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01-05-2021, 07:53 PM | #391 |
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dont go into all of the great details my dumb dumb brain missed those last three times and definitely dont expect me to follow along and talk about every episode too nope never
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01-05-2021, 09:37 PM | #392 |
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Dino (Super)Charge Pre-Show Preamble Dino Charge is a season that I never really understood the popularity of. Again, not to say it's bad by any stretch. I infact like alot of aspects of it. But I've seen many cite it as some sort of golden standard. Whether it be for the Neo-Saban Era or even for the franchise as a whole. And whenever I ask about it, the answers I get are either things that other seasons have already done better(in my opinion), or the single sentence of "It was a step up from Super Mega Force." Which I mean like... yeah, it is, but so is literally every other season? That aside, if you love Dino Charge, that's great! No, really! I am in no way trying to look down upon anyone who loves any part of this franchise I hold dear. As for me, the things I really liked in Dino Charge mainly have to do with the character interactions. The actors all played off eachother really well, and once "Super" rolled around I felt the villain dynamics got alot better with the inclusion of Heckyl and Snide. The comedic aspects were also done fairly decently too(special mention to "The Tooth Hurts" for being a really funny episode). It also gave me one of my favorite Rangers: Philip! One big aspect of my favorite episodes though, of which I feel I haven't been too clear on, is the rewatch factor I got by binging alongside that aforementioned friend of mine. I really wanna try to get you guys to understand how we went about viewing specific episodes and the injokes therein, which, well, it's really hard to do without ACTUALLY watching it alongside you too, ya know? But, I will try. And to that friend of mine, if you're lurking and reading this right now, you already knew way ahead which episode I was gonna highlight here. How could it be anything other than... Episode 13: Sync or Swim also known as "Micro-Dick Tyler" Now, to preface this, remember when starting this I stated that this whole thing was about my personal favorite episodes, and not those that are "~objectively~" the best the given season has to offer. Speaking of personal favorites Dino Charge's' theme song totally slaps, jus' sayin'. The set-up for this episode is that Tyler and Ivan need to learn to work together in order to stop the latest plan of Sledge's' crew. But in reality it's about Tyler being insecure and petty to the point of annoying Ivan to no end. We start of with Wrench coming up with... actually probably one of the smartest plans a Ranger villain has ever come up with: Plant a bomb in the trunk of the Red Ranger's' car, then just sit back and wait for it to go off. Thus killing him, if not the entire team, all in one go. Meanwhile, as the Dinosaur Museum begins to prepare for a public event, Tyler once again tries to put the moves on Shelby, only for her to real quick see what he's trying to do and have none of that. Tyler then tries to flex his car to a nearby kid, only to have all the attention stolen from him when Ivan rides up on horseback in a suit of armor, which causes Shelby to offer to take him shopping for a new wardrobe so he doesn't stand out so much. Really this whole sequence, alongside the rest of this episode, makes Tyler, who had so far been characterized as caring, adventurous, and the leader, look like someone who's actually just desperate to be the center of attention, and can't stand when someone else is getting more of it than him. But what really sold the entire scene for me and my bud was this: Our reactions were as follows. "Oh my god dude did you see that friggen twirl he did!?" "Yeah he was all like. "Fine, you go shopping with the pretty boy! I'm gonna go hang with WAY COOLER FRIENDS!! HMPH!!!"" "He has other friends??" It was a good time. Also of note, Ivan in no way directly stole anything from Tyler, nor intended to, but Tyler takes it that way anyway, as seen in the very next scene where Ivan and Shelby show up with Ivan wearing the coat that Tyler tried to impress Shelby with. Man am I glad I never got into fashion. Tyler then proceeds to take advantage of Ivan's' old style chivalry like so: Which in turn lead to one of my favorite things my friend has ever said ever. "OH MY GOD YOU PETTY, SMALL-DICKED, LOSER!!!" I was dying outright when that got blurted out, because it was just such an outburst from a guy who doesn't get super emotive too often. We nearly had to pause the episode because we from then on just kept rolling out these various jokes and scenarios where Tyler, almost Rita Repulsa style, began to have it out for anyone who so much as mildly inconvenienced him. And we still make jokes about it to this day! While the episode seems to want to portray Tyler and Ivan as being equally as petty towards one another, the fact that Tyler has done way more wrong than what Ivan has really only makes it seem like, well, Tyler is just being a jealous jerk and Ivan is responding in kind. Defending himself. When Wrench and the Monster of the Week do finally get discovered, this leads into the action sequence of the episode, where Tyler gets smacked around a bit before being saved by Ivan, which causes Tyler to admit defeat. Now, I think what the scene is trying to do is having both characters be more humble towards eachother, but to me it makes way more sense to see it as Ivan seeing that Tyler learned that he can't be Number 1 all the time. So Ivan simply throws Tyler a bone and says "well you're the Red Ranger so atleast be proud of that." With the two working together a new Megazord formation is unlocked and the monster is defeated. But, again, major props here, for the one and only time ever that Sledge has a good idea: Use the Magna-Beam on the bomb so that way the Rangers can't move it. This leads to a cool sequence where the Megazord takes the bomb in hand and yeets it at Sledge's' spaceship. The episode ends with Tyler and Ivan having found a new appreciation for eachother, with Tyler buying Ivan a new jacket and Ivan treating Tyler to dinner. Oh, and they take a selfie together which means they're officially a couple now. Now kiss! I'm kidding about the two being in love of course, and I gotta say, major props to the show for promoting platonic intimacy amongst friends and guys being allowed to compliment eachother's' looks. Speaking of LGBT relations though, fun bit of side trivia: According to Michael Taber, the actor who plays Riley, Riley is actually gay and has a thing for Chase. And if that's true, boy is that shown literally nowhere in the show! Well, except maybe in that last screenshot, where he does look rather jelly about the selfie they're taking. Overall, this episode probably isn't going to be anyone else's' "Best Dino Charge Episode" but man, for me personally? This simple glimpse into Tyler's' more negative aspects lead to alot of enjoyment and, ironically, actually gave me more to like about Tyler's' character. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot, but it's alot of fun, and that's equally, if not even more important. After-Show Bonus If you're a fan of Dino Charge, and you want a good look into the production of the show as well as other various bits of trivia about it, I highly recommend checking out the official YouTube channel of Brennan Mejia, the actor for Tyler. He's been doing his own breakdowns of each episode and I find them really interesting to watch! You can listen to a live watch/reaction of this episode by me and Name HERE.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 12-26-2022 at 10:59 AM.. |
01-06-2021, 05:30 AM | #393 |
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If there’s one thing I take away from this episode, it’s “Let us make the face of ducks”.
I also have to wonder how they thought a colourful monster with huge collar was decided as “the stealth expert monster” by the production team. (Yeah he has smoke powers, but they seem more like a random power than a motif defining power. |
01-06-2021, 06:18 AM | #394 |
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I also have to wonder how they thought a colourful monster with huge collar was decided as “the stealth expert monster” by the production team. (Yeah he has smoke powers, but they seem more like a random power than a motif defining power.
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01-06-2021, 09:46 PM | #395 |
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Mega Force Pre-Show Preamble Yes, you read that right. I like Mega Force more than Dino Charge. It has better villains, more memorable characters(even if they are more basic), and is all around just alot more fun for me to watch. One thing Mega Force is often criticized for is, due to taking a show that was originally 50 episodes and cutting it down to 20, the Rangers get new power-ups "every episode." Which, while yes, they do get them quite often, it is not infact, "every" episode. Also "power-ups" is technically incorrect since it's mainly new Zords, but I digress. But here's the thing... even if it were every episode, I actually supported what Mega Force was doing in that aspect. Because to me, it seemed like a simple but effective setup: New problem arises that requires a new life lesson being taught, the focus Ranger of the episode learns said lesson, a new toy is rewarded, and the day is saved. This is in no way a bad set up in my eyes. It not only introduces something new and cool every week, but has our characters continue to grow as people all throughout the season. I've found that alot of the aspects I like most in Mega Force are mainly thanks to writer James W. Bates, who, based on what I've read, had a very different vision for the show as a whole back when it was originally just going to focus on adapting Goseiger. After Gokaiger was thrown in and alot of other behind-the-scenes shenanigans though, he was relegated to handing only a handful of aspects on the show. The most notable of which being Robo Knight. Jake might be my personal favorite of the crew, but there's no denying that the character that went through the absolute most growth is Robo Knight, and that's who we're focusing on today with today's' episode. Episode 18: The Human Condition Despite James W. Bates being the one in charge of everything Robo Knight, this episode was actually written by David McDermott; Bates serves as the editor. We start off with a scene of Malkor emerging from his cocoon, reinvigorated and ready to lay waste to the Rangers with his newfound power. Meanwhile, the real star of this episode, Robo Knight, decides to go people watching at the park, in an attempt to better understand humans. What proceeds is a pretty humorous string of events where Robo Knight asks each Ranger about specific aspects of humanity. He asks Troy(who is doing karate in the park for no reason) why humans cry, and Troy gives a simple "idk ask my bff emma." When Emma says that tears and comfort can be born of love, Robo Knight totally ditches her mid-sentence to ask Gia about love(first to reference Haddaway loses). Gia sarcastically remarks that Robo Knight should ask Jake, which results in my favorite line/scene in the whole season: "There is nothing I can learn from him." Again, just like the line from Vekar in Super, I was out and out dead when I first heard that. Quick side tangent here: You guys ever notice that everyone in this show totally hates Jake for no reason? Like even in this episode everyone totally rags on the guy with very little provocation. This is apparently leftovers from Bates' original concept, where he wanted Jake to be someone super self-interested to the point of wanting to market himself and make money off of being a superhero, thus leading to the rest of the team working on knocking him down a peg. Did I mention that this episode is really funny yet? Because it is. When Robo Knight reaches Noah, Noah mentions that human psychology is something people have written about for hundreds of years, so it's not like--aaannd Robo Knight is out the door and off to read every book at the local library. I like the touch of everyone being afraid of Robo Knight too. It makes sense considering all of the recent robot attacks by Vrak, ontop of the Robo-Racism we see come SPD's' time. Another aspect I've always really liked, both in this season and in SMF, is the villains, despite their silliness, being portrayed as a powerful and oppressive force. It's a fine balance that not many seem to be able to pull off effectively. Dino Charge certainly didn't, atleast. But, Mega Force managed to do it and kept up the momentum, even with two show's' worth of stock footage to sift through. The attack by Malkor is properly bombastic and intense, and he manages to beat the team down with little effort. Also shout outs to another simplistic yet pretty effective plan: Just ramming the spaceship directly into the city, since they know the ship can take it. Everything else though? Not so much. But all of that's not really important though, because meanwhile, Robo Knight bonds with a kid over music! I joke but it actually is a pretty sweet scene, and I just can't help but get a laugh and love the implication that Robo Knight and this kid are just totally oblivious to literally everything going on right outside. City being vaporized? Eh, we got sick tunes to listen to! This episode is also the debut of the Ultra Gosei Great Megazord, whose origin is a simple matter of throwing out literally everything the team has at that point. And hey, it works! Malkor is defeated, Robo Knight learns more about life and passion, and the Earth is safe for another day. Like I've said about the SMF episode I've covered, is this a perfect episode by any stretch? No, but it has enough going for it that I ended up enjoying it overall, and it served as yet another great step in Robo Knight's' arc. Special shout out to the similarly named yet totally different episode "The Human Factor." Another one I rather like! Oh yeah, and Robo Knight raps at the end. You groan, but he has legit better rhymes than I do. After-Show Bonus If you want some insight on the show that could have been, I recommend reading this article. It makes me really wish that we had gotten a Goseiger adaptation headed by Bates as a celebration of the 20th year of Power Rangers, and a separate Gokaiger adaptation as a celebration of the 20th series/entry of Power Rangers.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 01-26-2021 at 09:46 PM.. |
01-06-2021, 11:05 PM | #396 |
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After-Show Bonus If you want some insight on the show that could have been, I recommend reading this article. It makes me really wish that we had gotten a Goseiger adaptation headed by Bates as a celebration of the 20th year of Power Rangers, and a separate Gokaiger adaptation as a celebration of the 20th series/entry of Power Rangers. Sorry about that long tangent I just REALLY am dissapointed in this show. It was the one that made me stop watching PR
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01-07-2021, 07:38 AM | #397 |
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Y'know this is probably never going to happen considering Megaforce reputation but I think a Boom Studio Megaforce Comic with James W. Bates serving as head writer would imo solve all of the show problems. Gives more time with the characters and actually seeing thier original story arcs and personality. Explaning all of the powers in the show ESPECIALLY the Pre-Zyu teams. And the overall not having to shove 100 episodes worth of Sentai footage in only 40 episodes. Or Tzachor breathing down his neck wanting more fight scenes over anything else.
At the very least, some of the Pre-Zyu teams have been getting expanded upon in said comics. Rather liked the look into Supersonic, brief as it was. Still disappointed that they chose original designs for the Omega Rangers rather than using the Dairanger suits though. Quote:
Sorry about that long tangent I just REALLY am dissapointed in this show. It was the one that made me stop watching PR
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01-07-2021, 10:42 AM | #398 |
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Mystic Force Pre-Show Preamble To make a comparison to the Toku franchise my friend loves most, Mystic Force is very much the Faiz of the Power Rangers franchise to me. What I mean by that is, with Faiz, I really dug the first two acts, but then the third act hit and, well, let's just say I wasn't much of a fan. With Mystic Force it's the same way. I really like the first two thirds of the show, but then good ol' Disney higher-ups came in and cut the episode count down from it's originally planned 40 to 32 at the last minute, resulting in some very rushed pacing among other issues the last act has. "The Light" is the episode where things start to roll downhill, unfortunately. Despite that though, I always look at Mystic Force fondly. The effects, for the time, were pretty good and creative; Something sort of required in a magic-focused season. The sets and costumes, while not as out and out amazing as the ones in SPD, were still dynamic and nice to look at. And, my issues with how some characters turn out aside, the dynamic and interactions between said characters were all done rather well! And in today's episode that's what we'll be primarily focusing on. Character relations and interactions, mainly between what I consider the two of the Best Trio that Mystic Force has to offer: Chip and Vida. (If you're curious, the third of the Best Trio is Koragg.) The friendship between Chip and Vida is one that I appreciated for alot of reasons. First off, they remain completely platonic throughout the entirety of the show's' run, something not often seen in media, which typically force relationships between men and women because hey, they can't just simply be friends! Second, both characters in and of themselves are extremely likeable. Chip with his goofy but good-hearted personality, which plays off perfectly against Vida's' more rebellious but still caring level-headed demeanor. Heck, Vida actually was my favorite Pink Ranger until Ranger Slayer happened, and Chip is easily my second favorite Yellow Ranger. And that's why whenever I think of Mystic Force, the following episode is always the one that pops into my head: Episodes 8+9: Stranger Within Okay yeah, I am technically cheating with this one since it's a two parter, so if you think it shouldn't count, then go watch the third episode, "Code Busters" instead, since it lays down alot of groundwork for this two-parter and is the episode that got me hooked into the show. Also quick and fun side bit before we get into the plot, Mystic Force's' theme song has always been controversial, so as we were loading up the first episode, the following conversation happened between my bud and I: Me: Oh man I can't wait for you to hear this theme song. Him: Well SPD's' was really good so yeah man this should be a blast. *the first few notes of the song play* Him: Oh yeah this is pretty goo- Song: HERE COME THE POWER RANGERS! Him: *sits in stunned silence for the remainder of the song.* Hahahaha, love it. Me personally? I like the theme song! Is it out of place in a Harry Potter inspired show? Yeah, but the song itself is catchy, and I still find myself humming it every now and then to this day. What's the set-up? Leelee invites Nick, Xander, and Vida to see a new talent in town, DJ Fly, whos's apparently the hottest new thing. Nick, being an abrasive douche like always, tells Leelee to buzz off, and that they're busy. But Vida, being a DJ herself, is interested, and opts to go anyway, despite her obligations as a Power Ranger. The next day, Vida is notably more abrasive and aggressive than usual, showing off a new pose, and even going so far as to take on a group of Hidiacs herself. Everyone is impressed except for Chip, who notices that something is really wrong with this entire situation. Koragg then shows up, and one thing that's always great about Koragg, other than just being a really cool character in general, is that the fight scenes involving him are always the best in the show with cool spells, great choreography, and I mean really, who doesn't love a good Anti-Paladin? The fight is cut short though when the light of the sun causes Vi to collapse. Thankfully, the Rangers are able to put two and two together enough to realize something must've happened at the party. Remember how I criticized Overdrive for having Dax be the first one to have suspicions about Mack's' photo? Well in this situation, having Chip be the first one to notice something is off makes sense, because it falls perfectly in line with his quirks rather than despite them. He's the one who puts together that Vi has been turned into a vampire thanks to him being part of a vampire hunting club, because really why wouldn't the dude who runs around playing superhero with glee be a part of one? And him being the first to notice how different Vi is helps to further highlight the close bond that the two actually have. When Chip and Vi go to investigate DJ Fly, I like how Chip is able to resist the hypnotic song by pointing out he thinks Vi's' music is better, and I also like how without out and out saying it, the show, well, shows us that it's not the song that turns people into vampires, but rather hypnotizes them, thus leaving them open for Necrolai or Flytrap to bite and turn. Also Flytrap(the monster) sucks blood from the victims. Gross, but in the best way. Chip tries, but ultimately fails in rescuing the people at the party. Afterward, we get one of my favorite scenes in the season, which goes into Vi and Chip's' backstory a bit, and Vida telling Chip that, if it comes between her and everyone else, Chip should choose everyone else. Chip isn't down with that idea, and proclaims he'll fight for his friends until his last breath. It's really touching, and is probably the scene that cemented these two as part of my favorite Trio from the season. (Koragg had been decided beforehand.) When it comes to the rest of the team, I like how Madison's' interest in film-making and video recording comes in great use here, as Vi not showing up on video gets the team to believe Chip about Vi being a vampire. And it's another point to how I never understood why fans claim Madison never gets to do anything. Does she have less focus than the others? Yes, but that's not to say she has none. She has alot of standout moments through the show, and I feel that this is one of them. The fight at the end is really cool, and can I take this time to mention just how cool the Titan Megazord is? Because man it's an awesome design, and all the cool stuff that it gets to do really helps to sell it too. In this fight alone we have the spell that shoots out a flurry of blades at Flytrap. In the end of Part 1, it's revealed that Vi isn't cured, due to her not being able to cross a circle made of Vampire Chalk. I love the subtle foreshadowing with Leelee done here, with her backing off the second Chip whips the chalk out. Part 2 starts off really strong. As soon as the team figures out that Nick is able to contact Koragg the same way Koragg has been calling to him, who's the first to rush off? Chip. And I love the funny little turnaround of Claire actually being the one to keep Vida contained, and it's high-and-mighty Xander who falls for Vi's' trick to get out of the chalk circle. Udonna had great foresight as a mentor, gathering up the ingredients for the Dawn Crystal upon realizing Necrolai had turned Vi. And another great Madison moment here; Even though she's doing her best to hold it together, you can tell this whole situation is really getting to her, considering Vi is her sister and all. She even tears up. Props to Melanie Vallejo for being able to pull that off! Chip opts to stay behind and forge the crystal while everyone else hunts for Vi and Necrolai. And you can tell while he's mixing that he loves this stuff, haha. When Vida arrives the next day without a scratch, yet again, who's the first to recognize something is off? Chip. Without being blatant about it, Chip shows visible confusion about Vi very clearly not recognizing the pose he does. Man I love that posing is a legitimate plot point in a Toku show! Also acid apples. That's surprisingly hardcore. When Necrolai appears and the fight breaks out, Chip goes after Necrolai himself while the rest of the team tries their best to detain a possessed Vida. I love the change-up in Vida's' usual fighting style here, with her using her staff more like an axe, rather than throwing around tornado spells like how she normally does. Once the Dawn Crystal is prepped, Necrolai opts to use Vida as a shield, presenting Chip with a cruel choice: Either fire, taking down Necrolai, but also likely killing his best friend in the process, or hold off, leaving Necrolai and Vi to wreck havoc. I've made it known that I'm a huge sucker for Power of Friendship moments, especially when they're out and out earned, and Mystic Force most certainly earns its moment here. Chip's' belief in Vida manages to break her free of Necrolai's' hypnosis long enough for the team to put Necrolai down, and even unlock an awesome new finisher for the Titan Megazord! The episode ends with a great hook for future episodes, that being the connection between Leelee and Necrolai. Overall, many fans point to Dark Wish as being the best multi-parter in the show, but for me? Stranger Within has it all. Great action, good acting, an engaging plot, and wonderful character dynamics. It's a perfect example of almost everything the season has to offer, and I love it. After-Show Bonus If you're not really a fan of Mystic Force's' theme song, Ron Wasserman actually made a song for the show himself which is alot better, but got rejected due to Disney really wanting a rap song because hey, the kids, they listen to the rap music. Check it out.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 01-26-2021 at 09:56 PM.. |
01-07-2021, 11:08 AM | #399 |
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This is one two-parter that stood out to me when I first watched it. I liked the idea of a main hero turning into a monster. (So much that I kind of ripped off this episode for my own fanfiction, wherein the monster for the chapter was a bat woman accompanied by a rapping fly, who were turning denizens of their club into monsters to drain their energy. Though I did salvage the basic inspiration for a later arc that was more original).
One hing someone pointed out: the Rangers fight a wolfman, a vampire and a cyborg on a regular basis, but Vi being a vampire is apparently too ridiculous to be real? |
01-07-2021, 11:21 AM | #400 |
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Also that fanfic scenario of yours sounds like alot of fun.
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