After 25 years of Power Rangers in the United States, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Some seasons stick out more than others for the characters, or for the Zords, or for any other number of reasons. And some other seasons are completely forgettable.
It’s pretty clear where I’m going here. Power Rangers Ninja Steel is a season that you forget almost as soon as you turn off the DVD player.
I don’t know what it is about this season, but it just didn’t connect with me on any level. Even as recently as Power Rangers Megaforce I enjoyed the Gosei Great Megazord design to a point that I sprung for the more detailed Japanese version of the toy. The designs of everything in Ninja Steel, which of course connects back to the Shuriken Sentai Ninninger season in Japan that provided some of the footage for this U.S. release, just left me bored.
Story-wise, ever since Saban Brands decided to split every season into two, it seems to have messed with the pacing of stories. Not that Power Rangers seasons have ever been high art, but there were seasons that were engaging. Think Power Rangers Jungle Fury, that season ranks near the top of my list for sure for actually having some depth. The split season concept just stretches things out far past the breaking point in my opinion. The pacing is off and it’s just difficult to engage with the storyline.
Power Rangers Ninja Steel DVD Review – The Set
Beyond the series itself is the actual DVD set, and it does everything promised on the package. It delivers all 22 episodes of the season, but with a few quirks.
For instance, on disc 3, in the episode selection menu, you are presented with choices for episodes 15, 16, 17, and 18, but no obvious way to get to the final four episodes on the disc. When you do watch through them in order, the season pretty much ends with episode 20, “Galvanax Rules.” However, the next episode on the disc is the Halloween special, “Grave Robber,” which happens earlier in the continuity and it throws you a bit as some items are present that were destroyed in the episode you just watched without explanation. While I can see the logic of putting special episodes at the end, if you aren’t aware that this isn’t a normal episode it will leave you quite confused.
As this is a release directed towards a younger demographic, it’s perfectly fine. The image quality is crisp, but not spectacular. The audio gets the job done, but doesn’t require some massive home audio setup to enjoy. There are no extras present beyond a few trailers.
Perfect for completists of the Power Rangers seasons and for younger fans, but to aging fans there just isn’t a lot about Ninja Steel to excite you.
Power Rangers Ninja Steel is available on DVD beginning on Aug. 14 with a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate provided The Nerdy with a review copy of the DVD set. We watched the entirety of the season before beginning this review.
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