Alt Pop Culture: The Ameritoku Boom

Kalvan's point about Watchdog Groups regarding bikers, on the other hand...
(On the third hand, didn't at least one incarnation of Power Rangers ride motorbikes as well?)

Several series in the franchise have had rangers ride motorbikes, in civilian and ranger duds. If there's been issue taken with it, it's been minor compared to general "too violent!' complaints.

Also, an aside: I do have a learning disability (hate that phrase) that makes missing typos an issue. If you spot 'em, tell me!

(and 50 Happy Canuck points to the first person who can suggest something OTHER than dyslexia for my condition. You don't even need to guess mine, just not assume 'the default". :)
 
Liking it so far Edshouldbeinbed.

The souring with fox will be interesting.
Well, according to most people I've met who've talked about this issue, Harley Davidson has cultivated an outlaw biker/lifestyle image aimed at Baby Boomers then having mid life crises, while sport-bike riders are either mad racers, elitist snobs (no matter how inexpensive the bike or how much the rider works on it himself), or poseurs pretending to ride Harleys. The only group of riders excluded from these stereotypes are dirt and dual-sport bike riders, but only because Harley has never made dirtbikes and refuses to honor warranties(!) if riders take them off-road. But even this relative save harbor is being challenged by the soon-to-come X-Games.

And please don't bring up the Bat-Bike. I would then point to Batman and Robin.

I know how stupid all this is, but I'm not the one making the rules. The last thing Saban would want would be for Watchdog Groups to complain and mothers to turn off the television at Captain Kangaroo's insistance because the hero is a "Biker."

They had tried to market to those people, not to cultivate an "image" in that area. And it's not that the marketing stuck half as much as they would like, so much as the "buy american" message was working at the time. hence the term "riceburner" for japanese and asian bikes.

As to your other "threat" for lack of a better term, the bat-bike is hardly the only example from the era.

Also, I think you need to rethink where you are getting your information, given you seem to think "Captain Kangaroo" was still a serious influence in the era, when by and in large he was forgotten at this time, somewhat forgotten on initial cancellation in the 80's and even the "revival" version was cancelled in 1993. I'm not saying it was bad, I'm saying the shows influence, and the mans, are beyond overstated by you.

And saban has dealt with complainers before. Fox had people inside the company begging that Power Rangers not go to air. It did.
 
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(from "The Rise of Ameritoku", WNYB Boston [PBS])

Edward Naha in close up, interview style, black background. He's smiling at a memory.

NAHA: We were at this small pub in Halifax-- Lex is good at finding the right place to meet, he brought us all there. And the first thing I did was pull out a sheet of paper and write, 'loquacious'. And I said, "that is my MUST. Our lead has to be well spoken and smart. So give me a word or phrase that's gonna be a MUST for you to see in our lead."

Naha laughs.

NAHA: Jeff is instantly, "But silent when deadly. He gets quiet, au revour butt." I liked that. Then Lex (rather enthusiastically) says "insects-- HIVE INSECTS!" He's... got this thing for bugs.

Naha laughs again, and then smirks.

NAHA: Haim, we had to weedle a bit, he was all, "I'm the money guy, I play base, Shuki does writing, don't mind me," but it sort of became a challenge then, so we keep pushing and he eventually shrugs and says, "alien prince!". Shuki nodded and said, "Not another world." And that became Power Guardian One's tag line.

He grows almost awed.

NAHA: Shell, though... Shell Danielson [1][2][3] really brought it all together.

Lex Gigeroff is grinning. He gestures quite a bit as he talks.

GIGEROFF: Shell, she's looking at... actually very intently studying Haim and Shuki, Haim was fiddling with his collar and Shuki was giving her a look that was like, 'yeah, go ahead', and Shell smiles and says, she says, "immigrant, not alien"

Jeff Hirschfield is somewhat calmer than Gigeroff, but the small smile on his face is warm.

HIRSCHFIELD: Shuki smiled and thanked her. Haim... he's got this slight blush. Thing of it is, she pretty much nailed those guys. Shuki was born in-- well, it was Mandatory Palestine back then, but it's Israel now. Haim... he was born in Alexandria, in Egypt and grew up in Israel. They've both been all over the globe-- think Haim lived in France for a while. But they both live in America, they both are Americans in an undeniable way... but you hear Haim talk about Isreal, they both have a strong pride in where they came from.

Shell Danielson, hair in a neat loose do and a smile made to be seen, laughs.

DANIELSON: I did mean it as a compliment, and sort of a... well, look, you play up Superman being an alien the wrong way, you lose how he's undeniably a Kansas farm boy. And that's what I meant. Kai is from another world. But as the show went on, he made it clear. He could proudly be a citizen of Earth and not betray where he came from.

Haim Saban. Yes, he's in a suit. Why wouldn't he be?

SABAN: Fox had insisted we stick with the crossover to launch Power Guardian, the way it was going to happen for the Masked Rider adaptation. And Shuki dealt with it in seconds. Alpha was built by Kai's grandpa, there. (pauses) Of course, only the first season of Guardian was tied to the 'Zordonverse'. (chuckles) Took us three more series to end it for Power Rangers.

Shuki Levy, in a t-shirt that proclaims "Why, yes, I do jam with Wasserman!". His hair is in that fine space just before you sigh and call it a mullet.

LEVY: Developing Power Guardian was a case of both encouraging and restraining each other. So, Lex would go overboard on his love of biotech, and Shell... she's really practical, and she'd point out how inefficent most biotech fantasies are, and why it didn't really fit the universe we were in. At one point, I said the lead evolved from insects, and Jeff pointed out, hey, evolution doesn't work quite like that and this isn't coming out lighthearted enough to make it work-- and then Lex got his love of bugs in by giving the lead a symbiotic beetle in his head.[4] When Shell suggested that, while guided by his grandpa, Kai inherited his powers from his mother, Jeff suggested, "Yeah, and Auntie [the villian] stole his father's morpher anyway," everyone blinked and started riffing on how that could be used to introduce a second guardian.

Shell Danielson again.

DANIELSON: The story had an environmental bent from the start, but none of us wanted to be preachy, and it sure as hell wasn't simple. This wasn't kneejerk panic based environmentalism, or feel good simplistic 'save the earth'... stuff. Shuki was the one to point out, the environment has always an issue and always will be, because it's where we are, it's whatever place we live in. We have to live there, and that's why we need to take care of it, even manage it.[5]

Jeff Hirschfield palms his face and groans.

HIRSCHFIELD: Naming things. Gad. We had this real early idea was to call Kai's home planet Edenoi[6], but Ed thought that was too on the nose.

Ed Naha is nodding.

NAHA: That's right, I thought the Eden/ Edenoi thing was a little too... we had the green Aesop in there, and wanted to be a little less-- actually a lot less preachy than most are. So Edenoi... the name would have been too allegorical. Too obvious.

Shuki Levy.

LEVY: So I said, well, let's get a vague idea of how-- this is before Glen worked with us, so it was a real bare bones idea of how Kai's language sounded. Ed was still on that Arabian Nights kick-- had to give him Sinbad and the Seven Galaxies to satisfy that itch. So he wanted the names to sound Arabic, or at least Middle Eastern-- but not real Arabic. So I figured, toss the sounds you get in the Middle East in with some Japanese, that should sound alien but familiar. (snorts) And we came up with Harijab as a place holder name for Kai's home planet, until we could come up with something better. We never did.

Shell Danielson smiles, a bit of mischief in her eyes.

DANIELSON: Naming Kai, Power Guardian One... a lot of writing is catching when a mistake or some sidetracking is gold. Kai's name... we were meeting in this restaurant Lex found in Halifax. It was me, Lex, Jeff, Shuki, and Ed. I think Haim was off settling the whole time slot thing with Fox...

Shuki Levy just sits there, smiling and shaking his head.

LEVY: It started as a joke. A joke that named the hero. It sort of cemented the idea of of family in the show, too. When it's working and failing, what actually defines it, who we consider family... And it started with a joke.

Lex Gigeroff is grinning like mad.

GIGEROFF: We're going over names, and Jeff all of the sudden throws out 'Lexian![7]' and we all laughed.

Levy.

LEVY: And I say, in the most snobbish voice I can manage, "No, that's Old Form Harijaben. Today you'd Lex or Lexa for a girl," and we all laugh again as Jeff says, 'so that's Gramp's name?' But Ed... Ed has this look on his face.

Gigeroff, eyes still showing how amazing he found this, leans foreward.

GIGEROFF: And Ed, real quiet but firm, he says, "It means wise fool, and Aunt Kaibeka hates it when you remind her she's not named after her father." And we all go silent a moment. And Shuki says, "well, he did build Alpha."

Hirschfield strokes his chin as he's recalling the conversation.

HIRSCHFIELD: At that point, we knew Kai's aunt, our villain, was a greedy bitch. So I said, "What if Kaibeka, say that means, 'reserved and frugal'?" Just for the knife twist. And Shell's getting into this.

Danielson's brow is furrowed in thought.

DANIELSON: I think I named Kai's mom.

INTERVIEWER (off): That's what the others say.

DANIELSON: Actually, I came up with the meaning, 'rich with joy'. Jeff came up with the name, Queen Sana'a'nexa/ Sanexa. She's named after an aunt. And then I wondered, so I said, "So, who you're named after can matter a lot to Harijabs. Is our hero named after mom or dad? Or Grandpa? Or is it not an issue?" And Lex just gets this look on his face.

Lex Gigeroff. Dead serious for the first time on camera for this documentary.

GIGEROFF: You know, we could have named him after his mom, or named the dad and made him a Junior or just made a new name. But I had this idea. So I say, "His Birth File says Kailex Dhaydex-- maybe Dhaydek. He usually goes by Kai[8], because shortening to the second half is how you make a child's nickname-- and anyone who knew him that well then is dead. It has connotations of that foolish wisdom of his grandpa, and also in this context suggests someone with a friendly soul... but also implies control, or reserve, or the need for that."

Gigeroff does get a small smile at this next bit.

GIGEROFF: Shuki looked at me, this look of... gad, impressed and scared I guess. And he says, "Kai Dhaydek. Named after the aunt that destroyed his world and broke his heart, and the grandfather that forged him into a warrior."[9] And he was Kai from then on.


from Ameritoku: The Ultimate Adaptation, Fandomodium Press, 2011

By the end of January, 1995, several things were cemented. The Themes of Family and Custodial Environmentalism. The Insect Motif, most bluntly in the Kib'bant ("Brain Bug") symbiote embedded in Kai's forehead. The mood, one of embracing change and avarice versus responsibility.

Haim touched base with the core writers. Ed started pushing. He'd been talking to Toei and learning the ins and outs of producing Sentai and Metal Heroes year in and out [10] They were doing toku, they needed to keep a toku schedule in his mind.

In the midst of working on both Power Guardian and what would be the third and final Mighty Morphing season of Power Rangers, Haim made a call; originally, the third season would have been a hybrid of Zyuranger and Kakuranger, with the lingering White Ranger suit from Dairanger. Fox was certainly expecting this, especially with the Movie coming up using such a set up. But at this point, things were not exactly the best between Fox and Saban.

A call was made-- people would be hired to create a new look for the show. This did of course have an effect on the writing staff.

It was decided that Shuki and Jeff would write the three part crossover between Power Rangers and Power Guardian introducing Kai, A Friend Indeed. After that, Shuki would serve as a sort of "writing room coordinator" for all Saban's Toku projects.

Jeff, Lex, and Ed would serve as core writers for Guardian, with a draw of names from a hat making Lex nominal 'head' writer for the first series.

Meanwhile, Shell (who often served as Shuki's co-writer) would head write Power Rangers. To assist her, Shuki immediately suggested a writer that had impressed him on several episodes the season prior-- Judd Lynn, also credited by the nick name Chip Lynn. [11] Chip proved to fit right in, to the point where Haim has more than once despaired at ever losing him. That would never happen; Chip has headed up several seasons of both Rangers and Guardian[12].

transcript of An Interview with Jeff H. Retrieved from Youtube July 8, 2012

JEFF: You know, we joke a lot when folks bring up that Power Guardian is filmed in Canada-- Ed, Lex, and Shuki have that whole "tax breaks" chant-- but yeah, Lex and I, Canadian. If Haim hadn't met him, Ed might be working for Alliance Atlantis. But, we figured with us on board, it wouldn't hurt. And there was the plus that... well, like it or not, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council has its politics. If we were at least partly a Canadian production...

INTERVIEWER: They'd ease up on Saban?

JEFF: Yeah. But, there's more than that to it. Guardian needed its own film crew, and apparently whoever Haim sent out to BC to establish MMPT North discovered Canada Stunts in Burnaby. And boy, were they game to try Toku when we brought Guardian to them. So much so, PR's stunt unit got hired from them too.

Notes



  1. IOTL, Danielson was indeed a contributor to Power Rangers and Saban Entertainment's other live action shows, often co-writing with Levy.
  2. Incidentally, ITTL, mocking or making fun of "The Shell" for her role on the soap Santa Barbra is a good way to get Ameritoku fans to shake their heads in pity at you. Because you don't know The Shell, Godmother of Ameritoku.
  3. In this time line, Danielson's writing and other work with MMTP would prevent her returning to soaps in 2001-- and thus she was never Bunny Hutchinson on The Young and the Restless.
  4. I am attributing the love of insect motifs and biotech evident in Lexx, the series Gigeroff and Hirschfield actually produced, to Lex here.
  5. One of the things praised in the three part Power Rangers ep that introduced Masked Rider was the well done "green Aesop." The series lost that aspect. Power Guardian does not.
  6. IOTL, this was the Masked Rider's Planet of Origin
  7. As noted, in our time line, Jeff and Lex created and worked on cult sci-fi classic Lexx. Musing on Lex and Lexx lead to this riff on how Gigeroff's name affected Power Guardian's creative process
  8. In our universe, this would be the name of the Undead Brunnen-G "divine assassin" from Lexx
  9. In our time line, Masked Rider was Dex. Dex's nememsis was his uncle, Count Dregon.
  10. At the time, Kamen Rider was on a decade or so long hiatus.
  11. Chip was eventually made head writer on PR halfway through the Turbo season in OTL; he spent the 95/96 season mainly writing for VR Troopers.
  12. IOTL, Chip headed PR through to the end of Time Force, later returning to given the Disney years a dignified send off with the second half of RPM.
Proofreading not expected, but appreciated.
 
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