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Who have never heard "what is this, Power Rangers?". Who loves, watches, accompanies the series
tokusastu has surely had to respond this question. Okay, this is because who does not
has an interest in the subject, do not know the connections, familiarities and differences between
Eastern and Western versions.
Power Rangers is an American juvenile television series, based on the Japanese Super Sentai franchise productions.
It has been brought to the West by the producer Hain Saban,
owner of Saban Entertainment, and debuted in 1993, 18 years after the first
Japanese series, and endures, adapting each year a new series, keeping the uniforms and some scenes.
The Egyptian Haim Saban, born in 1944, besides being producer and entrepreneur was also a composer of themes from series and cartoon.
he had the idea to bring the season Zyuranger, the 16th Super Sentai series, for
America and try a new franchise heroes. Earlier, in 1985, Saban led sentai
Bioman to France, which had a huge success, equivalent to Changeman in Brazil. With
good result, the entrepreneur tries to take the series to be broadcasted on American TV
but with no interest from stations. In the 90s then Saban founded his own
company and acquires from Toei producer, responsible for japanese series, Zyuranger rights,
since dinosaurs theme was high, thanks to Jurassic Park. The initial idea
was to use Jetman, the previous sentai from 1991, but the theme with dinos seems more attractive.
Saban then convinces Fox television network, arguing that the idea was to change the
Japanese cast by American actors, rewrite the episodes leading a little more to
comedy side and that only uniformed scenes and robots would be used. Thus, the
series that would be called Galaxy Rangers was renamed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
With the success of the first season, Mighty Morphin was stretched using materials of
subsequent Japanese series Dairanger and Kakuranger, but still edited with uniforms Zyuranger,
showing a total of 145 episodes. In 1996, under a new name, Power Rangers: Zeo,
the uniforms of Zyurangers were changed, and this time the recordings and scenes passed
to be Super Sentai Ohranger, from previous year. In this phase, the subject began to vary and from
there, every year a new Ranger series debuted, using as basis the japanese series from previous year,
but still a season connected to one another by tutelage of Zordon.
From 99 on, the links that were provided the first season were cut, and every
story went on to have a independent script and cast, such as the japoneses do.
In 2001, during Power Rangers Wheather Force, Saban Entertainment, on behalf
of financial crises, sells the rights to Disney. Many fans thought
from the first season produced by Disney, Ninja Storm, 2003, the series was
infantilized and the audience was getting smaller. With the decline of the franchise, year by year,
Disney announced that Power Rangers RPM, from 2009 was the last to be produced, and
rather than a new adaptation, would relaunch a remastered version of Mighty Morphin,
also poorly accepted by the public and cut even before the end.
In 2010, Haim Saban re-acquires rights and made the adaptation of Shinkenger, renamed
to Power Rangers Samurai and Super Samurai. Now on a new channel, Nickelodeon. And it ensures
new adjustments for next year. The series came to Brazil in 1994, by Fox channel,
and the following year, became broadcasted by Rede Globo, from "TV Colosso"
to "TV Globinho". Altogether, the franchise remained in Globo TV for 17 years until Mystic Force.
In 2010, Rede Bandeirantes purchase the rights to exhibt all seasons, and starts
with Ninja Storm, at "Band Kids" program. In 2012, Band TV was exhibiting Zeo and Turbo, and
Globo TV, Jungle Fury, still unpublished in Brazil. After completion of this, Band TV purchased
what was left and acquired the rights to the entire franchise.
Many fans of japanese series are not in favor when it comes to Power Rangers.
Accused of being childish, to be a copy, and among other arguments until appears
the term "Sabanization ". In fact, the versions have their differences,
but definitely the series is not simply a copy of Sentai.
Power Rangers has a particular universe, with their own stories and characters,
just as their previous series, the Sentai There is a partnership between business and Toei,
holder from the oriental rights, supports and participates in some way, to make the American versions.
Koichi Sakamoto is a name that today moves
between the two franchises. In japanese, he is a stuntman, and began his career for being a
Jackie Chan and Sentai Series fan. He began working in this area as a stuntman for Blue Mask of Maskman,
at live shows in Japan, in 1988. Since MMRP he has been working as a action Scenes choreographer,
staying behind the scenes in all seasons, always in that line,
choreographer to director of action among others positions off screen. he has been known for
inserting elements of martial arts and acrobatics,
besides having a lot of responsibility for the explosions.
Tokusatsu is a free translation for "special effects movies". Today, it is synonymous
of movies or series where heroes merges pyrotechnics technics, 3D computing
among other effects, so if PR meets all these requirements and is based on series
that use these devices, we can yes consider it part of this category,
even if it's not called by Japanese term. Another frequent disagreement is that PR ended up
with the possibility of new Tokus transmission, since it came to Brazil in 1995.
In fact, this might be considered complicated today, but we have examples that shows
the opposite. Winspector, which debuted in Brazil in 1994,
was in the air, being replayed up to 97. The sequence Solbrain, also passed in 1995.
In 2000, Record TV begins broadcasting Ultraman Tiga, and in 2009 debuted Ryukendo.
at Rede TV, being on the air with reruns for 2 years.
Before many reruns and lack of conclusive chapters some series from the franchise
was worn out in Brazil. Today, with the right conservatism of TV, Power
Rangers is easier to accept and to be transmitted.
Characters less violents, no blood appearance, lighter histories and
humor, and ocidental characters, despite having same customs from the West, it is
easy to be on TV at anytime of programming, not to mention the ease of dubbing and synchronization.
The sales factor of toys and videos, also is favorable in many countries. The same
materials can be marketed with English packaging and standards.
Differences in quality between original shoot and American were not a problem
at the beginning as well as the fact that Zyuranger had only one woman on the team and Power Rangers
has two, and this happens in other series as well.
Besides these, there are many other differences and similarities between the series. some seasons
are adapted equal the original, changing and only the cast names, such as
Gaoranger and Shinkenger, as others have theis own unique script, such as
RPM and the second season of MMPR, mixing Zyuranger with Dairanger material, and creating new villains
The American version, whenever possible, let
subtle homage to Sentai, a good example, is this scene from Dino Thunder, where Tommy is
in a room with several boxes with badges from the old series.
Or the episode where they watch the original series, Abaranger.
In Japan even with the original being transmitted, there are releases from PR seasons on DVD
with significant sales, and series which were transmitted on Toei channel.
All around the world, many countries maintained the opening with the original song, but others
are adapted to their language. In a way, we can recognize that Power Rangers
does what Gokaiger did, reliving heroes using a new context for Sentai.
In the end, even not liking the Japanese
or American, series we have to admit that we are all fans of the same thing.
That was the TOKUDOC about Power Rangers, if you liked and it was enlightening, sign up
in Youtube channel and favorite the video, Like our Facebook page and share the
video, so gives us strength to continue this work to show other Japanese series.