I can’t believe it was ten years ago today that my favorite Super Sentai season first premiered on Japanese television.
Ressha Sentai ToQger premiered the morning of Sunday, February 16th in Japan. Little did I know what an amazing adventure the season would turn out to be.
ToQger still currently ties Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters as my favorite season. But there’s many times ToQger just edges Go-Busters for me on top. Both have very similar qualities that I fell in love with.
But with ToQger, what really stands out to me is its heartwarming portrayal of friendship. Powered by nostalgia and lots of imagination, the season really spoke to the kid in all of us. And it’s hard not to be able to relate to the characters and the stories the season told.
Written by the legendary Yasuko Kobayashi, ToQger follows the journey of five childhood friends who have lost their memories and must embark on a quest to find their home while battling the dark forces of evil.
It was easy for our heroes to immediately endear themselves to us. They were instantly likeable and charming. The strong bond they exhibited even in just the first episode felt so genuine. And again, relatable.
The ToQgers embarking on a journey to find their home helped me feel connected to the story faster than any other Sentai or Power Rangers season ever did. Before and since!
As the great Yasuko Kobayashi is one to do, ToQger‘s intricate and emotional story is told in such a way that balances the many requirements of a Sunday morning children’s program produced by Toei. The way she is able to blend together the needs of the Bandai toy partners with legitimately captivating and exciting stories really serves as the blueprint for any aspiring writer, especially in toku.
It is a big win if you can balance a generally darker story or undercurrent through the season while still being bright and fun. And Yasuko Kobayashi effortlessly does that here.
ToQger avoids contrived twists and instead focuses on the core themes of friendship and imagination in a way that is character-driven without sacrificing plot. And that results in a relatively simple, yet wholly effective and impactful narrative.
Our heroes, the friends they meet along the way and the season’s antagonists The Shadow Line are all so well-written and dynamic. Each character fully developed and having their own motivations and agency. The ToQgers, including Akira, Conductor, Ticket and Wagon, are all so charming with some of the best chemistry you’ll see on any Sentai season. And The Shadow Line, still, has some of the best story and character development I’ve seen on a toku series.
I’ve never cried as much during a Sentai or Kamen Rider or Power Rangers season as I did during ToQger. MaGMCMs all over the place. And I definitely am not ashamed or afraid to admit it.
ToQger has that perfect mix of legit drama and happy fun. A warmth and sincerity that not many other toku seasons have. It is a season that still resonates with me ten years later. And I am so thankful to everyone involved in the season for helping to bring it to such vivid life.
Hello! I’ve yet to watch ToQger but I’ve been meaning to do so for some time now. Glad that you’ve enjoyed the series. And yes, the *legendary* Yasuko Kobayashi for my all-time favourite Kamen Rider Den-O as well. I’m really looking forward to seeing Ressha Sentai now! 🙂
I definitely would like to watch Den-O soon! I always read a lot of positive things about it. The Den-O cameos since then have been fun. And it’s of course by Yasuko Kobayashi, so of course i know it will be good hehe
Hope you will enjoy ToQger!
Toqger is my second fav season hope we could see a 10 years after too
Technically the ToQger Returns movie could be considered a 10th anniversary special since it was set in 2025 hehe But perhaps they can work something out around that movie. I’d love to see the Toqger family again! Though the cast, especially Shison Jun and Yokohama Ryusei are big stars now. It might be hard to get them back. But hopefully!