Episode 183 - MORPH MADNESS: THE TOKUSATSU TOURNAMENT

We're talkin' tokusatsu in our latest bracket, a tribute to the American shows that tried to ride the coattails of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers -- and to the Japanese shows that originated these transforming teams and their giant vehicles. 

Our friend Gensho Tasaka returns to help us judge eight different franchises in a contest of sentai supremacy. Assemble your squad for this cross-cultural collision of masked action heroes. It's...Morph Madness!

Episodes included in this podcast:

Choriki Sentai Ohranger - "King Gallant's Entrance" (1995)
Power Rangers Zeo - "The Power of Gold" (1996)

vs.

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation - "East Meets West, Part 3" (1997)

---

Kamen Rider Black RX - "Shadow Moon!" (1989)
Masked Rider - "Super Gold, Part 2" (1996)

vs.

B-Fighter Kabuto - "Vow!! Heated Stag Battle" (1996)
Beetleborgs Metallix - "Battle Station Alert" (1997)

---

Jikuu Senshi Spielban - "A Shocking Pair! The Crystallized Combination!" (1986)
VR Troopers - "The Battle Begins, Part 2" (1994)

vs. 

Gridman the Hyper Agent - "I Don't Like Sports and Such" (1993)
Superman Samurai Syber-Squad - "Samurize, Guys!" (1994)

---

Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills - "In the Beginning..." (1994)

vs.

Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog - "Tyrune Returns" (1998)

Episode 127 - 'WEEN-A-THON 2018 feat. SHAQ

Shaq-tober concludes with an alley-oop to our annual Halloween tradition, as Shaq himself appears among the macabre morsels we've scared up for Ween-A-Thon!  Enjoy this witches' brew of Hallow-themed entertainment, from gross commercials to silly sitcoms to traumatizing educational aids.  Don't listen to it alone!

Featured in this episode:

Clips and Shorts
Shaquille O'Neal feat. Method Man and RZA - "No Hook" (1994)
Harold Dexter Hoopes' filmstrip of Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns (early 1960s)
Doctor Dreadful commercials - Food Lab, Drink Lab, and Squeem Lab (1994)

TV Episodes
Animaniacs - "Scare Happy Slappy/Witch One/Macbeth" (aired May 3, 1994)
Big Bad Beetleborgs - "Beetle Rock, Part II" (aired September 7, 1996)
Family Matters - "Stevil" (aired October 25, 1996)
Celebrity Deathmatch - "Haunted Halloween of Horror" (aired October 28, 1999)

Episode 80 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Part 2)

Mighty Morphin March rolls on with the second half of our massive MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS discussion, as we react to replacement Rangers, a melange of monsters, and the unholy nuptials of the show's most iconic villains.

It's a journey to the end of franchise viability, and we follow it all the way through confusing zord swaps and aquatic aliens, culminating in an explosive conclusion to a morphenominal era.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers (1996)
Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Based on multiple seasons of the Super Sentai series created by Toei
Starring Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Steven Cardenas, Catherine Sutherland, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and Jason David Frank

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"The Power Transfer, Part 2" (11/9/94)
"The Wedding, Part 3" (2/15/95)
"Ninja Quest, Part 3" (9/13/95)
"Hogday Afternoon, Part 2" (2/17/96)

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 79 - MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Part 1)

Mighty Morphin March kicks off with a karate-kicking, robot-fighting, footage-recycling extravaganza that simply could not be contained to a single episode!

The first half of our deep dive into the convoluted mythos of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers covers the initial year of the phenomenon, as the re-purposed adventures of a long-running Japanese superhero squad saturated American airwaves and store shelves in response to an immediate, white-hot demand.

We talk costumes, characters, weapons, and zords while mining our personal experiences to illustrate the show's highly effective strategy for captivating young hearts and minds. Get your finest monochromatic outfit ready... it's morphin' time!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1995)
Created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy
Based on Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger created by Toei
Starring Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, Walter Jones, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, and Jason David Frank

Episodes featured in this podcast:
"Day of the Dumpster" (aired 8/28/93)
"Green with Evil, Part 5" (aired 10/9/93)
"The Mutiny, Part 3" (8/5/94)
"White Light, Part 2" (10/18/94)

Catch up on all Mighty Morphin March episodes:
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 1)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Part 2)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie

Episode 67 - 'WEEN-A-THON 2016

Festive frights abound! This year, the WWWW Halloween special features a "visual playlist" of music videos, animation, and live-action TV episodes: six fun-size entertainments selected by your fearless co-hosts. Enjoy this bonus discussion of the unnerving, the grotesque, and the morphenomenal, and have a Happy 'Ween!

Featured in this episode:

Music Videos
Busta Rhymes - "Gimme Some More" (1998)
Rob Zombie - "Dragula" (1998)

TV Episodes
The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror VII" (aired October 27, 1996)
Aaahh!! Real Monsters - "The Switching Hour" (aired October 29, 1994)
Salute Your Shorts - "Zeke the Plumber" (aired June 5, 1991)
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - "Trick or Treat" (aired May 3, 1994)