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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Sentai Series VS Power Rangers

My kids love watching Japanese kids shows so when Power Rangers Samurai started broadcasting in America, they hated it to the point of refusing to watch another failed attempt at copying Japanese shows. Which led me to writing this article.



The American version of Samurai Sentai Shinkengers has its moments as it tries to copy as much as it can from the original source but as in doing so the spirit of what made it popular has basically been lost. The most visible one is that Saban Entertainment, which makes the shows, still does not know the difference between a Samurai and a Ninja, like comparing a Marine to a Navy Sailor. When the actors chance into their Samurai costumes, they do so while wearing ninja mask. Power Rangers Samurai does have a lot riding on it. The original story line dealt with a lot of serious issues that worked together to create a huge following.

A few examples are as followed. The Red Shinkengers is a proxy for the true leader of the clan. He would rather work alone that use the other Shinkengers and many times have come close to passing out from exhaustion or would rather die from training and/or fighting Doukoku forces. Reluctant at showing his true feelings towards other Shinkengers which causes mix feeling as the others feel he doesn’t care about them. He starts to change especially when a childhood friend shows up wanting to join the team as Shinkenger Gold. He also has to deal with Jyuzo Fuwa, a rogue villain who helps the Shinkengers as well as desires to have a duel to the death with Shinken Red.

Jyuzo Fuwa, A man whose wife was murdered and has been transformed into his sword, wants to battle Shinkenger Red to the death. On many occasions he has assisted the Shinkengers in order to protect Shinkenger Red from dying before they can have their personnel battle as with on other occasions to test the Shinkengers strength and weaknesses. At the same time he is looking for the person responsible for his wife’s death. He also shares a bond with Dayu Usukawa.

Dayu Usukawa, a woman who gave her heart to a man as he left her to marry someone else. In a jealous rage she sets fire killing everyone. As the fire starts to consume her, she clutches the man she loves as he longs for the other woman who is now dead. She is reborn into a Gedoshu similar to the way Jyuzo was as her former lover is turned into a shamisen; a musical instrument that plays eerie music with the sound of a tortured man begging to be set free. Dayu is very loyal to Doukoku.

Doukoku is to the Shinkengers as Darth Vader is to the Rebel Force. With a seal keeping him from entering into our world, he sends others to cause misery and pain in order to break the barrier between both worlds that would allow him to freely enter our world. If Doukoku entered our world with the seal still in place, he would basically dry up and die. The first time the Shinkengers faced him, Doukoku defeated them without moving a step. So powerful, that for the love of Dayu’s music, he risked death in order to save her and her shamisen.

On Wikipedia for ‘Power Rangers Samurai’, Saban stated “the show will have a "brighter tone and gets an infusion of fun and comedy that wasn't present in Jungle Fury and RPM. In reality, Samurai Sentai Shinkengers was darker than the last Sentai Series that being Juken Sentai Gekiranger (Jungle Fury) and Engine Sentai Go-onger (RPM). As Jungle Fury and RPM were comedies by comparison to the original source material leads one to wonder how to turn a serious story line into a comedy. The entire Japanese series is meant for kids but with Samurai Sentai Shinkengers, even older adults with or without kids, were watching this show. So much so that there was an extra movie made of the series. So much so that it is still talked about and has been recognized as one of the best Sentai series out of a now 35 different Sentai shows.

The show was watched not only in Japan but across the internet using a software program called Keyhole TV as with torrent downloads and web sites such as TV-Nihon. All of this leading to a continuing ongoing argument. Should shows, primarily from Japan, be subtitled or dubbed? Watching a Japanese show being watered down to a Weird Al Yankovic version can be entertaining but it lacks to true feel or spirit of the show.

My final thoughts are these. Saban created this type of show many years ago as a way to bring Japanese entertainment to American audiences, did help open the door to overcoming cultural differences as well as experiencing something other than the cookie cutter style of programs and movies coming out of Hollywood. But over the years as the internet grew to shorten the cultural gaps, Saban’s Power Rangers shows became more appealing to preschoolers than to their original fan base that made Power Rangers famous.

An age group that today is watching dubbed Japanese anime shows as well as American anime shows based on Japanese anime like Sym-Bionic Titan on TV. If Saban Entertainment wishes to be taken more serious by the age group that made them famous when the Power Rangers first began broadcasting in America, it would be more beneficial as well as cheaper to simply bring the Japanese Sentai series to America, as is. Whether dubbing the voices or using subtitles, more and more people and kids are already watching the Japanese Sentai series as well as other shows like Kamen Rider and Ultraman through the internet and are seeing Saban’s Power Rangers as a kiddy show.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Growing Boys

We figure by next year our two boys are going to be taller than their own mother.







Thursday, February 10, 2011

Duke wins again against UNC

Last night UNC and Duke faced off for the first time this season with Duke's come from behind win to defeat UNC; again. link

Monday, February 7, 2011

I found this poem in a notebook I wrote over 20 years ago. I planned to give it to someone special but never could. Our lives moved on, going in separate ways, as those times together were like flying with Angel's wings.





It’s nice to be loved,

Especially when told.

How lovely you look,

As I behold.


As the sun grows dark,

Turning to night.

You light the way

With your heavenly sight.


Managing etiquette,

Under the moon.

We’ll ravish each other,

In a unifying tune.


We’re miles away,

Yet so close.

Embracing our love,

To the utmost.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Hunt and Gather

One of our cats, Quail, has been learning from the older cats the art of hunting. Which meant bringing their catch inside the house to dine on.

Natural Water


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Handicap Parkers

Over the weekend there was a bit of excitement at a local shopping center in Raleigh, North Carolina. While normal people park their vehicles in the parking area, many have decided to park in the emergency parking area designed for fire trucks, police as well as ambulances. Guess who showed up.

A few car owners were more than embarrassed as they tried to explain to the police officers why they chose to use this parking location. One lady purchased a weeks worth of groceries for her family while another man wanted to quickly purchase a case of beer as to another individual who was just picking up a few things. One individual was told his using a handicap card didn't give him permission to park their plus he was not handicap and the card was not his. The officer took the card away and he was given an extra ticket for his stupidity.