TV-Nihon

I think it's because it does not warrant a spy theme, which is more commonly seen in Western shows like PR. Sentai is generally darker than PR most of the time, although stuff like RPM exists. Go-Busters uses a western theme, and in attempting to keep it real, has destroyed its unique sense of being culturally Japanese at heart. Apart from cultural disorientation, spies are supposed to be almost undetectable, striking from the shadows. But Ryuuji announces their arrival to the Vaglass, and the Go-Busters' identities are known. It's like trying to combine Go-Ongers and Hurricangers (bad mix) Whether or not they are spies, the whole 'Enetron stealing for teleportation' purposes can still be done if they took the Venjix idea wholesale. Supposing Dekaranger was not really an entire police force, but rather a special spy unit of the Space Police designed to crack down on a Enetron smuggling syndicate, the same Go-Busters script can be pulled off. (in a much better way than the actual Go-Buster plot, in my opinion) They don't say WHY it's important that they are spies, but theme significance is essential to Sentai success till now.

Shinkenger - Samurai clan sealing a spirit, Only the Lord can use Fuin Moji
Goseiger - Enemy is a fallen angel ( Angels vs Angels)
Gokaiger - Pirated powers
and so on.

Go-Busters - Must they really be spies?

NO. That's why I think Go-Busters is a flop, the intention of re-working the formula to open a new chapter in Sentai following Gokaiger was good, but it wasn't planned too well. I now believe it was actually on purpose that GB is this way, that Toei made Gokai huge to say farewell to an entire chapter in Sentai, but the fans were not interested in the transition at the moment, and personally I'm against Sentai becoming more Western, with the growing use of English in Sentai any day. That's just me, I guess. I absolutely don't hold Gokaiger, or any comparisons to it responsible for this failure, but rather a wrong move made in good intention on Toei's part.

I'm a little bit surprised to see no one has mentioned the most obvious reason it's not catching on: It's such a blatant rip-off of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The mysterious enemy sending monsters to destroy the building at the center of the city, the time limit to the fights, the hidden mech elevators around the city, the main character arriving in the middle of an attack and having to be convinced to fight even though he's the only one who can, etc. Even the boss man back in the control room looks and acts like Shinji's father. And that's just what I can remember from watching the first episode months ago. I never really bothered to watch again, because I'd already seen it all before, and done better.

I can see the similarities from the first episode, but honestly after that episode the similarities pretty much end. And if you think that this kid's show is the same thing as the series that redefined the mother complex, I think you may need to get your head examined XD

I think to me it's two fold.

The first is we haven't seen much of the main cast outside of their life as Go-Busters, sure we've seen a bit of it with Hiromou in recent episodes but at the minute...well not much else.

Secondly I feel that we're seeing the team lose. Badly. The villain's are getting the upper hand quite often, and that...well it just doesn't feel right - it's a nice change but I think it confuses people.


And just to add an ironic third - the serious/comic balance is a bit off kilter from what I've seen of previous Sentai (Deka, Magi, Gokaiger, Hurricanger and...bits of others) it's like the 'weak spots' I cringe when I see a chicken now...


That said, I'm enjoying the way it's going, it's got potential - best sentai ever? Not to me, but definitely watchable.

DekaBreak wrote:I think it's because it does not warrant a spy theme, which is more commonly seen in Western shows like PR. Sentai is generally darker than PR most of the time, although stuff like RPM exists. Go-Busters uses a western theme, and in attempting to keep it real, has destroyed its unique sense of being culturally Japanese at heart. Apart from cultural disorientation, spies are supposed to be almost undetectable, striking from the shadows. But Ryuuji announces their arrival to the Vaglass, and the Go-Busters' identities are known. It's like trying to combine Go-Ongers and Hurricangers (bad mix) Whether or not they are spies, the whole 'Enetron stealing for teleportation' purposes can still be done if they took the Venjix idea wholesale. Supposing Dekaranger was not really an entire police force, but rather a special spy unit of the Space Police designed to crack down on a Enetron smuggling syndicate, the same Go-Busters script can be pulled off. (in a much better way than the actual Go-Buster plot, in my opinion) They don't say WHY it's important that they are spies, but theme significance is essential to Sentai success till now.

Shinkenger - Samurai clan sealing a spirit, Only the Lord can use Fuin Moji
Goseiger - Enemy is a fallen angel ( Angels vs Angels)
Gokaiger - Pirated powers
and so on.

Go-Busters - Must they really be spies?

NO. That's why I think Go-Busters is a flop, the intention of re-working the formula to open a new chapter in Sentai following Gokaiger was good, but it wasn't planned too well. I now believe it was actually on purpose that GB is this way, that Toei made Gokai huge to say farewell to an entire chapter in Sentai, but the fans were not interested in the transition at the moment, and personally I'm against Sentai becoming more Western, with the growing use of English in Sentai any day. That's just me, I guess. I absolutely don't hold Gokaiger, or any comparisons to it responsible for this failure, but rather a wrong move made in good intention on Toei's part.

Have they actually stated that the GoBusters are spies, in the show? I don't think they have... They're "youths charged with special missions to protect humanity," and we see them performing reconnaissance and such with their equipment, but I don't recall the word "spies" ever actually being used. They're career-Sentai, like the Ohrangers and Dekarangers before them.

And the Goseigers and Gokaigers never really warranted their themes, either. Outside of Alata's attempts at being an invisible adviser to Nozomu in the first episode, the Gosei Angels never really performed angelic duties, acting more as guardians of nature like the Gingaman. And "The Gokaigers pirated their powers" is a really weak justification for giving them a pirate theme, considering the Gokaiger powers exist separately from the powers of their thirty four predecessors.

It's bad. People are feeling guilty for it and trying their best not to call it bad, but deep in their heats they realize this one... could have used more time in the oven.

I agree with everyone that said the cast so far is boring to the point of yawns and tears. The backstory however is interesting. The Messiah villian is a crybaby and I do wish everytime he is shown that Enter just corrupts him somehow and takes over being the main villian. I am waiting now for the next ranger to appear. I do hope he/she/it will be more interesting than red, blue and yellow and the buddyroids.

What's surprised me about the reaction to Go-Busters is that there's a complete lack of "brand loyalty", as it were.

I guess it's indicative of how society is currently, with everyone CONSUMING everything and feeling that everyone has the right to dispose of something straight away if it doesn't satisfy their needs or give them a tingle in the right places.

I just don't get it. That everyone abandons ship because the new series isn't the biggest razzle-dazzle thing ever to appeal to their senses.

I assumed that people didn't like Goseiger because of the characters, even though I loved it - but it seems like every time the unseen, unknown 'collective conscious' dictates that something isn't up to scratch - everyone jumps off the boat and swims away.

It doesn't really make any sense, that everyone decides all at once whether somethings good or not. That's what society wants everyone to believe is real, but it's not. People don't all think and feel in perfect synchronicity, but fan communities seem to all fluctuate in this way.

Just like in the Simpsons: "They've given you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. If anything, YOU owe THEM!" I will watch Super Sentai regardless of it's theme year to year because I believe in it and I love it. I think everybody wants to be so gratified by every point of every show at all times, that if something falls short - it must be left to die. For something to be consistently what YOU want it to be, is just unrealistic. You have to go on journeys and discover things that you didn't expect and experience narratives and peaks and troughs and so on. I think the problem with people is that they want, as previous posters have said, everything to be Gokaiger or Akibaranger - at all times. Like, having every episode being some wink at the fans like "Hey, hey everyone! Remember THIS thing from 1976?!" Ughghgh. Life can't be like that. i don't expect the things I love to be like that either.

Why can't we alllll just get aloooong?

I have no idea. I personally am loving this series. I love the action. I love the style. I love the detailed world and the unique villains. I love how it defies convention and tries to push the boundries of this franchise. I'll admit, it isn't perfect. But what is? Hopefully people will overcome their reservations as the series goes on. as for me, I'm gonna keep enjoying every episode as it comes.

I'm not completely sold on it, but I don't hate it. It definitely has a disadvantage of being the follow up to Gokaiger, just as Goseiger had to follow Shinkenger. But so far it seems that the bits I like are balanced by bits that I don't like.

The action scenes with the rangers are good, and the comedic bits have been good. And Enter is fun. I thought he was goofy as hell at first, but he's pretty much become my favorite part of the show.

I haven't really found anyone else all that likeable though. I dunno, the acting doesn't seem as good in this series as previous ones.

Gokaiger sifted through the entire franchise respectfully, and ultimately ended as a closing on the original 35 shows. Now we have Toei's two deconstruction Sentai running at the same time. Akibaranger is the franchise laughing at itself, while Go-Busters is trying to shirk the mold and make an entirely new Sentai style by purposely ignoring or subverting traditions from the past and also expectations of the audience.

We'll see how far this plays out, but so far I think the show is rad as hell. Gokaiger was Gokaiger, that has nothing to do with this show. Being disappointed in Go-Busters because it's not something else is just silly. Dislike it on its' own failings, not the strengths of something else.

dancercotillion wrote:Gokaiger was Gokaiger, that has nothing to do with this show. Being disappointed in Go-Busters because it's not something else is just silly. Dislike it on its' own failings, not the strengths of something else.

Speaking as a serial offender of the crime in question (Just not in the same case this thread posits is happening), the "It's not Gokaiger so I don't like it" reaction isn't a conscious thing; It's like when you're a kid, and your dog dies, and when your parents by you a knew one to replace it, you kind of resent the new dog at first. You know it's mean and unfair to the dog, and you honestly try not to, but you just can't help it; You weren't done loving that old dog, dammit.

In retrospect, this phenomenon may be where the odd years good-even years bad notion came from.

Honestly, i was prepared to not like Go-busters, and the first 2 episodes weren´t all that impressive, but with episodes 3 and 4 the show started to get really interesting, and now i am hooked.

I think the reason people don´t like this show is because quite frankly, Gokaiger spoiled the fandom, that season was filled with cameos, fanservice and comedy, you didn´t need to think with gokaiger, everything was given to you in a silver plate. Go-buster is completely different, you actually have to invest in the show in order to enjoy it, but the end result is quite more satisfying.

Now, i did enjoyed Gokaiger for what it was, but honestly, Go-Busters is a much better show, the villains are actually threatening, there is a sense of urgency, and the characters have some actual depth to them, the gokaiger were a fun bunch but even in the entire series, they weren´t developed much beyond that.

People say that the Go-busters are bland and boring characters, and i have to disagree, even in the short time the show has been airing, the characters have been developed nicely, i really like the idea of having huge gaps of age between the characters, and the show has done a fantastic job portraying that. Its a subtle thing, you actually have to pay attention, which is completely different that Gokaiger since the characters pretty much exploded in your face with their antics. I also hear people complaining that the characters are boring because we don´t see much of their lives, but then again, that is the point, the mission is their lives, they are not fighting some evil empire in their free time for the fun of it, they have a mission and they have sacrificed their lives for it.

I like Go-busters, i honestly think that is better than Gokaiger, not that the later was bad, it was a really fun season and i enjoyed from begining to end, but it was an anniversary show, and certainly lacked the depth of a "real" season, which is something Go-buster has brought back, and i love it for it.

Lunagel wrote:I can see the similarities from the first episode, but honestly after that episode the similarities pretty much end. And if you think that this kid's show is the same thing as the series that redefined the mother complex, I think you may need to get your head examined XD

Well, examine my head all you want, the similarities ARE there in the basic concept. And I didn't say it was a GOOD or DEEP copy of Evangelion, just that it's an OBVIOUS copy of Evangelion. And having seen no episodes beyond the first, I'm still seeing references to Evangelion-esque concepts in this thread (e.g the post directly before this one, talking about young people sacrificing their youth to fight the enemy), so I don't think they stopped as completely as you say. And that's my point. Evangelion was the proper vehicle for the material. A Sentai series is going to be a lame rip-off f the same unless they drop the formula completely, which obviously didn't happen.