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03-09-2021, 01:19 PM | #21 |
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In Zenkaiger's defense, it seems like it could be a good starter Sentai so far. Like, I think a lot of people will agree that Gokaiger, regardless of your opinion on its quality, isn't a good way to start, nor Zi-O for KR, due to how much they rely on tributes that can only be appreciated by people who have watched other Sentai.
But Zenkaiger focuses more on the powers and style of other Sentai. It's a cool way to compile them in to a big exhibition so that people can go "hey, those animal guys look cool, I'll check them out!". Furthermore, unlike the Gokaigers, the Zenkaigers are heroic from the start and I think it's important to remind the audience about the true meaning of justice and heroism. Gokaiger takes a long time to teach that lesson but Zenkaiger is making that the center of its story. I think this is the Sentai that people need to see. But I respect your opinion. |
03-09-2021, 01:27 PM | #22 |
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Guys, I hate to say it, but I was thoroughly underwhelmed by this premiere.
Maybe it's because I've been so tuned in to the pre-release rumors and whatnot, which means literally nothing was a surprise, but I don't really think that's all of it. I just can't help but compare it to the premiere of Gokaiger, which thoroughly blew me away. This, by comparison, felt small. The action felt weak. The budget seems crazy low for a huge anniversary show. The fears I had about the bulkiness of the mech-ranger suits were fully realized. And I get MAJOR Deathgalian/Gangler vibes from the villains (which is to say, they are generic af). I truly, truly hate being a bummer about the start of any Sentai show. I just... ugh... I was so pumped for this, and what we got was weaker than either of Komura's previous premiere episodes for Zyuohger and Lupato. Obviously this is just episode one, and I'm not going to judge a 48 episode series based solely on its premiere. But nevertheless, I have a bad feeling about Zenkaiger that I just can't shake. It feels more focused, it really showcases the personalities of our heroes and is just really, really funny. On the villains, they're both meh in the first episode, but at least I got the feeling they aren't just jokes in suits like the Zangiak were. I'm actually really exited for this.
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03-09-2021, 02:43 PM | #23 |
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Honest opinion, I feel the complete opposite. Gokaiger is still mostly fresh in my mind and it certainly didn't leave as much as a mark on me like this. Sure, it was flashier, but beyond that, eh?
It feels more focused, it really showcases the personalities of our heroes and is just really, really funny. On the villains, they're both meh in the first episode, but at least I got the feeling they aren't just jokes in suits like the Zangiak were. I'm actually really exited for this. I'm not going to deny that Zenkaiger has the OTT absurdity down pat. It's... everything else I have a problem with (so far). Aesthetics/Designs: It turns out, after seeing them in motion, I'm not a fan of these mech-ranger suit aesthetics, at all. I was excited by the idea of mech-ranger suits that upended the tradition of all-spandex rangers, and if they looked like, I dunno, Ryuuseioh from Dairanger or KishiRyuOh or Kiramazin or the Jusho Fighters from Kakuranger, I would have been SOOO on board. But these designs are unreasonably bulky and juvenile -- they literally look like those cartoony Playskool Megazords that get released every so often. And don't get me wrong, I don't hate it when Sentai leans into the juvenile side of things (like, I love ToQger). These designs are just not doing it for me, and I really wish they didn't transform at all, because I like their streamlined civilian designs far, far better. (I do unreservedly love Zenakaiser's design, though.) Comedy/Drama Balance: I know it's just the first episode, but this premiere leans heavily on the humor and does not balance it with anything remotely dramatic. It relied so heavily on comedy that it reminded me of Carranger... a series I dislike for similar comedy/drama imbalances. Let me specify that I loves me some Sentai comedy. It just can't be the only thing. And so far, Zenkaiger appears primarily interested in laughs, and that's a shame. Action: The martial arts action in Sentai has taken a steady downward turn since Hirofumi Fukuzawa took over the action directing in Go-Busters, and this is yet another uninspired outing from him, made worse by the cumbersome nature of the Zenkaiger suits. Gone are the days of complex single-take action sequences, dynamic camera moves, dramatic cutting between super-wide shots and close ups, intricate fight choreo, and interesting filming locations. These days, the action is so focused on featuring the toys, and the budget is so low, that it fails to do a lot of the cool things it used to be so good at. Lately, the action is comprised almost entirely of static medium shots (with the occasional, jarring drone cam footage), and it all takes place in either nondescript city courtyards or the infamous rock quarry. Like, if the action filmmaking can't be as cinematic and experimental as it used to be, why can't these people take a cue from Kamen Rider and at least shoot said uninspired action in cool locations? Overall, I feel like Zenkaiger is not giving me what I love about Sentai. But again, this is only the first episode, and my mind is still very open. I'm just no longer on board the Zenkai train. Which is CRAZY because just a week ago I was so hyped for it. It feels so strange being in this position, as I'm usually the one defending a Sentai premiere from its critics. Alas, here we are... Last edited by Kamen Rider Lucha; 03-09-2021 at 03:46 PM.. |
03-09-2021, 02:54 PM | #24 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Well, that was definitely the first episode of a Super Sentai series. I didn't hate it, but it definitely reminded me of several of the reasons why I don't watch Sentai anymore. I'll probably try to give it a few more episodes, but this just isn't my franchise anymore.
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03-09-2021, 03:05 PM | #25 |
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Funny enough, I prefer my Sentai more on the comedic side, which is kinda obvious given my favorite is Go-Onger. Primary, as paradoxically as that might sound, comedic Sentai often are just better at drama. It's way easier and more natural to ramp up the drama instead of slow down into silly filler. The contrast also helps a lot with making the drama hit better.
Honestly, most Sentai that try to go for something more dramatic, like Shinkenger and Go-Buster often fall flat because their story and characters have to do most of the heavy lifting than individual episode plots.
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03-09-2021, 03:33 PM | #26 |
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Funny enough, I prefer my Sentai more on the comedic side, which is kinda obvious given my favorite is Go-Onger. Primary, as paradoxically as that might sound, comedic Sentai often are just better at drama. It's way easier and more natural to ramp up the drama instead of slow down into silly filler. The contrast also helps a lot with making the drama hit better.
Honestly, most Sentai that try to go for something more dramatic, like Shinkenger and Go-Buster often fall flat because their story and characters have to do most of the heavy lifting than individual episode plots. And TBH, the comedy thing wouldn’t be bothering me if either the designs or the action had been more impressive to me. I need two of those three elements in order to fully enjoy a show. So far, I’m getting zero out of three, and one of those — the design — is pretty much set in stone, so the action and comedy/drama balance are going to need to step up to the plate to make me like this show. I'm also fully aware, after having watched 25 Sentai shows, that it often takes 15-20 episodes for a Sentai to get good. Some of my favorite Sentai were mediocre-to-bad in their first half, so I'm definitely sticking around at least until ep 20, good or bad. I'm just not usually so turned off by the designs and action as I am here, so in those cases, I at least had something to sustain my interest until the shows found their footing. Last edited by Kamen Rider Lucha; 03-09-2021 at 03:57 PM.. |
03-09-2021, 04:12 PM | #27 |
Dai Shogun
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Location: Germany
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I just watched it, and this was probably among my least favorite first episodes? Like, ever? I didn't enjoy anything going on here. It was super cramped full of... well nothing really. There was nothing for me to like here.
Also the OP song is weak as hell. |
03-09-2021, 04:41 PM | #28 |
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Join Date: Jun 2018
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This had such a wonderful energy to it; just enthused with so much joy and wonder. Looking forward to this season a LOT more already, and I was already hyped!
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03-09-2021, 04:46 PM | #29 |
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Well, that was definitely the first episode of a Super Sentai series. I didn't hate it, but it definitely reminded me of several of the reasons why I don't watch Sentai anymore. I'll probably try to give it a few more episodes, but this just isn't my franchise anymore.
While I have watched multiple Sentai in their entirety between them (Kyoryu, LuPat, etc), those two have been the most recent where I was genuinely excited to see the next episode. I can't really put my finger on it, but it seems so many Sentai land on that special level of blandness where it's so uninteresting that I drop it not because it's bad, but because I just can't be assed to even bother remembering to watch it. I do so want this series to be good.
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03-09-2021, 07:37 PM | #30 |
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Man, I really love Junko Koumura's writing. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's got her quirks, for sure – I fully expect to forget about at least a half dozen seemingly innocuous lines of dialogue early on that turn out to be important foreshadowing for future reveals, for one thing. But that's all part of the fun, you know? And this show is looking like it will be plenty of fun for me. This certainly isn't a premiere that wastes any time, and yet it also does a remarkable job trying not to overstuff itself, I thought. A pretty succinct introduction of the bad guys' scheme quickly gives way to a strong focus on introducing the absolute bare essentials of what can technically constitute a Sentai. All five of them are here (blink and you'll miss Gaon though), but the show takes the pretty extreme measure of only giving two of the team any real time in the spotlight to keep the story as light on its feet as possible. It's not totally unprecedented to leave some members out at first, but the lengths Zenkaiger went to here were still rather bold, and I feel like this episode is better off for that. Kaito is obviously the glue holding everything together, and I came out fairly endeared to the guy when all was said and done. He brings to mind a ton of other kid surrogate sorts of protagonists, to be sure. In particular, I thought his whole thing of wanting to be the first at something cool that pays off with him becoming Zenkaiser reminded me of Kouta's thing about "transforming" in Kamen Rider Gaim's first episode, and that thought was actually key to why I started liking him so fast. Just like in Gaim, it was a solid little backbone for the story to give itself a nice self-contained arc just in the one episode while presumably setting up a larger theme. I guess in Zenkaiger's case, that theme is just being awesome and doing exciting things? We'll see if the show manages to pull some deep messages out of that later, but as a motivation for the hero of an action-adventure series, you can't exactly go wrong with that, can you? I trust a guy introduced trying to jump off a tower for kicks to, at the very least, never be dull. I also trust him to be heroic on top of that, thanks to the way the script chose to contextualize him bringing the team together. Some of the exposition with his parents is maybe a little on-the-nose if I'm pretending to be objective for a second, but it gets the job done. Actions speak louder than words, though, and I am in love with the idea of Kaito recruiting the first random robot he happened to find on the street simply because he saw him helping a kid out. If I had to sum up Kaito's personality based on this episode, I think I'd go with "irresponsibly earnest"? Everything he does is crazy, but there's a genuine place that's coming from which won me over. Dude is just so excited to be alive, and wants everyone else in on the party. And speaking of parties, I dug Zyuran's personality despite it getting a lot less attention. Being a guy whose shtick is thinking he's young and hip, he has a slightly more mellow energy that helps balance out the insanity of everything going on around him. So yeah, it was neat seeing these two strike up a friendship on short notice, and the subsequent fight scene had a meta tone to it that I once again ended up being extremely won over by. Stuff like having Zyuran break toku etiquette by just shooting a grunt immediately, and needing every single aspect of how his new toy works explained to him while the bad guys watch in confusion at these two weirdoes confronting them was all delightful. Like, this isn't a show that's taking any of this stuff for granted, and it makes these things I've seen a million times still feel sorta novel, and keeps it grounded in interactions between the characters, something Koumura excels at. With Shoujirou Nakazawa directing, it's just as fun visually too. Super cleanly and easy to follow, with the requisite Nakazawa killer use of slow-motion in that awesome shot of Zenkaiser and Zyuran both in the air, about to finish off their respective foes. It's honestly hard to even talk about other shots in the episode when that one was so good for how it blends together the two separate threads going on, emphasizes the duo as a single unit, and just looks awesome with the shifting focus and— Look, I swear the rest of the episode has pretty cinematography too, okay? One thing that stood out to was the use of the composite backgrounds for both the heroes' and the villains' respective bases. Kamen Rider Saber has been obsessed with that trick too, and it can be hit-or-miss there, but there's a seemingly deliberate sense of unreality to the locations here that made it surprisingly not jarring. The aesthetics in general seem pretty considered? It'll take a bit for me to decide how much I really like them, but there's a vibe to the whole show that's even more lively than usual for Sentai nowadays. Again, it's very cleanly, with stuff like the opening and transformations sharing Zenkaiser's color scheme of blinding white with rainbow flourishes. It's so darn happy and in your face I definitely don't hate it. Even the text in the logo doesn't have a gradient, so there's no shadows or anything getting in the way of those bright red letters. (It's also maybe to make it look more old-school? I just really like the logo okay) But uh, if I'm getting to the point where I'm digging into the show's graphic design choices, I should probably wrap this up, huh? I thought this post would be pretty short, but evidently I'm more into this show than even I thought I'd be! Probably not the greatest premiere ever or anything, but it clearly did the trick for me. It's weird and fun and full of heart, as any good Sentai ought to be. Very much looking forward to a whole year of this.
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