For whatever reason I was extra-receptive to my annual Kakuranger viewing this year. Once I finished up Kakuranger, I felt to give another show a try with the same kind of detailed viewing. Up this time was Zyuranger...which I haven't seen in it's entirety in about a decade.
Since I have quite a bit to say about the show... I have decided to do THREE Top 7 lists...all in one post! So...let's get to it!
Oh, and I think *SPOILERS* are stupid. This show is 21 years old...dammit...that's a spoiler alert, isn't it?
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Top 7 Problems with Zyuranger!
NEUTRAL: Bandora
She always had these airtight plans, which was cool. She definitely had her shit together way more than the badasses in say...Golgom from
Kamen Rider BLACK, but she was just not my type of villain. All she really did was set traps. They always worked and they always lead to...*skip down to #2 on this list*
This isn't to say I didn't like her the entire show, but I just grew weary of her ways. Her powers were seemingly infinite and her plans didn't seem to get much bigger or smaller over the course of the series. They just involved new players each time.
I know she is a fan favorite, but considering that this is the neutral on my list of dislikes...I think it really means I didn't think of her one way or the other.
I'll tell you what, though...I *really* hate that damn song of hers. I need to write a song of my own about how much I hate her song.
07. Kids of the week
Zyuranger and Kakuranger are, correct me if I'm wrong, the two biggest kid-centric shows of 90s Sentai. Oddly I think that Zyuranger pulled it off better. They gave the kids some really neat roles about half of the time. The rest...were just sadsacks whose parent/parents died. Ehhh. Those were the ones that I rolled my eyes at.
06. The Budget
This show was done with very little money and it shows. I give them credit for putting this show together as well as they could, but it just screams of cheapness. Obviously the cash started flowing again for Dairanger and Kakuranger...
05. Fading Energy
Even when the stories were getting more dramatic and heavier, the overall energy of the show fizzled out pretty quickly. The 2-parter with Dora Sphinx was way more interesting than pretty much any episode in the 40s.
04. Dan
Useless. Even in his focus episodes.
03. Kai
Kai always left a lasting impression on me. I dreaded nearing the final episodes...
For the unintiated: Kai is Bandora's son. He previously died after being a shithead and falling off a cliff but returns to everyone's surprise donning possibly the worst costume in the entirety of 90s Sentai (YES, this includes Dorafranken......ugh). From there he just plays the role of angry kid until Kyukyoku Daizyujin sent him crying to Mama.
Really? He is what ultimately ended this show? Alright...
02. Every...EVERY little thing is a trial of might/worthiness
I understand the Densetsu no Buki being a trial since that was early in the show and it made sense. From there it felt like there was a new seemingly impossible trial for them to overcome on a weekly basis. It was just getting rediculous for things like the Dino Crystals (which made NO sense to begin with since they were made from their Medals...which they already had...) and Thunderslingers (Geki and Burai had to navigate a mountain while under attack BY THEIR OWN MECHA to get a set of pointless--but neat looking--weapons that were almost immediately forgotten. OH, and Burai didn't even get one. WHOMP WHOMP WHAAAA).
Also...Bandora putting Burai through a trial to get the Hellfriede was just beyond stupid. What the hell... I guess that's how it goes on both sides of this fight. Even though the only real hardship Bandora ever had prior to the finale was her having trouble reciting a spell one time. Bah...
01. Plotholes
I don't really want to get too deeply into this one--it should really get a Top 7 list of it's own. The plotholes in this series is actually what Bandora used to swallow King Brachion into the Earth at the end of the series...
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Top 7 WINS with Zyuranger!
NEUTRAL: The Ending
Technically they lied to the old woman when they said they were going to celebrate her birthday with her every year...
Anyway, yeah. The ending is low on this list because, like Bandora, I'm pretty neutral with it. If you watch Zyuranger, Dairanger, or Kakuranger you'll get basically the same ending with some minor variations.
Dairanger did it best, though. I always roll a manly tear during that shot where they slowly part ways, which is basically the only difference between the three endings. It's perfect...
07. Kids of the week
The good ones. Some lucky kids got some dream roles. Especially that little bastard that got to fight Daizyujin. That was awesome. Hahaa.
06. Weapons
I can't think of a single weapon in this show that I don't like. Both forms of the Densetsu no Buki were great...even Hellfriede was awesome.
05. Mecha
There are few mecha in this series, which is good. They are all great mecha, which is good. Even though there were very few mecha in this series, the fights seemed pretty fresh. Sometimes they would just give the mecha fights a break and use the Howling Cannon or Thunder Slingers...even later on in the series.
04. Suits
I like the suits in this show. Due to this, I have pretty much commited to buy whatever Figuarts they release. Just Tiger and Tricera left...
03. Music
The background music in this show was done by the great Akihiko Yoshida. Zyuranger features a mixture of new score as well as the odd piece of music from Fiveman and Turboranger, which were also scored by Yoshida.
The music fits the show wonderfully and has a somewhat classical style that would fit in during the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s on some pieces. Kind of surprising since Yoshida was a young composer at 32 when this show came out. Sadly he didn't seem to have much of a career as a composer outside of those three series.
02. Goushi
Goushi was the polar opposite of Dan. Bandora even pointed out that he was the only thing keeping Zyuranger together.
Every time Geki has a thought or notices something, does he turn and go "...Mei!"? NO! He turns to Goushi. Goushi is the coolest.
01. Letting Burai Die (and keeping him dead)
If you go back to my list of dislikes, take a look at #2 again. Yeah, the trials of worthiness. Ugh.
Well, there was a last minute trial to save Burai (ofcourse). Goushi and Dan failed to make it in time, but were given the water anyway to save the child that Burai saw in his dream. As it turns out, Burai wouldn't have been saved by the water anyway so it was a losing fight to begin with.
At the cost of losing Burai, it showed that there were actually some challenges that were too big for even Zyuranger to overcome. Granted, this was definitely a tall order...preventing imminent death.
Sure Burai's image came through the Zyusouken to inform them that the Shogozyu were still alive...but...actually, yeah they shouldn't have done that.
Regardless, Dragonranger was not there to help them fight off Kai and twitchy-face at the end. I'm really glad they kept him dead.
Burai is up there with every rockstar who died in their prime...including Gasha Dokuro...
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Top 7 Zyuranger Episodes
NEUTRAL: Episode 01 Tanjo!
It's a good debut episode, but not a GREAT debut episode. Geki's first appearance is pretty awesome.
07. Episodes 17-22 The Burai arc
Chances are you have atleast seen these episodes.
06. Episode 05 Kowai nazo nazo! & Episode 06 Tate! Daizyujin!
Two-parter. I liked the twisted mood of the first part and finally getting Daizyujin in the second. I was always a bit confused on how the Zyuranger were able to answer any riddles at all considering they had barely come out of their suspended animation at this point.
05. Episode 35 Ninja Senshi Boi
I didn't mention this on any of my other lists, but watching Zyuranger after Kakuranger...you can definitely see the seeds of Kakuranger throughout the series. Things like finding out Doramonster information from the Dino Denki (...which they pretty much abandoned...damn you, plotholes!) and the ninja theme of this particular episode seemed to carry over into Kakuranger.
Just watch it and you'll agree that this is proto-Kakuranger.
Oh, and it was pretty cool to see the kid of the week have a sword fight with Grifforzer. Heh.
04. Episode 38 Mei-hime shichihenge
I'm pretty sure Mei got the most focus episodes outside of Burai (let's face it...every episode with Burai was a Burai focus episode). This is easily the best of them.
03. Episode 15 Yabure! Ankoku cho ken & Episode 44 Onna kenshi! Nippon ichi! (TIE)
I couldn't decided which of these episodes I liked better, so I included both.
Episode 15 involves Doraknight. Bandora recognizes that Goushi is the key player that keeps the Zyuranger together and has a special sword created to specifically take out Goushi.
Episode 44 involved Dorachimera. Dorachimera is kidnapping and utilizing Japan's top stars in various fields. In addition to stealing skills, he is stealing all of the children's idols. When he gets to Sayaka Yamazaki, Japan's top kendo artist, he gets quite a bit of resistence. Goushi arrives and the two are able to retreat. After she declines his protection, she is possessed by Chimera and faces off with Goushi in a duel. After getting very badly injured in the duel, he is able to rid her of Chimera.
02. Episode 33 Oshiete! Yukidama
This episode is...pretty standard up until the end...and this is one of the shining examples of one of the good kid-of-the week.
This is one of those pointless Dan episodes where he isn't useful at all. After failing to join together the gem on Dorareiger's head and the one from Saori's necklace, Saori (who is a bit of a coward) is forced to retrieve the dropped necklace and join the two gems herself. She runs through a series of explosions, joins the gems and literally saves the day. The other four Zyuranger are freed along with all of the other people who were kidnapped. More incredibly...Saori was the one who somehow figured out that the gems needed to be joined together.
Literally the only two things the Zyuranger did this episode were get kidnapped and finish off Dorareiger with the Rangerslingers.
01. Episode 32 Geki yo namida o kire!
I love this episode. There is a Doramonster, but who cares about that guy. Geki is distraught after finding out Burai's secret about his limited life. He is unable to focus on his job and is duped by Bandora into letting the Doramonster develop into a humanoid creature.
Goushi, who is awesome, is having none of this.
He shows up to Geki's one-on-one fight with Doranarcissus disguised in a black knight armor posing as a Doramonster. He manages to steal Geki's DynoBuckler and fight him while fending off Doranarcissus. Geki finally gets his act together and defeats Goushi by slicing his armor down the middle. He is shocked to learn that Goushi was in the suit the whole time. Goushi, who took quite an attack head-on, only passes out from Geki's finisher. Doranarcissus unloads a large explosion on the two of them and they seem to die in the large fireball.
...ofcourse not. Daizyujin rises from the ground holding Geki carrying an unconscious Goushi.
......that...was awesome...
Daizyujin rising from the ground was an incredible sight too.
Great episode...
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Well, there are my three Top Seven lists for Zyuranger! To see my other Top 7 lists,
click on this link right here.
I'll return soon!
-CC
