Okay, I will admit that this article was inspired by a friend’s ring-tone of the theme song; but otherwise, why not write about everyone’s favorite super-quintet with spandex power suits and giant mecha: the Power Rangers.
One of the most memorable, if not popular child’s television show from the ’90s, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Power Rangers for short) is the Western version of the Japanese tokusatsu Super Sentai series. The Japanese word tokusatsu means “special effects,” while the series Super Sentai incorporates live action characters, usually a group of five, in dramatic situations with giant robots and special powers and suits. These special effects feature the characters in their flamboyantly colored spandex suits and biker helmets fighting monsters which are actually actors dressed in suits (go figure) performing martial arts with flashy explosions. Most of the scenes in the American version were made in America, but the sequences with giant costumed monster-mecha battle scenes are directly from the Japanese version, dubbed with English, for budget purposes.
The original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is called such because it is part of an original saga that spans a few seasons before new sagas take over. In the original story arch, a Power Ranger morphs into said flamboyant spandex fighter via a special device worn on the wrist. This trend occurs in all series, but the term “mighty morphin’” is the phrase used in the 90s saga specifically, as only the 90s (and perhaps the 80s) decade could come up with a phrase as awesome and lame at the same time. A Power Ranger is generally forbidden to use their power for personal gain and elevating a fight outside a threat to Earth, part of the reason they cannot use their Zord, the giant robot mecha, to crush smaller enemies. They must also not reveal their identity to the public; otherwise they lose their powers. However this rule applied only to the original series. Like a Barbie doll, a Power Ranger is armed with a bunch of accessories including an arsenal of laser guns and swords, and sometimes secondary weapons including ones that combine into larger weapons such as a cannon. Some rangers are given their own personal object that no other ranger in their group possesses, or even additional armor to protect them from harder blows. These arsenals could have been from the Japanese versions, but honesty, they must have been made for Bandai Company to sell as toys! In tradition at the end of each season, the Ranger’s whole arsenal is destroyed and/or their powers given up to defeat the final monster, usually the main villain leader, though they may be given back later on for team-ups with another set of Rangers.
The story in the Might Morphin’ saga is about five “teenagers with attitude” chosen to become the Power Rangers by a galactic being known as Zordon. Zordon is a magical sage from another planet who thousands of years ago defeated and sealed away an evil alien witch named Rita Repulsa in a “space dumpster” which eventually crashed on Earth’s moon. However before her initial capture, Rita trapped Zordon in a space-time warp kept inside a tube that his robotic companion Alpha watched over. When two dimwitted astronauts find and tamper with the dumpster, Rita and her followers are released and rained terror upon the Earth. Ironically Zordon and Alpha’s base was set up in the deserts of California where Rita attacked. The Ranger’s come from the fictional town of Angel Grove, California which Rita assaults on a daily basis. The story as a whole is very complex with many character, sub-characters and back stories, sometimes with connections to the other spin-off seasons. There are so many seasons of Power Rangers now, I can’t even keep up and to talk about them all would mean dedicating a whole issue of the Anchor to them.
The show aired on Fox but as a result of some rather predictable transactions in the 2001 buyout, Disney bought the franchise (as Disney always loves puts its dirty fingers in everything) and began running on all Disney-owned networks where they can be seen to this day. What was loved about the show was the silly dialogue between characters and the fighting sequences that looked almost real to you as a child; a Power Ranger pimp-smack across the face would literally send an enemy flying 50 feet backwards and 20 feet into the air, with sparks for some apparent reason. After all, who could not resist a teenager with attitude (besides other teenagers with attitude of course)? In the words of the villainess Trakeena, “I have a date with destiny... and I won’t be late!” Trakeena was then permanently destroyed.
Nostalgic for the ‘90s: Go, Go Power Rangers!
Published: Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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