For the last couple of months rumors and leaked photos have circulated with hype for the upcoming 40th Anniversary Super Sentai thought to be titled, Doubutsu Sentai Jyuuounger. Recent magazine scans reveal the official English spelling for the series to be Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger.
Little is known about the story itself, but we loosely know that the Zyuohgers are rulers of individual lands that use spirit animals from each territory to defend the world. According to Tokunation, the individuals are as follows:
Zyuoh Eagle: Ruler of the Skies (Red Ranger)
Zyuoh Shark: Monarch of the Rough Seas (Blue Ranger)
Zyuoh Lion: Ruler of the Savannah (Yellow Ranger)
Zyuoh Elephant: Monarch of Forests (Green Ranger)
Zyuoh Tiger: Ruler of the Snow Fields (White Ranger)
Of course the obligatory sixth ranger has yet to be revealed. Zyuoh Eagle gets much of the coverage with a very cool, metal-linked, whip that retracts into a sword. (Which might remind some of Gypsy Danger's sword from Pacific Rim.)
I'm a big fan of the costumes. Although the printed beasts aren't very creative, design-wise, the helmets more than make up for it. I'm not so much a fan of the individual mecha which look like nature crawled out of Minecraft. Each beast is prefixed with “Cube” (“Cube Eagle”, “Cube Shark”). The explanation for these pixelated designs has yet to be revealed, although the combined mecha, Zyuoh King, isn't too bad.
Zyuoh King is a basic combination of Cube Eagle, Cube Shark and Cube Lion. Cube Elephant and Cube Tiger will combine with a secondary mecha of Zyuoh Eagle's, known as Cube Gorilla, to form Zyuoh Wild. (I personally miss the days where all five would combine into one.)
After the lackluster ToQger and the turn-off that is Ninninger, I'm eager to see how Zyuohger takes off. Although story information is sparse, this team is pointing toward a return to more mythical elements from early Sentai. (Which would make sense considering this is the 40th Anniversary celebration.) Additionally, I personally enjoy the beast related Super Sentai over other themes—This is a personal preference, so your mileage may vary.
Are you interested in the latest Super Sentai? Do you think it will be a worthy celebration of the last 40 years of Super Sentai? Let us know in the comments section below. Fingers crossed for Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger which airs in Japan, February 14, 2016.
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Sources:
Tokunation
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