Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Saban Brands
The one and only Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers are back. Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Billy, Zack and yes even Tommy are back for more adventures in the first half of the show’s second season. Season Two Volume One is an important piece of the Power Rangers legacy. That’s because this collection features some big changes and the start of some other, equally big changes. Along with the big changes, Season Two Volume One also presents twenty-six episodes of everything that the show’s fans had come to enjoy from its first season, only stepped up. And now fans of this classic Fox Kids series can finally re-live all of that any time that want thanks to Shout! Factory and Saban Brands.
Season Two Volume One is an important point in the evolution of the Power Rangers legacy. It features the departure and re-introduction of Jason David Frank to the team. Frank’s character Tommy loses his powers as the Green Ranger once and for all, but eventually returns much to the surprise of the other Rangers, as the White Ranger. This is just one of the important milestones for the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers series as it marks the return of one character that had been temporarily written out of the show. It’s even more important in that Tommy would later go on to become the head of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers in the second half of Season Two (which is due out May 28, 2013).
Tommy’s departure and eventual return is just one important part of the Power Rangers’ evolution in the first half of Season Two. Just as important is the introduction of three new characters who would later go on to be three of the new Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Those characters are Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch), Rocky (Steve Cardenas), and Aisha (Karan Ashley). The trio would end up taking the places of Zack, Jason, and Trini respectively. This cast shakeup is an important part of the show’s second season because other than the introduction of Tommy in Season One, it marks the very first real major cast change in the long-running franchise’s history. It wouldn’t be long though, before more cast changes would happen. By the time the show reached its next incarnation, Power Rangers Zeo, Kimberly, Billy, and Aisha would all be replaced. And Jason, the original Red Ranger, would also return, albeit for a short time. The changes would go on from here. That’s what makes this very first major shakeup such an important part of Season Two.
The introduction of new soon-to-be team members and the re-introduction of another are big parts of the success of Season Two Part One. Just as important in the first half of this season’s success are the show’s writing and its general production. In comparison to more recent incarnations of the Power Rangers franchise, the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers presented a product that was more…raw. It didn’t have that sleek, spit-shined feel that so many newer PR shows have had. There’s something special about that feel, from the special effects of the time to the animatronics of Goldar and the other baddies to the general shooting. It’s completely different from the shows that would follow, making it that much more special. The writing is just as impressive as the production. Sure some of the writing seems as cheesy and campy as the production at times. But it doesn’t feel forced like the franchise’s more recent series. It just feels more natural. That combination of more natural writing also led to more natural acting from the cast. It made the cast more relatable to young viewers. That ability of the show to reach its young viewers, combined with the show’s more natural writing and production went a long way toward making Season Two just as successful as the show’s debut season. And thanks to Shout! Factory and Saban Brands, those audiences who first saw this show as kids can re-live all that joy again in the first half of Season Two. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Season Two Volume One is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online via the Shout! Factory store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/216673. Audiences and fans of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and other classic shows can get more info on this show and more online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial.
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