An Ode To The Power Rangers
In honor of the Power Rangers 15th Anniversary episodes having aired tonight, I've decided to greatly expand on my answer to ruinrunner82 in the interview meme a short while ago, about why- even at age 22, even knowing it's a childrens' program, knowing that it's incredibly corny, not especially deep, brain-rotting fun, even having seen its much more mature counterpart Super Sentai- I still unashamedly love the Power Rangers.
Why? What is my attachment to these heroes in multi-colored Spandex, fighting the monsters in their giant robots, after all these years? I have been a fan (off and on, more on than off; Turbo really turned me off, but most of the fandom still pretends it never existed *g*) since the very beginning, meaning I've been a Ranger fan almost twice as long as I've been a Harry Potter fan. That says something about what this show means to me, how deep my attachment to it is. Now, you would think that "why?" would be a simple question, but the more I consider it, the longer it gets.
Firstly, I have the superhero/sci-fi hero attachment to the Rangers. The best way to explain this is to compare it with people who, say, loved comic book heroes or Star Wars as kids and still do love them as adults. I feel the same way about the Power Rangers. The Rangers were IT for me as a little kid. I watched them obsessively every day, both on television and video. I made believe I was a Ranger (Red, of course), and if I could, I would have dressed up as one every day- the same way (to this day) you still see little kids pretending to be Superman, wearing that red cape and pretending to fly and have super strength. Other people grow up reading superhero comic books, playing with the toys, watching the movies and cartoons, idolizing the heroes, and it never really leaves them. As adults they still have that love and are fans to varying degrees- they may still buy the occasional comic book, for example, or buy the collectors' statues for display, or even still collect normal toys. There's a reason so many high-quality toys and other pieces are made of comic book and movie heroes, and why darker/more adult movies/comics/animated shows are made more and more often- people who grew up with these heroes never quite let that bit of their childhood go and gladly collect these reminders of that innocence, that attachment. That's equivalent to what the Rangers in their many incarnations are to me. The series may not be as dark/gritty/mature as some comic book or sci-fi heroes', but they are still my superheroes. I know a lot of people who work in the comic book industry grew up reading and idolizing the heroes they now draw and write about. Star Wars has people writing expanded universe novels, which are essentially professional fanfiction. From what I understand, Power Rangers is the same way- some of the show's crew watched it when they were younger, and now fulfill their dreams and work on it. So yes, the Rangers are superheroes, and they are "my" heroes the same way Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, et al are heroes to so many others.
Secondly, I tend to connect with series that have characters and situations I can identify with, or just great characters in general. One of the reasons I've stuck with Harry Potter for so long is because I identify with Ron so strongly, and the same principle is at work here- though with Power Rangers, it also depends on the season. Almost all of my favorite seasons do have at least one character I can connect with on some level. When I first started watching "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers", one of my favorite characters was shy nerd Billy. I liked strong (and sexy) Jason and Tommy the best, but I felt a connection to Billy. The others were athletic/martial arts champions, but Billy was like me- ordinary, not especially athletic, a glasses-wearing, shy and socially-awkward nerd. He saved the world and did good for the community every day and still made straight As, and I really dug that. When Rocky came onto the scene, I attached onto him because he had a good sense of humor, was light-hearted and loved to have fun, like me. My favorite season, tied with SPD, is Space- it was one of the first fandoms I wrote fic for, in fact. I liked the characters, and while I didn't particularly identify with any one of them, it was a great cast, who worked well together, and Zhane and Andros were definitely my first big fictional crushes.
My current big Ranger obsession, however, is SPD, and I know part of the reason I'm so obsessed is there are three characters in it I can see aspects of myself in- Z, Sky, and Bridge. Z, like me, is sarcastic, tomboyish, very close to and loyal to her friends, and firm in her beliefs. She knows what it's like to be alone and tries to provide friendship and love to everybody she meets, and tries to make a difference in the world in whatever ways she can. Sky, on the surface, doesn't seem to be much like me (we're almost total opposites in personality)- but we're both very proud people. Sky (like me) feels like he needs to be the absolute best in everything he does, and able to do everything perfectly. But when something goes wrong, or when we get overshadowed, we both can become moody, withdrawn and confrontational and are very hard on ourselves until someone gives us a firm shake and reminds us that being second-best, or even third- or fourth-best, isn't the end of the world- and indeed, our personal best can be VERY GOOD even if it's not #1. Both of us also usually tend to respect the rules and authority, even when we don't agree. Finally, Bridge (who's the guy I based my journal theme around and is probably my all-time favorite Ranger) I can relate to best. Both of us are quite quirky, so we tend to get dismissed or skirted by other people and are considered oddballs, and don't really make friends unless they take the time to get to know us. Like me, he's not very self-confident or forceful, and sometimes has trouble making people understand him or standing up for himself, but underneath his apparent obliviousness/shyness he is very intelligent and perceptive. We are also both extremely loyal, even when our friends hurt or doubt us, and are pretty quick to forgive them.
Tl;dr version of the above two paragraphs: I enjoy something so much more when I can identify with or at least enjoy the characters. Space is tied for my favorite season because of its strong characters, and SPD is my other favorite because I can identify with 3 main characters so well (plus, the whole cast had great chemistry, which made them a pleasure to watch).
Third, I know some of the appeal for me is the pure cheese factor, especially the early seasons. It's a mindless half-hour of fun, and when I'm stressed, I like to watch it and completely shut my brain down for a while. I like to watch the first two seasons especially with a fond nostalgia because it's SO AWFUL. It was so blatantly obvious when they cut to Zyurenjaa footage and the acting and scripts were pretty horrible, too. Later seasons have gotten better about that and about insulting the viewers' collective intelligence with cheese and suspension of disbelief, but some of it's still there. Even without the cheese, there're still some pretty neat stories, and such a rich and extended universe to imagine and expand on in fanfic and in my own imagination.
And finally, I'm just one of those people that likes watching giant robots and people in colored spandex perform some pretty kickass fight scenes. That's something that has little rhyme or reason behind it. ;) It's in the same vein as a lot of people who love pro wrestling, it's something you really can't explain. I'm simply wired this way, I find the strangest things entertaining.
Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. The Rangers have been my superheroes for 15 years now. And yes, I hope they will be for 15 more or beyond.
May the Power protect you all. <3
Why? What is my attachment to these heroes in multi-colored Spandex, fighting the monsters in their giant robots, after all these years? I have been a fan (off and on, more on than off; Turbo really turned me off, but most of the fandom still pretends it never existed *g*) since the very beginning, meaning I've been a Ranger fan almost twice as long as I've been a Harry Potter fan. That says something about what this show means to me, how deep my attachment to it is. Now, you would think that "why?" would be a simple question, but the more I consider it, the longer it gets.
Firstly, I have the superhero/sci-fi hero attachment to the Rangers. The best way to explain this is to compare it with people who, say, loved comic book heroes or Star Wars as kids and still do love them as adults. I feel the same way about the Power Rangers. The Rangers were IT for me as a little kid. I watched them obsessively every day, both on television and video. I made believe I was a Ranger (Red, of course), and if I could, I would have dressed up as one every day- the same way (to this day) you still see little kids pretending to be Superman, wearing that red cape and pretending to fly and have super strength. Other people grow up reading superhero comic books, playing with the toys, watching the movies and cartoons, idolizing the heroes, and it never really leaves them. As adults they still have that love and are fans to varying degrees- they may still buy the occasional comic book, for example, or buy the collectors' statues for display, or even still collect normal toys. There's a reason so many high-quality toys and other pieces are made of comic book and movie heroes, and why darker/more adult movies/comics/animated shows are made more and more often- people who grew up with these heroes never quite let that bit of their childhood go and gladly collect these reminders of that innocence, that attachment. That's equivalent to what the Rangers in their many incarnations are to me. The series may not be as dark/gritty/mature as some comic book or sci-fi heroes', but they are still my superheroes. I know a lot of people who work in the comic book industry grew up reading and idolizing the heroes they now draw and write about. Star Wars has people writing expanded universe novels, which are essentially professional fanfiction. From what I understand, Power Rangers is the same way- some of the show's crew watched it when they were younger, and now fulfill their dreams and work on it. So yes, the Rangers are superheroes, and they are "my" heroes the same way Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, et al are heroes to so many others.
Secondly, I tend to connect with series that have characters and situations I can identify with, or just great characters in general. One of the reasons I've stuck with Harry Potter for so long is because I identify with Ron so strongly, and the same principle is at work here- though with Power Rangers, it also depends on the season. Almost all of my favorite seasons do have at least one character I can connect with on some level. When I first started watching "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers", one of my favorite characters was shy nerd Billy. I liked strong (and sexy) Jason and Tommy the best, but I felt a connection to Billy. The others were athletic/martial arts champions, but Billy was like me- ordinary, not especially athletic, a glasses-wearing, shy and socially-awkward nerd. He saved the world and did good for the community every day and still made straight As, and I really dug that. When Rocky came onto the scene, I attached onto him because he had a good sense of humor, was light-hearted and loved to have fun, like me. My favorite season, tied with SPD, is Space- it was one of the first fandoms I wrote fic for, in fact. I liked the characters, and while I didn't particularly identify with any one of them, it was a great cast, who worked well together, and Zhane and Andros were definitely my first big fictional crushes.
My current big Ranger obsession, however, is SPD, and I know part of the reason I'm so obsessed is there are three characters in it I can see aspects of myself in- Z, Sky, and Bridge. Z, like me, is sarcastic, tomboyish, very close to and loyal to her friends, and firm in her beliefs. She knows what it's like to be alone and tries to provide friendship and love to everybody she meets, and tries to make a difference in the world in whatever ways she can. Sky, on the surface, doesn't seem to be much like me (we're almost total opposites in personality)- but we're both very proud people. Sky (like me) feels like he needs to be the absolute best in everything he does, and able to do everything perfectly. But when something goes wrong, or when we get overshadowed, we both can become moody, withdrawn and confrontational and are very hard on ourselves until someone gives us a firm shake and reminds us that being second-best, or even third- or fourth-best, isn't the end of the world- and indeed, our personal best can be VERY GOOD even if it's not #1. Both of us also usually tend to respect the rules and authority, even when we don't agree. Finally, Bridge (who's the guy I based my journal theme around and is probably my all-time favorite Ranger) I can relate to best. Both of us are quite quirky, so we tend to get dismissed or skirted by other people and are considered oddballs, and don't really make friends unless they take the time to get to know us. Like me, he's not very self-confident or forceful, and sometimes has trouble making people understand him or standing up for himself, but underneath his apparent obliviousness/shyness he is very intelligent and perceptive. We are also both extremely loyal, even when our friends hurt or doubt us, and are pretty quick to forgive them.
Tl;dr version of the above two paragraphs: I enjoy something so much more when I can identify with or at least enjoy the characters. Space is tied for my favorite season because of its strong characters, and SPD is my other favorite because I can identify with 3 main characters so well (plus, the whole cast had great chemistry, which made them a pleasure to watch).
Third, I know some of the appeal for me is the pure cheese factor, especially the early seasons. It's a mindless half-hour of fun, and when I'm stressed, I like to watch it and completely shut my brain down for a while. I like to watch the first two seasons especially with a fond nostalgia because it's SO AWFUL. It was so blatantly obvious when they cut to Zyurenjaa footage and the acting and scripts were pretty horrible, too. Later seasons have gotten better about that and about insulting the viewers' collective intelligence with cheese and suspension of disbelief, but some of it's still there. Even without the cheese, there're still some pretty neat stories, and such a rich and extended universe to imagine and expand on in fanfic and in my own imagination.
And finally, I'm just one of those people that likes watching giant robots and people in colored spandex perform some pretty kickass fight scenes. That's something that has little rhyme or reason behind it. ;) It's in the same vein as a lot of people who love pro wrestling, it's something you really can't explain. I'm simply wired this way, I find the strangest things entertaining.
Once a Ranger, always a Ranger. The Rangers have been my superheroes for 15 years now. And yes, I hope they will be for 15 more or beyond.
May the Power protect you all. <3