I think we all recognize that there's a whole lot wrong with the Power Ranger's franchise adaptation of Shinkenger. However, I've been thinking about WHY some of the choices made it into the show. Sure, for the most part, it closely follows the Japanese source material, but the sense of urgency, the dark undertones, and a good bit of the fighting have all been stripped away. Replacing these elements with filler and the "emPOWERED" was done on purpose. Thought went into this. While I don't mind the producers trying to get kids up and moving again so they aren't prone to a sedentary lifestyle that many of us from the mid-to-late eighties were, I do mind being forced to suffer the current cast any longer than I have to.
\RANT TIME/
Jayden is wholly unconvincing as a leader, authority figure, or experienced fighter. He seems more like a varsity football player rather than a natural born leader bred to take charge of a long line of warriors to fight the forces of darkness. Kevin and Emily are just bland. There's absolutely nothing to them. They shows nothing on their face, and can't vocally express emotion (surprise, confusion, displeasure, et al) with any degree of accuracy.
Mike and Antonio, to their benefit, are touch and go. Sometimes they can be convincing, sometimes not. Overall, I don't mind their arcs, and look forward to further developments to their characters. This leaves us with Mia, the pink ranger. Being the least discussed of the six rangers, Mia's actress is in my opinion the single most talented performer of the lot (which admittedly, isn't hard to do). When she says a line, I can believe it most of the time.
\END RANT/
So, other than the obvious problems with the writing and the desire to stand as far apart from the Sentai as they can while keeping those purse strings as tight as they can, what is it about this show that causes so much derision among fans of the franchise older than 10 years old? Well, let's take a very brief look at international reception. Countries like New Zealand and Canada banned the franchise from airing due to complaints of violence to their respective censorship boards, and TV stations pulled the original MMPR before the end of its second season (some much, much sooner). Currently, as far as I've been able to find, all of the countries that formerly banned the show, currently allow Power Rangers Samurai to air, as it's the first season to adhere to their rather script censorship policies regarding violent imagery and adult themes. By cutting out a great deal of the action and tension, and by extension the wind down and resolution (and lessons learned), Saban has sacrificed over-all quality and family appeal in exchange for an international release and the resulting revenue.
Now, don't get me wrong, I totally understand this. By making compromises to reach a wider audience, you open your product up to a greater turn on investment. I just wish that they didn't make the compromises they did, and try lobbying for a closer look at network censorship (which would cost more money, so naturally that option is out). I get that there's a bottom line to keep in consideration, however I think we can all agree the product being offered to us has greatly suffered.
Why do we keep coming back and buying merchandise? Well, there are several possible reasons. My personal reasoning, is that Even though I don't care for the current direction, I know well enough that every year the franchise is given an opportunity to go back to basics and try again, and buying merchandise helps to fund the next year of shows; more money coming in typically means more care goes into production. Also, I really liked Shinkenger and buy merchandise to show that (even though Bandai of Japan probably doesn't get much of the BoA profits) in hopes it encourages further quality Sentai shows and by extension better Power Rangers shows. Granted, my logic is flawed considering how good Shinkenger was, and how abysmal Samurai is. Other reasons may be the most common one. Fans by and large are hoarders; we tend tend collect things. Regardless of how much sense it makes, we throw money at things related to something that makes us feel good, filling some kind of hole in our lives to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and live these characters' lives vicariously. Whatever the reason, Saban has us firmly held by the short hairs.
While they have us, what can we do to make sure we're actually HAPPY about giving up our money? It's simple. We get involved. We can get involved in the industry as writers, effects artists, producers, directors, maybe even actors. It's not impossible for us to have a stake in the development of something we love to ensure its longevity for the coming generation.
