Why is Power Rangers "Popular".... but Not?

[JohnCrichton]

I don't get it.

Okay, the show's been on for about 10 years now. And I don't know any American action "children's" show that has lasted that long... consistantly.

Over in Japan, word down the wire is that Sentai(Japanese Power Ranger, stuff.. http://www.classichero.com) was the number one selling toy, even beating out Gundam!

As any die-hard PR fan knows, sure the show was in the dumps for a couple seasons. And has had more than its fair share of junk seasons, but alot of these episodes happened with the original cast that people swear by!

In Space, they made a comeback that no one saw coming and have had far more cool episodes since the new more Sentai like format.

Show's production value shot through the roof, direction, action direction and writing grew far superior than what preceded it in the oringal first seasons.

Only show I've seen make such a jump in quality was Transformers: Beast Wars, but that wasn't consistancy..... and it plummeted when Beast Machines hit the air.

So, I don' get it. How can a show last this long..... be this succesful and only have improved vastly in quality, but when you talk to just about anyone it's still unpopular and uncool to like the show.

The Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles haven't done half as well, but somehow they still seem more popular?

How can a show last 10 years, be hugely financially succesful, and improve in stories, story lines, direction and special effects, yet still be....... "unpopular?"

[DisneyBoy]

In today, out tommorow, my friend. Entertainment is an ever-evolving fad. How is it Michael Jackson can still be herald as the King of Pop when his last album failed miserably and an Icon when his numerous surgeries have changed the look of his face forever to say nothing about the allegations of pedophilia? The industry is such a contradiction sometimes.

Often, as may be the case with Power Rangers, when a network a has a desent show that pulls in medocre ratings when all of there other shows are terrible, they'll keep putting money into the desent show.

As for Power Rangers in Space - I'd never watch it. There's a limit to how obsurd a show can get. The whole thing used to be cool, in it's own campy way. Now, they've gone back in time, across the galaxy - I hate to tell you this, but it's cheesy to 90% of the population - which is why no one is responding to this thread. I liked the first few episodes, but I grew out of it and haven't given it a second thought since. How are the Ninja Turtles still popular? I've no idea!

[mbaker]

I never liked The Power Rangers at all. The shows production values sucked anyways. However, I'd like to see the Power Rangers take on The Superfriends, or Rita Repulsa's minions against The Legion Of Doom. Just for laughs.

Don't Be A stranger! Kick The Ranger!

Don't mind if I do!

[JohnCrichton]

Yeah, but its ratings are't mediocre. It still tops and they've made so much money on the show that they're spending even more money on it.

As for production value... I'll not argue that point. If you think it sucks then either you haven't seen the show in the last six years or will refuse to see any of the shows merits based soley upon it being under the title of Power Rangers.

I mean, blowing of the show to simply say they're in space or traveling back in time is like saying Batman Beyond is stupid because all it's about is some kid in a flying mouse suit.

As for Michael Jackson, well.... his last album may have failed and his face might be getting worse, but PR's last outing was a critical and financial success!

As f- eh, I always start my paragraphs with "As for...." I gotta stop that.

Pertaining to the show being cheesy..... well OF COURSE it is! All classic superhero stuff is cheesy. TMNT? Even the concept of Transformers to anyone who didn't grow up with it will having them rolling their eyes and scratching their heads.

If I want something closer to being serious I watch Farscape(obviously) or Angel.... or Boston Public.

If I want some high flying, monster smashing, "You'll never get away with this!!!!" action..... I watch Power Rangers, which is better than people give it credit for. Stunts and martial arts alone are worth the price of admission.

[Scythemantis]

I enjoy all sentai. "Cheesiness" equals entertainment to me. I can`t think of any show or movie as "stupid" since everything people consider stupid I find incredibly funny. The more ridiculous something is, the better. I love some of the sillier monsters in PR, Ultraman (Which i`ve only seen a couple times, but Ultraman Tiga is coming! Yay!) and Kamen Rider.

[DisneyBoy]

I for one, am not into cheese.

As for Power Rangers, you defend your point of view valiantly. However, when I was referring to a show that only get medeocre ratings, I was not referring to Power Rangers. As for not seeing it in the past six years - you're right...and I don't intend to. I can cling to my own childhood shows, thank you and you can cling to yours.

[JohnCrichton]

Eh... no, I get rabid sometimes, and for that I apologize if I offended.

[Chris Sanders MSX]

So, I don' get it. How can a show last this long..... be this succesful and only have improved vastly in quality, but when you talk to just about anyone it's still unpopular and uncool to like the show.

Thes how has been out in Japan since the 1970's and i think late 1960's.... My guess is because it's seen as more of a little kids show, so while it may be popular most people won't admit to watching it. It was HUGE when I was in like 5th grade but now with me in my Junior Year of HS ..It's just not soemthing you talk about.. And in the circles of people who are into that kind of stuff the show has dropped in qualitya nd like the Simpsons even when they improve people are not willing to forgive and just forget.

[Pilmedium]

I was never that much of a fan, even though I watched it very long ago, don't even remember when.

As for the topic, most people say it is old and not that good. The reason the ratings aren't awful is because those are probably the same people who watch the show.

[John-Paul]

TMNT DOES SEEM MORR POP! Right? Right!

[Chris Sanders MSX]

No.. TMNT..Is less pop..because it's um not that popular any more. It's vintage kind of. Like if I were to go to school and tell all my friends about the new show, they'd be all like "Really ?" and actually check it out as oposed to PR, where as they'd be like.. "So ?

[Memphis Bleek]

I personally liked mmpr - zeo, but after that it start to suck to me. I think people including myself who were fans of the shows got tired of constant power changes and cast changes. In the mmpr- zeo years, the acting was much better because the show couldn't dazzled with high quality special effects. I also think that power rangers were hurt by being surrounded by a weaker lineup after X-men and Spider-man got cancelled. Also some of the Fox afflifates stop showing the weekday afternoon lineup. Many fans missed out on a large portion of the zeo episodes. Many fans also didn't like power rangers turbo the movie and series. Once the original cast members: Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly left many of the fans left because their favorites characters left. Tommy, who was six ranger finally left and show begin to slide. My friends and I tried to watch the other shows, but it just wasn't the same without the original five plus Tommy.

[Chris Sanders MSX]

Remember when Billy came back and stayed around for a bit and then just disapeared for no reason ? What happened with that ? ALL I knew was he was there one day and then just vanished.

[Memphis Bleek]

Originally posted by Chris Sanders MSX
Remember when Billy came back and stayed around for a bit and then just disapeared for no reason ? What happened with that ? ALL I knew was he was there one day and then just vanished.

Didn't Billy go to Aquitar which was the home of Alien rangers of Aquitar and let that 12 year old become the blue turbo ranger?

[spyke]

I hated power rangers from the start ,simply because I'm not a fan of sentai (I was 1st exposed to it when I saw jetman, which I hated), although I did like the kive action japanese spiderman. It was'nt until I saw power rangers:lost galaxy that I actualy watch and enjoyed a full, not to mention, every single episode of a power rangers season. Both the story and action/fight scenes, as well as, the special effects were great and a heck of a lot bette then previous episodes of the series. Since then I have been kinda hooked on the show (lost galaxy and everything that follows it).

[Chris Sanders MSX]

Didn't Billy go to Aquitar which was the home of Alien rangers of Aquitar and let that 12 year old become the blue turbo ranger?

Yeah but he came back and was helping Alpha and the Rangers and stuff.. I'm not sure if he came back before or after Jason amde a short stint as the Gold ranger.. YEAH ! And what happened with him too .. he came back and then just sorta went away too.

[StrangerAtaru]

Personally, I think that PR has come a long way from what we all know and love as "The Cheesy Old Days". I remember watching the series from "Day of the Dumpster" and seeing the old team in action as much as other people. I even still have some of the old Zords up in my closet from those days! (I only have the Thunder, Ninja, Shogun and Zeo for those who want to know) But towards the end of Zeo and around the time of the Turbo movie, I realized that PR was just the same thing over and over again with no progress and little the same from the beginning. And at the same time, I was slowly beginning to watch Sailor Moon and enter the world of anime. I never saw either the Turbo movie or the series premiere of Turbo, and that was that.....

At least until JC from the CNX board coaxed me to watch PRTF. And what I saw was awesome! The series had started to tap into the Sentai roots of the original series and made it into a more authentic version of the shows. Sure it was still cheesy as heck, but the stuff the Time Force Rangers went through would have been unthinkable in a way with the old way. These were complete start-to-finish stories, not continuous ad-infitnitum slop that became trite. The amazements continues with Wild Force, but I am forced to watch that on ABC Family on Fridays because of my love of the old Spider-Man show that airs on Saturday morning.

[Dark Spider]

Power Rangers debuted in Fall of 1993. Back then it was 5 rangers (Jason, Kimberly, Billy, Token Asian:Trini and Token Black:Zack...and yes I had to say that). They were lead by Zordon, a big blue head in a tube and his robotic assistant Alpha. The Power Rangers had spent their time fighting the evil clay minions of Rita and protectd their home Angel Grove. I remember as an 8 year old watching this show and loving every minute of it.

Then we go into season 2 and the introduction of Tommy. Tommy was the new coolest green ranger. He had a special Dragonzord and he had a cool flute thing to call it with. I remember as a 9 year old that this was ultra cool.

Then we enter Power Rangers Zeo. Rita is now married to lord of the Galaxy Lord Zed. This would produce new minions for the PR's to handle. I think this is also the first time a major cast change happened. Jason, Trini and Zack both left the show and were replaced by 2 new actors and Tommy replaced Jason's spot as leader. My interest started to decline now, as I started to find the Power Rangers to become repetitive now. But the Movie that came out at this time was cool though.

Then we enter Power Rangers Turbo and its movie. I completely scrapped Power Rangers because I didn't want to go through another cast change and have some kid become a ranger. Plus the zords became cars now. It didn't make any sense to me. The only consistent thing on that show was Bulk and Skull, the 2 comedy relief.

Then we get more cast changes and stuff when we are introduced to "PR in Space", "PR in the Lost Galaxy", "PR Time Force", "PR Lightspeed Rescue" and now "PR Wild Force". This stuff gets repetitive now. Plus I really missed the original cast and the original strorylines. The Power Rangers had changed into a monster and now I'm really missing the old stuff. I was really excited when Fox had that Power Rangers O-T-O thing where they replayed all the old episodes for the last time. Seeing Billy for the first time in years almost made me cry.

Maybe I'll give PR Wild Force a try, but I'll never forgive the Power Rangers for changing as many times as they did. If you get to be a ranger now in days, you are guaranteed a season...but then you are quickly let go because the producers want to do something different.
___________
Now I close this post with a Power Morph:

Zordon: Angel Grove is in trouble!

Alpha: Ay-eye-eye! Rangers, you have to do something!

Jason: Alright guys, ITS MORPHIN TIME!

*The Mophing screen shot comes on*

Zack: Mastodon!

Kimberly: Pterodactyl!

Billy: Triceratops!

Trini: Saber Tooth Tiger!

Jason: Tyrannosaurus

*End morphig screen shot*

Tommy: Awright, its my turn.

*Tommy plays his flute. We see stock footage of his Dragonzord emerging from the depths of the sea*
______________

GOD, I miss the old days...

[Jedigreedo]

I was in Kindergarten or First grade when Power Rangers first aired and I like the dinosaurs, the ninja, and the shogun then I lost interest when they went to Zeo cause I got sick of the changes, then I kinda regained interest when they went to Turbo and then the beginning of space (cars and space, two of my favorites subjects) but then I lost interest in it again.

I was even so interested in it at one point that my Mom made a very cool White Ranger costume when Tommy became the White Ranger and it seemed like I was the only person in my town to go as the White Ranger for Halloween.

One thing I want to know though, throughout the whole space thing, did they EVER mention the Aqua Rangers again? Or the Mantis dude? The aqua rangers were pretty cool, and I liked that one series with the alien guy who was Mantis something.

As for how it has stayed popular, well kids are kids and I'm sure there are alot of kids out there who discover Power Rangers and like it due to the Zords, the karate, the fights, and the non-frightening monsters.

[JohnCrichton]

Aquitar Rangers were seen one more time in "Count Down to Destruction", in which all the PR badguys and good guys came back for one last humongous battle!

Arguably the best Power Ranger episodes EVER!

You got to see an Aquitarian one more time during the first season of Time Force really breifly as a fond wink to the fans.

Billy left because he was sick of doing the show and wanted to move on with his career. So he didn't even show up for his final episode. Instead they used an old man and some really bad reused footage and a voice over.

As for the Ranger repetitiveness, I felt it too. After Jason left Zeo and the coming of Turbo I openly dissed the show to the friends I once defended it to. I even so that horrible Turbo movie in the theatres. It sucked! First movie tho was pretty damn good.

Anyway, with the change of characters and the coming of In Space the changing powers for no reason plot came to a final and welcome end.

It's not repetitive really. You get the same concept of a team of fighters, but with new casts and storylines!

Wild Force for me has started off really slow. Not really liking it that much. But with this Lunar Wolf Saga going, it's starting to get pretty interesting.

For those of you who miss the old Rangers, there's suppose to be a Ranger Reunion episode and Tommy's already signed to come back.

For those who miss PR OTO, they got the Best of Power Rangers airing Sunday mornings now.

Personally, those old episodes make me wince, but I'm really looking forward to when they start re-airing In Space through Time Force. Got me some episodes I wanna get on tape.