Hey all. While I haven't fully decided on what the next show I cover is gonna be yet, I did however start another project over in the Podcasts/YouTube section of boards. It's something I only plan to update once in awhile when the mood is right, but if you wanna talk both live-action and anime Toku with me, that's the place to go.

The full details of the project are in the linked thread, but the short of it is that I just kinda wanna highlight episodes of Toku shows that I find especially memorable. Either because they're my favorite, or they introduce an interesting topic of discussion, or whatever the case might be. Feel free to tune in and participate if you so wish.

That's all I've got for now. I'll probably be going back to covering Toku Anime in November, since I recently just got a new job and I'm still getting used to it. So, until then, peace!

Episode 1: Debut of Samurai Flamenco!

Here's an honest question that I've yet to ask during the progression of this thread: When you read the phrase/title of "Toku Anime" what is it that immediately pops into your head?

Is it a specific show, like say, the various Garo anime? Or perhaps it's more of an idea such as an anime dealing with Henshin Heroes? One thing I'm almost willing to bet on is that very few people, myself included, think of an anime that's about Toku, rather than just simply being in the style of one.

Because at its core, that's exactly what Samurai Flamenco is.

The first episode, while not incredibly eventful, does a great job at presenting to the audience what exactly a major theme of the show is: Toku, more specifically the Superhero genre, and the effects consuming such media can have on the psyche of those who consume it, as well as how its core values impact and reflect upon real life.

But of course, as cool of an idea as that can be, it would mean nothing if it didn't have some solid characters to go with it.

Goto is a patrol cop who, despite witnessing and being annoyed by the petty crimes of everyday life, chooses the much more adult, logical path of simply not acting unless it's a major offense. He does his job, he gets his paycheck, he unwinds at the end of each day with a smoke and a beer. Average, down to Earth type of stuff. Has a long-distance girlfriend who seems to love texting him alot though. Apparently she'll be coming to town to visit next month.

One day while heading home, he runs into Masayoshi, a young man who outs himself as the up and coming superhero to be known as Samurai Flamenco. Goto blows it off as nonsense at first, but yet is still willing to hear Masayoshi's' plight and follows the boy back to his apartment, where it turns out that Masayoshi is actually a fashion model, which is a nice little nod to how alot of Toku actors get their start(modelling). And Masa, being a huge Toku nerd, not only has a ton of collectibles, but his own built in theater for watching reruns, especially of his all time favorite Toku show known as Harikiri Sunshine.

A big chunk of the episode is actually devoted to the duo talking about not just superhero shows, but also just how much you can expect the things you see on the screen to work out in the real world. Superheroics don't land you a steady income, and the average person, whether they work out a solid amount or not, can't exactly do much against a high profile criminal. Goto takes the more cynical angle, whereas Masayoshi instead chooses to highlight how the world needs heroes for both inspiration and to motivate people to be model citizens.

Despite the talk, Masayoshi decides to continue his vigilantism, which unfortunately gets him in trouble with a local gang of young punks. He is of course scared at first, but he remembers a heroic speech made by Sunshine, which motivates him to stand up to the injustice he sees before him, and even inspires him to deliver his own speech to the delinquents.

...And for that he gets his ass kicked, but hey, points for trying, right?

The episode overall is all setup, but I feel it really does a great job at setting up how our two leads play off eachother, establishing their friendship, and bringing up topics of discussion that the show will continue to highlight in future episodes. As someone who regularly consumes superhero media, I rather dug it.

It's a quiet beginning to a big adventure, and it's a rather nice change of pace compared to other media that I've been consuming as of late.

https://i.imgur.com/pjRmSD0.png

I adore Flamenco. I'll ramble about that once the dust has settled... Cause like everything in this show is a spoiler.

Oh! Samurai Flamenco! I've been meaning to get around to watching that...

But anyway, Happy Halloween, DS!

There's alot to like in this show!

Happy Halloween to you too buddy! Feel free to watch along.

One of my favorite episodes of Kamen Rider Wizard is "The Ringed Novelist" wherein the primary moral of the episode is that anything can have sentimental value; Even a cheap plastic ring that most people wouldn't even give a second thought about.

And this episode of Samurai Flamenco is much the same, wherein the climax of the episode has Masayoshi and Goto arguing about the nature of petty crimes and whether or not they really have a big impact on society. When the topic of umbrella theft comes up, Goto's' stance is one most people would understandably have: Umbrellas are often left out in the open, they only cost like $5, and it's not like it kills anyone, so who cares?

Masayoshi, however, has a much different and more idealistic view. Sure, umbrellas are cheap, but it still doesn't mean that you're allowed to take what isn't yours, and doing so can have a serious impact on the person who owns it: Those affected could have to walk home in the rain and get sick, or the umbrella itself could be an important keepsake. There's no way of knowing for absolute certainty that it doesn't matter.

This of course comes full circle once the umbrella that belongs to Goto's' girlfriend gets stolen.

Tying into all of that though is that Flamenco himself is gaining quite the reputation around town. His constant boyscouting every night having some big consequences to both himself and others. Not only is he becoming a known as a public annoyance(which funnily enough the police chief notes isn't actually a crime), but Masayoshi himself is starting to seriously lose sleep over his going out on patrol every night.

While sure, the narrative does sort of point towards Masayoshi being "more" correct about his ideals in the end, I do think that the episode does a good job at showing the ups and downs of both sides overall. It's something that's actually very rare in superhero shows, and I definitely appreciate it.

Oh, there's also some hints that Masayoshi and Goto might end up as a couple in the future, but no need to think about that yet. The video of Samurai Flamenco himself returning people's' stolen umbrellas going viral is much more important, ya know?

"I'm a past offender. I stole an umbrella, damn it!" And he means every word of it sincerely. Never fails to get a kick out of me..

https://i.imgur.com/56DGzvO.png

Whether one agrees with Masayoshi's' stance on justice or not, he certainly is genuine in his beliefs!

This episode was a pretty entertaining meta spin on the "Evil Clone" plot that many a superhero show has.

Samurai Flamenco becoming a trending topic lands Masayoshi in some pretty hot water. There's now a bounty out for his identity, people who suspect that he's Flamenco begin hounding him about the topic, and worst of all, a Fake Flamenco, played by an in-universe TV star that used to play the hero known as Red Axe arrives to take all the credit and profit off of the heroics.

Fame and attention being suddenly being thrust onto someone in ways they didn't expect is an interesting enough topic on its own, and going along with that is the episode highlighting how alot of bigwigs in the industry really don't care who gets hurt by all of media coverage as long as they profit off of it.

But all of that was secondary to me, because there are rather strong character moments in this episode.

Ishihara is probably the biggest standout. She's Masayoshi's' manager, and while certainly a scary woman in the eyes of Masa, it's clear that she puts up with alot of crap on a day-to-day basis, and really, in the end, only has Masa's' best interests at heart; Especially his career as a model and potential actor. More subtly than that though, despite her constantly calling superheroics nonsense, I think it's rather telling that she keeps the miniature axe figure that she accidentally got from Masayoshi's' apartment around as a sort of trinket.

Likewise, Goto shows some nice development here too in regards to his friendship with Masayoshi. When Masayoshi suffers a bit of self-confidence issues and is seriously letting the Fake Flamenco take over, Goto tells him flat out that Masa needs to do whatever will make him happy. Goto might not like all the commotion that Flamenco has been causing lately, but he hates seeing his friend be down on himself even more. It's pretty touching.

And how it all ends, well, sure, it's a bit frustrating, with Goto's' facepalm capturing the moment rather well, but I can't exactly say that it's out of character for anyone involved. And Goto being able to help Masayoshi keep his secret identity was rather sweet too.

https://i.imgur.com/QTWwJyF.png

Kamen Rider Parody teases Toku Parody while a cop watches in exasperation. Yeah, this is Flamenco alright. Red Axe's theme goes hard though.

It does! Such a shame that YouTube is determined to keep it nuked.

It's very rare that I like idol characters.

More often than not I find that they're written with nothing more than cliches in order to provide a waifu/husbando for the audience to gawk over.

And ya know, I can atleast give credit to Mari, who begins calling herself Flamenco Girl in this episode, in that atleast so far, she very much is not that. However, I still do not like her, and it's a big reason why I came out not liking this episode.

It's a shame too because this episode actually has a pretty solid setup: Masayoshi's' training under Red Axe is beginning to pay off, as Masa is now harder, better, faster, and stronger than he was in previous episodes. To the point that he feels as though he's now at a level to start tackling bigger criminals.

Goto warns Masayoshi that it's a bad idea, but the aspiring hero is not to be deterred. Fighting a gang of thugs goes south very fast, resulting in the appearance of the aforementioned Flamenco Girl, who proceeds to blackmail Samurai Flamenco into being her sidekick, and Masa very quickly learns that Mari has a much different approach to things than he does...

There were aspects to this episode that really did work: Flamenco's' local popularity making him very easy to track online, the police beginning to arm themselves due to Flamenco Girl's' harsh tactics, and the question about just where a hero should draw the line when battling low tier criminals. And while it's certainly not easy to see Masayoshi being pushed around so easily, I would've been down for it had the episode resolved in a satisfactory manner.

Unfortunately, it doesn't. The climax has to do with Goto stepping in, and calling out not only Flamenco Girl's' behavior, but also warning Masayoshi that if he continues down the path he has been, he very much risks becoming a public menace rather than an annoyance or a hero, as even fellow citizens are starting to take note of the utterly cruel tactics of the new duo. And for his trouble, Goto gets tasered by Flamenco Girl. This, I figured, would've been the final straw that got Masayoshi to stand up for himself and break things off.

...But no, all that happens is that Masa forces Mari to apologize to Goto the next day and it's all swept under the rug. Hated that. And it double sucks too considering that all through the episode it's shown that Masayoshi is in no way comfortable with the way that Mari does things. It all seemed like a steady build up to a breaking point, but unfortunately it just doesn't happen this episode. It's not like Mari has much going for her as a character anyway. All she is is an idol who likes superheroes and belittles Masayoshi for "stealing her spotlight" (paraphrased). It's petty, it's annoying, and it has no real payoff.

Such a shame that I ran into my first episode I didn't like in this show after having such a great time with the past three.

https://i.imgur.com/U3mIfWH.png

There are many ways for me to describe Mari, but I cannot do so in polite company. So as to not spoil anything, I'll simply say that she is the only thing in this show that I utterly despise.

Or this. This will do.

If this episode was at all trying to get me to feel pity for Flamenco Girl, then it thoroughly failed, and as such, I'll be focusing on everything else that this episode has to offer.

Because, actually, outside of the Mari stuff, this had alot going for it!

The setup is that Masayoshi actually manages to land an acting gig as an Important Guy of the Week in the currently airing Sentai show(funnily enough dressed as Kotaro Minami). Upon having some chats with the director and the film crew, Masa soon learns that the world of filming Toku isn't quite what he imagined it to be

Alongside that is the public looking more and more unfavorably on the tactics of Flamenco Girl, and the new position Goto gets as a result of the public outcry being little more than a publicity stunt on the part of the cops. The entire theme of this episode isn't just the meaning of justice as the title might suggest, but also idealization versus reality, as well as what it means to truly be the type of hero often portrayed in superhero shows.

It's the fact that all of the important players in the cast get hit by these questions to some degree(yes, even Mari), that really drew me into this one, and even better, the atmosphere of the episode as a whole really matched everything going on.

Speaking of "episodes" it's pretty funny how the plot Masayoshi pitches to the director of "Brass Rangers" about Masa's' character matches up almost point for point with the letter that Masayoshi gets from his late grandfather. Which, by the way, was a rather touching moment. And hey, it resulted in him finally breaking things off with Mari, so double points there.

Before I end this post off though, I guess now is as good a time as any to bring this up. This is the opening theme to Samurai Flamenco:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCe9wnBjIcs

"Just One Life" by SPYAIR is a great song, and really matches the strength of a Samurai with the passion of Flamenco. And if that band seems at all familiar to you like it did me, well, that might be because they also made this number:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETeGMgCvoNA

That song is "My World" which served as the second ending theme for Gundam AGE, and is by far the best ED in that anime, if you ask me.

With a new helmet in hand, I am definitely looking forward to whatever adventures that Samurai Flamenco and the newly established unit of the police get into next.

It's a bop, like most of the soundtrack.

https://i.imgur.com/IWiz4aZ.png

Meanwhile, Masayoshi's grandfather is getting the plot back on track with a quality scene. Dude was a heck of a sketch artist too.

We don't even get to see him in person and yet he completely steals the episode!

Know what's funny? This was just kind of an average Toku episode.

Harazuka up there notes how Samurai Flamenco is always on the defensive, and as such the R&D Department of his company develops weapons for SF to use.

But these aren't just any weapons, no. They're all Office Supplies, so they're completely legal to use! Stuff like Stapler Nunchucks to pin baddies to flat surfaces, glued gloves to scale walls with, and a tape measure to do grapple swings.

Samurai Flamenco basically becomes Office Worker Spider-Man and I love it! He also updates his gear to include some light body armor, but sadly goes back to his old bike helmet rather than using the one his grandfather left him last episode; Such a shame.

I also liked the setup that the plot of the episode had, where the increase in Flamenco's' bounty causes and entire city to begin hunting him down, all while the media not only feeds off the chaos the event generates, but helping to fuel the flames in the first place by filling social media with artificial hype. Paid shills are very much a thing, guys.

Oh, Mari also ropes her two fellow idols into becoming Flamenco Ruby and Flamenco Sapphire, but who cares about that. The important part is that Mari tries to put the moves on Goto and he outright tells her to begone like an absolute chad.

But yeah no this was just kind of a straight up parody of your average Toku episode with some light commentary on media exploiting others for profit.

So, since I ended off last post with the OP, have the ED.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vYxDrNyhNw

It's certainly catchy, but nothing super special if you ask me. Still, I've heard far worse, so it gets a pass from me.

By the way, did you know that every episode has an after-credits scene? They typically don't further the plot in any big way, but they do contain fun interactions with the cast, so I like watching them.

This episode overall was just fun, really.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JxRGvzwzxc

What's a hero to do when there are no villains to fight?

And deeper than that, how do you handle the very core of your beliefs if you one day realize that you were strongly pushed into being the way you are?

These are questions that permeate the episode, and they result in Masayoshi having to do some introspective soul searching on who he is and what exactly Samurai Flamenco is meant to stand for.

What brings all of this about is that the Flamenco Squad has done such a good job at crime fighting that for the most part, criminals are nowhere near as out in the open as they used to be. Heck, people are barely reporting crimes or complaints to the cops anymore, so Goto's' work is drying up too.

This leaves Masayoshi with alot more free time, so he's able to take more acting and modeling gigs, and more importantly, is free to keep reading through the massive pile of notes that his late grandfather left him. Masa's' life continues to mirror that of a Toku plot, as he learns a harsh truth: His parents had been murdered by a random mugger when he was only two years old.

Masayoshi, being so young, wasn't told about the incident, but it definitely hit his grandfather hard. His grandpa proceeded to lie to Masa, telling him that his parents both died of illness overseas, and then proceeded to create the legend of Samurai Flamenco(thanks to Masa's' grandma being a flamenco dancer), in an attempt to mold Masayoshi into a hero of justice. The murder case was never solved, and it's been so long that pretty much all of Japan has forgotten it.

In an interesting twist on this sort of plotline, Masayoshi's' bout of sadness doesn't come from the horror of the situation nor does it result in him seeking vengeance on the unknown mugger, but rather, he ends up horrified in how, upon reading all of this, he felt... nothing. As he barely knew his parents and doesn't really remember them, he doesn't feel all that sad over the way they died. And how can he call himself a hero if he can't feel so much as an ounce of animosity towards such an evil act?

He calls on Goto for help, and like a true friend, Goto offers a fresh perspective and some kind words: Even if Masayoshi doesn't qualify as a "true hero" in terms of the standards set by classic superhero shows, so what? He's human first and foremost, and hero or no, he's done genuine good for the people around him. Sure, Masayoshi might be seen as a freak in the eyes of some, but he's Goto's' freak, dangit! And that's not gonna change anytime soon. What makes Masayoshi weird is also his best asset.

This all comes to a head when a homeless man gets mugged nearby, and without any hesitation, Samurai Flamenco springs into action. One thing is for sure, fake hero or not, Flamenco won't just stand by as evil occurs right infront of him. He truly does put others before himself.

The episode caps off with Samurai Flamenco joining the cops on a local drug best. Goto has concerns, but the police chiefs assures him that it's basically just a publicity stunt: All Flamenco has to do is give an opening and closing statement. The police will handle all of the legwork. And, ya know, it goes surprisingly well. The drugs on confiscated, the criminals all get arrested, and there are minimal injuries. A hero's' work isn't tarnished.

In the end, it all makes for some fantastic character development on part of our two leads, who continue to grow together in a really genuine and organic way.

...Right, so I should probably address the gigantic Gorilla in the room.

That's Guillotine Gorilla. He's the result of one of the drug lords transforming when backed into a corner by the SWAT team.

This Slicing Simian isn't just for show either. Bullets bounce right off him, and with ease he breaks the neck of one cop and beheads another with the giant torture device in his abdomen.

Even Samurai Flamenco's' Super Punch can't do anything against the Chomping Chimpanzee's' superhuman strength. In the end, it takes some quick thinking from Goto in order to take this classic Toku monster(who's even voiced like one) down. The beast even blows itself up in the end!

The episode ends with the reveal that Axing Ape was actually lead by a mysterious figure known as King Torture, who taunts Flamenco with a direct challenge, and even claims to be the source of all evil.

So uh, if you couldn't already tell, the bar for threats for Masayoshi to fight against just got raised rather significantly! I don't know if I can even come to close to properly selling just how insane the entire sequence is. It really has to be seen to be believed.

https://i.imgur.com/G5ZeqOW.png

https://i.imgur.com/nKWAOPq.png

He's finally here. Mutilation Monkey, Beheading Baboon, Assassination Ape, Punching Primate, etc. etc.

This is THE episode everyone remembers from Flamenco. We went from a common every day hero with relatively normal struggles to a supernatural god damn toku monster straight out of Kamen Rider just out of nowhere.

If not for the episode, I doubt anybody would have even HEARD about this show. There is a not small group of viewers who completely dropped the show when this hit, some would pick it back up and drop it again every few episodes because they couldn't cope, and others flocked to forums in confusion believing it was just a fever dream they had.

To this day I still have not seen anything quite like Samurai Flamenco and it's because of this episode... And I adore it for it.

What makes the whole thing better is that as crazy and sudden as the entire sequence is, it not only still fits the themes of the show, but was outright foreshadowed in episode 2. It's very clear that the show had a roadmap, and it knew that if it wanted to be a postmodern look at superhero shows, then one of the best ways to do that would be to become one.

One of the things that made Kamen Rider Kuuga unique is that it took a much more grounded approach to the superhero genre. Asking questions such as "Why don't the police ever show up?" "How would the public react to the sudden arrival of monsters?" and "What kind of person would it take to rise up and be the hero that everyone needs?"

And while I found that approach and the answers provided to those question to be great(Kuuga is one of my favorite Toku ever, afterall), Samurai Flamenco takes a similar approach and goes almost in the polar opposite direction. The police work with the superheroes to chase down monsters as they would criminals and try to arrest them while also doing what they can to keep civilians safe. The monsters blow up not due to any sort of super heavy damage, but more so they can't be arrested and lead the cops back to King Torture. And Masayoshi, ever the soft-hearted man, feels incredibly saddened whenever a monster blows itself up rather than surrender.

But I think the biggest takeaway of the episode can be summed up in one not so simple word: Desensitization.

The biggest difference between Kuuga and Flamenco is that, with Kuuga, every Grongi was portrayed as a serious threat that took great effort to overcome, which in turn kept them as a foreboding and threatening force which constantly put the lives of everyone in Japan at risk.

Meanwhile, with Samurai Flamenco, the story takes many more cues from Toku such as Power Rangers. Sure, the monsters are a threat, but Flamenco and the Flamenco Girls are better. They're so good infact, that the monsters begin to be seen as less and less of a threat in both the eyes of the public and the government as time goes on. It gets to the point that even Masayoshi is more concerned with riding the high of being like some of his childhood heroes rather than reflected on what exactly this entire situation means for the people at large. It's to the point that it worries Goto(and apparently scares his girlfriend).

The balance between deconstruction and parody is great here by the way, and really reminds me of how Megas XLR handled its setting in that Megas also had its populace totally rolling with all of the craziness going on. Heck, the last monster fought in the episode? Its master plan is to steal all of the apples in Japan solely so no one else can have any. And this is the plan that causes Samurai Flamenco to use a recently acquired upgrade to his gear.

This episode is literally a handful of average Toku episodes rolled into one, and that's very much the point. What's funny is that while sure, there's definitely been a big shake-up in terms of the status quo, this still very much feels like its the same show we've been seeing since episode 1, and the narrative still keeps the core idea of commenting on and showcasing the possible cause and effect of what a Toku mindset and setting would have.

For some this is where the show dropped the ball, but for me, it's simply taking another avenue at delivering its overall themes and insight.

https://i.imgur.com/9q1foc0.png

"FLAMEN TORNADO." That is all.

With everyone now totally complacent in the antics of King Torture's' monsters, Goto is the only one left taking this whole situation seriously.

In universe, everyone appears to be treating the entire thing like, well, what we the audience see it as: A toku show. Some complain about the formula, some only want toys, and others simply assume that there's nothing to fear because Samurai Flamenco will without any doubt save the day every single time.

Except for Goto, who even among the police, is the only one who realizes that one wrong move means disaster for everybody. And this very quickly makes itself apparent when King Torture abducts and tortures Flamenco Diamond(Mari).

King Torture himself also gets some major character development here, showing that he's adapt at both physical torture as well as psychological warfare. He also shows that he too is very much in on the Toku formula: Taunting Flamenco and outright challenging him to a final battle. Plus, there's hints that he might be an alien, which is also right out of a Toku plot.

Outside of that, half the episode is dedicated to Mari being the usual prick that she is and the rest is just the logical continuation of what was set up last episode. Which, while consistent writing, doesn't offer too-too much to add to the rundown posts.

Next episode is the the big battle with King Torture and man, with a little over half the show left to go, how the heck is this even gonna go?

This episode was fantastic!

Continuing with the postmodern themes of the show, this episode is outright framed like the final episode of your average Toku, while simultaneously using that as a way to examine and comment on the endings of superhero shows and movies as a whole.

King Torture really is the central star here, getting more development and characterization here than I've seen some characters get within an entire show's' run. And given his own explanation of what forms the core of his beliefs, that is very much intentional on part of the writers. Mirroring Samurai Flamenco, he is entirely sincere in his beliefs; He just sees the world much differently.

I think the big standout scene for most is going to be when he tortures Flamenco Diamond and Sapphire. The physical torment is brutal, but yet again, it's his words that sting and leave scars far worse. He despises Diamond not because she's a hero who opposes him, but rather because she's not at all sincere in what she claims to stand for. Sapphire, meanwhile, is a genuinely kind and caring person, and so he lets her go. Twisted guy or not, King Torture has his own code of honor, and he for sure follows it.

And while that's certainly all very satisfying, especially for someone like me who doesn't like Mari at all, the biggest moment for me was the direct confrontation between King Torture and Samurai Flamenco.

Turns out that Torture also grew up a big Toku fan, but the lesson he ultimately learned from those shows was that heroics were ultimately futile.

See, while a common speech made by heroes is that good will always rise up to fight evil, the opposite is also true: There will always be evil forces to impose their will on the world. Torture didn't even have the motivation to begin his plans until Flamenco showed up to be a symbol for peace and justice! And unlike heroes, whose efforts are often forgotten or wasted come next season, evil only has to win once in order to create the kind of world they seek.

Flamenco's' counter, while not an exact response to what Torture was getting at, is still an admirable one. Masayoshi claims that, when it comes down to it, in real life, the real stars of the show aren't the superheroes or the big bads, but rather those who do what they can to help others. Superheroes would not only be totally toast more often than not if not for outside help, but they're the ones who actually help society while the "heroes" focus on fighting the villains. Without them, the superhero would have nothing to even fight for. And in all of this, King Torture holds nothing but respect for his adversary.

Cap that off with an ending paying homage to Iron Man and I had a great time with this episode. Again, this really is all done in the style of a final episode, to the point that we even get a unique credits sequence that almost makes me respect Mari a little(almost). Who knows where things are gonna go from here?

Yes.

Yes!


Time for a character highlight!

Moe - You'd be forgiven for thinking she was just a one note fangirl thirsting after Mari, since, y'know, that's kind of all she was up until episode 6.

https://i.imgur.com/G5ZeqOW.png

Then this happened. It's such a flat, knowing delivery that comes out of nowhere for her. While she immediately backs down afterwards, it's kind of strange for her to have this reaction when nobody else in the entire cast does, but then a few episodes pass and you start to forget about it because, hell, she's a supporting character to a side character. Then King Torture happens.

Even after having her finger reduced to a bloody nub, she's willing to be mutilated to save Mari. She doesn't cry, she doesn't whimper, she stares Torture dead in the eye and demands he release her, in spite of Mari's "protests." Overcome(or even just shocked) by her courage and selflessness, he just lets her go, but not before pointing out that Mari begging her to save herself was not only a complete crock of shit, she wanted Moe to die for her. In character for Mari, of course, but after that reveal we get this.

https://i.imgur.com/wTzqE61.png

She doesn't even flinch. She's not even really sad. She just knew. She has always known exactly what sort of trash human being Mari is and she's still willing to die for her. No points for choosing such a terrible person to love, but hand this girl some sort of medal for turning into a full blown character in the span of two freaking minutes with the biggest pair of nads in the entire cast.

Yes. I do feel this character with a grand total of three minutes of worthwhile screen time deserved a bit of discussion. Why do you ask?

...

https://i.imgur.com/hRF9NPj.png

Huh, Samurai Flamenco. I watched that show ages ago and I thought it was kind of interesting at the time, but I also felt like it had almost no staying power. It was kind of edgy and subversive but also ultimately felt rather weightless to me. Heck, I can barely remember a single thing that happened in it!

Yeah it's all really great. Meanwhile Flamenco Ruby is shown to be the only one with a brain what with her not only telling the other girls that directly pissing off the bid bag is a terrible idea, but also having the sense to call Goto as soon as they figure out where King Torture's' base is. Good stuff!

Man, of all the terms to use to describe Samurai Flamenco, "edgy" is most certainly not one that I'd choose. It actually has a way better time embracing its own inherent goofiness than alot of other modern superhero media that I've seen, and it's all the better for it.

Boy, if you thought episode 7 was insane, it has nothing on this episode.

No, really, things have escalated again, and in a much bigger and more crazy way than the climax of episode 7 did. The entire episode is like that!

Like... how do I even go about this? All I can really think to do is just give a recap, but like just with the climax of episode seven, this really is something you just kinda have to see in order to fully get, you know?

So uh, turns out that King Torture was actually secretly funded by a bunch of evil space aliens known as From Beyond, and all this time, Kaname, who is not just an actor but actually is Red Axe, has all this time been working to bring an elite group together to combat the alien threat.

This team is known as the Samurai Squad Flamengers, and he wants Masayoshi to be the leader and Red Ranger. Unfortunately for them though, the other four Rangers have already been killed off by a monster known as Ugly Toxic Poison, who causes people's' brains to explode via kisses. But fear not! Kaname calls in four back-up Rangers who were also chosen as Red to fill in the gaps!

They fight over who should be what color, with Masayoshi ultimately being Flamen Red. Turns out that the team is actually law themed too; Doing things such as using law books as a shield. Once Toxic Poison is defeated he goes big, so the Flamengers call on their animal-themed Zords to all combine into Flamen Robo, a parody of Combattler V. The city is totally wrecked in the process, but the Megazord quickly takes care of Poison and blows him up.

And worse than all of that, Masayoshi's' secret identity is out, which means Ishihara is PISSED!

Everything ends on a really funny bit was Mari, who correctly points out that because the Flamengers are a government organization, that means that their funding results in a big increase in taxes for the citizens.

I just... I really can't properly convey how this entire episode feels like it goes by at mach 1 and out of a near total blindspot.

And you now what, that in and of itself is brilliant, because that's how alot of Power Rangers seasons start.

Maybe "edgy" isn't so much the right word as much as it felt like the show was constantly needling me with stuff that felt like it was only there for the shock value and/or tonal whiplash. Again though, I haven't seen it in ages and don't remember it too well. Definitely a show that struck me as needing fewer episodes, not more.

https://i.imgur.com/4ulXYIj.png

Flamenger Arc let's go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prAzIFL9KHA

The sequence following their proper suit up is probably one of my favorite things in the entire show. It's goofy, energetic, and oddly cool. Hell, Pink makes knitting look badass. Having the crew sing their own hero song is just bonus points on an already great sequence.

Firm disagree. Whenever Flamenco does something outlandish and out of the blue like Furious George the show shifts around it. It's not just tossed out the window like it never happened and the "genre" it's shifted to remains the focus until the next story arc hits. The show is all about exploring the different hero genres, associated tropes, and playing with how characters would adapt to the absolute lunacy that goes on therein.

Yo, that flamengers theme is great. When I listened to it, that part at 13 seconds in reminded me of something. I had to rack my brain for a bit, bit it?s just like the Gavan theme at about 14 seconds in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfjuSxTkf90

Sorry if this has already been said before. I get excited when I hear similarities in songs. Also, if Gavan was itself referencing something there, I apologize for not catching that.

I just clicked into this thread to see what was going on. Flamenco has kind of been on my radar for a long time. I might try to check it out.

I definitely recommend it! Though I do suggest going into it knowing as little about it as possible.

It's good to see that despite all the crazy toku shenanigans going on, at the end of the day, the very human element of Samurai Flamenco remains.

The latter half of this episode is more Super Sentai hijinks that one would expect from that show, even parodying Dancougar at one point, but just as much time is dedicated towards the more slice of life and deconstructive aspects that Flamenco rooted itself in in its early episodes.

And really, that's where the best parts of this episode end up for me, even as an unapologetic Power Rangers fan. The main point the episode makes it that, while sure, Masayoshi is out living his best life being part of a superhero team(heck, even Ishihara had a turnaround about his lifestyle), life itself isn't exactly just sitting around and waiting for him to swoop in. Adding onto that, work life and personal life very much separate things.

While Masayoshi is every bit of the passionate hero as he's always been, the rest of the Flamengers treat their service under the government as, well, a job, and while Masa would love for it to be otherwise, the team consists of coworkers, not friends. Just because you see and work with someone often, that's not the same as genuine companionship.

Things have changed since he's been gone, too. MMM is under threat of breaking up due to Mari disappearing after the King Torture fiasco, Harazuka has had his stationary research confiscated by the government, and Goto has gone back to being a patrol cop with the disbanding of the specialized unit that he'd helped form. With so much going on in the world, not everyone can keep up.

And can I just say that these scenes between Masayoshi and Goto, where they just chill at one of their apartments, hangout, and just kinda talk about stuff are probably my favorite scenes in the entire show? The two's' growing bond over the course of the anime has been completely genuine, and these scenes always do well to showcase that. They're so simple, but they do a ton for a characters, and it's the sort of thing I wish some other shows I've seen had.

With all that out of the way, the only thing left to note is that starting with this episode, Samurai Flamenco switches over to its second opening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQ5ES7yyJs

It's a good song for sure, but the opening sequence itself is a glorified slideshow. A very stylistic one, but a slideshow all the same. You can tell this show is low budget, but man have they been using that budget effectively so far.

This being said, I really doubt they'd top the first opening even if they had a budget.

https://i.imgur.com/qpopQPd.png
More hijinks with the Flamenger squad. As on the nose as it is, I still like seeing their comraderie grow between fights.

SPYAIR does good work, that's for sure.

This episode tackles alot of common questions that people who only casually know shows like Power Rangers tend to ask.

Questions such as "Why do the enemy forces only ever attack one city/country?" "Why doesn't the big bad just send all of their monsters at once?" "Where the heck is the government in all of this?' and so forth.

And while basically every Toku shows I can think of has some sort of in-universe explanation/justification for all of these, Samurai Flamenco instead decides to meet the people who ask those types of questions on their own level. As it turns out, the people in-universe have asked these questions too, and the answers are ones that are not at all pretty.

The episode itself is 99% just talking, making me draw mental comparisons to .hack//SIGN(which, by the way, is one of my favorite anime ever), and it worked just as well here and it did there. Masayoshi's' genuine nature really begins to feel the strain when real world politics intervene in superheroics.

So what exactly is the catalyst for all of this? Well, as it turns out, From Beyond as an organization is much, much bigger than anyone could have ever imagined. It has over 65,000 members for goodness' sake! And adding onto that, the Flamengers learn that the alien invaders plan to initiate and all-out attack on Japan in the coming days. Those initial attacks simply being testing grounds to judge the strength of Japan's' defense force.

This is of course a state of emergency for the nation as a whole, because there's no way that the Flamengers can take on that big of a force all at once. Even worse, due to wanting to look good in both the eyes of the public and the political world, the Prime Minister declares that announcing a state of emergency is to be held off until Japan's' leaders and their families can be evacuated into shelters. It's a selfish move that no one on the team is happy with, but despite their protests, all the team gets out of it is that each member can choose up to five people to tell the truth to and evacuate.

This results in a sequence I really dug, wherein we get small glimpses into the personal lives of each member of the team, and the star of our show, Masayoshi, practically crumbles under the weight of such a big decision. He can barely keep the entire situation a secret, let alone narrow things down to just five people to save! The ensuing conversations he has with Goto and Kaname are really engrossing stuff too; Talking about both personal responsibilities as well as ones placed onto those who decide to become heroes.

And man, the ending cuts at the exact perfect time, too. After the nightmares and the heavy burden that's been placed on his shoulders, he says screw what the government says, and lets the world know the truth.

Really excited to see where this all goes next episode, that's for sure.