Power Rangers - Japanese Language and Culture

American and Japanese
Perspectives on Power Rangers and
Super Sentai
Chelsea Nagy
Spring Semester 2012
Advisors:
Dr. Shigeko Sekine
Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott
  Significance of Study
  Research Questions
  Research Background
  Study 1
  Research Method
  Findings
  Study 2
  Research Method
  Findings
  Summary of Findings
  Conclusion
  Discussion
  Bibliography
  Acknowledgements
Outline
Significance of the Study
 I first watched Power Rangers when I was 6 years old.
 In 2011, while studying abroad, I was introduced to Super
Sentai.
 I became interested in how perceptions of Japanese and
American audiences differ when it comes to Super Sentai
and Power Rangers.
Research Questions
1.  How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power
Rangers differ among Japanese and American
audiences?
  What makes Super Sentai appeal to their Japanese
and American audiences?
2.  To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super
Sentai and Power Rangers?
3.  What are the similarities and differences in how Super
Sentai and Power Rangers are marketed in Japan vs.
U.S.?
 
What gender roles are shown and how are they
perceived by their Japanese and American audiences?
Research Background Outline
1.  Introduction
2.  Background of Super Sentai and Power Rangers.
3.  The inspiration for Super Sentai.
4.  How Super Sentai reflects Japanese culture.
5.  Why it was adapted for American audiences.
6.  Weekly viewing statistics in Japan and America.
Introduction
1.  Super Sentai
Japanese Superhero T.V. Show
Utilizes group dynamics (Usually 5 member teams)
2.  Power Rangers
American adaptation of Super Sentai
What is Super Sentai?
  Children’s Super Hero T.V. Show
  Every Sunday morning for 30 min.
  Produced by Toei Co., Ltd.
  First series to use Super Sentai name: Battle Fever J on Feb.
3, 1979
  Currently running 37th series: Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
1st
37th
What is Power Rangers?
  American adaptation of Super Sentai
  Every Saturday Afternoon for 30 minutes
  Produced by SCG (Saban Capital Group)
  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers- Aug. 28, 1993
  Adapted from 16th Super Sentai Series
  Currently - 19th series Power Rangers Megaforce
1st
19th
Super Sentai vs. Power Rangers
Super Sentai
• Character death
• Bad Language
• Blood
Power Rangers
• Footage
• Villains
• Costumes
• Diverse
Ethnicities
• Theme Music
(Allison, 2006)
(Everett, 2009)
Inspiration For Super Sentai
Ultra Man (1966)
Cyborg 009 (1968)
Kamen Rider (1971)
  These shows all feature superheroes
  Team dynamics were taken from Cyborg 009
  Kamen Rider introduced transforming into
masked heroes
Reflections of Culture: Group
Mentality
1.  According to Triandis (1985) Japan is a collectivistic
culture and America is a individualistic culture
Collectivism
• 
• 
• 
• 
Concern for hurting or imposing upon others (Kim, 1994)
Directness is ineffective (Kim & Wilson, 1994)
Emphasize interdependency
Individualism
• 
• 
• 
• 
Emphasize personal goals (Triandis, 1988)
Individuals take responsibility for immediate family and
friends (Gudykunst et. all, 1996)
Directness is more effective (Kim & Wilson, 1994)
Reflections of Culture: Female
Gender Roles
Japan
• 
• 
It wasn’t until 1986 that women began to gain equal
rights in Japan
The latest change for women’s rights came in 2007
• 
Women could not be fired do to absences
caused by pregnancy/childbirth
• 
Women and men became protected from sexual
harassment (“男女雇用機会均等法とは,” n.d.)
America
• 
• 
Women’s rights movements began as early as 1848 (Imbornoni, n.d.)
1975 “Sex Discrimination Act” made men and
women equal in the workplace and education (“Sex Discrimination Act 1975,” n.d.)
The Adaptation of Super Sentai
Haim Saban (1944~)
  Saban Capital Group Chairman and CEO
  First introduced to Super Sentai on a business trip to Japan
(Grays, 1996)
  Asked various production companies to take on Power Rangers,
but all of them declined
  Finally he met with Margaret Loesch
who later produced Power Rangers
13
13
The adaptation of Super Sentai
Margaret Loesch (Unknown~)
  Former FOX Childrens Network President and CEO
  Wanted a new and different type of children’s show
  "Everybody, including my boss, has said the same thing: what
a piece of junk. It may have lousy production values, but it
has fantastically imagined characters.”
Viewing Statistics
  Japan
  Averaging 1.67 mil. viewers
every week
  Approximately 1.3% of
population
  10.03% of kids ages 0-14
  America
  Averaging 1.75 mil. viewers
every week
Research Methods
(1)
  Study Participants:
  Japanese
  15 Male
  15 Female
  Americans
  15 Male
  15 Female
  Ages
  18-25
  Research Instrument
  Google Docs Online Survey
  English Survey
  Japanese Survey
(2)
  Study participants:
  Japanese
  2 Male
  2 Female
  Americans
  2 Male
  2 Female
  Ages
  18-25
  Research Instrument
  After watching 2 episodes of
Super Sentai/Power Rangers,
answer a written questionnaire
  Questionnaire（English)
Study 1
Survey Findings 1
Research Question 1
1.  How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power
Rangers differ among Japanese and American audiences?
  What makes Super Sentai appeal to their Japanese and
American audiences?
Survey Findings 1-1
People who have seen Power Rangers
  Both Japanese and Americans have very high
viewing statistics, but America’s is slightly higher.
Survey Findings 1-2
Number of different series seen
  Most Japanese and Americans had seen 1-5 different
series.
  There is one Japanese person who had seen 11-15
Survey Findings 1-3
Most Popular Power Rangers Series
Top 3
1
2
3
Japanese
Mighty
Morhphin
Alien Rangers
Power Rangers
S.P.D.
Power Rangers
Light Speed
Rescue
Americans
Mighty
Power Rangers
Morphin
Time Force
Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Ninja Storm
  Japanese and Americans liked very
different series.
Survey Findings 2
Research Question 2
2. To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super
Sentai and Power Rangers?
Survey Findings 2-1
Perceptions on what age group Super Sentai and
Power Rangers are geared towards.
  88% of Japanese said it was for children 5-7 years old.
  Americans think that Power Rangers is geared towards an
older audience.
Survey Findings 2-2
Age they stopped watching Super Sentai/
Power Rangers.
Japanese
  64% of Japanese stopped watching by age 13.
  Americans stopped watching at an older age,
and some are still watching.
Survey Findings 3
Research Question 3
3. What are the similarities and differences in how Super
Sentai and Power Rangers are marketed in Japan vs.
U.S.?
 
What gender roles are shown and how are they
perceived by their Japanese and American audiences?
Survey Findings 3-1
How did you find out about Power Rangers?
  Both Japanese and Americans found out
through TV Ads, but Japanese also found out
through family and friends
Survey Findings 3-2
What kind of merchandise did you own?
  Most Americans owned toys and clothing.
  Most Japanese owned toys and stationary.
Survey Findings 3-3
Percentage of “very common” and “common” responses to how
common the following were in an episode
  While percentages are low in both series, they
were significantly more common in Japan’s Super
Sentai
Study 2
Questionnaire Findings 1-1
Aspects of the show that are APPEALING were similar
Super Sentai
Power Rangers
Japanese
Characters
Special FX
Americans
Characters
Storyline
Special FX
Costumes
Super Sentai
Power Rangers
Japanese
Actors
Music
Americans
Nothing
Undecided
Nothing
Characters
Questionnaire Findings 1-2
Age perceptions after watching the shows.
Super Sentai
Power Rangers
Japanese
8-10 year olds
8-10 year olds
Americans
11-13 year olds
11-13 year olds
  After watching the shows, Americans still believe it’s
targeted at an older audience.
  However, the Japanese did give a higher age than
previously
Questionnaire Findings 1-3
Women’s Portrayal in Power Rangers/Super Sentai
Super Sentai
Power Rangers
Japanese
Cute
Vulnerable
Cute/Cool
Independent/Smart
Americans
Cute
Vulnerable/Weak
Strong
Independent/Cute
  Americans and Japanese agree that the
American portrayal of women is cute but
independent
  They also agree that Japanese women are
portrayed as cute and vulnerable
Summary of Findings 1
1. How does the popularity of Super Sentai and Power Rangers differ among
Japanese and American audiences?
  A surprising number of people have seen
Super Sentai and Power Rangers
  Japanese are more interested in storylines
  Americans are more attracted to visuals
  The series that Japanese and Americans liked
were very different
  More Americans watched Power Rangers
than Japanese watched Super Sentai
Summary of Findings 2
2. To what extent does age influence the appeal of Super Sentai
and Power Rangers?
  Viewers age influenced how they viewed the
show when they were young and how they view it
now
  Americans think both Power Rangers/Super Sentai
are for pre-teen/teenage audiences
  Japanese believed that Power Rangers/Super
Sentai are for younger children
  After watching the show their target age opinion
increased
  Age was the main reason for people to stop
watching the show
Summary of Findings 3
3. What are the similarities and differences in how Super Sentai and Power
Rangers are marketed in Japan vs. U.S.?
Super Sentai
(Japan)
Power Rangers
(America)
Marketing
• Boys
• Relies on word of
mouth
• Boys and girls
• Utilizes TV
commercials
Female Portrayal
• Cute/Vulnerable
• Cute/Independent
Preferred Female
Ranger Image
• Japanese
• They are cute and
relatable
• Americans
• They are
Independent/strong
  Americans prefer American gender roles (strong/
independent)
  Japanese prefer Japanese gender roles (cute/relatable)
Conclusion
  Super Sentai and Power Rangers are both
extremely popular shows
  Japanese liked storylines where the Sentai were
portrayed as ‘police’ like figures
  Americans were more drawn to the action and
visual aspects of the shows
  Even though Super Sentai and Power Rangers
are perceived as kids shows, it is still enjoyable
for adults
  Super Sentai and Power Rangers reflect
current cultural trends of gender roles
  Japanese viewers liked the Japanese
representations of women
  Americans liked American representations
Localization
may be
necessary
Discussion
  Important Findings
  Women’s portrayal reflects stereotypical societal
gender roles in both countries
  Japanese series uses harsher language and
violence compared to the U.S.
  However, Japanese felt it was geared towards a
younger audience despite the violence
  Limitations
  Participants were only adults aged 18-27
  Smaller number of participants in both studies
  Future Studies
  Focus more on the changes in female gender
portrayal and whether it follows historical trends
Bibliography
Allison, A.(2006). The Japan Fad in Global Youth Culture and Millennial Capitalism. Mechademia 1(1), 11-21. University of Minnesota
Press. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from Project MUSE database.
Allison, A. (2006). Millennial monsters: Japanese toys and the global imagination (pp. 93-127). Berkley And Los
Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
Campbell, S., & Knight, C. (Producer). (2006). Power Rangers Mystic Force [Online video]. Retrieved January 13, 2013
Everett, S. C. (2009, November). Mirawge Multiculuralism: Unmasking the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers [Electronic version]. Journal of
Mass Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality, 11(1), 28-39. doi:10.1207/s15327728jmme1101_4
Grays, K. (1996). Super Sentai Sensation. Retrieved from http://www.historyvortex.org/SuperSentaiSensation.html
Imbornoni, A.-M. (n.d.). Women’s Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events (1848-1920) | Infoplease.com. Retrieved May 10,
2013, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html
Kim, M.S. (1994). Cross-cultural comparisons of the perceived importance of conversational constraints. Human
Communication Research, 21, 128-151
Kim, M.S., & Wilson, S.R. (1994). A cross-cultural comparison of implicit theories of requesting. Communication
Monographs, 61, 210-235.
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98,
224-253
Pr ratings tracker. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/prstuff/ratings.html Bibliography
Triandis, H.C. (1985). Collectivism vs. individualism: A reconceptualization of a basic concept in crosscultural psychology. In C. Bagley & G. Verma (Eds.), Personality, cognition, and values: Cross-cultural
perspectives of childhood and adolescence. London: Macmillan.
Triandis, H.C. (1988). Collectivism vs. individualism: A reconceptualization of a basic concept in cross-cultural
psychology. In G. Verma & C. Bagley (Eds.), Cross-cultural studies of personality, attitudes and cognition
(pp. 60-95). London: Macmillan.
Video research Lid.(2013.4)「視聴率からの視聴世帯・人数の推定｜ビデオリサーチ」 http://
www.videor.co.jp/rating/wh/13.htm
ヘドウィック, 1., 塚田, 3., 宇都宮, 2., & 矢田, 2. (Producer). (2005). 魔法戦隊マジレンジャー [Online
video]. 日本: テレビ朝日. Retrieved January 13, 2013
スーパー戦隊36Legends. (2012). N.p.: 日之出出版.
男女雇用機会均等法とは. (n.d.). コトバンク. Retrieved May 10, 2013, from http://kotobank.jp/
word/男女雇用機会均等法
特撮視聴率補完 By@Wiki - 視聴率一覧. (n.d.). 特撮視聴率補完 By@Wiki. Retrieved May 10, 2013,
from http://www10.atwiki.jp/shichouseiko/pages/15.html
Image Sources
 
http://stuffpoint.com/power-rangers/image/4620/power-rangers-picture/
 
http://wiki.tvnihon.com/wiki/Super_Sentai
 
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Super-Sentai-216481705
 
http://j-cul.com/super-santai/himitsu-sentai-goranger/
 
http://www.clipartsegifs.com.br/clip_power_rangers.php
 
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/margielamarni/33995365.html?s=art_cmt&no=&pno=&fno=&target1=&target2
 
http://www.moegame.com/sfx/archives/201212271108.html
 
http://www.tylertarver.com/2011/06/13/new-mighty-morphin-power-rangers-movie/
 
http://www.rangercrew.com/forum/showthread.php?24244-Power-Rangers-Megaforce-Cast-Thread
 
http://lifeofpi99.blogspot.com/2012/12/choudenshi-bioman-10-goodbye-yellow.html
 
http://www.rovang.org/wiki/necrolai.jpg
 
http://www.powerrangersonline.com/newsstorys/samuraigrove.html
 
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/ultra%20man
 
http://www.tvsinopse.kinghost.net/c/cyborg%20009.htm
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider
 
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57373589-503544/haim-saban-considering-giving-toobama-super-pacs/
 
http://www.usm.edu/news/article/symposium-address-women-and-media-honor-four-prominentalumnae
 
http://angelkissesmaternity.typepad.com/famousmommy/2009/11/tvwatching-guidelines.html
Acknowledgements
o Dr. Shigeko Sekine
o Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott
o Gus Leonard
o Study Participants
o Exchange Students
o Greg, Cindy, and Trevor Nagy