Yeah... and what happened when we gave Takara the lead everyone wanted them to have?
*BTW... I loved Armada... but even I know that the show was hated*.
*BTW... I loved Armada... but even I know that the show was hated*.
Power Rangers General Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Sabrblade
- Start date
Armada was a Hasbro/Takara co-production, and Takara had nothing to do with the rushed quality of the cartoon's English dub, which was so rushed that it premiered in the U.S. months before it would later premiere in Japan with finalized scripts and better animation. If anything, Cartoon Network's deadline was to blame for the English dub's rush job.
Armada jostles with Victory for the top spot on my list of favourite Transformers shows.
After years of playing catch up with himself (ever since he first switched to YouTube as his full-time video medium beginning with Operation Overdrive), Linkara has finally, finally, uploaded the last History of Power Rangers video that needed to be updated especially for YouTube: History of Power Rangers Mystic Force.
This video contains updated thoughts and opinions, revised arguments, all-new jokes, and more:
And based on what he says at the very end of the video, even after having sat through every single season released before and after, he still considers Operation Overdrive to be the worst season of Power Rangers ever. Worse that Turbo, Samurai, Megaforce, and Ninja Steel.
This video contains updated thoughts and opinions, revised arguments, all-new jokes, and more:
And based on what he says at the very end of the video, even after having sat through every single season released before and after, he still considers Operation Overdrive to be the worst season of Power Rangers ever. Worse that Turbo, Samurai, Megaforce, and Ninja Steel.
Yeah. Turbo is a slog... but it picks up after the cast change, has some bonkers episodes near the end that are fun in a "wtf?" sort of way, and has the lead-in to In Space working for it.
Samurai I contend wasn't that bad. Sure it's a step down from RPM, but it's a new ownership group and production team, and they made that thing on a crazy tight schedule. It's a miracle it's as good as it is. And the stuff with Lauren was genuinely decent.
Ninja Steel is just... mid. It's not good, but it's not bad either. It's one of the Power Rangers seasons of all time.
Megaforce is the only one I'd say challenges Operation Overdrive for the title of worst.
I may even put Megaforce in that sport over OO. It's close... but I wouldn't begrudge anything for picking OO as their least favourite season. It's truly dreadful.
Samurai I contend wasn't that bad. Sure it's a step down from RPM, but it's a new ownership group and production team, and they made that thing on a crazy tight schedule. It's a miracle it's as good as it is. And the stuff with Lauren was genuinely decent.
Ninja Steel is just... mid. It's not good, but it's not bad either. It's one of the Power Rangers seasons of all time.
Megaforce is the only one I'd say challenges Operation Overdrive for the title of worst.
I may even put Megaforce in that sport over OO. It's close... but I wouldn't begrudge anything for picking OO as their least favourite season. It's truly dreadful.
Megaforce had too many rules it HAD to follow from various corporate overlords.
Toei: Would not let them Skip seasons. So they couldn't adapt the sentai anniversy season without doing the one right before it.
Nickelodeon: would only let them do 20-22 episodes a year.
Bandai: Would not let them skip any toys that could be sold.
Tzachor: Wanted to stick as close to the sentai as possible.
So they could either celebrate the anniversary 2 years late, or 1 year late by trying to adapt both seasons. The average Sentai series is 50ish episodes. When adapting 1 series, that's fine as 40 across two years gets the majority and is about an average PR season. Two series is 100+ episodes. Of which they can only do 40. that's literally 60% of the material going to waste. On top of that, they HAD to do every episode that sold toys. This is why upgrades and zords are given out like candy. Then you have an executive producer that refuses to change stuff to try and fit in better with POR lore or just to make jive work. This is why we get so many "new powers" that were Sentai only teams. There is no universe where this series works under those conditions. Its like Calling the cripple in a race where everyone else is able bodied the worst racer, even if they managed to finish before a few able bodied people.
I actually like Megaforce and SMF, there is some good stuff in there, the cast and crew are trying their best. Unlike OO where the most it struggles with is Budget. Its why I consider Mystic Force Nick a worse Red Ranger. He (the character, not Actor) is actively bad at the job, and not just a slightly wooden actor given weird directions.
Haim Saban: Hates pirates.
I can't bring myself to hate on Turbo. For me, this is the best example of a "mid" season. It's corny. It's campy. The plot barely exists. But, it's kinda fun, in it's own way. It's...almost like the Batman '66 of this franchise? Sorta? It's not quite over the top enough to really earn that. But, it gets close, at times. At the very least, Divatox is fun. And Bulk and Skull as chimps is just...weird enough, to be oddly entertaining? (And, yes, I'd say this is done better than the "Remake" of MMPR that literally had Batman '66 style "BIFF"s and "POW"s added to it. Now, 2010 MMPR might be a candidate for the actual worst season, but...meh. I can't be bothered to care about it.)
Operation Overdrive? Well...I could see the argument for it being the "worst", from a certain point of view. All the main Rangers are kinda jerks. So, if you REALLY don't like jerk protagonists...then you're not going to like this show. But, again, I can't bring myself to hate on it too much. The Red Ranger twist was...memorable. Even if it probably wasn't good. We got a lot of villains...none of which were particularly good, but there were a lot of them. And some of them had cool designs. And this still has one of the more memorable multi-Ranger team-up episodes, which are always a highlight. It's down there. But, it's not the bottom of the barrel, for me, personally. This show...still had it's own personality. It wasn't just a MMPR clone, like a lot of the later seasons became. It might have had a grating, annoying personality, but it's a personality all it's own. It has been a while since I've seen it though, and I'm not in any rush to revisit it, so maybe I'm not remembering how bad it is.
Samurai...is not good. It's down there, for me. The acting is just that bad. It's when they really started to lean into the Mighty Morphin nostalgia too hard. Bulk and Spike's antics take up too much of these episodes. I don't like the twist with the Red Ranger at the end, but I also don't really care for it in Shinkenger, either, so take that as you will. But, there are a few good things. I liked Deker. And um...some of the monster designs were fun?
Megaforce...are we talking about Megaforce AND Super Megaforce, or just "vanilla" Megaforce? Because I, personally, feel like Super Megaforce is a little over-hated. I can see a argument for it probably the most DISAPPOINTING season, since there's SO MUCH more you could have done with that huge crossover concept. But, I can't call it the "worst" season. Seeing all these old suits is still a lot of fun. Gokaiger is FAR superior. But, this is still a fun trip down memory lane. Regular Megaforce, though? Eh. Yeah, that's kind of a nothing season. It's...pretty forgettable. But, it didn't outright offend me. So, I'm still leaning on regular Megaforce still coming out as more "mid" than "bad".
But, Ninja Steel? No. NO! I have no empathy for Ninja Steel. Ninja Steel gets my vote as the worst season of Power Rangers. It's the only one that I actively despise! This was the bottom of the barrel. There are several episodes that revolve around literal canned farts. The whole "long lost brother" plot was dumb, and done poorly. The Pink Ranger is a sociopath, who would have grown up to be a super-villain, if she wasn't forced onto a team to keep her in check. They break up the cute couple at the end of the show, just to forcibly mine what little drama can come from that. They had to bring back villains from Dino Charge, just to have characters that people actually CARED about, in this show. The best part of the show is the cute dog, who only shows up in like...3 episodes? Maybe the whole "game show gimmick" COULD be seen as kinda fun? Dimensions in Danger was kinda fun? But, you don't need to watch Ninja Steel to watch that. No, this is mostly just MMPR done worse. There is no reason to watch this show. There is nothing redeeming about this show. This show's existence OFFENDS me! It's embarrassing. It is the WORST season, of the WORST era, in all of Power Rangers!
But, I'll admit, my disdain for Ninja Steel might be over the top. So...yeah, I could see arguments for other shows being technically worst. But, you'd have to make a good argument.
Operation Overdrive? Well...I could see the argument for it being the "worst", from a certain point of view. All the main Rangers are kinda jerks. So, if you REALLY don't like jerk protagonists...then you're not going to like this show. But, again, I can't bring myself to hate on it too much. The Red Ranger twist was...memorable. Even if it probably wasn't good. We got a lot of villains...none of which were particularly good, but there were a lot of them. And some of them had cool designs. And this still has one of the more memorable multi-Ranger team-up episodes, which are always a highlight. It's down there. But, it's not the bottom of the barrel, for me, personally. This show...still had it's own personality. It wasn't just a MMPR clone, like a lot of the later seasons became. It might have had a grating, annoying personality, but it's a personality all it's own. It has been a while since I've seen it though, and I'm not in any rush to revisit it, so maybe I'm not remembering how bad it is.
Samurai...is not good. It's down there, for me. The acting is just that bad. It's when they really started to lean into the Mighty Morphin nostalgia too hard. Bulk and Spike's antics take up too much of these episodes. I don't like the twist with the Red Ranger at the end, but I also don't really care for it in Shinkenger, either, so take that as you will. But, there are a few good things. I liked Deker. And um...some of the monster designs were fun?
Megaforce...are we talking about Megaforce AND Super Megaforce, or just "vanilla" Megaforce? Because I, personally, feel like Super Megaforce is a little over-hated. I can see a argument for it probably the most DISAPPOINTING season, since there's SO MUCH more you could have done with that huge crossover concept. But, I can't call it the "worst" season. Seeing all these old suits is still a lot of fun. Gokaiger is FAR superior. But, this is still a fun trip down memory lane. Regular Megaforce, though? Eh. Yeah, that's kind of a nothing season. It's...pretty forgettable. But, it didn't outright offend me. So, I'm still leaning on regular Megaforce still coming out as more "mid" than "bad".
But, Ninja Steel? No. NO! I have no empathy for Ninja Steel. Ninja Steel gets my vote as the worst season of Power Rangers. It's the only one that I actively despise! This was the bottom of the barrel. There are several episodes that revolve around literal canned farts. The whole "long lost brother" plot was dumb, and done poorly. The Pink Ranger is a sociopath, who would have grown up to be a super-villain, if she wasn't forced onto a team to keep her in check. They break up the cute couple at the end of the show, just to forcibly mine what little drama can come from that. They had to bring back villains from Dino Charge, just to have characters that people actually CARED about, in this show. The best part of the show is the cute dog, who only shows up in like...3 episodes? Maybe the whole "game show gimmick" COULD be seen as kinda fun? Dimensions in Danger was kinda fun? But, you don't need to watch Ninja Steel to watch that. No, this is mostly just MMPR done worse. There is no reason to watch this show. There is nothing redeeming about this show. This show's existence OFFENDS me! It's embarrassing. It is the WORST season, of the WORST era, in all of Power Rangers!
But, I'll admit, my disdain for Ninja Steel might be over the top. So...yeah, I could see arguments for other shows being technically worst. But, you'd have to make a good argument.
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Okay...I'm about to say something that you're probably going to hate me for.
*Sits you down in a nice comfy chair* *Hands you a nice beverage of your choice*
Here we go...
Norg is a absolute DELIGHT, compared to Victor and Monty.
Norg is a big toddler, yes. He's basically Barney the Dinosaur. Or Lurky from Rainbow Brite in live action. But, he has a certain goofball, innocent charm about him. Honestly? The similarities with Lurky alone kind of make him feel sorta "nostalgic" for me, personally.
But, Victor and Monty? They're just Bulk and Skull without the edge. They're egotistical, self-absorbed morons. And they get rewarded for all their idiotic shenanigans, which make them just that much more infuriating to me. I would rather watch that entire Norg compilation, than watch another scene of Victor and Monty selling their farts for fame and fortune.
...I'll admit, this might be a ME problem. Both of these groups got too much screen time for their antics. If all of these characters were completely erased from their respective shows...the entire world world be a better place, right now.
But, I'll still take Norg over Victor and Monty, any day of the week.
*Sits you down in a nice comfy chair* *Hands you a nice beverage of your choice*
Here we go...
Norg is a absolute DELIGHT, compared to Victor and Monty.
Norg is a big toddler, yes. He's basically Barney the Dinosaur. Or Lurky from Rainbow Brite in live action. But, he has a certain goofball, innocent charm about him. Honestly? The similarities with Lurky alone kind of make him feel sorta "nostalgic" for me, personally.
But, Victor and Monty? They're just Bulk and Skull without the edge. They're egotistical, self-absorbed morons. And they get rewarded for all their idiotic shenanigans, which make them just that much more infuriating to me. I would rather watch that entire Norg compilation, than watch another scene of Victor and Monty selling their farts for fame and fortune.
...I'll admit, this might be a ME problem. Both of these groups got too much screen time for their antics. If all of these characters were completely erased from their respective shows...the entire world world be a better place, right now.
But, I'll still take Norg over Victor and Monty, any day of the week.
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So some context for where I'm coming from.
I kinda moved on from Power Rangers before MMPR wrapped up. I can't say why... I don't really remember... I remember being a huge fan until the movie came out. I remember loving it. I remember begging my mom to take me to see it a second time and her saying no...
... I suppose it was an early case of being a solid stepping off point? I don't really remember thinking Power Rangers had become lame... I just stopped watching. Until Turbo came on. By then I was firmly in the "too cool for this stuff" tween phase but my inner geek still found it appealing. I watched from time to time but not consistently enough to get a firm handle on the story.
ANYWAY fast forward to COVID. I decide I'm going to do a Power Rangers watch though while I'm dealing with lockdown and the stress of trying to wrangle teenagers in a virtual classroom.
Zeo was something I had no preconceived notions of going in, but found it utterly delightful. I think I was missing the Sentai footage from early MMPR by the end of that run, and Zeo's embrace of that old formula was just comforting.
Additionally, I thought it did a lot of neat stuff. Jason as the Gold Ranger was cool to see, and while Billy's departure was rushed and terrible, the stuff setting up Zedd and Rita near the end was pretty great. I ended Zeo having enjoyed it and looking forward to Turbo, as I had some familiarity with it and was excited to revisit it with the added context from Zeo that I enjoyed.
And oof... the show was not interested in meeting me there. At all.
So much about first half Turbo just feels like spinning their wheels, pardon the pun. There's no character movement. Justin doesn't work because they're all graduated from high school but he's still there. There's no sense of the characters moving on... it just feels directionless. Divatox feels like a waste because Rita and Zedd aren't back despite the end of Zeo setting that up, so Divatox just feels like a generic also ran, which adds to the feeling of everything seeming uninspired and stuck in a rut.
As much as the cast change midway through screws up the continuity of the team... it does work to make everyone and everything feel a bit fresher. Combine that with probably the most unhinged trio of episodes Power Rangers has ever produced ("Cassie Dates Her Dog," "Justin Gets Ant Powers," "TJ Kills G-d") second half Turbo is certainly not boring. It feels less like running in place and going through the motions, characters don't feel stuck, and things get bonkers if nothing else. And then the lead-in to In Space is properly epic and lands the plane after a very shaky flight.
I went into Turbo having enjoyed the previous series and being excited to see how my childhood memories of the show would fit with a dedicated watch through... but man... the show had to completely retool itself to survive because early Turbo was just bad.
Oh, I absolutely agree. Turbo is sandwiched between two superior seasons. Both Zeo and In Space are FAR better shows. I just...think Turbo lands somewhere around MMPR-level? Which, since this was so early on in the show's life, was kinda more acceptable?
Zeo was cooler, but Turbo still felt like it was within the acceptable range of what Power Rangers could be, at the time. The new mentor was a interesting shake-up...who turned out to be pretty dull in retrospect. The Phantom Ranger was a interesting mystery at the time...which never went anywhere (in the show, they actually explain a bit about who he is in the recent-ish Boom comics), but oh well. Turbo was...almost interesting, several times.
So, I think it lands in a more mid-tier range for me, personally. But, I can definitely see how marathoning it all at once could be...disappointing.
Zeo was cooler, but Turbo still felt like it was within the acceptable range of what Power Rangers could be, at the time. The new mentor was a interesting shake-up...who turned out to be pretty dull in retrospect. The Phantom Ranger was a interesting mystery at the time...which never went anywhere (in the show, they actually explain a bit about who he is in the recent-ish Boom comics), but oh well. Turbo was...almost interesting, several times.
So, I think it lands in a more mid-tier range for me, personally. But, I can definitely see how marathoning it all at once could be...disappointing.
Honestly, the first half of Turbo to me felt like they are ashamed of the wakiness of CarRanger.
By the second half they where just like "Eff it."
By the second half they where just like "Eff it."
So many fun PR stories are basically "well we had all of these plans to do this thing but then we got the Sentai footage and realized none of that was remotely viable."
I will say, if they had even two or three eps of CarRanger, they would have known it was insane.
I think they where trying to keep it "mature" *and I use that term loosely* with the bomb threats. Until it became obvious those where repetitive and no one really cared.
I think they where trying to keep it "mature" *and I use that term loosely* with the bomb threats. Until it became obvious those where repetitive and no one really cared.
Some YouTubers refer to it by the derogatory nickname of "Lobotomy Steel".