Doctor Who isn’t the only long-running series with an anniversary in 2013. On February 2, Power Rangers Megaforce will premiere, the 20th anniversary of the franchise.
While the 10th and 15th anniversaries featured big team-up episodes, Megaforce is being touted as a full-blown anniversary series, consisting of two seasons’ worth of material to celebrate the franchise, each of 20 episodes.
We at KSiteTV have already said some things about why Power Rangers has stood the test of time, but it might be getting the chance to prove itself if this season lives up to the hype.
Channeling the tried-and-true Mighty Morphin Power Rangers formula, the season features an evil alien named Warstar leading a massive invasion of Earth. A supernatural guardian, Gosei, and his robotic aid Tensou, call for five teens from different social circles to form the Power Rangers Megaforce to protect the world.
The majority of Megaforce action scenes and certain story elements are adapted from Tensou Sentai Goseiger, though elements of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger—the Sentai’s own anniversary season—will also be incorporated in certain capacities. Certain sources have suggested that the first 20-episode season will function as a homage to the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, with fairly simple plots about self-worth and teamwork that the series hammers in on a regular basis. If this is the case, it’s likely to be divisive among fans as Samurai was; it’s a nice throwback to the simpler times of the early seasons, but older fans might feel it undermines the storytelling growth the show achieved over time.
However, it’s likely that the second season would be where the 20th anniversary spectacle comes into play. We know from the footage that debuted at Power Morphicon last summer that we’ll see a variation of Gokaiger‘s “Legend War,” featuring past Ranger incarnations. Reports from Power Morphicon also suggested that past Ranger actors would be returning for season 2, which is an exciting prospect for any longtime fan, for sure.
The first episode of Power Rangers Megaforce, entitled “Mega Mission”, premieres on Feb. 2 at 1 p.m/12c on Nickelodeon.
Thanks to RangerCrew, here’s the first trailer released by Nickelodeon (a mere two weeks before the premiere…) which mixes the nostalgic feel of 90s Power Rangers with the newer, faster-paced elements fans of Samurai would be familiar with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl_Jpl2zCiQ
