Settle the Debate: The Chicken or the Egg? Voltron or Power Rangers?

This has been an ongoing debate between non-Power Ranger fans and Power Ranger fans. Even with PR fans themselves! For those who did not grew up in the 1980's, Voltron was a show that aired in the United States and some other countries from 1984-1985 on syndication and then on cable in the 1990's. It even spun off spin-offs but I will discuss those later. Since Americans knew of Voltron in the 1980's and then saw Power Rangers in 1993, they went through the natural conclusion that they were similar and hence the creators of Power Rangers were inspired by Voltron and hence 'rip-off.'

SIMILARITIES

 (Fan drawing above by Andrew Leta)

Big Robos

The original Voltron robo (known as GoLion in Japan) was made of five different colored lion-like robots (Red, Black, Green, Blue and Yellow) to form one big robot. The original Megazord (Daizyujin in Japan) was made of five robots modeled after pre-historic beasts. Both big robos wielded swords. So it can be seen why they are similar.

 Color Uniforms

The original pilots of 'Voltron' wore the colors (or similar) to their lions. Keith wore red and piloted the Black Lion, Lance wore blue and piloted the Red Lion, small Pidge piloted Green Lion in his green uniform, Sven wore black and piloted Blue Lion, Hunk wore orange and piloted the Yellow Lion. Princess Alura later takes over for Sven and piloted the Blue Lion in a pink uniform. The Power Rangers always have colored uniforms and always piloted zords of their same color (while most Pink Rangers had white zords with some sort of pink trim). 

CLARIFICATIONS

Beast King GoLion

The original Voltron series was created by Peter Keefe in 1984 using material he had licensed from the Japanese cartoons Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV. The producers had no means of translating the Japanese series into English, so they surmised the plots and created all-new dialogue, editing out the more violent scenes, and remixing the audio into a stereo format. Beast King GoLion was made by Toei Animation from 1981-1982. 

Goranger and Super Sentai

Super Sentai as we PR fans know started in 1975 with Himitsu Sentai Goranger. For those who do not know, 'Sentai' is Japanese for Team. The creator of Power Rangers, Haim Saban, much like Peter Keefe wanted to use the Japanese series and adapt it for US audiences. Unlike animation, that can be re-dubbed in English and excused as American, live-action had to be done in the fashion we now know as Power Rangers. Filming American actors and using some of the fighting footage, 'localizing' the series. Saban had been trying to adapt Super Sentai for years. For one, Bioman (1984) -- which never got developed and Jetman (1991) but ultimately settled with Zyuranger (1992). With a pilot to Fox Kids, they were finally able to launch the franchise.

Since I have your attention, I'll go through the different incarnations of Voltrons because they are just a few:

Armored Fleet Dairugger XV 

Armored Fleet Dairugger XV aired from 1982-1983 and was chosen to be the second season of Voltron. with the storyline considerably changed. In this iteration of Voltron, the Galaxy Alliance's home planets have become overcrowded, and a fleet of explorers has been sent to search for new planets to colonize. My best friend Cyn doesn't consider this as Voltron, she says the lion one is the only Voltron. Understandably the Go-Lion part was more popular. Lightspeed Electroid Albegas was planned for the third season but because the lion was more popular, they aborted the idea even though toys were still released under the name Voltron.

Voltron: The Fleet of Doom

Voltron: The Fleet of Doom was a television special involving both Vehicle Force Voltron and Lion Force working together to defeat King Zarkon, who aligns with Viceroy Throk of the Drule High Command to create a new army the Fleet of Doom.  This movie was released later on DVD by the company originally responsible for taking the Japanese source material and bringing it to American audiences, World Events Productions (WEP).

Voltron: The Third Dimension

Voltron: The Third Dimension is an American computer-animated television series. It departed from the original Lion Voltron's animated look, as well as some character changes, such as the physical appearance of Prince Lotor. It served as a sequel to the Lion Voltron series, set three years after the end of that program. It aired from 1998-2000. Lance wore red in this series, Allura wears blue and Hunk wears yellow. 

Voltron Force

Voltron Force is a new version of the 1980s animated series, Voltron, that was originally scheduled for a release in autumn of 2010. Eventually, the show premiered on June 16, 2011 on Nicktoons. On April 4, 2010, it was announced that the show's title had been changed from "Voltron Panthera Force" to "Voltron Force."the characters are five to seven years older than those in the original series, and the general concept of the original series is mostly accepted as backstory. A live-action movie is still in the works.

CONFUSION 

A 2009 web parody called 'Megabot' had concepts of both Voltron and Power Rangers. In it they have five pilots of five robots that become one robot. In parody of the first season of MMPR, Yellow is asian and Black is an African-American. Also Red is a Jock and Blue is a nerd. But the suits are clearly parodying Voltron.




CONCLUSION
 So if GoLion was made in 1981 and Super Sentai concept in 1975, then Super Sentai came first. Now you can say that Power Rangers DID come after Voltron. But both GoLion and Voltron came after Super Sentai, if anyone want to talk about 'Rip-offs,' then Voltron can be taken as a rip-off of Sentai. Also, my pal Joe Rovang says if it is from the same company (Toei) then he doesn't consider it a 'rip-off.' Like how VR Troopers, Beetleborgs, Masked Rider and Mystic Knights shouldn't be considered rip-offs from Power Rangers.

Related: http://spanengrish.blogspot.com/2007/08/voltron-what-we-all-fear.html | Voltron and Power Rangers Spoofs

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Pretty Cure Magical Girl Series

I cover Tokusatsu, but 'Henshin' also has to do with transformations and technically what follows is a Sentai and done by Toei. I am always interesting in Heronies. For those who don't know, 'Magical Girl' is a genre of Anime and Manga. 'Magical Girl' is about a little girl or teenage girl with some magical friend and magical powers. Sailor Moon changed it by having them fight evil. Some still don't fight evil. But here is a franchise called Pretty Cure and the reason I bring it up is because it usually runs after Kamen Rider on TV Asahi. 

 Futari wa Pretty Cure (2004-2005)

 Futari wa Pretty Cure (Together, We are Pretty Cure) was created by Izumi Todo. The original Pretty Cure series, directed by Daisuke Nishio aired on TV Asahi between February 1, 2004 and January 30, 2005. It is the only Pretty Cure series to date to have received an English language version, which aired in Canada from March 2009. It revolved around two girls, Nagisa Misumi and Honoka Yukishiro, who encounter the Mipple and Mepple, who give them the powers to the fight the Dark Zone: a dimension of evil that has encroached on the Garden of Light and want to do the same to Earth. The initial run of the series has Cure White and Cure Black searching for the Prism Stones, and they place them in a heart-shaped device known as the Prism Hopish. Later in the series, Porun, the Prince of the Garden of Light, grants the Pretty Cure duo use of their Rainbow Bracelets as they defeat the Dark King. The heronies used the color schemes of Black and Pink; and White and Blue. It aired alongside of Dekaranger and Kamen Rider Blade.

Pretty Cure Max Heart (2005-2006)

Pretty Cure Max Heart continues the story when Nagisa and Honoka meet the mysterious Hikari Kujou, revealed to be the "Life" of the Queen with no memory of her life before and powers scattered in the form of the "Heartiel." But as the Pretty Cure duo attempt to find the Heartiel, remnants of the Dark Zone are protecting a mysterious boy suspected to be the "Life" of the Dark King. Cure Black and Cure White fight back these new enemies with Hikari backing them up as Shiny Luminous. It introduces Shiny Luminous/ "Life of the Queen" in human form after the Queen got split apart following her last encounter with the Dark King. Going under the guise of Akane's cousin and working at her takoyaki stand, Hikari enrols into Nagisa and Honoka's middle school two years under them and becomes friends with them. She had a color scheme of Pink and White. Aired alongside of Magiranger and Kamen Rider Hibiki.

Pretty Cure Splash Star (2006-2007)

Saki Hyuuga and Mai Mishou met after they followed glowing balls that flew towards the Sky Tree,  situated on top of a mountain in their town. 5 years later, they met again at the same place and became the new legendary warriors PreCure. Spirits from the Land of Fountains, revealed they chose to protect the Fountain of Sun hidden in Earth. Later they are upgraded from Cure Bloom and cure Egret to Cure Bright and Cure Windy with help from two additional spirits. The villains of this series are the Dark Fall, who are searching for the Fountain of Sun, the last of the seven fountains that feed the source of all life forms for all worlds. Their color schemes are unique as they are not the traditional primary colors. It aired alongside of Boukenger and Kamen Rider Kabuto.

Yes! Pretty Cure 5 (2007-2008)

Nozomi Yumehara finds a magical book and a creature from the Palmier Kingdom. Nozomi decides to help restore his world, which has been destroyed by the Nightmare, by completing the book and finding the 55 Pinkies to make any wish come true. S, she proves she has the heart to be a Pretty Cure and is given her Pinky Catch from a pink butterfly letting her transform into Cure Dream. Meanwhile, the Nightmares are fighting the cures to steal the Dream Collet and defeat Pretty Cure. To help, she chooses a team of four other students. Together with Cure Rouge, Cure Lemonade, Cure Mint and Cure Aqua, they form the Pretty Cure Team. The series has made use of butterflies as the main theme, also to the extent that the girls transform with the phrase "Pretty Cure, Metamorphose!"; which refers back to the butterfly theme. This is the first team of Pretty Cure that is of five and they have the basic Sentai colors. It aired alongside Gekiranger and Kamen Rider Den-O.

Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo! (2008-2009)

In the direct sequel series, the Cure Rose Garden has always been concealed from human eye. However Eternal, an art organization known for amassing treasure and artwork from many worlds, is trying to get to the garden. They first invade the Palmier Kingdom and four other kingdoms. Flora senses the approaching danger and sends a letter to Nozomi and the Pretty Cure 5. Their new mission is to find the four rulers that have fled from their kingdoms since they hold the Rose Garden Keys. To perform this mission, Nozomi and the others regain their ability to transform into PreCure Five. It aired alongside of Go-Onger and Kamen Rider Kiva.

Fresh Pretty Cure (2009-2010)

 This is the first Pretty Cure series to cater in outside the target audiences' age demographic extending beyond young girls. It's also the first to feature more mature-looking characters and Cure costumes which resemble fashionable outfits. All subsequent seasons have followed thus, with due emphasis always paid to costume design. The series's main themes involve traditional playing card suits, as well as fruits and clovers; these symbols and objects are strongly associated with the cures, magical devices and attacks that the series' characters use. Love Momozono is a 14-year-old student at Yotsuba Junior Highschool that tends to care more for others than for herself. One day she visits a show of the famous dance unit "Trinity" and decides to become a dancer, too. On the same event, subordinates of the Labyrinth Kingdom show up who want to collect the unhappiness of the audience. Love gets the power to change into Cure Peach and fights them. Soon after, she is joined by her good friends Miki (Cure Berry), Inori (Cure Pine) to begin her life to protect all worlds and compete in the dance contest. The Pretty Cures are of Pink, Yellow/Orange, Blue and Black/Scarlet. It aired alongside of Shinkenger, Kamen Rider Decade and Kamen Rider Double.

 HeartCatch Pretty Cure (2010-2011)

The series has two main motifs. One is fashion, which is referenced to Tsubomi joining the fashion club, which is part of the storyline. And second is flowers, which are prominent in the naming of numerous characters and items, as well as in the main storyline. Additionally, most episodes contain at least one reference to the language of flowers. In each person resides a Heart Flower, which is connected to the great Heart Tree that watches over everyone. Protecting this tree are the Heartcatch PreCures, who defend it against the Desert Apostles, who plan to wilt everything and turn the world into a desert. However, when the current PreCure, Cure Moonlight, is defeated in battle and the Heart Tree loses its flowers, she sends two fairies to seek out her replacement. They find Tsubomi Hanasaki, a shy new girl to become Cure Blossom. Joined by her new friend, Erika Kurumi, who becomes Cure Marine, they fight against the Desert Apostles who transform the wilting Heart Flowers inside people into monsters known as Desertarians. By defeating these monsters, they gain Heart Seeds which allow the Heart Tree to become healthier again. There is four Pretty Cures in this series: Pink, Blue, Yellow and Purple. It aired alongside of Goseiger, Kamen Rider Double, and Kamen Rider OOO.

 Suite Pretty Cure♪ (2011-2012)

Produced by Toei Animation, the series is directed by Munehisa Sakai, who directed the One Piece anime series and character designs by Akira Takahashi, who previously worked on Kaidan Restaurant. A manga adaptation is also being serialised in Kodansha's monthly Nakayoshi magazine.  The series theme is music, which are prominent to the names of the Cures and the magical devices they use. In Major Land, a Melody of Happiness is due to be played, spreading happiness throughout the world. However, an evil Mephisto steals the Legendary Score, plotting to turn it into a Melody of Sorrow to spread sadness. Aphrodite, the queen of Major Land, scatters the Notes that make up the Legendary Score into the human world and sends a fairy to Kanon Town in order to recover them. There, she meets two girls, Hibiki Hojo and Kanade Minamino, who are chosen to become the Suite Pretty Cure in order to recover the missing Notes and protect everyone's happiness. The Pretty Cures are Pink, White, Blue and Black. It alongside of Gokaiger, Kamen Rider OOO and Fourze. 

Smile Pretty Cure! (2012-Now)

The series is written by Shōji Yonemura, who is best known as the head writer of Glass Fleet and Kamen Rider Kabuto. It started airing in February, alongside Go-Busters and Kamen Rider Fourze and soon Wizard. The kingdom of Märchenland, where various characters from fairy tales reside, is attacked by Pierrot, the emperor of the Bad End Kingdom, who seeks to direct the world towards its worst ending and steals the Cure Decors, which power Royale, Queen of Märchenland. Using the last of her energy, Royale manages to seal Pierrot away. However, his minions seek to revive Pierrot by harnessing the Bad Energy from Earthlings. Royale orders a fairy to search for five legendary warriors, the Pretty Cures. Arriving in the town of Nanairogaoka, she encounters Miyuki Hoshizora, a new transfer student, who soon gains the power to become Cure Happy. Joined by her new friends become Cure Sunny, Cure Peace, Cure March and Cure Beauty respectively. The team colors are Pink, Orange, Green, Yellow and Blue.

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Sailor Moon gets an new ANIME

I know this blog is mostly tokusatsu but since Sailor Moon got a tokusatsu almost ten years ago, I can do whatever I want. I wanted a new Anime so yes that's what I am getting! The reason I wanted a new Anime was for it to be more seamless, clean cut and more a chance that it will be dubbed better in English than the first Anime. The animation style evolved in the first five years and the first 'season' was kind of cheap and limited. So it would be awesome for it to be done better.

[At the] "Press conference and 20th anniversary celebration streaming on Nicovideo and for fans at France’s Japan Expo, the big announcement has caught us all by surprise! There will be a new Sailor Moon anime in 2013, and so far Kotono Mitsuishi and Toru Furuya are confirmed to reprise their roles as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen!"

http://www.moon-chase.com/2012/07/breaking-news-new-sailor-moon-anime-to-premiere-around-the-world-in-2013/

"This was held in Tokyo on July 6, Nikofare today, was announced at the venue the event was to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Talk.  New anime theme song, the pink clover Z idol group is responsible should be noted."

http://natalie.mu/comic/news/72518

Some people are talking about the thighs in the logo being an indicator of the series being more adult and less for kids but given the bright colors, I think it will still have dolls for kids. It is not going to be like Akibaranger but I think it will still be Sailor Moon. I mean, the original Japanese Sailor Moon anime was not considered 'kid friendly' here in the states uncut. It had to be edited. So I am sure it will still be our girl. Controversial and fun as always. Some people are worried about Sailor Neptune and Uranus relationship being in tact but I am sure it will be. Since Pioneer has been trying for the rights to dub 'Sailor Moon', I hope this includes the new anime and the original.

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