Ohranger Versus Movies + Wrap-up

 

Ohranger Robo VS Oh Blocker featuring Sasuke and Tsuruhime
 

I think this viewing of the movie -- for the sake of covering it here -- was only the second time I watched it in full. And it's still as bad as I remembered it. You might be tempted to cut it slack for being the first Versus movie as we know them. No...there's no reason for this movie to be this way.

No Kakuranger appears in this movie until it's half over. The movie starts with some great Yamaoka action, with exploding vehicles and heroes falling from waterfalls, but then settles into boring mecha junk and...*sigh*...Gunmajin shenanigans. (For what it's worth, this is probably the only time he's funny. He's just out of place here. It's called Ohranger vs KAKURANGER. Get to the Kakuranger, movie!)

The movie just comes across as a sort of check list for what the suits think will make for "big" or "classic" moments. Mechas fighting each other? Check. A crazy shootout at Western Village? Check. Fights at Korakuen? Check. Miyauchi dressed as Hayakawa? Check. Bikini scene with the Ohranger heroines? Check. The Ohranger using literally every single weapon and mecha and maneuver in their stock footage arsenal as Bandai requested? Check. Teaming up with Kakuranger? Um...oops!

It's hard to believe Soda wrote this. You'd think the guy, with all of his Sentai experience and knowledge, could find a way to bring these two teams together, but...nope. Nothing like waiting for three of the Kakuranger members to spend the entirety of their screen time driving to where the action is happening!

F+

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Carranger VS Goro
 

This is one my top favorite Sentai VS movies. Whereas Soda didn't even want to try to get the worlds of Ohranger and Kakuranger to mix and have it be a true crossover, writer Yoshio Urasawa finds the perfect way of bringing the serious Ohranger into the wild and crazy world of Carranger. The Ohranger are the straightmen in this comedy, and the movie avoids the easy hackiness of having them just be square simpletons in deference to Urasawa's characters, but the Ohranger are just all business here. They're puzzled by the Carranger, but they've seen enough strange shit in their own show to go with the flow.

It's one of the only Versus movies to genuinely showcase a "versus" between the teams! It all starts with Kyousuke thinking the Ohranger are treating Bara Mobile badly and spirals out of control from there. There's just so many funny bits to this movie that it's pointless to get into them all.

It's sad, though, that the formula hasn't been cracked on how to incorporate all of the previous team's members. Everyone but Goro is basically just a cameo here. (Wouldn't you have liked to see Shouhei interact with the Carranger more? I think that guy would get along well with them.) But the movie makes up for it by giving Miyauchi a lot to do -- Miura's training of the Carranger is my favorite part of the movie. For as seriously as Miyauchi takes toku, you know he has a sense of humor and likes to get in on shenanigans when he can, so he looks like he's having a blast in this movie. Did you ever picture Miyauchi sharing a scene with Dappu?

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Wrap-up

As disappointing as I thought some of the final episodes were, I came out of this viewing of Ohranger with a bit more of a positive feeling for the show. Like I said, there were quite a few episodes that I remembered being worse than they were. Ever since I started my blog, I had plans to do a post about Ohranger. It was about the show's tonal clashing, all of the cooks in its kitchen, and I called Ohranger "Frankenstein's Monster of Super Sentai." It does have issues with tone, it does have a bit of an identity crisis, but it's best to just enjoy the show as an action-packed spectacle. It's far from perfect, but it's trying to convey so many different styles -- purposely. 

It's easy to get hung up on the "Wah! Real life events changed the show!" (And it's not just the subway attacks that this references, but the Great Hanshin earthquake.) But I do think a lot of the whiplash is because it wants to honor all different types of Super Sentai for the anniversary, and that is pretty cool and neat and something that I can appreciate. Could they have done better? Obviously. The show tries to encompass so many styles that it often risks its own identity. But the attempt is made, and I should be a little more forgiving since, as I said at the start, it was the first Sentai to genuinely acknowledge the franchise's anniversary and longevity, and that's pretty special.

And, of course, the show favors a certain era of Sentai -- and toku -- more than the others. I used to always dismiss Ohranger because it didn't seem like MY preferred era of shows, but once I got around to seeing more of Uehara's Sentais and other tokus from his time, what Ohranger attempted became more clearer. (In case you're new here -- I'm a Hirohisa Soda guy, and my preferred era of toku is the '80s.) I'd similarly be dismissive of people who were like "Ohranger is a good homage to Showa Sentai." In my head, I thought they should be honoring Soda's Showa shows, since that's MY idea of Showa Sentai, so I'd scoff. But Ohranger IS a good homage to Showa Sentai, just that it's the '70s and early '80s shows that it best pays tribute to. (It obviously pays tribute to and acknowledges mid-to-late '80s shows, but you can tell the showmakers' hearts belong to the '70s. And even '60s toku!)

It would have been nice for the show to retain its tone and quality from the start, but it wasn't going to. Not only from all of the different people working on it, but the show was always going to reach a point where Toei cut off its budget to put into the next show. And while effort was made into making it a celebration, they didn't always stick the landing and, like I said, focused too much in one area. It's frustrating that Ohranger could have easily been a really fucking GREAT show, but there are so many issues holding it back. But at the same time, a lot of those issues make the show what it is -- they make it unique. There's never going to be another Sentai where they get all former head writers back or have such a blend of old guard and new directors...

Longtime Toei producers Takeyuki Suzuki and Susumu Yoshikawa leave after this show. Longtime directors like Takeshi Ogasawa and Shouhei Toujou leave the franchise after it. (Nagaishi sits Carranger out, which I find interesting. I suppose he favored doing Changerion.) Sugimura leaves the franchise after this; Takaku and Uehara never work on Sentai afterward. Not only is Ohranger a big celebration of Sentai and toku past, but it's also a send-off and closing the door and passing of the torch to an era and style of Super Sentai. It's embodied by Goro Hoshino -- I wrote in my Red Warriors post that he's the last traditional Red and how Reds get real schizo after him. Well, Sentais get REAL crazy after this, so...Ohranger was a turning chapter, with the keys being handed over to Shigenori Takatera and some new blood he'll bring in on Carranger.

Honestly, I think a lot of Ohranger's problems come from Sugimura; I'm not sure he was the best choice of main writer, I think he has his own little quirks and preferences and his style doesn't go well with what Ohranger wanted to do, and I feel like he had his eye on the door during this show. His past three Sentai series had been more fantasy and fanciful. While his Metal Hero shows, like Winspector, prove he can handle something more in the realm of sci-fi, I don't know if that's how he saw Sentai. I think he saw Sentai as being lower, and his inclination was to keep it kid-friendly. I think he just felt freer to let his freak flag fly in Sentai. But a burning-out Sugimura at least kept Ohranger from being as nutty as his shows could often be; it kept him restrained.

I didn't start this Ohranger rewatch with the intention to cover it here; it just happened that way. I might have gotten softer on Ohranger over the years, but it was never close to being a favorite -- but I ended up forgiving a lot of its shortcomings and enjoying more of it on this rewatch. And it's just kind of strange to feel a positivity for a show I had such negative feelings for. Although, the show could have easily been so much better with some tweaks. So many of the elements are there. As it is, I guess it's appropriate that it's an oddball curiosity to inspect and analyze like some artifact.

Ohranger Episodes 45-48

 

 

EPISODE 45, 46, 47, 48

Sugimura returns to write the final four episodes, as Kaiser Bulldont has realized the show's almost over and decides to launch his full-on assault! The latest Machine Beast unleashes dark particles that interfere with and take over every machine on Earth. Does this pose any threat to the machines of Baranoia? Is this a risk for them to use, and why it's used for the final assault, maybe? It's not really answered, but that would have been interesting.

The final Machine Beast is pretty cool, a centipede-shaped monster whose suit utilizes three suit actors and some puppeteering.

It's always cool, and gives a great sense of danger, when a Sentai team's base ends up being destroyed by the villains. We also see a ton of UAOH officers being cut down by Barlow soldiers and it makes you realize how shrunken the show has become since those early episodes, when you'd regularly see UAOH staff members running around. (Played by the likes of Kazutoshi Yokoyama and Yasuhiro Takeuchi!) The show eventually reduced that to just Miura. And sometimes he goes missing!

The first of these four episodes is just a big spectacle, kicking off the four-part finale. It's a shock to end on Goro, Juri, and Momo being powerless and chased. The Ohranger, for as strong and professional as the show likes to make them, are often always taking a beating or shown to be on the losing end. I kinda like that about the show, even if at the same time I'm not really buying the Baranoia are ever that competent. The finale is kicked off with big events and is exciting, but it's a little downhill from there...

I know a lot of fans like these final episodes, but they seem a bit haphazard to me. They don't fully work. The show has such a great start and then you look at these final episodes, which are a little generic to me and have Sugimura pulling a lot of ideas from nowhere. And we're relying a little too much on gimmicks here. "Miura's dead! Riki's dead! Dorin's dead! Everyone's either dead or powerless, OMG! Psych!" These episodes work as action-oriented spectacle, but they're not thematically or emotionally strong. Spectacle has been one of Ohranger's greatest strengths, I'd say moreso than being emotional, but these episodes are attempting to tie themes together and be emotional, so I have to judge them that way.

And I feel like the Ohranger are a little too careless here. Shouhei and Yuuji's been captured, Miura is thought to be dead, things are looking dire... I don't think the early Goro would have risked going to look for Miura, leaving Juri and Momo to fall into Baranoia's trap. (Sorry, Momo, but I won't defend you for not listening to Juri and walking into that super obvious trap.) The first half of this episode is just the Ohranger being careless like that. The second half is them just watching the episode alongside the audience from King Pyramidder before Dorin magically sends it to space. 

The Ohranger are taken to Dorin's homeworld, filled with nothing but a bunch of Dorin, where it's retconned/pulled from Red Puncher's ass that the Dorin are the source of Choriki and the Dorin we've been following in the show is the Dorin which guards Earth and...what, they're like the Green Lantern Corps or something? And all of a sudden Choriki is like The Force and can be used as the plot calls for? This whole segment is very Metal Hero to me, in visuals and in terms of making-up-new-shit-on-the-spot. (Including a pointless delay by having Kaiser Bulldont -- somehow, it's unexplained -- send the Ohranger through a trippy hellish dimension to pad the episode/force some drama.) What happened to the Dorin just being some mischievous race that was all killed (save one) by Baranoia way back? That the Choriki and all that was from the ancient civilization? The Choriki was initially meant to just be what powers the tech, but here it's being treated as some mystical Force-type power. Sure, there was a mystical mystery to what the power exactly is, but it never seemed to be the all-purpose Dino Guts kind of ability as depicted in these final episodes.

The cooler idea is that the Ohranger return to Earth, their brief dimensional journey measuring six Earth months, only to find that the Baranoia have finally taken over the world. (And by the world, I mean Japan. Obviously. But also because we were told in Episode 1 they were already supposed to have taken over the other big places, although I wouldn't be surprised if the show just forgot about that.) In that time, Miura has led Riki and some UAOH officers in an underground resistance, uncertain of the Ohranger's fate. (There's six UAOH officers, and at least three of them are the Ohranger suit actors. I recognize Kazutoshi Yokoyama, Kenji Takechi, and Yasuhiro Takeuchi. But are Yokoyama and Takeuchi the same UAOH dudes from earlier on?)

It's not helping the show that it's running out of money, but this scenario of a darkened Earth, with nature dying as the Baranoia take over, with Miura's underground UAOH, doesn't exactly require the biggest budget; they could have used this drab sparseness more to their advantage. But they just want to rush through it and get to Carranger, I guess. Nagaishi returns to direct Episodes 47 and 48, so 47 at least has some nice shots and atmosphere. I just feel like there's a lot of rushing in these episodes, and they lack oomph and the impact the earlier episodes had. I think a lot of my problem is just the making shit up on the spot nonsense. Think of how take charge Goro is in that premiere episode. And think of here, where the Ohranger are treated as useless and helpless until Dorin tells them to use The Schwartz. The Ohranger are more competent than this, especially Goro.

Episode 46 marks the last for Junji Yamaoka as action director. Episodes 47 and 48 feature action by Jun Murakami who is no Yamaoka. (He's not even a Niibori.) I like the fight at the beach in the end of 47, though; Murakami's doing his best, but he likes to have more editorial cheats in his fight scenes than Yamaoka, who's famous for all of those meticulously planned out wideshots or panning shots.

I would have given 47 a higher rating if they had had the balls to make Mikio a Baranoia spy all along, instead of that just being a fake-out. I don't really give a shit about Mikio, so I would have liked for there to have been a better, more important instigator in getting the Ohranger to rise again and regain their power. I don't think Goro gives a shit about Mikio, either, so I don't buy he was willing to take such a hit for him and that was the catalyst to inspiring the others and "uniting their hearts." Mikio! Who cares?! Sorry, Miyauchi, but this kind of thing called for Miura's death. He was out there fighting, he could have gotten killed and I'd buy THAT as a reason to get the Ohranger so fired up they get Choriki back. But if Sugimura just has to include a kid, how about...

The talk about needing "heart" and "uniting your hearts," the gist being this is coming down to human hearts vs machines. So I think it would have even been more interesting had Goro or the Ohranger protected Bulldont and Malteua's (just-revealed) infant. Put the kid in danger -- destruction caused by Baranoia, obviously -- have Goro take a hit, be like, "How dare you endanger your kid?" And of course Bulldont doesn't give a shit, he's the emotionless machine. But Goro put himself in danger for an innocent child's life, even if that child was a machine. That would show you the difference between the humans and machines, that would be the "human heart" being victorious. That would be a little more meaningful, giving these final episodes the...heart that they're ironically lacking.

And that would work for me more than empty comparisons between the human baby Ohranger saves and Bulldont's kid. And I certainly don't buy Hysterrier's finding a heart, pleading with the Ohranger to spare her robot grandkid when they raid the palace, guns drawn. The Ohranger being surprised to find one of the Baranoia having developed feelings and a heart could work...in another story with another character. Hysterrier was one of the crueler of the original Baranoia gang!

These final episodes just feel lazy and generic. Generic speeches about protecting nature and love and gumdrops and unicorns. You gotta laugh when Goro's speechifying about love and Bulldont is like "You weak humans and your love. Ready, Schmoopie? LOVE LOVE ATTACK!" That's the laziness, how unaware the writing is and how obvious it is that Sugimura just wants to get the hell out of town. 

Our heroes, again, feel like they don't have much presence, they're not driving the story, they're practically bystanders. They've taken a backseat now to Riki, Dorin and now the day is saved by GUNMAJIN! Sugimura and his dei ex machina... Here, once again -- and in the final episode, no less -- Gunmajin is literally dropped into the scene, the height of laziness. And this time it's Miura who makes a wish to save some of the goddamn mecha the show loves so much. (Funny that they don't have Miyauchi saying the phrase to activate Gunmajin. I'm guessing he thought that was just too damn goofy.) Our cast of heroes are so good and dedicated, even if they don't have the strongest characters, they were at least always shown to be so strong and determined and fight their own fights. But here they seem like newbs, just waiting to be bailed out by Miura's army of mecha and magical, all-powerful Choriki. (It's cool that they give Miyauchi a lot of action in these final episodes, though.)

What's the deal with the Gunmajin love? He gets the big send-off at the end and the very last shot of the series is of Gunmajin's key. Someone really overestimated this character's worth and potential popularity. He's never fit into the series! He's never been funny! He's never even been a good character! But neglect our regulars and focus on him... And, yeah, really entrust him with Bulldont's baby and Acha and Kocha. These guys are going to float through space, merge and come back a menace like V'ger.

And so the battle with Baranoia ends...for now. (Again, V'ger.) Our heroes are rewarded with hearing that they have to help restore the planet! UAOH is a job for them and will continue to be so, which is a nice little touch. Even military Sentai prior to this, like Sunvulcan and Changeman, basically hint that the heroes will just go about their regular lives after the finale. What I find curious is that they don't bother saying what Riki will get up to. He's reunited with a healed Dorin and they greet one another and run off into the woods and that's it, because we have to have a lengthy goodbye for Gunmajin. Is Riki just going to live an ordinary life? Hang around King Pyramidder all day? Go back to hibernating? Well, the show doesn't care about Riki -- never did. And I feel like he was supposed to be a much bigger deal, a more integral part of the story. He was the big deal, not Dorin.

But before you ponder any questions or realize how disappointed you might be in this final episode, the show wisely distracts you with the finale's ending credits sequence, a cool and well-made little package set to "Niji-iro Crystal Sky." Whoever put the clips together and decided to use that song deserved a raise for their contribution!

It's not a horrible final few episodes; there are worse finales. There are good ideas here. They don't always land or are rushed through, mistaking narrative shortcuts and rushing for grand reveals and an intense pace. You know the show's capable of delivering in a bigger way, so they're just disappointing. I feel like even the usually-dependable cast is like "Can't we do better than this?"

Ohranger Episodes 39-44

 

EPISODES 39, 40 & 41

Bomber the Forgettable goes just as quickly as he came. I still don't get the point of his introduction, I really don't think he was necessary; you could have gotten the same results in another way. I feel it could have just as easily been Acha who decides to take the throne; it would mirror Bacchushund and the other servant robots' original rebellion against the people of the ancient civilization. (The servant robot Acha rising against his superiors.) Bulldont can still be exiled, discover Bacchushund's severed-yet-still-functioning head and be powered up as Kaiser Bulldont and return to reclaim his throne; and then they could just have Acha's memory wiped, and it could be an allusion to when the Big Three tried to usurp Dr. Man in Bioman.

I like Kaiser Bulldont and Malteua, though, the way their big debuts are filmed, and I would rather have had them brought into the show sooner. Maybe it's because their designs are easier to take than the other Baranoia; maybe it's that they remind me of Megiddo and Chimera from Dynaman. It's sad that Kaiser Bulldont's going to be the head villain and is supposed to be so much more vicious now when we've spent so much of the show with him being that whiny, obnoxious, goofball brat. (I just don't like Tomokazu Seki's voicework as the younger Bulldont.)

My big problem with this episode, though, is when Bomber the Great is turned into a missile that Bulldont aims toward the sun and the day is saved by...Gunmajin. I mean, the Ohranger just stand there, looking at the sky, doing jackshit. It's up to some kid to request Gunmajin take care of the situation and he does, as the Ohranger just watch like an audience member. Way to make your heroes look like chumps who don't want to make any kind of effort to save the world, show.

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EPISODE 42

I think this is a pretty cool episode, and probably the best of the episodes Soda provides. (Or at least my favorite of his Oh episodes.) It's another example of something Ohranger's done well -- a chase episode -- but it also tries to remember Riki and Dorin are characters on the show!

I like the sense that Bulldont and Malteua are supposed to be escalating things; they get right down to business, trapping and capturing the Ohranger, destroying their Power Braces, stringing them up for a public execution. The show might not be getting much money at this point, but Nagaishi makes up for it with directorial skill, providing atmospheric night shots and a tense chase sequence as the cool monster of the week, Bara Hunter, relentlessly pursues Goro.

Dorin feels responsible for the Ohranger being captured and the show tries to make her the symbol of peace; a pure being who doesn't want to fight -- and Riki and the others try to prevent her from getting involved to keep her hands clean. It's nice to remember Dorin and reestablish Riki as her guardian, having her be a symbol for peace. She's the last of her people who were killed by the initial Machine Beast rebellion, so it's great of Soda to try and treat her as important as she should be, setting her up to be the symbolic heart of the show.

The episode's intense: Nagaishi gives it a dark and frantic atmosphere. There's that sense of escalation, and there's a desperation as the heroes are captured and powerless and, thanks to Dorin's impatience, Riki is pulled into activating a forbidden and cursed power in order to help the others. It also helps that Dorin's actress is at least likable -- maybe not the best actress, but likable.

It's a better and more serious episode than Ohranger deserves at this point. But Uehara will see to that in the next one!

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EPISODE 43

Another episode that I remembered as being worse than it actually is. I'd say this is the goofy one before the end game, but since Uehara's mostly delivered goofy ones, chances are it was going to be goofy regardless. And keep this in mind: this is not just Uehara's last Ohranger script, but his last Sentai script, period. Ohranger was his return to the franchise. His episodes are a very mixed bag, but I know people fond of that area of toku take a liking to his episodes. Uehara is one of -- perhaps the most -- respected writers of toku. He gave this franchise its start, so I expected a little more out of him for his big return than the strange decision to contribute these very bizarre, inconsequential comedy-heavy episodes. (And one terrible movie.)

It's sad to have the villains stepping things up in recent episodes...and then this one is just a totally random plan that would make more sense if this week's Machine Beast was just a renegade doing his own thing. He's random, and his plan is stupid -- but his human avatar is played with such grumpy fun by Hiroshi Ookouchi, it totally helps save this episode. (I didn't recognize him, but he's Himeya's journalist bud from Ultraman Nexus!)

This episode is also a random shichi-henge episode, and one of the few times where the Ohranger are allowed to get into silly shenanigans -- it seems like that's only happened in Uehara episodes, actually. The reason we never saw Riki's actor again after this show is probably thanks to this episode -- he went into hiding out of embarrassment. They could have actually gone further with the Ohranger and their crazy disguises, I think, but the show actually restrains itself from showing them in too unflattering of light. You know they're all masters of disguise, because their boss is Banba Soukichi!

The Costanza family returns for the last time. I have to say...the idea of a recurring family in a Sentai who considers themselves unfortunate because they kept being swept up in supervillain plots IS a pretty funny one but should have been saved for another show, because they've never fit in with Ohranger.

Miura describes the villain plan as targeting the "human desire to escape painful reality." You can really understand that feeling. But this method of plan was the best Baranoia could do? Just making people think they're young's not enough. That's lazy. And these machines want to rule the world...

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EPISODE 44

Soda's last script for the series and it's a bit of a weird one, if you ask me. When I think of this episode, I refer to it as "goofy," and while it does have a lot of lighthearted or comedic scenes, it's, for the most part, NOT a comedic episode. It's meant to be a genuinely heartfelt send-off for Gunmajin. *dismissive shrug*

The highlight of the episode for me is Malteua taking a human form and targeting the Ohranger guys, later hypnotizing them into fighting for her. It's reminiscent of the Liveman episode Inoue did where Mazenda gets Yuusuke and Jou to fight for her. Malteua is probably my favorite of the Baranoia because she's been a pretty tough ass-kicker since her debut -- setting aside all of the "Schmoopie" stuff between her and Bulldont -- so it's doubly nice to have this episode where she has a human form, named Ai, played by Hiromi Yuhara.
 
I've talked about Yuhara before (and nobody cared about her until I talked about her), but she's guest-starred in a ton of late '80s and early '90s toku and was always sympathetic and stood out as a performer. Ohranger's the last toku she's appeared in -- the last thing on her filmography, period -- so on one hand, it's nice that it's such a memorable role. On the other, it's strange to see her as an outright villain. But she's so good at it! It's a shame she didn't get more to do here or was never given a regular villain role. (I always wanted to see her grow up to be a toku heroine, but she definitely had it in her to be a good villain, too. The disdain she shows for the Ohranger members...) 

Their goal is for Ai to seduce the Ohranger guys into giving over their most precious item. Thinking it will be some UAOH-related secret, the joke is that the Ohranger guys are a little too hardheaded and gift her with very useless personal items instead. (The whole episode could have been Masaru Shishido dramatically reading his mother's 800-page long letter and it would still have been funny.) Shouhei brings her treasured ramen joint coupons and Yuuji his entire bank account of about $40. This stuff all sounds so much like Inoue to me -- add to that the the Ai portion is reminiscent of that Liveman he did, so I have to wonder if he had some input or if Soda's just doing a really good imitation.

The episode would have been just fine being all about that, but they shoehorn in Momo getting Gunmajin's help and it shifts to being about him. And...who cares? This was not a loose end that needed tied up.

Ohranger Episodes 35-38

 

EPISODE 35

A great idea for an episode, where Momo gets to honor Goranger's Peggy by spending the episode attempting to defuse an undetonated missile which is pinning a girl down. It works well enough, filmed tensely with Tamao Sato giving a good performance. You just have to overlook a couple of more outlandish moments -- there's a big danger in the missile being moved, yet the vehicle it's in is tossed about numerous times. If it's able to take THAT much beating then, surely, Red Blocker could have just tossed the explosive into space or something, right? No, you have to buy into the idea that it's a delicate procedure.

This episode sees the introduction of the show's Sixth Villain, Bomber the Great. He steals Bara Nightmare's backstory in that he rebelled against Bacchushund, but he's nowhere near as cool and creepy as that character. Bomber's kind of like a proto-Bowzock, although he's intended to be more serious, but, keeping in with Baranoia tradition, he looks freaking ridiculous. You can't take the guy seriously as a contender for the throne, he just doesn't fit in, and he's got total seat-filler villain written all over him. He just seems like he's not hanging around, so they didn't overthink him. He's a monster of the week who doesn't know when to go away. Still, I can think of dozens of better themes than a missile-shaped biker punk as this guy who rebelled and wants to take over now that Bacchushund is pushing tin daisies.

This episode begins with an upset Bulldont firing all missiles from the Baranoia base to Earth, which the Ohranger easily stop. It just made me wonder...the Ohranger have known since the start of the show that the Baranoia are on the moon. Why just let them off? Does that sound like any military organization to you? They'd be sending their forces there. (Especially at this point, when the UAOH are crazy overpowered and have 35 mechas.)

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EPISODE 36

A farting monster. A green message. Another new damn mecha. Our Red hiding in a pile of garbage in order to sneak attack the farting skunk monster. Yeah...

I have to say, though, for as doofy as a pollution-farting (and belching) monster is, it's played surprisingly seriously. More specifically, the heroes play it seriously. As the scripts have gotten lighter or weirder, the cast is still serious. A lesser production, they would have all caved in by now. Now, the characters and actors can run the risk of seeming stupid or lifeless for behaving in such a serious, dramatic way in these scenarios, but the Ohranger heroes remain one of the show's strongest aspects. Would I like this cast in a more serious production? Most definitely. But they remain good, never veering into that Adam West "take things overly serious to play up the absurdity of it all" or that obnoxious "we're so cool and above this, we're IN on it, we're winkin' at ya" mentality that a cast like Kiramager has. They also don't phone it in.

So while I prefer more serious villains with more genuinely threatening agendas, and more dramatic scenarios for our heroes to be placed in, the Ohranger cast is at least still bringing it and is one of the show's saving graces for me.

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EPISODES 37 & 38

Is Gunmajin the most unnecessary addition to any show ever? Have him be a one-episode guest ally, but to bring him in now just shows you how out of wack this show's priorities are at this point. We just had the unimpactful defeat of the head villain, we're trying to get this very out of place replacement villain to work, but let's also toss in this new, totally disconnected character in the mix. THIS is Sugimura's agenda, after the mess the show just made? It's just too late in the show's run for this stuff. There's a scene where he's fighting the equally square peg Bomber the Great and my thought was "What show am I watching? Because this doesn't feel like Ohranger."

It really feels like a backdoor pilot. Gunmajin is such an old kind of idea, one I associate with '60s or early '70s toku -- and not Sentai -- and I'm sure that retro vibe worked for some people, a further addition to the show's throwback vibes, but I don't think it works for Ohranger and I question its inclusion. That they wanted to test out the idea for a potential show with a Gunmajin-type would be the only decent explanation. (Two years later we get Kabutack. Coincidence?!)

And to top it off, Akira Kamiya is wasted as the voice of Gunmajin. He's probably my favorite of the classic anime voice guys. This guy is Kenshiro! And this is his one big Sentai role, and it's this random character. Gotta love the commitment by the writers, when Gunmajin's origin is being questioned and Riki's like "Yeah, we didn't know 600 million years ago, either. He's either a robot...or not." Thanks, Riki. The show doesn't even know how to handle its sixth hero properly, he just pops up whenever they remember him, so the show doesn't need to be adding another random ally.

Ohranger Episodes 32-34

 

EPISODE 32

I think Noboru Sugimura basically saw the past three episodes and was like "I gotta do something to wake up the viewers and get them to pay attention again." And what a way to do it! This freaky sore-thumb of an episode. I've said it before, I'm a big Nightmare on Elm Street fan, so whenever there's something reminiscent of it, I'll pay attention. And a Momo episode, too.

For as much of a big deal is made about this episode's weirdness or extremeness, thinking that Sugimura went too far or didn't write a real Ohranger, I watch the episode and can actually picture it as a Winspector or Solbrain. In one of those shows, it would be a creepy kidnapper with technology to lock his captives in a frozen dream state. I wouldn't be surprised if it was an idea he had for one of those shows, but it's something that's easier to do with a big monster than it would have been with the regular, technologically-armed people who were the perps in those shows.

And this episode looks to me like it's really trying to save money, taking place mostly at the abandoned school. But what it lacks in budget it makes up for in style, in a big way. I think that's perhaps why this episode stands out for so many, right from the start it has a very distinctive style to it and it's really committed to the unsettling, horror-vibe, the palpable dread. It's made with more confidence, you sense the director's skill right away. And that's because this is the first episode of the show to be directed by Takao Nagaishi, returning to the franchise after a five-year absence. 

Nagaishi is one of the giants amongst Toei toku directors and was the go-to guy when you wanted quality. With a keen eye for visuals but also a strength for drama, someone who takes the material seriously and wants to raise the bar, he made a big impression on Toei staffers when he came aboard Changeman and went on to be the main director of the Maskman through Fiveman run. When producer Takeyuki Suzuki wanted to bring in new blood, Nagaishi was one of the longtime staffers cut alongside Soda. (It's a real shame Nagaishi didn't get to work on Jetman.) Suzuki had intended for Nagaishi to work on Ohranger sooner -- perhaps as its chief director -- but Nagaishi was busy working on other projects. So he instead debuts here at this late stage of the show, but he certainly makes his presence known.

So it's just night and day to come off of so many of these lower budget episodes with directors who seem to be punching the clock at this point of the show and hit this episode, with all of its directorial oomph, and with Nagaishi making the most of the smaller budget and limited locations. At the same time, though, it's a little unfair to give him so much praise when, being new to the show, he's making twice the effort to stick out and is fresh to it and not over-familiar to the point of seeming tired.

Since he's masked the entire time, I can't call him a Familiar Face, but I'd like to single out Yoshinori Okamoto as Bara Nightmare. His vocals are a little more restrained here, he makes Bara Nightmare such a gross creep. The approach to this character is just so strange to me, that he only gets one line about rebelling against Bacchushund -- he hardly seems connected to Baranoia or their goals, once again bringing to mind the unrelated lone agents of a Winspector. It's strange that Miura even sanctions this mission of Momo's, another show would have had him shoot her down and have her go rogue. You don't go rogue on Miyauchi, though.

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EPISODE 33

You go from having no mecha battle in the previous episode to having the screen crawling with (unnecessary) mecha here. But Nagaishi elevates what would ordinarily be a dull toy commercial thanks to some atmospheric direction. (The night scenes at the hospital as a family tries to keep hidden from Barlow soldiers is a particular highlight.)

Otherwise, this episode just seems plain on paper -- Bacchushund randomly deciding to launch a definitive, final, finally final attack! -- and the Ohranger gaining new mechas that aren't all that necessary for them to have. And I bet the suit actors of the '90s just loved having to pull double duty and play individual mechas like these. (Yellow Blocker looks like two pills from Dr. Mario.) 

Nagaishi and the staff do their damnedest to make it all seem big, though, having the five new mecha face a dozen past Baranoia monsters. (Because the show -- I mean, Baranoia! -- is running out of money and recycling. Hey, Shouhei said that a couple of episodes back, not me.) They go as far as their SFX allows them, the biggest being Red Blocker taking his fight to space. So, a bare script, but saved by Nagaishi, Yamaoka and SFX chief Butsuda and his crew.

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EPISODE 34

We've seen many a Sentai where the head villain is making those finally final threats to the world. Usually it ends up meaning upgrades or a new villain arriving or a new mecha, but here it means the end of Bacchushund, which I really don't understand when there's been no build up to this -- and since he was just revealed a few episodes back to be so important to the show's history. Why unceremoniously write him off? Shock value? No better ideas? Toru Ohira needing to leave? (Or Baranoia's having funding problems means they can't afford him any longer?)

Again, Nagaishi helps elevate this from being as generic as it could be. He keeps the Baranoia in dark colors and amps up the tension when the Baranoia chase Mikio as he tries to quickly make his way to the Ohranger. (It's interesting that Mikio fails in delivering the space metal; other shows would have had him succeed.) The episode is also a good old-fashioned training episode, as the Ohranger have to synch up to get Oh Blocker to its best performance. (Training with swords, it's reminiscent of Dynaman.) Who knows how this show could have turned out if Nagaishi worked on it from the start, man.

But Bacchushund is dealt with as easily as a standard monster of the week. No fanfare. I mean, I remember his noggin will be popping up in a jar (somehow), but this IS pretty much it for him in the show, and I just don't understand it.

Ohranger Episodes 29-31

 

EPISODE 29

Ugh. Not a lot to say about this episode than "ugh." I never considered Uehara a comedic writer, so it's odd to me that he comes into Ohranger trying to yuk it up so much. Keep in mind that Ohranger is Uehara's return to Sentai after 14 years. He's probably the most respected writer in toku history. You think he'd be aiming higher than this, trying to prove himself, trying to be like "I'm back, baby, and I'm gonna save this franchise!"

I don't understand Uehara's obsession with villains starting dance classes that end up mind controlling people or whatever, but he brings it to Ohranger after it being a part of so many of his Metal Heroes. He also brings back Shoichiro Akaboshi's annoying robot-obsessed Professor Henna character from 25. Juri gets pulled into this dumbness after her nephew takes the class...and it's sad that here's an episode with an Ohranger having some personal involvement -- and it's in this stale, forgettable Goof Fest.

I make the EXACT same face as Juri whenever Shoichiro Akaboshi pops up in something.

 

There's really just nothing to say about this episode. I did notice that the action director was Jun Murakami. It's not the first Ohranger episode he does, but you really miss Yamaoka when you have a stinker nothing episode like this, because he would at least given you some good action. It doesn't help that it looks like Toei's trying to save some money here; there's a cheapness to this episode. So it sucks when there's an episode hindered by cheapness of both the monetary kind and of the imagination -- that usually makes for weak episodes.

Famous Face of Sentai Past: Mikiko Miki, aka Jetman's Odagiri and Kou's mom from Dairanger. It's funny; I remember someone back in the day insisting that Miki played Oh Yellow, and here's an episode where Miki pops up as Oh Yellow's sister. So I guess that's some spot-on casting. 

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EPISODE 30

As I rewatched this episode, I just kept thinking of how great Carranger is, how it came along and was such an all-around breath of fresh air that makes generic, pointless episodes like this one look like the empty relic it is. Episodes like this just say "We're not even trying." There's a difference in doing something as a throwback because it's the anniversary and having a writer who's set in his ways not really giving a damn, and the latter is how these past two scripts of Uehara's have felt.

The plot's a Go-onger plot played straight, as the monster of the week puts everyone to sleep and the day is saved by Dorin and her watermelon-looking Pokemon. I think at this point Uehara is just trying to see how stupid of material he can turn in before getting in trouble. (And I think that answer is one more script; after the next episode, Uehara's next -- and final -- script isn't until 43.)

Dorin's Pokemon, Suikachuu.

Henna returns in this episode, also. I actually like the idea of him getting Baranoia scraps and rebuilding it into something, but...that goes nowhere. Now, if this had been a serious Machine Beast, but it was destroyed, and the inept Henna found it and rebuilt it and it became the stupidly cutesy thing that puts everything to sleep? That makes sense! That would be comedic! I'd cut the stupidity of this episode major slack! But that was already the too-cute robot's purpose, so it's just more of Baranoia's looking dumb and...meh.

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EPISODE 31

Uehara's third winner in a row. Can you imagine being an Ohranger fan in '95 and tuning in for three consecutive weeks of this quality of stuff? (Actually, looking at the airdates, there was a delay between 30 and 31. So four weeks! That's enough to break a show.)

To be honest, this episode isn't as bad as I remembered it -- Kaoru Shinoda's funny as the monster, there's the amusing scene of the Ohranger trying to flush the monster out -- but it just feels like a writer on fumes. They're reusing one of the ugly monsters from the movie, they bring back the Costanzas to yuk it up, the villain plan of the super diet water seems like an afterthought...

And is that Ryou's outfit Goro's wearing at the end? The show's trying to save money in more ways than just hauling out an old monster suit.

Oh, and have fun with this episode, Shout Factory viewers who don't get to see the movie to know the references! (You ain't missing nothing if you miss the movie; I think the connection to the awful movie is the main reason I remember this episode as being worse than it actually is.)

Familiar Voice of Sentai Past: Kaoru Shinoda, aka Okerampa and Tottopatto. Shinoda gets to be seen this time as the monster's human form, too! 

Ohranger Episodes 26-28

 

EPISODES 26, 27 & 28

An old hero. An old legend.

You know me, I'm not a fan of sixth heroes. If they're not hogging screentime, then they throw off the chemistry that's long been established by the main five. But the '90s approach, before they locked in to what would be the typical way of introducing the sixth, was a looser and more experimental time. New Kamen Rider shows will debut with more than one Rider now, so of course Sentais now have a sixth hero well before they need one. You'll never see a Sentai introduce one in the late 20s again.

I like Riki's storyline, though, and his design's cool. I like when heroes have a personal connection to the villains -- beyond it being just the job -- and that's something Ohranger lacks until Riki, even if they don't put it to its fullest use. That he's a legendary warrior who once banished Bacchushund from the Earth recalls Senshi Shaider, but Sugimura's spin is that he's such a young warrior. (Of course.) It goes with the character's whole Egyptian theme and aesthetic, even if doesn't make total sense with what the show has said about the ancient civilization in which all of the Ohranger's arsenal is based upon.

And I like Miura and all, but it seems like he's such a BS expert in these episodes, when he's giving us all the history of Riki and Dorin and the way that he somehow knows it was Machine Beasts they were fighting, and then THEIR history, and it's like...yeah, c'mon. The Baranoia were meant to be mysterious when the show started, Miura basically just lucking out that he was able to tap into Choriki and some of the ancient civilization's mysteries, but now he just knows everything. I know you're not meant to question The Miyauchi, but c'mon.

The ancient civilization creating Bacchushund, Machine Beasts and, by extension, the Baranoia is a little too tidy. I really have to shake the image of the show Ohranger began as and what it's become, and that's just difficult. Like I said, the Baranoia were meant to be a little mysterious, and having them originate on Earth seems to be convenience and a way to explain away or smooth some inconsistencies or anachronisms.

The war between people and the machines beginning on account of the Machine Beasts feeling they were better than being the servants they were created to be is such a classic sci-fi idea that demands to be explored, but Ohranger never does. You have to wonder if Sugimura would have delved deeper had the show not changed tone. So it's another instance where you are forced to ignore the show Ohranger was supposed to be and is getting further away from. Especially since with Riki comes Dorin, who brings far more of Sugimura's taste for fantasy to the show than Ohranger, the hard sci-fi show about invasion, was obviously meant to have. Riki's basically like bringing a Zyuranger into the mix -- an ancient warrior who deals with the oddity of modern day with the greatest of ease. (There's at least a nice scene -- a cool night shoot -- where Riki seems overwhelmed by amusement park rides speeding by; that wouldn't be fun for a kid who spent his life fighting killer machines. Still, a little more of him and Dorin acclimating to the present would have helped.)

(Speaking of Sugimura, this is the first episode he's written in, what, eight episodes? Dang.)

Dorin's just weird to me. She's like an odd combination of Changeman's Nana and Turboranger's Shiron but doesn't come anywhere close to them. It seems like the show was too afraid to have Riki be a full royal -- a pharaoh -- as he obviously was, so they found it humorous to give him this ethereal kind of magical fairy that outranks him. So Sugimura gets to bring two kids into this show as semi-regulars!

Fine, Riki's youth could work for the character, but it's still just too much to have another kid sixth right after Kou. I mean, Riki's way better than Kou, but it's still strange to me to have back-to-back kid sixths, even if Sugimura's involved. (No, Ninjaman doesn't count. Although he certainly acted like a kid, didn't he?) Both Kou and Riki's actors were 12 when they started their shows, for cripes sake.

I've been pretty hard on Riki actor Shouji Yamaguchi over the years. He's not a great actor, but he was supposedly cast for martial arts ability -- so you have to cut him some slack. (Not unlike some of the people they cast in early PR. I'd like to say this casting was some kind of further homage by the producers to Sentai's anniversary, an acknowledgement of Sentai's victory in the States with MMPR, but that's a mighty stretch.) There's something likable about him, and something sad seeming. It's weird seeing him with the rest of the cast, though, who all seem so mature. It's weirder to see him transformed and try to picture the same character. It's also weird deluxe if you saw Power Rangers Zeo first and think of Austin St. John -- he could believably be behind the King Ranger mask. But this shrimp?! (Not to mention, a Red -- the original Red, who had been unceremoniously written off -- returning was a huge, huge deal.) And the Ohranger here keep getting outdone by him and he's offering commentary when they're getting pwned -- and it makes them seem a little pathetic to be pushed aside by this kid, even if he IS meant to be the strongest warrior. But we know he's going to suffer the Fate of the Sixths -- no matter what a big splash they make in their intro, they soon get pushed back into the background, so I guess it doesn't matter.

In his first two episodes, Riki/King is dubbed by Takumi Hashimoto for some reason I can't find concrete proof of. I'd have preferred if Hashimoto played the character...and the design for the character -- which is glimpsed briefly in his debut episode -- even resembles him a bit, so I wonder... (Hashimoto would have been about 18 at the time; obviously older than Sugimura wanted, but Hashimoto still looks young even by the time he's playing a high-schooler in Megaranger at age 20.)

This looks to me like the character design for the production, not just a graphic they whipped up for this scene.

 

So we get the reveal that Bacchushund is a creation of the ancient civilization and he's out for revenge for being driven away, and we're introduced to a bizarre cohort of his, Keris. They don't ever bother to explain her deal. She's dressed like a lion tamer and does experiments for Baranoia -- with more than just machines, since she kidnaps little girls (in a creepy subplot) and wants to turn them into animal hybrids -- but she doesn't appear to be a machine at all, and the monster she uses doesn't seem machine-like. (Her monster form even becomes giant in a different way than usual.) I don't know if we're to assume that she's some funky alien Bacchushund's picked up on his travels or what. There's leaving things mysterious and there's "We don't care to keep up any quality or consistency of this show, we don't care," and this falls into the latter, which is a complaint I have with a lot of Sugimura's stuff. And here we're supposed to overlook everything and forgive the show because of stunt-casting, which would be a sadly wasted Yoko Amamatsuri. It doesn't work this time, show!

And I kinda think they should have gotten another suit actor for King Ranger. Naoki Oofuji's awesome and has always been one of my favorite suit actors, but the show doesn't even try to pretend like it's Riki in suit. They needed someone like Tsutomu Kitagawa or one of the Super Hachisuka Brothers. (And why give this ancient Egyptian warrior all of those Bruce Lee mannerisms!?)

Random observation: King Pyramidder -- a pyramid mecha! -- is a neat, unique idea for a mecha, but I can't help but feeling like it's a creation of MacMillan Toys and Josh Baskin would think it's a shitty toy.

Random observation 2: There's a subplot where Riki is kidnapped and they pretend to transform him into the Machine Beast Bara King. It's a fake-out, although it would have been kinda cool if it had actually been him; he has a neat, appropriately Egyptian dog design.

Familiar Face of Sentai Past: Akiko Kurusu/Yoko Amamatsuri, aka Liveman's Mazenda and Dairanger's Gara, wasted as the underwritten Keris. I feel like the human looking Keris was meant to be a bigger deal, which was probably ruined by having the human-form of Bara Kakka just a couple of episodes back.

Familiar Voice of Sentai Past: Takumi Hashimoto, aka Boi/Tiger Ranger, dubbing Riki/King in episodes 26 & 27. As mentioned, I don't know the official reason behind this. But isn't it funny that, in Power Rangers Zeo, Gold Ranger -- in his debut -- is dubbed by the guy who played Ryan Steele in VR Troopers? Two former heroes dubbing the new guy for some reason.

Ohranger Episodes 23-25

 

EPISODE 23

These next three episodes are out-there, comedy-heavy episodes. I think, at this point in the production, Ohranger's floundering a bit, with the tone change and a visibly shrinking budget. Also: typical Terrible 20s. I think Soda probably saw these next few episodes and was like "Son of a bitch! Here I am trying to stay on topic and you bastards are going insane!"

This is Inoue's last episode for the series. He gave us two episodes about Yuuji and two about Juri, so I guess he thought they were the coolest characters. His episodes have brought us some weirdness, but this one might be the weirdest. I imagine him turning this script in and just laughing mischievously as he left the room. Because this is the episode that teases that the monster's defeat will be by the hands of a naked Juri. Exploitative? Sure. Appropriate for a family superhero show? Inoue doesn't care, and that's why he's awesome.

Here's the first of two vacation episodes, the unlucky Ohranger not being able to enjoy their vacation without Baranoia butting in. It's also unlucky in that it looks like a very dismal shooting day at the beach, making it a kind of pathetic vacation episode.

The strangest part of the episode to me is that the villain plot is inspired by Hysterrier catching Bulldont looking at a fashion mag. Bulldont tries to weasel his way out of this jam, creating the cover that he's admiring the clothing, not the women. Not the greatest excuse to use when you're caught looking at a girly magazine, guys. This is how rumors start and how Bulldont ends up getting called Elton John in junior high. 

So Hysterrier's plan is to turn clothing to metal, which will turn people evil since they'll be controlled by the monster. Which allows Inoue to haul out his favorite scenario of heroes fighting each other. Juri dodges the attack and it's up to her to save the day. Unfortunately for her, but fortunately for all us creepy pigs* in the audience, this all goes down when she's in her bikini, so she's running around and fighting the entire time in just her bikini. It's like Die Hard...on the beach! You could say it makes her victory even better, because she's so capable and kicking so much ass in such a vulnerable state, but...c'mon, we know why they're doing this episode. Ayumi Asou was a campaign girl, for cripes' sake! We gotta capitalize on that.

*I don't mean to indicate that you, anyone watching this episode, anyone who made this episode or myself am a creepy pig. That statement was meant purely to be humorous. I'm not no creepy pig...but wouldn't this episode have been better if it was Momo running around in a bikini the entire time instead?!

OMG, Shouhei is a pervert, I don't like this character anymore!

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EPISODE 24

Takaku's last script for the show. His last toku script, period. And it's fucking strange...but I like it!

The second vacation episode, we focus on Momo going back to her old, small, frozen-in-the-past hometown. It's weird to me that the Baranoia would send a guy to piss on Momo's summer trip by using all types of retro summertime activities. Why single out Momo? Why program a robot with this M.O.? He doesn't even come across robotic; he doesn't seem very Baranoia at all. It doesn't matter to me, really, because guest-star Masahiro Sato as the monster is freakin' hilarious and plays it with gusto.

Momo, who cherishes tradition and the old ways, who is respectful of her elders, is targeted by this weirdo, dressed in an anachronistic style. A weirdo who, late in the episode, is accused of being a fraud who uses old ways for his own ends and without heart; he may look like someone from the good old days, he might talk about them, but he's just a shell. So I have to wonder if this is some criticism of Takaku's about where toku was at the time, where it was headed. Look at Ohranger alone -- it might have looked like an older toku, but it's all dressing. Where's the heart? Toku at that time was focusing on weird scenarios and more robots. Maybe this was Takaku's way of being like "I don't recognize this stuff anymore, it's time to move on, but I implore you to not forget the old ways."

Familiar Face of Sentai Past: Yoshinori Okamoto.
Familiar Eyes of Sentai Past: Toshimichi Takahashi.

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EPISODE 25

And now we get Uehara contributing a goofy one. It's very reminiscent of one of his Metal Hero scripts, IMO -- the focus on the family, the monster comedically invading their home, the heroes being basically on pest control. So it feels like a throwback in that sense, and probably works more for you if you're an Uehara fan.

This episode comes out of nowhere but is itself OK. I know Uehara's going to bring this family and the obnoxious scientist back for stupider episodes, and that colors it negatively on a rewatch. But on its own, it's fine and has some fun moments, especially since Bara Hungry can be funny. (Although, once again, how'd this robot get past Baranoia when Bacchushund should have sent it to the scrap heap knowing it would take a liking to Japan -- namely its food and festivals.) Even Miyauchi gets in on some of the comedy, and he always seems to have a ball when that happens.

But it gets a strike for using Jouji Costanza. And I also always find Shouichirou Akaboshi irritating. Funny that Costanza, Akaboshi, and the dude who played Genius Kuroda are all Fushigi Comedy transplants.

A further sign that things are falling apart -- they debut the Ohranger Bazooka in this episode for no reason whatsoever. I know some people think it's funny and reminiscent the way the early shows would haul out new weapons or powers from nowhere, but with Ohranger you know it's because the production is just desperately trying to stay afloat. I like the Ole Bazooka, though. I'm Changeman Guy; I like my Sentais to have bazookas.

Ohranger Episodes 20-22

 

EPISODE 20

This is sneaky and clever of Soda. Of course there's going to be a smartass like me being like "Why is Red Puncher Oh Red's robot when Green is the boxer?" Soda tries to explain it to you by having an injured Shouhei train Goro to use the robot and make it make a little more sense. Not only that, but Goro gets trained by the tough old dude who trained Shouhei in the first place, which is basically saying he's as good, if not better than Shouhei. You won this round, Soda...just barely.

That kid from episode 16, Mikio, pops up again here. I guess he's intended to be a sort of throwback to a kid like Taro in Goranger or Masaru from Battle Fever J, but it highlights a problem of Ohranger -- at least Taro and Masaru were related to one of the regulars. Why is Ohranger so afraid to have our heroes have any sort of connection to the outside world? We hardly see any of their relatives, friends, love interests -- anything! Sugimura doesn't like to get too personally involved with his heroes, and doesn't give them much of a life outside of their heroic duties, so I'm thinking about this in terms of being a Soda fan. In a Soda show, Mikio WOULD be related to a regular; in episodes like the one with Genius Kuroda, one of our heroes would have idolized him as a scientist and be given that personal connection; that cop and his kid from episode 3 would have been a family friend, not recently-met randos. Those are just a few examples, you get the idea. The Ohranger don't make meaningful connections with anyone outside of the job -- they don't even really bond or get involved and help with a personal problem with the many kid guest stars, they just save them and move on.

So it is nice to have a guest like Iwajima, Shouhei's boxing trainer. We're given some info about what Shouhei was like pre-UAOH -- that he represents the old Rocky Balboa "it doesn't matter how hard you hit, it's how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward" school of thought.

You haven't even been able to count on Yamaoka to bail you out with some cool action these past couple of episodes, because it's clear that he doesn't like mecha shit. (I don't blame him; the ground fights are always going to be cooler and deserve the focus he gives them.) The coolest thing he's ever done with mecha fights is when he'll film parts of them outdoors, and he doesn't do that here with these episodes.

Familiar Face of Sentai Past: Yuuzo Hayakawa, aka Jetman's Jiiya. Maybe not an important get to YOU, but he was so damn likable in Jetman and awesome here as the hard-as-nails trainer who hates everyone.

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EPISODE 21

Soda, Soda, Soda...*sigh* This one stinks. Sad thing? It's a funny idea. Yuuji, the young brash one of the team, wants a new mecha to call his own, so he jumps at the chance to use a mecha that ends up being a goofy and useless piece of junk. But...couldn't the show have come up with something better than Kendama Robo? Having a giant mecha that uses a kendama is not just silly, but dangerous! Those things are weapons! In fact, Yuuji nearly kills a group of people by not being able to do kendama moves, dropping the giant ball in their vicinity! (I like the idea of this city, known for their wood creations, inventing a wooden robot, though.)

This episode kicks off with the widely mocked bit of Momo and Juri leading an aerobics exercise for Ohranger Robo and Red Puncher. It's an...interesting way to convey getting the robots back in peak performance mode, but it's just goofy. It's something I could picture working and being funny or whimsical in something like Bioman, but it just doesn't work here, especially with how goofy Oh Red gets in the cockpit. (It's the way Yokoyama goes on to act as characters like Red Racer or Mega Red.)

It's surprising to me that Masashi Gouda went on to be popular for a while after the show. I think the show lets him down the most with the tone changing and not knowing how to handle Yuuji -- despite being 25, the show often likes to paint him as the young and irresponsible one, but then some episodes like to treat him like the cool member. And then it's weird to keep in mind that Sugimura wanted Hideki Fujiwara to play Yuuji, when Fujiwara has that real smart-ass attitude about him and always looks 15.

Familiar Face of Sentai Past: Takeshi Kuwabara, aka Liveman's narrator and Dairanger's Guhan.

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EPISODE 22

The plot of this episode reminds me of something you'd see in a Goggle Five or Dynaman, so in a way it's a throwback -- but it also looks to be a saving-some-money episode. Goro goes on the run protecting a kid who's targeted for a piece of Red Puncher-related technology he has, and they mostly undergo stock footage attacks -- the same effort they put in the chases of the first and third episodes just isn't here. (But there are still some cool action scenes courtesy of Yamaoka -- that overhead shot on the bridge and Oh Red's battle on the hill, for example.)

I mostly remember this episode as the one where the computer gives Goro a Waterworld-style back tattoo and where Gaoranger VS Super Sentai gets their clip of Miyauchi going "GO!" Just a pretty plain episode, that introduces the Ohranger Robo/Red Puncher combo without much necessity or fanfare.

Familiar Face of Sentai Past: Shouhei Shibata, aka Dairanger's Akomaru.