Series REVIEW: Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

As it rapidly approaches its 50th anniversary, the Super Sentai franchise has gotten a little more experimental in recent years. However both its longevity and success can at least be partly attributed to that instantly recognisable Sentai formula, and after the grandiose narrative of the VFX-laden Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger something a little more familiar definitely feels appropriate. Once more returning to the ever-popular car/vehicle theme, Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger is the 48th entry in the franchise - the team name being a play on the Japanese onomatopoeia "bunbun", the sound an engine makes when revving. Making his Super Sentai debut is screenwriter Atsuhiro Tomioka, who served as head writer on the series alongside Shojiro Nakazawa, Jun Watanabe and Hiroshi Butsuda as director, action director and SFX director respectively.

 

On the day of her forced marriage, Mira Shifuto is abducted at the altar by Taiya Hando - a cool-headed deliveryman who has been tasked with delivering Mira to her actual boyfriend so that the pair can run away together. However their getaway is complicated by the arrival of the Hashiriyan - an intergalactic mafia who arrived on Earth to collect Gyasolin, an energy source produced by negative emotions. Mira soon discovers that Taiya, alongside information specialist Ishiro "Chashiro" Mehta and the alien robot Bundorio Bunderas, is part of the Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger - a team prepared to fight back against the Hashiriyan.

Wishing to follow Taiya's advice of "taking the wheel" for herself, Mira becomes the latest member of the Boonboomgers. Soon they are joined by police officer Jyo Akuse, procurement specialist Genba Bureki, and the cleanup duo Sakito Homura and his parter Byun Diesel. As higher ranking Hashiriyan executives arrive on Earth, the Boonboomgers are ready with an arsenal of charged up weapons and high-speed Boonboom Cars.

From the very beginning Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger will feel like a story all too familiar to long-time Super Sentai fans. A team of vehicle-themed superheroes fighting against an organisation of similarly-themed space aliens has immediate parallels to Carranger, while the initial introduction of a three-person team quickly followed up by a further two members (complete with slightly different Changers) follows the same format as Go-Onger. Like both shows Boonboomger also feels relatively light-hearted in tone for the most part (particularly in its early episodes), continuing a common trend amongst most of the vehicle Sentai. But while all that format-riffing on past shows might seem slightly derivative, it's worth remembering how old those shows are now comparatively - this is a new car Sentai for a whole new generation of kids. It's a show that wants to have fun and isn't shy about it, right down to nearly every character name in the series being some sort of wonderfully groan-inducing vehicular pun. Much like Kiramager several years before, it's a series that knows that tried and tested Super Sentai formula inside out - making up for its often predictable nature by just being solid entertainment throughout. It's very much the television equivalent of comfort food - you may know what you're going to get, but you also know it's going to be good.

However that certainly isn't to say Boonboomger isn't without its surprises. As the plot develops there are a few surprise twists and turns along the way, most of which revolve around revealing the backstories of certain characters. Some members even leave the team temporarily - a fact which is very nicely reflected in show's opening credits. This all builds towards the show's final arc (or "lap" as its distinct quarters are referred as), in which the Hashiriyans truly make their bid for the Earth. By this point the story has taken a more serious turn (though that sense of fun still isn't entirely lost), and even though deep down you know exactly how the climax is going to play out (this is still Super Sentai after all) the strength of the both the characters and their portrayals keeps you guessing nevertheless. It's an extremely strong string of episodes that should be remembered as one of Sentai's best, which is particularly impressive coming straight off the back of something as big as King-Ohger. But while Boonboomger is very good at creating plot twists that contribute toward such a satisfying climax, it does have a problem with following up on them individually. There's no better example of this than the Big Bang Grand Prix - an intergalactic space race that forms both the crux of the story and is the goal that the team are working toward. As such a big thing that's constantly talked about it feels like a huge shame (as well as a missed opportunity) that this isn't something that's properly represented in the series itself, and based on the synopsis of the forthcoming Boonboomger vs. King-Ohger isn't really the focus there either. It isn't the only element of Boonboomger's story that could have done with expansion, but as such a central point it does feel the most significant.

It helps though that the cast are all immediately likeable and engaging, even if their development over the course of the series is a little more varied. Right from his debut in the first episode, Taiya is exceptionally cool. Suave, quick-witted and able to see people for who they really are, he's basically your archetype red and the perfect choice of leader for the team. However in turn this makes him something of a constant, his own development somewhat lost in his propping up of the rest of the team. Chashiro on the other hand is less immediately likeable thanks to his abrasive personality, but this just makes him so much more engaging as a character - his way of doing things often making you genuinely question his motives sometimes. Mira and Jyo both complement the team nicely with their bubbly personalities, arguably the most light-hearted members of the team but by no means simply comic relief. As the whole story starts with Mira she sometimes feels like the audience proxy, as its through her we enter the world of Boonboomger and understand its mantra of taking hold of life by the steering wheel. Jyo is a fun character with a keen sense of justice, but with the least tangible connections to the story can sometimes feel like a bit of a loose end. On the other hand Genba perhaps gets the most development of the course of the story, including a whole arc that delves into his backstory and sees him leaving the team for a brief period. However this also proves to be just as much of a flaw as it is a strength, with the full resolution to that storyline another aspect that doesn't really play out onscreen in full (and seems unlikely to in future material either). Once the main team has been comfortably established it doesn't take long to Sakito to come in and shake things up, with Toei clearly looking to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy for inspiration to his backstory. But the idea of a human coming back to Earth after so long away really works for the story, both as a way of opening up to the space-faring and alien elements but also his evolution from a self-serving cleanup man to working alongside the team and a champion of Earth.

One area where Boonboomger perhaps does slightly better (or at least more interestingly) character-wise though is how it handles its supporting cast. It feels almost disingenuous to call Bundorio Bundaras a supporting cast member, give he's just as prominent every episode as the team itself and its arguably his backstory that drives the narrative the most. What initially just seems like a jovial robot with a particular love for curry (another familiar trope for Super Sentai) is in fact an equally valued member of the team who isn't just partly responsible for their formation and gear, but has a big influence on all of the cast and how they go about taking the wheel to achieve their dreams. Similar sentiments could be said about Byun Diesel, who may have less bearing on the overall plot but is an invaluable partner to Sakito and a window into Bundorio's former life as a racer in the Big Bang Grand Prix. Another heavily featured supporting character is ISA agent Shirabe Saibu, who despite having some initial misgivings about the team comes to be one of their closest allies. The romantic infatuation for Bundorio she hides behind her authoritative demeanour is largely played for laughs, but her efficiency makes her an invaluable source of intel for the team and in many ways an honorary member herself - so much so that it feels like a tease every time she holds a Boonboom Changer and doesn't transform herself. Even characters like ISA director Eiichiro Tokoyari and Lightning Tech CEO/Taiya's mentor Raita Naito (a particularly great pun amongst a sea of brilliance) feel used to their full potential - the relationships they have with the principle cast helping to fuel both the stakes and emotion of the show's final lap.

But undoubtedly where the show truly shines is its villains. Though their structure and overall plan might not seem like anything the franchise hasn't done before, its the strengths of each individual member that really make the Hashiriyans stand out. Over the course of Boonboomger we see various different captains take charge of their operations on Earth, each with their own distinct personalities, methods and names riffing on 80s vehicle-orientated films. Madrex is strict but honourable, Cannonborg intelligent yet arrogant, while Disrace cruel and overconfident. They, alongside the Hashiriyans' chief officer Grantu Risk, serve their leader Waruido Spindo - possibly the most flamboyant Super Sentai final boss you'll ever see and inexplicably based on Michael Jackson. Why Toei looked to the King of Pop for design influence I don't know, but boy does it work. There are numerous parts all working together to make the show's final lap as good as it is, but Spindo's cool yet sadistic personality and personal interest in our heroes make him a really memorable villain. That all said though, it isn't the high-ranking members of the Hashiriyans that are the stars of the show here. Decotrade, Itasha and Yaiyai Yarucar, collectively known as the Sanseaters, are the unsung heroes of Boonboomger -  a trio of instantly loveable goobers who are just out there trying their best to make Mad Rex proud. They truly are the heart of this show, and even when they're helping make our heroes' lives difficult you can't help but want nothing but the best for them.

One of the more interesting aspects of Boonboomger is its use of cameos from previous Super Sentai alumni, despite not being an anniversary series. Boonboomger features representatives from Engine Sentai Go-Onger, Ressha Sentai ToQger and Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger – all of whom appear in and out of suit as well as alongside their respective mecha. As the first of these appearances was Sousuke and Speedor from Go-Onger it was easy to initially assume that Boonboomger might simply be tapping in to the other vehicle-themed Sentai, but as the show progressed and the cameos got a little more varied the real reason behind them became much clearer. They in fact double as advertisements for Bandai's new DX Robo Universe toy line, which offers new versions of the franchise's pantheon of robots with swappable, cross-compatible parts. The gimmick is even alluded to in the show itself, with Byunbyum Mach Robo transforming into (or using parts of) Engine-Oh, ToQ-Oh and GokaiOh – all of whom were among the first releases in the line. But despite this slightly more cynical reasoning, Boonboomger thrives because it makes each and every one of these cameos work in context. While the Go-Onger appearance is slightly more surface level, the ToQger and Gokaiger ones are a little more story-related – both linking in with the plot and mirroring characters. While none of them are particularly necessary to Boonboomger, it's great to see all these familiar faces back without it having to be some big occasion. The choice of characters is also great too, even if may partly be based on whichever actors were available at the time.

On the subject of robots, Boonboomger's handling of this aspect feels quite unique. While sentient mecha is certainly nothing new for the franchise, rarely do they feel this integrated as characters – with both Bundorio Bunderas and Byun Diesel effectively team members. But while acknowledging them as actual characters definitely adds more personal stakes to the mecha battles, it does in turn make the other components that make up the "combined" mecha a little less interesting. Boonboomger Robo is effectively just Bundorio with swappable arms, while Byunbyum Mach Robo is just Diesel with wings strapped to its back. Though both are also able to transform into vehicles, outside of a few exceptions the whole combination element of the mecha feels a little understated this time around. Outside of offerings like Boonboom Marine, Boonboom Leon and the Champion Carrier (all of whom are either more elaborate themselves or contribute to more technically interesting combinations), it's very much largely forgettable limb-swapping affair for the most part. That said, there are still plenty of other ways the show finds ways to make its mecha battles interesting. Both adding the personal element and the cross-promotion of DX Robo Universe as such examples, as is something the appearance of an enemy mecha as well. Again this isn't something unique to Boonboomger, but Boonboomger Killer Robo is a fun little addition – giving the Sanseaters a more active part in these segments and playing into the main story during its endgame. And even though Boonboomger is in essence a more "back to basics" series compared to its recent predecessors, it retains the sense that the mecha fights are more an enhancement than a necessity. Obligatory toy selling aside, with the core components being actual characters there are occasions where these sequences can be moved around or sometimes omitted all together if the story necessitates it.

But if there's one thing Boonboomger definitely isn't short of its style. While the giant tire-headed helmets might seem strange to some on first glance, there's no denying that the show takes its motif and runs with it to brilliant effect. Everything about the team screams "high-speed vehicles" – from the screaming revs of the Boonboom Changer to the steering wheel weaponry. It's also impressive how the various design flourishes have all been given a practical use, such as the wheels on the feet providing turbo speed and the seatbelt sashes locking into the cockpits of the Boonboom Cars. Then just as you think that the series can lean into the theme any more, along come the Champion Boonboomgers – a simple yet incredibly effective Super mode that simply sees the team don racing crew-style jackets adorned with patches of the various Boonboom Cars (touching which in turn activates their powers). It's arguably one of the coolest upgrades the franchise has ever come up with and part of that is thanks to the simplicity – giving the Boonboomgers something thematically relevant that only increases their style rather than weighing them down with unnecessary armour. Not to say that Boonboomger doesn't go down this route as well, as evidenced with the similarly impressive Bun Red 199. This keen sense of style also carries over to both the Hashiriyans and the Kurumaju monsters they create – the former being designed with more elaborate motor vehicle aspects and the latter combining in the various inanimate objects they're created from. Together with some great action sequences that really play upon both the speed aspect and teamwork, Boonboomger is actually a very visually appealing show. One that feels particularly refreshing with the return to location filming, following the largely virtual world of King-Ohger.

Overall Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger might not be breaking the mould for Super Sentai, but it is a damn good reminder of why that mould has continued to persist for the last five decades. Though there are some areas of its story it perhaps could have expanded on, it more than makes up for its flaws with a likeable cast, great action, surprising cameos and an endgame that should go down as one of the franchise's best. Most importantly of all though it's just a hell of a good ride from start to finish, never really letting go of its wheel and living up to its revved-up moniker. Although No.1 Sentai Gozyuger and the 50th anniversary of Super Sentai is going to provide plenty of hype to help ease the pain, it's a sad day when the Boonboom finally stops.