Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!


Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma! is a Japanese tokusatsu direct-to-video comedy series produced by Toei Video that was released in June 2006. Its sequel, which began filming on February 23, 2007, is titled Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!! SPARK, and was released July 21, 2007.
The series itself is in the jidaigeki genre. The cast of both movies feature actors from the Super Sentai Series' recent programs, primarily from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger to GoGo Sentai Boukenger. As a result, the series' characters would often reference their original characters.
Jun Terada is a producer in the year 2076 and is trying to convince the president of Magical TV to allow her to create her life's work, Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!, based on the long-standing legend of a legendary lightning that bestows powers upon those struck by it. However, because the show is to be the 100th anniversary of the Hyper Hero Team Series", it must be a first for the 100-year-long franchise. President Mishima convinces her to turn it into a reality show by traveling back to 1720 in the Edo period and picking three extremely inept locals and force them through humiliating training to become ninja.
When Jun and her writing partner Kuratanomiya arrive in the past, they find Hosomatsu, Kankichi, and Kaguya, three extremely cowardly, inept, and clumsy individuals, to be the stars of their show. Jun, as a Kami, begins to train the three, fooling them with futuristic technology and giving them self-confidence. Unbeknownst to Jun and Kuratanomiya, there are actual monsters killing various people throughout O-Edo, while Jun trains her Inazuma team. When Kuratanomiya encounters the villains on a night on the town, who turn out to be the trio's idols possessed by evil slug-like monsters, Jun must reveal the truth to her stars that they are without power, but the trio decide to fight anyway with Jun's earlier words taken to heart. But learning that the legendary lightning exists, Jun discovers that it's the spark from the glitches in the time teleport system that created the monster slugs. With that knowledge, Jun sends Kuratanomiya back to the future so she can become an antenna for the legendary lightning and empower the Inazuma team before they are killed by the three monsters.
Of past Super Sentai actors, two of them came from the cast of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, while many others were from Mahou Sentai Magiranger.

Characters

Inazuma

;Opening Theme: "Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!" by Ichirou Mizuki
;Ending Theme: "Thank you" by Mika Kikuchi, Asami Kai, and Meibi Yamanouchi

Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!! SPARK

Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!! SPARK is the sequel to Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!. A year after the prequel's events, Jun is now producing a sequel to her original show and has the daughter of Magical TV's president as her female lead. However, Tsubame is unable to keep herself from helping those she feels are in need, and she is accidentally sent to the Edo period where she tries to befriend a ronin shinobi. Hosomatsu and Kankichi are trying to find out who is killing all of daimyo, but Kaguya is traveling with Tojiro, so they are down one member as Inazuma.
Tsubame tries to get Hayate to smile, but she learns of the loss of his sister and how he is determined to seek suicidal revenge. When Jun finally finds Tsubame in the past using the original defective time teleporter, Tsubame realizes she must stay to save Hayate, sends Jun back to be deliberately struck by the legendary lightning herself. She then fights the two aliens who had behind the attacks as the newest Inazuma and to save Raiden and Senden who had been trapped.
In this new cast, from past Super Sentai incarnations came two actors from GoGo Sentai Boukenger, while Ayumi Beppu, who played Ayumiko and Hayabusa, also played Houka/MagiPink in Mahou Sentai Magiranger.

New characters

;Opening theme: "Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma!! SPARK" by Mitsuko Horie
;Insert song: "Chō Ninja Tai Inazuma! ~O-Edo Mix~" by Shōryūsai Mizuki
;Ending theme: "Thank you ~Jun 2007 Ver.~" by Mika Kikuchi