From the shadows, an evil terrorist organization known as
the Black Cross Army has emerged to threaten the stability of the world. The only thing standing in their way is the
Elite Peacekeeping Unit, EAGLE, but even they find themselves outmatched. In its darkest hour, EAGLE selects five
special agents, each the survivor of a Black Cross Army attack on their
units. Together, they are given next
generation powers, suits and weaponry that can easily put them on fighting
terms with the Black Cross. They are the
first super heroes of their kind. They
are Himitsu Sentai Gorenger.
Welcome back to the second half of Season 8 of First
Impression Friday and do I have a special one for you today.
Continuing with our occasional shoutouts to
the Power Rangers franchise on it’s 30
th birthday, we’re taking a
look at the very, VERY beginning of the legend with a little known Super Sentai
series that predates Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger (aka the show that was the basis
for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) by a good couple of decades.
We saw a little bit of Gorenger action during
out look at Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger back in January but I really
wanted to see if I could see the first episode with my own eyes.
Luckily, the internet is a wonderous place
and I was able to find a copy…that is entirely in Japanese without
subtitles.
Thankfully there’s Wikipedia
to pick up some basic plot points but really, I was just checking this out for
the production value and man has Super Sentai (and Power Rangers by
association) come a long way.
Even if you have no clue what the story is, you can pick
up plenty just from observing the action on screen: Evil forces (led by a very
questionably designed head honcho) attack an Earth Defense Unit and the five
sole survivors of five separate attacks are chosen to become a new specially
powered and equipped unit to deal with said evil forces.
The lead up to the reveal of the Gorenger
team is surprisingly pretty violent.
When I say each team member is a sole survivor, I’m not kidding.
The first few minutes see footsoldiers
mercilessly mow down members of EAGLE during training exercises and during a
soccer match.
Honestly it’s a miracle
anyone survives these slaughters.
Oh and
at one point Black Cross Army Soldiers slaughter their way through armed police
guards to capture a bus full of children they intend to blow up with a
bomb…yeah I’m starting to see why this wasn’t the starting point for Power
Rangers in the US, this would’ve been hella hard to edit down for Fox Kids.
As for the Sentai themselves, they’re make up is very
reminiscent of Anime like Gatchaman: the leader, the wild card, the strong guy,
the cute girl and the young rookie.
And
then there are the suits which, well I get that these are the first Super
Sentai I’m seeing but still, theyre a mixed bag.
The Blue, Yellow and Green Sentai all look
more traditionally like the Sentai I’m used to.
Red and Pink, well they kind of remind me more of Tokusatsu like Kamen
Rider (or Masked Rider as we got in the US) with the more insect like helmets.
Also, they ride around on bikes, fueling the
Masked Rider comparison.
Still, seeing
them in action is classic Sentai as classic gets and its strange looking at how
much the franchise has evolved since these simple beginnings.
Even the model work is entertaining in how
its all utilized to great effect despite it being all miniatures, after all
some of the people who worked on this probably worked in big Monster movies
franchises like Godzilla or Mothra at one point.
While I probably wont be seeking out other episodes, the
first episode of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger is a history lesson well worth
checking out.
From the miniature effects
to the costumes to the very violent action scenes, this is where a legacy
that’s nearing it’s 50
th birthday began.
Without this series and its success, we
wouldn’t have Jason, Zack, Trini, Kimberly and Billy standing against Rita
Repulsa and her Putties.
Will this be
the last OG Sentai series I look at this year for FIF?
Maybe I should do one on an actual Power
Rangers series.
Only time will tell I
guess.
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