The reveal for Kiramager VS Ryusoulger came later than usual last year, so maybe we should expect that from now on.

The second most common color in Sentai. Here we go!

Showa:

1) Blue Dolphin
2) Goggle Blue
3) Denji Blue
4) Blue Three
5) Blue Flash
6) Vul Shark

Pre-Millennium Heisei:

1) Oh Blue
2) Blue Turbo
3) Blue Swallow
4) Tricera Ranger
5) Go Blue
6) Tenma Ranger
7) Ninja Blue
8) Mega Blue
9) Five Blue
10) Blue Racer

00s Heisei:

1) Abare Blue
2) Time Blue
3) Go-On Blue
4) Bouken Blue
5) Geki Blue
6) Deka Blue
7) Magi Blue
8) Shinken Blue
9) Gao Blue
10) Hurricane Blue

10s Heisei:

1) Zyuoh Shark
2) Gosei Blue
3) Aoninjer
4) Bluebuster
5) Ryusoul Blue
6) Brave Kyoryu Blue
7) Ursa Sky Blue
8) Lupin Blue
9) Kyoryu Blue
10) Gokai Blue
11) Lupus Blue

Reiwa:

1) Zenkai Vroon
2) Kirama Blue

He has already declared his intention to watch Donbrothers when it starts. His catchphrase ain't Inoue Forever for nothing, you know!

Managed to watch episodes 19 through 23 of Kiramager yesterday and with that I am officially halfway through the series already. About to start watching its summer movie right now. I also got to say Juuru as this show's red ranger is seriously growing on me and I'm already finding myself really loving all six rangers in this series and Garza is a great villain. Probably helped that I already loved his voice actor as Beet J. Stag in Go-Busters.

~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~

Kai 45! – Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger

https://i.imgur.com/tOLkR9C.png

(It might seem strange to do a roll call with so many people missing, but really, the ones with all five of them are usually even weirder.)

I think a good point to start talking about Zenkaiger from is that, for at least some small period of time, they were legitimately considering calling the series "Sentai Sentai Sentaiger". The choice to go with a different final title marks perhaps the one and only instance of Zenkaiger ever deciding to exercise restraint for the sake of appearing more normal.

Really, it wouldn't even have been an unfitting name, when you get down to it. This is a Sentai team where the primary motif *IS* Super Sentai, so while it may seem redundant at a glance, these guys still are the Sentai Sentai in a way, even though their actual title highlights features of the group outside of the anniversary nature. To be clear, I'm not at all trying to say I wish they had went with the working title. "Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger" rolls off the tongue far, far more nicely, and reflects the show's identity just as well, if not better, through the multiple meanings of zenkai. They're the heroes who help all the worlds (全界) make a complete recovery (全快) from the threat of evil, and they do it all fighting at full power (全開), no matter the odds. No need to tell the viewers how Sentai your Sentai is when you can just *show* them how much you get it by packing layers and layers of wordplay into the team name.

And the name is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how much Zenkaiger *gets* Super Sentai. The thing is, I've been watching this show for so many weeks now that it all seems normal, but now that I'm writing this, and trying to think of how to describe Zenkaiger in a broader context, it's kind of hitting me all over again just how specific a balance it found. Zenkaiger... it's like it's as Sentai as Sentai gets, and yet at the same time, it's going out of its way to be nothing like most other Sentai.

Perhaps a lot of this balance can be credited to that between two of Zenkaiger's main creative forces. You've got the main writer, Junko Koumura, who can safely be considered a veteran of the franchise at this point – someone who knows how these shows are put together inside and out. Meanwhile, the chief producer, Shinichirou Shirakura, had largely been involved with Kamen Rider the prior couple decades. He was right there as Rider found great success loosening old traditions while still retaining certain core values, and it definitely seems like because of that, he was especially interested in the idea of getting to the bottom of what truly makes Super Sentai a unique entity – what you can do with it that you can't do anywhere else, and how far you can stray from that without straying from it at all. And one of the many commendable things about Zenkaiger is how clearly you can see that passion coming through.

For example, when the team is made up of one regular dude and four weird robot people who look nothing like usual (or even like each other) it doesn't just come off as the usual attempt to spice up the formula. It's a challenge the staff is giving themselves – a question being asked. Is "five people in nearly identical uniforms" really key to what defines a Sentai team? Would ditching that concept make the resulting series feel like any other toku show, or would it only highlight how much less superficial the central theme of teamwork is than that? Could you take a team *this* strange, and still make viewers see them an inseparable unit? If five colorful and unique individuals come together to unfailingly support each other as allies and as friends, forming a singular force for justice far stronger than the sum of its parts, is that not the very soul of Super Sentai, right there?

That's the kind of stuff that makes me truly love Zenkaiger, and what I think even people who are fans of the show might underestimate about it. Zenkaiger is a deeply absurd series about quirky characters having largely comedic adventures, but all of that madness is also calculated. The whole show, on a more meta level, it's like one big search for answers – Super Sentai examining the purpose of its very existence – and I find that raw drive so compelling.

Heck, Koumura was so excited about finding that truth, she went ahead and wrote ~nearly~ the entire series herself. A recap episode and a crossover with the concurrently airing Kamen Rider Saber mean I can't *technically* say she matched Riku Sanjou's feat on Kyoryuger, but like, come on. Regardless of those specifics, a huge strength of Zenkaiger's writing is in how much it stands entirely on its own merits. It may be a big anniversary celebration, but for a lot of reasons, you seriously don't need to know a single thing going in.

I mean, just take a look at the first episode!

Things start off pretty cute with 4:3 footage of the Gorangers throwing down with evil, and if you're here for the nostalgic throwbacks, then, hey, you can't get much more retro than that, but it's not actually that important to Zenkaiger who these old guys are. The reason they're here is to establish the premise – an evil regime of bad guys called the Tojitendo have been going around trapping all the worlds in the multiverse into tiny little gears, including all the ones with heroic Sentai teams who would otherwise be fighting against this sort of thing – and that genuinely is the extent of Sentai lore you're expected to understand. They're cool superheroes, and there's a whole bunch of 'em out there, but Zenkaiger is a story about a world that doesn't have a team of its own... not quite yet, anyway.

What it does have at the outset is one extraordinarily enthusiastic young man by the name of Kaito Goshikida, who is introduced attempting to explain to a security guard his plan to bungee jump of the Tokyo Skytree. What can I say? I just can't ever hate this guy's energy. His earnest desire to be the first person in the world to do some crazy awesome thing or another is immediately charming. There's this sort of childlike sincerity that comes across in how recklessly excited he is about everything, and while his attempt to throw himself off a tower was ill-conceived, to say the least, that eager attitude pays off for him in other ways. Like, for instance, right after he's escorted back to the ground floor, when a failed attempt by the Tojitendo to scoop up Kaito's world results in the machine denizens of their native Kikaitopia somehow winding up transported there instead. This sudden turn of events is naturally a bit of a shock for the people of both worlds, but Kaito, being the person he is, immediately breaks the ice by walking up to one of the Kikainoids and introducing himself, offering his hand to shake without a moment's hesitation.

This is another thing that very much sets a tone for the series. You might think for a second that there would be some kind of possible tension between these two societies suddenly forced together, but on the contrary, by only a month later, everyone is getting along like it's no big deal. Because it just sorta isn't a big deal, and I honestly feel like there's something a little profound about that? Maybe it goes back to themes Koumura touched on in Zyuohger, maybe it's an extension of Zenkaiger's own focus on what it means for people to come together, but there's vibe to Zenkaiger's setting I adore, where it's like this one big neighborhood where everyone generally gets along as part of a productive and diverse community. It's not exactly something the series puts at the forefront, but I don't know, I just find it nice.

Though right now, the important thing here is just that there are all kinds of interesting new people from Kikaitopia shaking up life on Kaito's world. This includes Zyuran, who is the other main point of focus for the premiere. He's rather endearing in his own right. Just a chill older dude who maybe isn't ~quite~ as hip with the youth as he'd like to fancy himself, but who is still legitimately a cool guy you wouldn't mind partying with. And sure enough, people are perfectly happy to do exactly that, right up until the Tojitendo pick that moment to invade this world the old-fashioned way, and Zyuran gets lumped in with the mechanical invaders as a source of fear for humans who don't know any better. That fact is something Zyuran is very understanding of, but he's perhaps a little too understanding, to the point he starts passively sulking around, seemingly resigning himself to Kikaitopia's elite ruling class ruining life for the common folk all over again.

Kaito isn't holding up that much better, for a bit. The whole reason he was so ready to start making friends with the Kikainoids is because his missing parents were actually the people who first discovered that parallel world in the first place, and the whole invasion thing is kind of putting a damper on that initial enthusiasm. Missing parents are a dime a dozen for toku heroes, but I legitimately think Zenkaiger does a good job utilizing that trope, even this early on. Kaito's longing to be reunited with them is a solid source of the show's more heartfelt drama, his relationship with his grandmother Yatsude is very sweet, and now that I really think about it, Kaito having the parents he does explains an awful lot about Kaito's personality. It's one thing that he gets his catchphrase from them, but, I mean, these two are super scientists who discovered parallel worlds, and on top of that, came up with a whole plan to protect their own world from a scenario exactly like the one happening, by creating their own Super Sentai incorporating powers based on all the different teams they found in their research. This clearly isn't a family that settles for normality!

But uh, yeah, it turns out his mom and dad had all this prepped to go the whole time, and Kaito heads out with renewed vigor to bring peace back to his world. The only problem is that he's just one guy, and Yatsude rejected his offer to be on the team. (It was adorably thoughtful of Kaito to ask, though.) If you want to have a proper Sentai, you've got to start building the team somewhere, and with his grandmother out of the question, Kaito picks the next best candidate he can find – a random guy he just met on the street.

It's Zyuran, of course. And seeing him selflessly protecting a child from the Tojitendo is all the evidence Kaito needs to ask him for help taking down an evil empire. This is kinda the scene that makes the whole episode for me. Like I said, up to this point, the show has done a darn solid job endearing you to these two characters, and it makes this chance encounter feel so huge. Zyuran is still feeling bummed about the panicked humans looking at him like he's one of the bad guys, so when Kaito immediately sees through that, you feel how much it means to Zyuran to have a friend in that moment. His mellow attitude had left him unable to even think of taking action, but Kaito's enthusiasm lights a fire under Zyuran, and gets him to finally stand up and bite back against his oppressors. Even rewatching it now, it's such a "heck yeah!" kind of moment (helped by my favorite BGM track in the series playing over it), and it goes to show the magic of Zenkaiger's writing.

The series made the conscious decision to introduce the characters one-by-one over the first few episodes this way, and it was all so that they could properly emphasize how significant it is when people meet each other. This isn't a team brought together by command, or by fate, or blood, or anything like that. Zenkaiger goes to great lengths to make you understand exactly why these people choose of their own free will to be together, and how much they all benefit from finding that sense of belonging.

It's the kind of intimate detail you can expect from a show dedicating itself to exploring what makes Super Sentai what it is. They really build everything from the ground up, taking nothing for granted, and that's just as evident when it comes time to finally transform, and Zyuran breaks the dramatic flow so Kaito can give him a tutorial on exactly how his new toys are supposed to work. Because it's not like you would just know that, in Zyuran's position. I can't stress enough how clever this all is. Not only is it a hilarious subversion of the norm for hero tokusatsu, but I mean, forget not needing to know how Sentai shows work – you don't even need to know how tokusatsu works to understand Zenkaiger. After all, it's not the like the main characters have a clue! If anything, complete ignorance of continuity and genre etiquette would likely make it that much easier to identify with these guys.

Still, once they manage to get to the point where they're actually fighting, they do a surprisingly good job of it. It's a cool way to round off the episode, especially since it's carrying forward that momentum of how much you'll want to see Kaito and Zyuran turning the tables by this point. I'd talk about it in more detail, but then, maybe I've gone into more than enough depth on this episode already. Rest assured, it's a very stylish and energetic action sequence.

Oh, and the episode also ends with the world being met by a sudden infestation of mushrooms, but that's a story for the following episode, which I'm not here to talk about.

Although, now that I mention it, the whole reason I'm here to talk about anything to begin with is because of Zenkaiger, isn't it? I guess if you want to know where my thoughts stand on this debut, maybe all I really needed to say was that I liked it enough to solidify my decision to do all of this. And with the way that Zenkaiger has kept up the momentum so consistently, I only ever feel more and more certain of that choice. There's a practically endless amount of things I could talk about when it comes to this show. The brilliance of the way exploring different kinds of families acts as a subtle bit of cohesion for the overall narrative, and the delight of things like how often you have scenes of the Zenkaigers just eating a meal together. The utter genius of the episodic plots, packed as they are with such rich detail in their execution, and an inexhaustible supply of creative comedic twists on the formula. How all this show's insane madness comes together into a story all about... well, maybe it's not even just one big thing! There's a lot you can probably draw from Zenkaiger's portrayal of oddball underdogs managing to triumph time and time again over an overwhelmingly large force of evil. I'm struggling to think of a way to condense some of the points I'd like to bring up.

Like, the Sentai Gears, right? Typical collectible item that gives the Zenkaigers access to the powers of old teams. What's way less typical is that instead of strictly having the team replicate designated tools or combat techniques, the absurdist tone of the series means they often just kind of reenact whatever from a given show, almost like literal kids in real life, roleplaying as their favorite toku heroes. And there's something brilliant about that too, in how it lines up with the overall goals of Zenkaiger as a show, but it's like I can't quite put my finger on it, and then, like... I was just talking about the focus on family, and now I'm thinking "wait, did I go into that enough?" Have I properly stopped to try and convey the beauty of this found-family Sentai team who accept each other for who they are, flaws and all? How much that matches up with the series' goal of finding the core of what makes Super Sentai what it is? And then—!

...man, and can you *believe* I haven't even mentioned Magine yet? It's amazing how long this post can be and still be too short for me to dedicate proper space to what I actually care about in Zenkaiger.

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with the 45 episodes I've had to gush about how great she is in all the weekly Zenkaiger threads. Besides, the show's not done quite yet! Crazy to think I'm finally all the way here, but exactly as I set out to do all those months ago, I've worked my way up to talking about Zenkaiger's premiere, and that means, after all this time, we've finally arrived at the end of the Zenkai Tour.

With how long I've been at it, I'm kind of having trouble processing that fact as I'm writing this. It hasn't quite been a full twelve months since Zenkaiger started airing, but by this point last year, I was already doing some of the prep work for this project. That phrasing makes it sound way more grand than it is, I know. After all, the whole point of this idea was just to ramble about a different Sentai show a bit each week, and while, somewhere in the middle, the "a bit" part of that became lost as I inevitably went all zenryoku zenkai about describing these shows, that main goal remained consistent the whole way through. But like, of course I couldn't make myself shut up! Super Sentai is just too exciting! That's what I was hoping to convey with this tour more than anything.

Like I said waaaay back at the start, this is all cheerleading, and if I managed to get anyone else a little more fired up about Super Sentai, then it's mission accomplished for me. If the choice to pace this alongside Zenkaiger made the anniversary aspects of that show more fun, or if there was a week that made you go "oh I love this show!, or "hey, that show sounds pretty neat actually!", that's what matters. I just wanted to do something that would kinda highlight the scale and history of a franchise that just keeps going and going and is still going to be going after Zenkaiger. And that means I'm definitely not going to be running out of reasons to talk about this stuff anytime soon, even if this specific theme has run its course. So it's the end, but also, it's never the end. Huh. Either way, thank you to everyone who's been following these posts along. It's always fun being excited about Super Sentai, but appropriately enough, it's way more fun to be excited together.

I refuse to acknowledge this project as being done until you talk about the DonBrothers premiere.

One thing that impresses me about Zenkaiger is that all but one of the songs for it were written by one person (someone writing almost every episode has been done so’s often it’s not that impressive).

For something different, I started watching the Ninninger and Drive crossover special and it looks like it will be plenty of fun. I honestly kind of wished Toei continued the tradition of one hour crossover specials between the corresponding seasons of Sentai and Kamen Rider and they don't even have to be prequel tie-ins to the then-upcoming Super Hero Taisen films and can easily be purely standalone for the most part. Also wished the crossovers between Zyuohger and Ghost as well as Kyuranger and Ex-Aid got the one hour special treatment instead of serving as a very minor subplot to one-off episodes of their respective seasons. Probably just me though.

So I tried Boukenger, at the recommendation of everybody in the general questions thread...while I didn't think it was bad, I definitely wasn't vibing with it.

I guess it's back to deciding between Dekaranger and Gekiranger.

I'm getting around to this a lot quicker than I thought I would, but when you announce Donbrothers is going to be a Super Sentai with Toshiki Inoue as the main writer, I can't help but feel it's time to give Jetman a proper watch through. It's like a celebration of the return of a legendary writer after all this time! Or maybe I'm just trying to immunize myself against his style in preparation for what's to come! Perhaps even both! You just never know with this guy, do you?

Jetman 1-3:

I'm not gonna lie though, I really am digging the whole vibe of Jetman so far. I can't speak to how tiring this might get by the end of the show, but right now, I feel like it kind of transcends the question of whether its good or bad, because before it's any of that, it's already interesting, either way.

There's just so much about this series that even now, it's like "man, I can't believe they're doing this in Super Sentai." Gai is almost comical in how much of an anti-role model he is, and I found his dumb macho rivalry with Ryuu in these first few episodes consistently entertaining. I've said before that the central concept of Jetman being a single normal hero dragging along four random people always seemed appealing to me, and the way Ryuu's straight-laced, earnest selflessness causes his mere existence to offend the deeply amoral, self-absorbed Gai definitely epitomizes that. It's not often you get a Sentai team where two of the members are beating each other up in a parking garage in the second episode, but things like that are what makes Jetman stand out. Black Condor outright refusing to fire on a monster just to spite his would-be commander is a pretty powerful visual.

Although, that being said, I'm already pretty fond of the other members of the team, too. This is the kind of thing Inoue can be great at specifically because his writing is often so exaggerated: you can kind of tell what everyone's deal is instantly, and everyone feels unique. It's this really nice sample group of people you wouldn't peg as superheroes for completely different reasons. Like, sure, Ryuu's gonna save the world from evil with the help of a womanizing thug, a farmer, a sheltered heiress, and a high schooler. I bet this'll go great! I mean, Gai's already onboard with the group, and I'm sure he'll totally behave himself for the rest of the series.

Well, I watched the first episode of Gekiranger, and I thought it was pretty great. I love all of the Chinese themes, like the the wuxia-esque battle scenes, the Jiangshi-esque cannon fodder, the combat techniques, and the temple setting of the villains. I think somebody here once told me that, compared to Dairanger, this is more like Shaw Bros films and Dairanger is more like HK action-comedies, and I can definitely see where they were going with that. Finally, the premise seems like they'll have a lot of room to do interesting things with it.

On the flip side, Jan is kind of annoying, and the effects were pretty bad. So far, though, I feel like I'll be able to overlook those small faults and enjoy the series. Looking forward to more!

I wonder how long it'll take MatrixBeast to show up now?

I am definitely looking forward to watching Dairanger one day! Yeah Jan is kind of annoying when compared to someone I actually really like, like Tatsuya/Satoru/the ShinkenReds but I'm afraid Ban seems pretty unassailable to me on the annoying front, I don't miss that 00s trend of the immature red!

At least his annoyingness is kind of explained, and it has funny moments too, like when he yells "neko" and starts scratching the master's chin.

edit: Just watched episode 2. I just realized that, in addition to being Chinese martial arts-themed, it's also kind of cat-themed. This just keeps getting better!

Jetman 4-5:

Oh boy, it's already happening!

Episode 4 was a solid enough little story about Kaori making a proper commitment to the team, and it also really underscores the issue at the center of this team. Bless his heart, but poor Ryuu is just so ill-suited to leading a team like this when all he knows how to do is spout typical stoic hero rhetoric about the importance of The Mission or whatever. It's an approach that would probably work a lot better if everyone else on the team was also Ryuu, but hey, at least Kaori eventually realizes he has a valid point about putting your desires aside to save others. Kind of a shame that doesn't magically fix Kaori's underdeveloped skills as a pilot, though! I didn't really expect such a complete cliffhanger this early on.

And what I saw coming even less was that this was all building up to episode 5 establishing the love triangle. THE love triangle. You've got Gai going after Kaori, who's fallen for Ryuu's heroic... charm? I guess we'll call it, but of course Ryuu himself is still hung up on his dead girlfriend Rie, and the identical looking Vyram general he meets here isn't exactly helping him to move on. (Wait, with this many people involved, it's not even just a mere triangle, is it?) Honestly, it's sort of impressive how concisely this episode does manage to set up every last aspect of this thing all at once, while still doing it's deeply, deeply melodramatic plot about Kaori's legs not working because of her mental hangups about her own weakness as a warrior. And you know, she gets over it to save Ryuu, and flies her jet to combine with everyone else, so it's a pretty uplifting ending, on that level, but when you've got Gai walking off all grumpy because his primary motivation for becoming a Jetman (picking up chicks, natch) isn't working out fast enough, it's hard to ignore all the complex *drama* happening around that surprisingly straightforward narrative core. That's why it was so much fun seeing Red Hawk, Yellow Owl, and Blue Swallow hanging out as a trio for a huge chunk of the action here; it feels like you're watching Super Sentai or something!

Jetman 6-7:

6 carries forward that momentum from the last episode by opening up with Gai being extra non-cooperative because he's still super jealous of Ryuu. I joke about all the *drama* in this show being a bit much, but this is probably the first episode I think totally came together for me. It's a super solid debut for the big robot, having a suitably tense premise where Ryuu has to fend off main bad guy Radiguet while stuck inside a giant monster, cut off from the rest of the team. It's hard to go wrong with that sort of superhero drama, and being Jetman, the script finds a nicely character-first angle for it, with the other four miserably failing at using Jet Icarus without Red Hawk there, which eventually leads to Gai being all like "ugh fiiiiine" and begrudgingly making a daring rescue so they can actually put up a fight. But you know, it's really Gai who saved the day, so everybody should love him for how awesome he is, especially Kaori! It's a cute way to further build a very Inoue kind of trust between Ryuu and Gai, where they're taking turns saving each other's bacon, but Gai still feels the need to make it all about himself. (House Dimension is also just a cool monster by the way. It's hard to beat the jet plane with arms, but having an evil building grow limbs to become the first opponent for the robot is equally inspired.)

7 also leveraged that romantic arc in a very successful way, but with a much more comical focus. Ryuu's grandmother showing up to try and force him to get married worked for a lot of reasons. One, I'm way into the idea of the show establishing this backstory for Ryuu. Him straight up being a good ol' boy from the country totally leans into how endearingly generic a hero he is, and it's fun watching him get pushed around by the whims of an overbearing grandparent. It's also fun that Gai is rooting for Ryuu so that he can push his rival out of the picture, even if that's no surprise from him. On top of being amusing though, there was also one particular dramatic beat I genuinely loved, when Kaori and Raita are helping with the plan to deliberately sabotage Ryuu's arranged date. It's this whole goofy skit where Raita is pretending Ryuu owes him cash (the good for nothing!), and Kaori is, of course, pretending to be his jealous lover (the two-timer!), but Kaori looks Ryuu's date in the eye, and she can immediately tell Kaori means everything she's saying, even though Kaori probably still thinks she's acting. The episode doesn't spell it out until the very end, when a typically oblivious Ryuu still doesn't take the hint, and I really respect the episode for being just subtle enough that the kids watching might be in the same boat as him.

Hey, guys! Currently watching right now are:
1. Kyoryu Sentai ZyuRanger Episode 33
2. Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive Episode 32
3. Gougou Sentai Boukenger Task 37

Gekiranger episode 4

I've realized that I'm not that great at analyzing things episode-by-episode, I generally just prefer to give a few thoughts about each one.

Anyways, when they showed the Five Venoms (Shaw Bros reference?) 4 episodes in, I was worried that the series would fall victim to early power creep. I'm happy that the Gekirangers lost pretty easily, but there's still a chance that they do special training and beat the enemy's most elite soldiers within the next few episodes. I guess we'll see?

Side note, I really hate that fly monster who gives commentary during the mech fights.

Jetman 8-9:

8 is the first episode not written by Inoue, and you can kind of tell. It's an amusing enough script from Kenichi Araki about a diamond monster driving people crazy with greed, including Ako, but the thing is, the plot is *about* that. There's nothing even resembling an attempt at more grounded/soap-opera-y human drama. No real fleshing out of any of the characters, beyond Kaori dropping the polite speech again, but unlike the first time that happened, it's played for comedy here. And granted, it is a pretty funny scene! I sort of don't hate how Kaori's solution to a monster exploiting humanity's materialistic nature is to use her immense fortune to buy a ton of jewels to dump on Ako until she snaps out of it. The only thing that can beat greed is more greed, apparently! So not only is there no deeper drama, there's not really a lesson or anything either. All in all, I had a good time with this one, but it's certainly not a very Jetman-y episode of Jetman.

9 maybe isn't either, being written by Hiroyuki Kawasaki, but it might be my favorite episode of the series to this point anyway? It's an extremely endearing focus episode for Raita, with a lot of smart little details that end up tying the whole package together so cleanly. You've got a fashion-themed monster causing chaos by putting people in outfits that make them act like someone they aren't, and at first, I figured that was only going to be another cute concept for a villain, like last time, but it's actually super thematically relevant on top of that. You see, because the story is all about Raita going on a date with this childhood crush of his, who shows up wearing fancy clothes and trying to seem as high class as possible, even though that's not who she is underneath the outfit. And those two things of course come smashing together for a really exciting climax that also plays off an earlier flashback to Raita's childhood. Honestly, I could sit here praising this one for quite a while. Raita is inherently a fun character simply for being that classic kind of Yellow (he even asks for curry here!), but the episode itself seriously impressed me. It's not necessarily a great Jetman episode, but it's a pretty fantastic Super Sentai episode, I think.

Man you're noticing tiny little details that I never did when I watched through Jetman. Your descriptions make the series sound better than I remember it being. (Not that I thought it was bad, but you make it sound incredible)

I'm hoping to add Zen in April. In the meantime I can watch Kira while I wait.

To Q and Nin are in good shape as is Zyu Oh actually. Also Lu Pat as well so I lucked out.

Jetman 10-11:

The ultimate monster finally arrives in 10, when Naruhisa Arakawa's first ever Sentai script blesses the world with the existence of Noodle Dimension, also known by his seemingly benevolent alias, God Ramen. Is it any wonder this man went on to write some of the most beloved Sentai series ever made after this? What a delightfully wacky episode. It consciously shifts the focus away from the main cast, and on to a nerdy kid obsessed with cup noodles, with his (probably really unhealthy) obsession with Ako being the tenuous connection back to the title characters. They just aren't what matters here though, and I'm not complaining, because watching this guy and his new monster friend launch a highly successful noodle empire (complete with an ad on TV!) makes for a ridiculously entertaining first act, and I do mean ridiculous. It feels much more in line with the kind of monster plots that have become standard for Sentai in recent decades, and yet, it's not totally out of line for Jetman, either. It's been well established by now that part of the Vyram shtick is how much they genuinely resent humanity for its flaws, so there's a ~vaguely~ satirical bent to the idea of this scheme taking advantage of people's desire to have food that's the cheapest and fastest possible, exposing us for how impatient we truly are. ...Or whatever! It's not that important. What is important is how fun this one is from start to finish. It's unabashedly nonsensical, but also thoughtfully constructed by an up-and-coming writer full of potential.

11 continues the parade of guest writers with Kunio Fujii taking a stab at Jetman, and while it's tough to follow up on Arakawa's utter brilliance, I appreciate what this one is going for in its own right. You've got a vending machine monster tricking the team into drinking juice that alters their personalities, but the episode tries to get a little deeper than just the comedic potential of a Jetman that's all mixed up. And don't get me wrong, it is pretty amusing seeing Gai as a sensitive team player, or a totally lethargic Ryuu half a second away from a nap at any given moment; heck, it's even more fun thanks to the twist on this formula that everyone keeps flopping back and forth the whole time. But I really like the angle the story takes that, rather than just some arbitrary change, or even a simple opposite day sort of deal, like it probably comes off at first, it's explicitly stated that these are all very real sides of the characters' personalities that are just buried way down deep normally. That gives it all some substance, you know? It gets you thinking about the cast a little more, and it all lands on a really nice beat about how people can be complicated, and how that's all part of being human. There are some particular bits of this one's execution I didn't think were the greatest, but viewed overall, I came away liking it more than I expected.

Thank you, that's really flattering. :)

I hope you enjoy Gekiranger, by the way. That show is one of my favorites, so it's always nice to see people giving it a shot.

Currently Watching

Galaxy Man (Episode 18)
Go Go 5 (Episode 10)
Time Ranger (Pink Temptation)
Growl Ranger (Episode 04)
Hurri (Episode 16)
Aba (Episode 23)
Bouken (Episode 41)
Kyo (Episode 21)
To Qu (Episode 18)
Nin (Episode 24)
Zyu Oh (Episode 16)
Kyu (Episode 12)
Lu Pat (Episode 09)
Kira (Episode 09)
Zen (Episode 01) - Due To Start

Jetman 12-14:

12 marks Inoue's return to the show, and just as you can tell when he left, you can tell just as much here that he's back. This is an episode that's barely concerned with the formula. Ryuu, Gai, and Ako don't even show up until way late in the episode, and they only transform to fly their jets for the robot fight at the end. Honestly, I'm surprised the episode even cared enough to make room for that. Instead of the same old same old, this is very firmly a closed room murder mystery story on a bus, and while Raita and Kaori act as the anchors for the viewers, Inoue is far more interested in developing humans here than he is in proper superheroics. Sure, the whole thing is a Vyram plot, but that's mostly a pretense for Inoue to introduce us to all kinds of colorful guest characters, such as a bus driver with a secret past, an aging cop just about to retire, and even a suicidal woman who eventually learns from this whole ordeal to try and appreciate her life more, especially after White Swan saves her. On that note, in addition to being a nice showcase for how bold Inoue's priorities could be with this show, it's also just a pretty cool episode for Kaori? I haven't explicitly said this yet, but she's more or less my favorite right now, and I dig how this one makes a point that she handles this stressful scenario way more gracefully than Raita does. There's also a moment where she gets grabbed by the giant monster and dropped from a great height, as though that's dangerous to a Jetman, and right as I was being like "you're literally a bird person; just fly" she does exactly that, and I was honestly a little impressed. Go Kaori!

Oh, and speaking of showcases for what Inoue was bringing to Jetman, Gai gets in a line early on in 13 that basically sums up the whole show. "We're humans before we're warriors." This is, naturally, said in response to Ryuu's attempts to brush off difficult questions about his feelings towards the insane love... love... uh, whatever shape the complicated network of unrequited passions he's caught up in is. I still can't be bothered to crack the math on that, especially when Raita is now throwing his hat into the ring when it comes to pining after Kaori. This episode is wall-to-wall romantic drama, and as such, it's a rather definitive episode for the series. There's plenty of great development going on here for everyone, and I especially appreciated the show using flashbacks to retroactively add some weight to Ryuu's relationship with Rie. Since, you know, we only got to see that for like half an episode before, well... At any rate, it's neat to now know stuff like that Rie was really good at playing the piano... just like Maria is shown to be while running the latest Vyram scheme in this one. A complete coincidence, I'm sure. Putting that to one side for now, I did enjoy this one a fair bit. The soap opera antics of Jetman aren't ~exactly~ my style, but I find myself, at least at the moment, really respecting just how committed the show is to taking such an unorthodox approach.

A cliffhanger ending leads directly into 14, as the team grapples with the dilemma of Kaori becoming the latest addition to Maria's photo album, courtest of Camera Dimension. Gai takes this particularly poorly, of course. It's the most vulnerable Gai has been in the whole series up to this point, and it works to make his romantic pursuit of Kaori feel a bit more earnest than just a chronic flirt's latest fling. It's not just like, macho anger towards the Vyram for taking his woman. He's blaming himself hard, and is so desperate to see her safe again that he'll get and down on his knees and outright beg Maria to give Kaori back. It's a softer side to Gai that he'd probably be embarrassed to openly show, and he's certainly not feeling great about his image when the anxious rush he's in turns out to be zero help in saving the day, which ultimately ends up happening mostly as a result of Ryuu's hard work. Kaori even properly confesses her feelings towards him when all is said and done, as if Gai wasn't having a terrible enough day. (In other romantic news, robot bad guy Grey is now attracted to Maria after hearing her play the piano, because this show man I swear.) Definitely no less heavy on the romance than last time, but I think this conclusion outdoes the first part in how it blends all this with normal heroic Sentai action. You can totally watch this one as just a really cool episode that does a fantastic job ramping up the tension as the team gradually dwindles in size until only Red Hawk is left to launch an all-or-nothing plan to save his friends with a sweet new weapon. It completely works on that level alone, and it even works great. It's a pretty uplifting ending in that sense, even, with the evil plan being foiled and all, but when Gai is walking off all grumpy because his primary motivation for being a Jetman (chasing after Kaori) isn't working out, it's also hard to ignore all the complex *drama* surrounding that... wait, hang on, this isn't the first time I've said this. Boy, Jetman sure does love its melodrama! But hey, when it results in episodes this solid, I don't see a reason to complain.

Fun Fact: That suicidal woman was portrayed by Yoshida Mayumi, the actress of Lou/Pink Flash!

Jetman 15-16:

So, first of all, happy birthday to Jetman.

https://i.imgur.com/1zBNy0O.png

It's not exactly that nice round 30, but since this happened to line up, I figure I might as well acknowledge that Jetman's 31st anniversary is today. Or, I mean, with how time zones work, I guess I probably could've gotten away with celebrating this yesterday, when I watched an extra-sized block of episodes all written by Inoue that also featured Ryuu's literal birthday, which is where that screenshot up above is from. But instead, I'll just have to make due with another quick round of off-flavor episodes by guest writers. Oh well! (I did have some hot milk today out of respect for Red Hawk's adorably wholesome taste in drinks, though, so hopefully that makes up the difference.)

I poke fun at the lack of Inoue's unique style, but it's not as if an episode like 15 is a bad time or anything. Indeed, Mami Watanabe's script is an extremely serviceable day in the spotlight for Ako, who hasn't really gotten much attention up until now. She hasn't exactly shown herself to be the type who would get wrapped up in the overarching melodrama of the series, and sure enough, the plot this episode gives her puts its focus strictly on her high school life, as far away from the usual soap opera stuff as possible. You've got everything you'd probably expect from a teen superhero story, with Ako's secret identity causing trouble when it comes to her social life, creating particular friction with her best friend, only for the secret to eventually be revealed, allowing the two to reach an understanding and stay buddies. Real simple, real sweet little story. There's no amazingly fresh or clever twist here, and once again, it doesn't really feel like Inoue's episodes do, but at the same time, Jetman probably needs some episodes like this every now and then to break things up? I keep stressing the clear difference in attitude the other writers and this show have, but I don't want to make it sound like that's inherently a problem or anything.

And 16 isn't too bad either. Probably my favorite between the two of these episodes. Kenichi Araki is back, but unlike last time, there's more to the story than just how wild the monster's powers are. Don't get me wrong, Paper Dimension is a great monster, and the premise of things from pictures being brought to life and going on a rampage is a very strong, easy to grasp setup, but there's a proper dramatic layer beyond the mere threat of the villain this time around. There's a whole bittersweet story in here about a father who lost his daughter ultimately finding some sense of closure because of this incident, and I thought it played out nicely. It's one of the most atmospheric episodes of Jetman so far, for sure, due in large part to the very wistful nature of what it's about. While it still doesn't feel like the particular sort of drama Inoue writes for this show, it's got its own brand of emotional storytelling that's effective in its own way.

Neat!

Want to bet Hasbro will adapt Zen for series 30 of Power Rangers? They would maybe do it for the aniversary. Zen is the 45th.

If they did that, it would be strange for them to summon a team that was never adapted.

Hasn't stopped Power Rangers from doing it before. :lol

Jetman 17-18:

17 lets you know Inoue is writing again with all the subtlety of Gai's attempts to win over Kaori... namely because it's an episode that opens up with Gai's latest attempt to win over Kaori. Or heck, never mind that, the dude is so desperate at this point, he's explicitly saying he'd rather have her say she hates his guts, as long as it means he gets a clear answer one way or the other. Gai could really stand to dial it back a few notches! But you know, then we wouldn't have a show, and this was another one that impressed me with just how unusual a scenario it creates. It's not often (ever? probably ever) that you get a Sentai team where two of them are stuck in an elevator together, and the other three are stuck in a different elevator, debating the likelihood that something unsavory is happening in the other elevator. (Raita's deeply concerned about Kaori being alone with Gai, Ryuu has an almost undue level of faith in Gai's manners, and Ako would probably just be eating popcorn the whole time, if she had some handy.) It's all probably a bit much for some viewers, I'm sure, but I'm still way too busy being impressed by Jetman's commitment to be too bothered myself. Like, this is pretty much the entire first act! You've got the exciting debut for a huge new villain in Empress Juuza, and her arrival is mostly used as an excuse to have the power go out to justify the whole elevator scenario. You can tell Inoue is writing the fantasy to service the soap opera, and not the other way around. Still, it's hardly lacking in interesting fantasy stuff. Juuza causes some waves among the Vyram, threatening Radiguet's leadership and ultimately banishing him to live as a lowly human after a botched betrayal attempt, and she also leaves quite the impression by going around making people writhe in horrible pain as huge crystals start jutting out of their skin, which is pretty serious body horror! It's not like the effects are super detailed and believable or anything, but it was enough to make me yearn for the days of wacky noodle monsters. Naturally, these two plotlines collide by the end, with Gai taking a hit from Juuza in order to protect Kaori.

And since this is yet another more longform story from Inoue, 18 is free to take all that ramped up tension and run with it as far as it can possibly go. I had heard there was an episode with Radiguet becoming an amnesic human and falling in love with some woman, but man, did I have no way of imagining how much else would also going on here. The continued drama with Gai is pretty solid, once again showing him in an extremely vulnerable state. Not only is he in deep physical suffering for most of the episode's length, but his attempts to play it off with the usual cool guy loner attitude eventually come crumbling down around him, as he admits to Kaori how much the thought of dying terrifies him. I couldn't help but think back to how much this lines up with episode 11's take on everyone's hidden personalities, even though that wasn't an Inoue episode. It implied there that Gai spends so much time pushing people away because he's really so desperate to keep them close, it makes him extremely anxious, and you can honestly get that vibe from him in episodes like this. As though he's a jerk more because he's awkward than anything, pretending to be strong because he resents his own weakness. Or you know, he might just also be a huge jerk! It's easy to feel for him when he's got it rough (and Kaori sure does), but that's only some of the time. At any rate, he ends up feeling a lot better after an epic enemy-of-my-enemy team-up against Juuza between the Jetmen and the restored Radiguet, fresh off of his own melodramatic romantic arc. It's a plotline I can imagine people finding overly "cheap" or whatever, in how hard it's trying to get an emotional response from the viewer, but come on, you know this plot rules. I keep talking about how fresh and weird and different Inoue's plots for Jetman are, and this is such an oddball way to develop the main antagonist of a Sentai show. I loved every second of it. Really gripping stuff, and it gets back to status quo in a way that somehow doesn't feel to me like it was all without purpose. I'd heard the ending of this plot described in very literal terms, but the way it's directed, there's an implication the final scene between this doomed couple is actually happening in Radiguet's mind, which I thought was way more interesting. It's like he's trying to personally strike down the last traces of his *disgusting humanity* to reassert his Vyram superiority, but the idea that he has to give it any thought at all makes room for the viewer to believe it might not be that simple. It's an episode with loads of drama that also leaves you with stuff to think about afterwards. Hard to go wrong with that.

Super Mega Force actually did it twice with the series White Tiger Ranger was adapted from and the Zords.

With Zenkaiger, my very first Sentai, coming to a close soon, I thought it's a better time than ever to watch get into a new Sentai! I've already watched Kiramager in-between the weeks waiting for Zenkaiger (lovely show! liked it a lot!), so why not trying a season that's *slightly* older?

Anyway! First episode of Ressha Sentai ToQger!

What an incredible start?! I'm instantly endeared by literally everything about this show. Right and friends are a very fun bunch, with introductions that instantly let me know all I need about their personalities and their dynamic as old friends. I've heard the suits aren't too well-liked, but I think they're really good, especially in motion! (I wonder, did they really make all those different-colored suits, or is it some post-production magic going on, lol?)

I come to Sentai when I wanna have a fun time, and Toqger is definitely delivering on that! So excited to continue this show!

Jetman 19-21:

Arakawa kicks off another batch of non-Inoue episodes with 19, in which Kaori suffers great amounts of emotional distress that are, remarkably, not related to her co-workers for once. (I kid, I kid. ...Mostly, anyway.) There's nothing particularly deep to this one, but as you'd expect from this writer, it's an all around solid episode. You've got a first half that piles on the stress for Kaori as she becomes the target of the latest Vyram plot, convinced by a series of ominous predictions from a fraudulent fortune teller that she'll end up dying the next time she fights as White Swan. Obviously watching the villain systematically manipulate Kaori until she completely breaks down isn't exactly a delightful viewing experience, but that only serves to up the catharsis of the back half, where she inevitably finds the courage to stand back up and save the rest of the team right as things seem bleakest. There's a tiny bit of room to focus on Kaori's past and how her butler looks out for her, which is also nice, as is the simple act of Kaori asserting to the monster at the end she'll decide her own future. It's a nice note to land the plot on, and Arakawa must've thought so too, because she immediately gets a chance to repeat herself when Ako brings up a fortune (which I'm going to assume she made up on the spot, based on my "popcorn" theory from the last episodes) about how Kaori's future romantic partner apparently looks great in black. So yeah, I mean, I still really like Kaori, and this is a nice episode for her, written by Arakawa, that even gently pokes fun at the show's overbearing soap opera *drama* at the end. I had a good time with this one.

Kenichi Araki shows some serious gusto in 20 by being the first guest writer bold enough to center a plot around Gai, a character who was very clearly made for Inoue, by Inoue. But hey, this is an Araki episode, which means a standout concept for a monster, and when you've got a vacuum cleaner that eats love (?!) going around ruining weddings, who better to resolve the matter than that paragon of proper romantic conduct... Gai. Well, a ton of people, in all probability, but Black Condor is who we've got. This episode is basically exactly how I'd imagine someone besides Inoue would handle this character, in that he's presented in a way that's... well, basically, that actually feels like it's taking the target demographic into account. I mean, it's literally a story about Gai getting roped into helping out a small child, after she comes to him with a ridiculous story about her big sister's wedding being ruined by a vacuum. The episode makes a couple subtle attempts to touch on the ongoing tension between Gai and Kaori, but it's mostly a big goofy episode with an endearingly silly premise. I think my favorite moment in it is probably when Gai only starts taking the girl's story seriously after a woman is unaffected by his innate charm, which could obviously only point to this being a Vyram scheme. It's a nicely balanced outing for Gai, who comes off looking rather foolish, yet also cooler than ever when he gets to single-handedly take down the monster in the name of love, all set to his own theme song. (The lyrics of which were partially written by Inoue, so his presence is still felt in that sense, I guess.)

21 is also from Araki, and good thing, too, because at this point, there's nobody writing this show I'd trust more with the obligatory "good monster" episode of the series. I'm a complete sucker for these episodes to begin with, and with this writer, the monster itself ends up being delightfully quirky. The whole premise is that Ako threw away a stuffed bear from her childhood which then becomes Trash Dimension, who just wants to get along and be friends, only for obstacle after obstacle to get in the way of that. There's quite a bit packed in here, too. I'm already having fun watching the guy going around trying to be nice and fix everyone's broken things, only to be shunned for being a hideous abomination that also smells bad, and I kinda figure between that, Maria trying to execute the poor thing for being a "failure", and Ako's reluctance to be its mommy like she used to, we'd have more than enough conflict to keep the episode going for 20 minutes. But no, we've also got some light social commentary on how wasteful people can be, and Trash Dimension being tempted back to the side of evil after being confronted with the cruelty of humanity, raising the question of whether or not the Vyram have some valid points. It's a way more complex plot than I expected! And I'm not complaining, either. This one was really interesting.

Always great to see someone getting into ToQger! That was the first Sentai I really made a point to follow when it was airing, and for that reason (and plenty of others, really), it holds a special place in my heart. It's also a show I feel gets better and better as it goes along, too, so I think you're in for a great ride if it's already clicking with you from the outset.

There’s also a slight gag in episode 21 where the broken toy that Poh-tan repairs near the start is Star Five from the previous series.

I was trying to hang back a bit before starting Zen. If my luck holds out I can start Zen in March. That's why I waited on Kira. I was hanging about one back. Also Don Bros. was starting up in March. 2023 for me.

On another note this is more of being able to catch up missed series without the net in my case as the wi fi may not hold for 30 minutes.

Jetman 22-24:

Sometimes you've just gotta wonder how exactly kids at the time felt about this show. Inoue is utterly absorbed in his own romantic drama in 22, to the point there's only the faintest hint of a Vyram scheme for most of the runtime. Sure, you've got a few scenes to remind you Radiguet's pet monster cocoon is going to hatch aaaaaany time now, which *eventually* leads to a confrontation between the Jetmen and the other three Vyram commanders in the closing minutes of the episode, but none of that is evenly remotely driving the plot. There's no interference from the bad guys to set the drama in motion, or that intertwines with the heroes at some point to escalate the situation. This team of superheroes Inoue created are so good at making their own drama that, arguably, what the bad guys accomplish by confronting them is deescalating the tension by getting everyone to focus on their job for a bit, instead of their relationship problems. And this episode is rife with relationship problems. It starts out with Ryuu making an active effort to resolve the tension between him, Gai, and Kaori, and as you probably expect, it goes so poorly that by the end, Ryuu, Gai, and Raita are all smacking each other around in a pond. It's just a total mess all around. You've got Ryuu finally explicitly telling Kaori about how he can't move on from Rie, which ends up meaning nothing, because Kaori can't move on from Ryuu. You've also Ryuu trying to set Gai up with Kaori, which ends up meaning nothing, because Gai reads everything Ryuu does as insensitive meddling. Let me put it this way: Ako is there to see the big pond fight, and she actually wouldn't be eating popcorn if she had any. The situation has degraded that much. This won't be the first time I've said something like this about Jetman, but my biggest reaction to this episode is just sheer awe that it got made. This show's style is truly something else.

23 opens up with everybody coping from last time's events in their own way: Ryuu is burying himself in his work; Raita is stress eating; Kaori won't leave her house; and Gai is hitting up the club. Although, shockingly enough in that last case, Gai actively turns away women who are interested in him because he can't stop thinking about Kaori. When Ryuu was so sure Gai was serious about pursuing a relationship with her, I kind of assumed that was just the usual undue heroic optimism, but maybe he's more sensitive to this stuff than I give him credit for. Not that Ryuu doesn't still have his own quirks. He flips right back to his default settings here, trying to brush the entire incident under the rug by giving a spiel about how everyone needs to remember The Mission takes precedent over everything to Kaori, who actually pushes back to explain to Ryuu that they aren't machines, using those exact words. So once again, there's plenty going on here already, but the Vyram take a much more active role in events this time as the subplot with Semimaru that's been running in the background finally comes to a head, meaning a big scary monster is laying waste to the city, and to Jet Icarus, which ends up an armless pile of scrap after their first fight. All in all, it's an episode that maintains an extremely high level of tension throughout, and makes it feel like a huge turning point is coming for the series, meaning it's very appropriate timing to debut the big second robot for the show, Jet Garuda. (Oh, and the robot also comes courtesy of some dorky kids from another dimension who want to fight the Vyram too, but as you can gather from me calling them dorks, they don't do much to impress in this one.)

Credit where credit is due, the purpose of the Reverse Dimension trio becomes a lot clearer in 24. It does a much nicer job tying them into the show's plot, even when it comes to little things like Ryuu observing two warriors in love hoping to find happiness, and clearly feeling a sense of familiarity there. The similarity to his relationship with Rie doesn't exactly amount to much, beyond being an ill omen, but it does a lot to make this whole plot thread feel less out of left field. The remaining member of the trio then, the youngest one, dressed in blue, serves to give Ako someone to hang out with, putting her at the forefront of this episode's emotional arc, which breaks from the previous two parts of this story to do something far, far more straightforward. This is pretty strictly the tale of three dorky kids, and the dorkiest of them all, who eventually rises to save the day even at great personal cost. It's all about good guys taking on the bad guys, all building up to a suitably spectacular debut for the combined Great Icarus, which finally allows our heroes to turn the tables on Semimaru, leaving Radiguet rather devastated, while the other Vyram generals laugh at his misfortune. I guess I could be complaining how much of a sudden swerve the story takes from the usual *drama*, considering how it started, but honestly, it didn't feel all that jarring? If anything, it's actually super refreshing to see that Inoue was both willing and capable of writing an episode of Super Sentai that feels as normal as this one does. These kinds of exciting new robot debuts have a general formula that doesn't really need messing with, and I guess Inoue didn't feel the need to argue with that.

(I'm not sure this thought really goes anywhere, but I also found it interesting that with a first part that's basically all romance, a conclusion that's almost entirely superheroics, and a middle that's about half and half, when you view these three episodes as a single big script, it's actually balanced rather evenly between typical Jetman soap opera stuff and traditional Sentai drama.)

At least somebody cares about Fiveman merch! :p

So yeah, like the suicidal woman a dozen episodes back, the Back Dimension birdmen have two Sentai veterans among them. The leader is Blue Flash/Bun and the sole girl is Pink Mask/Momoko. As for Dan, the one Ako befriends, he would get his due in the next show as Tricera Ranger… Dan.

I thought it was funny when I first knew about the two-parter how the youngest member of Flashman was the leader and the youngest member of the birdmen trio would later go on to be the blue ranger the following year. :lolol

I try to stay away from episode stuff to avoid spoilers.

Jetman 25-26:

Kenichi Araki knocks another monster gimmick out of the park in 25, with a spotlight/armadillo (they're working animals into the monsters now) who steals people's shadows and brings them to life as evil doppelgangers, slowly eating away at the very lives of the genuine articles. Which naturally includes four of the Jetmen. I really can't stress enough what a good job this guy does when it comes to crafting a Sentai episode driven by the unique problems a particular villain of the week causes. I have no doubt episodes like this were favorites for the actual children watching Jetman, and that's because, speaking for myself, they really get that childlike part of me fired up, wondering how the heroes are going to come out on top as though that isn't a guaranteed part of the formula. I can't describe it that well if you don't know the feeling yourself, but the fun of an episode like this, it's all in keeping track of all the rules that get established about the monster's powers, and trying to figure out how they fit like pieces in a puzzle to allow the protagonists to triumph in the end. And on top of that, this episode makes a point to emphasize Grey's infatuation with Maria, in that classic (and classy) Sentai villain fashion, where he's portrayed almost like some chivalrous knight who falls in love with a princess or something. Neat episode all around.

Naruhisa Arakawa shows he has almost as little restraint as Inoue with 26, which is about Raita becoming worshipped by a primitive culture in prehistoric times, because why not. No, seriously, why not? I have no reason whatsoever to object to a premise this amusing. It's a completely off-the-wall story that doesn't feel anything like a typical Jetman episode or a usual Super Sentai plot, and that's exactly what makes it stick out as being so much darn fun. Even the threat of the team being trapped in the past quickly gives way to lighthearted scenes of Raita revolutionizing a small tribe with his knowledge of modern farming techniques. The dude is thrust into this incredible escapist fantasy scenario, complete with a girl who looks like Kaori falling in love with him, and just like Raita himself, it's so delightful that part of me didn't want it to end. How can any amount of soap opera *drama* or deadly monster battles ever compete with this, you know? I was a big fan of this one, and it's also probably the definitive Jetman episode for people who don't like Jetman. Odd way to praise it, I know, but again: it's an odd episode. Arakawa took a premise that sounds like a joke, and then made the real joke how legitimately entertaining the resulting episode he wrote was.

Jetman 27-29:

27 is incredibly surreal, and I am all over it. The first thing in the episode is Ako dying, and the main thrust of the episode ends up being Ryuu's efforts to save the souls of her, Gai, and Raita by projecting his own spirit into the monster-infested underworld and guiding them back to our mortal plane. None of this has anything to do with anything, but it's how matter-of-factly it's all presented that makes it so irresistibly cool. This is another Kenichi Araki script, and once again, it's just perfectly on that wavelength of a child watching a superhero show. You can just show Radiguet levitating himself as part of some weird ritual, say he's using his spiritual powers to defeat the Jetmen, as though that's something he always does, and leave it at that, you know? It's too awesome to bother questioning the logic of. Same deal when some rad old guy monk is brought in to act as an advisor to the team on this unusual case. I don't even slightly care about how this episode does or doesn't fit into the bigger picture of Jetman as a series, because as an episode, it's so dripping with atmosphere and excitement that there just isn't any reason to worry about that kind of thing.

28 is surreal in a different way, being Arakawa's next go at a writing a Jetman episode. His insane idea this time was, very broadly speaking, to do his own take on a "good monster" plot, but he's very much going about that in his own way. It's maybe a little early after the introduction of the Bio Dimensional Beasts for a story about a disgruntled normal style Dimensional Beast trying to prove he still has worth to have the full effect, but the placement is the only thing about this episode I would ever dare to criticize. I know I just said I was all over the last episode's style, but that goes double for this one. I am so into the idea of writing mooks and monsters of the week as blue collar dudes who think of defeating heroes as how they make a living, rather than a twisted ideal to devote their lives to, like the big wigs at the top of the food chain do. Dryer Dimension is mostly doing this out a sense of pride for his work, and he turns out to be a shockingly agreeable person, all things considered. He helps out old ladies, dogs like him... he may be a monster, but he's not a *monster*, if that gets it across. There are all sorts of things I loved about this episode, from how it cleverly works in an obligatory robot fight, to the resolution that's a lot less stock than I expected, and really capped off the whole thing beautifully. I've said it plenty of times before, and I'll say it again: Arakawa knows his stuff.

29 is another from Mami Watanabe, this time joined by a co-writer in the form of Nao... Nao... Naoki Ya... Yawa... Yawatari. Naoki Yawatari! I think! This writer is obscure enough I couldn't even find out how to read the name for sure. The episode was pretty dang good though! It's basically a do-over of the idea of fiery youths from the Reverse Dimension who parallel the heroes a bit, and while I never totally took to those last three in Jet Garuda's debut, I was pretty into these two from right away. It's an episode all about a couple who threaten to have their relationship torn apart by the Vyram, and because we're not worried about introducing a robot or any of that this time, the script is free to focus in way more on that obviously parallel between their situation and Ryuu's loss of Rie. There aren't really any particularly fancy tricks up this one's sleeve, but it's a perfectly nice, straightforward tale that touches just a bit on the corrupting nature of revenge while giving Ryuu plenty of time to shine as a hero who would give anything to make sure the tragedy that befell him never happens to anyone else.

I've reached ep 20 for Ressha Sentai ToQger!
....Can someone help me, please? I've been grinning so wide and laughing so loud at this show, my face is starting to hurt!? We'd be here forever if i broke every episode down, so here are some general highlights!

Akira: Man! He's only been here for a few episodes, but he's an absolute treasure! It's a real nice addition to the cast: a seemingly more serious Ranger to contrast the ToQgers' antics, except he's arguably even more ridiculous than them? The walking death flag jokes, how he enters the scene playing his harmonica, his railway worker outfit, it's all makes for a very memorable new member!

Shadow Line: Man, where do I even start with these guys? They're wonderful! I will always enjoy Noir and Nero squabbling over who gets to be in the Emperor's good graces, always fun to see. Schwarz is a really good villain with presence, there's always a momentary "oh no!" feeling when he pulls up on the ToQgers. And Zett! The Emperor of Darkness, obsessed with all things shiny and bright? It's a really fun twist from what I was expecting, (generic big bad who comes on the scene in the last 10 or so episodes) I'm looking forward to seeing what his deal is. Last but not least, Gritta! This soap opera-esque situation for her, I'm super invested in it! That scene where she thinks her only option is to kill Zett with a knife in this back, and Zett nonchalantly says that she won't get anywhere with her hands shaking like that? It's too good!!! I'm hoping things work out for her....


Rainbow Line: I love the ToQgers to pieces, but man, Wagon! The Conductor! and Ticket! It's always fun checking with whatever they're doing wherever the ToQgers are out and about. The running joke at whether Ticket and The Conductor are separate entries or not, it's great.

Mio:.....Sadly, As much I'd like to think otherwise, ToQger isn't perfect. The eps I've liked the least(including the ep I barely smiled at all, Episode 9), I've noticed they're all Mio-focused. It's not that I don't like Mio, mind you. I enjoy the "responsible older sister" type characters, so perhaps that's why I'm a bit upset that her episodes are a bit lackluster? If I had to put it bluntly, it almost feel like they don't know what to do with her if she's not looking after the others. I hope she gets better episodes...

Anyway! The ToQgers are so lovable! Humor's always on point! Themes are so sweet! Fights are so good! I'm really in love with this show! I really hope the second half of this show will continue to deliver!

I'm on 18 of To Qu myself. (Orange Ranger entry)

I have to admit the Rangers changing colors is cool. The Shadow Line dark energy plot is pretty solid. My thought is if either Saban or Hasbro were to adapt this we would have a Mega Force theme switch situation. Trains would get swapped out as the main but they would likely keep the rest of it and come up with a main theme for Power Rangers and pull a Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue stunt and the Zords would come out of a zord bay likely. Trains wouldn't be primary theme.