Magical Source, Mystic Force!
And that (the subject title) would be the newest and 14th season of Power Rangers, specifically, Power Rangers: Mystic Force. I've spent the whole of yesterday and this morning watching all the episodes thus far on YouTube, and can safely come to a conclusion that it is among my favorite incarnations of the show. To me, it is almost as good as PR In Space, and certaintly it is better than Dino Thunder.
The story?
A short time ago, there was a dimension filled with wonderful magic. But then darkness came into power and the great battle began. An army of the Undead lead by a powerful warrior swarmed over the land setting their signs on the human realm and beyond. All seemed hopeless when a small legion of brave and true wizards came forth against insurmountable odds. They battled heroically. They drove the evil back from the edge of the human world. And then the greatest wizard of them all, Leanbow cast a spell that sent the armies into the Underworld. He sealed darkness inside giant gates for eternity. The evil disappeared from the surface world. But with great victory comes great loss. The human world never knew of the great battle or the sacrifices that were made to save them from destruction.
In the present day, a great sorceress Udonna enlists the help of five teenagers who are destined to become the Power Rangers Mystic Force to fight against the Undead army which has now been released. The Rangers consist of the Red Ranger Nick, the newcomer to Briarwood who is the Phoenix and controls the element fire, the Yellow Ranger Chip, whos symbol is the Garuda and controls the element lightning, the Blue Ranger Madison, whos symbol is the Mermaid and has control over all things liquid, the Green Ranger Xander, whos symbol is the Minotaur and has control over nature, and the Pink Ranger Vida, Madison's sister whos symbol is the Air Sprite and has control over air. The Rangers practice their magical skills at a secret haven in the magical realm called Rootcore. The Xenotome grants the Rangers access to magical spells as they grow as indivisuals. They are assisted by Udonna's bumbling apprentice Clare, and eventually Jenji the Genie and his master Daggeron, the Solaris Knight.
My review?
The Good:
Mythological references: Mythology really is the backbone of this series. It's been ages since I've seen a show targeted at kids with this much mythological influence - for example, the rangers have specific mythical creatures linked to their color (Nick/Red has the phoenix, Chip/Yellow the garuda, Madison/Blue the mermaid, Xander/Green the minotaur and Vida/Pink the air sprite). Even the villian's costumes were designed to look like mythological creatures; Necrolai is the Queen of the Vampires and Koragg the Knight Wolf (basically looks like a werewolf), Serpentina of the Ten Terrors resembles a nagi. Not to mention side-characters in the form of sorcerers, fairies, knights and troblins (cross between a troll and a goblin).
In the episodes themselves, many myths and folklore were brought into place, such as Vida being turned into a vampire and yet could still be exposed to daylight (=A vampire turned by the Queen). So really, for someone like me who equally likes both mythology and PR, you can imagine how delighted I was when I spotted all this refrences.
Cultural Influences: Firstly, there's the costume design. The capes the Rangers wear both when in Rootcore and in their 'basic' Ranger costume, as well as their wands just scream out Harry Potter to me. Also, Sculpin the leader of the Ten Terrors, looks very much like the Creature in the Swamp, which was a famous Amercian horror movie. I guess that answers how far American culture has penetrated into Japan.
The one cultural influence that made the most impact on me was their homage to Narnia: The Last Battle. In the story arc of Dark Wish, the rangers find two door in the middle of a desert seemingly leading to nowhere. Yet when the door is opened, they lead to two different dimensions. I kept thinking of the stable door in The Last Battle.
The Plot: IMO, the production crew did learn from their previous mistakes they made in PR: SPD, this time round, they actually had a plot. Where much of the SPD episodes were more of one-shots (which made for some fantastic characterization but didn't have an actual storyline), Mystic Force had a plot rooted in as early as the fourth episode. The plot? A seemingly rip-off from the Good-turned-Evil storyline in In Space, except Nick is certaintly more intense towards Lianbow/Koragg than Andros ever was to Karone/Astronema. The whole revelation thing that Nick really was Udonna's and Lianbow's son came as a surprise to me, considering the emnity between Lianbow/Koragg and Nick. Even after Heir Apparent, the writers threw in another curve-ball that Nick was the Light and I can see the ending of the series revolving around this second storyline.
The whole Nick/Madison angle: I'm really digging that 'ship. It just that a) they look good together, b) they're good friends despite only knowing each other since the Power Rangers which could develop into something more, c) the whole contrast thing about Fire and Ice.
The Bad:
The Cast: I have absolutely nothing against most of the cast, and Dirani along with his co-stars Vallejo and Brancatisano have been excellent thus far, but other cast members such as Diaz and Sampson just don't seem to be able to get into the characters. They are overenthusiastic for each scene (here I add that while Chip is supposed to really like this superhero stuff, Sampson is just taking it overboard), and seem like they are merely forcing the words out.
The Lack of Human Interaction: Aside from Toby, the boss of the Rock Porium where the teens work when not moonlighting as rangers, there is no interaction between the rangers and the residents of Briarwood. You don't know whether the people of Briarwood like or hate the Rangers, which destroys the myth that Power Rangers are supposed to protect humankind.
The Characterization, Or Lack Thereof: The series, with the exception of Nick, gives its characters almost zero characterization at all. While PR: SPD was notable for its characterization in the earlier episodes, Mystic Force is the complete opposite. We rarely see the rangers outside of their rangering and their jobs, and seldom alone to follow their own interests. Consequently, we don't have the opportunity to see the rangers in their own elements.
The (seeming) Weakness of the Red Ranger: Nick really is too weak for a Red Ranger. Sure, while he has that cool battlizer and everything, he certaintly depends on his friends a bit too much. As much as I appreciate this move to make Power Rangers more of a teamwork effort and break out of the all-powerful Red Ranger syndrome lately, it merely makes their mentors more powerful.
In conclusion, Mystic Force isn't a bad series per se, certaintly the plot is stellar, but it also has its weaknesses. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed it very much and will anticipate the next few episodes. It is a pity then, that when they finally release a series of Power Rangers that I actually enjoy they cut down the episodes to a mere 32.
The story?
A short time ago, there was a dimension filled with wonderful magic. But then darkness came into power and the great battle began. An army of the Undead lead by a powerful warrior swarmed over the land setting their signs on the human realm and beyond. All seemed hopeless when a small legion of brave and true wizards came forth against insurmountable odds. They battled heroically. They drove the evil back from the edge of the human world. And then the greatest wizard of them all, Leanbow cast a spell that sent the armies into the Underworld. He sealed darkness inside giant gates for eternity. The evil disappeared from the surface world. But with great victory comes great loss. The human world never knew of the great battle or the sacrifices that were made to save them from destruction.
In the present day, a great sorceress Udonna enlists the help of five teenagers who are destined to become the Power Rangers Mystic Force to fight against the Undead army which has now been released. The Rangers consist of the Red Ranger Nick, the newcomer to Briarwood who is the Phoenix and controls the element fire, the Yellow Ranger Chip, whos symbol is the Garuda and controls the element lightning, the Blue Ranger Madison, whos symbol is the Mermaid and has control over all things liquid, the Green Ranger Xander, whos symbol is the Minotaur and has control over nature, and the Pink Ranger Vida, Madison's sister whos symbol is the Air Sprite and has control over air. The Rangers practice their magical skills at a secret haven in the magical realm called Rootcore. The Xenotome grants the Rangers access to magical spells as they grow as indivisuals. They are assisted by Udonna's bumbling apprentice Clare, and eventually Jenji the Genie and his master Daggeron, the Solaris Knight.
My review?
The Good:
Mythological references: Mythology really is the backbone of this series. It's been ages since I've seen a show targeted at kids with this much mythological influence - for example, the rangers have specific mythical creatures linked to their color (Nick/Red has the phoenix, Chip/Yellow the garuda, Madison/Blue the mermaid, Xander/Green the minotaur and Vida/Pink the air sprite). Even the villian's costumes were designed to look like mythological creatures; Necrolai is the Queen of the Vampires and Koragg the Knight Wolf (basically looks like a werewolf), Serpentina of the Ten Terrors resembles a nagi. Not to mention side-characters in the form of sorcerers, fairies, knights and troblins (cross between a troll and a goblin).
In the episodes themselves, many myths and folklore were brought into place, such as Vida being turned into a vampire and yet could still be exposed to daylight (=A vampire turned by the Queen). So really, for someone like me who equally likes both mythology and PR, you can imagine how delighted I was when I spotted all this refrences.
Cultural Influences: Firstly, there's the costume design. The capes the Rangers wear both when in Rootcore and in their 'basic' Ranger costume, as well as their wands just scream out Harry Potter to me. Also, Sculpin the leader of the Ten Terrors, looks very much like the Creature in the Swamp, which was a famous Amercian horror movie. I guess that answers how far American culture has penetrated into Japan.
The one cultural influence that made the most impact on me was their homage to Narnia: The Last Battle. In the story arc of Dark Wish, the rangers find two door in the middle of a desert seemingly leading to nowhere. Yet when the door is opened, they lead to two different dimensions. I kept thinking of the stable door in The Last Battle.
The Plot: IMO, the production crew did learn from their previous mistakes they made in PR: SPD, this time round, they actually had a plot. Where much of the SPD episodes were more of one-shots (which made for some fantastic characterization but didn't have an actual storyline), Mystic Force had a plot rooted in as early as the fourth episode. The plot? A seemingly rip-off from the Good-turned-Evil storyline in In Space, except Nick is certaintly more intense towards Lianbow/Koragg than Andros ever was to Karone/Astronema. The whole revelation thing that Nick really was Udonna's and Lianbow's son came as a surprise to me, considering the emnity between Lianbow/Koragg and Nick. Even after Heir Apparent, the writers threw in another curve-ball that Nick was the Light and I can see the ending of the series revolving around this second storyline.
The whole Nick/Madison angle: I'm really digging that 'ship. It just that a) they look good together, b) they're good friends despite only knowing each other since the Power Rangers which could develop into something more, c) the whole contrast thing about Fire and Ice.
The Bad:
The Cast: I have absolutely nothing against most of the cast, and Dirani along with his co-stars Vallejo and Brancatisano have been excellent thus far, but other cast members such as Diaz and Sampson just don't seem to be able to get into the characters. They are overenthusiastic for each scene (here I add that while Chip is supposed to really like this superhero stuff, Sampson is just taking it overboard), and seem like they are merely forcing the words out.
The Lack of Human Interaction: Aside from Toby, the boss of the Rock Porium where the teens work when not moonlighting as rangers, there is no interaction between the rangers and the residents of Briarwood. You don't know whether the people of Briarwood like or hate the Rangers, which destroys the myth that Power Rangers are supposed to protect humankind.
The Characterization, Or Lack Thereof: The series, with the exception of Nick, gives its characters almost zero characterization at all. While PR: SPD was notable for its characterization in the earlier episodes, Mystic Force is the complete opposite. We rarely see the rangers outside of their rangering and their jobs, and seldom alone to follow their own interests. Consequently, we don't have the opportunity to see the rangers in their own elements.
The (seeming) Weakness of the Red Ranger: Nick really is too weak for a Red Ranger. Sure, while he has that cool battlizer and everything, he certaintly depends on his friends a bit too much. As much as I appreciate this move to make Power Rangers more of a teamwork effort and break out of the all-powerful Red Ranger syndrome lately, it merely makes their mentors more powerful.
In conclusion, Mystic Force isn't a bad series per se, certaintly the plot is stellar, but it also has its weaknesses. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed it very much and will anticipate the next few episodes. It is a pity then, that when they finally release a series of Power Rangers that I actually enjoy they cut down the episodes to a mere 32.