Just as out-of-nowhere as it appeared in the series, the Kakuranger Ball has FINALLY appeared in my collection!
While I am in the midst of a deeeeeeep toy hibernation from Youtube, rest assured! The toy collection is still going strong despite the fact that the additions are becoming few and far between. Really, this can be chalked up to the fact that...well...I've owned pretty much everything I've ever dreamed of owning (and much more). There are a handful of toys out there that have eluded me for one reason or another, and the Kakuranger Ball is the big one...for some reason.
I've owned pretty much the entire Kakuranger toy collection for quite some time but could never track down a complete Kakuranger Ball for an even close to reasonable price. Now that I own one I kinda understand it's rarity, but I still had my reservations about dropping some serious dime on what's essentially a football with a sticker versus the myriad of other great Kakuranger toys in the line.
So what's the story with this damn thing?
The Kakuranger Ball first appeared in episode ten of the series in an already bizarre episode featuring Yokai Konakijiji. Sasuke being assaulted/kidnapped by a jogging gaggle of soccer players may have been the pinnacle of weirdness, but it certainly didn't end there. Konakijiji was defeated by a random and entirely new finisher called the Kakuranger Ball, which was an American-style football that changed color every time it was passed along. Fortunately this wasn't a one-time thing like many other Super Sentai weapons as it was something of a main plot-device in episode twenty-one (which was a solid episode that makes great work of dumping on tropes) and again in episode forty-nine...though the appearance had changed quite a bit.
I've never really experienced the toy version in real life, so I really didn't know what to expect. Was it a hollow hunk of plastic? A solid chunk of foam? The latter, as it turns out. Yeah, this is the type of foam ball that you would submerge in murky water and then throw to your friend to ruin their day. The KAKURANGER sticker that belts across the body of the ball has held tight after all of these years, though I can't picture it being entirely durable.
Also included in the box is a small blue ring that serves as a kickstand, which I guess allows you to perform a solo Kakure Shoot.
This toy is something that can really only be called complete when it's with it's box. Kakuranger has some excellent box art, and this one might be one of my new favorites in the line. It definitely makes the toy seem infinitely cooler than it really is.
Do I like it? Well, yeah...it's a neat little toy that is refreshingly devoid of gimmicks and crappy add-ons. The fact that it's entirely disposable makes it's rarity more understandable since these foam footballs never lasted more than a few weeks when I was a kid. The fact that I'd never encountered this toy for sale when it was new also leads me to believe that maybe Bandai wasn't too confident in it either.
Overall, I'm just thrilled to finally have this damn thing in my collection. Be sure to check out my new review of the Jikuu Senshi Spielban Song Collection here.
See ya!
-CC
Previously...
The Toys That Made Us: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Jikuu Senshi Spielban Song Collection
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Song Collection
The CD Collection
