Battle Fever J: A Rocky Start to Super Sentai

Battle Fever J

Year: 1979

Number of Episodes: 52, approximately 25 minutes each

Fansubs viewed: Nemet 

Subtitle quality: Good to extremely poor, depending on the episode. Currently these subs are the only way to watch the entire series in English. Battle Fever J was aired with subtitles in Hawaii in the early ‘80s and Nemet’s subs are based on these, so 99 percent of their flaws are due to the sketchy source material.

My first real exposure to Battle Fever J came on a day when I literally couldn’t move without pain. My wife headed off alone to the wedding we were supposed to attend, and I, burning with fever from the worst flu I’ve ever had, hurt so bad I couldn’t even operate a PlayStation controller. So I propped myself up on the couch and started marathoning what was long considered the first Super Sentai series. (Later, two previous series were grandfathered in to the Super Sentai family, but that’s a story for another day.)

I sometimes wonder if my opinion of BFJ was tainted by my physical and mental state at the time. And I’m sure it didn’t help that I just kept watching episode after episode, long after I wouldn’t have called it a day, because it was easier than trying to stand up and turn it off. However, no amount of second guessing can save Battle Fever J from being an overly repetitive, ho-hum entry into the Super Sentai series.

Whether it be coincidence or cosmic conspiracy, illness rears its ugly head as I write this review today, this time a nasty sinus infection. Well, at least I can move this time.

Synopsis (No spoilers)

Japan, the late 1970s. General Kurama, a high-ranking officer in Definitely Not Interpol, assembles a team of five special agents who have been trained for combat (and awful dancing) throughout the world. The agents become the super-powered heroes Battle Fever J and take on the global threat of Egos, a shadowy band of villains whose motivations for evil are often unclear, but always involve making giant, pissed off robots.

Review (spoilers)

I had high hopes for Battle Fever J, the follow-up series to J.A.K.Q Blitzkrieg Squad. Though it was only the first four episodes, J.A.K.Q. was the first Sentai I ever watched. J.A.K.Q. is more adult than I would have ever imagined for a kids’ show, mixing elements of a crime drama with typical Sentai troupes. So Battle Fever J, from two years later, should have been just as good, right?

Not so much.

From the minute you see the freaky costumes, you know something’s very wrong with Battle Fever J. Battle Japan and France look pretty good, but Kenya, Cossack, and especially Miss America are downright disturbing. I can’t put my finger on it, but… I mean, you have eyes. You probably see it too.

If you’re hoping for an ongoing plotline akin to the Green Ranger saga in Zyuranger/MMPR, or even just any kind of plot progression besides throwing another bad guy down a hill, you’re going to be disappointed with Battle Fever J. Most episodes are formulaic standalones and unlike Zyuranger, it gets real old, real quick.

It doesn’t help that the budget must have started running out near the middle of the series, as Battle Fever J utterly abuses stock footage in later episodes. How many times am I going to have to watch Miss America throw those same knives? Do we really need to see Battle Kenya scurrying along that wall for the millionth time? Couldn’t you guys have filmed more than one stock explosion? And when the BFJ team leaps into Battle Fever Robo, the real fight is trying to stay awake. It’s enough to make you want to strap on a motorcycle helmet and film new scenes yourself, just for something different. 

What saves BFJ from the depths of unwachability is a handful of memorable characters. Battle France provides a respite from the more generic cast members by injecting a modicum of humor into the show. He’s a little bit like Lance in the original Voltron. The right hand man of Satan Egos, Heda provides an over the top performance, acting just as much with his facial expressions as with his booming, overblown voice. And late in the series, gun-toting cowboy Jin takes the helm as Battle Cossack, providing viewers with some precious character development right before he rides into the sunset with the rest of the cast.

Heda's superpower: Overacting 

My favorite though is Battle Kenya, who is energetic, goofy, and genuinely funny. Kenya is the only one who finds it odd that the bad guys seem to have an endless supply of giant robots, and he straddles the fourth wall with comments like “Do they own a warehouse?” and “Where do they keep them all?” They’re throwaway lines to be sure, but sometimes, that was all it took to keep me from fast forwarding thought yet another mind-numbing mech battle.

There was also a Battle Fever J movie, which I was told is just a recut version of episode 5. That’s actually incorrect. It’s 100 percent episode 5 with no changes. I know this because I subtitled it. If you want to get your hands on it – it’s a good example of what you’ll see in the rest of the series – mosey on over to this download page.

Overall

Horrifying costumes, sleep-inducing plotlines, and egregious overuse of stock footage are three strikes against Battle Fever J that are tough to ignore, but the series isn’t ready to head back to the dugout just yet. There *are* enjoyable episodes of BFJ, but they’re mostly stacked either in the beginning or near the end. Cut the filler, and you’ve got a pretty decent Sentai series. But as it stands, BFJ teeters on the edge mediocracy, only barely worth your time.  

My recommendation for regular guys and gals is to Google which episodes are worth seeing, watch those, and leave the 30 or so filler episodes for hardcore Sentai fans only. (Super quick guide: 1, 5, 24, 33, and 52.) Unless you’re super curious about the origins of Super Sentai, I’d avoid Battle Fever J in favor of some of the better seasons, like Zyuranger, Dairanger, and the current series, Kyuranger. Come back to BFJ when you’re running out of the good stuff.

My current Sentai rankings are as follows, broken into tiers:

GREAT

Dairanger

GOOD

Zyuranger

FAIR

Battle Fever J

With the last Sentai of the 1970s under our belts, let’s jump into the ‘80s! Join me next time for Super Electronic Bioman. Spoiler: It’s awesome!