Power Rangers' Getting Worse As A Surefire Revenue Killer For Toei Ltd.

 

Warning: This article will feel biased because I DON'T LIKE Power Rangers. However, given Shinichiro Shirakura's statement, I feel that Toei alone isn't to blame, maybe not just Shunkan Bushun, but also the harsh reality about Power Rangers. Power Rangers doesn't ruin Super Sentai's content but ruins its own when it creates a terrible season or entry. However, given the funding cycle, it's more like Power Rangers' really bad downward trend since 2011 (or earlier, GIVEN THE DISNEY ERA TOO) may also deserve the blame.

Here are Shirakura's words, regardless of how I feel about Power Rangers:

Shirakura observed that he joined Toei in 1990, when the company was planning the 1992 series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The staff back then thought that it might be the final Sentai entry. So, the younger staffers wanted to try something different, and introduced a sixth regular member mid-story for the first time in the franchise. Shirakura mused that Zyuranger becoming the loose basis for the global phenomenon Power Rangers was divine intervention (literally, "kamikaze") that led to Super Sentai lasting another three decades.

Asahi observed that even Kamen Rider and Ultraman had hiatuses, whereas only Super Sentai among the tokusatsu franchises has had a nearly continuous half-century broadcast run. Shirakura dryly noted that Super Sentai's success defies reason — its origin was a fluke, born from a failed attempt to make a project with five Kamen Riders assembling to fight together. That failure led Kamen Rider creator Shōtarō Ishinomori to develop Himitsu Sentai Gorenger — the first Super Sentai show. The franchise only added giant robots after the once-popular giant robot anime shows ended their continuous broadcast run in the 1970s. The third (or first, depending on who is counting) Super Sentai show, Battle Fever J, took over the Tōshō Daimos robot anime's timeslot after it was cut short.

I decided to write this "follow-up" post because most of my irritations regarding the Power Rangers franchise come from a business POV! It should be observed that Shirakura gives credit to Power Rangers for the FUNDING that Toei needs. It's not because Super Sentai came first or is more original. In fact, I even wrote 10 reasons why I prefer Super Sentai over Power Rangers. I was thinking about that the best Power Rangers' downward trend may have begun in 2011 or EVEN EARLIER (perhaps 2010). 

Defending my stance that Power Rangers went from bad to worse, hence huge OPPORTUNITY COSTS

Disney took over Power Rangers, starting with Power Rangers Ninja Storm. The standard Power Rangers run is 40 episodes on average. However, Power Rangers during the Disney era went with the 38-episode format (which is three episodes more than the heavily rushed Dengekitai JAKQ). Apparently, there was some cost-cutting involved. However, anything after Power Rangers SPD was really rushed from 38 episodes to 32 EPISODES. Right now, I realized that perhaps my heavy dislike for Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, as well as most of the Disney era! 

I was looking at Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Bringing Tommy Oliver back was probably not the best thing. Sure, Tommy was popular, but using him to bail out or boost ratings isn't exactly a good move. We need to notice that at least 11 YEARS had passed since Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers came. Sure, Tommy was made into the background, but overusing Tommy was definitely milking out nostalgia. Why is Tommy even put into the show that's NOT an anniversary season? I felt like NO ONE from the past should be brought in as a regular while guest roles are A-OK. 

Power Rangers RPM came, and I felt it was a strange move to mix Engine Sentai Go-Onger (which was a crazy parody) into the darker environment. That's why I'd pick Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters over RPM any day. RPM rushed here and there, and HUH? Judd Lynn's an overrated writer IMHO though I blame production more. RPM ended and we had that incredibly IDIOTIC Mighty Morphin' Re-Version -- which thankfully TANKED. Saban came back to buy the brand. It felt like good news until everything can be summarized as "The Krusty Krab Mindset". I even felt moving from Saban to Hasbro didn't do anything either because of another problem -- the SUMMER BREAK!

Power Rangers should've been a YEARLY THING or a YEARLY CAST CHANGE. Seriously, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy was the soft reboot, and Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue had the minimal continuity approach. Most of the entries (or seasons) that came after it followed a soft continuity approach. IMHO, the whole Z-Wave in Power Rangers isn't really a problem. The whole Z-Wave could be interpreted as, "It was meant to destroy ONLY the active evil of that time." 

The yearly cast change happened with the following seasons that went YEAR AFTER YEAR:

• Lost Galaxy had a fresh new cast, despite carrying over Alpha Six as well as Bulk and Professor Phenomenus
• Lightspeed Rescue had a completely new cast that didn't even ride on Lost Galaxy
• Power Rangers Time Force can be viewed without even needing to watch any previous seasons/entries
• Power Rangers Wild Force's "Forever Red" was more of an invitation to watch the older seasons
• Ninja Storm was definitely feeling standalone
• Dino Thunder may have Tommy returning, but at least it was done with a MINIMAL continuity approach, as Tommy wasn't the main focus
• Power Rangers SPD was another show that even dared to jump by a decade
• Power Ranger Mystic Force even skipped a crossover with SPD
• Power Rangers Operation Overdrive was an anniversary WITH a soft continuity in mind
• Power Rangers Jungle Fury skipped a crossover with Operation Overdrive
• Power Rangers RPM took place in an entirely different continuity

It's not explained why Disney EVEN skipped localizing Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. Instead, they went for that well, really badly done, Mighty Morphin' Re-Version. The whole thing fell down but the damage has been done. Saban came back in 2011 to create Power Rangers Samurai -- which sadly went for more Mighty Morphin' hype than move forward. In fact, I could say that Bulk and Spike were pretty much a reflection of my storywriting when I'm allowed to write unsupervised and unchecked!

What happened was this possible revenue cut. Every entry of Super Sentai adapted means extra money via likeness and footage. For example, even if Power Rangers Zeo in 1996 wasn't a fresh new start, it still PAID FOR THE LIKENESS of Choriki Sentai Ohranger. Even the next two seasons of Mighty Morphin' paid some generous sums for using the footage of Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. Power Rangers Turbo still paid for the footage of Gekisou Sentai Carranger. Power Rangers in Space still paid for the footage of Denji Sentai Megaranger. Whether it was the Zordon Era or the post-Zordon era before 2011 -- PAYMENTS WERE MADE GIVING TOEI MONEY!

Reevaluating the unadapted seasons and possible opportunity costs because of the two-year timeskip

Every Super Sentai footage used for the American localization equals MONEY. However, I was looking at the opportunity cost of NOT having the following series fully adapted at all:

1. Ressha Sentai ToQGer 
2. Doubotsu Sentai Zyuohger
3. Ucchu Sentai Kyuranger 
4. Kaito Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger
5. Mashin Sentai Kiramager
6. Kikou Sentai Zenkaiger 
7. Avatar Sentai Donbrothers
8. Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger
9. Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

It's because Nickelodeon kept the idiotic summer break model -- we can think that after Power Rangers Samurai -- Saban could probably just skip Gokaiger entirely due to its abundance of pre-Zyuranger Super Sentai footage. However, the other creative alternative is to give Power Rangers Megaforce PLENTY and I mean PLENTY of original footage. However, with damage done in 2010 by Disney, I think skipping Gokaiger while going for the new series per year model would minimize the damage. Instead, it becomes an incredibly huge opportunity cost!

Let's just say that my estimate for royalty fees is at least USD 10 million - USD 15 million. The average opportunity cost would be at least USD 12.5 million EACH. It coudl've been 2011 was Samurai followed up by 2012 with Megaforce using Goseiger likeness. 2013 could've been Power Rangers Beast Morphers. I guess you GET WHAT I MEAN? The total lost revenue would be USD 112,500,000.00 of OPPORTUNITY COSTS. Too bad that Toei never had actual control over Nickelodeon but allowed it anyway. Toei should've had STRICTER contracts with Saban and Hasbro. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and the whole thing fell apart years later.

Sure, there was still money for the CGI-heavy seasons. Unfortunately, the whole problem went with how Toei could've had at least USD 12.5 million if they got STRICTER with the adaptation cycle. After all, there have been interesting ideas to work with. I mean, think 2024 should've been dedicated to a King-Ohger adaptation (due to its resemblance to Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog) or 2025 dedicated to a Boonboomger adaptation. Sadly, NONE OF THAT HAPPENED as Toei simply tolerated the practice. I call it the problem that Toei's contribution was the INDIFFERENCE.  

That's why I even dared to write back in 2017 if Power Rangers could die any time soon. In fact, maybe it could happen if ever the latest series will still be Mighty Morphin' all over again.