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TokuNation
(https://www.tokunation.com/forums/index.php)
- Tokusatsu Show Discussion
(https://www.tokunation.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=20)
- - What are you watching (Sentai edition)
(https://www.tokunation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119)
Ninninger... I don't have an awful lot to say about, and I'm coming from a bit of an opposite direction to you: it's one of my least favourite Sentai shows that I've seen, but I would use that to illustrate that there's not a single Sentai I've seen that I don't like and that I've always been able to find a lot of positives in each one!
Like, okay, Ninninger. Not a show I'm crazy about, not one I was able to get into, definitely more than a few elements that didn't work for me. But Starninger is one of the best Sixths ever, Kyuemon had a wonderful arc and the two of them dovetail in and out throughout the middle of the show to parallel each other in a genius way; eventually culminating in a showdown where the whole team has wonderful drama with him and that fuels the overall ethos of the show about forging your own future in your own unique way which even used the Legend Sentai devices to make that clear...! Again, I am talking about one of my least favourite Sentai here. One that I'm definitely not in any rush to revisit and one that couldn't click with me in the end. And yet I don't dislike it and I still have so much good to say of it! This is such a wonderful franchise for me as it just keeps putting out season after season that I can't find any overwhelmingly damaging problem with and which I'm always able to get something out of, and Ninninger is emblematic of that for me. Also Toqger is one of the best Toku shows ever made and it's criminal I didn't comment on it; everything about it is quintessentially Sentai and relentlessly fun and it uses that as a feint to hide absolutely emotionally crippling twists and turns towards the end. Absolutely loved these kids and loved this journey and it'll always be close to my heart <3 |
~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Episode 40 – Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger https://i.imgur.com/bldFalE.png To this day, I've never heard a better description of Zyuohger than when someone in the discussion thread for the final episode here likened it to really premium vanilla ice cream. On the surface, it appears lacking in distinguishing features, making it less obviously exciting than other, more wild flavors out there. But in exchange, by focusing solely on that basic, fundamental taste, it's able to achieve a level of subtle refinement that shouldn't be understated. It may be simple, but only those with untrained senses would ever mistake it for being made with less effort or skill. Incidentally, I'm quite fond of vanilla ice cream. When it comes to watching Zyuohger, though, my senses may have admittedly been a little untrained at first. Five years after Gokaiger, and apparently I still hadn't fully figured out how to stop taking these shows for granted. For quite a while into Zyuohger's run, I was keeping up with it well enough, enjoying it on a very casual level, but after so many Sentai I (eventually) loved, there was this faint feeling I always had that it was a tiny bit dull? Something about it never got me totally fired up, despite all the elements of it I loved. But like, specifically because I wasn't super invested in the show, I never really interrogated those feelings enough to have any concrete idea what *exactly* I was feeling at all. The fondness I eventually (inevitably) grew for Zyuohger, I credit in large part to my interactions with people on this forum. Like I mentioned last time, I started getting much more active around here midway through this show, and talking to people who were dismissive of a show I like as much as Ninninger, that were also saying Zyuohger was a super solid, enjoyable Sentai... it's like, I think I started wanting to believe in what others were seeing in it? It seemed like every Sentai after Gokaiger had a bit of a mixed reception for one reason or another, but here was Zyuohger, with that basic vanilla flavor, managing to strike a chord with so many fans. There *had* to be something to this. And throughout the latter half or so of Zyuohger, there was definitely a gradual but major shift in how I started looking at it as a series. I started appreciating more and more things about it, noticing stuff I hadn't before, even started posting in the episode threads eventually... by the end of Zyuohger, I was even a little melancholic about it being over. I had massively come around on it, and would only continue to think of it more and more fondly with further distance. All of that truly started with this very website, so when I think of Zyuohger, something I think of in particular is that sense of connection; the idea that it wasn't a series I liked alone. It's maybe fitting then that connection is also the central theme of Zyuohger's story. Maybe it will sound a tiny bit dull to you too, put like this, but Zyuohger is a Sentai with an animal theme. A lot of what defines the show is that very romantic view of the Earth as a wonderous place, where countless forms of life all coexist as part of a larger system. No matter how apart we feel, we're all inseparable. Standard fare for this sort of motif, but what's important isn't only what Zyuohger is doing; it's how. The thing I wasn't understanding about Zyuohger for so long was that what I felt watching it was never boredom or disinterest. I probably would've fell way behind on yet another Sentai if it was. The thing Zyuohger was making me feel was – and I really don't know how else to put it – the kind of soothing warmth of a lullaby. There's just something extremely cozy about Zyuohger and the way it leans into its themes that I'm not sure I can adequately describe. So I think I'll just start talking about the first episode and hopefully by the end of this I'll be able to explain what I mean with the end of that last paragraph. The very first thing in the whole show is some nice relaxed narration about how many species of animals exist on Earth, and how there are still countless kinds of creatures left out there to be discovered. So right away, it's establishing a tone by appealing to the audience's sense of curiosity. What could be cooler than finding some awesome new animals nobody's ever seen, right? Maybe you can think of something, I guess, but Yamato Kazakiri sure can't. He's... well, he's an all around utterly delightful human being, to begin with, but he's also a zoologist, introduced here guiding a group around the forest to see all the neat animals, a subject you can tell he's deeply passionate about. Then he stumbles upon a big magic cube thing that transports him to a place full of animal people, and that last bit of the narration about there being countless undiscovered creatures out there repeats right as the opening theme starts up for the first time. The very tastefully placed repetition of the narration is my second favorite thing in the episode for how well the emphasis works. All the Zyumans are a little on edge about this mysterious human who suddenly entered their world, but throughout the next stretch of the episode, Yamato is having the time of his life, mystified by everything he's seeing, and eager to find out everything he can about it. So here's the simple but hugely important thing about the way Zyuohger creates its particular atmosphere – we as the viewers are encouraged to see through Yamato's eyes. And I'm happy to do that, just like I think most people who watch this show seem to be. Yamato's actor gives an intensely charismatic performance right away, and watching the character on the screen, it's hard not to be pulled into the way he geeks out over this stuff. He has an immense love of and respect for life, beyond even the usual standards for a toku hero. Naturally, then, it doesn't rub Yamato right when a bunch of aliens come down to the planet to start hunting "inferior lifeforms", which is to say, anything that isn't them. The concept for Zyuohger's bad guys is as straightforward as can be, and with how perfect a fit it is, that's once again not a bad thing. They're just hunters from space who want to kill people for fun, making them the ultimate antithesis to the show's whole message. They just plain don't care about this planet. There's no room for anything as sugary as the wonder of discovery, or coexistence or whatever, when you're busy blowing up a forest full of the natives for kicks. Four of the Zyumans who came chasing Yamato back to our world thankfully end up empowered by the little cubes that are like keys for that big cube, becoming the Zyuohgers and fighting the monsters off. When they start to get overwhelmed anyway, Yamato rushes in to try and help, desperate to protect Earth's creatures, even when he's told he can't become a Zyuohger due to being a human. His impassioned response to this is to ask what difference it makes, and assert that humans are animals too. This is my favorite thing in the episode. Seriously, it's such a simple line, the same way everything is simple, but that always stuck with me. It's such a cool hero moment leading into Yamato becoming Zyuoh Eagle for the first time – one of my favorite debuts a Red has ever gotten, even – but it's also, like, that really is the whole show, right there in that obvious statement of fact. Humans are animals. Yamato's blunt refusal to make a distinction, to put himself above the other kinds of life inhabiting the world, or act like he somehow exists outside of all that, I can't think of a better beat for the emotional high point of Zyuohger's premiere. Like I said, you're encouraged to see the world through those exceptionally kind and caring eyes, and combined with how the villains are unusually ruthless and depraved for a modern Sentai, it's still hard not to get behind Yamato here. The thing is, his sudden ability to transform moments after being informed he shouldn't be able to isn't even just convenient writing. There's a whole backstory the show is planting the seeds for about Yamato's connection to a mysterious bird Zyuman and why he had a little cube to begin with and all that, but Zyuohger deliberately downplays the very competent job it does laying the groundwork for an overarching plot here to focus instead on the raw emotional catharsis of Yamato getting his wish to fight for the planet granted. It's such a smart move. And then the action stuff is so great too! A lot of the special effects work is particularly competent. There's a sequence of Zyuoh Eagle flying through the air dispatching a bunch of jetpack-equipped mooks, and even now, I'm a little shocked how terrible it doesn't look? It's cut together really nicely, and even when you can tell you're looking at a CG model of Yamato, like... it just somehow looks alright? The pilot director for Zyuohger was Takayuki Shibasaki, who I'm slowly learning seems to have a particular talent when it comes to big special effects sequences of this sort, so that probably has something to do with it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the staff apparently made the conscious decision to do lots of miniature work with the mecha this year specifically because the basic cube designs would've been suited to CG, and I really do like the feel of the physical stuff in Zyuohger. These are designs that, more than usual, look like toys, and yet they're somehow given a proper sense of weight and grandeur. It's the same for the actual giant robots as well. Zyuoh King raised some eyebrows as a DX toy for very visibly being three blocks stacked on top of each other, but as a suit in the show, it looks fantastic. The debut fight here places a lot of importance on dirt and rubble getting kicked up from explosions and it's all just so tactile, you know? Classic Sentai robo action, exactly the way you'd hope for in an anniversary series. Anyway, the episode ends with Yamato offering to take everyone in after it turns out they can't go back home, establishing their emotional dilemma for the series, as well as further showing what an absolute class act Yamato is. One of the Zyumans, Tusk, refuses the hospitality, providing a cliffhanger that will lead into a second episode that nails establishing the central theme of the show even harder than they already did. I'm very fond of this premiere, if it needs saying, but I believe I was trying to get back to that point about lullabies eventually? I, uh... I kinda might just have to hope people who have seen the show know what I mean by that? Maybe it's literally just that Yamato is so great and I love him and the way the show makes him a leader defined by being the team's heart and soul above all else? I mean, I do *really* adore Zyuoh Eagle in particular. It kind of took me a while to notice the other characters were actually cool too because I was so immediately obsessed with him. Like, Misao, the team's obligatory sixth member, right? He's got one of the most unique concepts out there, which is that he's this socially awkward wreck of a person, desperate to have friends but prone to depressive bouts of believing he doesn't deserve them, and it's just... that guy can be a hero in Zyuohger. The team will get understandably fed up with his high-maintenance personality sometimes, yeah, but they take him in, and they believe in him, and help him to believe in himself. That's the kind of thing I'm trying and failing to get at here. There's a warmth to Zyuohger that's so deeply reflected in everything about it, that I feel like summing it up with mere words is always going to undersell it. It's a show that's every bit as much relaxing as it is exciting, and it somehow makes those two aspects not feel at odds with one another. There was no point in going big for the 40th Sentai when Gokaiger already did the anniversary thing so definitively, so Zyuohger swings hard in the opposite direction. It's small, it's humble, it's intimate, and somehow, in being all those things, it manages to capture something that could be considered the "essence" of Super Sentai just as well in its own way. It's a series that leaves you with a good feeling, and while I never would've guessed how much I'd end up liking it, Zyuohger has become a show I'm always more than happy to go back to. |
It always surprised me how Zyuohger wasn't adapted like, immediately, given the Minecraft craze at the time.
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Well I'd be cool with that. The cube bit threw me off at first but took some getting used to. I'm 15 in on this actually.
Even if this does solidify out , Hasbro may swap out the cube bit and come up with their own thing. Jungle Fury used sun glass Morphers. So I can see cubes being swapped out. We may see a US Exclusive Morpher as was the case with Jungle Fury. |
Amu would be able to taste the vanilla in premium ice cream much more acutely than us humans.
But yeah, Zyuohger! I should probably talk about this show, huh? Considering how it's my favorite 10s Sentai and all. I remember my first impression upon seeing the suits was mostly "meh". Shark and Elephant looked pretty cool, Lion and Tiger looked kind of plain and Eagle looked weird with that brown mouthpiece. Actually, I still think Eagle and Gorilla look weird. Lion and Tiger grew on me though. The real merits aren't in the designs though, rather they're in the characters, written by Komura Junko, who was barely on my radar and yet I only recently declared her my favorite Sentai writer. It also restored my faith in the producer, Utsunomiya Takaaki, who proved to me that he was still capable of producing good Sentai. When I think about who are among my favorite rangers in Sentai, I often recall Sela and Misao, both of whom are from Zyuohger. But really, the Zyumen in general have a deep and intriguing lore and culture that lays the foundation for their development. Like the one-sided rivalry between Sela and Leo, driven by Sela's desire for Leo to respect her as an equal fighter. Misao is another excellent character and my favorite human in the show, being someone possessed of depression, sometimes for such trivial things, but when he gets motivated, he can lift an entire building from the ground with a fishing rod! He's truly loyal to his friends and will stop at nothing to protect them. I really enjoyed his friendship with Tusk. There are a few blunders, which is fair, considering this is Komura's first time as a head writer (for Sentai anyway, she did write Bima-X). Like, what was even the point of Bungray? He had no former affiliation with the Deathgaliens, only showing up to hunt the Legendary Beast and then he decides he's going to antagonize Yamato for no particular reason? Honestly, it feels like his only major contribution to the plot is to give Cubal a shiny new arm. The soundtrack is awesome as well. The OP is triumphant and heroic, the ED is a catchy dance theme and Zyuoh The World's theme has a feeling of terror and power similar to Abare Killer's. Overall, Zyuohger is easily one of the most inspirational and dramatic Sentai seasons I've watched and I definitely owe it a rewatch sometime. It's not even an exaggeration to say that I've spent more time thinking about this show than any other Sentai out there. They totally deserve their title as the Strongest Animal Heroes! |
Tsukasa masahiro reacting https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xWcnHXiG4PA
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I've continues watching Timeranger through episode 21 and this is really shaping up to be the Sentai I've always wanted. Between the genuinely intriguing overarching elements and a delightful cast, I've been really pleased! Before this my favorite Sentai tended to be the more tongue-in-cheek ones like Kakuranger and Carranger, but Timeranger is showing me that a more serious tone can work well too! I think what really elevates the show for me is that it generally avoids a common issue I have with a lot of other Sentai, where main characters are just not really allowed to be interesting outside outside of episodes focused on them. Timeranger is just really good at conveying everyone's personality and dynamics even through little scenes, like by having Sion doing something quirky in the background. There was a scene in a recent episode where Ayase offers to go without food, and Tatsuya butts in, insisting that he has to eat. It was just a tiny bit of the episode, but it perfectly captured both Ayase's tendency to put others first and Tatsuya's extra concern for Ayase due to his illness. It really is the little things that count, eh?
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Space.41 – Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger https://i.imgur.com/5guVGw9.png (I know it looks like nobody is missing, but even including the silhouettes, this is only 75% of this team's eventual roster.) Kyuranger is a show about nine warriors of legend chosen to free the universe from the evil clutches of an oppressive space shogunate. I know I usually don't lead off with bland exposition, but I have a point I'm about to make, and for the sake of keeping everyone up to speed, it's important to note that number. Nine. It's one of Kyuranger's biggest selling points, to the degree it's right there in the title. It's an absurdly huge size for a Sentai team, and, as if to stress how bold and impactful that scope is, it's constantly noted in the story that this team has that legend associated with them. It is very specifically nine heroes who are said to bring hope to a cosmos in turmoil. So then why, come the ninth episode of the series, are there already ten of them? Whenever I think about Kyuranger, there's plenty that comes to mind, and I'll get to the rest in a bit, but above maybe everything else, there's a single line that sort of defines the entire series to me. See, the episode in question, where the Kyurangers get their first of three additional members in a show literally named after the specific size of its already huge cast of heroes, centers around the team's commander, and the reveal that before gathering the Kyurangers proper, he once tried to fight on his own using an imperfect imitation of their powers. His arrogance in thinking he could take on the bad guys himself resulted in tragedy, and he'd prefer to put it all behind him, but he's encouraged to fight alongside the other nine as a true Kyuranger with a simple bit of optimism – if the legend tells of nine heroes, and there are actually ten, that means reality is even better than the legend. Back when it started airing, I was honestly a little uneasy about the idea of Kyuranger still feeling the need for traditional extra heroes, so first of all, I'll always remember that line for the sheer immediacy with which it turned my entire opinion around. Put like that, there could be a hundred Kyurangers, and I'd just think it was cool. And because that line did stick with me so much, I always kept coming back to it throughout the series, and realizing how deeply that sentiment reflects both Kyuranger's overall style, and also its central message. Kyuranger, in terms of style, it's basically go big or go home, to put it simply. You'd think the oversized cast would be enough to get that across, but it really goes above and beyond that, also shooting for an epic space opera premise while it's at it. That the show even managed to not collapse under all the weight it was putting on itself would be worthy of praise in my book; that it manages to actually make that ambition a strength is downright impressive. Kyuranger captured my attention from the earliest reveals. I mentioned talking about Kyoryuger how cool I thought it was that the series highlighted the individuality of the team's members in order to emphasize their strength, and Kyuranger takes that idea even farther. Kyuranger has a really good tagline that sums it all up – each one of them is a Super Star; the nine of them together are All Stars. To create a threat big enough to justify a team this incredible, the usual alien invader premise is flipped on its head, with an entire universe, already conquered, that the heroes are tasked with liberating from scratch. Which is awesome! Everyone loves some underdog heroes! To get across that any one of these guys would be a cool superhero on their own, every single Kyuranger has an individually tailored suit with distinctive details not shared with anyone else, communicating their style far more than just the usual different helmets would. Which is awesome! Everyone loves some thorough design work! Well, okay, I mean, I love it, anyway. I'm sure there are people out there who don't jive with the Kyuranger aesthetic for whatever reasons, but I'd hope even those people would still be able to appreciate the sheer effort went into the visuals for this series. The endless creativity of the designs year after year is one of those things that keeps tokusatsu so infinitely fascinating to me, and Kyuranger is one of those shows that feels like it was truly giving 110% on that front. Maybe 900%? It's sort of baffling to me even now how perfectly they designed those suits so that none of them looked the same, while also, you know, still making them look the same. They're immediately recognizable as a unit, but even if you painted them all one color, you'd never get them mixed up. And then there are all those little touches, like how the visors aren't simply black, but this subtly elaborate sparkly gradation to make them look like space. And then like, all the mecha and gear are really cool too? The main nine members all have a personal weapon somehow made from different combinations of the same three pieces, and like, yeah, you can sort of tell there were limits to how unique they could truly get, but to manage a full set of nine from such an economical set of restrictions at all is some serious wizardry. But I'll have more time to gush about the exceptional quality of the visuals in a second. I also mentioned Kyuranger's central message. Kyuranger is a series all about the value of positive thinking. So it probably won't come as a surprise when I tell you I loved everything it had to say. Remember, this is a world where the bad guys controlling the universe is the status quo, and not merely the threat. The show leans into how necessary optimism is to even think about toppling that, and as with many other Sentai, it has a Red that's emblematic of those themes. In Kyuranger's case we have Shishi Red, the self-proclaimed luckiest man in the universe... whose name is also literally Lucky. The show does some really clever things with Lucky! At first glance, he seems like some carefree idiot with an unjustified belief in his odds that reality inexplicably bends backwards to support, but the trick to his character is that, for all the legitimate good fortune he happens into, he still faces hardship, and a lot of what he considers "lucky" is merely him looking on the bright side of any given situation. The conclusion the show comes to is that his refusal to focus on the negative creates his exceptional luck, and I think there's a genuinely fantastic lesson in there about what a difference a change in attitude can make. It's all a matter of perception, you know? It can be easy to have a couple things going wrong in a row distract you from a dozen things that have gone right in the same span of time, and in my experience, simply getting too caught up in that really is the worst thing of all. That kind of pessimism is a nasty spiral leading to even more mistakes and misfortunes, so what Kyuranger says is that, maybe the opposite is true there as well. Maybe making that choice to keep putting one foot in front of the other really is what matters most. And you know, I haven't toppled any oppressive space shogunates, but there have legitimately been times in my life where the wisdom of the words "YOSSHA LUCKY~!" has kept me on the right track, and I'm thankful to Kyuranger for that. ...Huh, that got a bit more... philosophical? than I was expecting? Like, the key thing here – or at least I thought – is that this is very much the big fun space Sentai, before it's anything else. Just take the first episode, for example! Kyuranger, admittedly, had a few teething problems when it first started, and Lucky was without a doubt the biggest one of them. He's straight up obnoxious here, if I'm being honest. And it should mean something coming from me, because I just got done telling you how much I adore his character. The show develops him in all sorts of great ways, finds perfect uses for him in the narrative, and he gains a fair bit of depth and nuance... after this. Here, I mean, I don't want to make it sound like he drags the episode down around him, but simply in terms of how endeared you're going to be to Lucky from just the premiere... it's hard to imagine you would be? He comes off blissfully ignorant of everything going on around him, decides he's going to become a superhero for no particular reason, insults a wolfman for refusing to fight an overwhelming evil before even hearing his very particular reasons... there's a lot about Lucky here that simply isn't flattering, but at the same time, I'd at least argue that none of this is without purpose. I think the show is trying to stress at the outset how much of a firecracker he is – someone who shakes people out of stagnation simply by being around, and it's certainly accomplishing that much. Plus, while he may spouting off his catchphrase with absurd frequency, something I appreciated going back on a rewatch is that the very first thing he does in the show demonstrates exactly that dynamic I was talking about earlier. He gets dragged into the adventure after horribly crashing his space bike into a planet, right where the Kyurangers are fighting some mooks, and his immediate response is to loudly celebrate the fact that he landed safely, as though this was all according to plan. That's a pretty definitive entrance for Lucky, I'd say! You absolutely can not stop this man from rolling with the punches. And tell me, is it bad luck that he crashed, or is it good luck that an unexpected stop led him to a group of heroes he'd end up saving the universe alongside? Like I said: it's all in your perception. So there are absolutely things about the premiere's script worth praising. It's just that it's also insanely hyperactive. I looked back at my original reaction to it in the episode thread, and years later, I still think my description of this episode as "like if someone tried to edit Star Wars down to 20 minutes" is rather apt. This thing is speeding through all sorts of different locations and plot points, squeezing in the origins for two different Kyurangers, and stuffing it all with as much thrilling action as possible, and the end result is that there isn't much time to give any nuance to what's happening. All the characterization, especially, is all very, very loud, without being much else. The trick here is that I don't only mean to say it's like watching a 20 minute movie as a bad thing. Straight up, this is easily one of the most visually impressive Sentai premieres of all time. And I've seen 'em all now, too! I'll qualify it with that "one of" because there's room for debate about what exactly constitutes being visually impressive, but Kyuranger, man, it's basically hitting any criterion you could list all at once. Takayuki Shibasaki did some amazing work directing this one, and the work everyone else was doing was amazing too. Loads and loads of shots that look great because of great composition, or great computer effects, or great practical effects, or any combination of those three. You get the feeling watching it that nothing was ever ruled out and also probably that they were dumping a ton of money into it. It's extravagant. There's no way I can hope to get that across with only my words. Especially when there's such an extensive list of things that impress me. Allow me to just call out a mere fraction of those things. I dig how evenly the mecha are portrayed with props and CG, because it really suggests they were always focused on what would work best in a particular moment. I dig how many different tricks are used to convey that we're on alien planets. I dig Lucky's doofy B movie spacesuit before he gets his regular outfit at the end. And hey, speaking of Lucky! For however obnoxious he is, I'm not going to believe you if you try telling me it wasn't awesome that he made his entrance as Shishi Red surfing into the atmosphere on a meteor shower. And again, the effects for it actually look good. Make no mistake, this is absolutely a solid first outing for Kyuranger. It makes sacrifices in its storytelling, sure, but that comes with the tradeoff of how much its able to focus on wowing the viewer with the sheer scale of its action – something very unique to Kyuranger in particular, that arguably hasn't been topped since, and thus worth highlighting. From this point on, the show eventually settled into a groove on Earth for a stretch early in its run, making the opposite tradeoff, and calming down a bit to get to work on solidifying the way it delivers its plots and character development. This was interesting in its own right, and on the other side of that, the show goes back to that full space opera flavor, now with the kind of richer narratives it was struggling with at first. Kyuranger is a series that always feels like it's climbing to greater heights to me, and that made it a delight to follow from start to finish. It's a show that just ~barely~ misses out on being one I'm eager to call an absolute favorite, but I think that has everything to do with what came next, rather than it not having a lasting impact on me. Like, I'm being dead serious when I say "YOSSHA LUCKY~!" has become a bit of an inspirational motto for me. If anything, I think Kyuranger is a show that's really deserving of a complete rewatch from me at some point, to reconnect with how much I actually do love it. This was the first outing as main writer for Nobuhiro Mouri, who generally spends more time playing in other writers' worlds, and I always got the impression he was seriously having some fun with what is, to date, still his only turn as main writer. He personally handled the vast majority of the scripts, and while I'm trying to wrap this post up right now, I will mention that I find Kyuranger has a notable sense of forward momentum in its plotting you don't always get from Sentai. There's always some greater goal the heroes are working towards, or some dangling plot threads driving the story onwards, and it really feels like every fun adventure leads into the next. I think the way the show builds on itself in this fashion is key to that sense of it getting better and better as it goes along. But now I'm just looking for excuses to keep talking. Which apparently I could keep doing for a while! I honestly thought this one might end up being a bit on the shorter side, but that only goes to show how much I underestimate my own affection for Kyuranger. This show was my jam week after week when it was airing, and even now, I maintain a massive soft spot for this oversized group of universal saviors and their bombastic exploits. Kyuranger might be a show that has its rough edges here and there, but with all the positive qualities it also has, why bother getting hung up on the negative, right? |
Not having seen it, I really dig the aesthetic of this show, and it's such a shame that, due to Bandai America's' hand in helping create it, Hasbro is likely to never adapt it(ontop of some not so savory comments made my the current head of the franchise regarding it).
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Hey question on Kyuranger, did Lucky actually tell Garu that the whole "trauma from losing his clan" wasnt valid and that he just needs to get over it? I'm legit curious how that seen played out.
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Which is why, again, it's mostly just weird to hear an executive producer explicitly shooting down things like this. It's understandable to not feel it's worth putting the time in to bend a Sentai into the shape you want it when you can pick and choose to do the straightforward ones about dinosaurs and whatnot that don't require so much reworking (and to be fair, some Kyurangers DID end up notably thinner than others), but I don't know why you'd ever explicitly rule out the possibility of a fun and creative idea coming along for a show, or why you'd just casually be doing it on social media. Quote:
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Androzani?s Tsukai Space Squad Detour And this week, we?re covering? Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger vs Space Squad https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaT-BUX...jpg&name=small Now I?ve spent the last two weeks over in the other Toku series watch thread, doing my two cents on Space Squad, so I wouldn?t have to explain it here. So let?s get down to discussing Kyuranger. "When people shed tears after the galaxy falls into the hands of the heartless, nine saviors chosen by the Kyutama, the Kyurangers, will save the galaxy." Kyuranger: Lucky/Shishi Red: An extra-terrestrial human from Planet Luth (惑星ルース Wakusei Rūsu) in the Shishi System. Chronologically, he was the fifth Kyuranger to be awakened. He is later revealed to be a distant descendant of the legendary warrior Orion, and gains an alternate white coloured form, Shishi Red Orion. He is also the heir to the throne of his real homeworld Kaien, becoming the king of said planet and succeeding his father Aslan, who was thought to be murdered by Jark Matter Vice Shogun Kukuruga, but is revealed to have been turned into one of Don Armage?s possessed servants until he sacrifices himself to save the universe and Lucky. Two years after defeating Don Armage, Lucky decided to fulfill his dream of seeing the entire universe with Garu at his side. Aged 24, Lucky was born on July 7th. Lucky is naive, optimistic, determined, and hyperactive. He has a habit of saying "Yossha lucky!" whenever something good happens, which is often due to his amazing luck. Lucky is incredibly strong-willed, both in his ideals and his goals: he has a tendency to make decisions with barely any evidence and believe in their plausibility no matter how much the facts suggest otherwise. This, combined with his naivety, makes him come across as immature and stupid. However, he has solid instincts and a logic to his actions, paying attention to things that others do not. He is overdependent on his luck, and quickly became insecure and even panic when his luck ran out, this becoming apparent when he was defeated by Ikargen. In truth, this all stems from his traumatic childhood in the past, leading him to believe that he was born unlucky. In turn, his frequent shouts of "Yossha lucky!" serve as a form of encouragement to himself as he tries his best to stay positive and uphold his unwavering belief in good fortune. He later manages to regain his confidence, which helps him in defeating Ikargen. Over time, Lucky would mature throughout his battles as a Kyuranger, especially with the revelation of his royal heritage, both as a descendant of the legendary warrior Orion as well as the prince (later king) of his home planet Kaien in the Shishi System. While transformed as Shishi Red Orion, he would carry himself with an air of grandeur. He would turn out to be a competent leader of his team with his unwavering optimism and resilience, while his belief in his amazing luck would continue to persist even after his duties as a Kyuranger ended. Stinger/Sasori Orange: the Orange Warrior of the Kyurangers and a spy for Shou Ronpo who joined Jark Matter to find his brother Scorpio. A Scorpionman from the Sasori System, he is a witness to Doctor Anton's murder and pretended to be an enemy to the Kyurangers before revealing his true motives as Shou Ronpo's spy and the first Kyuranger to be awakened, and the one who murdered Doctor Anton and framed Stinger was actually his brother Scorpio. Two years after the permanent defeat of Don Armage, he succeeded Shou Ronpo as the new commander of the remaining Kyurangers as peacekeepers of the universe. Aged 28, Stinger was born on November 11th. Stinger is a quiet and serious man who follows the path he believes is right. While short-tempered and a brutal fighter, he has a code of honor: he will not kill children or allow anyone to interrupt his battle for him. Stinger started out searching for his elder brother Scorpio, who betrayed him and his people for Jark Matter. He was collected when he became a Kyuranger but when Champ was destroyed by Scorpio, he started loses his cool, even wanting to go after his own brother to avenge Champ. Of course, he is willing to sacrifice himself just to prevent others from getting caught in his matter with Scorpio. Eventually, when he noticed the revived Champ, he also started calling him 'aibo' (literally 'partner') without realizing it and began getting along with the robot wrestler. Despite his cold looking attitude, he has a soft side to him. For example, he makes plush versions of his teammates to accompany Champ when he was being repaired at the Rebellion base. Garu/Ookami Blue: the Blue Warrior of the Kyurangers. He is the last of his Wolfman clan and was found on the planet Jagjag with a Kyutama around his neck. He is the sixth Kyuranger to be awakened. He usually ends some sentences with his name or "~ki". After the permanent defeat of Don Armage, Garu traveled around the universe with Lucky. Aged 37, Garu was born on September 6th. Garu is short-tempered and impulsive, like a wild beast. The trauma of losing his people caused Garu to lose the will to fight until he saw the efforts of Lucky and the Kyurangers, after which he renewed his desire to fight back the evil shogunate and avenge his tribe. Garu is also one of the least-intelligent members of the team, as he fully believed Champ's story as "Yagyuu Juubee" while the other Kyurangers saw right through it. After being inspired by Lucky, Garu has become essentially his follower as he vividly follows Lucky's lead and fuels almost everything he does with this same vigor. Even when Lucky is down he comes back to this inspiration and is quick to help him, as well as his allies when they need him. He also has taken the leadership position of the team when Lucky is incapacitated.* Balance/Tenbin Gold: the Gold Warrior of the Kyurangers. He is a techno-organic mechanical organism, a thief and partner to Naga Ray. He is the seventh Kyuranger to be awakened. After the permanent defeat of Don Armage, he and Naga began to retrieve every stolen treasures which Jark Matter left behind. "Born" 304 years ago, an incident "aged" Balance by an additional century. Balance was born on April 7th. At first he seems to be greedy and only cares about treasure, but he is a good person at heart (although he has his treasure-raptured moments). He is flashy, energetic and fast-talking. His flamboyant attitude balances the more neutral demeanor of his partner Naga. In lieu of his title the Trick-Star, he is not shy of being cheeky to both ally and enemy alike. He has a habit of saying "Goisu!" (Radical!) and "Agepoyo wei!" (I'm so pumped!) whenever he has an interesting idea or whe he is feeling very excited. Despite his very outward personality, Balance is still quite emotional. When he becomes sad, he often tries to put on a positive demeanor to hide his sorrow. Examples include when he had his birthday temporarily stolen and when Naga had been brainwashed to Jark Mater's side. Champ/Oushi Black: the Black Warrior of the Kyurangers. He is an antrophomorphic bull-like android. He is one of the first three Kyurangers, after Stinger, to be awakened. For a period of time, he disguised himself as a wrestling champion known as Yagyuu Juubee (ヤギュウジュウベエ Yagyuu Juubee). After the permanent defeat of Don Armage, Champ return to his wrestling career, winning 99 streaks and regaining his championship title belt. Aged 44 (chronologically 344 since episode 34), Champ was born on January 23rd. Champ is generally happy-go-lucky in demeanor, believing firmly in the power of justice and fiercely protective of the ones he cares about. However, Champ can be hot-blooded and impulsive when provoked, especially when his friends are endangered or hurt. When he encountered Stinger, the man who the wrestler thought killed his creator Dr. Anton, he fell into a fit of rage and had to be restrained by his teammates, unintentionally causing his team to be poisoned. When not fighting, Champ will usually be lifting weights, despite the fact exercise gives him no physical benefit due to being a robot. Despite his animosity towards Stinger until he realizes that Stinger's traitorous brother Scorpio was the one who murdered Dr. Anton, Champ eventually warms up to him as a teammate and friend (calling him 'partner' too as if they were already closed best buddies), to the point where he takes a finishing move meant for Stinger and is destroyed. After being revived they got along well and support each other as needed. Naga Ray/Hebitsukai Silver: the Silver Warrior of the Kyurangers. From the Hebitsukai System, Naga Ray's people eschewed emotions, but he is on a mission to have emotions, unlike his people. He is a thief, a partner to Balance. He is the eighth Kyuranger to be awakened. Naga is later compromised and corrupted into becoming Dark Naga (ダークナーガ Dāku Nāga) by a vice shogun named Akyanba. His betrayal also leads to the corruption of his Seiza Blaster and his Kyutama, allowing him to transform into Hebitsukai Metal (ヘビツカイメタル Hebitsukai Metaru). He retains this power after being freed from Akyanba's control. After the permanent defeat of Don Armage, he and Balance began to retrieve every stolen treasures which Jark Matter left behind. Aged 25, Naga was born on February 10th. A stoic yet highly curious man, Naga desires to learn about and experience emotion, something that his people discarded long ago. He mostly carries himself in a neutral demeanor, speaking in a monotonous voice. Due to his inexperience with feelings, Naga will often use the wrong emotion when he tries expressing feeling (such as amusement when he should feel anger, or rage instead of excitement). However, he has shown the ability to become angry when provoked. He also sometimes takes words spoken to him seriously. When Hammie told him to think for himself, he took those words to heart and willingly sided with Akyanba to have his emotions unleashed. Among the Kyurangers, he always doubt Shou because their commander seems to lie at times. Hammie/Chameleon Green: the Green Warrior of the Kyurangers. An extra-terrestrial human from the Chameleon System, she is one of the first three Kyurangers to be awakened after Stinger. After the permanent defeat of Don Armage, Hammie decided to study to became a university teacher. Aged 22, Hammie was born on September 1st. Hammie is a curious, hyperactive, and incredibly skilled ninja. She is incredibly self-motivated but unable to control her emotions due to her youth. Hammie is easily amused. As a child, she was an introverted girl until she grew into her teens, where she became more extroverted and outspoken. She is also sometimes the one who scolds Lucky when he makes a mistake and was sometimes jealous that she has to work hard while Lucky relied on luck. Raptor 283/Washi Pink: Raptor is a Type 283 (タイプ２８３ Taipu Ni-Hachi-San) general purpose android and the initial commander of the Orion, who later becomes Washi Pink (ワシピンク Washi Pinku, Eagle Pink), the Pink Ranger of the Kyurangers. She was the last member of Kyuranger to awaken, but the eighth to join the team. After Don Armage was defeated for the final time, she chose to stay on the Battle Orion Ship as its pilot. Aged 29, Raptor was born on February 8th. Raptor is serious and short-tempered, as shown as when she hit Shou Ronpo because of him thinking about new reply words instead of Kyuranger safety. She can also be brave, as she delivered the Futago Kyutama to Lucky while in the battlefield. However, despite her seriousness, she tends to daydream and write in her tablet about her fighting alongside the Kyurangers. She can also be air headed at times, when no one is around. Her dream became reality, when her wish created the Washi Kyutama. She sees the Orion as her Uncle, due to an incident where both she and Spada were trapped in a magnetic storm during a warp drive test, where she believed that the ship saved them both. It is hinted that she might have a crush on Spada. Spada/Kajiki Yellow: the Yellow Warrior of the Kyurangers. An extra-terrestrial human from the Kajiki System, he is one of the first three Kyurangers, after Stinger, to be awakened. Two years after the permanent defeat of Don Armage, Spada finally fulfilled his dream to open a restaurant. Aged 32, Spada was born on May 9th. Spada is a man who aspires to become the greatest chef in the universe. He often uses food-related metaphors and snippets of Italian when he speaks. Spada is arguably the most mature of the Kyurangers: he rarely loses his patience or poise, and acts like a father figure to his teammates (particularly Hammie). This father figure idea is especially apparent with Raptor, when it came out that her dream was to fight alongside the Kyurangers. However, Spada was against the idea of her doing so, out of the sake of her own safety. However, he finally realized what he was doing was no different to Jark Matter, after Lucky got him to come to his senses. Supreme Commander Shou Ronpo/Ryu Commander: a Rebellion leader and the commander of the Kyurangers from the Ryu System. He becomes the tenth member of the team, Ryu Violet (リュウバイオレット Ryū Baioretto, lit. Dragon Violet), later evolving into Ryu Commander (リュウコマンダー Ryū Komandā, lit. Dragon Commander). He is also the second-in-command to Shishi Red. Two years after the permanent defeat of Don Armage, Shou remains in the Rebellion as Supreme Commander, while Stinger takes over him as commander of the Kyurangers. Aged 44,*Shou was born on September 9th. He tries to give off the persona of being the "Strongest Ever", but his real character is like an old man. Even in the worst of times, he keeps a proper tone. Shou has a habit of missing the point in front of him to figure out how to word things right. For example, when most of the team was affected by Stinger's toxin, Shou wanted to know what to use to respond to the Kyurangers instead of "Roger." However, Shou does have a serious side, showing his leadership figure when he warned the Kyurangers not to engage some of Jark Matter's assassins, both of whom had defeated him before. It is shown he had been guilt-ridden due to the death of his predecessor Big Bear and didn?t want to see his group die in front of his eyes like that, until Lucky and the other eight Kyurangers reminded Shou to move on and carry the late-Big Bear's will in his honor, no matter what sacrifice Shou and the other Kyurangers must make. Another downside of his personality is that he's a compulsive deceiver, making his team members question his decisions, especially Naga. Kotaro Sakuma/Koguma SkyBlue: a young boy who defied Jark Matter's occupation of Earth with his younger brother, Jiro Sakuma. Inspired by Stinger, Kotaro decide to join the Rebellion. He later gains his own personal Kyutama from Shou Ronbou's predecessor, Big Bear to become Koguma Skyblue (コグマスカイブルー Koguma Sukaiburū, lit. Little Bear Skyblue), the eleventh member of the Kyurangers. He can turn into a giant version of himself, which is known as Ooguma Skyblue (オオグマスカイブルー Ooguma Sukaiburū, lit. Great Bear Skyblue). Aged 17, Kotaro was born on May 5th. Kotaro has a high sense of bravery, not being afraid of defying Jark Matter. He is also protective of his younger brother and the people dear to him. After seeing the Kyurangers being able to bring hope to others, Kotaro went all the way to follow them, even intending to join the Kyurangers. His wish became true after gaining the trust of Big Bear and creation of the Koguma Kyutama to become Koguma Skyblue. He calls Hammy 'Old Lady', much to her annoyance. Despite being the youngest member of the team, he has a mature personality, able to make correct decisions and helping the older members to reconsider their thoughts and reasons. He also has a strong determination to save Earth as the shining star of hope. However, due to his inexperience in battle, childish methods and tendency to butt into things without a strategy, he was sometimes a hindrance to the team. Despite that, Kotaro improves himself in fighting against the evil space empire. He also has a brotherly relationship with Stinger. Tsurugi Ohtori/Houou Soldier: a mysterious immortal warrior, an astronaut and a head scientist of a now abandoned Tsurugi Ohtori Science Laboratory who became the first President of the Space Federation (宇宙連邦大統領 Uchū Renpō Daitōryō). He fought alongside Orion to free space from Jark Matter as Houou Soldier (ホウオウソルジャー Hōō Sorujā, lit. Phoenix Soldier), and had slept inside the Argo for about 300 years. Born on October 31st of an unidentified year, Tsurugi's true age is unknown, estimated at least 134 years, without counting 300 years of his cryosleep. Possessing a huge level of pride in himself, Tsurugi regards himself as "the legendary savior", claiming all of his feats to be part of his so-called "legend". He also has a habit of saying "My Word" (なんてこと Nante koto) as well as using "Ore-sama" (俺様) as his first person pronoun. Despite his arrogant personality, he was quite intelligent and was able to take in details quickly. He tends to identify the individual Kyurangers based by their professions instead of their names. Tsurugi held a deep resentment towards Jark Matter and Don Armage, as they were the ones who wounded him and killed some of his comrades. He was even willing to dedicate his life to destroy Jark Matter. He has a kind heart, as he fixes Raptor in certain situations. However, later, it is revealed his disapproval of the Kyurangers' fighting stems from the fact that his friend Quervo died acting as his living shield, and as a way to honor Quervo, he decided to stop using anyone else as shield, as he believed when people fight*with him, they will also become a shield to him. Even with his arrogance, he still understands the importance of friendship and comradery, as seen by his close moments with Quervo. When he found out that he didn't understand his old partner's feelings, he was clearly guilty and remorseful, making it up to him be still calling him his friend.*This extends towards willingly sacrificing himself for his teammates, though some of his cocky nature remains. Space Squad: Shuu Karasuma/Uchuu Keiji Shaider II: the new Space Sheriff Shaider, Dai Sawamura's successor. He is something of a womaniser, despite being in a dedicated relationship with his partner Tammy. Shuu will do anything for a pretty face, regardless of that person?s intentions. What do I think of Kyuranger? Well the fact that I wrote a fanfiction turning it into a Power Rangers series (which predates Bennett?s comments), and went out of my way to get an SG Sentai Gear set that included a Kyuranger gear (alongside Bioman, Hurricaneger, Go-Onger, Ninninger and Ryusoulger gears) should speak up for my opinion. Sure some of the characters are out of focus, but they?re well characterised enough that it doesn?t matter (and besides, the show is more plot-driven than character-driven). As for the staff, while Sakamoto is still in the director?s chair after the previous Space Squad instalments, the writer and producer chairs are filled by Nobuhiro Mouri (who you can find out more about by clicking on the link in my signature and scrolling through the posts) and Takumi Mochizuki (who more recently produced Kamen Rider Revice, which shares Subaru Kimura as its main VA, and Ten Gokaiger due to Gokaiger?s main producer having been demoted to advertising after one too many under performances), who fill those positions for Kyuranger proper. With all of that said, on with the review. We open with UchuuNin Demost (having recuperated from his plot to conquer Earth being thwarted by three Sentai heroines from different home series, opening a portal to another universe (though since the word used can also mean ?galaxy?, the subs go back on forth on the matter). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaT1Y4X...jpg&name=small Though as he opens the portal, he gets confronted by Space Squad members Jiraiya (voiced by impressionist Kenji Akabane, impersonating original Jiraiya actor Takumi Tsutsui)(The narration explains that his isn?t the original, Toha Yamaji, but a new holder, Touma Amagi)? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaT1Y8W...jpg&name=small And Shaider (played by Hiroaki Iwanaga, who started his career as Eiji/R5 in Tomica Hero Rescue Force. I think that?s it for him. No wait, there?s something else? oh, it?s gone). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaT1ZDW...jpg&name=small But Demost escapes through the portal he opened, with Shaider giving chase in his ship, Vavillos. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaT-BJX...jpg&name=small Back at Galaxy Federation Police headquarters on Planet Bird, Jiraiya informs Captain Geki (yes, he?s a captain now. Like his predecessor was in his Sharivan guest appearances and Space Sheriff Spirits) of the situation. Geki thinks about parallel universe and hopes it?s the one Lucky came from (the two having met in episode 18 of Kyuranger). Geki: Alright, Lucky! We then cut to said other universe, where Tsurugi, having been elected to President of the reformed Space Federation, informs us that 4 years have passed since Kyuranger?s ending (and an additional two years from the final scene of that show). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYaCEX...jpg&name=small He then hands over to his aides Kimiko (played by Yuko Takayama, previously Miku in Kamen Rider Chou Den-O Episode Blue, Rinko and her other dimensional counterparts in Kamen Rider Wizard and Jey/Kamen Rider Dark Necrom Y in Kamen Rider Ghost?s movie) and Roy (played by Masayuki Deai, previously Eiji in Boukenger, the Trigger Dopant in Kamen Rider W?s movie and Tessai in Kyoryuger) to present the Neo-Kyutama. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUHPzX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYaCcW...jpg&name=small As Roy explains that they?re currently under development in an impenetrable factory on the planet Dakao of the Taurus System, someone penetrates the factory and steals 4 of them. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYaCsW...jpg&name=small But unfortunately for the robber (or fortunately, depending on how much faith you have in his abilities. Seriously, someone said he made early series Lucky look mature by comparison), they have Shou Ronpo on security. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUk-kX...jpg&name=small But then the assailant turns out to be Hammie in a rather revealing outfit? who gets away due to Shou?s back giving out. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUk-lW...jpg&name=small Meanwhile, across the galaxy on planet Daguu of the Hercules System, Lucky reunites with Champ, who is about to go for his 999th championship match, while on his interplanetary travels (he says that Jiyaa, his guardian, wants him to come home more often). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUk-kX...jpg&name=small Lucky explains that Garu eventually settled down with a woman and had children (and the shippers promptly forgot about him). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUk-jW...jpg&name=small But the conversation get interrupted by a news report about Shou being attacked? and identifying Hammie as his attacker. (Some loyalty he showed) A report also being shown at Spada?s restaurant on Earth. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUzHlX...jpg&name=small And at Balance and Nagas? latest job. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUzFiX...jpg&name=small And in Tsurugi?s office, Roy admonishes Rebellion?s current upper brass, Stinger, Kotaro and Raptor, for allowing this to happen. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUzF_X...jpg&name=small While Roy is all for punishing Hammie without hesitation, Kimiko thinks she should at least explain herself. Meanwhile, Hammie delivers the Neo-Kyutamas to her employer - Demost. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaUzGyW...jpg&name=small Using his Hijutsu: Genma Tensei, Demost imprints the 4 Neo-Kyutamas with the souls of those who died with unfinished business, before activating them to revive Mele of the RinJuuDen (played by Yuka Hirata, who was also in Ghost?s movie as Himiko), Juzo Fuwa of the Gedoushuu(played by Mitsuru Karahashi, who also played Naoya Kaido in Kamen Rider Faiz, Musashi in Kamen Rider Ghost and Hayato Fukamiya/Kamen Rider Calibur I in Kamen Rider Saber, as well as being an art designer for Kyuranger proper), Basco te Jolaika of the Zangyack (played by Kei Hosogai, currently playing Ignis/Trigger Dark in Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga) and Escape of the Vaglass (played by Ayame Misaki, who was previously Sister Miki in Cutie Honey: The Live). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaU7A4X...jpg&name=small While the other three go about their business readily, Mele refuses to do anything without Rio (girl, you?ve been dead for 15-ish years, let it go), so Demost brainwashes her into obedience. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaU7CrW...jpg&name=small Stinger?s group gets ambushed by Basco at the scene of the crime, sparking a fight. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVFtVW...jpg&name=small And Escape appears in Spada?s restaurant to shoot up the place. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVFuKX...jpg&name=small Escape: (kisses right hand gun) This is Gog. (kisses left hand gun) And this is Magog. And I am Escape. I?m pretty good. As another fight breaks out between the two, we cut to Lucky and Champ returning to Earth, where they observe Shuu making first contact with the local inhabitants. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVFvAW...jpg&name=small But he gets interrupted as Mele shows up to attack the Kyurangers, only for the three heroes to chase her off by mentioning love. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVFwBX...jpg&name=small Meanwhile, Balance and Naga chase down Hammie, only to be deflected by Juzo, still hunting for a worthy opponent. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVRfWX...jpg&name=small They also briefly interact with Demost, with Naga being briefly manhandled, before the villains all flee to their base (which, while I didn?t mention it before, is a damaged Moraimarz Robo left over from Jark Matter?s reign). Meanwhile, Shuu formerly introduces himself to his new allies as Space Sheriff Shaider, which causes Lucky to realise that he knows Gavan and demonstrate that he also knows Gavan. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVRhzX...jpg&name=small At his base, Demost explains to Hammie that he?s merely getting rid of the Kyurangers so the can get more Neo-Kyutamas, before promising a big score for all of his new compatriots (except Mele, who storms out). Meanwhile, all the heroic parties then meet up at Tsurugi?s office to swap notes. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVgMCX...jpg&name=small After Shuu gets a whiff of Kimiko?s perfume. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVgPNW...jpg&name=small Shuu explains that Demost is one of the Genmakuu Society's 12 Apostles, and he head of the Ankoku Ninja Clan, hence why Space Squad is after him after discovering evidence against him (what was he posing as before they got that evidence?). While Roy still advocates executing Hammie for her crimes, Kimiko instead advocates covering them up. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVqenW...jpg&name=small With all the parties failing to come to an agreement, everyone goes their separate ways, but not before Shuu takes a whiff of Naga?s perfume. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaVqfyX...jpg&name=small Shou gets informed of this in the hospital and tries to join in, only for his back to give out. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaV5ZDX...jpg&name=small At their base, Demost sends Hammie to her next target, while tasking Mele with killing her if something goes wrong. At Spada?s restaurant, Lucky, Champ, Spada and Kotaro discuss how they think they should listen to what Hammie has to say, a viewpoint supported by a miraculously healed Shou. Shou then points out that the enemy is likely going after Neo-Kyutamas to revive more enemies And in his office, Tsurugi?s group (Stinger, Balance, Naga and Raptor) receives a note from Hammie informing her that she intends to go after the Neo-Kyutama production factory that just opened. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaV5dxX...jpg&name=small On the planet where the production line is, Hammie gets cornered by Tsurugi?s group, who have come to arrest her. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWEABW...jpg&name=small But Lucky?s group shows up to protect her, sparking both groups to transform. https://youtube.com/watch?v=EhnSiJN2ias https://youtube.com/watch?v=AnSzsqxadQQ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWEDmW...jpg&name=small As a fight breaks out, Garu appears, having decided to abandon his family to help out Lucky in his time of need (I sense a divorce coming), and fights with Tsurugi, before Balance and Naga pull him into a separate battle. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWEFaX...jpg&name=small As Stinger faces Champ and Kotaro, while Spada duels with Raptor, Lucky faces Tsurugi, bursting out his Taiyo and Pegasus Modes. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWO0nX...jpg&name=small But that doesn?t do much to end the fight, neither does Shou accidentally blundering into the way of the fight. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWO1-X...jpg&name=small Meanwhile, Hammie gets stopped from escaping by Mele, who tries to get her to step away from the path of darkness, knowing fully well where that ends up. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWO3TX...jpg&name=small And then Shuu appears, trying the ?you remind me of a girl I know? seduction technique. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWO4rX...jpg&name=small When Shou appears, Mele transforms into her monster form and attacks him, before the two withdraw. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWbcRW...jpg&name=small Back with the fight, the conflict gets broken by Geki arriving in DolGiran and beating everyone into submission. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWbfPW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWbg7X...jpg&name=small Back at the abandoned Moraimarz, Demost reveals to us the hold he has over a now reluctant to help him Hammie. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWbiJX...jpg&name=small A flashback reveals that while Hammie was undergoing her teacher training, Demost appeared and passed himself off as a member of her Chameleon Ninja Clan by using Chameleon Ninpo: Fake Saibo before revealing that he had found their master (played by Satomi Hirose of Yuugen Sisters Shushutorian and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger fame), who had seemingly died in the battle with Jark Matter and held her life in his hand. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWlU2W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWlWLX...jpg&name=small Mele then compares that to her own desire to do anything to Rio (Uh, it?s kinda different) and reveals that she died for him, once more advising Hammie not to end up like her. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWvSWX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWvOjW...jpg&name=small Back with Lucky?s group (which now includes the two Space Sheriffs), Geki explains that he was able to travel to this universe by having Jiraiya perform Demost?s Ninpo. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaWvT2W...jpg&name=small Geki then states that he?s so disappointed in Lucky that he?s not going to scout him for Space Squad, since his group are making excuses to do things and has lost his admirable qualities. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXAK4X...jpg&name=small Back in the President?s office, Shuu gives Tsurugi some advice that he should take the short route to defeating evil. As Hammie decides she?s had enough of being Demost?s flunky, he has Juzo bring in her master, alive and well. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXARTX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXAPhW...jpg&name=small Demost then reveals his deception: He lied about being a fellow student of the Chameleon Style so that Hammie would follow him and he could use her to tear the Kyurangers apart so they couldn?t stop his conquest of this galaxy for Fumein. The Shou at the restaurant and on the factory planet was actually Demost in disguise. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXKhpW...jpg&name=small It?s then that Demost reveals his ultimate plan to use her to destroy the Kyurangers once and for all. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXKfyX...jpg&name=small At a press conference, while Roy denounces Hammie as a criminal and Tsurugi decides to announce his resignation from the role of President to avoid a scandal, Hammie is in the audience in disguise. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXKkLW...jpg&name=small She then drops the disguise partway through the speech to attack Tsurugi- But? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXWt8X...jpg&name=small As Demost?s minions transform to move in for the kill, they get stopped. Juzo by Garu and Champ, Escape by Stinger and Raptor and Basco by Spada and Kotaro. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXWwyX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXWyfW...jpg&name=small And then Tsurugi reveals that there?s been a mole in the President?s office, handing confidential information, such as the existence of the Neo Kyutamas and the factory, over to Demost. Someone who clearly has it in for the Kyurangers. He turns to Roy - before asking him to move aside so he can approach the real criminal, Kimiko Naruse, or as Geki and Shuu know him? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXW0FX...jpg&name=small Shuu reveals that he, Balance and Naga figured it out a while ago. The main hint was the perfume that Kimiko was wearing when Shuu first met her. The same scent as Demost?s. The second clue, which makes the first one make more sense, was that the same scent was coming off Naga, the only one to have physical contact with Demost. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXeeFX...jpg&name=small And, most damning of all, if you check Ms. Naruse?s apartment, you?ll find the murdered body of Kimiko?s dead deceased corpse. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXei6W...jpg&name=small His ruse exposed, ?Kimiko? beats up Roy and the two Space Sheriffs, before trying to kill Hammie?s master? a threat that falls flat when it turns out that Balance and Naga found he base and freed her, forcing Demost to revert to his true form. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXotnX...jpg&name=small Demost then disables his opponents with Uchuu Ankoku Ninpo (not to be confused with Jakanja?s Uchuu Ninpo, or Zero Spear Bat The Rhumba?s Ankoku Chou Ninpo): Raigeki, before trying to strike down Hammie. Only for Mele to take the blow for her. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXovWX...jpg&name=small While the others give chase to Demost, Mele tells Hammie to live her life without regrets, before reverting to a blank Neo-Kyutama. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXoxXX...jpg&name=small This gives Hammie the will to defeat Demost once and for all. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaXoy9W...jpg&name=small Hammie approaches Demost, donning her Seiza Blaster and vowing to make Demost pay. But he merely summons an army of Rinshi, Nanashi, Gormin and Buglars, to fight them and the B/N Theives. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaX1g3W...jpg&name=small With all of them having an opponent, the Kyurangers don their old jackets and transform (with Lucky and Naga using their super modes this time). Seiza Blasters: Saiko/Sasori/Ookami/Tenbin/Oushi/Dark/Chameleon/Washi/Kajiki/Kohguma Kyutama! (Super) Seiza Change! https://youtube.com/watch?v=WwDXo7ha52 https://youtube.com/watch?v=VdNvXijrOqQ Houou Ken: Houou Kyutama! Come On the Change! Kyurangers: Star Change! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaX1aSX...jpg&name=small Lucky: Miracle Star, Shishi Red Orion! Stinger: Poison Star, Sasori Orange! Garu: Beast Star, Ookami Blue! Naga: Silent Star, Hebitsukai Metal! Balance: Trick Star, Tenbin Gold! Champ: Ring Star, Oushi Black! Hammie: Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green! Raptor: Speed Star, Washi Pink! Spada: Food Meister, Kajiki Yellow! Kotaro: Big Star, Kohguma SkyBlue! Tsurugi: Space Buster, Houou Soldier! Lucky: Uchuu Sentai? All: Kyuranger! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaX1cRX...jpg&name=small Geki: Jouchaku! (Transforms) Shuu: Shoketsu! (Sinter) (Transforms) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaX1eSX...jpg&name=small Now surrounded by more heroes than he?d like, Demost performs Uchuu Ankoku Ninpo: Kage Bunshin, to split himself into three (this isn?t what they mean when they say ?the monster becomes three times more powerful?). Hammie: Let?s test your luck. https://youtube.com/watch?v=v6NTW-dPPjE https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYApjW...jpg&name=small We then cut away briefly to the other battles, we see that Stonger has equipped his super mode, the Ikakuju (Unicorn) Arm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lYmjBgTCJeg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYAyYW...jpg&name=small Back with the three main battles, one of the Demost clones is killed by a combo Gavan Hyper Dynamic/Shaider Blue Flash, while the other is destroyed by a combination Phoenix End/In-finish Blast. The real one has meanwhile knocked Hammie back to her normal form, which only strengthens her resolve to win from her friends. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYA0oW...jpg&name=small She then places her Kyutama on her Kyu Rapier, defeating Demost with her Hameleon Impact! https://youtube.com/watch?v=-EAl7Ki1hio https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYA3VX...jpg&name=small Hammie: Good luck. Without Demost's magic to preserve them, the three villains go back to being dead. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYLCDX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYLGdX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYTuqW...jpg&name=small But then it turns out that Demost is alive, albeit being taken into custody by Space Squad (I don?t know why, given that they normally have no qualms about executing these kinds of criminals). And then Jiraiya calls to remind us he?s in this, just as Hammie and her master have a tearful reunion and Tsurugi has decided to run for the third Federation President so he can clear Hammie of all charges, while he suggests that Hammie atone by becoming a teacher and encouraging kids to be better than her (basically, what she was working towards already). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYTx-X...jpg&name=small With a limited window of opportunity, Geki once more makes a request of Lucky. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYTz6X...jpg&name=small Lucky says that he?d be honoured, but he has some thinking to do first. As Geki and Shuu depart, all of the Kyurangers decide to throw a victory party. Mid-credits, Spada?s customers confuse each other. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYx3KX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaYx5sX...jpg&name=small While Raptor gets robbed by a space pirate who Hammie thinks is a lot like her. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaZB1cX...jpg&name=small With the voice actor jokes over, it?s time for the credit song. https://youtube.com/watch?v=09zCl_5B4s0 Back at GFP HQ, Geki shows Shuu and Jiraiya (everyone else in space Squad is apparently on vacation) a newscast on terrorist suicide bombings. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaZB25X...jpg&name=small Geki suspects Genmakuu involvement and decides to take action. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaZKnGX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaZKnGW...jpg&name=small And as Shuu tries to drop him a hint about who to recruit, we cut to a lover of peace, a believer in friendship, someone who would lay down his life to protect his planet. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FHaZKnHW...jpg&name=small Final thoughts: This was a very good piece, all things considered. Everyone gets a moment to shine and there?s a lot of character moments that are pretty decent. Even Space Squad?s MCU-lite tone manages to avoid clashing with Kyuranger?s. Next time: I enter some familiar territory, as we review the first Sentai I watched while it was airing?s VS movie. |
I don't normally comment on episodes so close together, but hoooo boy episode 22 of Timeranger: Pink Temptation. Almost as soon as this one started, I ended up pausing because I had to know if it was an Inoue episode. To absolutely no one's surprise, it was! The combination of blatant sexism and complete lack of grasp of the character personalities was a near instant tip-off. Apparently I will be spared him writing for the rest of the show at least! This episode made me think though, I know Inoue has kids, but is he still married? His writing often has a lot of divorce energy, haha...
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That episode really was, uh... yeah. Summed it up in one!
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I got the Gorenger manga for Christmas, been having fun reading it, so I decided to watch the first episode of the show. It's hard to say much about it. It's extremely formulaic, but it's what created the formula. It's hard to imagine watching it without Sentai already being a thing. Overall, I'd say Kamen Rider had a stronger first episode, but Kamen Rider also had a smaller first episode, so it's understandable.
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Sorry everyone, this is just my Timeranger rant thread now. I'm through episode 31 at this point and after the fiasco last time I was in this thread with the Inoue episode I have gone back to just really enjoying the show. This is easily the most fun I've ever had with a Sentai. I don't even have anything witty or insightful to say, the show is just has dang good characters and plot. I'm really enjoying all the different forces pulling the plot in different directions. The Timerangers, their superiors in the 30th century who seem to have their own plans, the Londerz, Gien acting as a loose cannon WITHIN the Londerz, the Asami Corporating, and Naoto within the Asami Corporation seeking power for himself. So much is going on and it makes me so excited to see where the plot is going! Right now I'll admit there is a little too much romance going on for my own personal tastes, between the Honami-Domon-Ayase love triangle and the most recent episode seeming to tease the idea of Tatsuya and Yuuri, but the show has been handling itself well enough so far that I am willing to trust it on this front. I think it helps that the show never gets so hung-up on its romantic elements it forgets to ever let the characters do anything else.
I'm honestly amazed that this is my 12th Sentai and the first one to really resonate with me like this. Took the series long enough! I tend to think of Kamen Rider as an inverse bell-curve (tends to be very good or very bad, with mediocre shows being comparatively rare) and Sentai as a normal bell-curve (where most of the shows tend to be decent, but rarely strongly good or bad). If Jetman is my low point for Sentai I am hoping this ends up as my high one. |
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Either way, very happy to hear it sounds like you've found a new favourite! Timeranger is a show I really liked myself and a lot of it was down to how all these characters and factions were interacting with each other; the nature of the Londerz gang as well made for a very fun dynamic with the Timerangers and with each other! Just... yeah, you've put pretty well a lot of the positives I found with the show last year; it's super good stuff! |
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I think one of the big things for me with this show is that I really enjoy the dynamic between the Timerangers themselves, which is vitally important since they are the characters we will see the most of. The character relationships among the Timerangers in particular are very natural and consistent feeling, but also have depths. Like, Tatsuya tends to both annoy and endear himself to his fellow Timerangers with his busybody personality and the other Timerangers tend to react to that busybody behavior in varied ways depending on the person and situation, but in a way that almost always feels natural instead of just forcing conflict for the sake of it. This show is shaping up to have my favorite Red, Green, Yellow, AND the only Red-Blue dynamic I've ever actually enjoyed. If Ayase really blows my mind maybe he can even steal the best Blue spot from Gouki from Gingaman. Yuuri is probably the least interesting to me right now, but she is far from bad and that's really a testament to the show's quality that even the "worst" character is plenty interesting! Honestly, one of the most consistent issues I take with Sentai as a series is how it tends to not take advantage of the whole "team" aspect, which is something that ideally should be a major positive point that differentiates it from other toku shows. A lot of other Sentai shows suffer from at least one of these issues with how the team is handled: some characters fall by the wayside, characters don't get to do anything interesting if the episode isn't about them, or characters just don't really interact with some of their teammates in meaningful ways. I think Timeranger has managed to avoid the worst of these issues. |
I think I do agree that generally Sentai seems to be more consistent in quality than either Kamen Rider or Power Rangers for my tastes.
I don't mind romance in Sentai as long as they don't start having long kissing scenes like are more common in English-language TV and film, like when Doctor Who started having more of them when it came back I just found it a bit pathetic if I'm honest whereas for some reason in soap operas I mostly just see by osmosis it doesn't bother me! |
Here?s a warning, we?ll be taking your time with?
Androzani?s Tsukai Detour Today, we?re doing the VS movie for my first Sentai show, the VS series?. Lupinranger vs Patranger vs Kyuranger "The Lupin Collection, a set of mysterious treasures gathered by the legendary phantom thief Ars?ne Lupin, has been stolen by the Ganglers! The phantom thieves who fight to recover what they've lost. The police force who fight to protect world peace. Whose side are you on?!" https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yVrBW...jpg&name=small Lupinranger: Kairi Yano/Lupin Red: When Kairi was a child, his parents died and he was raised primarily by his older brother Shori Yano. However, when he was 18, he lost his brother to Zamigo Delma. Provided with a VS Changer by Kogure, butler to the descendant of the legendary thief Ars?ne Lupin, Kairi was promised that by becoming one of the Lupinrangers and reclaiming the Lupin Collection, he would be able to grant his wish and bring back who he had lost. Becoming Lupin Red, Kairi joined Blue and Yellow, Touma Yoimachi and Umika Hayami, with whom he made the promise to claim their wish. Kairi is a level-headed person who is devoted to reclaiming the Lupin collection, albeit he usually slacks off during his work in Bistro Jurer. Kairi takes his Phantom Thief job seriously. He's able to think outside the box as he was able to 'use' the Patrangers for helping Lupinrangers course of actions and possesses good leadership skills. Kairi held a massive grudge against Zamigo Delma since Zamigo is the one who took the Lupinrangers' loved ones. His grudge is massive enough that he attempted to take Zamigo alone. He also usually lost his cool when fighting the latter. Many moments of failures and depression have often left him wondering about his jerky side, but help from others quickly remedy the doubts. Although Keiichiro helps make him sentimental as it reminds him of His late brother. Kairi also has his own free will; setting off to accomplish thing his own way, with no hesitation to do the emotionally hard tasks, planning on retrieving the Lupin Collections and the lost loved ones in one way only: as a Phantom Thief. Touma Yoimachi/Lupin Blue: Some time ago, Touma worked as a chef in a famous restaurant but quit the job later on. In 2017, Touma lost his fianc?e Aya Ohira to Zamigo Delma. Provided with a VS Changer by Kogure, butler to the descendant of the legendary thief Ars?ne Lupin, Tooma was promised that by becoming one of the Lupinrangers and reclaiming the Lupin Collection, he would be able to grant his wish and bring back who he had lost. Touma is the calm and collected member of Lupinrangers. However, he is prone to making judgments based on emotions alone, such as when he and the others found out the Global Police own VS Changers and Trigger Machines, he decided to retrieve their VS Changers himself so that their goal would be over quicker at the cost of nearly losing a Gangler with his own Piece. He is also very blunt and serious, though he can control himself when necessary. Even when his irritation reached its max, instead of lashing out he calmly went to resign in the Empty Headed Dojo. When the other two Lupins were mocking his aerobics, he just looked away and adamantly but quietly pleaded them to cut it out. However he is not completely heartless, as he gave Goodie to the Patrangers so that Sakuya could get his payback, and even calls him "senpai" one more time afterwards. Umika Hayami/Lupin Yellow: In elementary school, Umika was constantly bullied for her sense of style but always had the support of her best friend Shiho Ichinose right by her side. Umika and Shiho both later attended Kohokugaoka Girls High School, where Shiho submitted and won a manga contest that was published in the latest manga magazine. One night while they were walking home, they were attacked by Zamigo Delma, who froze Shiho (and several other nearby civilians) to death. Provided with a VS Changer by Kogure, butler to the descendant of the legendary thief Ars?ne Lupin, Umika was promised that, by becoming one of the Lupinrangers and reclaiming the Lupin Collection, she would be able to grant her wish and bring back who she had lost. After becoming a Lupinranger following Shiho's death, she dropped out of high school and moved out of her own, where she found a job at Bistrot Jurer, in which her mother accepted despite her father's objections. Umika is the most carefree of the Lupinrangers. She uses a lot of playful and casual speech even when in action, although she can get fed up with the other members. Mainly with Kairi, since he always leaves while she and Touma do their jobs at Bistro Jurer. She develops a close and friendly relationship with Tsukasa in her civilian form. She also unexpectedly develops a friendship with Sakuya, and although in chagrin since Sakuya harbors a crush on her, she was touched by Sakuya's friendly demeanor with citizens, especially children. Although Umika softly rejects him at first, saying that he's 'too good'. However, as time passed, Umika starts to feel bad for Sakuya for deceiving him as Phantom Thief. She is also very conservative with money, seen as during a hidden auction she pointed out how rich everyone looked and was appalled to just how much money they were giving away. According to her, "A yen saved is a yen earned.". She is very serious about this mentality, though it comes across as adorable to the point that Noel remarks she'd make a good spouse. Patranger: Keiichiro Asaka/PatenIchigou: A member of the Global Special Police Organization Japan Branch, Keiichiro Asaka was assigned as part of a three-member tactical unit established to counter the Interdimensional Crime Group Gangler. Keiichiro is a passionate police officer who takes his job as a cop seriously. He's also hot-blooded as he's usually short tempered (mainly because of either the Lupinrangers or Sakuya's laid-back demeanor), to the point that Sakuya told Keiichiro once that he has a scary face. This however has not stopped him from quietly backing down in front of a suddenly burning Sakuya. Unlike Sakuya and Tsukasa, who have a rather optimistic and indifferent view on the Lupinrangers respectively, Keiichiro is very pessimistic and negative towards them, only seeing them as thieves and nothing more, despite them also fighting the Gangler. However, after hearing first-hand of Lupin Red's motives to become a phantom thief, Keiichiro became determined to unmask the latter. This seemingly hasn't changed the fact he is very hostile towards him. Keiichiro is able to give compliments if someone does their best. He is able to prioritize defeating Ganglers first and protecting citizens safety in order to uphold peace for them. Keiichiro holds a fondness for little children (e.g Sota) and tries to do his best to put them at ease, naturally smiling while doing so. However, it has been quoted by Tsukasa that children don't necessarily like him back. Keiichiro's motivation to become a police officer stems from his childhood. He was annoyed by the fact there was a criminal in a park making everyone scared, so he armed himself to catch the culprit. That was when a police officer managed to convince him to leave a criminal to the police and successfully apprehend the criminal to maintain public safety, which moved Keiichiro. This resulted in him being unable to yield even when he's in grave situations. This is shown explicitly when he gets badly poisoned by Togeno's trap, but he was still able to find Trigger Machine Crane, defeat a giant Odordo, and push through until succumbing to the poison. When he was bed-ridden, he continued to fight Togeno upon hearing that the Gangler was still on the loose, and finally defeated him with the help of his comrades. Even Kairi can't help but admire his resolve and determination as part of the Global Police. However, due to his mission-stricken attitude, Keiichiro became somewhat lacking in common sense. He also admits that he is really awkward when he's with a woman that is a possible love interest, much to Umika and Sakuya's annoyance. He is not completely heartless, as seen when Sakuya was depressed in the aftermath of the Pyodor fight, he went with GoodStriker's comment of him losing weight in the ordeal to somewhat cheer Sakuya up. Still not yet discovering Lupin Red's identity, Keiichiro starts to vaguely trust the thief even after admitting to Hilltop that he has "given away" a VS Vehicle to Lupin Red (in reality, it was intentionally stolen by Lupin Red to finish off the enlarged Kunks Butylmercaptan, which he thought was a good decision, due to Lupin Red being able to arrive on the scene faster using his Dial Fighter.) But it still takes a lot of effort to talk him into working with the Lupinrangers, the subject of which, he can be completely unreasonable to an extent for extreme measures to be taken for an agreement. Upon dueling with No?l Takao, who wants the Patrangers to work with Lupinrangers, Keiichiro learned from Takao about the true purpose of the Lupinrangers, to retrieve the remaining pieces of Lupin Collection in order to restore their loved ones, leaving him to wonder about the thieves. This prompted Keiichiro and the Patrangers to discover more about Lupinrangers by researching about the loved ones of the thieves. In special cases, he won't show hesitation in teaming up with the theives. Sakuya Hikawa/PatrenNigou: the Green Ranger of the Patrangers, taking the position following the death of Satoru Shinonome. Sakuya is social and laid-back, to the chagrin of his coworkers. He is the type that takes very little issue with making his opinions on things clear and does whatever he finds fun. This tends to put him at odds with the disciplined and mission-driven Keiichiro, who scolds him often. Despite his laid-back demeanor, he has demonstrated a knack for thinking on-the-fly and improvising his way out of danger, single-handedly saving his allies from Namero's trap. While somewhat naive, he is competent when necessary. Sakuya admitted that he responds well to praises and compliments to Keiichiro. Later, it was revealed that Sakuya did admire Keiichiro and Tsukasa when he was still a cadet trainee, Keiichiro?s motivation being the thing that made Sakuya regain his confidence back then. He is also shown to be a playboy. As before he joined the GSPO, he has flirted with many girls, even standing up for them chivalrously after he joined. However, he instantly developed a crush on Umika Hayami and even becomes smitten with her later, unaware that she is his rival as Lupin Yellow. He continuously makes attempts to get with her, much to her estrangement to the situation. Surprisingly, Sakuya is more popular than Keiichiro in the eyes of children. Because of his dealings with all of his superiors at works, Sakuya desires for someone looking up to him instead, suggesting that Touma to call him "Sakuya-sensei" as he was his (soon to be temporary) instructor at the Empty Headed Dojo. When that was done, he became very buddy-buddy with Touma, much to the latter?s irritation. Even with all of his carefree and fun-chasing escapades, Sakuya is still prone to being fired up when he is duped (such as having his money wasted on something he was genuinely into). It can get to the point that the background gets set on imaginary fire and the other Patrangers cannot keep up with him, who are both his superiors. Though he does get depressed afterwards. Due to Sakuya's love for Umika, he is highly against the fact that she is a thief, especially when his love for her makes him reluctant to arrest her. Tsukasa Myoujin/PatrenSangou: Tsukasa?s parents died while she was a child, leaving her grandfather, a retired police officer, to raise her. Due to his strict training and rough manners, she was quick to leave his company once she became of age. While hanging out with some friends, the group was assaulted by a criminal, and Tsukasa used the self-defense skills her grandfather taught her to incapacitate him. Police soon arrested the perp, and when her grandfather showed up worried about her, she realized that despite his rough ways, he truly wanted her to be safe, inspiring her to join the police to keep the world safe and so she could spend time with her grandfather in peace (and because the pay was good). Tsukasa is the more calm and collected individual of the Patrangers. She constantly has to deal with her teammates' antics, like trying to calm Keiichiro down when he gets frustrated. Unlike Sakuya and Keiichiro, she voices an indifferent view towards the Lupinrangers, focusing on where they came from and where they got their equipment. If needed, she could (albeit forcefully) cooperate with the Lupinrangers (in two cases, LupinYellow) to defeat the Gangler. However, on the inside, she has a soft spot for plush toys, to the point where it is an obsession. When no one is around, she would take a plush toy out of her purse, and hug it, while squealing out things like "Heal me! Heal me please!" Albeit, her fondness is also into weird and strange plushies as well. However, this trait is somewhat her weakness as well, as in episode 4, she falls victim to Rabroom Jaws? stuffed shark dolls. She also holds a liking towards children, especially if they're cute. She is also briefly seen hugging a couple of cat plushies in the opening sequence. She's also scared of haunted houses. And if she ever encounters a ghost, she usually runs as fast as she can. Tsukasa usually worries a lot about Keiichiro when in action, as he's hard-headed and didn't know how to 'Pull his brakes'. But nevertheless, Tsukasa respects and works well with the man in question. Allies: No?l Takao/Lupin X/Patren X: The adopted son of the late Ars?ne Lupin, is Lupin X (ルパンX Rupan Ekkusu), the Silver Ranger of the Lupinrangers & Patren X (パトレンX Patoren Ekkusu), the Gold Ranger of the Patrangers. To avoid complications, the Ganglers know him simply as X (X Ekkusu). He is a phantom thief who is also a member of the GSPO France branch and is an engineer of the Lupin Collection who can modify them for human use. Like Kogure, he serves the Lupin family. As a hybrid of both the Lupinrangers and the Patrangers, No?l describes himself as the embodiment of the collective VS Sentai. No?l was once an abandoned orphan hailing from the Back World in his (painful) childhood life, until the Phantom Thief Arsene Lupin adopted him, and taught him to modify his collection pieces, even giving to him the X Trains. When No?l was an adult, Dogranio Yaboon took the chance to steal the collection and murder the thief. No?l hurried to help as soon as he got the word but was too late, the wreckage and Lupin?s corpse leaving him to scream in grief. Following this incident, No?l vowed to take back what his adopted father treasured most and use the Collection?s power to revive him. At some point, No?l invented six VS Changers and multiple VS Vehicles (six of three main colored vehicles are for both chosen Lupinrangers (Aircraft) and Patrangers (cars) respectively). No?l also joined the French division of GSPO, though he inadvertently allowed the Japanese branch's tactical unit access to GoodStriker and the main 3 Trigger Machines. He also found the missing Trigger Machines Crane & Drill, though they ended up the the hands of the Gangler Smash Brothers. No?l is visibly a very laid back and interactive person, taking his job and others as lax as he can be and getting himself involved with others even when they don't want him to, especially more evident when you realize he is in another squad separate from the main Patrangers. He also seems to be somewhat of a trickster as he revealed himself to be Lupin X to be arrested by GSPO Japan, only to reveal he only did so to get their headquarters quicker. Underneath that suave exterior is a very intelligent man, as he is the creator of most of the arsenal of both VS Sentai, and he is able to make calculative plans on the fly when he is in a good mood. Like a thief, he can appear in rooms without catching the attention of anyone. He also placidly interjects French wording into his normal Japanese, such as "Oh la la~" when faced with an obstacle and "Au revoir." when taking his leave. Even when he does not take his job seriously, he is still quite close with those he considers "friends", as he blamed himself for Umika's kidnapping when he planned for her and Sakuya's meet up. This goes as far as risking his life to gain vital information for those he trusted, even when said people are not as warm to him. He also has a lazy side, as he tried to stay in the Bistro to get out of cleaning his living space, only for the others to try and force him out. Additionally, he was naive when it came to their rules. Of all of his allies, the one he is closest to is none other than his mentor and adoptive father, Arsene Lupin, whose death at the hands of Dogranio Yaboon both traumatized him and struck him with a vow of vengeance, determined to retrieve the collection, eliminate the Ganglers, and return to his father. Kogure: A butler who serves the Lupin Estate, assisting the Lupinrangers on behalf of the descendants of Ars?ne Lupin. He appears primarily to inform the Lupinrangers about dangerous Collections and to seal away what they manage to steal back. Kogure is able to perfectly mimic someone to help the Lupinrangers. He disguised himself as Kairi twice, once in order to help trick*the GSPO into thinking that the Bistro Jurer employees are not the Lupinrangers and again to retrieve Umika's VS Changer without arousing GSPO suspicions. He also disguised himself as a doppelg?nger of Tsukasa to help with a story that temporarily de-aged Lupinrangers came up with about the female Patranger resembling their mother. Commander Samuel Hilltop: The administrator of the GSPO Japanese branch and mentor of the Patrangers. An easy-going person, he is also a man who likes Japanese sweets, bringing stuff to the GSPO headquarters after he was back from a meeting. Jim Carter: The robotic assistant of Commander Hilltop and accountant of the Global Special Police Organization Japan Branch. Good Striker: A sentient VS Vehicle that serves as the core of both LupinKaiser and PatKaiser. Similar to No?l, he works with whoever he feels would be useful in the heat of the moment, not fully trusting the Lupinrangers due to their association with Kogure and not trusting the Patranger due to their not treating him well and lack of regard for the Lupin Collection. He can either combine the three Patranger into PatrenUgou, or split Lupin Red into three copies of himself using different weapons. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GpVPfD5xiLA Hoshi Minato: The most popular artist in the Kyurangers? universe. He was under the control of Don Armage, until the Kyurangers rescued him. Hammie is a fan and a good friend of his. Space Bakufu Jark Matter: An evil government which conquered the 88 constellation systems of the Kyurangers? world to collect Planesium to destroy the universe. Tecchu: The first of the three Vice-Shoguns to face the Kyurangers, who Tsurugi had a one-sided rivalry with. While initially tasked with dealing with Tsurugi alone, he decided to eliminate all 12 Kyurangers, eventually facing hem in battle on Planet Toki and falling to their combined power. Tecchu is shown to be loyal to Don Armage, immediately agreeing to help him eliminate Tsurugi Ohtori. However, he is shown to be cowardly as seen when he sacrificed his own subordinate Gyapler to the Kyutamajin's attack. He has the personality of a destructive monk, always yelling "UNACCEPTABLE!" (褐!) in some occasions. Akyanba: The second of the Vice-Shoguns to face the Kyurangers, and the one responsible for manipulating and brainwashing Naga Ray into Hebitsukai Metal. While she initially appeared as a bubbly, girlish woman who giggles a lot, she is actually quite powerful, able to defeat the team of Shishi Red, Hebitsukai Silver (who she later manipulated into joining forces with her and brainwashed), Houou Soldier (who had apparently met her 300 years ago), Kajiki Yellow, and Chameleon Green in her first fight with them. She also appears to be quite cunning, manipulative, and intelligent as well, able to manipulate Naga into joining forces with her and brainwashing him by promising to release his emotions, as she knew why the Hebitsukai people discarded their emotions and able to trick the Kyurangers into believing that a powerful pain will restore Naga back to normal. After being defeated on Earth, she disguised herself as Hoshi Minato?s manager to bodyguard the Don Armage clone living inside him, but was defeated by a vengeful Naga. Kukuruga: The final Vice-Shogun, who was responsible for the devastation of the planet Kaien in the Shishi System, and supposedly killed Lucky?s father, King Aslan. After trying to trick the Kyurangers with Dr. Anton?s All Purpose Cow-Type Robot (the prototype for Champ), he was destroyed by the Orion Big Bang Cannon, but later revived to turn the people of Planet Kaen against Lucky and the Kyurangers, a plan that failed and resulted in his ultimate death. What do I think of Lupinranger vs Patranger: As mentioned above, it was the first Sentai series I saw while it was airing (I joined the fandom with three episodes of Kyuranger left to air), so I do have a soft spot for it. But without the nostalgia goggles, I especially like the Lupinrangers and their development throughout the show, for how interesting it is to see a Sentai focused more on achieving their mission than they are about stopping evil. The Patranger on the other hand, I found to be rather flat (Tsukasa not withstanding) and cared very little about what they were up to (and I?ll admit that Super PatrenIchigou looks ugly as sin. Super Lupin X was a blessing in disguise for me). The only major hing I?d change if I was telling the story would be give the villains more of a motive than ?sit back and see what happens?. As for the credits, this is the last Sentai credit, and indeed the last credit overall, for the Shinkenger producer (this show?s spectacular lack of commercial success, combined with this being his fourth flop in a row, caused Toei to demote him to the advertising department). The writer for this movie is Arakawa, while our director is Hiroyuki Kato (my one previous experience with him in these reviews is the Hurricaneger episode of Gokaiger, so I can say he?s good at mimicking others? styles). With all of that said, on with the review. We open with the Jurer trio out shopping. Well, Touma and Umika are shopping, Kairi is just tagging along for the ride, while eating popcorn. When suddenly, the three get captured by a gold-skinned alien. (Played by Magiranger?s Hiroya Matsumoto, who someone in my Slack server pointed out is in everything) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yRfKW...jpg&name=small Before our hostages can free themselves, the GSPO show up, forcing them to play dumb. The attempt at a standoff gets disrupted by Lucky falling out of the sky. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yRe2X...jpg&name=small As everyone gets confused by Lucky celebrating the fact he didn?t kill anyone with that landing (they don?t call him ?Lucky? for nothing) the gold alien?s accomplice (he may look like Jealoushitto from Gokaiger, but the credits calling him ?Jerataro? and the fact he seems to have a humanoid body indicates that it?s not him) appears to usher him and their captives away in a grey transit van. In the process, Minato drops his guitar case. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yRfAW...jpg&name=small Unable to give chase (maybe the GSPO should invest in a little innovation called a police car), Keiichiro (f*cking Keiichiro) arrests Kucky when the latter tries to introduce himself. After the title card, Lucky tries explaining his improbably situation in the interrogation room. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yVqjX...jpg&name=small But the fact that his big bad is named ?Don Armage? (that is his actual name. Except for the period where it was ?Quervo?) doesn?t convince Keiichiro. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yjJxW...jpg&name=small Leaving Lucky to rot in jail, the trio, along with Noel, head to Jurer disguised as a foreign businessman, a ramen chef, an electrician and an insurance agent to meet with Kogure (supposedly for the first time, but as detailed above, all of them have had a run-in with him before). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yjKXX...jpg&name=small At the usual warehouse hideout, Minato?s assistant (who turns out to be his manager), explain to their captives (who took the opportunity to free themselves) the source of their money woes is because they come from another universe. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yjKmW...jpg&name=small The manager then explains the unlikely story of how they ended up in the World of LupinPat. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yjK7W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7ynZ_X...jpg&name=small Taking pity on them, Umika suggests an easy solution to their financial problems. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yna7W...jpg&name=small And so, Minato uses a voice filter to call Jurer, with the police trying to trace the call, making his demand. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yqBuW...jpg&name=small To clarify, 150000? is roughly the equivalent of $1300. Which explains Kairi?s annoyed reaction. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yucxW...jpg&name=small Before he can finish threatening Minato into calling back to demand more, Naga and Balance make an appearance (since they agree that the hostages are worth at least 100000000?. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yucUW...jpg&name=small The pop star and his manager flee the scene, with Balance explaining that he and Naga are here on the trail of Minato?s guitar (the two groups hit it off and become thick as thieves. Pun intended). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yucfW...jpg&name=small Realising that the GSPO likely have the guitar, Kairi calls Kogure back, using a filter to disguise his voice (though Kogure and Noel can recognise it), making a bigger ransom. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yz4GW...jpg&name=small (That?s roughly $867,123) ?, the guitar recovered from the crime scene, and? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7yz4kX...jpg&name=small Kogure begins to blub about how ?unfortunate? it is that the police have to make that sacrifice for the hostages lives. Noel joins in the act (you can?t spell ?acrobat? with ?actor?), ?reluctantly? handing over his X-Changer, X-Trains (the two toys I have from the series) and Siren Striker to save Kairi and the others? lives. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7y8aiW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7y8awX...jpg&name=small With Keiichiro, Sakuya and Tsukasa agreeing to the trade, they meet at the docks, with Balance and Naga playing Minato and his manager. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7y8bKX...jpg&name=small But then they get attacked by a Gangler who?s a Status Triple (which means he has three safes that need to be opened simultaneously using three Dial Fighters), going for the guitar. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7y8bbW...jpg&name=small With no other way to save themselves, while protecting their identities, Kairi, Touma and Umika grab the VS Changers and Trigger Machines of Patranger, Keisatsu Changing. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2vglIuvKmUk https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zAqPW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zAqpX...jpg&name=small Balance then comments on this unlikely situation. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zArEW...jpg&name=small But in the ensuing fight, the Lupinrangers prove ill-suited to Patranger?s less manoeuvrable suits and more basic equipment, making the fight one-sided against them. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zFb1W...jpg&name=small As the Gangler, Rerus Reepig (a play on ?three pig?, because - well) escapes with the guitar, the Jurer trio detransform, with the cops rushing to hug them in relief (though judging by his face, Touma would rather face that Gangler again). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zFcXW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zFdsW...jpg&name=small Meanwhile, as Lucky goes to sleep in his cell, at a nearby cafe, Hammie, Stinger and Spada are taking in the local cuisine. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zFeNX...jpg&name=small They then manage to catch a news report on the hostage situation (evidently, it was a slow news day and the top secret exchange somehow leaked to the public). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zJ4FX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zJ4aX...jpg&name=small Seeing ?Minatti? (her pet name for him)?s guitar has been taken, Hammie comes up with a plan to recover it, with Spada and Stinger sensing a connection to Don Arkage. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zJ49X...jpg&name=small As Hammie uses the Ryouken (Hound) Kyutama to sniff out the guitar, we cut back to Bistro Jurer, where Kairi decides to extend the Lupinranger?s alliance with Balance and Naga due to a Gangler being involved. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zQdPX...jpg&name=small Back at GSPO headquarters, as Jim determines that the kidnappers they saw at the hostage situation weren?t the same one they saw doing the kidnapping, Hilltop enters and introduces Tsurugi to them. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zRMPW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zQd_W...jpg&name=small When they remember that Lucky said the same thing, Tsurugi reveals that Lucky is a friend of his and Keiichiro releases him. Lucky then reveals that he could?ve escaped at any time, but didn?t, due to what he saw back in his own universe, under Jark Matter?s reign. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zUAHW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zUA0X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH7zUBhW...jpg&name=small Convening in the meeting room, Tsurugi and Lucky recap how they defeated Don Armage (as seen in Kyuranger?s finale), but he had left a body double in the form of Don Arkage. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c0E_X...jpg&name=small Elsewhere, Hammie?s group finds Reepig?s lair using the Ryouken Kyutama at the same time Kairi?s group finds it by having Balance use the Rashinban (Pyxis) Kyutama. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c7LWW...jpg&name=small In his lair, Reepig exposits to his Pordermen why he?s doing this (which creates an interesting parallel, with the two bad guys both working to succeed their leaders, even though that?s basically what all the Ganglers are trying to do in LupinPat proper). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c7LnW...jpg&name=small He then meets with Don Arkage (who is, predictably, a repaint of Don Armage?s penultimate form) and hands over the guitar, which contains Hyper Planesium, which when bathed in, will grant more power than Don Armage ever had. As Arkage leaves, everyone faces down Reepig, all of them transforming (and this time, the Lupinrangers get something a little more comfortable). Kairi: Here?s an advance notice. We?ll be taking your treasure. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8qn9auNZh0w We then get this conversation between Hammie, Umika and Kairi, which if you ask me, is part of what makes this movie (the other part being the low ransom gag) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c_HjX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c_H4X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c_IgX...jpg&name=small The party then take on Reepig, whose access to three Lupin Collections makes him very hard to overcome. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9c_JYX...jpg&name=small Meanwhile, Don Arkage plays his guitar of doom (giving me a reason at last to use this screenshot), alerting the GSPO. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dGZnX...jpg&name=small Back at the fight, Kairi, Touma and Umika manage to get to Reepig?s safes, removing his three Collections, Le Feu Inoubliable (The Unforgettable Fire, recycled from Gokai Silver?s Gokai Cellular), Le Bois Norv?gien (Norwegian Wood, recycled from the Kyoryugers? belt buckle phones) and Une Autre Brique dans le Mir (Another Brick in the Wall, recycled from ToQRokugou?s AppliChanger). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dGatX...jpg&name=small They then join the Kyurangers in destroying Reepig using Lupin Magnum, Magic Boost and Splash Boost (ignore the ?Patrize? and ?Keisatsu Boost? sounds coming out. They?re non-canon). The Kyurangers then take their leave to deal with Don Arkage. https://youtube.com/watch?v=cv2hNS8PEro https://youtube.com/watch?v=bs3pN_UKanc https://youtube.com/watch?v=klejPs0tU9E https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dGdqW...jpg&name=small Elsewhere, Patranger, Lucky and Tsurugi face off with Don Arkage (like LupinPat proper, the Lupins face a flunky, while the Pats face the big boss), and are knocked back by his new power, even with Lucky grabbing onto him as he absorbs the Hyper Planesium. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dGe9X...jpg&name=small Arkage then assumes his ultimate form (a repaint of Don Armage?s ultimate form, with the head of his penultimate form) to blast them once more, before issuing a challenge at dawn. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dL2IW...jpg&name=small Later, as the 8 Kyurangers and Patranger discuss the threat, it?s pointed out that the statement that Don Arkage?s entire body is saturated in Hyper Planesium isn?t true. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dL3xW...jpg&name=small After making plans to hit him where he has less Hyper Planesium (and Naga and Balance having a talk with Stinger about who the Thieves are more like), the heroes show up to face Arkage at the quarry at the appointed time. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dNw4X...jpg&name=small But Don Arkage is still too powerful for them to take down, and after he knocks them out of their suits, the Ryu Voyager appears, carrying Garu, Champ, Raptor (voiced by Gokaiger?s Mao Ichimichi), Shou and Kotaro. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HtQqpGtjD8I https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dNxsX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dN07W...jpg&name=small And then Lucky shows up, having shrugged off his injuries. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dQh9X...jpg&name=small Finally, Kairi, Touma and Umika appear, having decided to owe Balance and Naga one for helping them complete the Lupin Collection (unlike the Gokaigers, when these guys say they?re not heroes, they mean it). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dQidX...jpg&name=small And as everyone prepares for battle, Misao Mondo shows up to join the battle. (Confused? So are the cast.) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dQi1X...jpg&name=small It?s time to transform. Seiza Blaster: Shishi/Sasori/Ookami/Tenbin/Oushi/Hebitsukai/Chameleon/Washi/Kajiki/Kohguma Kyutama! Seiza Change! Houou Sword: Houou Kyutama! Come on the Change! Ryutsueider (I have no idea how you pronounce that): https://youtube.com/watch?v=qfLU83x4vMI VS Changer (Lupin): Red!/Blue!/Yellow! 010/260/116! Masqueraise! (Flips) Kaitou Change! (pulls trigger) Lupinranger! VS Changer (Patren): Ichigou!/Nigou!/Sangou! Patrize! (Flips) Keisatsu Change! (pulls trigger) Patranger! X Changer: https://youtube.com/watch?v=kTSaQCgvp6c Triple TheLight: The World! Kyurangers: Star Change! Shou: Garyou Tensei! (The finishing touches!) Lupinrangers: Kaito Change! Patranger and Noel: Keisatsu Change! Misao: Honno Kakusei! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dQjHX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dYErW...jpg&name=small Kairi: Lupin Red! Touma: Lupin Blue! Umika: Lupin Yellow! All: Kaito Sentai Lupinranger! Keiichiro: PatrenIchigou! Sakuya: PatrenNigou: Tsukasa: PatrenSangou! Noel: Patren X! All: Keisatsu Sentai Patranger! Lucky: Super Star, Shishi Red! Stinger: Poison Star, Sasori Orange! Garu: Beast Star, Ookami Blue! Balance: Trick Star, Tenbin Gold! Champ: Ring Star, Oushi Black! Naga: Silent Star, Hebitsukai Silver! Hammie: Shinobi Star, Chameleon Green! Raptor: Speed Star, Washi Pink! Spada: Food Meistar, Kajiki Yellow! Shou: Dragon Mastar, Ryu Commander! Kotaro: Big Star, Kohguma SkyBlue! Tsurugi: Space Bustar, Houou Soldier! Lucky: The ultimate saviours, Uchuu Sentai? All: Kyuranger! Misao: Monarch of the world, ZyuohTheWorld! Tsurugi: Behold, the legend is about to begin. Kotaro: Don Arkage, feel the power of these 20 people. Don Arkage is unimpressed, resurrecting Tecchu (vocal effects by Kakuranger?s Hiroshi Tsuchida), Akyanba (vocal effects by Go-Busters? Arisa Komiya) and Kukuruga (vocal effects by Denziman?s Naoya Uchida. There?s a lot of Sentai alumnus in this thing), along with an army of Indabees. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dYFIX...jpg&name=small Cue the battle, with Kyuranger?s theme starting us off. https://youtube.com/watch?v=V9wCbRiUTvU Woo Oh Oh? Looking at the sky, we wonder how many stars there are Feeling frustrated about not being able to count them all, we go On this world, there are countless stories continuing What will we feel when we touch them, see them? Sitting around and thinking won't tell you, so hurry on a space journey Don't make up excuses not to go Careful not to shine too bright! You're lucky stars! (KyuuRanger!!) We're gonna break through the endless skies (KyuuRanger!!) We're galaxy-level super lucky stars (KyuuRanger!!) I wanna see the future you create On showers of falling stars we leap, leap, leap, leap We fiercely believe in pressing forward! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah & good luck! Micchan makes the first major move by transforming into his Yasei DaiKaihou form and? running off blubbering (which the subs I watched this moves with the first time around had too much fun with). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dYGwX...jpg&name=small Noel then demonstrates to Shou he?s not just a gold hero before they help Stinger, Balance and Naga defeat Tecchu. Noel: Kaito Change! X Changer: X-nize! Kaito X-Change! (Lupinranger) (fires) Lupin X! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9daszX...jpg&name=small Garu, Kotaro, Touma, Sakuya, Camp and Spada then take on and defeat Kukuruga, while Raptor gets distracted while the girls are fighting Akyanba by a fantasy about the 4 of them going to Jurer for a meal cooked by Touma and Spada (Don?t think too hard about this). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9db9-X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9db9sX...jpg&name=small We then cut to the battle with the 4 reds versus Don Arkage, set to LupinPat?s theme song (or rather, theme songs. LupinPat has two themes played simultaneously: Turn the Dial Lupinranger performed by Tatsuhiko Yoshida? Amongst the darkness, there is a silhouette showing a sly smile. If you want to know its identity, then you?ll have to catch me if you can. DESTINY (Go! Go! Go!) sends a warning. Only those who know its true worth (Do you know it?) Deserve this sparkling and treasured collection. Lupin, dancing gracefully, Chase you up! and take it all back. So you can thaw the lost time, spin the dial! Lupin, to those who are approaching Chase you up! bid them ?adieu? We are the phantom Lupinranger. It?s showdown! And Chase You Up, Patranger, performed by Hitomi Yoshida [as far as I can tell, no relation]. Personally, I prefer the Lupinranger song. Flash, with a radiant light Search, track them down. Even if you try to fight back, it?s too late. So you steal keeping behind your fake justice? Shoot out the core of their sins. Hold up! Lupin! Run if you can Gonna chase you up! Anywhere you are So you can protect the order of this world Hold up! Lupin! Run if you can Never say goodbye, Do not run away, Patranger. It?s showdown!) As Lucky goes into Super Shishi Red, Kairi does likewise, using his Victory Striker to become Super Lupin Red and read Don Arkage?s movements to gain an advantage. https://youtube.com/watch?v=eG4z_e2bopE After overpowering Don Arkage, Good Striker appears to fuse Patranger into PatrenUgou (yugo = fusion). VS Changer: Good Striker! Ichigo, Nigo, Sango! Ichidanketsu! (All together!) Then everyone fires on Don Arkage at once with their finishers, obliterating him. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9ddIeX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9ddIsX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9ddI7X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9ddJQX...jpg&name=small But Don Arkage uses his remaining energy to grow into a giant and move to attack the city. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dgiOX...jpg&name=small Noel then has both VS Sentai pool their VS Vehicles to for, Choz-X-u Gatt-time Good Cool Kaiser VSX (A lot of puns there, but we?ll start by translating the subtitle as ?Transcendental X Gattime? and let the image say the rest). https://youtube.com/watch?v=d_sJGwXnBw4 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dgijW...jpg&name=small Then the theme for ?VS Super Sentai Theatre? starts, as it?s revealed that the Kyurangers have entered the three cockpits of the robot. https://youtube.com/watch?v=m_O5Ru-Yi5Y https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dgjNW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dgi6W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dlwxX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dlxIW...jpg&name=small The entirely CG Mecha (suck it, Zenkaiger) then engages Don Arkage in battle, getting a few hits in with its base form, before swapping out to different VS Vehicle combos on its upper arms (Trigger Machines Crane and Biker, Dial Fighters Scissors and Cyclone, and Trigger Machine Splash with Dial Fighter Magic), before finishing the body double off for good with their combined finisher, Good Feeling Kaiser All Star Strike, which launches all the VS Vehicles and all the Kyutamas at him. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dlxuW...jpg&name=small Kairi and Noel: An eternal adieu. Keiichiro: Mission Complete! Kyurangers: Good Luck! After it?s all over, with the Lupinrangers having taken to watching from afar and Misao sulking in the corner, Lucky and Keiichiro wish each other well as the Kyurangers return to their universe (did they take Minato and his manager with them? Because if not, what a load of dicks). We then cut to the credits (and if you don?t like the video, blame DreamSword. I gave him a choice of two and he went with this one). https://youtube.com/watch?v=IyRucz90W74 Ranger, Ranger Kyu-Kyuranger Oh, Kyuranger 3! 2, 1! OKyu! Good morning, Mr. Sun, Mr. Fireball You're so bright, I just can't get enough! High-high-high tension! Go, go, with a high touch! And those sparkling lucky, lucky Kyutama 3! 2, 1! OKyu! Kyu-kyu-tama, Tama-tama Kyu-kyu Let's go Kyutama Dancing, everyone! Lupin-Pat-VS, Lupin-Pat-VS And one, and two, and three, let's roll and save the Earth Kyu-kyu-tama, Tama-tama Kyu-kyu Whoops, Daddy's really surprised! Lupin-Pat-VS, Lupin-Pat-VS Whoa, Mommy's got quite a shock too! Un, deux, trois! Lupin-Pat-VS, Tama-tama Kyu-kyu You'll feel alright when the power is gathering! Lupin-Pat-VS, Tama-tama Kyu-kyu Thieves, polices, and saviors are here! We then end with the Lupinrangers and Patranger waving the audience off? before realising they?re right next to each other and going back to business as usual. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FH9dlyMX...jpg&name=small Final thoughts: An inoffensive piece, that has better realised villains then it?s source show manages in 51 episodes. Sure you can call it the worst, but I have seen worse. You can also point out that not everyone gets a lot of focus, but that gets applied to both source shows, so it?s nothing unusual. I will say that Kato does manage to mimic both Takayuki Shibisaki and Teruaki Sugihara?s styles Very expertly. Join us next week, where we present a two-part feature, covering the Super Sentai Movie Party. See you there. |
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Finishing Bouken with 10 episodes left.
Zen is on deck in April for me. My Malaysia sets are in good shape considering. I started Kira recently. |
It's been several months but I'm finally continuing right where I left off on Koh and Friends----, I mean, Ryusoulger.
EDIT: Currently up to episode 38. |
I have to comment on Timeranger episode 38 for just being a god-tier "late-season crack episode" as I call this sort of thing. There is so much to unpack from this episode: the amusing meta-element of a Timeranger episode about filming, the fact the yearly Hubbardian hibernation actually came up again, *Providus* launching itself through the Time Gate, the random ET parody, the fact none of it was actually real. I can't cope guys, why is Timeranger so good even when it is being ridiculous? That's not even getting into the fact that the episode was somehow still in-character for everyone AND thematically relevant to Timeranger's whole "fighting fate" narrative. Just incredible. Looks like the show is going to whiplash hard in the other direction next episode with what appears to be the Ayase-pain-train continuing, which kind of makes this even funnier. I honestly find it funny how disproportionately I like this show compared to Kobayashi's other toku, especially since I have been rewatching Ryuki, which I find significantly worse despite my opinion on it being higher this time around.
By the way, if any of you are thinking "Gee GX (the super cool nickname everyone totally calls me on Tokunation), it feels like you have been watching an awful lot of tokusatsu lately", then you are right. I am watching waaaaay too much and no one can stop me. :lolol |
Although I confess, I am partly thinking is there such a thing as too much tokusatsu?! :lolol
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After Bouken I'll almost be finished with the shows adapted for Power Rangers.
Recently Completed Magi (Mystic Force) Go Busters (Beast Morphers) Ryu (Dino Fury) Power Rangers adapted yet to watch Ginga - Aba (Lost Galaxy - Dino Thunder) Kyo (Dino Charge) Nin (Ninja Steel) Yes there is a thing as way too many dating back to the 60s with Rider and Ultra. Then the Ranger line started in 1975. Also add to that Metal Heroes and the Space Sheriff lines and short run shows dang right too much. |
Aaaaand Timeranger is finished! There's no two ways about it now, that was BY FAR my favorite Sentai. Like, that was probably a 9.5 out of 10 in my book and more or less everything I have always wanted Sentai to be. Both the heroes and villains were fantastic characters with amazing interactions with other characters. Like, legimiately I think this show had my favorite Red, Blue, Green, AND Yellow Ranger I've seen yet (sorry Yuuri, the Pink category is very competitive). The climax was AWESOME. The Dolneros just being out to get money and their interesting interactions were genuinely so interesting to watch. I also love how the show ended, with the team split apart and the future uncertain, yet it was brimming with hope at the same time. I was always really impressed with how the show would often avoid taking the easy narrative route. It could have been so easy to just drop the whole time travel intrigue aspect, or to have the characters stay in the past so the team wouldn't be broken up and the romances could be pursued. But it didn't, and that constantly impressed me. I was honestly sp cautious of this show at first, I was afraid it would collapse under the weight of its own ambition, but it really did manage to deliver on an amazing story, with thr characters both whipped about by the flow of fate and defying it in equal measure. No other Sentai is even close to this for me, and Gaoranger is going to have a real tough act to follow.
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I'm now up to episode 44 of Ryusoulger and hopefully I should be able to be finished with this series sometime tomorrow.
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I had seen MMPR - SNS and part 1 of Dino Fury.
Right now I'm watching the shows adapted for Power Rangers first and will finish To Q , Zyu , Kyu , Lu Pat and Kira after that. Bouken nearly done. (Episode 40 of 49) Aba , Kyo and Nin are post Shout Factory. |
I'm now up to episode 46 of Rysoulger and by this point, I feel like I owe Ninninger a bit of an apology.
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I finished Ryu myself recently. I actually liked it honestly.
It turned out to be a strong series for plot and honestly at first I wasn't too crazy about the whole idea of using somebody's life energy to create a Minisaur but for the rest I enjoyed it. |
^ The Minusaur concept is actually one of the better aspects of the series. In terms of plot, it honestly feels like the writers really have no idea what they're doing half the time and are practically making all up as they go along.
Anyway, I just finished Ryusoulger and I am happy to say it's finally onward to Mashin Sentai Kiramager. |
Apologies again for the double post.
Rankings of Super Sentai I Have Seen So Far are as follows (subject to change): 1. Gokaiger 2. Megaranger 3. Dairanger 4. Timeranger 5. Jetman 6. Magiranger 7. Gekiranger 8. Liveman 9. Go-Busters 10. Dynaman 11. ToQger 12. GoGoFive 13. Abaranger 14. Kakuranger 15. Zyuranger 16. Carranger 17. Goseiger 18. Kyoryuger 19. LuPat 20. Dekaranger 21. Kyuranger 22. Ohranger 23. Shinkenger 24. Hurricanger 25. Boukenger 26. Zyuohger 27. Go-Onger 28. Gaoranger 29. Gingaman 30. Ninninger 31. Ryusoulger All of this is just my opinion. You're more than welcome to make your own. |
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