Arguing about Magiranger

[Midori Kou]

So recently, I've been talking to someone about Magiranger. However, this person keeps proposing that Magiranger is strongly derived from Harry Potter. *twitch twitch* I argued that it isn't and several other aspects of the characters' abilities, weapons, etc. came from a much broader range. (Used European culture, mythology, RPGs, and mainstream anime and manga as some of my reasons.) Even after hearing this, he's still pushing the Harry Potter argument because of its popularity. I kinda think this is biased and he's only going on the coincidence of it being recent. Should I even bother trying to prove my argument at this point?

[ShadowJoker]

Originally Posted by Midori Kou

So recently, I've been talking to someone about Magiranger. However, this person keeps proposing that Magiranger is strongly derived from Harry Potter. *twitch twitch* I argued that it isn't and several other aspects of the characters' abilities, weapons, etc. came from a much broader range. (Used European culture, mythology, RPGs, and mainstream anime and manga as some of my reasons.) Even after hearing this, he's still pushing the Harry Potter argument because of its popularity. I kinda think this is biased and he's only going on the coincidence of it being recent. Should I even bother trying to prove my argument at this point?

I would have to agree with your friend, I feel that Magiranger, in terms of it's creation relied on the Harry Potter craze. Of course the show probably didn't rip off it's plot, characters, setting, etc. But the whole magic theme, with spells like "Magi Maagi Majiro!" is definetely inspired by Harry Potter. But as far as I can see that's where the inspiration ends. So I guess you guys are both right, while Magiranger does jump on the magic bandwagon it also takes other mofits and elements from other things to give it a sense of individuality.

So that's the way I see it unless some else has concrete proof that the the writers weren't inspired by Harry Potter.

But I have question of my own, why is it that when People say that "Magiranger is influenced by Harry Potter" sentai fans get a mad? I remember when the series first started people over at Japan Hero were having a hissy fit because other fans were comparing it to Harry Potter and their counterpoint would be "No Magiranger wasn't influenced by Harry Potter but by Lord of the Ringers and blah blah blah". I mean what's the big deal if Magi was inspired by Harry? I mean that's what the people at Toei do right? Anytime they create a new series they always look for a craze(Magiranger), or look at the times(Timeranger), or take an old theme and put a new twist on it (Hurricanger, Abaranger,etc), or just look for something they never did before. As long as the sentai is good, I don't care what inspired it (well probably not too much).

[DiscoInferno]

Originally Posted by ShadowJoker aka previously known as TaimuFaiyaa

I would have to agree with your friend, I feel that Magiranger, in terms of it's creation relied on the Harry Potter craze. Of course the show probably didn't rip off it's plot, characters, setting, etc. But the whole magic theme, with spells like "Magi Maagi Majiro!" is definetely inspired by Harry Potter.

Aren't the HP spells Latin based?

But I have question of my own, why is it that when People say that "Magiranger is influenced by Harry Potter" sentai fans get a mad?

Speaking with MF in mind (I wasn't around when Magi did), those fans may have thrown hissy fits because people were using 'It's a Harry Potter ripoff' as a reason to criticise the show and it's a pretty dumb reason to do so.

I think LOTR gets brought up to help show that Harry Potter wasn't even the originator of the things that Magi/MF supposedly ripped off.

I don't have a real opinion on the matter because I don't know much about HP but Magi didn't feel like a derivative work while I was watching it. MF doesn't either (apart from the obvious).

[ShadowJoker]

Originally Posted by DiscoInferno

Aren't the HP spells Latin based?

I wouldn't be able to answer since I'm not into Harry Potter all that much that but what I getting at is the idea of how the spells vocalized, I think that Magi was inpsired by Potter as well in that aspect. Not in terms of origins the words but just using it that in that vocal fashion. Like in Harry Potter he might say something like, oh I don't know... "Levitatous Returnis" (just guessing from what I think I heard in the first movie, if someone could they can correct me) to do the spell.

[nickraman]

Yeah and Timeranger's based off Scarface.

[Mole]

Originally Posted by nickraman

Yeah and Timeranger's based off Scarface.

How can you use those two to compare Magi to HP? At least with MAgi and HP, there is a possible connection.

[Iroquois]

People tend to get crazy when they hear the word 'rip-off'. Just tell Batman fans that Batman was a rip-off from a classic horror film and they'll flip.

I'm certain that part of the idea was based on the Harry Potter craze. I've seen things that have been used in the Harry Potter movies (e.g. the brooms, the talking mandragora that cries when it's taken out of its pot, the design of their hideout etc.), but the real question IMO isn't if Magiranger ripped off Harry Potter (and it didn't, because plot and characters completely different), but how much did Harry Potter use from the culture of magic in the first place. For example the flying brooms were used in HP, but it was definitely a well-known tradition in the culture of magic.

[nickraman]

MF gets that Lord of the rings feel.

[FirePhoenix]

Magi dose have one thing over that harry pothead is of course Houkachan(in love emoticon)

[The 2nd Evil]

Don Dornero was a mobster. That's the only connection I can make.