I guess the success of B-Fighter caused the launch of what's considered the messy B-Fighter Kabuto. It's really A MESS but it's a WATCHABLE MESS IMHO. Some Tokusatsu shows aren't so well-loved but I enjoy them. I'm aware how Kamen Rider BLACK RX was pretty much what caused that hiatus but I still enjoy it. I'm aware of how Kamen Rider Kiva is berated as Toshiki Inoue's lowest point but I like it. I can now enjoy Ressha Sentai ToQGer even if Yasuko Kobayashi was at her lowest point. B-Fighter Kabuto is often regarded as that Franchise Killer but it seemed Toei actually decided to let it happen. Just think that 2006 gave us Kamen Rider Kabuto - a show that seems to tell us Toei's not bringing back the Metal Hero franchise but hasn't forgotten it either.
Granted, the show's pretty much a DIRECT sequel to B-Fighter. It wasn't too surprising that the B-Fighters do return to assist the heroes. Bailout? Maybe, maybe not. I do find the first team better than the second. Yet, I can't deny that the show manages to be a direct sequel without relying too much on the previous show. The previous team returns while they're the ones who run the institute now. The first episode does have a cameo of Takuya Kai, the previous main protagonist. The original team returns to lend a hand only to return back to their duties. I was reminded of how Tokkyu Solbrain had its crossover with Tokkei Winspector. Ryoma Kagawa made his guest role before he received his upgrade called Knight Fire. Still, Ryoma has been Demoted to Extra to avoid derailing the main heroes of Solbrain. In this case, the original team only guest-stars when it's called for.
The show midseason does seem to fill what might be Toei's trademark, "Toys to save it." mentality
That's the problem I had with the Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z. I still call the Buu Saga be nothimg more than a toy commercial. Midseason, we have the B-Crushers who serve as an offensive force. Both Raija and Dezzle are defeated but will return later. I think Raija is cooler than Nukus even if he can't make his own monsters. I feel Mother Melzard puts Les Fortunes to shame. Well, Beetledorks Metallix was practically less fortunate since it barely lasted, unlike the first season.
We have the New B-Fighters who are practically just more toys. They are Mac Windy (Yanma), Julio Rivera (Genji), Li Wen (Min), and Sophie Villanueve (Ageha). An interesting fact is that Reuben Langdon was also a suit actor in Beetledorks Metallix. Reuben is the only fully white guy among the New B-Fighters. The rest were fake nationalities. An interesting piece of trivia is that Reika Hashimoto is actually half-Spanish on her father's side. I assume Hashimoto isn't her real surname just like how Subaru Kimura's real surname is Bartsch. These characters hand over gadgets. Later, they participate in the finale. I feel these guys were as gimmicky as several new toys sold during the Buu Saga. New weapons are given, they disappear, then they show up during the finale. Was the point of them just to sell toys? I dare say yes.
The Insect Medals do however create a plot. I still feel it's more well-utilized than how the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z had many toys that barely did anything. A good example is how Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Mystic Gohan, Gotenks, and Vegitto were just there to add more toys than contribute to the plot. In this case, it seem sot be a combination of plot and toys. The crushers are known as Beezack, Mukadelinger, Descorpion (the leader), and Killmantis. My beef though is that Killmantis should be female since Praying Mantis females do tend to commit sexual cannibalism. I wonder if this was meant to be Ginyu Force-type character. Quite interestingly, Denji Sentai Megaranger would give us the Nezirangers who are partly a Trope Namer to The Psycho Rangers. Yeah, sure TV Tropes did pick the American name since Nezire means "to twist". Psycho would be a bit more appropriate though IMHO even if I dislike Power Rangers or 99.9% of American adaptations of Japanese shows.
I still feel that the show can get messy. However, it's still that watchable mess. I think the show does manage to pick up where BLACK RX failed. BLACK RX failed to connect to its predecessor Kamen Rider BLACK and decided to recycle the hero. Fortunately, Toei Ltd. hardly did that and it's a very rare case these days. In this case, B-Fighter Kabuto made a direct sequel with new heroes. It's pretty much how Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan was directly connected to Denji Sentai Denziman. The practice though seems to be not so used. Apparently, Toei Ltd. prefers to keep most Super Sentai series in a self-contained vacuum for most of the time.
Unlike Beetleborgs, I'm actually determined to finish this watchable mess. I'm still going to give criticism of what I think went wrong. It's been enjoyable even if I can say, "It's a mess!" Yes, it's a mess but it's a watchable mess!
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