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12-22-2023, 12:58 PM | #1 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Well, we got a new Ultraman trademark and our first non-derogatory look at next year's Sentai, so it seems an appropriate time to go ahead and post this year's look back thread.
If you're new to the site, this is a thing I post in late December to allow us all to reflect on the past year and indulge my pedantic love for end-of-year lists. This year felt pretty stable: Rider, Sentai, and Ultraman all kept doing their things with no major deviations or surprises. Power Rangers got a little weirder than normal, but what even is normal for Power Rangers anymore? As always, for releases of this year I'm counting any series that aired any episodes during 2023, including: Donbrothers Kingohger Kamen Rider Geats Kamen Rider Gotchard Ultraman Blazar Power Rangers Netflix Force Anything else that got less exposure and therefore slipped under my radar As always, for movies I'm counting anything that came out this year as well as anything that came out last year but wasn't available subbed until this year. Favorite New Show of 2023 Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023 Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023 Favorite Rewatch of 2023 Favorite Male Lead Character Favorite Female Lead Character Favorite Male Supporting Character Favorite Female Supporting Character Favorite Villain Favorite Returning Past Character Favorite Actor Favorite Actress Favorite Writer Favorite Director Favorite Suit Design Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha Favorite Fight Scene Favorite Dramatic Scene Favorite Comedic Scene Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Favorite Song Favorite Piece of Merchandise Biggest Surprise of 2023 And, of course, because some things in 2023 were the return of Kyoryuger's sound effects to Super Sentai on a recurring basis: Biggest Disappointment of 2023: The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in Tokusatsu, 2023 Edition: Finally, a new category to both end on a more positive note and to reflect the large amount of announcements we have for next year: Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024 |
12-22-2023, 01:09 PM | #2 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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12-22-2023, 01:40 PM | #3 |
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Favorite New Show of 2023
I’m gonna champion the little guy and go for Ultraman Regulos. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023 I only saw two new shows this year, and while V3 had some of the craziest monsters in Rider, it’s Jiban’s ludicrously specific set of laws for any crime the villains might commit that wins it for me Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023 Juuga vs Olteca takes it for me, purely for the “UKIP” and “(name of former President redacted)” jokes me and a friend got out of the “Humans as Kamen Riders” project. Favorite Rewatch of 2023 It’s a tie between Blue SWAT and B-Fighter Kabuto for me, given that I was finally watching both without having to wait weeks between new releases. Favorite Male Lead Character I’m going to go with Regulos again, because it was refreshing that they didn’t depict his desire for revenge against the people who killed his friends and injured his teacher as wrong, so much as the intent behind them (his emotions). Favorite Female Lead Character Rinne has been a nice breath of fresh air from the more overly emotional or comical females of previous years. Favorite Male Supporting Character Yanma Gast, for being arguably the smartest person in the first episode of his show, due to not buying Rcules’ bullsh*t. Favorite Female Supporting Character Sara Sakurai, probably the most selfless person in Geats (even Keiwa’s wish to revive the fallen of the DGP had some air of self-gratification behind it) and she has probably the most unique animal motif of any Toku hero. Favorite Villain Beroba, both for how she’s such a sick bitch and this line from TV-Nihon’s April Fools release, directed at Michinaga (“I knew that makeover would go to your head”) Favorite Returning Past Character Going for the deep cut with the return of Imit-Ultraman in Regulos: First Misison after what appears to be over a decade. Favourite Actor Masahi Ikeda (Jeramie from King-Ohger) takes the crown, both for spending much of his early screen time off screen and his uncanny impersonation of Taisei Sakai (Gira) in the body swap episode. Favourite Actress Alisa Sakimaki (Lachesis in Gotchard), and I’m shallow enough to admit that it’s partially because she’s hot. Favourite Writer Hiroki Uchida’s been consistently on point this year, so he takes the crown. Favourite Director Takayuki Shibisaki for KR Outsiders. Zein’s debut was suitably intimidating. Favourite Suit Design Tonbo-Ohger. It’s my regret that I haven’t got around to buying an action figure. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha The Bujin (Keiwa’s katana), for its sheer simplicity. Favourite Fight Scene UFO-X’s debut battle against Dread Favourite Dramatic Scene Yanma sacrificing his chance to take back N’Kosopa to rescue his friend. Though it’s mostly for the song lyrics playing in the background Favourite Comedic Scene Lord Zedd’s signature letter being mistaken for ‘N’s. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Blazar’s first episode, purely for how unusual it is. Favourite Song Again, the one from King-Ohger 35. But since I don’t have a name for that yet, rain forecast from Ultraman Regulos. Favorite Piece of Merchandise By default (being one of five things out this year I bought), it’s the Gotchardriver (with the close second being the Ultraman Dyna Flash Type Hyper Key) Biggest Surprise of 2023 The end of New Generation Stars revealing that the mystery villain wasn’t malicious at all. Biggest Disappointment of 2023: Ultraman Blazar’s toyline. It seemed cool in the promos, but seeing it in reviews made clear that it wasn’t that cool (it’s dependent on stock dialogue, with the only change between form related items being the colours and transformation sounds) Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024 It’s a tie between the return of the Hyper Keys and the new Mebium Brace with the voices of the Showa Ultra actors who appeared in Mebius. |
12-22-2023, 04:13 PM | #4 |
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My fourth time!
Favorite New Show of 2023: Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger While it gets repetitive seeing the same 5 sets reused over and over again, the story has been consistently intriguing and the King-Ohgers have a weird dynamic, each being a leader in their own right and having a lot of flaws that make them interesting. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023: Kidou Keiji Jiban My new favorite Metal Hero show. A lot of likable and fun characters and plot twists that were genuinely surprising in a way that left me thinking about them even after the credits rolled. Much like Turboranger, feels like it was a fresh innovation for the franchise at the start of the Heisei Era. Favorite Miniseries or Special of 2023: Tycoon x Shinobi Ninjas are cool. With no new Shinobi content in 2022, it was awesome to see this "penultimate episode" in 2023 with other ninja Riders showing up. Favorite Rewatch of 2023: Kamen Rider Saber Good enough for me to have rewatched it a mere year after it finished airing. So far, the only Rider show in the Reiwa Era to leave me feeling satisfied with the overall story. Even had an ED theme, something that isn't even guaranteed in Sentai these days. Die's corresponding fanfictions were also enjoyable to read. Favorite Movie of 2023: MMPR Once And Always To quote Brody, it was epic! Loved seeing all those legendary characters once more and I was relieved that the tribute to Thuy was done tastefully without feeling like it was just a plot device. Favorite Male Lead Character: Ichinose Houtarou He's so full of energy that he can get me excited for the episode even during the cold open. I know some people complain about him for that, but honestly, I wouldn't have him any other way. He cares so much about his friends and Chemies and he shows it openly and passionately. Favorite Female Lead Character: Hymeno Ran A great example of heroic selfishness. She's not just superficial style, she has the authenticity to back it up as well. Surprisingly for a female character in a show produced by the controversial Ohmori (a "weak" Yellow Ranger even), she never feels like a loser and can kick a** in an elegant way. Favorite Male Supporting Character: Hareruya Win While he didn't have as much focus as he should've done (still waiting for MonsterBoost, Toei!), I enjoyed his chaotic wildcard presence and his arc about finding the motivation to fight earnestly for his desire, instead of quitting when things get tough. Favorite Female Supporting Character: Sakurai Sara The heart of Kamen Rider Geats, #1 fan of Neon and supportive big sister to Keiwa. I appreciate how Takebe wanted to make a point that she wasn't just some expendable comic relief waiting to die for shock value. Sara was her own person and her cheerfulness and empathy was easily one of the best parts of the show. Favorite Villain: Racles Husty If Kamejim and the Screaming Man of Shugoddam didn't exist, then Racles would be the most despicable man in the show. But what makes him so intriguing by comparison is the mysteriousness of his motivations. Is he truly corrupt and evil, or are his actions part of some grand scheme for the greater good? Maybe both? Favorite Returning Past Character: Billy Cranston He was pretty impressive this year, huh? Running his company Cranston Tech, looking for a way to bring back Zordon, serving as a mentor to Minh and advisor to the Cosmic Fury Rangers, helping Solon to actually create the Cosmic Fury Rangers in a few hours.... Cool to see him play such an important role. Favorite Actor: Ikeda Masashi Somehow, he managed to turn Jeremy from a weirdo talking about excrement in to a genuinely charismatic and sympathetic character in a single episode. Favorite Actress: Hamabe Minami I wasn't willing to put Hunter Deno 3 years in a row, but even if I was, it was always going to be Hamabe. I loved her work before Shin Kamen Rider and I think she did a great job portraying Ruriko as well. Favorite Writer: Takano Minato When I heard this guy was going to be writing King-Ohger, I was excited for his particular brand of madness that he would bring to the show. Sure enough, it's absurd in all the right ways. Favorite Suit Design: Kamen Rider Gotchard SteamHopper To quote Emily, he's so sparkly! The shining bright blue suit is supposed to represent Houtarou's strong upbeat personality and I think that's exactly what it does. Favorite Weapon: Bujin Sword It's not gimmicky like you'd expect from a Tokusatsu weapon, but it's a cool katana and does cool katana things. Even comes with its own sheath. Favorite Vehicle: Kamen Rider Kyuun He's a sphinx! Favorite Mecha: Extreme King-Ohger Caucasus Kabuto Castle looks too small and off-scale when attached to all the Shugods, so I think Extreme King-Ohger is the best-looking Gattai here. Favorite Fight Scene: Na-Go BeatBoost and Kyuun teaming up to bring the game to a draw in Geats Episode 30. Favorite Dramatic Scene: Gira and Jeremy reaching out to Deathnarak in King-Ohger Episode 26. Favorite Comedic Scene: Sara performing Neon's dance to distract Amakusa in Tycoon x Shinobi. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: Kaguragi poisoning a fish to death in King-Ohger Episode 8. Makes me wonder about Tofu's laws on animal rights. Favorite Song: World Is Mine Favorite Piece of Merchandise: Bandai's DX Tarantula Knight Such a fast and agile mecha with 8 limbs, 6 of which are articulated and Guardian-compatible! Biggest Surprise of 2023: Faiz 20th anniversary movie announcement My Eyes Are Opened. Biggest Disappointment of 2023: Movie Battle Royale Too much Revice, not enough Geats. Why was Ryuki even here? I've talked about this in more detail, but it's such a lame movie. Quote:
Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023
I only saw two new shows this year, and while V3 had some of the craziest monsters in Rider, it?s Jiban?s ludicrously specific set of laws for any crime the villains might commit that wins it for me Favorite Female Supporting Character Sara Sakurai, probably the most selfless person in Geats (even Keiwa?s wish to revive the fallen of the DGP had some air of self-gratification behind it) and she has probably the most unique animal motif of any Toku hero. Favourite Actor Masahi Ikeda (Jeramie from King-Ohger) takes the crown, both for spending much of his early screen time off screen and his uncanny impersonation of Taisei Sakai (Gira) in the body swap episode. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha The Bujin (Keiwa?s katana), for its sheer simplicity.
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12-22-2023, 07:29 PM | #5 |
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Favorite New Show of 2023
Tough one but I'm going to have to with Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger. I think all of the characters are well rounded and fleshed out, there interesting unique world in Terra and thing just move at a nice pace for me. And above all I'm glad Toku has been experimenting more with recent technologies sure the use of Volume is questionable but it 's a real effort and i hope it the start of making the show's afterwards even better in service. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023 In anticipation of the crossover with King-Ohger I decided to watch Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger for the first time this year and man it been a fun show with a lot likeable characters, strong episodes, amazing action and made the hype and anticipation for the crossover even bigger for me. Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023 I heard a lot of hype for this movie online and despite being a huge toku fan in particular Ultraman I never got into Godzilla so I decided to take the plunge and saw the movie in my usual theaters. And I loved it from the visuals, stories, and characters it was a moving 2 hour experience. I loved it so much that I rewatched with my parents but this time in 4DX and that the experience itself was really fun that I'm glad it's getting all the praise and attention it's getting Favorite Rewatch of 2023 'Nuff Said Favorite Male Lead Character Captain Gento himself he's such a refreshing main character with a more pragmatic standpoint but still has the honesty's and humanity of protagonist of past Ultra shows and maturity that comes from adulthood with a normal wife and child. And great leader, with ana amazing dynamic with the equally wonderful Ultraman Blazar who's sense of righteousness coupled with his childlike monkey behavior that his all the right neurons in me to make a fan favorite character. Favorite Female Lead Character Himeno Ran is one of the best Yellow in Sentai imo. Smart, snarky, sometimes compassionate, oozes grace and is fierce on the battlefield she's always a joy to watch when the show focus on her. Favorite Male Supporting Character Kajiki is so relatable to me. His hyperfixations, always being left out the plot getting constantly knocked out he's just grounds the show by being a normal guy in a group of exceptional people. Favorite Female Supporting Character I know this is supposed to be about female characters but Sabimaru & Renge are kind tied to hip together and man I love Renge interactions with both Hotaro & Rinie especially when she took her out for some tea giving Rinne some nice interactions outside of the schools. The debut of Dread really was the two at there best though testing how the normally untalkative Sabimaru was controlled, Issac losing his snark and becoming very worried and Renge showing the depth of her sadness the Alchemist Academy wouldn't be the same without these two. Favorite Villain Dread is a cool suit, has a cool jingle & henshin. And what can I say I'm sucker for a suit that has multiple users. Since that allows for suits actors to take the suit and put drastic changes each time for it to make it seem like a different character is under the mantle. It also lets the the 3 sister be a bit more active in the plot. Favorite Returning Past Character I think fairly obvious but the amount of actors that came back for this two-parter blew my mind especially Amy's actress that was such a amazing last minute reveal. However it's was this interaction that made me giddy as kid. I really fell in love with this pairing watching Kyoryuger and for it to come true here was the most amazing thing to happen. I can't even imagine those who watched Kyoryuger live 10 years ago must've felt but man this was the slam dunk moment for me for this crossover. Favorite Actor Hayate Kajihara who plays Yasunobu Bando brought the youthful energy to his character remaining optimistic and cheerful while exhibiting his wealth of knowledge I hope for the best for his actor and uh look at these abs man. Favorite Actress Minami Hamabe played both Ruriko Midorikawa in Shin Kamen Rider & Noriko Oishi in Godzilla Minus One this year and in both she shows a range of emotion from dramatic to comedic and has instant charm that makes her memorable and a real highlight in the film. Favorite Writer Minato Takano being the head writer of King-Ohger. This his first time as a head writer and honestly this guy might become very well known soon enough if he keeps up this momentum and continue working for Toei for Super Sentai & Kamen Rider. Favorite Director Every single new fact we learn about the production of Ultraman Blazar makes me respect Kiyotaka Taguchi even more. Thanks to him Blazar is what he is and we need more men like him being able to stick up from the corporations and sponsors like Bandai in order to keep the artistic soul of toku alive. Favorite Suit Design ................Don't judge me ok? Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha In one episode I'm sold on the Tilsonite Sword and want one. Favorite Fight Scene Zitt deciding to get up close and personal to box Geats IX is one of the best character bits I've ever seen in this year and definitely made a lasting impression for me. Favorite Dramatic Scene I knew shit was about to hit the fan in this episode but I was not prepared for what was going to happen. Favorite Comedic Scene Honestly everyone should just watch ORK's Room https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...4CQdnP4ds8_Lmi Some great physical comedy with suit actors on there. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Everyone should watch Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Avataro Sentai Donburies Favorite Song I've been jamming to this for so long BACK-ON delivered one of the best OP for Rider. Favorite Piece of Merchandise The Legend Driver being retail and being both Chemy Reader and essentially a function inverted Decadriver has me hooked frankly it even outshines the main driver this year lol. Biggest Surprise of 2023 I started to give up hope but all of sudden the OST for Z, Trigger, Decker, Regulos and even the first half of Blazar getting announced and released shortly after was quite the shock and the wait was certainly worth it. Biggest Disappointment of 2023: Where the heck are my Donburi Gears Bandai? The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in Tokusatsu, 2023 Edition: As I just started watching Return of Ultraman but man it still hurts regardless. R.I.P Jiro Dan January 30, 1949-March 22,2023 always in our hearts. Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024: I trust in Inoue probably more than I should but honestly let's fucking go.
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Last edited by GrandComplete; 12-22-2023 at 07:46 PM.. |
12-22-2023, 08:32 PM | #6 |
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HERE WE GO!
Favorite New Show of 2023 Ultraman Blazar. It has a nice grounded approach. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023 None. Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023 Sadly, none. Not that any that were out this year sucked, just never got to any of them. Favorite Rewatch of 2023 Bioman Favorite Male Lead Character Gento Hiruma/Ultraman Blazar from Ultraman Blazar Favorite Female Lead Character Emi Aobe from Ultraman Blazar Favorite Male Supporting Character Sabimaru Tsuruhara from Kamen Rider Gotchard Favorite Female Supporting Character Morphonia from King-Ohger Favorite Villain The cicada musicians from Ultraman Blazar Favorite Returning Past Character Nobuharu Udo aka Nossan the Man with dad jokes and all. Favorite Actor Tomoya Warabino, and by association, Johnny Yong Bosch too as Gento Hiruma Favorite Actress Yuzuki Hirakawa as Rita Kaniska/Papillon Ohger Favorite Writer Keigo Koyanagi for Ultraman Blazar. Episode 2 deserves all the accolades. Favorite Director Kazuya Kamihoriuchi for King-Ohger. Favorite Suit Design Valvarad in all its pink glory. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha The glorious fishing rod of light wielded by Ultraman Blazar. Favorite Fight Scene Ultraman Blazar fishing out a kaiju from the water. Favorite Dramatic Scene Ultraman Blazar fishing out a kaiju from the water. Favorite Comedic Scene Ultraman Blazar fishing out a kaiju from the water. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Ultraman Blazar fishing out a kaiju from the water. Favorite Song Black Star by MindaRyn (Ultraman Blazar ED) Favorite Piece of Merchandise I don't own one but FrS Ultraman Blazar. The molding tech that was used for it is impressive, but probably a living hell for those trying to paint the damn thing. Biggest Surprise of 2023 Blazar reveal and learning Warabino will play Gento/Ultraman Blazar. Biggest Disappointment of 2023 No Kyoryuger 10 Years After other than those two episodes from King-Ohger. The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in Tokusatsu, 2023 Edition No glorious fishing rod of light for S.H. Figuarts and FrS Ultraman Blazar. Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024[/QUOTE] Car-Ohger, I mean Boonboomger and S.H. Figuarts Boon Red, hopefully.
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Last edited by Sunred; 12-22-2023 at 10:07 PM.. |
12-23-2023, 05:01 PM | #7 |
I have a problematic type
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So, full disclosure: I've had a harder time watching tokusatsu this year. Work schedule was a bit of that; like last year, I've fallen behind on all the current shows, especially Sentai. Mostly, though, it's just that I've had a harder time finding the attention span to sit down and watch something that requires reading subtitles instead of something I can listen to without having to keep my focus entirely on the screen. Still, I'm doing what I can to stay on top of things and it's not like I'm back off from the genre or anything.
Favorite New Show of 2023 This one is easy, it's King-Ohger and it's not even close. I almost skipped this show, but positive response to the first episode got me to try it out and I've been loving the hell out of it. I never expected Sentai to swerve into such a heavily serialized story with some pretty large stakes and dramatic moments while also staying frequently silly and stupid at the same time. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023 Ultraman Mebius. Haven't finished it yet - haven't made it to the halfway mark, even - but it's both the best older show that I've checked out for the first time and also technically the only older show I've checked out for the first time (unless you count watching one episode of Neos, but I don't think Neos probably counts for anything). Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023 So I still haven't watched Shin Ultraman or Shin Kamen Rider yet, despite having immediate access to both. I'm having a hard time sitting down to watch an episode of a show, much less a full movie. This falls, then, by default, to... pause to look up title... Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad, which is the only thing I watched to completion this year that fits in this category. In all fairness, I did love that arc where all of the secondary Ultras got sent on a mission together. Favorite Rewatch of 2023 If you've paid attention to my posts here over the last few years, you probably assume that this will be Ultraman Max, the show that I've both praised effusively while also expressing my continued frustration at the fact that its DVD boxset was taking forever to come out. Well, the DVDs are out so obviously I rewatched the whole series, right? Yeah, nothing for this category this year. Maybe next time. Favorite Male Lead Character This is a really tough one, there are a lot of good candidates this year. I'm going to go with Gira Hastee, aka Gira Husty. He can be kind of a moron sometimes, but I rarely fail to be entertained by his unique blend of good heart, foolhardy bravery, and theater kid dramatics. Favorite Female Lead Character This one was not tough. There is no possible universe where Rita Kaniska is not my favorite character of the year, not just in tokusatsu but in every form of media I've consumed. Everything about her shtick as the (secretly not-so) sane person in a group full of dysfunctional idiots is so goddamn delightful. Favorite Male Supporting Character I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting someone here, but my current instinct is to go with Sebastian from, again, King-Ohger. The retainers are all a fantastic collection of fun side characters, even the annoying one, but Sebastian tends to rise to the top of the crowd for me as the real standout. Favorite Female Supporting Character Emi Aobe from Blazar. Sunred credited her as a lead and I can see that, but I tend to consider most Ultra officers more in the supporting category, personally. Either way, she's a really fun character and I like how the show has been using her espionage focus in both her main storyline and some of the individual episodes. Favorite Villain Another easy one, although the Abyssalis Sisters are really growing on me as Gotchard keeps going. Can't give them nod over R[a]c[u]les Hastee and/or Husty, though. This smug son of a bitch is so fucking terrible I just want to reach into the screen and punch him right in the face. That's the mark of a well-realized villain. Favorite Returning Past Character I haven't watched any of the new Power Rangers stuff this year, neither the MMPR reunion nor Netflix Morphers. Still, very glad to see Billy Cranston back. Easily my favorite of the original cast by the time he left and a character that was due for a revisit, for both on- and off-screen reasons. Favorite Actor Echoing the love for Masashi Ikeda as King-Ohger's Jeramie. Dynamite performance. Favorite Actress Following up on the Rita love by also praising Yuzuki Hirakawa as an actress. She is so good at being amusingly stoic; I love it when toku humor skews more subtle and she's so good at it. I haven't seen the episode where she has to be an idol yet, but I'm sure it's going to be hilarious. Favorite Writer Probably no surprise at this point, but Minato Takano for the absolute masterclass that is King-Ohger. Favorite Director This is probably just going to keep going to Kiyotaka Taguchi every year, although Rider and Sentai are definitely stepping up their games to be more visually dynamic. Favorite Suit Design Might be recency bias, but I am loving the heck out of Kamen Rider Dread. Gotachard's suit game is usually on point, but the black skeletal armor interspersed with iridescent details and white scarf make for an incredibly striking suit. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha Blazar's Tilsonite Sword. Congratulations, Tsubaraya, you managed to make a weapon that doesn't make Ultraman look like an adult holding a child's roleplay toy. Favorite Fight Scene Blazar vs. Demaaga. Not for the fight itself, but the major twist of the moment that can best be described as "Stop hitting yourself, Blazar." Almost made my biggest surprise moment and definitely a scene that made me very excited to see where the show was taking this. Honorable mention to the absolute curb stomp that was the Abyssalis Sisters and Dread vs. literally all of the heroes in Gotchard. For a relatively light and fluffy Kamen Rider series, that show can be brutal sometimes. Like I said above, the Sisters are really great villains. Favorite Dramatic Scene Dagded Dujardin's "do you even know how fucked you are?' conversation with Gira. The original leader of the Bugnarok never did much for me to begin with, but Dujardin showing up and taking Gira into an LED Wall exposition dump of how he's basically a bored god who destroys worlds for fun did such a great job of both establishing him as a villain and showing exactly how big of a challenge the team is going to have to deal with in the back half of the series. Favorite Comedic Scene It's not even a scene, really, it's a text caption. The reason why Rita was in jail after King-Ohger's time skip was so funny I had to pause the video until I could finish laughing. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment This was actually the thing that stumped me the most this year. There was a lot of odd and crazy stuff this year, but nothing that really seemed out of step with normal tokusatsu weirdness. Then I watched last week's episode of Gotchard right before this and saw Kajiki's karaoke performance and, more importantly, idol costume. That's exactly the kind of "what the hell is going on here?" headscratcher that I was looking for. Honorable mention to Gento persuading a washing machine to help him fight an alien, though. That happened. Favorite Song Zenyroku King is one of the all-time greats. If there's a Mt. Rushmore of tokusatsu opening themes it belongs up there with Gavan, Kuuga, and Savior in the Dark. Favorite Piece of Merchandise Mill Creek finally released the Ultraman Max boxset! And I still haven't watched it! Biggest Surprise of 2023 Yasunobu's abs. See GrandComplete's post. I was not expecting this dude to be that ripped. I have no idea how Blazar could make an episode about him struggling to pilot Earth Garon when g-forces should clearly be intimidated by him, not the other way around. Biggest Disappointment of 2023: Notice a show that I haven't mentioned anywhere yet? Besides Donbrothers, which only aired a few episodes this year and therefore I don't really factor into this? Kamen Rider Geats. This show... man, this show just was not for me. I lost interest very steadily over the course of the year and the final arc being based around Darth Tycoon just absolutely killed any willingness I had to continue. This is the first time I've failed to finish a modern Kamen Rider series* since I started watching in '09. * This is not counting Amazons or Black Sun, both of which I dropped because life is too short to suffer through a whole series of edgelord-y "adult" Kamen Rider. The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in Tokusatsu, 2023 Edition: Hat Guy. He has a name. I don't know what it is and I don't care, it's Hat Guy. If you've watched King-Ohger you know who I'm talking about. Fuck this guy. Fuck his stupid hat. Fuck his cultish devotion to an objectively terrible and nakedly corrupt despot. Fuck his loud and aggressive ignorance in the face of any attempt to present him with common sense or reason. Fuck his inability to differentiate a real snail taxi from a dude with a cardboard shell on his back. Fuck. This. Guy. There is a non-zero percent chance that I rename this category to "The Hat Guy Award" next year, that is how much I hate this character: arguably even more than Onari. Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024 There's a lot of promising stuff coming next year. I'm always down for more Dekaranger, so the new reunion should be fun. I'm legitimately amazed that we're getting a proper new Garo series with a real budget. The last two Sentai series have been unexpectedly great, so I'm kind of curious to see if the seemingly underwhelming Car Sentai Tire-Face-ger follows suit. All of that pales in the face of Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Regained. I've really opened my eyes to re-evaluating Faiz in the last few years, and the chance to see a continuation from the same writer and with much of the same cast has me unbelievably excited. Is it going to be a heart-wrenching tragedy that both depresses and frustrates me? Almost certainly. Still can't wait to watch it. |
12-23-2023, 05:47 PM | #8 |
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I support this decision. This dude dumped his gf for such a pathetic reason and boasted about it. Virtually everybody's wanted to punch him at some point.
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12-23-2023, 06:41 PM | #9 |
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Quote:
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Last edited by Sunred; 12-23-2023 at 07:22 PM.. |
12-23-2023, 08:26 PM | #10 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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Here we go again! Dang, this is going to be hard to choose...
Favorite New Show of 2023: I honestly can't decide between Ultraman Blazar and Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, because both have been fantastic shows. Also, an honorable mention to Kamen Rider Geats being the best Reiwa Rider season so far (even though it was last year's show)! Favorite New-to-You Show of 2023: This one could fit in the next category, but I'm going to say Sentika f8aba6 Jisariz. It was a unique short form series that had plenty of intrigue and creativity to it, alongside some fantastic suits! I'm looking forward to how it goes from here. Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2023: No competition, it's Godzilla Minus One. This is the best movie of 2023, and Shin Kamen Rider was quite high on my pick, but I just can't not put Godzilla here, especially since I went to see it twice! Easily one of my new favorite Godzilla Movies ever. Favorite Rewatch of 2023: Kamen Rider Decade('s First Two Episodes courtesy of Toei's Youtube Channel). A strange pick, but I didn't have time for much this year (though I wanted to), but seeing the start of my very first completed Rider Season was a fun trip and made me happy to have gotten into the larger world of Tokusatsu. Favorite Male Lead Character: Another tough pick, why do you do this to me? I have to pick between Gira, Gento, and Koichi. I'm honestly going to have to go with Hiruma Gento from Ultraman Blazar. It wasn't an easy pick, since Gira was a brilliant use of a "hot-blooded Red" character with a villain moniker, and Koichi was a fantastic character in Godzilla, but I think Gento won me over from being an older, more experienced person getting the role of Ultraman since he's a Captain, to his humbling of himself to his family, which gives him some nice moments with them. He has lots of heart and competence in his job that I can't help but enjoy. Favorite Female Lead Character: Rita Kaniska. Best girl of King-Ohger. She goes out of her way to conduct an investigation for a trial, has an adorable side that fits well with her serious side, and she's just a great character. Favorite Male Supporting Character: Kenji Noda from Godzilla Minus One. I can't pick between everyone from King-Ohger because I consider them all to be leads, but Noda here? I feel this guy was great, he was supportive, tried his best to conceive a plan, and cared about keeping everyone involved alive. His speech about life was especially impactful, given the movie's themes, so this man deserves his spot here. Favorite Female Supporting Character: Anri from Ultraman Blazar (I genuinely don't know which to put Rita and her, so these could be interchangeable). Early on, it seemed there was going to be much more from Emi, but Anri's episodes, especially the music episode, solidified her place on this list. She's a great character, lively and competent, but with a lot of heart to it. Favorite Villain: Hmmmmm... Kamejim? Strangely enough, I'm not putting Racles here, since I feel he's a special case in terms of "villain" that I think putting the next best candidate here works perfectly. Kamejim's manipulative, mysterious, and downright despicable, but in a Tokusatsu kind of charming way that makes it hard to not enjoy him as a villain. Best King Award: Racles Hastee. No competition here. This man if phenomenal, he kept us guessing and made us utterly despise him (except me) and then delivers the most amazing twists and foreshadowing in the series. Favorite Returning Past Character: Ultraman Z in New Generation Stars. Seeing our beloved goofball Ultra again was a delight and reacting with his superiors was even better! Favorite Actor: Masato Yano for portraying Racles Hastee. The man had the air of a king the whole way and always felt like a threat while also hiding something more at many times. Buuuuut... Masashi Ikeda was basically making Jeramie into Woz 2.0 and worked! I absolutely enjoy his charisma and energy, making him one of my favorite Extra Rangers in Sentai. Favorite Actress: Yuzuki Hirakawa for portraying Rita Kaniska in King-Ohger. The very fact that she managed to make a serious character with a goofy side and feel consistent is quite a feat. Honorable mention to Minami Hamabe for Shin Kamen Rider and Godzilla Minus One, she plays two very different characters and both of which were fantastic! Favorite Writer: Like everyone else, Minato Takano did a fantastic job on King-Ohger! Favorite Director: Kiyotaka Taguchi. As usual, Ultraman has some fantastic action, though Kin-Ohger's early episodes were a sight to behold, so points there. Also, an honorable mention to Takashi Yamazaki (who also wrote and did VFX) for Godzilla Minus One! Favorite Suit Design: Hnnnnnnnnnnnngh! King-Ohger? Blazar? Gotchard? However... There's one suit that I think wins me over that DID debut this year, and that's Geats MK IX! This suit is beautiful, with the tails, the colors, and the overall look! Though, Jisariz is a strong contender here for its intricate and creative design, that's just a joy to look at, especially in action! Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha: Earth Garon. I love this thing so much. Favorite Fight Scene: Kamen Rider Geats vs Kamen Rider Tycoon. The two fighting while also using previous buckles against each other was a such a delight, I saw it twice! Favorite Dramatic Scene: Godzilla's Atomic Ray and the aftermath. A close pick would have been Godzilla vs the Takao, where everything turns hopeless. Favorite Comedic Scene: The imagined scenes for Gira's revival after he is presumed dead. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: The new Marubeni ad. Favorite Song: Chemy X Story is very catchy and very fun, but I'm really into Bokura no Spectra, so it might just take the spot here. Favorite Piece of Merchandise: Weeeeeell... The only piece of Toku merchandise I got this year (so far) was a sufobi figure of Ultraman Blazar. Biggest Surprise of 2023: Godzilla Minus One playing in a theater near me. Biggest Disappointment of 2023: The Shin Ultraman Blu-Ray release by Cleopatra Entertainment. 3 Rereleases later and it's STILL not good... The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in Tokusatsu, 2023 Edition: So many great people passed away this year... Jiro Dan... Kenpachiro Satsuma... My dad (the latter two on the same day)... Most Anticipated Tokusatsu Project and/or Merch of 2024: Ultraman Arc sounds very intriguing, which is strange since it's just a name and possibly not even the main show, but I can't help but wonder... Also, the next Godzilla Fes short film looks to be a good one!
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