Fiveman is a show that I've found to be unjustly maligned. While it was overshadowed by Jetman, and almost saw the cancellation of Super Sentai, it feels incorrect to call it a "bad" show and it's definitely a step up from its predecessor Turboranger.
This show was the final one which Hirohisa Soda worked on as head writer, and though there are signs of burnout it does feel like he was at least trying to make an effort to go out on a high note.
The first episode of the show does a great job setting up the motivations of the heroes and establishing who the villains are that they have to fight. The Fivemen themselves are decently characterized, and the show does a good job making them feel like not just a team, but siblings as well. Gaku isn't the most developed Red, but he is interesting with how he balances being both the leader and the cool older brother/parental figure to his younger siblings. Kazumi was a great Pink, being both book smart and guile, and seeing her be the "team mom" to her younger siblings was fun. Remi was also good, and I liked seeing her dynamics with Fumiya, who managed to be hot-headed at times but never really irritating and amusing to watch. Ken however I didn't find to be all that interesting, as he felt less characterized than his siblings.
The Zone, the villains for this season were for the most part serviceable. Doldora was well characterized, but Billion felt fairly generic and Dongoros was kind of annoying, though he had personality. Garoa was a rather standard villain general, but he served his job well and seeing him get demoted to janitor towards the end was kind of funny. Chevalier on the other hand was absolutely fabulous and a blast to watch whenever he was onscreen, being both formidable and fun. Meadow was an interesting concept for a Big Bad, being an angelic yet mysterious being with sinister ulterior motives, and I liked the twist about her at the end.
While there are lulls in the pacing here and there, the myth arc about the Fivemen trying to reconnect with their parents was compelling enough to keep me watching, and the show really kicks into high gear with the climactic final arc.
Overall, if you look closely at Fivemen you can definitely see elements lifted from previous shows, but it implements these elements competently and has plenty of original elements as well. I think Fivemen was far more a victim of the show that preceded it (Turboranger) than the show that caused Sentai's decline and in spite of it manages to deliver a competent and satisfying storyline.
A good but not great Sentai
Fiveman is a show that I've found to be unjustly maligned. While it was overshadowed by Jetman, and almost saw the cancellation of Super Sentai, it feels incorrect to call it a "bad" show and it's definitely a step up from its predecessor Turboranger.
This show was the final one which Hirohisa Soda worked on as head writer, and though there are signs of burnout it does feel like he was at least trying to make an effort to go out on a high note.
The first episode of the show does a great job setting up the motivations of the heroes and establishing who the villains are that they have to fight. The Fivemen themselves are decently characterized, and the show does a good job making them feel like not just a team, but siblings as well. Gaku isn't the most developed Red, but he is interesting with how he balances being both the leader and the cool older brother/parental figure to his younger siblings. Kazumi was a great Pink, being both book smart and guile, and seeing her be the "team mom" to her younger siblings was fun. Remi was also good, and I liked seeing her dynamics with Fumiya, who managed to be hot-headed at times but never really irritating and amusing to watch. Ken however I didn't find to be all that interesting, as he felt less characterized than his siblings.
The Zone, the villains for this season were for the most part serviceable. Doldora was well characterized, but Billion felt fairly generic and Dongoros was kind of annoying, though he had personality. Garoa was a rather standard villain general, but he served his job well and seeing him get demoted to janitor towards the end was kind of funny. Chevalier on the other hand was absolutely fabulous and a blast to watch whenever he was onscreen, being both formidable and fun. Meadow was an interesting concept for a Big Bad, being an angelic yet mysterious being with sinister ulterior motives, and I liked the twist about her at the end.
While there are lulls in the pacing here and there, the myth arc about the Fivemen trying to reconnect with their parents was compelling enough to keep me watching, and the show really kicks into high gear with the climactic final arc.
Overall, if you look closely at Fivemen you can definitely see elements lifted from previous shows, but it implements these elements competently and has plenty of original elements as well. I think Fivemen was far more a victim of the show that preceded it (Turboranger) than the show that caused Sentai's decline and in spite of it manages to deliver a competent and satisfying storyline.