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12-05-2017, 09:44 AM | #721 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,422
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Yeah, I always associate that house with Garo. It doesn't turn up as often as the Tokyo Stadium exterior or that industrial zone, but you see it from time-to-time.
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12-14-2017, 03:34 AM | #722 |
NinninComic
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 745
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so finished Makai Senki yesterday night.
And damn wow. Probably one of the best toku series I ever seen on many points. The story : I'm used to Kamen Rider level of writing (and nothing wrong with it), but here that's something else. For once I was caught off-guard. At first i was : "So Leo is the only new real cast member. Something bad will come with him involved for sure then" Then some hints were dropped like the Gouryuu, the first time Leo is "forced" to fight, etc..., but it was not done the ugly obvious way, it was done quite smartly. All along the series I was like "It's probably Leo." "Is it really Leo ?" "Oh yeah it's Leo" I really didn't expect the twin brother plot twist. Until Leo arrives to save Kouga from Sigma, I accepted Leo as the vilain. I was really pleased to be surprised for once. The show was written well enough to make me question for real and lead me on the wrong path in an intelligent way. If done in a stupid way I would probably think "oh come on, the twin out of nowhere !?". But it's not the case. Well done. The music : I don't have much to say about it. But music is always one of the key factor for me loving a toku show (my favorite KR series coincide with the ones I like the soundtracks the most). The main Garo theme is one of my favorite of all time (I plan to download every track variation of it). Some of the tracks reminds me a lot of Bayonetta's kind of soundtrack (not the ones from Rei Kondoh though, who is one of my favorite composer. but the others) and the bayonetta parallel doesn't end here. Even the aesthetic and atmosphere sometimes screams Bayonetta. The Madou Train could have been inside the game (that whole episode in the train is amazing). The final bosses fights are totally Bayonetta-ish (Messiah, Karma, Ganon), especially Karma in Red Requiem. I wouldn't be surprised if some artists (music or art designer or somebody else) worked on both franchises. other things I liked : Movie/specials characters returning. that's how you do it Kamen Rider/Super Sentai. Learn from it. Always pleased to see actors seen also in Kamen Rider series. This time I've seen : - Vilain of Episode 1 is a young Edith/Sage from Kamen Rider Ghost. I laughed when I recognized him xD (in that episode I also recognized Anri Okita but... nevermind... ) - Vilain of episode 4 is kamen rider Kaixa - episode 5 depressed man is the funny cop in Kamen rider W - Episode 6 dead son is Kamen Rider Raia - Episode 9 actor is Kamen Rider Zangetsu (takatoraaaaaaaaaaaaaa) - Raimei Kishi Baron is Kamen Rider Zanki/Jiro (I. LOVE. THAT. ACTOR.) Funny thing he is named Wataru here. The same as Kiva's MC where he plays Jiro. and probably many more I recognized but forgot. What i didn't like in the season : - Rei focused episodes. I'm not fond of Rei'scharacter but episodes involving him wouldn't annoy me if it brings something to his character. Instead, they serve as an excuse to develop one time characters (the middle-age samurai man, and that patissier school girl with her mother). But Rei... Not much about him. - Kouga and Kaoru's development being non-existant. It's just... happening. and nothing more. I know it's difficult to include Kaoru who can't fight in all this. But I expected a bit more moments who make me realize Kouga's attitude is sweetening. In general I feel we don't see enough of Kaoru. That scene in Episode 22 when Kaoru saves Kouga from inside Ganon is probably one of my favorite from the whole series though. So touching. - Sigma's redemption It's really small but I don't like it at the end. other thing I want to mention : I went to bed after finishing the season, and woke up at night realizing something. Kouga is dead, right ? I mean, of course he isn't really "dead" , we will see him again in the following movie. But all those symbolic scenes. He leaves for the "promised land" He disappears like an angel (wings, light, etc...) after they kiss Kaoru and Gonza's reactions when she returns on ground The "final" goodbye from the other knights/priests in the last episode. That's really looking like him dying in a way, but he still promises to come back to fulfill his promise. Impossible for me to sleep back after I realized it xD can't wait to see the next movie. Last edited by Omnikaiser; 12-14-2017 at 03:38 AM.. |
12-15-2017, 03:27 PM | #723 |
Kitty Robo
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Germany
Posts: 200
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Just finished Metalder and damn, I really wasn't prepared for the ending at all.
The show was pretty enjoyable nevertheless, even in spite of the crappy subs available. |
12-16-2017, 02:46 AM | #724 |
NinninComic
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 745
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Done watching Soukoku no Maryuu and Tougen no Fue
Soukoku no Maryuu : What did I just watch ? Was it really GARO ? Who thought that change of tone and aesthetic was good ? Is it related to entries result of the first theatrical movie, or did they want a more kid friendly GARO movie ? I didn't dislike it at all, but I'm kinda sad to think the last time I see Kouga is this movie (not counting Makai Retsuden) The weird fantasy aesthetic makes me think a lot of Baten Kaitos videos games craziest aesthetic (Mira continent for the crazy characters) and the shots when Kouga arrives in the Promised Land really looks like the continent shots in that game. Soukoku shots : https://i.imgur.com/FeSpFTN.jpg https://i.imgur.com/8wIC4Hu.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Z8FP1sl.jpg Baten Kaitos shots : http://i.testfreaks.com/images/produ...ean.325994.jpg https://www.cdh.cz/galerie/25038-2.jpg http://img.jeuxvideo.fr/028A016D1782...ten-kaitos.jpg http://i.imgur.com/LfW463A.png Tougen no Fue : Was it really a theatrical movie ? Movie is just one hour long and looks more like a TV special. Nothing to special to say about it. Still liked it. It felt like episodes focused on Jabi and Rekka. I'm glad a toku series can make spin-offs out of the women characters. That's refreshing (kudos for always keeping same actors even for minor characters. Like seeing Rin grown up was very nice) But that aside, this movie has nothing too special for itself. EDIT : they like a lot to involve Rekka's actress in some erotic or girl on girl shots though. I wonder if she was ok with that. Time for some ZERO action now. (already seen Ep1, and that non-japanese guy from KR Ghost seem to be the main vilain. Oh boy) Last edited by Omnikaiser; 12-16-2017 at 02:49 AM.. |
12-17-2017, 06:13 PM | #725 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Finally finished up with, *ahem*
Yeah, that show. It was reliably awesome the whole way through. I don't think I actually have much to add to my post from when I was halfway done, though. Well, besides the part where I've forgotten twice now to mention that Gridman has basically the best theme song ever. Don't know how that slipped my mind. Actually, you know what, here: I feel that's the least I can do to make up for neglecting such an amazing intro all this time. The only thing about it that ISN'T awesome is that Gridman himself is only in it when he's getting beat up by the monster of the week. Poor guy. Anyway, since I've clearly run out of meaningful things to say about the show proper, I'll instead opt to say that I really, REALLY hope that between the Blu-ray coming out and that whole SSSS. Gridman thing that's happening, somebody finally gives this show the justice it deserves and puts out subtitles for it. Gridman is by no means the greatest show of all time or anything, but it's a very fun series that warrants much more attention than it currently gets from the English-speaking side of the Toku fandom.
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12-17-2017, 06:21 PM | #726 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,422
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That is a pretty boss song, yeah. I mean, it's not Gavan's theme song, but it's still really good.
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12-20-2017, 04:48 AM | #727 |
NinninComic
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 745
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So I finished Zero spin-offs just now. And if Black Blood was nice but forgettable, Dragon Blood was amazing !!!
Black Blood : I liked it. But it was a very short series who couldn't let time for characters and the story to develop. The global story was a bit too mystic for my taste, but i still liked it. I feel like that non-japanese actor contributes to that feeling too. I had the same feeling in Ghost. Too bad the two side characters didn't have lot of screen time in 6 episodes. It was refreshing to see a woman fight like a knight and a Man Priest fight with an umbrella. But in the end I think the thing I will remember the most from this series is the 2 times Fujita spoke French (as a French guy myself, it made me fangasm) Dragon Blood : Damn that was amazing !! It's probably my favorite GARO show after the original and Makai Senki so far. I don't even know where to start. Once again, the story writing got me. I didn't expect this development and ending at all. Edel coming back twice after being dead was already surprising, but Alice being an antagonist who thought her plan from the start was a huge "WTF?!". I feel dumb for not noticing before, but it's true she is dressed in White for the first part of the show, and once she steals the egg and hatches it, she is wearing Black. My old western cinema option course teacher would be mad at me for not noticing that To be honest I still found weird one of the first scene with Alice in the 1st episode. When she is facing the bunch of Rabbit masked horrors, and they tell her : "I will eat that part and me that part", Alice reaction saying "Uso desho ?" was said in a strange tone, as if she didn't care at all. At first I put that on the actress being very young and kind of bad. But if that was done on purpose, then that was an amazing subtle hint. In the end the story is very sad. Alice died and I blame Rei (and the Makai Knight usual attitude) for it, kinda. She spent all her life being rejected by others and being alone. And even if her scheme already started before meeting Rei, it felt like she sent some "HELP" signals to him at many occasions so she can change mind. But the common Makai Knights attitude, towards people they could love, Rei showed (that kouga showed in previous series too) went horribly wrong with Alice. It was done to protect her, but that was the wrong approach this time and she felt rejected again (that Rei/Rekka kiss scene O_O) and turned totally evil. I'm sure if he kept her near him and tried a different way she could have forgotten her plan a bit (but still not accept killing the egg though). The other things that made me happy with the series is the appearance of 2 of my favorite Kamen Rider veteran actors : Tomohisa Yuge and Haga Yuria. Tomohisa Yuge : my toku love kinda grew with him because the 3 first KR series I watched were the ones he appeared in (Gaim, Kabuto and Ryuuki) and I'm always happy to hear he is involved in recent toku (Dragon Blood here and Amazons S2). Haga Yuria : I think she is my favorite Kamen Rider lead actress and I thought I would not see her in toku again since Kiva was almost 10 years ago. fun fact (SPOILER for her 555 and Kiva roles, be careful) : Dragon Blood, 555, Kiva. All the characters she played in toku end up dying. This time it happened real quick. a bit sad about it. I kinda thought Rekka+Kagome could be the new Jabi+Rekka. Action scenes were top notch during that season. Lot of CGI, but good CGI and choreographies. I was sure Rei would go over the 99.9sec at some point or else having the countdown in every episode would be pointless. But yeah while the transformation in a Dragon-like creature looked nice, Fujita's appearance as a monster was eewwww... Speaking about Fujita, while I didn't find him that older between 2006 Garo and 2013 Black Blood, when I first saw him in 2017 Dragon Blood I was like : ouch, I guess he hit that point men reach where they look older suddenly. But got used to it along the series. Rekka's actress, on the contrary, seem to not age at all (but Red Requiem/Makai Senki/Tougen no Fue/Dragon Blood has not the same time between the series). I don't think I have much more to say about it except it was really great and enjoyed it a lot (while Rei is far from being a character I loved at first). Oh yeah, maybe that I find lot of Horrors were women this time, but it's not like there were lot of horrors anyway. EDIT : oh yeah and the end is very abrupt really. Time for Makai no Hana and Raiga next. Last edited by Omnikaiser; 12-20-2017 at 07:25 AM.. |
12-26-2017, 05:34 PM | #728 |
Henshin Heaven
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Inside a Hyper Battle Video, help.
Posts: 1,242
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I watched the first 2 episodes of Garo just a bit ago (Christmas present!). I’m not quite sure what to think yet, but it certainly has a distinctive flair to it. It reminds me a little of Faiz, but not in a bad way! If this show delivers on giving me the adventures of one woman repeatedly narrowly escaping horror movie scenarios though, I think I will like it a lot.
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12-30-2017, 03:41 AM | #729 |
NinninComic
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 745
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Finished GARO : Makai No Hana.
How do I put it. I don't dislike it, I can't judge it as "bad", I still enjoyed it. But... meh... If I had to choose a word for this season it's : blank. It's not to the level of the 2 other Saejima main series. Everything is so empty. It felt more like an anniversary/tribute series to the original than its own series. I enjoyed the moments they nod to Makai Senki or the original series, like this episode at the "GARO tower" with Raiga fighting Zaji exactly like his father did. but all these references... wasn't it too much ? Raiga barely had an adventure on his own. it's only "chase the horror of the week". Story : If the story was the strong point of the previous series, it's its weak point now. The "horror of the week" formula is ok, while it's included to the plot, not if IT'S the plot. Only element that surprised me in a good way, was that Makai Priest played by the secondary good woman from KR Drive. At first they present her and her interactions with Raiga as non important, kind of in a rush because the episode is here to make you fangasm about Rei presence. But in fact she is the key part of the plot with the bell given by Raiga and the reason it happens. Caught me off-guard i admit. I'm upset there is no iconic scene I will remember from the show. For me, every series gave me that First Series : Entire Episode 16, with kouga playing Makai chess with the Old Priest. it's an entire episode dedicated to Kouga's motivations, and the particular moment the Priest make him realize Kaoru is the most important to him and his reason to fight will always be in my mind. Makai Senki : Episode 22, when Kaoru saves kouga from inside Ganon. I don't find any scenes in Makai no Hana that is up to these 2. Maybe the scene in the GARO tower with Raiga realizing his parents aren't dead is supposed to be that. Maybe the Raiga VS Crow fight at the end is supposed to be that too. But I didn't feel the same impact (funny trivia : these 2 scenes are almost the only ones with the old Kouga GARO theme playing in the back) I'll go now by characters to explain more what i like/dislike about the series. Characters : Raiga : How do I put it. I find he is not up to the task. It's kinda refreshing that he is the very first Makai Knight we see with a joyful and kind nature. But I feel like it's all he has for himself. He has no real development except that kindness and why, and while he is the Hero and should always win, he is too Gary Stu for my taste. His father always won too, but sometimes got injured and had difficulty. Raiga simply wins everything, sometimes with no real explanation. Like the fight Raiga + Crow VS Eiji. The 2 protags struggle a lot and can't win. and when Crow leaves for Raiga + Eiji to go 1-on-1, Raiga is suddenly stronger than Eiji :/ His fighting style isn't to my taste too. It's similar to his father's but, with a more aerial and "nunchaku" styled way of fighting. There is a bit too much body spins and useless Sword spins (like in the OP) than before. Mayuri : I was thinking about my review around Episode 20 and was upset about her. Thanksfully they developed her good in the last 5 episodes. But for the most part of the show she is blank too, for obvious plot reasons. But it doesn't help being attached to her much. Only at the end I felt bad for her and it was nice to see her with more human like emotions. Crow : Not enough developed too. I thought at first he would be an antagonist of some sort at some point. The way they made him look mysterious and all. They probably wanted to give him a "Is he really kind or is he pretending ?" feeling, but it didn't work with me. The only time near the end the watchdog spark that part of the show with a "Maybe Crow is a traitor" the next 5sec we see Crow confront Eiji as a hero so, yeah debunked directly. I find his armor design very clever though. At first I was : eh... no Lion-wolf head ? and then was : aaaaaaaah I see what they did. Very nice. I hope we can learn more about him and his people in Gekko no Tabibito, since I heard "Gekko" pronounced once in Makai no hana and it refered to the ritual the shadowpeople do to purify their swords. Maybe this season will be more about him. In the end it makes a very blank main Trio for the show. I'm more interested in : Biku : What a great character. Probably the strongest and most interesting female (protag) character of the entire franchise. There wasn't enough of her in Makai no Hana though, and I'm happy they decided to produce a spin-off movie about her. Didn't watch her movie yet, but I really hope nothing happens to her so that we can see her in future installment of the series. Eiji : *sigh* Why so late in the series ? That's the question I'm asking myself about him. I love his GIRU armor though. I wish for his return too somehow. And as usual, final naked woman boss. haha. In the end I didn't dislike it, but it won't stay in my heart like the other series. I wished Kouga and Kaoru return too somehow. Maybe in the next series we can save them. I guess it depends if their actors are ready to come back or not I'll watch Biku next, but already watched the first 2 eps of Yami o Terasu mono just out of curiosity. And while I don't like the industrial feeling of the city (and less middle-age chivalry feeling), I'm thrilled about the show being cocky protag + GokaiSilver + KR Duke, under the supervision of the samurai from Makai Senki now playing a Makai Priest, and with the female cop leader being the cop from Decade's Kuuga/Agito world. Excited me Last edited by Omnikaiser; 12-30-2017 at 11:06 AM.. |
12-30-2017, 09:38 AM | #730 |
Kitty Robo
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Germany
Posts: 200
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Finished Juspion the other day. It had some pretty cool moments but at times also suffered from rather cheap effects, especially the green screen ones that remind me of Changeman (kinda makes sense as both aired in the same year).
Also watched the first episode of Spielban, since it's the only one subbed. I dunno, why no one picked it up yet, it was a really cool opener: it had the first metal heroine, tank battles and Machiko Soga as the main villain. |
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