Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Generation 2

On Saturday, January 2nd, the new “reversioned” Mighty Morphin Power Rangers took to the airwaves.

Didn’t get to see it? Not terribly surprising; it seems that the skittlebrains at ABC air it at insanely different times in different markets, be it 11am or noon to as early as 6am, 5am, and I think I’ve even heard 4am. And that’s if they even opt to air it at all.

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. Well, “fortunately” is a rather blanket term for the rather diverse opinions the first two episodes have received thus far. Actually, “diverse” may not even be appropriate, as the consensus usually falls either on “love it” or “hate it,” with little gray area.

But if you didn’t get to see it, you can start by checking out the intro:

My first thought?

…yeah, I thought the meme had died, too. But here we are.

On The AllSpark, FortMax called it “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Generation 2,” in reference to what happened with the Transformers cartoon back in the 90s. Despite new characters, new looks, new insignias, new attitudes, and new stories (in the comics), the cartoon was nothing more than reruns of the original animated series, whorishly covered up with all sorts of computer-generated effects that seemed to obscure and distract, rather than enhance. And for the most part, that seems to be what is happening here.

Said “webguyaz” on RangerBoard of the “Go! Go!” image during the opening (seen at the top), “is it just me or could you see this as a shirt at Hot Topic soon…”

I could, quite easily.

For those who want to see the episodes in full, you can find parts one and two of the first episode, “Day of the Dumpster,” here and here, while episode two, “High Five,” is here and here.

Having let it set in, I think I can tolerate this, though not necessarily like it. I expected more polishing of what was already there, rather than… well, that. A lot of people are pulling out the “Adam West Batman” card on a number of the effects, and I did too, at first. But watching, it seems to me that they are trying to make the show more reflective of the sort of things you tend to see in manga and anime, from the lightning between Jason and Skull to the Asian backdrop cropping up behind Jason to the sunburst effects around the Rangers and Megazord.

Not to mention the tags noting things such as the Red Tyrannosaurus Dinozord belonging to the Red Ranger who has a Tyrannosaurus on his helmet. It’s forgivable for first appearances, but in the second?

I guess this is their way of hanging a lampshade on the fact they’re re-airing a 16, 17 year old series today, by making it some sort of self-referential humor or something. I have less problems with what they’re doing than how they are doing it, though– so much of it is cheap, or just plain unnecessary. I mean, when Bulk and Skull’s antics aren’t even the most ridiculous part of their scenes, something is just plain wrong.

On the upside, it was a really hot Twitter topic yesterday, with some amusing lines such as those identifying the Pink Ranger as “Kelly” or “Jennifer Garner.” Hopefully this will be enough to help reignite the popularity of the Power Rangers.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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