It’s time for Buster!
For a good while, I was certain that the next Power Rangers series will Americanize the 2017 Sentai series, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger. Considering that Bandai of America gave their input on the show’s designs, the signs were there. That, and its constellation and space themes could take advantage of the Star Wars trend. Lo and behold, Saban pulled an unexpected move for the upcoming season.
In a surprising announcement at Hasbro’s New York Toy Fair 2018 panel, 2019’s Power Rangers season shall be known as Beast Morphers and it’ll borrow stuff from the 2012 spy-themed series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. My guess is that the reason behind Saban going for an old show is due to them switching from Bandai of America to Hasbro as the franchise’s toymaker. For now, I betting my money on this speculation since it might be odd for them to use footage from a title that their former partner was involved in. On top of that, their other options were trains and a show with animal-themed Minecraft-like robots, so the current theme sounds more profitable in America than the other two choices.
The show will focus on the new team going up against a computer virus that’s attempting to conquer the Morphin Grid. Then the animal theme comes into play through its DNA being mixed with a new energy source called Morph-X, which may power the gang’s arsenal. That being said, I wonder if they’ll retain the idea of the Rangers being spies with super powers. Interestingly, American kids will get to see the one time when the gang wore leather suits, instead of the usual spandex outfits.
Since the source material had the cast use a Morphin Brace that shouts “It’s Morphin Time” before they change, I wonder if the Power Rangers Beast Morphers will keep the sequence. For now, it’s neat that we have the first series that adapts an old Super Sentai show. With Go-Busters having the least amount of toys out of the modern installments in Japan, it’ll be interesting to see how Hasbro will handle the merchandising angle.
26th Power Rangers Season “Power Rangers Beast Morphers” Announced [The Tokusatsu Network]
