Ohsama Sentai KingOhger has premiered an outstanding first episode with fantastic scenery and a captivating introduction. The 47th Super Sentai series has begun leaving a huge impression as the starting episode introduces viewers to Chikyu and the 5 kingdoms, along with the rulers and Shugods of the realms. The first episode debuts the 5 Rangers of the series and follows the story of the prophesied return of the Bugnarak army. Here is the full analysis of the incredible start to the new Super Sentai series.
Ohsama Sentai KingOhger is the 47th Super Sentai series that takes place in its own continuity. The Ranger series is comprised of 5 insect-themed warriors that can transform using their Ohger Caliburs. The story follows the Kings of five kingdoms formed after the Shugods and the first Royal warriors defeated the Bugnarak. A prophecy foretells that the Bugnarak army will resurrect in 2000 years from the depths of the earth and destroy humanity. On the prophesied day, the kings of the countries gather in Shugoddam to discuss allying to protect the people once again. Here is the main cast for the new Rangers of the Super Sentai series.
- Gira, the Red Ranger, Kuwaga Ohger is played by Taisei Sakai. A man who grows up in an orphanage in a castle town. A self-proclaimed king who is kind-hearted that thinks about everyone,. Plays the villain when playing a hero game with kids, with a habit of saying “I rule the World!”.
- Yanma Gust, the Blue Ranger, Tonbo Ohger is played by Aito Watanabe. Born in a slum of his country, he is often referred to as the ‘General’ and described as having a “Yankee” spirit of ‘taking the top’.
- Queen Himeno Ran, the Yellow Ranger, Kamikiri Ohger is played by Erica Murakami. She is a penchant for beautiful things and will get them by any means necessary. She is described as a beautiful and beautiful transcendental selfish queen but does not hesitate to save someone. She also has a side as a doctor who is skilled at saving lives.
- Kaguraghi Dybowski, the Black Ranger, Hachi Ohger is played by Sou Kaku (Sou Yoshihisa). The lord of Tofu is described as a man that is two-faced with a triple tongue who lies while smiling. He is very selfish and doesn’t mind doing dirty things to keep the peace. Known as a black-hearted lord of peace supremacy.
- Rita Kaniska, the Purple Ranger, Papillion Ohger is played by Yuzuki Hirakawa. The King of Gokkan and the chief justice of the court who protects the neutrality of the world. They render fair and accurate judgments based on the law and although compassionate, they have a bad mouth that makes them look cold.
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The premiere episode of Ohsama Sentai KingOhger aired on Sunday, the 5th of March, and debuted at the beginning of the 47th Sentai series. The episode starts the series by outlining the backstory of Chikyu, the situation among the 5 Kings, and how Gira becomes Kuwaga Ohger when the Bugnarok rise as prophesied. The episode debuts various features of the series and softly introduces almost all reoccurring cast members for KingOhger, which included all 5 Rangers, residents of Shugoddam, the King of Shugoddam, and the aides of the Kings.
Premiere Episode Story Analysis
After the introduction to the history of the Kingdom and the Bugnarak war, the premiere straightaway establishes the event taking place in Shugoddam. This includes the celebration of all 4 royal members from the other countries meeting King Lacles to discuss uniting for the foretold return of the Bugnarak. Tension instantly occurred when King Yanma rejected the request to unite under King Lacles’ leadership, who believes he wishes to control King-Ohja for power.
These scenes showed demonstrated the state of affairs between the leaders as they showed little desire to unify but knew a conflict was upon them. The introduction to Gira also captured a glimpse at the hidden corruption as a knight was demanding payment from a stall owner. It was a fantastic tease into the politics that fans have still to discover. The next set of episodes will likely introduce the other countries individually before exploring deeper, which is a great method of storytelling for an episodic series.
The episode is solely focused on providing a backstory and setting the origin of Gira becoming Kuwaga Ohger. This is due to the character taking the Ohger Calibur from the reigning King during a heated exchange. With the Bugnarak attack, King Lacles (Masato Yano) was planning a character-telling scheme to attack Nkosopa, which meant letting the citizen die to save military strength. Gira’s defiance of this choice led him to become Kuwaga Ohger and awaken God Kuwaga and was a fantastic sequence of events to begin the story. The debut of King-Ohja was a pleasant surprise, with a cliffhanger of the episode instantly causing an itch for more.
Scenery and CGI
The fantastic range of scenery is incredibly in-depth with CGI used to produce the unique scenery for each country. Each location teased has been an incredible glimpse of coming episodes during the beginning of the premiere, but the first episode dominantly takes place in the Kingdom of Shogoddam. The overall CGI use in combination with live-action footage is superb quality for a TV series and blends well with the acting cast. Both the castle, town, and Shugods are blended well for the scenes, which mainly consist of established shots.
The castle exterior has provided the best scene with the God Kuwaga and Kuwaga Ohger transformation sequence. The effects for the debut fight of the King-Ohja also added greater flare and depth to the show. The village and kingdom environments used for KingOhger have been some of the greatest scenes for the Super Sentai franchise, with a similar vibe to the anime series, Attack On Titan. It will be amazing to see if these use and quality of scenery and CGI will be carried out for later episodes.
Defining Characters and Action
The characters that instantly stood out throughout the premiere of KingOhger included Gira, King Lacles, and Yanma. Fundamentally, the other characters have only been teased during the episode and acted as supporting characters for the introduction to the series. Kogane (Anna Hoshino) and Boone (Gen Kiso) were the exceptions as they delivered the perfect introduction for the new series and allowed for the introduction of Shugoddam to feel natural and lively as if the town was truly lived in. Yanma’s influence on the episode played a vital role and helped establish the character but was appropriately short before his defining episode came next.
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There is only a teaser for the Rangers in action, but it was a fantastic demonstration of what’s to come. Fans were blessed by the first quick transformation sequence for three Rangers and the full change sequence for Gira as Kuwaga Ohger. Action from three Rangers was also a fantastic display, with Kamikiri Ohger showing her opposing personality as a protector. The smoke entrance of the Pillbug Gym monster and the surrounding fighting created amazing drama and suspense for the first fight featured in this new Sentai series.
Dramatic Beginning of KingOhger
The drama between Gira and King Lacles was the grand event for the origins of Kuwaga Ohger, as Gira’s discovery of a tyrant king dives him to despair. From playing evil King with Kids to enemy number 1, the acceptance of the role was a fantastic piece of storytelling that will lead to infinite possibilities. The result of becoming a traitor was a fantastic turn of events that explains how Gira becomes the owner of the Ohger Calibur instead of the reigning monarch.
It will be interesting to see how Gira’s new label as a rebel plays out as he is now an enemy of the kingdom. The next episode would have been a perfect complement to the next installment since a cliffhanger ended the episode. It will be curious to see if Gira can escape as the King proclaims him to be a rebel that must be captured and executed for his actions. It will be interesting to see the flow for the first set of episodes as Tonbo Ohger, Yanma, takes center stage for episode 2.
The first episode has given so much substance for future episodes to dive into and the quality of the premiere episode was beyond expectations. The only thing the episode lacks is more time to fully explain how Gira manages to enter the throne room, but these unexplained facets could be part of a grander story to debut in later episodes. The whole episode was a perfect example of how to start a new Ranger series to pull in viewers, but high expectations are now set for the following episodes. Here is how the premiere compares to recent Super Sentai series predecessors.
- 43rd: Ryusoulger Premiere Episode – A perfect ‘passing of the torch’ story with great action and emotional drama starting the series.
- 44th: Kirameiger Premiere Episode – Episode 0 allowed for a better start, with more excitement granted for Kiramei Red’s Debut in the episode 1 premiere.
- 45th: Zenkaiger Premiere Episode – Great start and introduction with promising reoccurring humor. Only included Zenkaizer and Zenkai Juran though with a soft start to the Ranger series.
- 46th: Donbrothers Premiere Episode – An unusual beginning focused on OniSister, with great action, use of CGI, and hilarious introduction to characters.
- 47th: KingOhger Premiere Episode – Captivating Scenery and a great introduction. Focuses on the origins of Gira becoming Kuwaga Ohger but still delivers action and various debuts.
Ohsama Sentai KingOhger episodes will air every Sunday in Japan for TV-Asahi, with episode 2 to be released on March 12. Episode 2 will feature Yanma Gust and the debut of Tonbo Ohger. The 47th Super Sentai series has no plans to air outside of Japan, despite demand from fans.
What do you think of Ohsama Sentai KingOhger? Were you able to find a way to watch the premiere episode? Do you wish to see Super Sentai simulcast worldwide? Let us know on social media and keep following The Illuminerdi for more Super Sentai news.
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Source: TV-Asahi
