certainly a little preachy, but it worked.

Though if this is true: “World peace isn’t something one person can give. It’s something everyone in the world must work together to achieve.” … Then we’re all doomed! Lol

Anyway, I can’t imagine what Yamato’s wish might be. I assume Marvy-chan’s wish has something to do with Luka being missing. And Stinger seems to be all business, as expected of him as well. Takaharu wanting to be the new Last Ninja is kind of annoying though since it’s like a check off the box kind of thing by the writers who likely know nothing about Ninninger and just read his character description instead.

Elsewhere, watching this also reminded me of one of the biggest reasons I hate Saban Brands (though hopefully not Hasbro) recycling the MMPR theme song for every season since Samuari. It was awesome here getting to hear the actual, unique themes for each Sentai team as they battled in this episode. You won’t be able to get that for any of the Saban Brands Era seasons since they would all sound like MMPR. No unique musical identity for those Ranger seasons and that’s a shame.

Overall, this was a fun time and it’s great seeing old friends again. Hope things get even more exciting for the next episodes!

As Stinger and Takaharu battle Gaisorg, Marvelous arrives. But he gets knocked back by Gaisorg. Gaisorg attempts a finisher at Marvelous, but Takaharu blocks it and absorbs the attack instead, forcing him to demorph.

Marvelous is upset and says Takaharu got in the way. Stinger grabs Marvelous and tells him to cut it out.

Rita happily watches the stones getting gathered up. Gaisorg approaches her, having been summoned. She wants to know why he is here wreaking havoc without an invitation. But Gaisong actually does have one.

Kagura helps bandage Takaharu up. Yamato asks Marvey-chan if he’s going to just disregard Takaharu risking his life to save him. Marvelous doesn’t respond.

Yamato gets up and scolds Marvelous for being rude by ignoring it. Takaharu says it’s alright, but Yamato says it’s not at all and tells him to shut up.

Yamato says fate has brought them together as comrades with an understanding of a bond of trust between them all. Yamato flashes back to when he first met who seemed to be a very different Marvelous from the one he’s seeing now.

Marvelous says he’ll only work with them to obtain a treasure and use Super Sentai power if it benefits him. Yamato asks if treasure is the only thing that’s important to Marvelous. He says yes.

Takaharu gets up and tells everyone to watch him. He squeezes his arm to make it look like a butt, just to lighten the mood. Kagura says he’s gross.

Rita pops up on the screen to announce Gaisorg is now joining the tournament as a Wild Card and will pop up wherever he can make things interesting.

Stinger points out Gaisorg only wants to battle the strongest so he should have no interest in the wish granting gem. Yamato says now more than ever they must work together. But Marvelous could care less. He leaves.

Yamato wants to follow, but Takaharu says to leave Marvelous to him instead. Kagura says that’s even more worrisome so she follows with Takaharu’s clothes.

Stinger excuses himself to go check on something else. Yamato acknowledges they’re truly oddballs.

While everyone else is gone, Rita announces the start of the next round and this time it’s a 3-on-3 tag team battle. Yamato is chosen along with Stinger and Marvelous. Yamato asks Rita if he can fight alone against his three opponents.

Meanwhile in the corridors, Marvelous remembers Akarenger giving him his key. Kagura watches as Takaharu runs up to Kaizoku-san to try and get him to smile.

Takaharu says he will give up if this next thing won’t do it.

Takaharu does a Shuriken Ninpou Gyoza attack. That is, fold his ear over to look like a gyoza. That actually does make Marvelous smile. Kagura joins them and says the smile means Marvelous isn’t a bad guy after all. She asks what Marvy-chan’s treasure is.

Takaharu says his treasure is his family. He tells them about how he fights alongside his sister and cousins and them aiming to become the Last Ninja. Marvelous says he’s a dumbass. Takaharu says Marvelous is a leader, but he’s not acting like one.

Takaharu adds that he wants to see Marvelous get his treasure. He and Kagura are happy he’s loosened up.

On the battlefield, Yamato faces GaoRed, Kakaru along with GingaGreen and VulShark. Kagura, Takaharu and Marvelous return to their room and are shocked to see Yamato fighting alone.

Though Yamato struggles against his opponents, he refuses to give up his promise. Kakaru asks what his promise is.

Yamato explains that he met a boy with a terminal illness who enjoyed drawing pictures of animals. Yamato had promised to take him to the savanna to see them in person, but the little boy died before he could do so.

Yamato hopes to wish to be able to bring Takaaki’s soul back, even for just a short while and fulfill his promise to him.

Yamato gets fired up and is able to really take on his three opponents. He goes Gorilla and Whale and is able to grab the stone.

Kagura, Takaharu and Marvelous are happy to see Marvelous win this round. Takaharu says he’ll go and help Yamato back.

Kakaru says Yamato is passionate which is fitting for a Red. No one will follow a leader who isn’t passionate, even though some only appear to be indifferent. That makes Yamato think about Marvelous.

Kakaru says the trust they build as a team is what unites all Super Sentai teams. And all a Red needs to do is to trust their teammates and never give up.

Takaharu hurries through the corridors, but suddenly runs into Gaisorg.

Yamato arrives back at their room, but without Takaharu. Marvelous gets up to go find him, but Yamato grabs his shoulder. Kagura tells Yamato that Marvelous isn’t a bad guy.

But Yamato actually just wants to apologize for not trusting Marvelous earlier, especially after they had already met before. Yamato bows twice, but he is still weak. Marvelous seems touched by them all.

Rita pops in and decides to deploy Gaisorg to Battlefield 4 as the battle has been going on for quite a while. Marvelous hurries over and leaves Yamato to Kagura.

Rita seems to address a group of people as she expresses how excited she is the wish will be granted sooner.

Stinger, meanwhile, unsuccessfully tries contacting Tsurugi. He searches through the corridors and finds a strange vine-like contraption with technology that shouldn’t exist on this planet. He then enters a library where it appears Rita has been researching all Super Sentai teams.

Gaisorg is able to easily handle Red Mask, RyuuRanger, NinjaWhite and OhRed. Gaisorg knocks RyuuRanger back and he is able to touch the stone, allowing it to get transported.

Marvelous arrives and he morphs. He Gokai Changes to DekaRed and then HurricaneRed. Marvelous is surprised when Gaisorg’s ninja stance reminds him of Takaharu from earlier.

Marvelous is able to counter it, forcing Gaisorg to drop his shield. That allows Marvelous to deliver a Final Wave. That knocks Gaisorg’s helmet off to reveal…

…Takaharu?!

Another Ryusoulger tease.

Episode Thoughts

So this was actually a very emotional episode because of Yamato’s wish. And it was not only because it was a very sad situation for Yamato and the little boy.

But because it seemed to be speaking about Super Sentai in general. Kakaru asked Yamato why he insists on continuing even in his condition (when Yamato was already all beat up). Sentai is certainly not in the healthiest condition lately. And there’s talk that Ryusoulger is Do or Die for the franchise.

But Yamato explains that he’s made a promise to a little boy. And Yamato’s wish is almost like the show wanting to keep fighting for all the kids and kids at heart who enjoy watching Super Sentai.

Now, of course we know Sentai (and Kamen Rider and Power Rangers) are big toy commercials. But at the same time, these shows are fun, entertainment, an escape and even more for many people around the world. It means a lot to many people. So I definitely hope Sentai will continue for years to come.

Back to this episode, I still haven’t learned my lesson about doing what I can to avoid spoilers. Especially for a season/show I’m invested in. So a couple of days ago, I stumbled upon a screencap of Takaharu in Gaisorg’s suit! It was my fault, but I was still so upset. Lol

Anyway, I did mention how odd Takaharu seemed last week. But there’s definitely something else going on there. So we’ll see what the big explanation is next episode for Takaharu being in Gaisorg’s suit. Also looking forward to see Kagura finally get in on the action as well.

Stinger seems to be on the trail of what’s really going on with this tournament and Rita’s true intentions.

And back to Yamato, I think him wanting to keep his promise to the little boy in the hospital (where his father works of course!) is very much in his character. And Yamato telling the story was really a MaGMCM for me. The first one from Sentai for me since Kyuranger!

Overall, a great, exciting episode!

Marvelous is shocked to see Takaharu under the helmet. Takasorg shoots at Marvelous, forcing him to demorph. He puts his helmet back on and walks away.

Meanwhile, Doggie Kruger runs into Stinger and they compare notes. Turns out both are here undercover. SPD had detected a mysterious and artificially created magnetic field around Planet Nemesis. Commander Stinger says they’ve also detected it in another galaxy.

Yamato and Kagura are wondering where Takaharu and Marvelous could be now. They think about what Marvelous’ treasure could be. But Rita pops in to announce the start of the semi-finals. And up first is the B Block semis between the Martial Arts Team represented by RyuuRanger and TimeRed and the Monstrous Strength Team represented by GaoBlack and GingaBlue.

Stinger brings Doggie Kruger to the contraption he found earlier and Doggie sees a magic circle around it. Stinger realizes this must be what is preventing them from making off-world contact. He shows Doggie Kruger the book he found, but it’s all written in ancient glyphs from another planet. Doggie Kruger scans the writing to get it translated.

Just then, foot soldiers from many different Sentai seasons appear and attack them. Stinger tells Doggie Kruger to go find Yamato-tachi to tell them about they’ve found while he stays to take care of this.

Takasorg walks along in the underbelly of the facility with a very Luka-like looking woman is chained up nearby.

Back at the semis, the Martial Arts Team has grabbed the stone and they tell their opponents to leave Gaisorg to them. GaoBlack and GingaBlue are sent away. But suddenly, RyuuRanger and TimeRed are also suddenly zapped away by Rita.

Rita is happy to see everything has gone according to plan and tells her staff that she is excited to see everyone’s reaction to the wish being granted.

Stinger finishes off the foot soldiers when Gaisorg suddenly appears. They battle.

Doggie Kruger finds Marvelous and helps him get up. They remember the first time they met during Gokaiger. Doggie Kruger gets Marvelous back to the Oddball room and they tell Yamato and Kagura about Takaharu.

Yamato says they shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Takaharu. Marvelous says he’s noticed Gaisorg has seemed like a different person every time he’s faced him. Yamato suggests someone is putting the armor on different people and controlling them. Kagura worries about the person who was last being used in Gaisorg.

Doggie Kruger is sure someone is trying to use the wishing power of Planet Nemesis for evil purposes. He tells them about what he and Stinger found.

Doggie Kruger says they must take care of Gaisorg. Yamato adds that they will be able to save Takaharu as well. They all put their hands in, even Marvelous.

Rita pops in again to announce the start of the last semi-final. And this time, it’s Kagura vs Doggie Kruger! But this is a perfect situation for them.

Doggie Kruger and Kagura head to the battlefield. They morph.

Watching from their waiting room, Yamato and Marvelous talk about all of this. Will the winners end up disappointed when they have to make their wishes? Marvelous says it doesn’t look good, but he promises to be right there with Yamato unleashing his anger when that happens.

Doggie Kruger and Kagura continue to battle as she remembers the plan. He will lose to her on purpose. And an overpowering performance like that will certainly attract Gaisorg. Kagura says she should lose then, but Doggie Kruger says she can’t. He is only here on undercover work, but Kagura has her own wish that she wants granted. Doggie says he can’t let her throw away her dream so Kagura should give him all she’s got. He certainly won’t go easy on her, regardless.

Those words rev Kagura up and she now has the power to really take it to Doggie Kruger. He says he is surprised at how strong she actually is and asks for what wish is she pulling this strength out from.

Kagura explains it’s for her family. She wants to create a menu at her family’s restaurant that will allow people with no families a chance to find a new family. And her wish is to have the time and the means to do that. As long as she has the means, she’ll figure out the rest. Even for families that are separated, she wants food that they can all enjoy together.

Kagura is able to push Doggie Kruger away and use her imagination power to believe she is the STRONGEST GIRL. Her Lightning Blade Bamboo Splitter attack is able to send Doggie Kruger back and force him to demorph.

Kagura demorphs and hurries over to check on Doggie-san. He tells her she absolutely handed his a—over to him.

Doggie Kruger hands Kagura cuffs and his License and tells her to give them to Stinger to help figure out what is happening. He will leave the rest to them. Kagura understands and she turns to grab the stone.

Rita declares Kagura the winner of this battle and the Oddballs advance to the finals.

Doggie Kruger is transported away. Kagura promises to do her best in the finals.

With the finals set, Rita’s demeanor suddenly seems to change from bright and cute to something much darker. She pulls her necklace off and tosses it. She looks up and decides they must have enough gathered.

Kagura turns to head back to their waiting room. But Gaisorg finally appears. Kagura quickly morphs as Gaisorg attacks, wanting her to show him her power. He sends her flying and she is forced to demorph.

Yamato and Marvelous arrive. Marvelous tells Takaharu not to take this personally as he and Yamato take him on.

Marvelous uses several Gokai Changes and Yamato goes Whale and they give all they’ve got against Gaisorg as well.

Gaisorg explodes and his helmet goes flying. They are all shocked to find emerging from the flames is…

Stinger!

Rita looks up at the collection orb and expresses how she’d be so happy for justice to disappear from the galaxy.

Stinger explains what’s happened to Kagura, Yamato and Marvelous. The Gaisorg suit is a sentient armor. It goes around looking for the strongest and then possesses them, one after the other. Stinger says while possessed, he saw some of Gaisorg’s memories including seeing Takaharu and a yellow pirate.

It was Luka’s invitation that Gaisorg used to get here.

Marvelous asks if Luka is safe and where she is. Stinger doesn’t know.

Kagura gives Stinger the License and cuffs from Doggie Kruger. Stinger reads the deciphered glyphs and it explains a spell to summon Ultimate Dai Satan, a demon who can destroy the galaxy instantly. Rita must want to revive him.

Marvelous says they should go. But Yamato says they should get his treasure back first, that is, Marvelous’ friends.

But how? Marvelous walks over and grabs the Gaisorg helmet. He tells them he’ll catch up. And warns they better still be alive when he arrives.

Marvelous puts on the helmet and Gaisorg takes over his body.

*insert more Ryusoulger stuff*

Episode Thoughts

Well, they finally gone and did it. Super Sentai Saikyo Battle made me cry.

If you’ve followed my Sentai ramblings over the years, you will know ToQger is tied as my favorite Sentai season of all time. (Maybe even #1 outright some days and even including Power Rangers. hehe) So of course hearing the ToQger theme song playing during the episode was already going to get me emotional and nostalgic. But what made it even more amazing was just how they handled giving Kagura the spotlight.

I was looking forward to Kagura finally getting a chance to battle in the tournament. But when the big twist arrived and seeing that she’d have to go against Doggie Kruger, I already feared they were going to go through this “Doggie lets Kagura beat him” route. That it would eventually end up showing Kagura is weak or just a kid or a “girl” and wouldn’t have ever won in a “real” battle anyway.

But I was thankfully proven wrong. Instead, the show really made a point to show Kagura could absolutely go toe-to-toe with Doggie Kruger. He didn’t need to let up or just lay down and let Kagura defeat him with minimal effort. They actually went at it. And he commented that he too was surprised that she was so strong. He may admit that he underestimated her, but he acknowledged that he shouldn’t have in the first place. Especially knowing what Kagura was fighting for and how powerful that goal can truly be.

Kagura is obviously more than sincere in her wish. And as she was explaining to Doggie-san why she wanted it, anyone who watched ToQger would know that that is very much in line with her character and one of the major themes of the season as a whole.

And of course we know of Kagura’s imagination power, especially when she imagines and materializes that she is strong. So she absolutely fits perfectly with this Strongest Battle tournament.

All of this combined just got me bawling. MaGMCM? Absolutely! And I loved it.

This was really an amazing episode. Certainly the best so far as all the pieces have fallen into place.

The Gaisorg twist makes perfect sense. Controlling the bodies of those it deems most powerful. Who or what Gaisorg is and where it came from should be one of the big reveals in the finale.

Meanwhile, we see Rita switch from being the kawaii host we’ve seen so far to the real, more sinister Rita with an evil plan. Nana Asakawa has really done a great job. Like, from the beginning, you know she wasn’t just some peppy host. But still, her bright personality lulled you into a sense of security. And her sudden 180 turn this episode really had a lot of impact. And that’s very much thanks to her performance as well. Should be exciting to see her full-on Big Bad in the next episode.

This has really been such a great miniseries so far and it really has enough material to go on for even one or two more months really. These first three episodes have been packed with stuff and many ideas. But we just have one episode left.

Overall, a really amazing episode that I absolutely loved.

Marvelous tells Yamato, Kagura and Stinger he’s fine in Gaisorg’s helmet and he will use it to find Luka. He takes off, but Yamato tells Kagura to follow and make sure he’s alright.

Marvelous finds where Luka and Takaharu are chained up and he frees them. But Marvelous can’t control Gaisorg taking over. Luka acts fast and shoots at the helmet, knocking it off and releasing Marvelous.

Kagura and Takaharu rush over to Marvelous, but Luka just kicks him in the stomach and he regains consciousness. She scolds him for acting foolish, but he says he knew it’d be okay since she was here.

Luka calls him an idiot. Takaharu and Kagura just watch amused and in disbelief at their dynamic.

Meanwhile, Stinger asks Yamato to hold up a minute. He apologizes for acting on his own. But Yamato says without Stinger, they wouldn’t have found out about Ultimate Dai Satan in the first place. Stinger appreciates the kind words. They hurry over to Rita.

Luka explains the Gaisorg armor was created from the emotions of an aggressive tribe that tried to conquer the galaxy and has wandered tens of thousands of years searching for the strongest hosts.

Just then, Rita gleefully calls to the now activated gem to grant her wish. Yamato and Stinger arrive and try to stop her, but she proceeds with her wish. The large gemstone glows.

Stinger asks what happened to the former guardian of the stone and Rita basically says she killed them. Because she couldn’t collect the stones herself, she used Super Sentai to do it for her.

Rita does not care if she too is killed by Dai Satan. She’d rather the entire universe disappears.

Stinger calls Marvelous to allow them to listen in to Rita’s explanation.

Rita says there was no justice on her planet. Everyone served evil. She heard stories of heroes from across the galaxy, but no one ever came to save them on their poor planet. Instead, people pretending to be heroes victimized even children. That’s how she lost faith in everything.

Rita says even if she lives, she would have nothing to believe in. So she might as well destroy the universe and die right along with it.

Stinger says she should believe in herself then. He says if she can hate the universe for having no justice, then she can’t possibly be evil. Even when people around her served evil, she didn’t, because somewhere deep down she wanted to fight for justice.

Rita tells Stinger to stop talking to her like he knows anything about her. Stinger tells her about his brother who hated evil, but fell to it when seeking power to fight it. He lost his sense of righteousness in pursuit of power and there was no turning back.

“That’s why… That’s why I don’t want you to die!”

Rita refuses to be fooled by Stinger’s words. She sends both Stinger and Yamato flying as they immediately morph.

Rita heads to the quarry. She tosses her staff into the ground, the gemstone activates and crashes, causing the ground to open up. Dai Satan emerges.

Rita calls out for Dai Satan to begin ending the universe and huge explosions engulf Stinger and Yamato. They try leaping up to attacking Dai Satan head on, but they just get swatted back down to the ground, forcing them to demorph.

Rita summons classic foot soldiers to take on Stinger and Yamato.

Marvelous, Kagura and Takaharu arrive and quickly join in to take on and finish off the grunts.

The Oddball Team are on the battlefield for the first time together. Marvelous tells Yamato to take the lead.

The Oddballs morph and deliver an explosive roll call.

Rita is not impressed. She is confident Dai Satan can handle the five of them.

The Oddballs all power up and fly straight at Dai Satan before running through and jumping up in the middle of explosions. They then fire at Dai Satan as Marvelous calls Luka to check on her progress.

Luka gets to the mechanism blocking the off-planet frequency. A dozen grunts appears and she easily fights them off. She morphs and shoots at the contraption.

The Oddballs all use their finishers at Dai Satan, but the attacks get swatted right back at them. Dai Satan stomps the ground and the surge of fire forces the Oddballs to downmorph to their base forms.

The Oddballs refuse to give up. They remember all their Super Sentai comrades entrusting the fate of the universe to them and they use that trust and belief in them to give them power they need.

Just then, Akarenger appears to Marvelous and gives him a key with the power of all Super Sentai heroes ever.

The jamming contraption has knocked Luka around and forced her to demorph. But she is now able to shoot at the contraption, shattering it and deactivating the signal jamming seal around the planet.

Marvelous summons GokaiGalleon and has it ram into Dai Satan, pinning him to the rockface.

The Oddballs get in formation for a Super Sentai Special Storm.

They each kick and whack the super ball to each other before Marvelous uses a Final Wave to send it flying to Dai Satan and finish him off for good.

The Oddballs are forced to demorph.

Rita is incensed and she summons the Gaisorg armor for herself which she is able to control on her own.

Rita delivers an Ancient Break Edge at the Oddballs, but two Ryusoulgers appear and take her on.

Rita takes Kagura hostage, but the Ryusoulgers use their Ryusouls to grab Kagura before slicing the Gaisorg armor off of Rita.

The Ryusoulgers leave. The Oddballs think they’re pretty strong.

Kagura gives everyone a high five, but Marvelous isn’t in the mood.

Stinger walks over to Rita and puts the handcuffs on her. He tells her he wants to see her smile someday. So she must atone for her crimes first. She nods.

Yamato asks Marvelous if it’s okay for him to forget his “treasure”. He says it should be okay. Luka is annoyed she has to wait this long to get picked up.

The Oddballs prepare to say goodbye to each other.

Kagura says she is glad to have met them all. She may not have gotten her wish granted, but she feels like she has worked hard. Takaharu says she definitely did.

Yamato adds that while some dreams may be impossible, they can lead to new dreams as well.

Takaharu finds a gem fragment in his pocket and gives it to Yamato for his wish.

Kagura hopes they can meet again someday. Yamato is sure of it. As long as Super Sentai continues.

Someone picks up Gaisorg’s helmet. And one last Ryusoulger teaser.

Episode Thoughts

No!!! I want more!!!

This has really been a great little miniseries. Ryusoulger looks interesting, but I definitely wish we got more of the Oddballs. They really crammed in a lot into these four weeks and there was a lot of material to really stretch this out even a month or two more.

Still, I definitely enjoyed the four episodes we got. This was a solid finale though things got a little haphazard in the last third of the ep, especially with the requisite pop in for the next season team that we usually get in the VS movie.

Rita’s motivation as she explained it was pretty good and definitely the stuff fit for a full season worth of story. Unraveling that side of a villain or Big Bad would’ve been a great story. But it was definitely sad and relatable to hear her story as she described it. Obviously, you don’t have to go the lengths she did. But for anyone who was traumatized like her, most likely, you can see how she could be driven to madness like she was.

Stinger’s words to her definitely fit with his character. And we’ve seen him have compassion and understanding for people who may have been driven to the dark side. First his brother, as they reminded here. And then of course there’s the problematic Episode of Stinger movie. So him wanting to lift Rita up, but not disregarding her sins is again very much in character for him.

And that’s been the case the whole series. Each of the five Oddballs, plus Luka, really got their time to shine on their own. And except for the first episode or two with Takaharu, each character was as we know of them. The series pulled from their history and backstories to really tie everything together. And that was a really great tribute to the series as a whole, as well as the respective seasons of course.

Always great to sneak in some singing Yousuke Kishi of course, even if only in the background. And I was getting very romantic vibes between Marvelous and Luka. It was definitely more than the simple banter we saw during Gokaiger and all their other visits after. Hehe

The episode was also one of the best Koichi Sakamoto explosion extravaganzas ever! Completely insane, but definitely lots of fun and enjoyable.

I really could’ve done without the Ryusoulgers popping in to take on Rita. I would’ve preferred the Oddballs be the ones to face off against Rita as well after Dai Satan. I get the need to promote the next season, like I do with the movie cameos. But I still prefer not having those cameos instead.

Anyway, while I’m looking forward to Ryusoulger, I’m definitely going to miss the Oddballs and wish we got more than just four episodes. But they were four amazingly fun and enjoyable and emotional episodes. And that’s definitely great.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. After the conclusion of Kamen Rider Saber back in August, I decided to rank the seasons I’d watched so far. (Partly because of how negative I felt about Saber, I wanted to very clearly place it at the bottom of any list lol)

And so with Zenkaiger having wrapped up its run and Donbrothers coming up, I decided to do the same with Sentai. I actually did a ranking of Sentai (and Power Rangers) seasons back in 2014. So it’s about time I updated that list and do a complete one this time. So here goes!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

9. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #9 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

9. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

11. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

12. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

13. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what a full series could have been like. Fwhat it was Dino Force Brave was great fun. It was more than just an extra toy commercial for the Korean market. It was a well-done story in a unique format. Lots of creativity, especially with the mecha battles. It was refreshing and very enjoyable.

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 13 Seasons of “Super Sentai” I’ve Watched So Far appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. Last year was actually the first time I had a complete Sentai list.

So with Donbrothers having wrapped up its run and KingOhger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias will put Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #4s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

It’s slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

10. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #9 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

11. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

12. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

13. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

14. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 14 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2023 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

I can’t believe it was ten years ago today that my favorite Super Sentai season first premiered on Japanese television.

Ressha Sentai ToQger premiered the morning of Sunday, February 16th in Japan. Little did I know what an amazing adventure the season would turn out to be.

ToQger still currently ties Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters as my favorite season. But there’s many times ToQger just edges Go-Busters for me on top. Both have very similar qualities that I fell in love with.

But with ToQger, what really stands out to me is its heartwarming portrayal of friendship. Powered by nostalgia and lots of imagination, the season really spoke to the kid in all of us. And it’s hard not to be able to relate to the characters and the stories the season told.

Written by the legendary Yasuko Kobayashi, ToQger follows the journey of five childhood friends who have lost their memories and must embark on a quest to find their home while battling the dark forces of evil.

It was easy for our heroes to immediately endear themselves to us. They were instantly likeable and charming. The strong bond they exhibited even in just the first episode felt so genuine. And again, relatable.

The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or Power Rangers season ever did. Before and since!

As the great Yasuko Kobayashi is one to do, ToQger‘s intricate and emotional story is told in such a way that balances the many requirements of a Sunday morning children’s program produced by Toei. The way she is able to blend together the needs of the Bandai toy partners with legitimately captivating and exciting stories really serves as the blueprint for any aspiring writer, especially in toku.

It is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. And Yasuko Kobayashi effortlessly does that here.

ToQger avoids contrived twists and instead focuses on the core themes of friendship and imagination in a way that is character-driven without sacrificing plot. And that results in a relatively simple, yet wholly effective and impactful narrative.

Our heroes, the friends they meet along the way and the season’s antagonists The Shadow Line are all so well-written and dynamic. Each character fully developed and having their own motivations and agency. The ToQgers, including Akira, Conductor, Ticket and Wagon, are all so charming with some of the best chemistry you’ll see on any Sentai season. And The Shadow Line, still, has some of the best story and character development I’ve seen on a toku series.

I’ve never cried as much during a Sentai or Kamen Rider or Power Rangers season as I did during ToQger. MaGMCMs all over the place. And I definitely am not ashamed or afraid to admit it.

ToQger has that perfect mix of legit drama and happy fun. A warmth and sincerity that not many other toku seasons have. It is a season that still resonates with me ten years later. And I am so thankful to everyone involved in the season for helping to bring it to such vivid life.

Happy 10th Anniversary Ressha Sentai ToQger!

The post Happy 10th Anniversary Ressha Sentai ToQger! appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. And wow! I’ve now watched 15 seasons of Sentai. And it’s been almost 15 years since I watched my first one in Shinkenger!

So with King-Ohger having wrapped up its run and Boonboomger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh. It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

4. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias will put Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #4s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

Its slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

4. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Toei! Give me that crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

4. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

4. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 13 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

4. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

10. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #10 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great.

10. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

Tied for #10 might seem very low for King-Ohger to many people. But I have really enjoyed most of the Sentai seasons I’ve watched so far. (Except for one or two as you see below.) Like I mentioned in my Season Wrap-up, this season did a lot of things very well. The few nitpicks I might have of the season did not keep me from enjoying and being entertained by the season overall. The season offered refreshing new approaches to familiar themes. It was of course visually different from any Sentai season we’ve seen yet.

But for me, it still misses that certain something that really would make me love the season more than I do. It’s tough when aside from my Top 3, I have six other seasons that I love and enjoyed equally. For different reasons of course, but it’s hard for me to put one over the other. Heck even Nininnger is *thisclose* from tying them as well. Which would then mean King-Ohger joins the seasons all bunched up in the middle.

Again, having King-Ohger this low doesn’t mean it’s bad or I dislike it. It’s just I have other seasons for which I have stronger feelings for.

12. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

13. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place.) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

14. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him.

15. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive.

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 15 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2024 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Another season of Super Sentai has come and gone and another one is days away from premiering. A few years ago, I started to rank the seasons of both Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I have watched so far. And wow! I’ve now watched 16 seasons of Sentai. And it’s been almost 16 years since I watched my first one in Shinkenger!

One thing when it comes to Sentai for me is that I actually have enjoyed most of the seasons. Which is why several seasons are bunched up in the middle of my list. Seasons that I liked and enjoyed a lot, but not enough to be my absolute favorites. And certainly no anywhere near as regretful as those on the bottom of my list.

So with Boonboomger having wrapped up its run and Gozyuger coming up, it’s time to update that list. So here we go!

(*note* Yasuko Kobayashi GOAT appreciation ahead!)

1. Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

Amazing. It featured a strong, dramatic, emotional storyline, but didn’t forget to have a little fun to help put things into perspective. It had legitimate and truly surprising twists that kept things exciting. The tweaked formula helped the season feel fresh at the time and it has now since become the norm.

It had a large group of likeable characters (human and not) and a deliciously crafty and slick villain. It had a great, talented cast. But maybe, most importantly, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters started a journey and satisfyingly concluded it. And that conclusion couldn’t have worked without having plenty of heart and emotional connection.

1. Ressha Sentai ToQger

ToQger has many similar qualities. Which is probably why it’s tied for my #1. I absolutely love the idea of childhood friends “growing up” to become superheroes. The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home gave the season a sort of nostalgic feel. And that helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or PR season ever did. I was immediately invested in the ToQgers regaining their memories and finding their hometown. They are fun and likeable characters. And like other toku seasons, it is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. It has an incredibly charming ensemble cast. The villains have some of the best story and character development I’ve ever seen on any toku show. And the amount of heart that helps make those emotional climaxes effective really resonated with me.

3. Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

My first full Sentai season. And I loved it. There are lots of twists and turns through the 49 episodes, like any genre show, with an intricately woven mythology. We see the relationships between the Shinkengers develop, relationships between the villains, and even get to see some very good backstory on both our heroes and the villains. Shinkenger has a great cast, very likable, and made their characters people you’d want to spend time with. It was very refreshing watching Shinkenger, almost like a reboot of Power Rangers itself for me personally. A little more exciting, a little deeper, a little more action than your typical Power Rangers. Like I credit Wild Force with bringing me back to Power Rangers after so many years, Shinkenger will now always hold a special place in my TV heart as the series that brought me into the world of Super Sentai.

4. Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

Perhaps it’s partly because the season was a return to a more traditional execution of a Sentai season after three years of creatively different approaches. But the most basic things I look for in a Sentai season, Boonboomger delivered and then some. Endearing characters, a talented cast, engaging plots, relatable and sincere stories, and creative action sequences accompanied one of the most well-paced stories I’ve seen on any toku series.

Deep character-driven narratives will be something I will always be drawn to. And with this season’s solid focus on each character, heroes and villains alike, it was able to convey its core message of taking control of your handle/wheel and being able to confidently drive toward your future. While of course welcoming others on the ride along the way.

When a season can leave a smile on my face (or welcome tears in my eyes) week after week for an entire year, it’s easily secured a spot near the top of my list.

5. Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

For me, the mark of a good season is when it can make a grown man like myself cry like a baby. Kyuranger did that numerous times. The season almost immediately captured my attention and there was never a time during the course of the season that I doubted my early proclamation of love. Maybe some times when I felt like they could’ve done things differently. But the season featured a great cast (both the face actors, the voice actors and the suit actors as well). The story progressed at a steady pace. And the clear endgame allowed for a lot of great character moments. Perhaps not the amount of depth I would have wanted to see, but still great episodes that helped to make each character distinct. And that’s a big accomplishment when this was such a huge cast.

I just really love this season. It is by no means perfect. But it had everything I look for in a toku show, or any show in general. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

5. Avataro Sentai Donbrothers

Recency bias has Donbrothers high on this list. But I do keep it in line with the rest of my #5s. That is, they all have really strong aspects that aren’t hurt too much by whatever missteps or shortcomings they might respectively have.

Donbrothers is simply a fun season. The goodwill they were able to foster early on help to set the tone for the rest of the season. An overall lighthearted approach to the usual Sentai format allowed for endearing characters and a charming cast to really just have fun. And that in turn allowed the audience to have fun as well. Soaking in the random, amusing and wacky shenanigans week after week while being treated to some legitimately emotional and sweet moments; Donbrothers really had a lot to like and enjoy.

Though the season might have been lighter on the explosive action, the season still had just enough toku magic to support the more character-focused narrative.

Its slice of life style is something I accepted early on. And ultimately, I think that is what allowed me to fully enjoy this fun season.

5. Mashin Sentai Kiramager

I think both ToQger and Kiramager share so many great qualities. (Mr. Toei! I’m still waiting for that colorful crossover!) A charming, totally likeable and talented cast. Full, multi-dimensional characters. (Both the heroes and villains.) An engaging story. Being able to balance both the silly and some heavier, dramatic stories. And the ultimate lesson of friendship, family and bonds. Kiramager really delivered in all aspects that I look for in a season I end up enjoying.

The show was able to give us characters that we could truly care about. In stories that are actually set on solid foundations. And to help compliment that, the season had one of the best musical scores in a long time. That background music would add so much to each scene, especially in the most dramatic moments.

As this was a season produced during the start of COVID, it faced some hurdles. But they were able to successfully and safely complete production. And not only that, but they were still able to deliver one of the most satisfying, complete and enjoyable seasons in years.

A wonderful, positive, fun escape that had so much heart, warmth and sincerity. Mashin Sentai Kiramager was indeed a bright, shining light during that challenging time.

5. Tensou Sentai Goseiger

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. That’s absolutely the case with Goseiger for me. Back then, the response from fans was quite tepid. And for me, it was my #5 ranked season out of the six I had watched at the time. But looking back, I’ve developed a stronger appreciation for the season. Especially since it was the second Sentai season I ever watched. And for this 2025 update, I’ve nudge it up my list, even as it still ties with its fellow #5s.

One of the biggest accomplishments of Goseiger is how it handled the balance of its outright slapstick goofiness and the heavier, legitimately more dramatic story turns. The way the season was divided amongst villain factions may have seemed odd at the time. But by the end, everything came together in the most shocking and satisfying way. Goseiger is a completely satisfying and fun experience. A great story, a likeable cast, fun characters, and epic villains. (I even think one of the best villains in all 16 seasons I’ve watched.) Goseiger is secure at this spot on my list.

5. Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger

Ryusoulger is a fascinating season. It seemed vague at first, but much more obvious as the season progressed. The season was shining an interesting and important light on mental health. There was a direct reference to the infamous Aokigahara in the premiere. And in the first few episodes, one of the supporting characters attempted suicide.

But the Ryusoulgers were positive people and through them, we learned the importance of friends, family and bonds. Being able to reach out to someone when you need help and to reach out when you see someone who might need help. An excellent and surprising theme, but a welcome one to have.

Ryusoulger was fun and enjoyable. When they did goofy stuff, it was fun. When they delved into more serious matters, they hit the marks as well. Certainly some missed potential here and there. But overall an enjoyable season with strong characters, good action and successfully touching on heavier subjects not usually seen on toku shows.

5. Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

Gokaiger is pure fun, but with just enough substance and more than a touch of sentimentality to appeal to anyone from longtime fans to the uninitiated new fan (like myself at the time). Whether it’s the action, the characters, or the nostalgia, you’ll find at least one thing, if not all of ‘em, to keep you entertained for 25 minutes every week. Its great, charismatic cast carried all season. But the writing and story did its part as well. When you can effectively deliver anniversary season antics while allowing the current team to be able to stand on their own even without it, you’ve got a winner.

11. Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

Ninninger is definitely not a favorite amongst the fans. But as I’ve mentioned many times over the years, I don’t care. I don’t form my opinions on things based on what everyone else thinks or what the “cool” viewpoint is to have. If I like something, then I’ll like it. If you don’t, then good for you.

But for me I really enjoyed Ninninger. It might be ranked #11 on my list, but I enjoyed it. And the main reason is that I firmly believe the season’s theme was about family. The Ninningers were family and they served as the contrast to what became of the Kibaonis. When I had doubts about the direction of the main story or while Grandpa was being all sketchy, the familial bond between the cousins (Kinji included and sometimes Father when he was around) helped carry the show through. Many episodes either reinforced that familial bond or used the family ties to deliver some fun adventures. Family is definitely very important to me, so seeing family play out here on Super Sentai was great. And the finale was able to bring all of it together in a very satisfying way.

11. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

Tied for #11 might seem very low for King-Ohger to many people. But I have really enjoyed most of the Sentai seasons I’ve watched so far. (Except for one or two as you see below.) Like I mentioned in my Season Wrap-up, this season did a lot of things very well. The few nitpicks I might have of the season did not keep me from enjoying and being entertained by the season overall. The season offered refreshing new approaches to familiar themes. It was of course visually different from any Sentai season we’ve seen yet.

But for me, it still misses that certain something that really would make me love the season more than I do. It’s tough when aside from my firm Top 3, I have other seasons that I love and enjoyed equally. For different reasons of course, but it’s hard for me to put one over the other. Heck even Ninninger is *thisclose* from tying them as well. Which would then mean King-Ohger joins the seasons all bunched up in the middle.

Again, having King-Ohger this low doesn’t mean it’s bad or I dislike it. It’s just I have other seasons for which I have stronger feelings for.

13. Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

As light and enjoyable as the individual episodes might have been, as likeable as the characters can be, there’s still an unfulfilled feeling for me. The season either relied heavily on filler episodes and side adventures or built up stories and set up foundations to stories that went nowhere in the end. As nice as everything was, I left this season with that sense of being unsatisfied and unfulfilled. So much potential wasted and so many balls (gears?) being dropped.

14. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

I still haven’t watched all episodes of Kyoryuger. Strange, I know. But I honestly don’t have any urge to do so. I don’t really know why. I don’t hate or even dislike the season. But it’s not really a season I’d go and rewatch again. (Hello, you haven’t even finished it in the first place!) But really, I only care about Kyoryuger mainly because it gave me Power Rangers Dino Force Brave, the special Korean series that I absolutely love.

15. Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger

I honestly feel some sort of apathy to the season itself. I don’t hate it or dislike it, per se. But I found it truly hard to connect with any of the characters. And the biggest reason might be the imbalance in how the show treated the Lups vs the Pats. Then there’s the lack of a truly cohesive and well-developed story and weak foundation for what should’ve been a strong endgame. With LuPat, while there were some good things, even great things, during the course of the season, I arrived at the end of the season feeling apathetic and unsatisfied.

The VS concept is interesting on paper. But if you’re going to do a versus concept, there should be parity between the two teams. And the show didn’t seem interested in doing that. And I think that’s the biggest flaw of the season for me.

The only thing I really actually cared about during the season was Zamigo and Jingi Irie absolutely embodying the character for the fleeting moments we did get of him. But even the fact that he was wasted kind of docks even more points off for the season for me.

16. Doubustu Sentai Zyuohger

Honestly, I’d have LuPat and Zyuohger tied for last. But Zyuohger is absolutely my least favorite season solely because of the way they wrote the character of Misao. The way they treated him during the season was so horrible and actually quite offensive. (It’s been years and I still feel that way when I end up remembering it.)

Zyuohger opened with great promise. The visuals looked completely wacky and all over the place, but the story seemed very interesting. The promise of a “fish out of water” story with the Zyumans in the human world opened up lots of possibilities for things they could do during the season. On the villain side, Ginis’ deadly Blood Game definitely reminded me very much of the classic English class short story The Most Dangerous Game. But as the season went along, balls (cubes?) were being dropped left and right. Things that made the season actually charming and fun where tossed aside. And it was the introduction of Misao that really signaled that things were starting to go off the rails.

You can read a more detailed version of my views of the season here. But essentially, the Zyuohgers were assholes and treated Misao like crap. Not only that, the season turned his mental health issues and depression into the butt of jokes. Like, WTF is that?

Anyway, that was all very regrettable. And though the surprising Returns movie went a long way in trying to correct the series’ wrongs and Yamato returned to be a stud of a hero in Super Sentai Saikyo Battle, Zyuohger is firmly my least favorite season.

Special Mentions

Super Sentai Strongest Battle

I absolutely loved this four-episode miniseries. I wish we got more! They were able to fill in so much in the miniseries and still have a lot of material left for more potential episodes. The “Oddballs” were an unexpectedly fun, ragtag group of Sentai All-Stars. The miniseries drew upon each of those characters and their respective seasons and created a brand new, special story that ended up being enjoyable and emotional. Really wonderful.

Power Rangers Dino Force Brave

I was looking forward to seeing a Korean Power Rangers series. Having been fully riding the Korean Wave for years now, having a real Korean toku series, especially directly connected to Senai was a fun idea. And then the cast of familiar faces (to me) was announced and I was already sold. In the end it was a nice sequel to Kyoryuger and still was able to stand on its own. The plot and what little we did see of each character in the short 15-minute episode format really showed the potential of what a full series could have been like. Dino Force Brave was great fun. It was more than just an extra toy commercial for the Korean market. It was a well-done story in a unique format. Lots of creativity, especially with the mecha battles. It was refreshing and very enjoyable.

The post Looking Back at (And Ranking!) The 16 Super Sentai Seasons I’ve Watched So Far! (2025 Update) appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.