A very intriguing idea, though a bit of a slow start. However, while I initially picked this up from Netgalley, as an ARC from the publisher, I was lucky enough to get several more volumes in a Humble Bundle, so I’ll definitely continue reading.

Sentai media has been around long enough to become almost “mainstream.” And with that opens the possibility of parody and reimagining. Loser Ranger is a bit of a mix of both. Our Loser, Footsoldier D, is a minion of the long-dead Villainous Army of Evil, who is striking out on his own to infiltrate the Dragon Rangers and finally bring them down. Only he’s really, REALLY bad at it. And he doesn’t even have charisma to make him intriguing. This guy is well on his way to becoming a background character in his own book.

At present, it’s the Keepers that really shine. Or blaze. Or commit arson. They’re psychopaths, is what I’m saying. I anticipate all sort of nasty info about them will come out over the next few volumes.

At present, I’d say this series is kind of, as happened with me, a Humble Bundle series. As in, you bought the bundle for something else, but this is an okay surprise. That, or a library pick. A purchase? Probably yes for those who are into Sentai stuff and looking for a different angle, but outside of that special interest, probably not. But, here’s to hoping for a raised opinion as I keep going!

Fun first volume and cool spin on tokusatsu.

I enjoyed the flipped POV of the bad guys being our protagonists! Very cool and would continue on with the series.

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★★☆

Interesting read, glad I gave it the chance.

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

A fun and subversive take on Super Sentai, with a strong resemblance to modern Shonen manga makes this an easy pick for anyone who enjoys action, betrayal, and a great story!

This manga takes its inspiration from the Power Rangers series but they aren’t necessarily the good guys.

When monsters attack planet earth the Power Rangers defeat most of them but the surviving monsters are locked into an agreement to stage weekly battles in which they lose so that the adoring fans of the Power Rangers have entertainment to watch and the Power Rangers have a myth to peddle, careers and a good business model.

Nothing lasts forever and eventually one of the monsters decides that enough is enough, he is tired of this weekly farce and so he disguises himself and goes undercover to see if the Rangers can be defeated. And he discovers that he isn’t the only one who wants to bring the Power Rangers down.

It is an interesting interpretation of the Power Rangers, with a conspiracy at the heart of the hero group. Worth reading if you are a Power Rangers fan.

Copy provided by Kodansha Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The story is so good. I cannot wait to read the next volume. I like this manga art style and the storyline. I like that the monsters are getting revenge on the “ Divine Ranger”. Also like that, it’s not the monsters that are the villains. It is the heroes. There is fighter D, that’s done fighting the rangers for show. He wants to fulfill the plan that his leaders wanted before they died. He gets two people that work close with the rangers to help him. There is a reason why these two wanna help destroy the rangers, and I can’t wait to find out why. I cannot wait to see what happens to fighter D and everyone else in the next volume.

I would like to thank Kondansha Comics and Netgalley for a free e-arc of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stellar first volume of a manga. It opens with a bang, keeps the reader interested. There are a bunch of twists and turns and in a medium that is full of copy-cats and mirrors, this series feels really unique and interesting. I loved how the chapters always ended with a hook. I needed to keep reading. All the characters seemed dynamic and full of their own purpose and I can't wait to have them fleshed out and to discover some of their secrets (because it's clear they all have secrets!) I had a blast reading this. I can't wait for more.

Fans of Power Rangers and other brightly colored sentai shows will love this deconstruction where the protagonist is a hapless low level fighter that has been forced into fake gladiatorial fights with them every Sunday. The dark tone is evened out by the narrow minded, often blunt, focus Fighter D brings to his purposes of revenge and world domination. Such as declaring how he'll get all the rangers and immediately being taken out by one of them who seems content to sow discord by working with his plans. Don't worry, he heals fast.

Seeds hinting at further discord, of conflicting purposes of the rangers, are great hooks to keep fans interested. Even when the first volume finish seems like an abrupt end to the main character we were just getting to know. Haruba's art is also amazing, able to differentiate a wide range of characters and the only time it gets a little confusing is when all the Fighters are talking with their same-faced masks.

Highly recommend for fans who want something dark and silly, like "Assassination Classroom."

Started to read the physical copy of this before they added an archive date to this and I missed the chance to download it 🫠 enjoyed what I read so far!

You’ll have to forgive my unprofessionalism but this manga is hard to review seriously. This was stupid in a fun way, it would be tagged “crackfic” in certain areas of the Internet that will not name. It does take a serious turn towards the end but I feel as if the overall tone is lighthearted.
My criticisms are few and far between, I take issue with the fonts, both with the wide range of them used and with some of them being hard to read. Along with the concept of coloured suits and teams that is difficult to distinguish in black and white. But overall I enjoyed this. To the best Loser ranger there is NetGalley.

This was funny and interesting. I liked the monster characters. It is an interesting plot, especially the ending, so I will read the next volume.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! has such a simple deconstructive premise that I’m surprised it hasn’t been done to death. Unfortunately I’ll likely have to wait a little longer before I find an iteration that I really enjoy. The manga has a distinct style but it’s one consisting of many panels and often a lot of shading and effects. There are moments where Haruba wields sparseness excellently. However I find it tends to crowd together.

Its cast of characters is quite small. This should have been to its benefit. However given the focus on setting the stage they mostly fall flat. D is single-minded to the point of one dimensionality. Hibiki Sakurama doesn’t have many appearances which is a shame. He isn’t righteous, nor vengeful, and I can’t help but hope for his dream of reform even though I suspect it’s hopelessly naïve. But it’s Yumeko Suzukiri I’ve thought about most. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was just waiting for someone like D to show up. Her portrayal is so mysterious, however, that it totters between intriguing and empty.

Nonetheless there are effective character moments. It was exciting when a character went mask off. The comedy can be slapstick. D frequently loses his head. But that moment sets the stakes beautifully. The Super Sentai fight scenes aren’t quite as impressive to me when drawn but there are excellent confrontations and Haruba makes great use of the Dusters’ abilities.

All in all there’s a lot of promise in Go! Go! Loser Ranger! and I would recommend it.

Such a fun little read! I loved the artwork and the story. I have seen it compared to "The Boys". Need to definitely check out the anime and include this in our library collection.

Really enjoyed the premise of this book. The POV of the “monster” as he battles to infiltrate the heroes acadamy with the intention of taking them down from the inside was a nice little twist.

The art was excellent and the characters are great fun. Will definitely keep going to see where the series might lead.

Recommended for fans of fun Manga and the Power Rangers

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Go! Go! Loser Ranger!, Vol. 1 (Paperback) by Negi Haruba was a pleasant surprise for me. This is basically about the Power Rangers, but with empathetic villains, and it's great. It's funny, sad, and I'm intrigued to see where the story goes.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Power Rangers so when I saw this I had to read it just based on the premise alone. The concept of all the fights between the Rangers and the monsters being staged was fascinating and I had to read this.

I absolutely loved this manga. Like so much. The art is gorgeous, the main character is compelling, the fights are interesting. I’m find myself actually rooting for the monsters to beat the Rangers and I didn’t expect that. I’m fully behind this, I recommend it to everyone, and I can wait to read more of the series.

This was a great read, it gave awesome nostalgic feels! I love this spin on this with the POV of the monsters/villain's instead of the heroes. There were great action scenes and a lot of funny moments, my favorite kind of manga. I also like the none of the characters are one dimensional. I can't to find out what happens in this series! I will definitely be consuming this series asap!

Recently this became an anime, and after reading volume 1 I think I might prefer it as an anime so I may give it a shot!

Go! Go! Loser Ranger is a play on sentai (think: Power Rangers) motifs, a long struggle against the grunts (Dusters) of an immortal invading force that are basically picked on for twelve years... just for show, literally, in a weekly televised broadcast. We meet D, who wants to change the status quo and finally defeat the rangers, take their divine artifacts, and finally stop this farce. The end was a big cliffhanger, and I'm interested to see where it goes from here.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

I'd heard about this series for awhile now, especially with the anime version coming out, so I was happy for a chance to read it! First off, gold star to whomever decided to localize the title to evoke the first English Power Rangers series, very nice touch! There are a bunch of fun references to super sentai tropes throughout, such as the battles between the rangers and monsters being weekly viewing on Sundays, but it's the change in perspective that really makes this series stand out. We follow our villain? protagonist on his quest to destroy the rangers from the inside by joining up with them. It's a fun premise with a lot of potential!

Some time in the future, a ship of aliens parks above Japan and wages war against the human race. But, humans have the Rangers, a powerful fighting force who wields weapons of considerable power. The Rangers don’t obliterate the monsters. Instead, they work out a business deal where the evil guys will come up with a new monster for the Rangers to fight every Sunday, and the Rangers will put on a good show for a crowd that grows with every passing week. This arrangement irritates Soldier D, who thinks they could be stronger and work harder than the Rangers and could take over the world. He decides to act on his own and impersonate the Rangers and their soldiers in order to wreck havoc on the whole organization and bring it down from the inside.
The premise for this story is really different from most battle manga. I appreciate that we focus on the bad guy and the whole thing is making fun of the "monster-of-the-week" formula. There is some humor in the beginning when the monsters are chatting with themselves, but it is quickly abandoned once Soldier D leaves the ship. The ending leaves the story in a really strange place, so I really hope the mangaka finds the voice for this series - whether it's in humor or not - and it can find an established foothold in the large swath of battle manga.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12