MagiRanger – The Beauty of Vampiric Japanese Teenage Girls
MagiRanger
Originally uploaded by Guise Dugal.
“But Guise, if you’ve been trapped indoors for several days, just how did you manage not to go crazy from cabin fever!?” Well, I’m glad you asked that, my friend. I’ve been geeky! Boy, have I!
Occassionally Tim tells me stuff about his interests, and more often that not I listen and promptly let it drain out of my mind without too much passing thought. I retain a few things on GI Joe, mechas, good TV shows and stuff his friends are up to or saying, but ignorance is nearly always self-imposed in the case with anything from the world of fanfics, Harry Potter news or new Power Rangers series and the Sentai series they are based on.
That was until half-listening I eard “vampire…japanese girls…leech…tentacle…biting her neck”, my response was a “Huh?” and an introduction to the new Sentai series Mahou Sentai Magiranger (Magic Team Magical Ranger) that will become the next Power Rangers series.
The series seems to be Power Rangers meets Harry Potter, with five siblings endowed with magic powers (based off the elements and symbolised by mythical creatures) take on creatures from below the ground (the Infershia).
Kai (MagiRed) is the youngest and has the Phoenix symbol and Fire element, Tsubasa (MagiYellow) has the Garuda symbol and the Lightning element, Urara (MagiBlue) has the Mermaid symbol and Water element, Houka (MagiPink) has the Fairy symbol and Wind element, and the eldest is Makito (MagiGreen) who has the Taurus symbol and Earth element. They have mobile phones that are their magic wands (key touches relate to spells), they fly mechanical brooms, they get spells from displays of ‘courage’ and they have humanoid-shaped Mecha that are of varying size (the MagiTaurus is friggin’ giant; MagiPhoenix, MagiMermaid and MagiGaruda are all average; MagiFairy is teeny).
The bad guys are : a boss who is still trapped or asleep somewhere, so his minions use pieces of him to power weapons and monsters; Branken who is a part-mechanical monster and acts as general; Wolzard who released the Infershia; Vancuria who splits into two humanoid girls (Nai & Mei – Nightmare) who disguise themselves for their schemes, have vampire fangs and can shoot bolts of energy out of their mouths; and the Zobiru and HaiZobiru who acts as foot soldiers. As well as the obvious ‘monster of the day’.
My introduction was at Stage 11 and 12, which means I know damn near nothing about what has happened in the show or anything about the Rangers other than the colours nearly always mean they have similar personalities regardless of the series – except the angsty one is Yellow this time.
I really need to get more educated on the interpretations of vampires in anime and live action, last thing I saw on the subject was an article in an old magazine many years ago.
Stage 11 – Night of The Vampires
On Flickr : Stage 11
Starts at a live concert that Houka is attending, with two punk-goth girl singers (really Nai and Mei) on stage playing bat-shaped guitars and promising a song that will ‘entrance’ the audience, as the song progresses something at the back of the stage glows.
There’s a sense of impending crisis upon the humans.
Have fun, nightmare!
Just enjoy it…
Wolzard then interrupts the amusing little scene by telepathically contacting Kai and calling him out. Responding to the call, the siblings head into the dark woods where the are soon set upon by a pack of Zobiru, without waiting for the rest to morph Houka charges forward using her Houka-chan Ram attack, Special Houka-chan Kick, Special Houka-chan Punch and the finisher of the cartoony attack of Super Special Houka-chan Kiss. The whole fight scene is a wonder to behold, as the female team embers all wear pvc-like mini-mini-skirts. From everyones reaction it’s obvious that Houka doesn’t usually fight like this.
Wolzard challenges them directly in Mecha form and the team morph into their caped Ranger forms and on into their Mecha forms, the start fight is pretty one-sided as Wolzard blocks all their attacks, but soon calls for his back-up Zord and fuses to make Wolfkaiser so that they must form the megazord MagiKing, but as they go to call on the fusion the sun rises and MagiFairy falls to the ground, demorphing completely and starts complaining of sickness. Wolzard leaves the group, complaining that it had turned into a useless fight.
Makito and Tsubasa help a black-cloaked Houka back home, where she complains that “it’s too bright!”. Urara offers her sister some water, as she holds it out Houka notices a small flesh wound on Urara’s hand, licks it and begins to suck on it before Urara pulls away. Tsubasa looks on with a contemplative look on his face.
Meanwhile, Wolzard returns to the Infershia where he is goaded by Branken, where Wolzard reveals he is just letting them become more of a challenge before crushing them. Vancuria watches on before heading off on her own mission.
As night falls again, Houka is back up and about and feeling hungry, as she passes a table on her way for food she spots a goblet of warm, red liquid that takes her fancy, her eyes turn to cat-like slits and she bares a pair of fangs. But she does a spit takes as the liquid turns out to be tomato juice, rumbled by Tsubasa who steps out from an alcove, Houka raises her hands like talons and lunges at Tsubasa in an attempt to bite him, but he blocks the charge with garlic.
Houka pleads with Tsubasa not to tell the others out of fear for a scolding and to help her return to normal, they try to work out what happened but Houka can’t seem to remember being bitten :
- Tsubasa : Hou-nee, someone must have sucked your blood to turn you into a vampire
Houka : I suppose…
Tsubasa : You don’t remember!?
After a little bit of pressing about the concert, they decide to check the gig out. Nai and Mei are back on stage and as they start singing Houka again begins entranced by their music, the song is a little longer this time during which time Nai and Mei reveal themselves and the audience (except Tsubasa) falls into a trance.
There’s a sense of impending crisis upon the humans.
Have fun, nightmare!
Just enjoy it…
Why not go beserk?Become bloody!
We give it to you! (Give!)
A Friday nightmare
For each one (Each one)
Become bloody!
We give it to you! (Give!)
A Friday nightmare
For each one (Each one)
Now, because the image of the ‘vampire bite’ being seen as an act of implied eroticism, they couldn’t have a human bite another human because it would convey that sexuality. So at 07:30 they used a Leech Monster to do the blood draining and vampire making, as it is perfectly alright to use tentacle monsters to kiss the neck of people, because no-one ever thinks of Japanese tentacle monsters as sexual.
Tsubasa pushes on to try to help everyone, his determination rubs off on a very defeated feeling Houka and steeling her resolve she strikes a very Sailor Moon-esque pose, her courage in the face of adversity is rewarded with a new spell that gives her preternatural senses, able to track the bad guys. Houka and Tsubasa find their way to the rooftop, where Leech looks over the assembled tranced vampires below, and they are soon joined by the rest of their siblings. The siblings morph into ranger form, ready to attack but are grabbed by the tentacles of Leech, MagiPink uses her transformation technique to turn into a small fairy and fly loose and cutting everyone free.
Once free, Tsubasa hits the Leech with a blast from his Magical Bow Gun before the whole team permorm the Magical Spin Tornado with the monster in the middle. Injured the monster turns to giant mode, towering over the MagiRangers. The Rangers retaliate by forming MagiKing, taking on their seating in chess pieces inside MagiKing, they use summoned swords to knock out tentacles in mid-air and then call on their Magical Climax to finish Leech off.
As Leech falls, the sun rises. The siblings look over the roof to see that all the vampires have returned to normal, all that is except Houka who collapses behind them. Houka is still pained by the light of the sun. Tsubasa lets slip about her vampirism, and in the shadows Vancuria watches on. Houka rises to her feet, transforms into a vampire and lunges for Tsubasa, only held back by her siblings…
And then we are into the end credits/actors dancing bit and the “next time…” segment.
Stage 12 – Sign of Determination
On Flickr : Stage 12
Starts in the Underworld with Vancuria and Brunken gloating over the success of changing Houka into a vampire, while Wolzard lurks in the background. Wolzard is displeased that this is not the way he would have liked victory over the MajiRangers. Then slide right into the fast paced music montage that serves as MagiRanger opening.
We come back to Houka in her black cloak within a magical circle of power, surrounded by an invisible shield that zaps her if she tries to pass through. Urara and Tsubasa look over Houka as she tries to break free, before Tsubasa sprays her with a potion that acts as a vampire sedative that knocks her out. As Tsubasa recalls his promise to help Houka, Kai is once again called by Wolzard for a fight reacting Tsubasa heads off alone.
MagiYellow confronts Wolzard to get him to change Houka back, but Wolzard tells him he is not responsible and can not free Houka. MagiYellow attacks Wolzard with as much power as he can muster but it barely phases Wolzard, who retaliates with a blast that throws MagiYellow off his feet. Lying prone, he is joined by MagiRed, Blue and Green. Wolzard reveals that Vancuria was the one who turned Houka into a vampire, before turning away and leaving, preferring to fight them as a full team.
Meanwhile, Vancuria stands in a chapel and summons Houka to her. In the MagiRangers base, Houka awakes suddenly and rises to her feet, compelled to Vancuria she is able to power her way past the shield trapping her. Before leaving a briefly unpossed Houka tells the potted talking mandrake to tell everybody to forget about her.
When th four siblings return they find a rather excited potted plant and an empty magic circle, they mention Vancuria and the mandrake reaches the conclusion that she must be the Queen of Vampires but that Tsubasa may still be able to help with his knowledge of potions, if he can create from the crystallization of the first beams of morning drops of dawn the Dawn Crystal. Determined, Tsubasa gives Houka’s pose from the last episode, much to the bemusement of his siblings.
Elsewhere, Houka reaches Vancuria, who reveals about her true nature :
- Vancuria : Do you want to know why I can walk, even in the sunlight? It is because I am Queen Vampire. A vampire amongst vampires! Possessing eternal life, mine is a chosen existence. You should be pleased to be bitten by someone like me. Do you want to know why I split into two? Because being alone for thousands of years gets boring.
During her spiel we see Houka being almost bitten on both sides of the neck by Nai and Mei – such a neck, such ‘kisses’ – and Vancuria has split into her two parts. Nai and Mei hold an apple in front of Houka, which turns a rather strange shade of purple. Ok, forget what I said about the vampires being non-human, whereas the original bloodsucker was a tentacle beast, and the Queen Vampire is another monster form, these two are definately human-like, hot and necking like hell.
A montage follows of Tsubasa making the potion while the other siblings hunt for any sign of Houka. The sun rises, casting its rays into the room where the potion sits ready, at that point the three searching siblings are joined by a very jubilant Houka carrying a paper grocery bag, she talls them that she not only defeated Vancuria but purchased apples for everyone.
Back at home, there is a general feeling of happiness except from Urara and the shocked Tsubasa. Houka goes off to peel the apples as her siblings sit around the table waiting. As Houka lays the plate of diced apple on the table, Tsubasa takes the plate and discards the content on the floor where they begin to melt into black goop. Houka is being controlled!
- Urara : I knew it. Houka-chan wouldn’t buy something for everyone. Plus there’s no way she’d peel apples that skillfully!
In reaction, Houka turns into a feral vampire and lunges at Makito.
Makito, Kai, Uraru and Tsubasa chase Houka through the city, until they reach a clearing where she is joined by Nai and Mei, who merge to form Vancuria. Vancuria gets Houka to morph and fight her siblings, but Tsubasa morphs, evades MagiPink and heads after Vancuria as the others are left to deal with their sister.
While MagiPink beats the hell out of MagiRed, Green and Blue; Vancuria and MagiYellow square off, with Vancuria having the power advantage. MagiYellow pulls out the Dawn Crystal and Vancuria appears concerned, MagiYellow attaches the crystal to the end of his bow gun and takes aim at Vancuria, but Vancuria summons MagiPink as a human shield.
MagiPink, and Vancuria, proceed to attack MagiYellow. But MagiYellow shows faith in Houka and tries to remind her of who she is, but as he holds out his hand to her, she just kicks him away and rejoins Vancuria. But just as all seems lost, she shows that his words have had their effect and traps Vancuria into being open to attack. Following a very Matrix-style arrow shot, where MagiPink rolls out of the way, the crystal hits Vancuria weakening her and leaving her open for the Magi Cross Boomerang where all their wands are joined and thrown. As it hits, a crucifix-like cross appears in front of Vancuria, power surges through her and she explodes in a cloud of black ash.
The siblings join up, happy with the recovered Houka, but the celebration is short-live as a giant Wolzard makes his presence known. As WolKaiser he challenges the MagiRangers to a fight as MagiKing. The fight is prety effective on both sides, but the Rangers eventually get beaten to the ground, but with the display of faith from MagiYellow they are rewarded with a spell to help power up the MagiKing, helping them to defeat WolKaiser for the short term with an aerial sword strike.
That night, in the aftermath, the ashes of Vancuria rush together to reform her :
- Vancuria : How dare they drive me, Queen Vampire, down like this! However, I am an immortal being. I will return to life each time I’m killed and the same method will never work again!
Back home, Houka has taken seriously to her duties, much to the pleasure of Makito and the chagrin of Tsubasa and Kai. Houka has the last laugh though, bearing false fangs to scare everyone.
I wasn’t too keen on the concept of the show, I can watch episodes with Tim and even listen to his enthusiastic talk about it all – hell, he listens when I talk about Terris or stuff – but the idea of Mighty Morphin’ Hogwarts Students wasn’t exactly something I was that interested in. I’m much more a tech, genetic mutation or some strange power field fan when it comes to my hero teams, and I’m not really blown away by the series as a whole but these episodes were great.
There was a wonderful blend of humour to it all, and I loved the differences in vampirism throughout both episodes – ranging from tentacle monsters that cause thrall and conversion by bloodsucking, traditional human vampires and a monster form for a queen.
I do wonder how much Disney will have to cut when they convert it for the american audience to get aired.