The Opening
Wow. What an opening! As you would believe I have seen the Shinkenger opening, and I won’t bore you with the comparison between the source material and the Power Ranger version. Instead I will take it as it is, and as it is is better than most of what Samurai has shown us. The acting is still sub-par at best but Alex Heartman and Rene Naufahu deliver excellent Power Ranger style performances to introduce not only the villians of the season but the Rangers themselves. Here we witness an excellent use of the Shinkenger footage that creates an interesting beginning to the Samurai Rangers. The Red Ranger proves himself as a true leader of a team as he fiery slashes through his enemies and with utter style!
The Calling
The Samurai Rangers are called in the same manner as the Shinkengers are called only with a small Ranger style added to their calling. Kevin is called during a swim meet, Mike has his hamburger stolen. Mia has her child watching interrupted and as Emily plays her sister’s flute she receives her Samurai Call. The adaptation from Sentai to Power Rangers is flawless, and I usually wouldn’t say this but the Ranger version is almost better. Don’t get me wrong I love Shinkenger, but PR seems to make me giddier and happier and I loved the calling out to the other 4 Samurai Rangers. Hector David Jr shines through the others as the sheer star of the show not only with his acting style but with believe ability.
The Villains
This should have been our first look into the villains lair and their attitudes toward the Samurai Rangers. Instead NICK thought it was a good idea to make it our Episode 19. However, in this review I am taking it as a first episode. In this episode we first meet Dayu, Octoroo and Master Xandred in only a few minute montange. Dayu seems like the one in charge, while Octoroo seems like the Finster of the season. When Master X finally does make an appearance he is not scary or menacing but is merely angry that he has not stopped the Rangers in a previous attack on Earth. Later on in part 2 we realize that with each monster’s attack the Sanzu River’s water rises and when it fills up enough they can sail their ship into the human world. I simply cannot tell you how much I love to randomly hear Rita Repulsa’s theme aboard the ship and I don’t care I cant hear OOH-AHH-OOH enough! PS: It’s a Shamisen, Dayu. Not a Harmonium.
The Morphin’
Treating this as the first time I have ever seen the Morphin’ Sequence I must say it is superb. Now, Shinkenger had its own Sentai style henshin, but Samurai had it’s own Morphin’ sequence and in my opinion it is quite exquisite. The Rangers morph in their own style along with their seperate Samurai Symbols. When they further morph they transform into a hooded figure which most likely is made to go along with the Auto-Morphin figures sold by Bandai. All together, the sequence is just long enough to make a grand entrance to any Morphin’ Ranger. Personally, I love the floating Kanji symbols in the background and even the whipping noise as their spandex appears is even better.
The Red Ranger’s Bad-Assness
While not carrying the same bad-assness as Takeru (ShinkenRed) Jayden still shows how powerful a single Red Ranger can be with his gigantic Fire Smasher. He slices through a car flung at him and even rams the Nighlok into a wall sending cracks up the column. When Jayden calls the other Rangers he already appears to have the confidence that a son of a deceased Red Ranger would have. He demands respect and his authority is never really questioned. We haven’t seen this from a Red Ranger in quite some time. Usually, we have to wait several episodes for the other Rangers to get behind Red, only this time his leadership is never questioned.
The Intro of the Weapons
Again, since this was not shown in sequence we already saw most of the weapons in action before being introduced to them. However, they seemed at top form in these episodes! The Hydro Bow sends a jet of water arrows, the Sky Fan slashes through with a glittery gust, the Forest Spear slices through the enemy and sends them packing, the Earth Slicer explodes through the Moogers with precision. Of course, I am most impressed with the Fire Smasher not only as a blade but also serving as a shield! Amazing!
Calling of the Zords
The Power Rangers not only included a new Morphin’ sequence but it also created a brand new calling of the Zords. In this footage, the Rangers draw a power symbol to make their folding Zords grow and then become Mega Mode. Again, the graphics in these scenes are awesome and most likely the best graphics in the entire show. I’m still not sure what the song is that they play in the background but its gotten stuck in my head since the show premiered in February. This was another welcome change from the Shinkenger footage.
Alex Heartman as Jayden Shiba
I’ve already touched on how the Red Ranger is as a leader and how he was introduced. Instead I’d like to focus on the character himself and how the Actor portrays the Ranger and Civilian. We all know that its not Alex Heartman under the helmet so that type of review is out, instead who is he when he is not in uniform. Jayden seems like a great character and still has a lot of room to grow as a leader, even once his secret is revealed. Jayden, as I’ve said before, is never questioned as a leader and this is a refreshing take for Power Rangers. Previous Reds such as Scott, Jack, Nick, Mack and Casey (etc) all seemed like they had to prove something as a Red Ranger while Jayden just rode in on a white horse and pronounced, come with me if you want to be a Ranger. I love it, a welcome change and a great mirror of Takeru (ShinkenRed).
Alex’s look is different from other Reds in the fact that it looks as if with his hairstyle he’s trying to mock Justin Bieber. Normally I would hate this, but he makes the hairstyle look good. He has the strong face of a Red and yet is still vulnerable with other aspects of his Ranger-hood. His acting ability can be a double edged sword. There are moments where I say to myself, “Sweet! This guy is a Red Ranger.” and other times where his lines fall flat and seemed forced, such as “I am the Red Ranger.” That line was awful and should have been epic. However, I believe he was a good choice not only for the show but for the Red Ranger as well.
Hector David Jr. as Mike
Mike has shown himself as the funny, child-like guy in the group. His mind is more on food and fun than anything else and this makes his character a welcomed addition to the Samurai cast. His scenes are by far the best whether he is trying to master the Power Symbol or having a row with Mentor. There’s no doubt about it, Hector David Jr is the resident hottie of this season and while his character has the best lines, best moves and most depth he still shines forward as the most watchable and entertaining of the entire cast. His dance background shines through not only in these two episodes but in others as well. You can tell he works hard on his martial arts and he truly KNOWS what it means to be a Power Ranger. While the others make it look like a job or part for them, he truly shows that he wants to be on this show and knows how to make it rock. I foresee that as Power Ranger fans we will be quoting his lines from Samurai, wishing he’d come back for another season and lining up for his autograph at future Morphicons!
Mike is a fantastic mirror to Chiaki (ShinkenGreen) which was my favorite character on Shinkenger. Yet, Mike is his own character having characteristics that Chiaki did not making me want Mike centered episodes even more! Hec is not only fantastic in the show but is great to his fans on his Facebook and Twitter pages. I’ve never met a more personable guy to tweet with or comment on!
Najee De-Tiege as Kevin
Kevin is by far the driest character on the show, ironic how is element is Water. Kevin’s character is again a mirror of Ryunosuke (ShinkenBlue) in the fact that he is always disciplined and ready to serve the Red Ranger. He is always prepared for battle and ready to fight til the end. This makes him a very admirable character. He is often the bunt of jokes from the others because he is so stiff and at times we get tiny glimpses into who Kevin is as a person and not just as the Blue Samurai Ranger.
Najee as Kevin is another story. Now, I’ve watched a lot of Power Rangers but have never seen such bad acting. Yes, even in Wild Force. Now, I don’t mean to offend him at all, however his lines are never believable and at times he looks like he’s phoning it in most of the time. Most of the time when he has a scene I can’t wait for them to switch focus onto another Ranger or even the nuts Nighloks. I am still waiting for Najee to redeem himself and show me that he has great acting ability and not just fantastic abs. Which are fantastic!
Guh, I had to bring this up. I couldn’t sleep if I didnt. I had a little bit of a problem with him before I watched the show. However, I cannot say for sure if it were his real Twitter or not and if it wasn’t : Najee accept my apology. During the first few mentions of the confirmed cast of Power Rangers Samurai a lot of people, including myself looked the actors up on FB and on Twitter. Apparently, during this time period a lot of fans were tweeting him and telling him they were happy he was cast and that in their opinion he was totally hot. However, he took offense to this when Men told him this. No, I wasn’t one of them. But, I did see the posts on Twitter. Afterwards, he made a nasty comment about how he didn’t want any men telling him he was hot. I responded swiftly, and angrily. Moments later the post was removed and he tweeted an apology.
Why bring this up, you ask? It really pissed me off, and perhaps spoiled me on Kevin all together. So if you think I am biased, so be it. I love every actor on Samurai, but not if they chose to act like that. There, I had to get that out.
Erika Fong as Mia
Another mirrored character is Mia the Pink Ranger and motherly figure of the season. She is a lot like Mako (ShinkenPink) but lacks the same passion and fierceness. Mia finally showed some depth in the first two episodes that we have barely begun to see in the episodes shown before Origins. We learn she was a child caretaker and that one day she hopes to find her prince charming. The only other depth we had seen was in “Deal with a Nighlok” and “There Go The Brides” but it wasn’t character or even Ranger developing. We saw that Mia as smart enough to hatch a scheme to stop a Nighlok and that she was a comically horrible cook. Even in the scenes of “Broken Dreams” her own dream is spent creating a dinner for everyone else and nothing that might make her happier. Instead, we get the duel between her and Dayu which is amazing. I just wish we had more of the Pink Ranger being a Ranger and more of Erika Fong being Mia. I have heard a lot of people unhappy with Erika’s acting as I am with Najee. However, I don’t really see it. I see that some of her lines could be improved but all in all she conveys the motherly Pink Ranger figure she was cast as. She is caring and concerned for the other Rangers and can still handle her own. I must say that I am disappointed in the writers this season with “Forest For the Trees” where Mia gives Mike the Beetle Disk. I am probably the biggest Mike fan ever, but even I knew he was acting like a baby and didn’t deserve the Beetle Disk. Yet, she set back the Female Ranger movement (is there one? LOL) back years! What would Jen say?!
All together, I want to see more of the Pink Ranger and if they are going to mirror Mia and Mako then do it, and not half-assed!
Brittany Pirtle as Emily
Now, it is again an unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoy Emily. She is very childish and a good accent with Mike. I secretly want a romance between them LOL. I don’t think that Brittany Pirtle is a bad actress she is merely playing the child-like innocent Emily, which again is a mirror of Kotoha (ShinkenYellow). Her backstory is heartbreaking and its never been done in Power Rangers before. She was never meant to be the Yellow Ranger and yet even with her sister’s illness she still trained and joined the others when the time had come. She may not be the best fighter and at times she may make a mistake (like flinging the Earth Slicer at Jayden) but she has shown herself to be a better warrior than the Pink Ranger. She fought the Nighlok in “Sticks & Stones” singlehandedly but also helped engineer the plan to trick Dayu and hide in the wedding cake. Plus, that slash from inside the cake while wearing a wedding dress? AWESOME. Again, I want to see more from Emily and want to see her get more badass! She has so much potential and the writers need to use it.
Rene Naufahu as The Mentor
HAHA every time I see him on screen I keep saying to myself: LOOK OUT RANGERS IT’S EMPEROR GRUMM!
However, the character again has promise, but so far what the writers have him doing is concerning. He has had his moments where he mentors Jayden to be the best he can be, but the scenes were he scolds Mike or the others seems forced and not appropriate. Yet, Rene seems to redeem himself in many of the scenes such as the opening in Origins. He announces Jayden like no Red Ranger has been introduced in a long long time if not at all. With a lot of the characters in this season, Mentor has his bad moments and his good moments. But I am a fan of Ji and how he mentors the Rangers.
Intro of the Megazord
I love the imagery in the scenes where the Zords are introduced. It reminded me of many of the original seasons of Power Rangers where all the Zords come out and fight individually. The Ape Zord swinging from the buildings, the Turtle spinning, the Bear clawing at the feet of the Nighlok, the Dragon spewing his Dragon Splash and who could forget Pentagonal Fury! In the second part where the Megazord finally combines it is so f reaking hilarious that Kevin made a mistake and made them a totem pole! Finally, it took the Red Ranger and his bad-assness to make the combination correct.
If there is one thing I love it’s confetti, explosions, and fireworks. The finisher from the Samurai Megazord has fireworks going off in all colors for the final slash. Then when it lands the Nighlok is destroyed in a feast of rainbow smoke! EPIC. Not to mention that awesome pose the Megazord has, as famous with all previous Megazords! What a beautiful intro to the Zords and Megazord.
Mega Mode
I don’t have much to say about Mega Mode except for the fact this it is totally awesome. When the toys came out before the show premiered, I said “WTF is this?” but when it finally premiered it made sense and it is something that is totally original to Samurai (and finally strayed from Shinkenger) and totally original to Power Rangers as well. I am so happy they changed the cockpit for the Megazord because the Shinkenger cockpit would make little sense. The suits are simply awesome and hopefully they will put more creativity and originality into the second half of Samurai.
All Together
I honestly don;t care what the nay-sayers say and I have never really listened to them. People said Power Rangers was dead after RPM and I never believed it and I still don’t believe that it will end anytime soon. This show is headed into Legend Mode so to speak. It’s approaching its 20th anniversary and nostalgia for MMPR is still as high as it ever was. People tend to underestimate the power of Nostalgia. It can bring anything back from the dead, I mean look we have new Thundercats, Gem (she’s totally outrageous), and even Sailor Moon is making a come back.
I think that Samurai has breathed new life into a dying genre, Live Action Hero shows. Saban is truly making a comeback with Power Rangers, and while he keeps his roots with the nostalgia of MMPR and the original formula, he adds a little of what Disney had taught us and adding a lot of new flair. I mean, come on he is covering all his bases and casting for the Goseiger Season is almost done. What will 2012 bring for the Power Rangers?
I truly cannot wait not only for the second half of Samurai, but the Goseiger season and hopefully a good 20th Anniversary Season based on Gokaiger.
Thanks for reading and always stay Morphin’!
