Actually... the special was written by Nobuhiro Mouri, one of the co-writers on Gaim.

It really was great, wasn't it? I just kinda wish they had more time to play around with the concept, I'd happily watch a whole feature length episode with them hopping between different genres.

Gokaiger 24. That ending...

This episode had a lot of energy, but it was just a sort of dumber version of the Carranger episode, without RedRacer's charisma. Marvelous sorta picks up the slack, in his place, but a lot of what makes Marvelous so great is the way a franchise known for its goofballness carefully plays his humour in a pretty wry manner.

I think part of the reason both Joe and Marvelous click with me on so many levels is they are able to have rich characterisation, and convey a wide range of emotions without ever having to get their point across by screaming and jumping up and down. That is probably a huge part of why I love Alata so much as well.

I LOVE dry humour, but the reason dry humour works is the context. The reason Haruto for example is one of my favourite Riders is between all the goofiness, it was Haruto's offhand critical one liners at all the shit going on around him that made him so funny. It wouldn't have worked nearly as well if those single lines were supposed to hold the entire episode up like they were doing with Marvelous and this episode here.

But then this show has been amazingly hit and miss when it comes to comedy for me. There haven't been a lot of episodes I haven't enjoyed, but comedy episodes are the ones I usually take the least away from. Which I guess is ironic as probably the best tribute episode - the other weak part of the show for me - was one that was entirely focused on comedy.

Is this the first time they've used the Time Ranger suits, bar Time Fire? I guess Time Ranger isn't as huge for Japan as Time Force is for our fandom. Also lining up a really flashy Final Wave next to Gold Mode only further highlights how utterly awful it is.

TimePink was previously used in the Shinkenger tribute, but I think that's the only time they used it beforehand. They all appear quite a few times form now on though. I can think of at least 2 full-team changes off the top of my head and 1 in the VS Go-Busters movie plus a few single character changes, which is pretty good at that point of the show when compared to, say, Zyuranger who never get all 6 on screen at the same time outside of a deleted scene.

Wow, then that makes it even worse. He must be a really crappy writer without Gen.

Words cannot even begin to describe the look of 'wtf' on my face when I got to that part.

Off-topic, but I find it amusing that Burai as a child (Dragon Ranger) and Kou (Kiba Ranger) were played by the same actor considering their Power Ranger counterparts.

Meanwhile, playing with GekiTouja has really gotten me wanting to start Gekiranger, so I've downloaded all the subs and will probably start watching it alongside Megaranger. Hoping for good things!

I know right?

I'm surprised Saban didn't go away and shoot more Zyu footage considering MMPR is everywhere in the promotion for Super Megaforce but featured what...once in the show itself, when they got their asses kicked?

JDFs ego sure is gonna love all the Dragon Ranger footage though.

The Carranger tribute is actually being adapted too, with the plot changed to Insarn's accidental drinking of a love potion for Jake or something, which I suspect is almost wholly for that Zyuranger scene. It'll be interesting to see how they handle it considering that Red Racer was on-screen in a lot of the fights and Saban hates editing.

Considering they have Selwyn Ward AND JDF on board, I can't wait for neither of them to appear in the tribute.

Gokaiger 25. I wonder if they'll keep that boob grab in for Super Megaforce, imagine Jake's face :lol

The suit actors sure were sweaty in this episode, I think that is the most amount of Ranger sweat patches I've ever seen in one episode. Hell in one series, it just managed to be done in one episode!

Anyway this episode was pretty decent but a little too silly for my tastes. Purely on its merits as a tribute, it's one of the better ones, kinda makes me wanna give the Hurricanger HKs another go. If nothing else, for Nao Nagasawa and I also want to support every Ranger in this show that is still fighting or using their skills even after losing their spandex.

Anyone else find it distracting that although Sentai is taking the action out of the quarries and abandoned warehouses - thank God!! - they end up instead using the same four or five locations in every season, and never disguise them or try to shoot them any differently? Even interesting locations have somehow now become just as bland and homogeneous as those warehouses and beaches.

I imagine that the producers are sitting around and shrugging, going "The audiences won't tell the difference of one street corner from another. Why spend more money shutting down specific sections for a day or two when we can resort to the same 4?"

I don't agree with it, mind you, but would it really make much notable differences if the buildings they're fighting around are different?

Personally, for me, it makes a huge difference that they are fighting in city streets all together. It was so lame when the battle for the fate of the world was decided in a construction site or something.

But I dunno, I guess it's just because sentai gets oversold pretty bad, not by this community, but speaking generally. And then you see things like them picking a small set of locations, each with a lot of character... and then shooting them exactly the same every other season, even when seasons are supposed to, it seems, take place in entirely separate worlds.

It just feels oddly lazy, almost cheap. Couldn't they at least stick the camera in a different corner once in a while? I don't even know where sentai is shot, so if they shot it from the West one season, and the East the next I wouldn't even notice they were using the same location twice.

Does it matter? Maybe not. But I always think to myself 'how would the fandom react if Power Rangers did the same?'. I learnt from Gokaiger that Super Sentai has no regard for cohesion or continuity, something oddly defended by its louder supporters but it just seems odd that something largely associated with being a bad thing still manages to find defenders, when it's done by our great messiah, the greatest most progressive adult franchise ever made...Super Sentai.

I started gathering screenshots for a Toei Shooting Location Bingo card awhile back. Then I got bored and stopped. There are a lot of reuses, though. Especially that damn stadium exterior.

The stadium exterior, that building with that big square structure, that staircase, that underpass and then the samurai set. Like that is practically the only locations they have and they just cycle through them, always shooting them in exactly the same way.

I wonder if they celebrate birthdays for the Edo set. That thing's old enough to join websites now!

I'm honestly surprised it's still standing it's so old.

Speaking of old and set reuses, I was surprised to see that one amphitheater pop up while I was watching Dairanger. It's been updated, but I didn't know that location was that old.

Oh God how could I forget about that one!

Currently watching my first Super Sentai Series: ToQGer. It's... ... Well, I just finished Episode 3. You can probably guess what I'm feeling like. Although, there's one thing that interested me.

Does anyone know the japanese lyrics to Chain Shadow's coffin song?! It's awfully catchy! I'm trying to get it by ear, but I'm afraid to make mishaps!

I think it's a problem with Toei in general for locations . There's no rock quarries in Sailor Moon, but that stadium exterior was in literally every single episode.

Yeah because literally all of these locations have been used for Kamen Rider as well.

Oh yeah! When it showed up in Kiva I thought to myself "Hey...isn't this where Meteor first showed up in Fourze?" :lol

Gokaiger 26.

So is Hurricaneger huge in Japan or something? Not only do they get a two part tribute which brings together the whole core team, but they even get their powers back as well - even if it doesn't actually turn out as awesome as that probably sounds until the fight right at the end. The very best of the tribute episodes haven't had this kind of treatment, almost feels wasted on these guys.

It was a weird reverse of the roles to have the teams three heavy hitters reduced to being stuck in a bad comedy/damsel in distress subplot while the two weaker core members and the plotkai sixth are left to fight the generals. But then it's nice to see Gokaiger get back to really mixing things up, even as one big tribute to a franchise infamous for its inability to change.

Actionwise, just like the story, it didn't really come together at the end. Insarn's crazy energy whip was really cool, and the updated effects for the Hurricanger's made them a lot of fun to watch, especially alongside an already flashy team like the Gokaiger. Their big team attack was EPIC. Although What a weird choice to actually animate in the folds and creases of the mech suits, even when capturing them entirely with CGI.

From what I understand, Nao is really good friends with Red and Yellow's actors. And since she's usually more than willing to show up in any Toku show, it was easy to get the three of them together. Now, don't take my word as gospel. Just remembering a tweet or two I saw awhile back.

One thing I wont ever complain about is how Nao turns up in EVERYTHING.

Agreed. Nao goes good in anything Toku related. If Kim is the female posterboy/girl for Power Rangers, Nao is the female posterboy/girl for Sentai and toku as a whole as far as Japanese television goes.

Yeah, I am a huge Sentai fan and I pretty much gave up on the show after the fourth episode and I watched every episode of Go-Buster.

I saw it recently in an episode of Black RX, so it's been in use since at least '89.

That ampitheater was used all of the time. I believe it is even in Liveman.

It's actually right next to the forest they always seem to fight in.

I love that, people complain about Power Rangers editing, and yet you watch sentai as characters start fighting inside an office building, step out of frame mid attack and they are suddenly on the coast finishing off that attack.

CONTINUITY.

Gokaiger 27.

Why would they hold a peace conference in Japan where the bulk of the invasion is happening? Are they surprised president's got attacked as soon as they arrived? Why isn't there at least more security?

Minus the INCREDIBLY dumb set up of the plot, the core of the episode was still overall, pretty fun. Mainly because it took the two members of the crew I liked the least, and made them both tolerable. Luka's overacting suits Doc well, and likewise Doc's actor really surprised me by pulling off the more swaggy, badass side of Luka and not feeling totally out of place while doing it. He suits being cool, and isn't nearly as annoying while doing it. Almost kinda makes me wish their roles were reversed, the whole time.

Gokaiger 28.

Why do good villains always die so quickly in this show? I wouldn't be that bothered, but it isn't even like the Generals can't keep me interested as they don't do ANYTHING. Even with Barizorg and his connection to Joe, I don't think it's ever been mentioned after that one episode focused on it, you'd think it'd be a bigger deal...

I mean they aren't as pathetic as those Messiah Metaroids, but at least in that show I had Escape being awesome (yes I liked Escape more than Enter, what of it) but this show literally provides me nothing interesting in terms of the villains, except maybe Basco. But his appearances are so inconsistent and nonsensical - and most importantly, brief - I forget he's even part of the show.

Anyway, although this was another dumb and borderline frustrating tribute, Jetman gets a pass for being Jetman. I really wanna rewatch the show now. The action scenes were great this episode, especially Ghost Gai becoming Black Condor through sheer force of will and KICKING ASS.

It isn't just in Sentai though.

In Transformers Headmasters the Autobots are fight Galvatron in NYC (I think) and then the next screen they are in the arctic fighting.

I've actually been meaning to draw a map of how Japan really looks like thanks to Toku shows.

Toku makes Japan seems like a crazy place, with their office buildings on the edge of cliffs and busy underpasses which apparently run right through the middle of forests. And don't forget those stadiums erected in rock quarries.

Gokaiger 29. Who doesn't enjoy seeing Ahim play dress up? Anyway, be right back, grabbing those Abaranger rips.

Ah yes, the Jetman tribute episode. Before I had watched the series I merely thought "Hey, this dude Gai is a badass. Comes back from the afterlife to kick ass.". After I finished watching Jetman via LWW, I realized how touching it was for him to come back. He wasn't back to kick ass, he was back to keep his comrades from getting mixed up in the current Zangyack conflict since they had returned to their civilian lives after the first invasion. They even showed the bench where he died at the end of the series(though part of me wants to say that is part of Toku filiming location bingo :lol). The only demerit to the episode is no Jetman theme. JETTO JETTO JETTOMAN~!

Oh my god, I never made the connection that the bench at the end of the episode was the same bench he died on. That's brilliant.

I also loved the gifts they left for him. White and Red roses from Kaori and Ryu, Fresh Vegetables from Raita and the noodles from that Blue Swallow episode from Ako. Of course, some cigarettes and alcohol too. A lot of love went into that episode.

Gai was singing it at one point at least!

God, I'm trying to watch Go-Buster, but this talk of Jetman has me wanting to pause Gobus for it :lol

I think I'm gonna rewatch Jetman too, might even take a break from Gokaiger for it, as I feel like I'm getting a bit burnt out on it if I'm honest, especially when watching it alongside such a plot heavy show like Dragon Knight. Coming back to this is actually quite boring at times. It's flasy enough for me to want to keep going but it seems to get harder and harder to care the more episodes I watch.