木 why you should watch shinkenger!!!

hi everyone!!! this will just be me rambling about my current hyperfixation, samurai sentai shinkenger!!!☆☆ if you need something new to watch, i hope this will convince you to give it a try!! ^o^

this took way longer to write than i expected,,, so kudos are much appreciated!!!

what is samurai sentai shinkenger?

samurai sentai shinkenger (侍戦隊シンケンジャー, usually just called shinkenger or シンケンジャー) is part of super sentai (スーパー戦隊, sentai meaning "squadron"), which is a japanese superhero franchise in the tokusatsu genre. in every single super sentai series, there is a team of at least 3 (but it typically starts with 5) heroes that can transform into superheroes with color-coded uniforms and special weapons/powers that they can use to defeat villains. fun fact, power rangers was actually inspired by super sentai, although super sentai is more mature and aimed at young adults as well, not just children. 

shinkenger, as the name implies, has a samurai theme. its the 33rd sentai, and aired from february 15th 2009 to february 7th 2010. 

what is the plot?

basically, for many centuries on earth there has been a war going on between humans and evil otherworldly spirits, also known as the gedoshu. the emperor of japan at the time then ordered five clans of samurai to fight these monsters, thus forming the shinkengers. those samurai had the power of mojikara which let them use kanji to gain powers and special abilities to combat the gedoshu. they also possessed origami (folding gods) to help fight the gedoshu's second life.

the battle continued on for 17 generations and only stopped briefly when the 17th head of the shiba clan (the leader of the shinkengers) sacrificed himself and used a sealing character on the gedoshu leader, doukoku. however, the sealing character was incomplete and doukoku ended up rising once again. now, in the present day, shiba takeru (the 18th head) must gather his retainers to help fight the gedoshu and protect the world once again. 

i know its a lot, but itll make more sense if you watch it ♪ 

why should i watch shinkenger?

there are two main reasons why you should watch shinkenger:

1. the story

most of the show focuses on the growth of the characters over time as they learn to work together and bond as a team to fight the gedoshu. all of the characters experience hardships and grow from it. if you enjoy slice of life shows with lots of character growth, id say this show is pretty good. shinkenger is also heavily based on japanese culture, specifically samurai culture (obviously), which makes it super fun to watch. the ending is also really interesting and shows just how much the characters have changed since the first episode. 

2. the cast/characters

the cast did an excellent job portraying the characters!!! ill give a brief explanation of each character:

shiba takeru (志葉 丈瑠) / shinken red

takeru, played by tori matsuzaka, is the 18th head of the shiba clan and was raised by hikoma kusakabe (aka jii) to become shinken red and the lord of his vassals. he seems to be arrogant and cold at first, but then later in the series shows his true personality. he is very reluctant to have the other retainers fight by his side at first but then ends up accepting all of them. he is the samurai of fire.

ikenami ryuunosuke (池波 龍之介) / shinken blue

ryuunosuke, played by hiroki aiba, is the 18th shinken blue. since childhood, he was raised by his father to be a loyal follower to his lord like his ancestors before him. he always dreamed of becoming a kabuki actor before becoming a shinkenger. out of all of the other shinkengers, he is probably one of the most loyal followers of takeru and has the most knowledge of the origami. he is the samurai of water.

shiraishi mako (白石 茉子) / shinken pink

mako, played by rin takanashi, is the 18th shinken pink. her grandmother trained her to become a samurai. she is a brave and kindhearted person who dreams of becoming a bride and having a normal and happy family. she also loves helping people when they have a problem. she is also known to be the "big sister" of the group and a bad cook. she is neutral of takeru. she is the samurai of sky.

tani chiaki (谷 千明) / shinken green

chiaki, played by suzuki shogo (my beloved), is the 18th shinken green. he is the weakest out of all of the shinkengers in the beginning because he abandoned his training early. he was also seen as immature and a rebel and would often get scolded by takeru, ryuunosuke, and hikoma (jii). he is known to be cheerful and honest, despite having a short temper. at first, he didnt want to follow takeru, but ends up warming up to him and his teammates. he is the samurai of wood. 

hanaori kotoha (花織 ことは) / shinken yellow

kotoha, played by morita suzuka, is the 18th shinken yellow. she is very pure-hearted and was not supposed to be shinken yellow. however, her sister fell extremely ill so she had to replace her sister. she was originally from the countryside and worked at her parents bamboo shop. she admires takeru and mako a lot and look up to them. she is the samurai of earth.

where can i watch shinkenger? 

you can watch shinkenger on many websites, but i highly recommend watching it on the internet archive. if you enjoy shinkenger, i highly suggest you watch the other super sentai series as well!!! this year is the 50th anniversary of super sentai☆

thats all i have, thank you for reading this super long post!!! ^o^ if you have any questions, just comment down below!! i hope you give shinkenger and the other super sentai series a chance ♪ 

shinkenger! going forth!

🍀lynn🍀