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Summary
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!is one of the latest anime to premiere as aHuluoriginal, and it’s done so to incredible fanfare. While the series hasn’t been without criticisms, the strengths of its writing and animation have outweighed the negatives, and it’s been a highlight of the spring 2024 anime season from day one.
Hulu’sGo! Go! Loser Ranger!is one of the most popular anime of the spring 2024 anime season, and that’s even more impressive specifically because it was released on Hulu.
While every anime streaming service has its share of issues in how they handle anime,Hulu’s handling of anime is largely regarded as the worst of any streaming service, and it’s to the point that it’s seen as a “curse” for an anime to end up on Hulu. Despite that,Go! Go! Loser Ranger!has been incredibly popular from day one, and there are some great reasons why that is.
Why Hulu Is Considered the Worst Anime Streaming Service
Hulu’s Many Failures With Anime Come from a Mix of Reasons
One of the biggest reasons why Hulu is seen as the worst anime streaming service is the lack of promotion for their anime. Unlike other anime streaming services,Hulu will typically never promote new anime beyond an initial announcementthat they’re streaming them, which leads to what should be big titles always falling by the wayside.Sand Land,Summertime Rendering,Heavenly Delusion,Undead Unluck, and evenMission: Yozakura Family, which premiered at the same time asGo! Go! Loser Ranger!, have all been victims of this, and they’re unlikely to ever recover from it.
Another reason for Hulu’s negative reputation is its lack of availability compared to other streaming services. Unlike other streaming services, Hulu, and by extension, Disney+, have little to no availability outside of the United States, meaning thatany anime that airs on Hulu and Disney+ will have a much smaller audience than anime on other streaming services. Because of that, even when Hulu does promote a new anime, barely any people will have any legal means of watching it, and with how big streaming has become in recent years, that kills any chance of success a Hulu anime might have.
One anime that especially highlights the negative effect Hulu can have on anime isTokyo Revengers. The first season ofTokyo Revengerswas one of the most popular anime of 2021, but it became a Hulu exclusive starting from season 2, and because of the lack of promotion and availability,Tokyo Revengerswent from being one of the most popular anime around toone that could barely garner any attention during its run. Some of that also has to do with criticisms of the anime, itself, but it wouldn’t have been that bad if Hulu was better at handling anime.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Succeeds on Hulu Thanks to Its Central Premise
Power Ranger’s Appeal to American Culture Helped the Series
It’s almost impossible for Hulu-exclusive anime to take off, yetGo! Go! Loser Ranger!has done that thanks largely to its central premise. As the title would imply,Go! Go! Loser Ranger!is a deconstructive parody ofPower RangersandSuper Sentai, with much of the humor and storytelling coming from how it plays into the tropes that have long become staples of both franchises. With how ingrained into American pop culturePower Rangersis, an anime centered around the basic concept has a lot of appeal, and that’s done wonders to draw attention toGo! Go! Loser Ranger!
Deconstruction is another part of howGo! Go! Loser Ranger!has found success, despite being a Hulu exclusive. Rather than be a straightforwardPower Rangersstory,Go! Go! Loser Ranger!inverts the typical format by making one of the monsters the protagonist and the Rangers the villains with varying degrees of corruption and violent and psychotic behavior. It’s the closest thing toan anime version ofThe Boys, and overall,Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s dark take onPower Rangersgives it a lot of appeal for anyone who grew up on the franchise, despite it being locked into Hulu.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s Presentation Is Enough to Stand Out on Hulu
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Almost Always Looks Phenomenal
Another big part ofGo! Go! Loser Ranger!’s success undoubtedly comes from its stellar direction. It’s one thing for the art and animation to be good more often than not, butevery episode ofGo! Go! Loser Ranger!always manages to do something creative with its visuals, whether in how the scenes are presented or by playing around with things in a way that verges on breaking the fourth wall. That’s made nearly every episode ofGo! Go! Loser Ranger!great to watch, and it’s done a lot to make it stand out, despite being on Hulu.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s great animation stands out even more when contrasted with another recent Hulu anime,Mission: Yozakura Family.Mission: Yozakura Family’s animation isn’t bad by any means, but it never does anything to take advantage of the medium likeGo! Go! Loser Ranger!does, and with the various problems with Hulu also at play, it’s failed to stand out in comparison.Go! Go! Loser Ranger!andMission: Yozakura Familyboth show how production values are important for anime on Hulu, and it’s why between the two of them, onlyGo! Go! Loser Ranger!has taken off.
Will Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s Success Change How Hulu Handles Anime?
There Is Hope for the future
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!has been a major success from day one, and that invites the question of whether said success will change how Hulu handles anime, going forward. On the one hand, it’s rare for a Hulu-exclusive anime to be as successful asGo! Go! Loser Ranger!has had;Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood Waris another example, but that’s part of a pre-established franchise.Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s success could be a sign of how much value anime can bring to Hulu, and with that in mind, Hulu might try to better lean into anime in the future.
On the other hand, it’s just as easy to assume that things won’t change with Hulu in the slightest.Go! Go! Loser Ranger!’s popularity still pales in comparison to other big titles of the season likeKaiju No. 8andDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and because of that,Go! Go! Loser Ranger!might not be seen as popular enough to justify changing how Hulu handles anime. It’s unfortunate that Hulu keeps mishandling its anime, butGo! Go! Loser Ranger!proves thatHulu-exclusive can still become popular, so with any luck, it won’t be the last to do so.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger!
Cast
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! follows a rebellious foot soldier from the evil army, sent to infiltrate the heroic Ranger Force. Disillusioned by his organization’s treatment of minions, he seeks to undermine and overthrow the Ranger Force from within. The series combines action and satire, presenting a unique take on the classic hero vs. villain narrative.
