Super Sentai: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger review

If you grew up during the 1990s, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was hard to miss. Beyond becoming a fixture for the Fox Kids programming block, the series grew into a pop culture phenomenon, spawning two films, action figures, and a succession of video games. The show was unlike anything most Western audiences were familiar with. And for good reason- Power Rangers blended footage from the sixteenth season of the Japanese television program Super Sentai with newly shot scenes of six American actors.

The first few seasons were a convoluted mess, with nonsensical plots. There was also a conspicuous incongruence between Japan’s red-action and the stilted delivery of life lessons acted out by 20-somethings playing U.S. teens. But it hardly mattered, since the rapid-fire shot editing, accomplished acrobatics, and barrage of practical effects made all the other kids’ shows look lethargic. Sure, the depictions of violence caused a brief frenzy, but ‘90s kids knew this was first-class escapism.

By the time we entered into the new millennium, word has gotten out about Saban Entertainment’s trans-Pacific editing process. With the genie out of the bottle, interest in the original Super Sentai simmered. The result has been a succession of DVD releases from Shout Factory. Super Sentai: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger: The Complete Series is the fifteenth and latest entry, bringing the original 2004 series stateside for the first time. If you’re looking for an engaging entry point into the enormously prolific Super Sentai franchise, Dekaranger is ideal.

Unlike many of the property’s 46 seasons (number 47, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, airs next month in Japan), Dekaranger largely shirks an overarching storyline. Save for some multi-part stretches that introduce a new character, most of the season’s 50 episodes are all standalone shows. That decision makes sense given that Dekaranger is modeled after a police procedural. (“Deka” is slang for detective in Japanese). It’s not as technical as most modern cop shows, but it’s less predictable, with perps ranging from aliens, humanoids, to mechs. Undoubtedly, the writing team at Toei went wild with this one.

Dekaranger originally aired in 2004, before the process of offering a television series on physical media became standardized. One notable holdover from this era is explanatory commentary. Throughout Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, a narrator will explain seemingly crucial elements. What’s slightly odd is that the same things are repeatedly clarified, seemingly to welcome viewers arriving in the middle of the season.

Despite the lack of a protracted plotline, Dekaranger succeeds in single-episode storytelling. The inaugural episode introduces viewers to Ban “DekaRed” Akaza, a rookie cop who just received a promotion after running a criminal thief off the road. He’s rewarded by a transfer to the Earth Division of the Special Police Dekaranger (or SPD), where he teams up with Hojo “DekaBlue” Tomasu, Sen-chan “DekaGreen” Enari, Umeko “DekaPink” Koudou, and Jasmin “DekaYellow” Reimon. Their alienizers-monitoring duties are led by an Anubian chief named Doggie Kruger, while Swan Shiratori serves as the team scientist, mentor, and resident mech repair lead.

There’s a gratifying amount of variety across the individual episodes. Even without a unifying story arc, there’s character development. Watching the tension between Ban and Hojo gradually subside and become replaced by acceptance is contenting, and there’s charm in watching the other Dekarangers get fleshed out.  The tone is delightfully capricious, so while you’ll get amusing moments, the series isn’t afraid to attempt a pull of the heartstrings, especially with Jasmine. But it’s DekaMaster who undoubtedly steals the show.

The series also offsets the threat of tedium by occasionally extending its cast, with the series offering enough rangers to rival one of the feature films. Another remarkable decision is the rather low-key villain. While some seasons have brought an over-the-top heavy to generate intrigue, Dekaranger opts for a more interesting choice. Not only are the antagonist’s motivations more muted and realistic, but the series explores how maliciousness acts as a contagion, infecting those around him.

When it comes to hardware, Dekaranger larger delivers. Whether it’s the Kawasaki motorcycle or Toyota Celica kitted out in Deka colors, the team travels in style. Likewise, the mecha design is respectable and the series should be commended for weaving in several one-on-one faceoffs, which probably rank as some of the best Super Sentai showdowns. Given that the series injects the team into a police procedural, expect far more firearm usage than in the typical season.

Super Sentai: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger: The Complete Series arrives on eight disks, with either six or seven episodes on each DVD. Although the nineteen-year-old series was shot in 1:33:1 ratio, the transfer is commendable. You might note a bit of smudging when you pause the heated action, but the home transfer looks terrific in motion across the 18.25 hour runtime.