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02-09-2022, 03:04 PM | #9171 |
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Quote:
I am definitely looking forward to watching Dairanger one day! Yeah Jan is kind of annoying when compared to someone I actually really like, like Tatsuya/Satoru/the ShinkenReds but I'm afraid Ban seems pretty unassailable to me on the annoying front, I don't miss that 00s trend of the immature red!
edit: Just watched episode 2. I just realized that, in addition to being Chinese martial arts-themed, it's also kind of cat-themed. This just keeps getting better!
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Last edited by EpsilonX; 02-09-2022 at 03:39 PM.. |
02-09-2022, 08:39 PM | #9172 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
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Jetman 4-5:
Oh boy, it's already happening! Episode 4 was a solid enough little story about Kaori making a proper commitment to the team, and it also really underscores the issue at the center of this team. Bless his heart, but poor Ryuu is just so ill-suited to leading a team like this when all he knows how to do is spout typical stoic hero rhetoric about the importance of The Mission or whatever. It's an approach that would probably work a lot better if everyone else on the team was also Ryuu, but hey, at least Kaori eventually realizes he has a valid point about putting your desires aside to save others. Kind of a shame that doesn't magically fix Kaori's underdeveloped skills as a pilot, though! I didn't really expect such a complete cliffhanger this early on. And what I saw coming even less was that this was all building up to episode 5 establishing the love triangle. THE love triangle. You've got Gai going after Kaori, who's fallen for Ryuu's heroic... charm? I guess we'll call it, but of course Ryuu himself is still hung up on his dead girlfriend Rie, and the identical looking Vyram general he meets here isn't exactly helping him to move on. (Wait, with this many people involved, it's not even just a mere triangle, is it?) Honestly, it's sort of impressive how concisely this episode does manage to set up every last aspect of this thing all at once, while still doing it's deeply, deeply melodramatic plot about Kaori's legs not working because of her mental hangups about her own weakness as a warrior. And you know, she gets over it to save Ryuu, and flies her jet to combine with everyone else, so it's a pretty uplifting ending, on that level, but when you've got Gai walking off all grumpy because his primary motivation for becoming a Jetman (picking up chicks, natch) isn't working out fast enough, it's hard to ignore all the complex *drama* happening around that surprisingly straightforward narrative core. That's why it was so much fun seeing Red Hawk, Yellow Owl, and Blue Swallow hanging out as a trio for a huge chunk of the action here; it feels like you're watching Super Sentai or something!
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02-10-2022, 08:05 PM | #9173 |
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Jetman 6-7:
6 carries forward that momentum from the last episode by opening up with Gai being extra non-cooperative because he's still super jealous of Ryuu. I joke about all the *drama* in this show being a bit much, but this is probably the first episode I think totally came together for me. It's a super solid debut for the big robot, having a suitably tense premise where Ryuu has to fend off main bad guy Radiguet while stuck inside a giant monster, cut off from the rest of the team. It's hard to go wrong with that sort of superhero drama, and being Jetman, the script finds a nicely character-first angle for it, with the other four miserably failing at using Jet Icarus without Red Hawk there, which eventually leads to Gai being all like "ugh fiiiiine" and begrudgingly making a daring rescue so they can actually put up a fight. But you know, it's really Gai who saved the day, so everybody should love him for how awesome he is, especially Kaori! It's a cute way to further build a very Inoue kind of trust between Ryuu and Gai, where they're taking turns saving each other's bacon, but Gai still feels the need to make it all about himself. (House Dimension is also just a cool monster by the way. It's hard to beat the jet plane with arms, but having an evil building grow limbs to become the first opponent for the robot is equally inspired.) 7 also leveraged that romantic arc in a very successful way, but with a much more comical focus. Ryuu's grandmother showing up to try and force him to get married worked for a lot of reasons. One, I'm way into the idea of the show establishing this backstory for Ryuu. Him straight up being a good ol' boy from the country totally leans into how endearingly generic a hero he is, and it's fun watching him get pushed around by the whims of an overbearing grandparent. It's also fun that Gai is rooting for Ryuu so that he can push his rival out of the picture, even if that's no surprise from him. On top of being amusing though, there was also one particular dramatic beat I genuinely loved, when Kaori and Raita are helping with the plan to deliberately sabotage Ryuu's arranged date. It's this whole goofy skit where Raita is pretending Ryuu owes him cash (the good for nothing!), and Kaori is, of course, pretending to be his jealous lover (the two-timer!), but Kaori looks Ryuu's date in the eye, and she can immediately tell Kaori means everything she's saying, even though Kaori probably still thinks she's acting. The episode doesn't spell it out until the very end, when a typically oblivious Ryuu still doesn't take the hint, and I really respect the episode for being just subtle enough that the kids watching might be in the same boat as him.
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02-10-2022, 09:34 PM | #9174 |
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Join Date: Jan 2022
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Hey, guys! Currently watching right now are:
1. Kyoryu Sentai ZyuRanger Episode 33 2. Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive Episode 32 3. Gougou Sentai Boukenger Task 37 |
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02-11-2022, 08:49 PM | #9175 |
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 2,496
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Gekiranger episode 4
I've realized that I'm not that great at analyzing things episode-by-episode, I generally just prefer to give a few thoughts about each one. Anyways, when they showed the Five Venoms (Shaw Bros reference?) 4 episodes in, I was worried that the series would fall victim to early power creep. I'm happy that the Gekirangers lost pretty easily, but there's still a chance that they do special training and beat the enemy's most elite soldiers within the next few episodes. I guess we'll see? Side note, I really hate that fly monster who gives commentary during the mech fights.
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02-11-2022, 09:28 PM | #9176 |
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Jetman 8-9:
8 is the first episode not written by Inoue, and you can kind of tell. It's an amusing enough script from Kenichi Araki about a diamond monster driving people crazy with greed, including Ako, but the thing is, the plot is *about* that. There's nothing even resembling an attempt at more grounded/soap-opera-y human drama. No real fleshing out of any of the characters, beyond Kaori dropping the polite speech again, but unlike the first time that happened, it's played for comedy here. And granted, it is a pretty funny scene! I sort of don't hate how Kaori's solution to a monster exploiting humanity's materialistic nature is to use her immense fortune to buy a ton of jewels to dump on Ako until she snaps out of it. The only thing that can beat greed is more greed, apparently! So not only is there no deeper drama, there's not really a lesson or anything either. All in all, I had a good time with this one, but it's certainly not a very Jetman-y episode of Jetman. 9 maybe isn't either, being written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki, but it might be my favorite episode of the series to this point anyway? It's an extremely endearing focus episode for Raita, with a lot of smart little details that end up tying the whole package together so cleanly. You've got a fashion-themed monster causing chaos by putting people in outfits that make them act like someone they aren't, and at first, I figured that was only going to be another cute concept for a villain, like last time, but it's actually super thematically relevant on top of that. You see, because the story is all about Raita going on a date with this childhood crush of his, who shows up wearing fancy clothes and trying to seem as high class as possible, even though that's not who she is underneath the outfit. And those two things of course come smashing together for a really exciting climax that also plays off an earlier flashback to Raita's childhood. Honestly, I could sit here praising this one for quite a while. Raita is inherently a fun character simply for being that classic kind of Yellow (he even asks for curry here!), but the episode itself seriously impressed me. It's not necessarily a great Jetman episode, but it's a pretty fantastic Super Sentai episode, I think.
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02-11-2022, 10:34 PM | #9177 |
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Location: CA
Posts: 2,496
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Quote:
Jetman 8-9:
8 is the first episode not written by Inoue, and you can kind of tell. It's an amusing enough script from Kenichi Araki about a diamond monster driving people crazy with greed, including Ako, but the thing is, the plot is *about* that. There's nothing even resembling an attempt at more grounded/soap-opera-y human drama. No real fleshing out of any of the characters, beyond Kaori dropping the polite speech again, but unlike the first time that happened, it's played for comedy here. And granted, it is a pretty funny scene! I sort of don't hate how Kaori's solution to a monster exploiting humanity's materialistic nature is to use her immense fortune to buy a ton of jewels to dump on Ako until she snaps out of it. The only thing that can beat greed is more greed, apparently! So not only is there no deeper drama, there's not really a lesson or anything either. All in all, I had a good time with this one, but it's certainly not a very Jetman-y episode of Jetman. 9 maybe isn't either, being written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki, but it might be my favorite episode of the series to this point anyway? It's an extremely endearing focus episode for Raita, with a lot of smart little details that end up tying the whole package together so cleanly. You've got a fashion-themed monster causing chaos by putting people in outfits that make them act like someone they aren't, and at first, I figured that was only going to be another cute concept for a villain, like last time, but it's actually super thematically relevant on top of that. You see, because the story is all about Raita going on a date with this childhood crush of his, who shows up wearing fancy clothes and trying to seem as high class as possible, even though that's not who she is underneath the outfit. And those two things of course come smashing together for a really exciting climax that also plays off an earlier flashback to Raita's childhood. Honestly, I could sit here praising this one for quite a while. Raita is inherently a fun character simply for being that classic kind of Yellow (he even asks for curry here!), but the episode itself seriously impressed me. It's not necessarily a great Jetman episode, but it's a pretty fantastic Super Sentai episode, I think.
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02-12-2022, 09:10 PM | #9178 |
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Join Date: Feb 2019
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I'm hoping to add Zen in April. In the meantime I can watch Kira while I wait.
To Q and Nin are in good shape as is Zyu Oh actually. Also Lu Pat as well so I lucked out.
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Currently watching Galaxy Man - Aba and To Quger - Don Bros. on DVD. |
02-13-2022, 12:07 PM | #9179 |
The Immortal King Tasty
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Jetman 10-11:
The ultimate monster finally arrives in 10, when Naruhisa Arakawa's first ever Sentai script blesses the world with the existence of Noodle Dimension, also known by his seemingly benevolent alias, God Ramen. Is it any wonder this man went on to write some of the most beloved Sentai series ever made after this? What a delightfully wacky episode. It consciously shifts the focus away from the main cast, and on to a nerdy kid obsessed with cup noodles, with his (probably really unhealthy) obsession with Ako being the tenuous connection back to the title characters. They just aren't what matters here though, and I'm not complaining, because watching this guy and his new monster friend launch a highly successful noodle empire (complete with an ad on TV!) makes for a ridiculously entertaining first act, and I do mean ridiculous. It feels much more in line with the kind of monster plots that have become standard for Sentai in recent decades, and yet, it's not totally out of line for Jetman, either. It's been well established by now that part of the Vyram shtick is how much they genuinely resent humanity for its flaws, so there's a ~vaguely~ satirical bent to the idea of this scheme taking advantage of people's desire to have food that's the cheapest and fastest possible, exposing us for how impatient we truly are. ...Or whatever! It's not that important. What is important is how fun this one is from start to finish. It's unabashedly nonsensical, but also thoughtfully constructed by an up-and-coming writer full of potential. 11 continues the parade of guest writers with Kunio Fujii taking a stab at Jetman, and while it's tough to follow up on Arakawa's utter brilliance, I appreciate what this one is going for in its own right. You've got a vending machine monster tricking the team into drinking juice that alters their personalities, but the episode tries to get a little deeper than just the comedic potential of a Jetman that's all mixed up. And don't get me wrong, it is pretty amusing seeing Gai as a sensitive team player, or a totally lethargic Ryuu half a second away from a nap at any given moment; heck, it's even more fun thanks to the twist on this formula that everyone keeps flopping back and forth the whole time. But I really like the angle the story takes that, rather than just some arbitrary change, or even a simple opposite day sort of deal, like it probably comes off at first, it's explicitly stated that these are all very real sides of the characters' personalities that are just buried way down deep normally. That gives it all some substance, you know? It gets you thinking about the cast a little more, and it all lands on a really nice beat about how people can be complicated, and how that's all part of being human. There are some particular bits of this one's execution I didn't think were the greatest, but viewed overall, I came away liking it more than I expected. Quote:
I hope you enjoy Gekiranger, by the way. That show is one of my favorites, so it's always nice to see people giving it a shot.
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02-13-2022, 06:24 PM | #9180 |
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Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 2,448
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Currently Watching
Galaxy Man (Episode 18) Go Go 5 (Episode 10) Time Ranger (Pink Temptation) Growl Ranger (Episode 04) Hurri (Episode 16) Aba (Episode 23) Bouken (Episode 41) Kyo (Episode 21) To Qu (Episode 18) Nin (Episode 24) Zyu Oh (Episode 16) Kyu (Episode 12) Lu Pat (Episode 09) Kira (Episode 09) Zen (Episode 01) - Due To Start
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Currently watching Galaxy Man - Aba and To Quger - Don Bros. on DVD. Last edited by wentwood; 02-13-2022 at 06:28 PM.. |
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