Turboranger DVD

Hi, everyone~

This is going to be the last article of the month. Though I am feeling guilty for not being able to give you more, I am kind of glad that I could fulfill my promise – giving you all the 3 articles in May.

Anyway… today is the day!
The Turboranger DVD volume 1 is finally ON SALE! If you live in Japan, you can certainly get your copy immediately, but if you don’t, I hope you already pre-ordered it, so you can get it as soon as possible.

Here’s the picture of the DVD cover. It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? I can’t wait for volume 3, which I assume will be Blue Turbo‘s turn, my favorite.

Here are some information I’d like to share about the DVD:

1. This DVD is going to be released in 5 volumes (if not 6 – I’m still not sure about this), and each DVD will be released on the 21st of the month starting from May (which means, the second volume will be released on June 21st, etc).
2. The price of the DVD is about 10,000 yen (about 100 US dollars) each, which means that the total price will be about 500-600 US dollars. Yes, it is expensive, but if you are a fan of the series, I think it’s worth it. Plus, a DVD usually comes with a bonus feature and other prizes, something you may want to look forward to.
3. If you still think it’s too expensive, you may want to consider buying it online or just rentingit. Some online stores offer a very good deal. I’ve checked several sites, and some of them sell each DVD for only about 7000 yen each. And if you could find someone who doesn’t want the DVD anymore, they might even sell it cheaper. But it’s probably going to be tough to find someone who wants to sell it, since it’s a new DVD and those who purchase it are mostly Turboranger’s fans. For the renting option, you can search some online rent stores, or just go to a nearby Japanese video store.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll keep my eye on this and I will update the blog if necessary.

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Picture Credits: The picture is found on the Internet.

Happy Birthday, Ganaha Yoshiaki!

Hi, everyone!

As promised, this is the second article (out of 3) I promised in May. Jeez. I can’t believe that I really don’t have time to update this blog anymore apart from the announcements and birthday wishes (- -”)
Anyway, let’s not focus on the negative, since today, we need to celebrate yet another Turbo ranger’s birthday. This time, it’s Ganaha Yoshiaki‘s (a.k.a. Yamagata Daichi – Black Turbo) turn. I can’t believe that the first 2 rangers were born in the same month!

Having said that…

Happy Birthday, Ganaha-san!

We certainly hope that you enjoyed your birthday to the uttermost with your beloved family and friends, and we wish you love and luck for years to come, wherever you may be.

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Okay. I guess that’s it for today. The last article of the month will follow sooner than you think. I promise! *finger crossed*

See you then!

Happy Birthday, Satou Kenta!

Hi, everyone!

First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of update, but I’ve been busy with other things recently that I’ve barely got time to upload a new article, despite of the fact that I want it to so badly (- -”)
But today, the good news is, even if I am busy, I certainly can’t miss out the birthday of the leader – Satou Kenta (a.k.a. Honoo Riki – Red Turbo) himself, can I? (^-^)

Having said that, without further ado…

Happy Birthday, Satou-san!

We wish you a very happy birthday, and we certainly hope that all your dreams may come true. Thank you for being the eternal Red Turbo for all your fans out there!

*Note for those who don’t read Japanese: the sign says Honoo Riki – Red Turbo.

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Anyway, another good news is, even though I don’t think I can visit this blog as often as I want it to – let alone update it, I don’t think I can take a lot of break this month. I will have to update at least 2 more articles, so please look forward to it (^-^)

Now, on to the announcements…

• First, I just checked the visitors’ country list on my dashboard, and much to my surprise… the most visitors come from Japan!!! How shocking! I never imagined or expected it, but thank you! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Of course, the thank you part are for all my dear visitors. Thanks a lot for spending a little time to check my blog… m(_ _)m
• Second, I’m really sorry that I haven’t got a chance to update the 日本語 part lately (- -”) Now that I’ve got more visitors from Japan, I am thinking to start updating it again, but then, it all depends on my schedule. I will do my best to finish it sooner or later, though, so please wait for it.

I guess that’s it for today. The next article will come sooner than you think, so see you then.

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Picture Credits: The picture is found on the Internet.

Turborangers’ Love Story

Yeah, I know. The title seems to be a lie, doesn’t it? Since Turboranger is one of the Super Sentai Series that does not have enough love scenes in it. But if we take time thinking about it, we will discover that the five Turbo rangers have indeed some love stories to tell.

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• Honoo Riki

Let’s start with the leader. Riki is a handsome young man, and he is quite popular among the ladies. It’s probably because of his charming personality and not to mention that he’s a captain of the baseball club (even in manga, sport clubs’ captains seem to be girls’ favorite).

However, Riki does not seem to be interested in anyone particularly. Some people argue that he falls in love with Haruna while others say that he has a crush on Sayoko, but I don’t think so.

In Haruna’s case, I believe he just cares about her like a sister at best. Haruna is one of the Turbo rangers and she is the only woman in the team. It is no wonder if Riki, as a leader, cares about her so much. Meanwhile, Sayoko has been bullied her whole life. I think Riki just sympathizes with her and he wants to do his best to heal her injured heart.

• Yamagata Daichi

As the coolest one in the team, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Daichi did not have a love story to tell at all… but… he does! In fact, his love story is the one that is most fairy-tale-like. Remember Yukari-san, the robber girl, who steals Daichi’s wallet and gets him in troubles? Who would have thought that a culprit and her victim are tied together by a red thread? It is still unknown whether Daichi likes Yukari-san in return or not, but I think he does (^-^) I’m sure Daichi wouldn’t mind waiting for Yukari-san, even if it takes years of waiting. After all, love is timeless.

• Hama Youhei

As the team’s prince charming, it is no-brainer that Youhei has the most love stories throughout the series. I am not talking about his classmates who adore him just for his handsome appearance. That is not love. A true love is the one that surpasses one’s appearance and digs deep into one’s heart.

Youhei’s story begins with Risa-chan, his first love. Risa-chan is Youhei’s childhood friend, who was forced to move due to her house being cursed by Yashiki Boma. Though it seems that Youhei had forgotten Risa-chan along the way, the fact is he did not. Even after Yashiki Boma is defeated, Youhei is still praying for Risa-chan’s happiness, no matter where she is now and not even the new Risa can replace the real Risa in Youhei’s heart.

Well, Risa might not be able to steal Youhei’s heart, but the monster Boma Rin is. Just because she has bells that remind Youhei of his favorite childhood teacher, she’s got his attention immediately. Unfortunately, their love story does not end with “happily ever after,” though I’m sure she will remain in Youhei’s heart forever. After all, true love never dies. If only Jamin could understand it…

Youhei next crush is his classmate on episode 33, when his face is switched with Kuwata’s. During his journey in finding the way to get his face back, he gets the chance to get closer to one of the girls who admire him. Unfortunately, the girl thinks that he is Kuwata, so she ends up falling in love with Kuwata instead and assumes that Youhei is just a jerk and a pervert… f(^^;

The last interesting love story about Youhei is that he is the first love of his very own teacher, Yamaguchi Misa.

Hm… it seems to me that Youhei and love are no match, are they? (^^;
None of his crushes ends up with him for some reason, and he does not/cannot love back the one who loves him. It’s just not meant to be after all. In the end, maybe he just better off with Haruna.

• Hino Shunsuke

Speaking of irony, Shunsuke’s love story is not slightly better than his teammates either. His first crush is actually Tsukikage Sayoko, who completely forgets about him until much later, when Shunsuke loses his memory and reveals the handkerchief she gave him when they were little. Even if Sayoko remembered him all along, I’m not sure she would still fall in love with him, considering she falls for Riki instead and ends up with Hikaru in the end. I guess first love does not always mean the last one.

In the meantime, Shunsuke also seems to have a crush on his junior, Sakakibara Yumi, the flute girl. However, their story ends after he defeats the monster who controls Yumi, and she does not appear anymore ever since. I really do hope that they will end up together someday, since they will make a cute couple (^-^)

• Morikawa Haruna

Unlike the guys, Haruna seems to be the only one who does not have a love story at all… f(^^;

Throughout the series, I cannot find who the guy she loves or is there any guy who loves her. Her only admirers are her classmates, and they are all girls! I guess they just look up to her, since she is the student body president and she is quite charming herself.

The only hint I can detect is that she does indeed have a first love, though we don’t know who, since Youhei interrupts her when she is about to tell him… f(^^;

Well, maybe she should just end up with Youhei after all…

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That’s all for today. I’m so sorry for the lack of update. I don’t think I’ll be able to do the weekly update anymore, since I’ve been busy with other stuff. But I’ll do my best to upload a new article anytime I get a chance to write one.

Till then, have a nice day!

Happy Birthday, Asakura Keiya!

Hi, everyone.

First thing first, this is going to be February’s last article. I’ve been so busy and occupied by other things lately that I have not got a chance to update this site as much as I want to. But I will do my best to upload another interesting article next month. Wish me luck!

Anyway, now that we covered the announcement, let’s move on to the most important part of today’s article – a birthday wish for Asakura Keiya (a.k.a Hama Youhei – Blue Turbo).

Happy Birthday, Asakura-san!

We dearly wish you the best birthday ever and good luck for many years to come. Please have the most adventurous days with your family, friends, and fans!

Well, I guess that’s it for today. See you all again next month and happy February! (^-^)/~

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Picture Credits: The picture is found on the Internet.

Kissing Scenes

Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody~ (^-^)/
It’s too bad that this year’s Valentine’s Day isn’t on the weekend, but I hope you will still enjoy the day with your dear and loved ones.

Anyway, for this special day, I have prepared you a special article too – kissing scenes in Turboranger. I think it’s pretty appropriate for our theme this month – love. As I paid attention to the series, I realized that there are quite a lot of kissing scenes happening throughout the series, compared to the other Super Sentai (that I’ve watched).

What’s interesting is the fact that in all these scenes, it’s the girl who kisses the guy f(^^;
I guess the Turboranger guys are shy after all~

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• Episode 16

Between Hama Youhei and young Yamaguchi Misa. Who would have thought that the teacher’s first love was her own student?

• Episode 19

Between Hama Youhei and Morikawa Haruna. Some of you may not count this scene as a kissing scene, but in my opinion, an indirect kiss is still a kiss, so I will include it in this article as well.

• Episode 23

Between Honoo Riki and a Hula dancing girl. There is no love between them, but it still is cute in a way~

• Episode 34

Between Yamagata Daichi and the robber girl, Yukari-san. What’s more romantic than an accidental encounter that ends up in a serious relationship? Well, at least that’s what I hope for, since they look cute together.

Well, that’s all for today. I didn’t miss any episode, did I? If I did, I would update this article again.
See you again next time.

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Picture Credits: All the pictures are found on the Internet.

Fairy Tales in Turboranger

Hey, guys.

Did you ever realize that Turboranger was influenced by at least 4 famous fairy tales? After having watched it for years, I just realized it recently! How shocking! But anyway, here is my deduction.

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• Snow White.

The first fairy tale I want to talk about is Snow White. You may argue, “How come? I didn’t see any Snow White scenes at all in the movie.” However, I want you to see this tale in a broader way. Of course we can’t find any literal Snow White scenes throughout the series. What would you expect? Snow White is a romantic tale while Turboranger is an action movie. If you’re narrow-minded, you will never be able to see the connection between them.

So, what are the connections and which episode shows the Snow White tale? Well, the answer is episode 19 – Boma Tribe Haruna. As you might have guessed, in this tale, the princess role is played by Youhei and the prince role is played by Haruna. Yeah, weird. But it is what it is.

Anyway, in Snow White, we’re all familiar with the scene of Snow White being poisoned by her disguised stepmother and waiting for the prince to kiss her, so the spell can be broken. Likewise, in Turboranger, the same scene happens. Youhei is poisoned by Modoku Boma and is in a critical condition, waiting for her prince –which in this case is Haruna– to kiss him and break the spell, and she does it. If you pay attention to the movie, you will see that Haruna does kiss Youhei with an indirect kiss – before she gives Youhei the antidote, she already drank it beforehand. I’m sure most of us would love to see her kiss Youhei directly, but unfortunately, Super Sentai is a children movie, so I assume that it will never happen.

• Romeo and Juliet.

This one is probably the most well-known story about unrequited love. In the original story, we know that there are a boy and a girl who fall in love with each other, despite of the fact that their families hate each other. And for some unknown reason, I can’t help myself but to relate this story with Turboranger episode 26, when Youhei falls in love with Suzunari Boma, his enemy.

Like Romeo and Juliet, Youhei’s relationship with Suzunari Boma also faces a lot of difficulties as their family and friends cannot accept this fact and will not allow them to be together. However, like Romeo, Youhei will not give up his love easily and he keeps trying to convince his friends that Rin is not a bad girl. Unfortunately, not all fairy tales end with “happily ever after,” and Romeo and Juliet is certainly one of them. Likewise, Youhei’s story on this episode does not end beautifully either, as Rin dies tragically in the end and leaves him alone with her love.

• Cinderella.

Regarding Cinderella, you might think that I was going to talk about the Cinderella drama Turbo rangers were going to play on episode 30, but you are wrong. To me, Tsukikage Sayoko suits the role of Cinderella better than Haruna does, and here are the reasons.

First, though her step-parents are nice and kind to her, she still lives with a step-mother and not with her own parents. And though she is not bullied by her own family members, she is bullied by her schoolmates. In fact, she has been bullied all the time in her life.

Second, like Cinderella, she also has a “fairy godmother” figure who protects her all the time, which is Omamori Boma.

Third, she completely believes that her “Prince Charming” will come and rescue her someday, and her dream does come true, as she meets Nagareboshi Hikaru, her soul mate.

And last but not least, like Cinderella, she also finds her happily ever after in the end, as she lives peacefully with Hikaru for the rest of her life.  

• Beauty and the Beast.

The last fairy tale I notice and want to share with you today is the most romantic tale ever made (in my opinion), Beauty and the Beast. Why is it romantic? Because it is not every day that you will find a beautiful lady falling in love with a gruesome creature instead of a handsome fellow, and that is what happens to Kirika’s mother.

As you know, Kirika’s mother is a human, but she falls in love with Kashim, Kirika’s father, who happens to be a demon, as his true form is Kimen Boma. Love is blind, I guess, but that is what makes it romantic, doesn’t it?

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Anyway, that’s it for today. I think this article is a good opening for our February theme – love. See you all again!

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Picture Credits: All the pictures are found on the Internet.

Between Black and Pink

Okay. First of all, I am not talking about Daichi and Haruna, let alone pairing them. In fact, I am not going to talk about Turboranger at all today. Instead, I want to talk about the person who played Black Turbo, Ganaha Yoshiaki, and Pink Turbo, Kinohara Yoshiko. As I learned more about the casts of Turboranger, I have found some knots that tie Yoshiaki-san and Yoshiko-san together, and I would like to share it with you.

-) The first similarity between them is that they were both retired from their acting career not long after they were done shooting Turboranger. Based on the Internet, Yoshiko-san only acted until 1993, 3 years after Turboranger had ended, while Yoshiaki-san did not act on any movie at all after Turboranger (though some argue that he still appeared on one movie around 1990s).

• I do not really know the reason why they quit so early, but I assume that they preferred to pursue their other career instead. After she was done with her acting, Yoshiko-san continued her passion in cooking, got a sort of cooking-related degree, and has worked in food industry ever since. She also found the love of her life in between, got married, and changed her name into Iwaya Yoshiko.
• Yoshiaki-san, on the other hand, is really difficult to get the information out of. Based on the news I heard, I am guessing that he returned to Okinawa, his hometown, after Turboranger and has stayed there ever since. The recent news I heard about him is that he is now married and he owns a bar in Okinawa.

-) The second similarity that binds them together is the fact that they have never appeared on Turboranger reunions or any other Tokusatsu events. Among the five rangers, Satou Kenta (Red Turbo) seems to be the most active one, followed by Asakura Keiya (Blue Turbo). I have never seen or heard the news about Katagiri Junichiro (Yellow Turbo) attending any Tokusatsu events, but he still at least appeared on two Turboranger reunions.
Regarding this matter, I have completely no idea why both Yoshiaki-san and Yoshiko-san have never wanted to join the group and have a little reunion with their fellow rangers, but I have a guess I can share.

• For Yoshiaki-san, the distance is obviously the main issue. He currently lives in Okinawa, while most Tokusatsu events are held in Tokyo and vicinity. I am sure he would love to meet his fellow rangers if he could, but sadly, he is constrained with time and distance (- -“ )
• Yoshiko-san, on the other hand, is more about her personal issue. Based on the news I heard, she still lives in Tokyo – if not somewhere around it, which means that distance should not be a problem. However, it seems that she has moved on from her past and has no intention on rejoining the team anymore for the time being – that, or she is just simply too busy with her life, career, and family. 

-) The last knot that binds them is that both of their names have been misread by most people around the world. It is understandable, though, since one kanji letter may have at least 2 or 3 ways to read it.

• For Yoshiaki-san, his name is written with the “文” and “章” letters, which when combined, is read as “Fumiaki”. This is probably why people call him “Fumiaki” instead of “Yoshiaki.” However, the true pronunciation of his name is Yoshiaki, as stated by the Internet.
• As for Yoshiko-san, most people call her “Noriko” instead, which is also understandable, considering her name is written with the “賀” and “子” letters, and when combined, these letters can be read in at least 5 different ways, including “Noriko,” “Yoshiko,” “Shigeko,” “Kako,” and “Yoriko.” However, the Internet states that Kinohara’s name is supposed to be read as “Yoshiko” and not “Noriko.” 

That’s it for today. Once again, thank you so much for visiting this blog and see you again with more articles about Turboranger! Da! Da! Dash!

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Picture Credits: Both pictures are found on the Internet.

Happy Birthday, Iwaya Yoshiko!

Hello, everyone.

Long time no see! I’m sorry I have not updated my blog for a while. But today, I will not postpone it anymore, since today is a special day! Yes, it is Iwaya Yoshiko’s (a.k.a Morikawa Haruna – Pink Turbo) birthday!

Happy Birthday, Yoshiko-san!

We love you and we wish you a very fun birthday and best of luck for years to come! I dearly hope that her days will be just as much fun and adventurous as Haruna’s.

Anyway, my writer’s block days have gone and I have got some interesting articles I would like to share with you all… (hopefully) soon. But for now, I have nothing else to say, except for a little announcement:

• For those who have not noticed, I have started to update the story page. So far, I added episode 04, 16, and 19 to the list, and I will update more as time goes by, so please check it out (^-^)v
  Many thanks to my dear friend, Dyah, for providing the pictures. It was really helpful.

Last but not least, I’d like to thank you all for visiting this blog and your support. See you again soon!

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Picture Credits: The picture is found on the Internet.

Haruna who Became a Child

A spin off (fan fiction) based on Turboranger episode 16 – The Teacher who Became a Child.

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It is a bright, sunny day in a forest. Zuluten is looking for a Boma Beast, whom he claims as his old pal. He has slept for 20,000 years and Zuluten wakes him up. The monster turns out to be Dororo Boma, who is able to transform an adult into a child with his red magatama. He then commands Dororo Boma to go to Turborangers’ school.

In the meantime, the five rangers are in the middle of cleaning up the school. However, Youhei is not doing his job properly as he gathers his friends around and talks about everyone’s first love instead. And then comes Haruna’s turn. Wondering, Youhei asks her the same question, “Morikawa Haruna-san. Your first love was…” It is just a formality, though. Truth be told, Youhei does not really want to hear about Haruna’s first love, since he has a crush on her and he knows that he would be jealous if he heard about it. Therefore, before Haruna even has time to answers his question, he already answers it himself, “That’s right. She’s never fallen in love in her life.” Youhei’s sentence is followed by everyone’s laughter. Embarrassed and mad, Haruna leaves the scene.

Once Haruna is gone, Youhei is scolded by the other three rangers. They call him an idiot, because they know Youhei’s true feeling. “You should’ve just told her the truth,” says Shunsuke. Actually, the other three rangers know about Haruna’s first love, but Haruna begged them not to tell Youhei about it. “I can’t tell her the truth,” whispers Youhei. “I heard a rumor that she’s still in love with her first crush. She’s just gonna reject me for sure.”

While Youhei is still talking, Zuluten appears in front of the four rangers all of a sudden and orders Dororo Boma, who is standing behind Youhei to do his “job”. Wasting no time, the monster attacks Youhei immediately and he is about to use his magatama on him when all of a sudden, Haruna comes and pushes Youhei aside and becomes the monster’s target instead. In just a second, she transforms into a little girl, but Youhei, who did not witness the scene, does not know anything. Furious, Youhei kicks Dororo Boma so hard that he loses his blue magatama, the one that can be used to transform his victims back to normal. Haruna, who is now a little girl, finds the magatama and keeps it for herself. Unfortunately, Zuluten realizes it and is about to attack Haruna, but Youhei notices it just in time. He then flees the site with little Haruna before Zuluten gets the opportunity to touch her.

Once the fight is over, the four rangers reunite in a public park, wondering what happened to Haruna. After a thorough discussion and investigation, they find out that Haruna has been transformed into a little girl. Wasting no time, they bring her to Dr. Dazai’s base to figure out how to turn her back to normal. Unfortunately, even Seelon does not know how. Hearing the news, Youhei is brokenhearted. He has no idea why Haruna still wanted to help him despite of the dispute. Knowing that there is nothing he can do for now, Youhei takes Haruna to an amusement park to spend some time and have fun instead. Much to his surprise, though, Zuluten has not given up yet. He is still after Haruna and he is following them all the way to the park.

When the opportunity comes, Dororo Boma kidnaps her and takes her to a deserted place. He orders her to return his magatama and stupidly explains that the magatama is the key to return her back to her adult form, but Haruna does not care and even lies to him that she does not know anything. Furious, he is about to attack her when Youhei comes to the rescue. Haruna is so happy when she sees Youhei. She tells Youhei how much she likes him and even kisses him in his cheek. Youhei feels like he is flying in the sky, but the happy moment does not last long as Dororo Boma regains his consciousness and is ready to attack them again. Luckily, Youhei is able to dodge and hide Haruna. At that time, Haruna tells Youhei everything about the magatama and gives it to him. Finding what he was looking for makes Youhei even stronger and he is ready to defeat the monster. Not for long, the three rangers come and join Youhei for the battle. With their help, Blue Turbo is able to finish the monster off.

After the tough battle, the four rangers return to the school yard to transform Haruna back to normal. Once she returns to her normal form, Youhei, who is too happy, hugs her without thinking, but he soon gets punched by Haruna. “Let me go, you freak!” yells Haruna before she leaves Youhei with a very red face. The other three rangers are laughing at Youhei, but Youhei is too happy to be upset. He just realizes that he is most likely Haruna’s first and the only love. He has the confidence now to confess his feeling to her, but first, he has to finish cleaning the school yard first, of course.