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03-16-2021, 07:36 PM | #8391 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Episode 2 – JAKQ Dengekitai I've always had a huge fondness for these dorks from a distance. There's like a whole underdog vibe to JAKQ that I find a little fascinating. Even the designs alone straddle this perfect line between genuinely cool and endearingly lame that I've only barely ever been able to put my finger on. There's just something about this team that's got a super unique appeal, and yet they're clearly not the instant-classics that the Gorangers were. Which is maybe the story of the whole show, really. There's the whole elephant in the room that, despite making changes later on in a effort to better capture viewers' attention, One of which was particularly Big, this is the Sentai that called it quits after a relatively short run, especially when compared to its immediate predecessor. Honestly, based on the first impression I got here, I don't have a hard time seeing why the show failed to grab as big an audience as Goranger did. There's an overall idea here that I think was very well intentioned, but also very likely the thing that backfired on JAKQ immediately, which is the clear shift in tone from Goranger. See, another huge part of that fascinating underdog factor is that JAKQ is the only Sentai about that most classic of Ishinomori staples – tragic cyborgs who fight crime. A much greater focus is placed in this premiere on fleshing out ts main heroes, Everyone gets formative backstories and motivations for becoming heroes considerably deeper than "everyone but them got shot to death", which contributes to an atmosphere that is also clearly aiming to be more grounded in reality, to the extent one of these shows can be. When I say that JAKQ fights crime, I actually mean they fight Crime, which is seriously the name of the criminal organization they're up against. Appropriate for the name, they're played up more as particularly nasty crooks than as the more typical grand fascist armies of the era. Now, I realize as I'm writing this that a Sentai show featuring a more grounded tone and a smaller, more focused cast of developed characters, that underperformed and was met with some retooling, arguably also perfectly describes my absolute most beloved Sentai, Go-Busters, as well, which would go a long way towards explaining my attraction to JAKQ. This also makes it deeply ironic that I'm about to criticize this show for sacrificing the vibrancy that defined the series before it. Mind you, I'm also going to stick up for it, as I think the conscious effort to differentiate JAKQ was smart, and I can easily imagine it paying off in episodes beyond the premiere, but talking strictly about first episodes (as is the goal here!), the difference between these two shows is night and day, and I'd be lying if I said I had more fun with JAKQ. It's not something I can really objectively quantify, though. It's not so much a matter of JAKQ doing anything wrong as it is a general feeling I have that Goranger was this lightning-in-a-bottle success that instantly pulled me in. And you know, if I feel that way, as someone who actively appreciates the goals JAKQ had more, I can only imagine what a lot of kids at the time must've felt like. Still some pretty fun toku in its own right, with some very cool concepts, and I can't speak for how it develops from here on, but I do have to admit I wasn't particularly impressed by this one out of the gate. (As a footnote, the Kamen Rider Blade fan in me desperately wants to make some joke about Clover King being the Strongest JAKQ, but failed to work one in anywhere. Everyone else is welcome to try in my stead.)
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 03-05-2022 at 05:02 PM.. |
03-16-2021, 07:52 PM | #8392 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,399
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The Card Suite motif is something I've always felt should return in Sentai. It's a cool motif! It worked great for Blade and G-Gundam!
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03-17-2021, 03:08 AM | #8393 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,547
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The one thing I’ll always remember is that the playing cards in the show have “Nintendo” printed on them.
Also, yeah this show definitely veers more towards Rider territory than most Sentai shows. It’s literally the only series where the antagonists are humans, as opposed to Aliens, demons, robots or something that can be lumped in with the other three. Last edited by Androzani84; 03-17-2021 at 07:35 AM.. |
03-18-2021, 09:12 PM | #8394 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 898
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I'm now up to episode 39 of Gekiranger and I'm seriously loving this series.
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03-18-2021, 11:01 PM | #8395 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,508
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03-20-2021, 10:33 AM | #8396 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 898
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Speaking of Gekiranger, I finished the series just last night. Indeed, it is very easy to say that Gekiranger has now earned its place among my top favorite Super Sentai series right alongside Megaranger, Timeranger, Dairanger, Jetman, and Magiranger. And now, it's onward to Engine Sentai Go-Onger. |
03-21-2021, 09:11 AM | #8397 |
Reiei
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 3,691
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Went to catch up on Zenkaiger tonight with EP2. Literally my first Sentai since... Gokaiger or Akibaranger? Whichever came later. Neat, so far.
The henshin gears are quite noisy, aren't they? |
03-22-2021, 07:03 AM | #8398 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,547
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Well I’m on episode 19 of Turboranger, which is one of the more well known events in the show. I had an idea of what would happen, but it should be obvious what I was in for when this was in the screenwriter’s credit. 井上 敏樹
Sure enough, it’s a fairly depressing episode, featuring among other things, the onscreen death of a child (there’s very little left to the imagination. He’s on his bike, a car is seen coming, he’s screaming, we see him being loaded into the ambulance and we cut to a grave in the present). About the only bright side to this episode is that those who get affected by the spell of the week go back to normal when the monster dies. And even the latter isn’t any cause to celebrate this week, since both were pretty sympathetic. In spite of this, I still think it’s a good episode and I’m going to use it in my fanfiction (albeit with some changes). |
03-22-2021, 10:59 AM | #8399 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 2,448
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Shipped in
Magi - Geki from Brazil as well as Shinken Ranger , Gokai Range and Go Busters from Brazil. Finishing up Magi (Stage 40) and have started the 10 Terrors mini series. Also Gold and Silver Rangers due to show up in Go Busters 15.
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Currently watching Galaxy Man - Aba and To Quger - Don Bros. on DVD. |
03-22-2021, 02:51 PM | #8400 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 898
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Currently up to episode 23 of Go-Onger.
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