Special REVIEW: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers
Release Date: December 2022
RRP: £24.99
After radio silence for much of 2022 Character Options' Doctor Who toy line bounced back at the very end of the year with two waves of B&M exclusive figures hitting immediately after one another in the Autumn and Winter. While History of the Daleks has become a staple of these waves every so often an additional special Dalek-themed set joins them, and in the Winter selection it was the turn of the 'Creation of the Daleks' Collector Figure Set. This Genesis of the Daleks themed set takes us back to the seminal 1975 story, featuring one of the original Dalek drones featured as well as their maniacal creator – the Kaleds' chief scientist Davros.
Despite the History of the Daleks packaging changing to something slightly more environmentally friendly in the last few waves, the Creation of Daleks set comes in the familiar rectangular packaging with full transparent window. The design of the box is the same blue and off-white TARDIS artwork the figures have been using for the last few years, and the back features a lengthy synopsis of Genesis of the Daleks alongside some behind the scenes info. Curiously no images of the figures themselves though, which does make the back seem oddly bare despite the massive wall of text it contains. Inside you'll find the two figures neatly stored on their plastic tray alongside another thing omitted from the last few releases – a cardboard backing card diorama! This time it's of the outskirts of the Kaled bunker where Davros first tests the Dalek weaponry at the end of episode one, which is a little dark but full of detail to make your displays or photos pop a bit more.
The big draw of this set is of course the inclusion of the original iteration of Davros, who hasn't been seen in the line since his original release as part of the Genesis of the Daleks set in 2011. This is a re-release of that same figure with some slight deco changes, including new black wires around his head (as opposed to the original's blue), revised chair control panels and a scratched/battered finish on the wheelchair fender. While the wires on the head are still much too thick to be entirely screen accurate, they still look much better than the original's and overall the deco changes enhance what was already an extremely good-looking figure. The head sculpt is definitely the crowning glory though – doing a brilliant job of capturing all the detail in the original mask as worn by Michael Wisher. Similarly the body has plenty of fabric folds moulded into it to give it a bit more depth. Barely any part of the Genesis Davros is the same as the Molloy Resurrection/Revelation moulds, which just goes to show how good of a job Character Options did when making their Davros figures as screen-accurate as possible.
Davros might not be a Dalek, but as a crippled scientist he actually has less articulation than his own creations! The figure features swivel joints in the shoulder, bicep and wrist as well as a hinged elbow for full right arm articulation, but other than the usual wheeled based for gliding action that's pretty much in the way of poseability. Even the head doesn't seem to have much movement to it, possibly due to all the wires and structures attached. But hey – Davros wasn't very mobile on the show either so as long as that arm can move about then the figure is pretty much golden. But on top of articulation the wheelchair also has a secret feature – pressing down on one of the hemispheres on the right-hand side results in a panel of the chair coming loose, revealing some moulded technical detailing inside. While the paintwork is just a basic silver wash but the moulded is surprisingly complex. It's a nice little feature, adding some further playability to the figure.
As Haruka struggles to come up with the perfect situation for her romance manga, Café Dobura is suddenly overrun with a swarm of Magerappa! Giving chase is a mysterious red ninja, who is after a small blue gem the Magerappa have stolen. As other ninjas arrive, Haruka demands they clean up the mess they left – or provide her with an interview as inspiration for her manga.
While Haruka learns more about the Hurricanegers and their exploits over the past 20 years, they also explain that remnants of the Jakanja still survive. As one of their generals shows his face in order to retrieve the crystal, a fight breaks out – and it's a festival that Don Momotaro can't help but join in on!
Right off the bat it should be clear that Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers is little more than a piece of cross-advertising for the forthcoming Hurricaneger movie. Quite a lot of Toei Tokusatsu Fanclub specials are made in promotion of something else (be it toys or otherwise), and this is no exception. That is not to say it should be completely dismissed though. Even with a rather significant lack of Donbrothers content (Taro and Haruka are the only characters that appear, and Haruka the only one out of suit), the special still manages to have the usual brand of irreverent fun you'd come to expect from the 46th Super Sentai series. As always Kohaku Shida's comic timing is flawless, expressing Haruka's surprise at the whole situation and her subsequent anger brilliantly. It's also a nice reintroduction (or for some, introduction) to the core Hurricaneger cast, who as expected slip back into their roles wonderfully and feel like they've barely aged at all.
The middle portion of the special is taken up with the Hurricanegers regaling Haruka with tales of their previous exploits, which for long-time Super Sentai fans might not seem all that remarkable but given the time elapsed since the end of Hurricaneger makes a lot of sense. 20 years is a LONG time (consider this: some members of the Donbrothers cast weren't even born when it first aired), and given Sentai's target demographic a good portion of the audience likely haven't watched the show. Even though a Hurricaneger 20th anniversary film is going to be primarily targeted at those who've seen the original, recapping it in this fashion brings these new fans on board and allows them to look forward to and potentially enjoy the film as well. As well as covering off all the other key Hurricaneger characters that don't appear in this special (like the Gouraigers), it's also a chance to introduce new members of the team like Moeru Kirarasaka - Oboro’s new apprentice. So even in amongst the familiar territory, there are snippets here and there for older fans excited to get up to speed with what the Hurricanegers have been up to since we last saw them.
The special then finishes up with a fight scene against new Jakanja General Aunja, which is an opportunity to properly show off the Hurricanegers to new viewers as well as tease one of the main villains (as well as the plot) for the Hurricaneger 20th Anniversary movie. The fight is further enhanced by the arrival of Don Momotaro, who of course in typical fashion isn't concerned by the details and just wants in on the fun. Though not anything particularly special, these scenes work extremely well due to how well the Hurricaneger and Donbrothers aesthetics are able to blend into one another, and it's cool to see them get in on each other's finishing moves (both of which of course have their own unique backdrops). The introduction of Aunja is good too, showcasing his fantastic suit design as well as posing him as a credible threat for the actual movie. With things ending basically as they began Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers may not have any real bearing on the latter team, but in its short runtime it definitely does enough to promote the Hurricanegers and hype up their forthcoming venture.
Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger with Donbrothers isn't essential viewing by any means, but it does work as a nice little primer for those who want to watch Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger Degozaru! Shushuuto 20th Anniversary but don't have the time or means to watch the main series first. Above all it's just a fun excuse to get a veteran Sentai team together with the current one, and when that current one just happens to be Donbrothers you know the result is going to be interesting at the very least. Certainly not the most remarkable output from the Toei Tokusatsu Fanclub's ever-growing list of exclusive content, but as a bit of harmless fun you can certainly do much worse too.
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