Latest news with #SuperSentai
Gizmodo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Hasbro Found Another Way to Show You the Original ‘Power Rangers' Again
The future of Power Rangers has been in limbo for a while now. Ever since the conclusion of Cosmic Fury—with no new shows on the horizon (up until very recently), scrapped reboot plans that could've severed the series' historic link with the world of Super Sentai, and the company auctioning off the franchise's history—just what Hasbro wants to do with its inheritance of the superhero franchise has been in doubt. Turns out, for now at least, the answer is the same as it ever was: what if we just found a way to do Mighty Morphin' nostalgia all over again? Such is the case with today's announcement that Hasbro has launched Power Rangers: Re-Ignition on YouTube, which might almost sound like it's new material until you see that it is simply just the first season of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers uploaded in Youtube's 4K resolution. Two to three 'all-new' episodes will release weekly on Hasbro's YouTube channels until October. Although no mention is made in the official press release that accompanied the release of the series on YouTube, Re-Ignition had previously been described as using generative AI to provide its 'enhanced' visuals at New York Toy Fair earlier this year. Hasbro actually soft-launched Re-Ignition a few weeks ago via the Mighty Morphin' Minute, truncated recap-style releases of episodes broken down into short-form video for release on platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Tiktok. At least that cleaned-up footage is now getting released in its original form, but still, it's not exactly as 'all-new' as the company describes. But is it enough to get Power Rangers fans to bide their time for any news about the series' future? We've got until October at the least to see.
Yomiuri Shimbun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese Tokusatsu TV Series ‘Himitsu Sentai Gorenger' Celebrates 50 Years; Event Host Happy Reunion of Show's Cast
Photo by Kazuo Akimoto / The Yomiuri Shimbun By Mishio Suzuki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer I was in tears before I knew it. I understood what was about to take place and was ready to watch it calmly as a reporter. But I couldn't. As I tried to keep from crying, my face must have looked like I was an elementary schoolgirl again. 'Himitsu Sentai Gorenger' aired 50 years ago, pioneering the genre of Super Sentai tokusatsu sci-fi action TV shows. The five actors who played the human personae of the five superheroes had a miraculous get-together at Tokyo Dome City's Theatre G-Rosso in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, on April 5. The 'Himitsu Sentai Gorenger' 50th Anniversary Secret Premium Event featured Naoya Makoto, who played Tsuyoshi Kaijo, the human persona of Akarenger (red ranger); Hiroshi Miyauchi as Akira Shinmei, the human persona of Aoranger (blue ranger); Jiro Daruma as Daigoro Kumano who transformed into the second Kirenger (yellow ranger); Risa Komaki as Peggy Matsuyama, the human persona of Momorenger (pink ranger); and Yukio Ito as Kenji Asuka, or Midorenger (green ranger) before transformation. The superheroes' names come from the colors of their respective costumes. The Super Sentai series tokusatsu TV dramas, which started with Gorenger, eventually became the basis for the Power Rangers in the United States. The date of the event, April 5, was chosen to commemorate the airing of Gorenger's first episode exactly 50 years ago, on April 5, 1975. The event opened with the screening of a 1976 Gorenger film for theaters. Then came the emcee, voice actor Tomokazu Seki. He hyped up the audience, saying, 'Let's call on the Gorengers.' However, it was not the superheroes who came on stage but their enemy characters, including Yakyu Kamen, in a nice trope for these kinds of shows. With a cry of 'Mate!' (Stop!), the five Gorenger superheroes leapt onto the stage, swirling their capes. As the audience erupted into cheers, the superheroes showed off their dynamic action sequences and defeated Yakyu Kamen. Photo by Kazuo Akimoto / The Yomiuri Shimbun The actors who played the human personae of the Gorenger superheroes are seen behind a signboard about the upcoming exhibition on the history of Super Sentai TV shows. After the Gorenger superheroes defeated the enemy, the lights went out and hid them from the audience's view. Then, the stage lights flashed toward the audience, hiding the stage from sight. A moment later, the five actors appeared on stage exactly where the superheroes had stood. The actors smiled warmly and slowly waved to the crowd, many of whom were so amazed they were at a loss for words because the appearance of the actors had been kept secret to the audience. The ground seemed to rumble with the roars of admiration that reverberated around the hall. 'We were all young and eager. We worked hard to make the show better by all means,' Makoto said, looking back on those days. 'I am touched beyond words that we could meet again and we're all well. I feel really rewarded for doing Gorenger.' Miyauchi looked as if he was overcome with emotion. 'This is a beautiful day. My eyes are getting teary, so I can't talk,' he said. Daruma came on stage in a wheelchair. 'I hated high places, but Miyauchi used to freak me out by shaking the ropeway that we boarded. He loves high places,' he recalled, smiling. Miyauchi immediately jumped in, saying, 'I loooove high places and explosions.' Their friendly exchange was just like the typical banter between Aorenger and Kirenger in the show. 'Today is so precious for me, too,' Komaki said, beaming. 'With other shows, the final broadcast meant everything ended,' said Ito, the youngest of the actors. 'I'm impressed that Gorenger was such a great show that we can meet again after 50 years.' An announcement was then made that an exhibition featuring all the Super Sentai TV shows will be held at Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall in August. The exhibition will subsequently tour across the country. It will look back on the history of the series, from Gorenger to the latest work, 'No. 1 Sentai Gozyuger.' About 500 items will be exhibited, including props, costumes and robots. At the end, Makoto thanked the fans, saying, 'Thank you for supporting us for such a long time. Please keep on thinking of us from now on, too.' His words invited many responses of 'Thank you!' from various attendees in the auditorium.
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
South Korean Fans Soak up Nostalgia with Vintage Japanese Superheroes
Die-hard South Korean fans cheer and clap as their favorite superheroes strike poses in brightly colored uniforms to the sounds of a soulful Japanese ballad, a nostalgic throwback to the days of VHS. It has been decades since Japanese superhero series "Choudenshi Bioman" was last on TV, but its epic stories of good versus evil still resonate deeply for these South Korean millennials. And while their masked heroes are now well into their sixties, a chance to meet them in person at a sold-out concert hall event this month in Seoul was too good to pass up -- even with ticket prices starting at 300,000 won ($210). "Most of us here are office workers, and though the ticket price wasn't cheap, it wasn't beyond our means as lifelong fans," said Oh Myung-hoon, 39. "It wasn't a matter of choice for fans like me. It was a must." Part of the "Super Sentai" series, better known to Western audiences as the inspiration for the "Power Rangers" phenomenon of the 1990s, "Choudenshi Bioman" and its companion shows tell the story of a group of people with special powers fighting supervillains intent on world domination. The show was broadcast at a time of Japan's transformation into a global cultural powerhouse, its animation and film studios producing content seen the world over. But many Korean fans of "Choudenshi Bioman" were initially not even aware the show was Japanese. - Japanese imports banned - For decades, South Korea imposed sweeping restrictions on Japanese cultural imports due to historical tensions stemming from Tokyo's colonial rule over the peninsula in the early 20th century. It was not until 1998 -- more than half a century after Korea's independence -- that Seoul began lifting its ban on Japanese media content. Japanese superhero series -- best known in South Korea through "Bioman" and "Flashman" -- were among the few exceptions to the ban and imported on VHS tapes, making them a rare and cherished phenomenon in the 1980s and 1990s. Even so, authorities required all Japanese text in the series to be replaced with Korean and the voices dubbed, effectively erasing any trace of their Japanese origins. This allowed the series to thrive in an era when anti-Japanese sentiment remained strong, media columnist Kim Do-hoon told AFP. "The media that dominated my youth was all Japanese, like the animation 'Galaxy Express 999', but they had to appear Korean through dubbing," the 49-year-old said. "The 1970s and 80s were an era of peak anti-Japan sentiment, with the belief that anything related to Japan was bad." But "thanks to South Korea's strong cultural exports and vibrant economy" times have changed, he added. Some scenes managed to avoid the censorship and showed Japanese characters in the background -- puzzling young Korean kids. Cha Jeong-in, a 39-year-old game developer, admits she was confused by the "unrecognizable letters". "I asked myself 'what is it?'" she told AFP. "I later learned it was all made in Japan." - Good triumphs over evil - For the actors who starred in the hero series, the heartfelt reception in Seoul was both exhilarating and perplexing -- especially in a country where Japanese content was once heavily censored. "I had never expected something like this to happen 40 years after filming, so I was really surprised," said Kazunori Inaba, who played Red Mask in "Maskman". The 68-year-old former actor, who now runs a ramen restaurant in Tokyo, said it was "difficult" for him to account for the devoted following his decades-old fantasy drama still enjoys in South Korea. "If this work that we did can be a good bridge between Japan and Korea, then we have done a really good job," he told AFP. "I think heroes are really important, especially when you're a child. As you grow up, you forget about them," he said. "But rewatching them can help bring back the memories." Game developer Cha said she spent $1,500 to come to Seoul from the Philippines, where she now lives. "I thought that if I missed this chance, I'd never be able to see them face to face in my lifetime because of their advanced age," she told AFP. "They all taught me that good always triumphs over evil and that I must not choose the path of wrongdoing," Cha said. "They instilled those values in me."
