Featured TV on DVD Review: Power Rangers: Super Samurai

August 10, 2012

Power Rangers: Super Samurai - Buy from Amazon: Super Powered Black Box and Super Showdown

I've reviewed a number of Power Rangers DVDs over the years, with mixed opinions. Admittedly, I'm too old for these shows and I wasn't a fan when they first came out, but I can appreciate goofy kids movies and some of the incarnations, like RPG, I actually liked. However, the most recent series I reviewed, Samurai, left me disappointed. Were they able to fix the problems in the second season, a.k.a., Super Samurai.

Super Powered Black Box

Super Samurai is essentially Samurai: Season Two. It has mostly the same cast as before, with the same bad guys. Master Xandred is trying to flood the world by causing human tears to make the Sanzu River, the demonic river he sails on, overflow. Dayu is gone, but Serrator replaced her. Trying to stop him are the Power Rangers: Jayden, the leader, is aided by Kevin, Mike, Emily, Mai, and the new guy, Antonio, the Gold Power Ranger with Lobster Megazoid. In the first episode, Super Samurai, the Power Rangers spot Sanzu River water bubbling up into the real world, and footprints leading away. This means the Sanzu River is getting ready to flood, while there is a Nighlok in the overworld. It looks bad, but they do have a new weapon The Black Box, which unleashes a new Super Samurai mode. In Shell Game, a new Nighlok, Armordevil, attacks, but his shell is so hard that none of the Power Rangers' attacks work. Antonio might be the only one who can hurt him, but he dropped his phone and Bulk and Spike picked it up. A Nighlok in Trading Places is able to put Jayden's mind into a lawn Gnome, Mia into a fan, Kevin into a music box, and Antonio into a fish. Only Emily and Mike are left to fight and defeat Switchbeast, the Nighlok responsible. It is revealed in Something Fishy that Antonio is afraid of fish... but he spends all of his free time fishing.

The Extras

There is a music video and a character gallery.

Super Showdown

Mentor Ji and Antonio are trying to solve the mystery of the Shark Disk, but need privacy to do so. Shortly after they complete it, they are captured by Moogers and the rest of the Power Rangers are needed for The Rescue. Serrator tries to capture The Bullzord for his own use. Meanwhile, the Power Rangers have a visitor, Cody, a young boy whose family are the guardians of the Bullzord. He Ain't Heavy Metal, He's My Brother is a musical episode. It's not a true musical, the characters don't burst out singing with their songs advancing the plot, but nearly everyone sings. After losing his Samurizer in Kevin's Choice, Kevin has to make a choice whether or not to remain a Power Ranger or to return to the world of swimming.

The Extras

There is the same music video as last time, and also a gallery of weapons.

The Verdict

Power Ranger: Super Samurai is slightly better than the previous series. However, it still has some serious problems. The acting is a little more natural, but still stiff at times. Instead of the humor coming from the characters, it comes from pointless subplots involving Bulk and Spike. The action involves more transformations than fighting. It feels like there are dozens of combinations of Zoids, and it has reached the point of self parody, and beyond. If you were a fan of the first season, then Super Powered Black Box and Super Showdown is an improvement, but it is still below average for the franchise.


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