By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
October 30, 2103
See that Red Ranger? That’s my son. He dressed up as a Power Ranger for his friend’s costume birthday party this past weekend.
This is his friend, Fiona, who dressed up as the Pink Ranger last year for Halloween.
They look cute, right?
But real Power Rangers afficionados will want to know which series their costumes are from. There’s the:
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Power Rangers Time Force, Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Mystic Force, Power Rangers Operation Overdrive, Power Rangers Jungle Fury, Power Rangers RPM, Power Rangers Samurai and Power Rangers Megaforce.
Out of all the various incarnations of the series, my son’s favorite is the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which stars Amy Jo Johnson (who I recognized from “Felicity”). He has the box sets and thinks he knows tae kwon do from imitating the Power Rangers’ choreography.
Speaking of choreography, you can’t help but notice that the stunt doubles for the female Rangers aren’t women. There’ll be a closeup of petite Amy Jo getting ready to battle some demon, and then an awkward cut to the action sequence will show a burly man dressed in a pink spandex getup doing a roundhouse kick. Of course, little kids don’t notice that kind of stuff.
But my husband and I can’t help but snicker as we watch along with our son. We side-eye each other when all the Rangers announce their dinosaur-themed Power Coins — all except the Asian Ranger, who’s stuck with the Saber-Toothed Tiger. Then we began to wonder whether it was a coincidence or an un-PC joke that the Asian Ranger wears a yellow uniform, while the African American Ranger is garbed in black.
And, on a more serious note, there are real-life allegations that the Blue Ranger quit the series because crew members harassed him because of his sexuality. Not cool, guys. Not cool at all.
But none of this matters to a new generation of children who continue to enjoy the Power Rangers. They see good vs. evil; Rangers vs. monsters; and a delightfully weirdo villain in Rita Repulsa, whose dialogue basically is just an excuse to cackle maniacally.
Yeah, as an adult, I think the show is pretty poorly executed. But it’s also a reminder of a time (not really so long ago) when our children weren’t under so much pressure to be so cool. The Rangers are good kids, who aren’t twerking, hooking up or mouthing off to their elders.
And for that, I say, “Go go Power Rangers!”
© 2013 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
