Gekisou Sentai Carranger

Gekisou Sentai Carranger
The title card for Gekisou Sentai Carranger
Genre	Tokusatsu
Created by	Toei
Starring	Yūji Kishi Yoshihiro Masujima Yoshihiro Fukuda Yuka Motohashi Atsuko Kurusu Rika Nanase
Opening theme	"Gekisou Sentai Carranger" by Naritaka Takayama
Ending theme	"Paradise Samba" by Naritaka Takayama
Composer(s)	Toshihiko Sahashi
Country of origin	Japan
Original language(s)	Japanese
No. of episodes	48
Production
Producer(s)	Tarō Iwamoto Jun Kaji Kenji Ōta Shigenori Takadera Kōichi Yada
Running time	approx. 20 minutes'
Release
Original network	TV Asahi
Original release	March 1, 1996 – February 7, 1997
Chronology
Preceded by	Chōriki Sentai Ohranger
Followed by	Denji Sentai Megaranger

Gekisou Sentai Carranger (激走戦隊カーレンジャー, Gekisō Sentai Kārenjā, ^{[Note 1]}) is a Japanese tokusatsu television show. It was Toei's twentieth production of the Super Sentai television series. The show was written as a parody of its own series. Its action footage was used in Power Rangers Turbo.

Plot

Five workers from the Pegasus Auto Garage discover Dappu, an alien from planet Hazard. He empowers the five with the "Kurumagic" power of the five legendary car constellations, transforming them into Carrangers. As Carrangers, the five battle an alien reckless driver gang and prevent them from destroying Earth.

Characters

Carrangers

The Carrangers consist of five employees at the Pegasus Automobile Company (自動車会社ペガサス, Jidōsha Kaisha Pegasasu) and use Kurumagic Power (クルマジックパワー, Kurumajikku Pawā) to fight the Bowzock.

Kyosuke Jinnai/Red Racer (陣内 恭介/レッドレーサー, Jinnai Kyōsuke/Reddo Rēsā)

Naoki Domon/Blue Racer (土門 直樹/ブルーレーサー, Domon Naoki/Burū Rēsā)

Minoru Uesugi/Green Racer (上杉 実/グリーンレーサー, Uesugi Minoru/Gurīn Rēsā)

Natsumi Shinohara/Yellow Racer (志乃原 菜摘/イエローレーサー, Shinohara Natsumi/Ierō Rēsā)

Yoko Yagami/Pink Racer (八神 洋子/ピンクレーサー, Yagami Yōko/Pinku Rēsā)

Space Bosozoku Bowzock

The Space Bōsōzoku Bowzock (宇宙暴走族ボーゾック, Uchū Bōsōzoku Bōzokku) is an intergalactic biker gang with no regard for the laws of traffic. Hired by Exhaus to pave the way for his highway by blowing up every planet in the way of construction. They have targeted Earth, the last of such planets, for destruction and frequently hang out at the BB Saloon, a bar in the Baribarian spacecraft. After he had absorbed the Carrangers' Carmagic Power, Exhaus set the Baribarian spacecraft on fire and sent it crashing to Earth, only to have it stopped by Sirender and the Carranger in human form take control of it and drove it straight into Exhaus to try and kill him. It didn't kill him, though it was destroyed.

Names/Puns

Friends

• The initial syllabes from the Carrangers' surnames form the word "Jidousha", which in Japanese means Automobile.
• "Tenma" is the Japanese name for "pegasus".
• Radietta Fanbelt's first name is a pun on a car Radiator.

Villains

• The name Bowzock is a play off of "Bōsōzoku", a term used for biker gangs, punks who ride around in hotrods, or those with no respect for traffic laws.
• Exhaus' name is based on "Exhaust", as his debut involved him using exhaust on Police Planet.
• The Bowzock leaders' names are puns on car parts; Gynamo is based on dynamo, Zelmoda on セルモーター (Seru Motā)(Japanese word for Starter motor), and Grotch on clutch.
• While Zonnette's name is a pun on bonnet, her true identity's given name is a pun on vanity mirror while her family name is a pun on fan belt.
• Ritchihiker's name is a pun from the word hitchhiker.
• Norishiron 12's name is a pun from the word 糊代 (Norishiro) , the Japanese word for overlap
• Wumpers' name is a pun on wiper and bumper.
• HH Deo is named after Hideo Nomo and Hyuma Hoshi, from Star of the Giants.
• SS Pamaan is named after Superman, and to a lesser extent is reminiscent of Paaman.

Episodes

V-Cinema releases

• Gekisou Sentai Carranger Super Video
• Denji Sentai Megaranger vs. Carranger

Gekisou Sentai Carranger vs. Ohranger

Under orders from Gynamo, SS Sutatanzo is sent with special gas Exhaus provided to put in cars to have them run away to the Baribarian to be chop-shopped into new Bowzock vehicles. However, while the other Carrangers handle the Gorotsuki, Red Racer drives Signalman to ahead of the cars to use his heart-warming song to guilt-trip the cars to return to Earth with Sutatanzo retreating. Later, after being forced to return to garage on foot, Kyousuke arrives to a hot spring where he finds a strange monster who is pursued by UAOH. The monster, Bara Mobile, manages to win Kyousuke over with a sob story of persecution as his teammates arrive. The UAOH team is also gathered and, after questioning each other, both teams transform to battle it out. While the others pilot RV Robo and Ohranger Robo in the fight's climax, Red Racer fights Oh Red to protect Bara Mobile. However, the Carranger's transformation attracts the Bowzock who help the Oh Red fight Red Racer before it escalates into a highway chase scene. After Red Racer learns that Bara Mobile is really evil, the villain revealing his insane plot to convert humans into Car-Humans, he stops Pegasus Thunder to hand him over to Oh Red. Under Exhaus's orders, while holding the regrouped Carrangers off, Gynamo has his men to take Bara Mobile back with them to the Baribarian with Oh Red captured as well thanks to Sutatanzo's high octane gas. The other Ohrangers arrive, learning of their leader's capture with intent to report it to Chief Miura so Kyousuke would face the consequences.

Later, Chief Miura arrives to the Pegasus Garage and offers not to press charges if the Carrangers rescue OH]h Red. But it requires them to undergo harsh special training to pilot Ohranger Robo, with Kyousuke being the most tortured among the group. Though the Carrangers passed, Exhaus expected the rescue attempt and had the Bowzock set up a trap so they be subjected to Bara Mobile's experiment and become Car-Humans along with Gorou. But Red Racer was not among the captured and he manages to save the others as they destroy Bara Mobile's lab. Taking the fight back to Earth, the Carrangers and Ohangers take out the Wumpers before defeating SS Sutanzo and Bara Mobile with a Booster Cannon/Olé Bazooka combo. The two monsters then enlarge with VRV Robo and Ohranger Robo formed to fight them. However, the fight becomes more hectic when Norshirion-Extra appears before Sirender arrives to even the odds as the Sentai mecha use their signature attacks to destroy the three villains. Soon after, having buried the hatchet, the two Sentai teams celebrate their win on the beach.

Cast

• Yūji Kishi: Kyosuke Jinnai
• Yoshihiro Masujima: Naoki Domon
• Yoshihiro Fukuda: Minoru Uesugi
• Yuka Motohashi: Natsumi Shinohara
• Atsuko Kurusu: Yoko Yagami
• Mari Maruta: Dapp (voice)
• Hōchū Ōtsuka: Signalman (voice)
• Miki Nagasawa: Sigue (voice)
• Megumi Hamamatsu: Radietta Fanbelt/White Racer (episode 25)
• Misaki Sudō: Radietta Fanbelt/White Racer (episode 34-)
• Kiyoshi Kobayashi: VRV Master (Voice)
• Ed Yamaguchi: Souichirou Tenma
• Rika Nanase: Zonnette
• Hiroshi Ōtake: Gynamo (voice)
• Kyōsei Tsukui: Zelmonda (voice)
• Takashi Nagasako: Grotch (voice)
• Nobuo Tanaka: Ritchihiker (voice)
• Osamu Kobayashi: Emperor Exhaus (voice)
• Tomokazu Seki: HH Deeo (Voice, 19)
• Shun Yashiro: WW Waritcho (Voice, 20)
• Kazuyo Aoki: AA Abanba (Voice, 21)
• Kaneta Kimotsuki: TT Terurin (Voice, 24)
• Eken Mine: WW Washoishoi (Voice, 28)
• Keisuke Yamashita: ZZ Gyurir (Voice, 32)
• Naoki Tatsuta: DD Domino (Voice, 26)
• Ritsuo Sawa: MM Shurrizukir (Voice, 44)

Songs

Opening themes

• "Gekisou Sentai Carranger" (激走戦隊カーレンジャー, Gekisō Sentai Kārenjā)
  • Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori (森 雪之丞, Mori Yukinojō)
  • Composition & Arrangement: Takashi Shōji (小路 隆, Shōji Takashi)
  • Artist: Naritaka Takayama (高山 成孝, Takayama Naritaka)
  • Episodes: 1–13, 48 (End Credits)
• "Gekisou Sentai Carranger ~Full Accel Version~" (激走戦隊カーレンジャー～フルアクセルヴァージョン～, Gekisō Sentai Kārenjā ~Furu Akuseru Vājon~)
  • Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori
  • Composition: Takashi Shōji
  • Arrangement: Keiichi Oku
  • Artist: Naritaka Takayama
  • Episodes: 14–48

Ending theme

• "Tengoku Samba" (天国サンバ, Tengoku Sanba, "Paradise Samba")
  • Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori
  • Composition & Arrangement: Takashi Shōji
  • Artist: Naritaka Takayama

Video game

A side-scrolling fighting platformer game based on the series called Gekisō Sentai Carranger: Zenkai! Racer Senshi was produced for the Sufami Turbo, an add-on for the Super Famicom.

Notes

External links

• Official Gekisou Sentai Carranger website (Japanese)