Looking Back on Power Rangers
Every year, when there is a new release of the latest season of PR, I would try to dip my toes back into the series to get in touch with my roots.
This year is no different. While I still have mixed feelings about PR changing hands of parent companies every time, I hope that each season brings something positive and memorable to the series. After watching Beast Morphers episode 1, I thought that the plot borrowed elements from RPM (computer viruses vs a government agency), In Space (frozen rangers), and Ninja Storm & SPD (3 v 2 dynamic), some of my favourite series, which worries me that the producers might be setting up really high expectations for old-time fans. I hope that the writers put a different spin on those plots and keep it fresh for the younger fans without dumbing down complex life issues.
This year is no different. While I still have mixed feelings about PR changing hands of parent companies every time, I hope that each season brings something positive and memorable to the series. After watching Beast Morphers episode 1, I thought that the plot borrowed elements from RPM (computer viruses vs a government agency), In Space (frozen rangers), and Ninja Storm & SPD (3 v 2 dynamic), some of my favourite series, which worries me that the producers might be setting up really high expectations for old-time fans. I hope that the writers put a different spin on those plots and keep it fresh for the younger fans without dumbing down complex life issues.
Anyway, I still look back fondly on PR and am filled with gratitude that the series challenged my past assumptions of (inner and outer) beauty and continued to empower diverse casts of heroes year after year in spite of tough critics and parental outcries against the promotion of violence, etc. It encouraged me to see the positive in all the rangers, even those who didn't work well in their teams (e.g. Andros, Eric, Taylor, Hunter & Blake, Cameron, Trent, team SPD, etc.).
Top 10 Saddest Moments on PR.
Man, I miss the past series where there was continuity, great characters and the stakes were real. RPM Dino Charge (Finally!) is the latest good series. R.I.P. Thuy Trang and Pua Magasiva.
It also kept me interested in learning martial arts and self-defense, though I never really got round to being professionally trained in them. (There are too many types of martial arts around and I wasn't sure which type the Power Rangers used. After watching and reading up on ATLA, it has exposed me to even more martial art types. The good news is that 2018 and 2019 has given me some opportunities to learn a bit of combat skills and I finally got started on basic mixed martial arts.) As a fan of Bruce Lee, my father would re-watch his films from time to time, so he didn't stop me from watching the martial-arts-filled PR, even though he would laugh at/ridicule the episodic plots and exaggerated fight scenes for being so unrealistic. I didn't care, because I was emotionally invested in the characters and wanted them to see them save their city with their friends.
Related articles on ethnic diversity in PR:
- https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/power-rangers/180679/themes-of-power-rangers-diversity-and-tolerance
- https://www.deviantart.com/adrenalinerush1996/journal/Ethnicities-of-Power-Rangers-660148319 (updated till 2017)
- http://henshingrid.blogspot.com/2009/03/power-ranger-ethnicities.html (updated till 2014)
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