First part of the Nostalgia Trilogy, the reason why I am doing this is for boredom sake. Also, I want the young ones know what is like back then in terms of entertainment.
First, I’ll go Power Rangers. This show left a mark on what action is all about. For starters, Power Rangers is show about a bunch of teenagers who knew martial arts and fights evil with a giant robot. Simple. I remember watching it when I was either 2 or 4, not sure about the age, but I am sure I was able to watch Tommy as the Green Ranger quite briefly and finished the third season of the show then I was able to watch a little Power Rangers Zeo… until the station airing it decided to change its schedule. Groan. You see back then, Power Rangers aired every Friday nights.
That is why when they aired the Power Rangers Movie on Sunday, I really stayed late at night like what I did just to watch Batman Returns and Batman Forever on TV.Back then, I swore myself to watch only cartoons until this show aired. Because of this show, I sorta get educated in an old Japanese action-adventure franchise known by those adults as Bioman, Maskman and Star Rangers, or better known internationally as Super Sentai.
The first Super Sentai I watched is Fiveman. At first, I thought Fiveman is a Power Rangers rip-off but hey, I was hooked watching it. Like any mindless kid, I don’t care about the plot as long as the giant robot is still there and the heroes will win at the end of the day, I would be happy. Like Zeo, I wasn’t able to finish this show because back then, this show aired during the evening news or if the show has replays, I was forced to have afternoon naps.
The second Super Sentai show that I watched is Jetman. This is, should I say, the first Super Sentai show that I hated because of 3 reasons. Reason no. 1, the Blue guy is a girl and I am used seeing the Blue guy as a dude. Reason no. 2, Yellow guy is a boy. Like Reason no. 1, I am used seeing the Yellow guy as a girl. Finally, Reason no. 3, the heroes have pop-up wings. What the hell! This show was culture shock for me! As time passed, I slowly liked the show and unlike Power Rangers and Fiveman, I am more concerned about the plot. The plot was good, and I liked the concept where you are forced to fight the one you love. As the show progressed, I liked the pop-up wings and the show itself. Maybe it is because of its uniqueness from Power Rangers and Fiveman.
Fast forward to 2004, when the said station announced that they will air Power Rangers, I was excited; this show brings back good memories! When I sit on my chair and watched it, I was surprised. Tommy and co. are missing, instead I saw Cole, the show’s Red Ranger. This show at first, like Jetman, is like culture shock for me. WHERE IS TOMMY?! Until I learned eventually thanks to the internet, that the station skipped more than 4 seasons of Power Rangers. Great.
Now, for Super Sentai, it’s been a more than a decade since I watched Super Sentai on TV. I was wondering when Power Rangers Wild Force aired, what happened to the Japanese Rangers? Until just recently, thanks to Disney, Cartoon Network, and PR’s toy franchise, Super Sentai has no chance in returning here in the Philippines. Groan.