Although it seems like this may be it for Super Sentai (for some time at least) following the announcement of Project R.E.D., there's no denying that the last few years have been a particularly interesting time for franchise. This period of experimentation yielded some rather unique shows, as well as arguably making Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger stand out all the more when it adopted a more "back to basics" approach. But what happens when they cross over with one of the most unique Super Sentai shows in terms of setting and format? Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger vs King-Ohger is 30th entry in the long-running series of VS films, written by Boonboomger head writer Atsuhiro Tomioka and directed by Hiroyuki Kato.
The Boonboomgers arrive on the planet Trickle to meet its newly crowned queen Nicola, who has formed an alliance with the planet Chikyu. Suddenly they're attacked the Manhole Grumer, who steals the jewel of the Trickle royal family. Worse still, the remnants of the Hashiriyans have teamed up with Minongan - who steals the OhgerCalibur Zero before the alliance transforms the holy weapon into a kurumaju monster! The King-Ohgers arrive to join the battle along with the Sanseaters, but the teams are suddenly sucked into a manhole portal by one of Manhole Grumer's attacks.
Separated between Earth and Chikyu, the Boonboomgers and King-Ohgers must work together to defeat this new alliance before they successfully gather the three sacred treasures. If they succeed, then one of the greatest evils ever faced could arise once more.
As well as being two totally different series in terms of setting, Boonboomger and King-Ohger are also quite different in terms of where they were last left off. In Boonboomger's case Waruido Spindo and the the Hashiriyans may have been defeated, but the team were about to embark on another big adventure - the Big Bang Grand Prix. The tease of this intergalactic space race was a huge part of the series despite never actually happening within it, with Taiya promising to one day fulfil Bundorio Bunderas' dream of winning. With the team leaving Earth to compete at the end of the series there was perhaps some hope that this crossover movie might cover some of it even in passing, but unfortunately it has once again been left to fans' imaginations. It seems as though the BBG is currently on hold, with the Boonboomger side of things instead relating back to seeds first sown in GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit. With Nicola subsequently appearing in the climax of the series it's great to see the character return again, providing the perfect link to the King-Ohgers as the two planets form an alliance. That said, as potentially the last chance to see the Big Bang Grand Prix happen onscreen it's huge shame that it isn't seen even in briefly in action, given how much of an impetus it was to the series itself.
Comparatively King-Ohger is a series with very little ground left to cover, which isn't all that surprising given it had the luxury of two versus movies on top of its fairly conclusive ending. The only real lingering plot thread was the whereabouts of Minongan Moth, released from his icy prison during the events of King-Ohger vs Kyoryuger. Their appearance here also ties back to the events of King-Ohger IN SPACE, where their initiative to make alliances with other planets was first set out. But while Minongan's resurfacing is certainly a pressing issue, it's actually quite nice to see the King-Ohgers in a more relaxed setting given the high stakes of their own series (particularly towards the end). Tonally the film has more in common with Boonboomger than it does King-Ohger, making it a unique opportunity to see these characters in a more traditional Super Sentai setting. It also feels like a final farewell of sorts, not just to the kings themselves but also some of the side characters as Chikyu has finally earned some well deserved peace.
But despite these differences, it's remarkable just how well the two casts come together. Boonboomger vs King-Ohger may follow a very straightforward crossover plot in how it features both villain factions coming together and splits the teams off into smaller groups, but it does so with precision - not only finding the perfect ways to tie to the two series together story-wise but how to make the most of the character groups it devises. Whereas (most of) the Boonboomgers are newcomers to travelling out into the wider galaxy, the King-Ohgers are just as much fish out of water when it comes to Earth customs. This dynamic leads to some hilarious scenes, such as Himeno blending in perfectly at a cosplay event, Rita finding love in a new plush toy or Ishiro and Yanma butting heads. But it can also be heart warming, as displayed by Jou's reception when he arrives back on Earth and the kindness the people show towards Jeramie and Kaguragi, or Taiya's envy over how peaceful and unified Chikyu is compared to Earth (something which particularly resonates with how Earth quickly turned on the Boonboomgers towards the end of the series). This dynamic is also enhanced by a more involved appearance from the Sanseaters, the three working together with the heroes showing just how far everyone has come.
The villains of the film are also work surprisingly well given how straightforward they are. Rather than introduce another Hashiriyan captain this late into the game, it's nice to see a standard monster-of-the-week take charge for once. With Minongan back to his child-like persona he doesn't quite have the charisma to carry the film as its main threat, and when it comes to charisma sometimes you just can't beat a quippy monster-of-the-week. Which is just as well as Manhole Grumer needs enough personality to make up for three villains, as OhgerCalibur Zero Grumer is the strong and silent type. Transforming one of the team's key weapons into a monster is such a genius idea it's surprising it isn't done more often, given how many series have had similar means of monster creation in the past. While the threat of Dagded Dujardin's resurrection is unsurprisingly the crux of the film, the film wisely circumvents bringing him back only to quickly kill him off again at the end. It may not have the same stakes as a full resurrection, but the way Boonboomger vs King-Ohger handles it feels appropriate - both for the tone of the film and retaining Dagded's legacy as one of Super Sentai's most dangerous villains in recent memory.
Action-wise the Boonboomgers are just as dazzling as ever, but it's actually the King-Ohgers that really shine in the film and it's for one simple reason. Very little of Boonboomger vs King-Ohger takes place on Chikyu (and none of the action scenes do), meaning the King-Ohgers are out on location rather than stuck in front of the LED screens that defined their series visually. While in no way should this be seen as slight against the scope and ambition King-Ohger had, but god do those suits look incredible here. Even though it's far from the first time we've seen them out on location, given how rare it is every time remains extra special even when the locations they're appearing in are the same ones from film to film. The regality of the suits is also a stark contrast to the vehicle motif of the Boonboomgers, particularly during the final battle when the latter don their champion jackets. Even before the staple big transformation and roll-call sequence, moments like Taiya and Gira rocking up to the fight in Taiya's sportscar and performing a drive-by slashing are the kind of ridiculous expected from a crossover of such wildly different teams. But then again, that's also just the magic of Super Sentai and tokusatsu in general.
Mecha battles have always been a major part of Super Sentai but they're another element Boonboomger attempted to bring back in a bigger way - largely due to tie-ins with the DX Robo Universe toy line that was debuting at the same time. Though here it's not strictly done to promote the toys, seeing two different series' mecha fight and/or combine together never stops being exciting. That, along with mecha battles in general, seem to have become less prevalent in a lot of the more recent crossover movies so it's wonderful to see it take top billing for the big finale here. With King-Ohger also having plenty of experience combining with other mecha from both Donbrothers and Kyoryuger it's a pretty perfect match (even if it's not quite clear whether the DX toys can pull it off). Even if the combos themselves aren't that complicated the film really goes all-in with the gimmicks to make it feel special, complete with flashy new King Boonboom Changers to give it an extra piece of toy synergy. Everything just comes together to fully embrace the formula of Super Sentai - something which shows like King-Ohger can reshape into something slightly different but are just as special when they wholeheartedly embrace it as well.
Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger vs King-Ohger doesn't break the mould for Super Sentai crossover films, but much like Boonboomger as a series it's a perfect example of why the format has endured for so many years. The film plays upon the strengths of both shows, finding perfect ways to connect the two whilst neatly tying up any loose ends. The two casts work really well together, and any opportunity to see the King-Ohger suits shine outside of its predominantly digital production is worth the price of admission. While this might not be it for Super Sentai versus films (as Gozyuger vs Boonboomger is still very much a possibility), as likely one of the final entries in the series it does hit home how much they're going to be missed.
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