Jason Faunt - My Red Ranger

I had made a series of Twitter posts about Jason Faunt back on September 2nd. Since then, I found out that he (or someone else pretending to be him, it's not entirely clear yet) has a Twitter account. I will now re-post what I said on Twitter with a few added details in hopes that he will one day see it and realize the impact his role as the Red Time Force Ranger made on my life.

(I will be intentionally vague about the details so as not to give away information I would prefer to keep quiet.)

Back in 2000, I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. The constant moving around that we did as a family was a strain on me. Other situations were painful for me, and not without a certain amount of drug abuse on other's parts. Suffice it to say, this time of my life was not an easy one, especially since my upbringing was not left untouched by the sting of death and heartbreak. I felt powerless to change my circumstances, and so I became ever more jaded and withdrawn. My one best friend at the time was my little brother, and the time we spent together was precious and treasured.

When 2001 came around, circumstances were still difficult, and in some ways became worse. The situations were taking a toll on my homework, my friendships suffered, my relationships were strained, and my outlook on life was, for lack of a better term, grim.

I had watched Power Rangers for so many years before that time, but like many people my age, I took a break at around the time Power Rangers Lost Galaxy began. The Rangers I knew, the original Mighty Morphin' cast, were long gone by this point, and thus, my attachment to the show decreased as it went on. I never started hating the show after that nor did I think I was too old or mature for it; I just lost interest.

But once February 2001 rolled around, all of that changed.  When Power Rangers Time Force began, it impacted my life in a way that is difficult for me to describe. I do not know why I started watching the show again. Perhaps because my little brother was showing interest in it again? Maybe to pass the time while training Pokémon on my GameBoy? God only knows the reason. But one thing for sure was this: it was a show that changed my life.

I took an immediate liking to Jason Faunt as the Red Ranger. The main reason? His name was Wes, too. An instant bond was formed the moment he stepped on-screen. Charismatic, likable, and a great fighter. He was pretty much everything I wanted to be, everything that I thought superheroes should be.  I projected myself onto him and started asking myself how he and I were alike and how we were different.

Sometimes this type of comparison is damaging, but for me, it was remarkably introspective. I started to realize that who I was at that time was not really the Wesley I wanted to be. Who was this jaded, angry person I had become? Why was I angry? Why was I called depressed by the school's counselors? All these questions would flood my mind.

I continued to watch Time Force as much as I could. I was so happy when they started re-airing the episodes after school because it gave me so much to look forward to during the day. It was the glimmering moment of happiness that I could cling to and enjoy; not that my life was generally unhappy, but because I made it unhappy by my reactions to everything that was going on around me.

I aspired so much to be like Wes. He was that hero that I needed during this dark period of my life. Don't get me wrong, I loved the rest of the cast and look back on each of them fondly; but Wes has that special place in my heart, as cliché and sappy as that sounds. As he was learning about his place in the world, his destiny, his responsibility as a son and as a Red Ranger, I was right there alongside him, learning what he was learning and applying what I could to my life.

He was MY hero. He was MY Red Ranger.

The part that will forever stick out to me as the defining moment of Time Force was when Wes finally has that heart-to-heart with Eric at the end of the series. When he describes fighting to change one's destiny and how he and Eric are equals, are Power Rangers... well, I can't help but have chills, and I have to fight to really hold back the tears.

So, to Jason Faunt: You are my Red Ranger and my hero. Thank you so much for the work you did on that show. Was it a cheesy show at times? Yes. Was it maybe somewhat childish? I'm sure it was. But the hard work you put into that show helped to make me the person I am today. You impacted my life in ways I really cannot describe, and I give you a hearty thank you for doing what you did. I hope I can someday meet you in person and really describe what your role meant to me and give you a hug and take you out for a meal or something. You deserve it, sir.

Thank you so much for being Wes. Thank you for being my Red Ranger.

Thoughts on Kamen Rider Wizard - Episode #1

The first episode of Kamen Rider Wizard aired last Sunday. Unfortunately, given my rather hectic work schedule at the moment, I was unable to watch it until Tuesday night. This worked out in my favor since it was subtitled in English at that point. I wanted to give a few brief thoughts on what I thought of the first episode, as well as go over the main characters. Once a few more episodes come out, I want to cover the villains and hypothesize as to where the story will go from there. I will let other websites explain what the basic plot is and simply move into my opinions from the get-go.

I found Haruto, the eponymous Kamen Rider Wizard, to be a very likable, charismatic main character. He is certainly cocky and arrogant, to be sure, and he has an aura around his acting and fighting ability that basically says "I am very confident that I can do this."  I like this about a main Rider. He is not unlike Shotaro from Kamen Rider W: he has a duty to fulfill as a Kamen Rider and feels confident that he can accomplish his goal. The bits and pieces we see of his past during this episode are enough to get us interested in his drive to be a Rider, but not enough to spoil the entire thing. I am looking forward to how this botched ritual affected him as a person and what, exactly, is his reason behind everything he does.

Koyomi, Haruto's assistant, also intrigues me as a character. The outfit she wore throughout this episode was very appropriate for a magic-themed show, and her presence on-screen is very calm and collected (in contrast to a few other female cast members in previous Rider seasons). Her special ability to tell who is a Phantom and who is not is something that I expect will be similar to Ankh's ability to find Yummies and Momotaros' ability to find other Imagin. If that track record is any indication, could it be that she is a Phantom, as well? Maybe, maybe not, I am not sure yet, but I am definitely anticipating her character-focused episodes.

The man creating the ring in that shop, Shigeru, looks like an interesting person, as well. It is neat to see someone creating the rings from scratch. Other than that, there was not much to him in this episode, but as with Koyomi, I am looking forward to seeing who this person actually is.

I think I found Rinko to be the most interesting member of the supporting cast. I like the policewoman angle, and it reminds me (as well as most people) of the Kuuga World in Kamen Rider Decade. I loved that Wizard basically dived into her most treasured memory in order to completely defeat the Monster-of-the-Week. When she speaks about the backstory with her father, it was quite nice and sweet, a tender moment, especially heightened when Haruto tells her to have hope in him. It is a genuinely nice moment, though I will admit that it got very close to almost being too emotional and cheesy.

To conclude, this first episode was very interesting to me. I am liking the cast so far, but I will refrain from making more judgments on them until more episodes have gone by. It is always best to reserve opinions until you are more informed, so I will just say that, for now, I am pleased with Kamen Rider Wizard so far.  I am happily anticipating the next episode, and look forward to seeing how the show progresses from here.