By: Bradley Williams
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has garnered worldwide success over its brief stint in pop culture. From the beginning with “Iron Man,” to the culmination of years of storytelling with “Avengers: Endgame,” the MCU felt invincible.
However, after the success of Endgame, the MCU seems to have lost its spark. The MCU faced financial bomb after bomb with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “The Marvels,” and “Eternals.” Some would argue that there has not been something like the MCU before and that a long going superhero franchise of movies and TV shows with interconnectivity has never been done to this extent.
However, they would be wrong, as there is a show that has been going strong for 50 years. They are powerful, but they are not teenagers with attitude.
“Super Sentai” is one of the many creations of Shotaro Ishinomori, who, according to Crunchyroll, is a prolific mangaka and could be described as the Stan Lee of Japan. Ishinomori is responsible for the creations of Kamen Rider, Android Kikaider, and so many other heroes that it deserves an article specifically dedicated to all of them.
The show’s 17th season would later be adapted into “Power Rangers,” taking the fight scenes and splicing them with sitcom-esque stories to make a show with a distinct identity from “Super Sentai.”
The MCU uses what is referred to as a transmedia style of storytelling, which means that every piece of media builds to another piece of media even if it’s in a different medium.
For instance, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” will not make sense if you have not seen “WandaVision,” and the same is true with “Captain America: Brave New World” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
Dr. Lance Lomax said he believes the MCU is suffering from this strategy.
“They feel like they have to still be invested in that to keep up with the sort of overarching narratives in a way that I think reinforces that sort of fatigue,” Lomax said.
“Super Sentai” also releases many films and special episodes on streaming services and TV, but the difference is that whereas the MCU takes a transmedia style, “Super Sentai” adopts a media mix style.
According to Mark Steinberg on the “Pause and Select” YouTube channel. The media mix style can be best described as having a story you can exit and enter whenever you want.
Spin-offs and movies are made to give you a self-contained story to have fun with the characters, not to provide context for the show’s next episodes.
Rob Weiner, author of “Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime,” points to a lack of identity amongst individual projects.
“Too much corporate control over the MCU, not enough individuality for directors and writers to be creative – there’s playing it safe,” Weiner said.
Contrast this with Sentai and the difference is night and day. Every modern Sentai show has their own voice. For example, Donbrother’s colorful use of traditional Japanese festival aesthetics fused with modern pop aesthetic.
This issue leads to the MCU feeling repetitive and soulless, according to Weiner.
“Yes…but stay true to the essence, which is something I don’t think Marvel has done of the characters,” Weiner said.
Yet despite running for 50 years, Sentai has managed to keep telling original stories that all have a unique sense of identity from each other without losing its essence.
No matter how much heroes bicker, spite, and sabotage each other, they will always come together to fight the evil who wishes to destroy their home…with an army of transforming robots consumers can buy at a toy store near you.
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