Originally published: May 30, 2006 @ 11:42pm PST

"Despair is waiting for you." - Hagura Highness Rakushasa

Two years ago I was searching for a way to get ahold of Sentai shows without having to pay super-outrageous fees to get them from overseas. I looked at eBay, I looked at tape trading yet almost nothing was available to me (eBay had some on occasion but not reliably enough, and most tape traders had what I was looking for but not complete sets). I tried one website that seemed good, with reasonable prices, but never got an e-mail back about whether they were still around or not. That’s when I started researching Godzilla movies and came across Video Daikaiju. The company has been around for years, even before the web was up (they’d advertise in the back of Godzilla fanzines). In addition to Godzilla films they have an incredible catalog of tokusatsu series… Sentai, Metal Hero, Ultraman, Kamen Rider, you name it, they seem to have something to cover it. So after I received my catalog, I sent off my first order: the first three volumes of Jetman, Godzilla X Mothra X Mechagodzilla: Tokyo and Gaoranger Vs. Super Sentai.

I got my order a couple weeks later and that night I popped the DVD in my PS2 to watch - I was floored!

The movie, a 25th anniversary project, was incredible and, in my opinion, WAY better than anything we were shown here in the US as Power Rangers. This title was also the inspiration for the Wild Force episode Forever Red that celebrated the American Power Rangers‘ 10th anniversary. The ending sequence in particular is simply amazing.

Since some of the footage shown is of what we got as Power Rangers, I’ll do my best to mention the American version’s name along with the Japanese name. Also, in the American version of Gaoranger (Wild Force), they made the Yellow Ranger a woman… in Japan, though, it’s a man. One more caveat: I’m going by the subtitled version that I bought. I know of at least one site that also reviewed the movie whose rundown of the movie is slightly different in places. There will be MAJOR spoilers in this review, too, just to let you know ahead of time.

We open with a view of the earth as a voice tells us about what a precious jewel it is, but how many dangerous enemies have appeared to try to extinguish life from it. As the voice says this we see flashes of various major enemies from the Sentai series over the years… the Black Cross Fuhrer from Goranger, the first sentai series; Queen Hedrian from Denjiman, the fourth series; Chimera from Dynaman; Emperor Tranza of Jetman; Lira of Timeranger (Time Force’s inspiration for Nadira); the rulers of the Machine Empire from Ohranger/Zeo; Megaranger’s villains (the only one American audiences would recognize is "Ecliptor" from Power Rangers in Space); a pair of villains from Carranger, one of which is Rygog from Power Rangers Turbo; the villains from Gingaman (Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy); finally, Zylpheeza from GoGo V (Diabolico of Lightspeed Rescue). The voice next explains that there has also been many heroes to save the earth, accompanied by flashes of the 24 hero teams, followed by a pandown shot on an abandoned, forested area… abandoned, except by a group of figures in the distance, with five people running towards them. The group of figures is the Org; a group of Orgettes (Putrids) led by Yaba-Iba (Jindrax) and Tsue Tsue (Toxica). The five stop before them and tell them they’re going to stop them, then they change into their hero costumes… the Gaoranger… as the opening credits roll.

Once in costume, the heroes dive into battle, laying waste to any Orgettes that get in their way. Gao Yellow goes after Yaba-Iba, their longtime rivalry flaring up again, until Yellow smashes him into a cliff. Yaba-Iba asks Tsue Tsue if she’s sure it’s the right place… immediately afterwards the earth rumbles, we see a glimps of a large purple horn, and some smoke comes up from underground. The quake ends, and the Duke Orgs’ horns turn gold… the Orgettes horns get larger, as well. The villains challenge the Rangers again and the battle is joined once more…

(Editor’s note: I found something too cool not to mention so.. I’m mentioning it. Check THIS out: Lego Sentai Fortress!)

Looking for PART TWO? Simply click THIS LINK

-- by Red Hawk of http://www.happyhorror.com

Tags: dvd, gaoranger, gaorangers, power rangers, Sentai, super sentai, television, timeranger, ultraman

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