Written and art by Shotaro Ishinomori. Translated by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment.<\/em><\/p>\n Shotaro Ishinomori is considered the \u201cKing of Manga\u201d in Japan. Second only to his mentor, the \u201cGod of Manga\u201d Osamu Tezuka, he had a prolific career lasting more than four decades. This included a Guinness World Record level of output, resulting in many creations that have outlived him (Shotaro Ishinomori passed away in 1998), such as Cyborg 009<\/em>, Kamen Rider<\/em>, and the Super Sentai<\/em> franchise. That last one is what I want to discuss here. With confirmation<\/a> that Super Sentai<\/em> is wrapping up after 50 years, I finally decided to pull Ishinomori\u2019s Super Sentai: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/em> manga adaptation from the to-read pile, where it sat for too many years.<\/p>\n The name \u201cSuper Sentai<\/em>\u201d might not be ubiquitous in the West as it is in its home country. That\u2019s because its legacy reverberated outwards into a different form \u2013 Power Rangers<\/a><\/em>. The Super Sentai<\/em> franchise forms the bedrock of Power Rangers<\/em>, with the latter adopting not only the show\u2019s formula but also implementing extensive action footage from the Japanese show. Shotaro Ishinomori, who had worked with production company Toei on other<\/a> live-action tokusatsu shows<\/a> in the 1970s, formulated many of the franchise\u2019s foundational elements.<\/p>\n Shotaro Ishinomori wasn\u2019t content to just create the live-action show. As Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/a><\/em>, the show\u2019s first iteration of many<\/a>, was airing on Japanese television in 1975, there were also two manga tie-in series being serialised at the same time. Impressively, both were done by Ishinomori. Seven Seas Entertainment collected these manga stories for the English market a few years ago in a single hardback volume. The result is two separate interpretations of the material that exercise restraint in different ways.<\/p>\n The broad strokes of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/em> are as follows:<\/p>\n Five teenagers in colour-coded supersuits (a.k.a the Gorengers) are the last line of defence against the Japanese branch of The Black Cross Army. Based underneath a curry shop, the team fights against the nefarious international organisation so they don\u2019t profit from stealing government secrets and technological breakthroughs that could benefit mankind. Along the way, the teens face elaborately masked villains and their goons. (For those wondering: the giant robots and Ultraman<\/em>-style battles were not introduced into the franchise until 1979.)<\/p>\n The collection begins with the Weekly Shonen Sunday<\/a><\/em> version. Published weekly between May and August 1975, the comic was serialised while the television series aired. The stories of this interpretation of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/em> lean into the strengths of the comics medium.<\/p>\n To start with, the stories are longer, stretching multiple chapters in a serialised fashion. The longer nature allows scenes and ideas to be elaborated on cinematically. This means that the missions don\u2019t feel rushed, adding additional twists and turns to the story that may not have room for in a 30-minute television episode. Oddly enough, the origins of the team feel rushed in this interpretation. Events that build up the team\u2019s formation happen at a pretty fast pace, only breaking for an unhinged ten-page action sequence that involves a girlfriend held at knifepoint, a dozen weapon-wielding hooded figures, and a flamethrower. Once we get to the secret base, the team forms with a very nonchalant attitude and no questions asked. Perhaps Ishinomori was more interested in getting to the meat and potatoes of the story, the team\u2019s mission, as soon as possible, with the origin story taking a hit to arrive there.<\/p>\n That being said, I\u2019m fine with a rushed and uneven origin story if it means the rest of the Weekly Shonen Sunday<\/em> version. The two missions feel akin to Ishinomori\u2019s other body of work. He gets to play with the Super Sentai characters and concepts in a way that\u2019s unrestricted by a television budget. Everything feels bigger. And it\u2019s not just because he can have a giant robot dinosaur ruin buildings or include Michael Bay levels of explosions. Ishinomori\u2019s panel framing makes everything more exciting. Tanks appear more dangerous as they\u2019re viewed from a lower perspective, towering over the reader as they charge forward. On the other end, when combined with scaling techniques, aerial shots and panels rendered a high angle add great emphasis. This includes introducing the team\u2019s ship and surveying the damage caused by a giant dinosaur. It feels more like Ishinomori\u2019s vision for Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/em>, transcending what\u2019s possible on television in 1975.<\/p>\n Ishinomori\u2019s other interpretation of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger<\/em>, as published through Shogaku Gonensei<\/a><\/em> magazine at the same time, is more restricted in its execution. These four stories \u2013 or directives, as they\u2019re referred to \u2013 feel comparable to an episode of the television show. Ishinomori could all out in the pages of Weekly Shonen Sunday. However, here, he has to be more on brand. (That being said, both strips play it loose with being true to the show, with the team younger than their television counterparts, among other small details.) Just like the television show, these are monster-of-the-week-style stories, made to be self-contained for a fifth-grade audience. The episodic nature benefits the origin story. While it doesn\u2019t contain an unhinged fight sequence, it benefits from even pacing and being the core storyline of the first story.<\/p>\n These four stories are less ambitious than the Weekly Shonen Sunday<\/em> ones, leaning into subject matter that aligns more with what was seen on television. The Black Cross Army\u2019s schemes are smaller in scope \u2013 more focused on eliminating the Gorengers or stealing some cutting-edge technology. The action scenes are not as dynamic. As a result, where the other interpretation is superheroes rooted in science fiction, these tales have more of a spy-fi<\/a> element to them.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s not as cinematic as the other version, Ishinomori still finds opportunities to draw some great-looking panels. A wooden ship emerging from the ocean is an example of this. The manga king renders it in intricate detail, with cross-hatching and streams of white water gushing from its frame. At the same time, the sea rages and the sky swirls to cap off a panel that shows off the Black Cross Army\u2019s sinister plans in a frightening manner. Also, despite the limitations of these strips, Ishinomori is occasionally able to transcend the TV budget by drawing the hell out of a panel.<\/p>\n Himitsu Sentai Gorenger will be a no-brainer for Super Sentai<\/em> and Power Rangers<\/em> fans. It\u2019s an interesting curiosity that shows the franchise in its infancy. But you don\u2019t have to be a fan to appreciate this collection. Shotaro Ishinomori brings plenty of energy to this work that will begin to give you an understanding of why he\u2019s the King of Manga.<\/p>\n Super Sentai: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger is available at good comic book shops<\/a>, online retailers<\/a>, eBay<\/a>, and Amazon\/Kindle<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Super](\"https:\/\/www.howtolovecomics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Himitsu-Sentai-Gorenger.webp\")
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