[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I wanted to get to the point where I had seen at least one Sentai show from each decade and all that was left for me was the 80s. I wanted to do Sun Vulcan, but since it is some kind of semi-sequel to Denziman I went ahead and tackled that show first!

I watched Sun Vulcan first with Dead Fish Fansubs in the early 10s, since Denjiman wasn't subbed back then. Actually, Sun Vulcan was my first Showa Sentai in general.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Honestly though, Denziman is a dull, dulllll show. It's not like it wasn't funny or never had good episodes, but as a whole I found it to be a slog that didn't really have anything going for it that another Sentai show didn't do better. In particular it struck me as very similar to Goranger if you shuffled the character traits around, made the show less absurd, and just lowered the quality all around.

It's not exactly that much of a memorable Sentai, sure. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a slog, as I got through it easily enough, but I wouldn't want to rewatch it anytime soon either. A few standout episodes perhaps.

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

A particular sore point is that Kiyama doesn't get a single episodes where he is focused on until half way through!

And the Vader Clan are always abducting him!

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Yeah, not too much to talk about with this one. I hope Sun Vulcan can at least interest me on some level when I get to it.

If you can make it to the second half, it gets better from there.

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Originally Posted by Sunred

Daigoro is one of my favorite characters because anpan FTW.

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Daigoro was my favorite too, his comedic gluttony hit the same notes as Daita from Goranger for me and he had a lot of episodes focused on him.

Personally, my favorite was Tatsuya. The cool yet passionate cop archetype always seems to win me over. Akira in second and then Daigorou.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

Honestly, if I were choosing which show would be the first Super Sentai, I'd choose Denziman. Simply because, unlike its three (four?) predecessors, its costumes are instantly recognizable as Super Sentai.

True, they're the most uniform-looking Sentai of their time and they followed the example of Spider-Man by introducing the Henkei mecha to Sentai, which Battle Fever slept on for some reason.

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

The fact they cast a slightly scruffy older dog as IC instead of some ultra cute puppy honestly made him even more adorable. I read that the original dog that played IC died partway through the show, which is why he is largely depicted through stock footage and a puppet later on. The Sentai wiki says he died of natural causes during the filming of episode 38, which is oddly emotional since it was an episode about how people should treat animals with kindness. The whole situation also makes IC's sacrifice at the end of the story hit harder. I definitely get the impression the staff wanted to do a tribute to the little guy with that ending.

An older dog makes sense for a wise mentor after all. And yeah, the sudden death of IC's original uncredited actor was sad for sure. R.I.P. to IC and both of those cute actors.

[GoldenXtreme]

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

And the Vader Clan are always abducting him!

He's a lot like Asuka from Goranger in that respect. Always getting in trouble.

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Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

If you can make it to the second half, it gets better from there.

Oh boy, sounds like Sun Vulcan won't hit the ground running then. Still, I've been very curious about the show ever since it was one of only 2 Showa Sentai to rank in the top 20 in that big NHK Sentai poll a while ago. Clearly it did SOMETHING well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Personally, my favorite was Tatsuya. The cool yet passionate cop archetype always seems to win me over. Akira in second and then Daigorou.

Tatsuya was pretty neck and neck with Daigoro for a while for me, but Daigoro managed to win in the end. Tatsuya was the main focus of what I think was Denziman's best episode though, the one with the woman who unknowingly adopted a Vader Monster as her son, as the son slowly loses control of his own behavior as his true nature begins to surface as he matures. The way Tatsuya wanted to help them so desperately because of how he saw his own family in them was some genuinely good drama. Akira... well, she certainly got more focus than Kiyama or Akagi, but I also thought she was often treated as less competent than her male teammates in fights, which was too bad. I know it's an older show, but I think Peggy was treated better in Goranger. (Person who has only seen Goranger, watching her second Showa Sentai: Getting a lot of 'Goranger' vibes from this...)


Also, can I just say I think it's very funny that I have gotten way more responses posting about a Sentai show from 1980 than one from 2020.

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

He's a lot like Asuka from Goranger in that respect. Always getting in trouble.

Except without the same aptitude for getting out of trouble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Oh boy, sounds like Sun Vulcan won't hit the ground running then. Still, I've been very curious about the show ever since it was one of only 2 Showa Sentai to rank in the top 20 in that big NHK Sentai poll a while ago. Clearly it did SOMETHING well.

Might be a difference in cultural nostalgia. It's certainly more loved in Japan than in the west.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Tatsuya was pretty neck and neck with Daigoro for a while for me, but Daigoro managed to win in the end. Tatsuya was the main focus of what I think was Denziman's best episode though, the one with the woman who unknowingly adopted a Vader Monster as her son, as the son slowly loses control of his own behavior as his true nature begins to surface as he matures. The way Tatsuya wanted to help them so desperately because of how he saw his own family in them was some genuinely good drama.

For sure. While the loss of his father doesn't come up much directly after his introduction, I think it clearly shows in his interactions with others, like in that episode you mentioned. He also got the time travel and Ginga Honey episodes, which were pretty good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Akira... well, she certainly got more focus than Kiyama or Akagi, but I also thought she was often treated as less competent than her male teammates in fights, which was too bad. I know it's an older show, but I think Peggy was treated better in Goranger. (Person who has only seen Goranger, watching her second Showa Sentai: Getting a lot of 'Goranger' vibes from this...)

Peggy was definitely treated better, but she kind of has to be, as her talent for bombcraft is essential to the conclusion of every episode. Not only Akira, but most heroines can't compare to that level of MVP. I enjoyed the episode where she dated the guy who got turned in to a fish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Also, can I just say I think it's very funny that I have gotten way more responses posting about a Sentai show from 1980 than one from 2020.

I might be to blame for this, as I did my "Sparkling Rewatch" of that show in this thread 4 months before you posted about it.

[Sunred]

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Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I like sweet azuki beans so I'm pretty dang sure I would like anpan!

Goes well with a piping hot cup of traditional green tea, preferably plain old matcha. However, any other regular green tea will do IMO.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I enjoyed the episode where she dated the guy who got turned in to a fish.

I remember this episode's environmental impact, as well as its theme of finding one's place in the world. It also delighted me with beautiful sea views.

[GoldenXtreme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

Goes well with a piping hot cup of traditional green tea, preferably plain old matcha. However, any other regular green tea will do IMO.

After work today I went on a magical journey to the bakery.



Technically speaking, this may have been a Korean-style sweet red bean bread, since there are a lot of Korean immigrants in my area and not so many from Japan. Still, any difference from anpan was likely marginal, it had a light yet chewy bread encasing a generous portion of sweet red bean paste. I had matcha making supplies at home, but no actual matcha powder, so I settled on a nice sencha green tea. The slightly bitter vegetal taste made a good contrast with the sweetness of the anpan, very complimentary. I definitely see why anpan is considered such a go-to snack now.

The other bread behind the anpan was a fried bread with a vegetable curry filling by the way. It was a little oily, but I liked it even better than the anpan. Crunchy on the outside and the filling was packed with flavor! I've always liked savory foods more than sweet ones.

...I think I accidentally ate an early dinner between the two, but it was pretty great chowing down on bread and drinking hot tea while it was cold and rainy outside. Wait, wasn't this a Sentai thread at some point?!

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

Wait, wasn't this a Sentai thread at some point?!

Blame it on Daigoro.
Heck, had you brought up Gorenger or Abaranger I would've mentioned curry rice and if the topic at hand was Carranger, probably katsudon because Megaranger vs Carranger exists.