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Old 01/13/15, 01:22 PM   #1
Antiyonder
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Default Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The better opposite of Megaforce/Super Megaforce?

Now it's easier to say that the Sentai Series "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger" is truly better than Power Rangers Megaforce and Power Rangers Super Megaforce. One important thing is that the main cast are better developed characters and there's a story beyond the fanservice. But in fairness, the show is also heavier on the fanservice that it's arguably hard to prove it's better merely on it's own merits. So lets look at something much more humble.

Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Not an anniversary season as Wild Force or Super Megaforce are, it's still a season which was pretty heavy to a degree in fanservice. Lets look at what we have:

1. Fan favorite Tommy Oliver becomes a regular cast member for the season. First time since Lost Galaxy that we had characters from the MMPR-PRiS era appearing frequently as opposed to being a guest star.

2. Conner, Kira, Ethan and Trent to a degree are callbacks to the MMPR teens. Hayley and her Cyberspace are similar to Ernie and the Juice Bar. And while it might be an exaggeration to see them as DT's Bulk & Skull, Devin and Cassidy do provide a good share of comedic relief.

3. Episodes that provide some good fanservice.

Yet, Dino Thunder while not necessarily the best of PR, is still solid in characterization and story. The fanservice is most definitely satisfying, but the creative team don't coast on it to keep us invested.

Despite later reduction in screentime, Tommy's presence is strong, but doesn't come at the expense of the other Rangers or cast members in general.

As mentioned, Dino Thunder provides some callbacks to MMPRs, but while MF/SMF for the most part gives us shallow copies. Dino Thunder goes beyond such.

- The team from MMPR were real goody-goods. Rarely showed any moral flaw unless it was brought out by a spell, plus despite being of different cliques, are instantly friends with one another.

Not so much with our main leads of DT. The main team for one gets detention in the opening of the series, and not because they were framed by evil twins or under a spell. Plus Conner could be a real jerk at times. Good character, but unlike Jake who's sense of self-entitlement isn't presented as a problem, Conner had to grow up to get respect from his team/friends and love interest.

Or heck, when Billy was originally bullied by Bulk & Skull, he was pretty unsure in trying to deal with them. Ethan on the other hand? When picked on in A Bully For Ethan, he is recklessly antagonizing the bully rather than trying to kiss up to him or shy away from a fight.

Plus, the team was anything but friends at the start. Even upon becoming Rangers, they are at best a group of people having to put aside their differences for the greater good. Actual friendship comes later when they've grown.

Trent? While Tommy is definite cool in MMPR due to his badass moments and JDF's acting, Trent has more character arguably. Wants to be an artist, his father is overbearing and his tenure as an evil ranger is a bit lengthier. Plus, at one point Evil Trent feigns having been cured early on, which comes back to bite Trent in the behind when the other Rangers are hesitant to trust him after he is actually back to normal. And in line with how the DT teens aren't as goody-good, the Rangers aren't so willing to let bygones be bygones, while Tommy was welcomed wholeheartedly.

Not to mention that while Tommy had a clone who was able to continue existing, and getting to live in a historically inaccurate Angel Grove in the past, Trent's Clone had to go down, as too much white energy is dangerous:-).

- Hayley doubles as both the owner of the teen hangout spot, and the Rangers' ally and technician. After all, Dr. O is no rocket scientist:-). As such we don't have a cheap redux of Zordon and Alpha, and it makes her distinct from Ernie, whereas Megaforce flatout calls their character Ernie and gives him the same function. Heck, with Tommy we have a first time in that the mentor was a Ranger, and regains that position.

- Heck, while Cassidy may antagonize the Rangers early on, she wasn't really a bully, and Devin definitely not one at all.

As for the fanservice type episodes:
- Legacy in Power: A clip show giving us the history of the series up to Ninja Storm. Pretty much just archive footage, yet this episode still has more effort than most of SMF combined.

- Back in Black: Not so much fanservice, but Tommy returns to duty with style.

- Lost & Found in Translation: Acknowledging the source material in a way that isn't distracting. Loads of fun and the lesson while it works for the kids, definitely is something that the more extreme PR/SS fans can benefit from.

- Fighting Spirit: Tommy fighting Zeo Ranger V, Red, MMPR White and Green. As a result, we get Tommy fully back into action after several episodes where he was trapped in Ranger Form. Plus we get some good character development from Cassidy where she refused to slander the Rangers to get ahead in her career.

- Thunder Storm, Part 1-2: While it doesn't hold a storytelling candle to To the Tenth Power/The Power of Pink or the character moments of Reinforcements From the Future, Part 1-2, it does a much better job at giving the returning Rangers screentime, plus others like Lothor, Zurgane, Kapri, Marah and Kanoi. Plus the easter eggs like Marah and Cassidy sharing the same actress and Shane's comment to his students being word for word what Kanoi said to him, Dustin and Tori in Ninja Storm's premiere.

Plus Thunder Struck, Part 2 aside from giving us one last hurrah from the team, actually gives a wrap up to the cast from Tommy, the Dino teens, Cassidy, Devin and even Anton and Randall. Legendary Battle, both regular and extended edition? Doesn't even have a final scene with Gosei thanking the team for their service to the planet.

Heck, I always though that Dino Thunder had enough merit to serve as yet another endpoint for the franchise as a whole. And upon reflection, I stand by that 100%.

Dino Thunder is nowhere near as intense as Gokaiger, but the fact is they both succeed for the same reasons that Super Megaforce failed.

The fanservice had more heart to it, but it still didn't substitute for writing and character development. Case in point for DT, Tommy has reduced screentime from Leader of the Whack up to The Disappearing Act as Jason David Frank wanted some time off, but the show really doesn't suffer for it. Plus Dino Thunder does well in it's callback to MMPR, but isn't a half-hearted ripoff.

And that's where Super Megaforce truly falls. The fanservice is just a cheap ploy to cash in on the nostalgia trend, but the show doesn't really offer much beyond the fanservice. Both Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and Power Rangers Dino Thunder on the other hand are without a doubt a well crafted love letter to the respected fandoms, while working enough for newcomers who could careless about Tommy Oliver or Banba Soukichi.
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Old 01/17/15, 10:24 PM   #2
mbozzo
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Default Re: Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The better opposite of Megaforce/Super Megaforce?

I like 'Lost And Found In Translation'. It show that the Super Sentai series has been dubbed in the Power Rangers universe. It should have been a yearly happening in the Power Rangers series.
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Old 01/17/15, 11:11 PM   #3
PRangerX
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Default Re: Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The better opposite of Megaforce/Super Megaforce?

DinoThunder could have been the beginning of the return to continuing casts if they wanted too. The dynamic was there. And it would have been a good nod to MMPR without copying it.
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Old 01/18/15, 09:30 AM   #4
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Default Re: Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The better opposite of Megaforce/Super Megaforce?

DinoThunder was a poor recreation of MMPR. It just didn't have the heart that MMPR had. Tommy didn't feel like Tommy. He might as well have been a different character JDF was playing. It wasn't funny enough and just wasn't fun enough.
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Old 02/11/15, 11:03 PM   #5
Galaxy Supreme
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Default Re: Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The better opposite of Megaforce/Super Megaforce?

It is striking how different DT is to MMPR. Yet at the time its like a 2004 version of it. It also had more believeable characters. Plus a more mature Tommy Oliver.
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