So yeah, there's going to be a revision of things and probably I will not be able to go one step beyond. Previously, I made a 'Top 6', now I'm expanding it to Top 10. I know I should've gone for Red/Blue/Yellow like Kamen Sentai first, but Pink is probably the one color I can give full and fair attention first while keeping me excited. (Yeah, so what if Pink comes first from me. Real Men Wear Pink!)
Pink MAY be an exclusively female color, but it does garner some nice ladies we can swoon over for both niceness, look and badassery. So! Here's my Top 10 Pink Sentai Warriors.
10. Saya (Ginga Pink)
Well, to be honest, I really haven't completed Gingaman, only a few episodes in but thus far, Saya got me interested. Maybe there's something about that frilly dress, but from the earlier looks, I like it that she kept a strong face despite her boyfriend Hyuuga seemingly DIED in front of her (yeah, I know what happens actually, but still). I find it surprising that she looks like she would've broken down, but she didn't (and instead, Gouki did, though for other reasons...). And she didn't go over her 'cat' motif like an annoying catgirl and makes a badass 'catgirl' fighting style, especially when she... well... scratches the enemy with it. Saya really got potential from the few episodes I got her in. She's tough as nails, but tries her best to be feminine in the same time (she can bake a cake at least). Lovely.
9. Rei Tachibana (Dyna Pink)
Probably my second fave in Dynaman, I think Rei is a great character, even if her voice sounds a bit too deep. She's tough as nails, as proven that she carries a rapier all the time and is not afraid to use it. Yeah, for the first time in Sentai, we got a girl character who's more geared into action from get-go. Of course, despite this, and her slightly short boyish haircut, she's shown to have feminine traits, such as finding bridal suits really cute and wants to wear that. And she wasn't all that stoic, she can get hyper like that time she excessively taunts a monster just to trap it, it does show that she's knows how to utilize her brain and emotion to the fullest extent (but hey what do you expect, she's an inventor). But of course, one really can't forget a moment of fanservice where she fights Chimera until they're wearing nothing but swimsuit. Overall I think she puts the benchmark of what it takes to be a badass lady, though she does have one weakness that probably went unresolved... fear of cats. That episode was pretty cute and kinda shows a wackily vulnerable side of Rei. It's going to be troublesome for her dream, though, since she wanted to create an animal-communicating device... and no matter how you take it, cat is amongst the animal kingdom. Overall, I'd say the combo of badass, feminine, smart and cute would've made her to the Top 10 at number 9. And just like the rest of the older Sentai series, Dynaman and Rei REALLY needs more love.
8. Momoko (Pink Mask)
I think it's more of the fault that Momoko didn't have enough episode focuses compared to Haruka, but that's a little matter. She may be the designated 'girly girl', but boy is she tough as nails. This is Maskman after all. And I do say that since she's practicing Tai Chi Quan, her fights do show to have a lot of graceful moves with reserves as focus. Of course, she got the lowest stamina, which was a plot point, but she's trying her best to rectify it to the point that at the latter episodes, that stops being a problem. She also had her humor sides too, though mostly acting annoyed when Akira teased her, or even goes as far as stomping Takeru when he gets ahead of himself. Brains are also in works here as shown in the 'turn into thieves' episode, and yeah, I think she's having a hell of a time posing as a thief. So aside of trying to better herself further, I'm pretty sure that Momoko is more than just looks, I mean there's also brains and love for flowers and some of her nasty streaks when she's teased too much. I guess that'd be why she's at the 8th spot.
7. Haruna Morikawa (Pink Turbo)
Maybe it's just probably for nostalgia, but I think Haruna is amongst one of my favorite nostalgic ladies. She really has a tender heart, as shown with the episode where she befriended a dog-turned-human, and this goes to a greater extent that this crushed her, when she constantly saw her friends fighting her other friends, Yamimaru and Kilika, actually their friends at school, just went through a lot of painful moments that they're the enemy. Even for an older time, it was a pretty powerful scene and episode all centering on her heart being crushed with such conflict, but she still moved on. Physically, she's... not really strong, but she does make it up with a lot of things: first there's her iron will, that when all her friends lost their Turboranger power, she fought the monster alone, and even piloted the Turbo Robo alone, even if she's receiving a lot of wounds. And of course, previously, her most shining moment, is when she faked amnesia and pulled off a convincingly 'turned evil' act that fooled many (she even adds her own evil laugh, must've been having a hell of a time), all just to snatch an antidote to save a friend. Kind hearted, great actress, never willing to give up despite not being the strongest, I suppose that'd be why Haruna is on the 7th spot. Definitely a character that needs more love (along with the rest of the Turborangers)
6. Lin (Houou Ranger)
Yeah, I know I haven't gotten into Dairanger for long (but at least that's longer than Gingaman. Just hafta wait for TV Nihon to do their subbing) but I think Lin looks like a good improvement on Momoko (no offense). This being Dairanger, of course badass is part of the parcel, but aside of that she's pretty smart and sometimes knows when things just went off, like that time warning Shouji about the 3 Gorma Idiots trying to play him off. There's also a naughty side of hers, such as showing off her legs for distraction, but of course that kinda bite her back because she doesn't appreciate Kou molesting her breasts or flipping her skirt. But it's still hilarious. Of course one powerful scene that shows about her was during the Media Magician episode, when Lin fell in love for REAL that she went along with the Gorma plan and shows actual love to the monster, to the point the monster fell in love too and tried to redeem himself... and even after the confession of his evil self, Lin just won't let go. And then Gara killed the monster, and probably in the most shining moment of Lin, one that we can say "AWESOME!" and shed tears for her in the same time would be when she transformed without even doing the henshin pose (Gai pulled that off in Jetman), does an unflinching walk to the front of Gara, raises her fist... then punch her in the face. Really powerful scene and cemented why Lin is pretty awesome, getting onto the 6th spot for being badass, smart and caring at the same time.
5. Ahim de Famille (Gokai Pink)
Let me get this clear. I like Ahim more than Luka. Hey, it's my right for having a lone opinion when everyone is crazy about Luka (and I don't blame you guys for it), but still Ahim is in no way inferior than Luka. She's at core a sweet princess, a contrast to the mostly antiheroic Gokaigers, but overall it makes her a stand out to the rest. Sometimes her overly polite mannerism could get into some hilarious moments. But of course as proven in other episodes, she's not just your typical 'Oh save me!' princess. When she's kidnapped for ransom, she proceeds to make plans of swindling the Gokaigers for it rather than waiting for them to save her. A daring move, but she also even protected her kidnapper. And of course, during the time she went on a disguise-spree, this is where she shows her awesomeness in full extent. She makes the daring advances on Gai, rather than vice versa (in what I could say, the sexiest wedding dress I've seen for awhile), and all of the disguises are part of her plan, showing her smartness and in the same time looks really cute and gorgeous at it. Her backstory might not be revealed (but soon it will), but she really got me good in terms of liking Gokaiger. Ahim is awesome, no doubt about it. She is one contender of my favorite Gokaiger ever as well as holding the 5th spot.
4. Sakura Nishihori (Bouken Pink)
At first probably I got my eyes on Sakura because she's... hot. But after watching Boukenger, I'm seeing a lot of charms in her that goes beyond her hotness. She starts out as the super serious, stiff soldier, but over time, thanks to interaction with the team, she managed to blossom into a more warm-hearted person. I mean, at first she didn't even know how to smile. By the end of the series, she smiled more often and even considers it her greatest treasure. She's also pretty badass thanks to her army background and this is taking account that before joining the army, she's a rich merchant's daughter doomed for a pampered life. And while at first she comes off cold, she certainly knew how to act, like that time she's captured with Natsuki and to drive away the guards, they staged a bickering. But not all of her emotionals were staged, she did have genuine ones when she cried on Eiji's apparent demise (no, he didn't) and even yells a big "SHUT UP!" on Gai and proceeds to beat him down when previously he was pretty much invincible. And of course, her emotional moments came through when it comes to Satoru, when she's concerned about him, you really wouldn't see the usually cold Sakura. And lastly, I find it awesome that when she begged Mr. Voice to help them near the end of Boukenger, and Mr. Voice, in a dickheaded 'must-follow-order' mode didn't even flinch, Sakura instead cursed at him and punched the screen in frustration, breaking it, guess that shows that she really cared about the well-being of her friends rather than order all the time. As one of the more developed Pinks out there, Sakura got the 4th position in my Top 10. (and when she smiled, it's nice!)
3. Mei (Ptera Ranger)
Yes I do admit that the 3rd spot would've been an odd choice to you all, but Mei kinda... hits me in the right spot most of the time. True, she's for the most part static, but you don't need to be dynamic to be cool. Yes, her voice is high pitched, but I find it really cute. That, along with her face. God damn it, a combination of moe to die for, as early as the 90's! Despite being designated as the 'Princess', she's not haughty. She's kind, gentle, sweet. As for toughness and determination? She got it aplenty. There are many times that Mei saved the day on her own, like that time that she woke up from the poison on her own to save her friends from a monster that only she could destroy, or using her wits to destroy a monster singlehandedly, said monster already swallowed the rest of the Zyurangers. And of course, the most shining of all, is when she defeated a monster that not even Burai and Dragon Caesar can even damage! She's as much as loving and caring as she can fight and kick some evil butt. The constantly hairstyle changing is also a unique touch, though I like her long hair versions better. Add to the fact that her tribe has the 2nd biggest lore aside of Geki/Burai's, it adds a lot of potential in Mei. But of course, one thing that really touches me is during the Fake Zyuranger episode whereas while the Zyuranger gets driven away by the mass due to imposters. Mei was even... slapped on the face for helping a child and I think she was the only one who visible cried, I think the stress was too much, the second time she cried after Burai died, guess that spoke a lot for her tender, loving heart (that got betrayed, though it got better). And yes, I do remember about her disguise power which led to an awesome disguise battle with Lamie, one of her finest moments. Well talking aside, I do believe that Mei is definitely one of the more under appreciated Sentai characters and she DEFINITELY needs more love. I mean, what's not to love on a disguise-prone, super cute, sweet, kind hearted archer girl? The awesome thing in Zyuranger is not just Burai and his drama. I believe that Mei is also one of them and that's why she's on the 3rd spot.
2. Mako Shiraishi (Shinken Pink)
Ah yes, Mako. Probably the greatest big sister figure, IMO, in Sentai and she's just as fierce and systematic when it comes to battle. She had her share of heartwarming, which is any time she genuinely wants to cheer people up, her share of touching moments, especially when it involves her family after realizing what it is, and also shares of humors, especially her horrid cooking. Nee-san got ways to go to reach her dreams to be a normal bride. But of course, she's also real hardcore when it comes to battle, aside of occasional duels with Dayuu, there's also that moment when she, in front of her dad, already fed up with Akumaro's treatment to children, she goes to take down lots of Nanashi Renjuu unmorphed, and morphs while deflecting Akumaro's blasts. That's a real badass moment. She probably didn't develop much aside of the respect of her parents after that episode, but she remains the gentle big sister figure that tries to understand her friends, even Takeru. She also had a bigger foresight as she probably guessed the troubles Takeru was going through and would try to cheer him up, though she admitted that she was a little late overall. And of course, despite wanting to be a bride, she wasn't exactly love crazed, as shown with rejecting Ryuunosuke right off bat (but then again, he was being annoying at that time. I don't hate him, but there's such time for him that Mako's rejection does look justified), which is probably a good plus. She probably is also responsible, along with the Shinkengers, to rekindle my passion to Sentai so that's a big props, along with her caring attitude, badassery and looks, and that is why she's on the 2nd spot.
1. Miki Momozono (Goggle Pink)
This is it. The big one. When I'm little, I used to watch Goggle Five a lot, and despite incomplete, Miki really got me to know that even at the 80's, women can kick ass! True, she's not exactly dynamic and she had her share of troubles. However, in moments where she shines, she really shines. While she didn't have much strength, she makes it up with wit and brains, especially when it comes to plans involving disguise, like that time she disguised as a sexy Flamenco dancer ("Want some Tequilla? NO! You don't deserve it for being bad!") or a whole episode when she's disguising as a bunch of dolls, admittedly it was really remarkable that she switches into a hyperactive voice when disguising as the clown. She fills the role of the big sister well, and this is despite being the youngest of the team (she acts really mature for a teenager!), and her kind heart shows, especially that doll episode (where she shed a tear for a doll that got attached to her), or, despite being naive, trying to believe that the enemy can repent. And of course, aside of her brains, her finest parts was her sheer determination to go on and continue to fight evil, like that time she was bombed and fatally wounded due to it. Despite her wounds, she still resolved to fight on, even when her friends were doubting if she's chosen well. She does prove herself worthy eventually, and of course, her biggest moment during the time she got trapped in a picture book, restrained inside, the book burned, but never once she gave up and eventually escaped on her own, definitely one of the most awesome moment of hers. Damn it, Miki, you continue to be awesome even for an 80's character! So yeah, given the factors about smartness, kindheartedness, determination, and sheer nostalgia that she was one of the first heroines I knew in media, one that is pretty badass for her age and still keeps it here, it is pretty obvious that Miki is, and probably always will be my number 1 Pink Warrior... nay, number 1 female Sentai characters ever. Oh, and she definitely needs more love... because Miki is awesome. Yeah!
And so thus concludes my list of Pink Warriors. No worries, I'll get the other colors too, eventually. But until then, hope it's been a good read!
(Some old series just needs more love, I suppose...)
