Geekatana Series Review: Power Rangers SPD

To be honest I haven't been keeping up with the Power Rangers franchise as much as I like and the only reason I got into Power Rangers SPD was cause of its rather catchy opening I happen to watch on youtube some years back. But between watching this, the kamen riders and anime a guy can easily get overwhelmed.

It's funny when I used to watch the first Power Rangers regularly like clockwork after school many years back when it was on tv. Maybe someday I'll be able to catch up on all things Power Rangers but for now I'll just settle on reviewing this one.

Power Rangers SPD is about the power rangers in the not so distant future where earth has become sort of this intergalactic haven for aliens from distant planets. Earth has become a far more dangerous place cause of this as well and has been the sight of a planet conquering alien threat. Here Space Patrol Delta (SPD) train the latest Power Rangers to stand against evil....Power Rangers SPD.

On a narrative point of view Power Rangers SPD is one of the best Power Rangers series out there. Sure I have gotten into it cause of the catchy opening but after watching it again I came to realize the complexity of the series as a whole. There's even some racist and sexist issues being addressed in the series that I don;t think any Power Rangers series has addressed before or since.

Rather than focusing on the usual good versus evil plot Power Rangers SPD also delves into emotional, personal conflicts and dark past of each of the characters. The plot is so interwoven that just when you think you know it all it throws a curve ball at you and throws you again for a loop without anything of it being forced. In fact one of the major plot twist can be traced all the way back to the very first few episodes.

Also as a side note, Power Rangers SPD is also one of the series that is directly linked to the main Power Rangers timeline with the Power Ranger comics even mentioning Tommy Oliver's son joining and leading the Power Rangers SPD as leader in the original graphic novel Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Soul of a Dragon by Kyle Higgins known for his Batman and Power Rangers, Shattered Grid.

The shows character development is one of the series high points. Each of the ranger has their own demons and shortcomings that they try to overcome as the series go on. Be this trying to be a leader or getting over ones ego and temper to be a better person. Along the way they learn the values of leadership, responsibility, friendship and working with a team. All that is topped by a main villain that isn't evil for the sake of evil.

From a former criminal trying to make a real difference, finding ones confidence, learning the value of a teammate, gaining confidence, humility, upholding a legacy, revenge, pain of lost, greed, lust for power and a lot more. Power Rangers SPD was a pretty mature take if you ask me for a series that started about a bunch of teenagers with attitude. Something very few ranger series has matched.

Power Rangers SPD engages these complex topics through its story and character arcs almost in every episode. It barely sugarcoats anything and is a Power Rangers series that has matured and grown with its fans. Proving that the show is more than just people wearing fancy outfits and riding robots. 

Visually Power Rangers SPD is pretty much what you would expect in a series. Much of the action series was taken from Dekaranger where SPD stands for Space Police Dekaranger as opposed to Space Patrol Delta (SPD) of Power Rangers. It's impressive that Power Rangers SPD has got this deep of a visual narrative despite focusing less on the action footage of Dekaranger by Saban.

The series isn't perfect however as some story arcs seem to be too short while some takes far longer than necessary. There's a certain ranger character where he is portrayed as a plot device to move the story along rather than having his or her own full grown actual story arc. Sure it would add a few more episodes ti the mix but I don't think it would have hurt to do so. But I guess that is a minor complaint for me.

Overall Power Rangers SPD is one of the best Power Rangers series out there with it landing easily in most fans top ten series of all time. A plot twist that will leave you stunned. Deep compelling and complex characters. A sinister yet layered villain very few Power Rangers villain can outdo. A must for anyone who is a fan of Power Rangers or someone who just wants to jump into the franchise as a whole.