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Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Super Sentai Formula
Since I'm an obsessive Super Sentai fan I thought I would take a moment to analyze & explain things relating to this legendary franchise.
First off, the name "Sentai" literally translates to "Task Force" or "Team." At the core, that's what each series is about- a team of heroes.
Now, the actual number on the team can vary- in most cases we'll see a group of five but other times a Sentai series will begin with only three members.
The trademark colors of Super Sentai Ranger heroes are Red, Blue, Yellow, Green or Black (the two are generally interchangeable) and Pink or White (likewise interchangeable). Each color generally reflects a specific character trait- Red is always the leader, Blue is usually the calm one, Pink is always "the girl," Green is always the quirky one, and so on.
Moving on from characters we focus on the central idea of every Super Sentai: The Gimmick. Every Sentai show has a central plot idea that plays a key role in the visual designs and storytelling elements. Gimmicks can be anything from kung-fu to Japanese culture to dinosaurs.
Once the gimmick is in place we then move onto Morphers (no, that name doesn't appear in the original but the overall description fits): the devices that allow this team to transform into their "Ranger" forms- the brightly colored "Not Spandex" we all know & love. Each Morpher is usually related to the Gimmick in question for a particular series.
Of course, we can't have a team of Heroes without villains! And each Super Sentai has at least one team of villains, direct counterparts of the Super Sentai team's objectives. Generally villains also come with an endless supply of faceless grunts that the Ranger team will regularly encounter to fill time between fighting the newest villain- (in a style known as the "Monster-Of-The-Week" format).
As the show plays out, we'll usually see the thing I love most: GIANT ROBOTS! When a show first starts we'll have at least one "Megazord"- a fusion of multiple battle-craft known as Zords controlled by each Ranger. This leads to the other staple of Super Sentai-suit-motion; fights filmed between actors in suits on small-scale sets (somewhat similar to Godzilla movies).
As the series plays out the initial Megazord may eventually become inefficient or under-powered against opponents. This leads us into another important element: the Power-Ups! Along the way each team (or team-member) will receive new abilities, weapons or Zords to symbolize their growth as a team or person. This element has become more obvious in recent years as part of the efforts to increase merchandising for the shows.
At some point during a Super Sentai show we will generally confront the "Newcomer"- another Ranger playing a part in the development of the years' team. The Newcomer can take several forms: an eager rookie happy to be part of the group, an antagonist-turned-hero, or an indifferent third-party perspective are the three most common character tropes for New Rangers. The Newcomer will generally bring along their own new Megazord, adding even more power to the Super Sentai Team's arsenal.
Later on we will frequently see the villains gain more powers too, forcing the expanded Ranger teams to find one more boost in power (generally in the form of one additional Zord even bigger than all the others) forming an "UltraZord" to lead them to the final victory over evil.
There are minor variations but each Super Sentai will generally play out like this. After 34 seasons, I think its safe to call this a "winning formula."
In the coming weeks I'll use this blog to analyze the various Super Sentai series in greater detail.
Until next time!
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