I watched two episodes on YouTube, a Christmas movie and now this special from 2025. As for the translation, then yes, things are bad. I obviously hastened to praise the translators, because they have only made 4 episodes so far.

Apparently, there was a predecessor to the 2025 movie that aired in 2024, also about an adventure in China. In the absence of new Space Squad content, it's good that Kabutack is keeping the franchise alive and I do hope that a sub group notices and remembers that the last 2 Metal Heroes need their attention. Can I watch the 2025 movie without worrying about spoilers for the show?

P.S. 2400th post!

Speaking of Kabutack, there was a Bearbrick blind box wave around last year that included Kabutack.

It is enough to watch the translated episodes to understand what is happening. It`s not worth watching from scratch, because it implies that the viewer knows the characters of the original.

Congratulations!
https://64.media.tumblr.com/bfe3ca1f...t54ksn_400.gif

Thanks! I'll watch the first 2 episodes at least, before watching it.

I tried watching the second Garo anime, Crimson Moon. In the end, I feel like I don't have all that much to say about it, since I didn't like it for almost the exact same reasons I didn't like The Carved Seal of Flames. I didn't think the characters, plot, or setting were handled well. It's too bad, obviously one of the big advantages of an anime vs a tokusatsu show is the fact you can do settings besides modern Japan much more easily. But both the faux-medieval-Spain setting in the first show and Heian Japan setting in the second felt really low effort to me. Whenever I get around to Vanishing Line I sincerely hope they at least make different mistakes!

Watched Winspector, which is a surprisingly unique tokusatsu show to this day. As the whole "Special Rescue Police" part of the title indicates, this show has a mashup of elements from both police mystery shows and disaster rescues. In fact, you can really see how this show influenced later rescue themed tokusatsu like GoGoFive and the Tomica Hero series. But even then I was surprised by all of the unique things this show did. It entirely lacks any kind of overarching enemy, entirely focusing on human villains committing crimes with nary a standard tokusatsu monster in sight. Despite this, the show still has plenty of big explosions and flashy scenes that are the hallmark of the genre (while also having substantially less stock footage than the other Metal Hero shows I have seen, thank goodness). The style and quality of the individual episodes vary *wildly*, from episodes featuring exaggerated villains who want to blow up buildings for getting in the way of their RC vehicles to grim and grounded stories of revenge and the failures of the justice system to bizarre environmental parables featuring robotic human faced mutant bats. It's completely chaotic and had me alternating between laughing at the absurdity of everything and being gobsmacked at the fact their aired an episode where a kid threatened to blow himself and the police station up with a bomb. The madness of it all often felt more like a 70s than a 90s tokusatsu to me, for better and for worse.

I thought it was pretty interesting and honestly a big step up from my prior Metal Hero experiences, even with its weak points. Also it had Hiroshi Miyauchi in it. Instant upgrade to any show. Hoping the later entries in the Rescue Police trilogy will iron out some of the issues this show had, while keeping the good points!

The show that did gangbusters with so little. :rock:

My first Metal Hero. Agreed that it feels similar to GoGo V (both set in 1999 as well) and I'll add that the lack of overarching threat is similar to Dekaranger, except without even an Agent Abrella equivalent to tie all the villains together. The threat is crime itself, which makes Winspector look like superheroes as a job title. While I enjoyed it for the novelty that it was, I'll admit I do prefer the more plot-focused shows like Jiban where many surprising twists can occur.

I just reached Bamba's debut in JAKQ and yeah, I totally get why Toei's answer to declining ratings is simply more Miyauchi, after his performance in V3 and Goranger. He never misses. I also intend to start Solbrain soon, sometime during my Kiramager rewatch when I get to that after JAKQ.

Electric Dragon 80,000V

This movie starts you off with a guy who fried his brain as a child on high voltage power lines, causing him to suffer from electrical powers and moments of animalistic rage throughout his life. I think this does a good job setting the stage for the mindset you should have for watching the film, just let go of your higher thinking and lose yourself in the flow of images. Honestly, it's really good at being this kind of film too! There is minimal dialogue and the black and white visuals use excellent lighting to create striking images. Pretty great experience.

Watched Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger. Maybe a bit late, but I wanted to get to know most of the original before I started parodying it. Well, I should point out that the show isn't nearly as much of a cringe and meta-commentary show as the internet tends to think. Well, it's all there, but I wouldn't say that's the point. In fact, Akibarenger is one of those rare cases where the jokes taken out of context are funnier than the show itself. It's also worth noting that the first season and "Tsuu" are very different from each other in tone and structure. They are so different that I even have a hard time naming which is better. Based on my feelings, I liked the first one more, but at the same time, "Tsuu" entertained me more.
The first one focused much more on the characters, which made the audience really love them. The episode with Yumeria's mom is really great in this regard. But the ending is extremely crumpled, even despite the attempt to explain that it was supposed to be that way. In the second one, the focus has clearly shifted from the characters to the action. Only Yumeria has any development.
Only Yumeria has any development. Blue was replaced and Luna doesn't get episodes focused on her. And Nobuo, in my opinion, has degraded between seasons. Also, the fan service, which was presented as a joke in the first one, is now used more obviously and the show takes full advantage of the fact that it is designed for a more mature audience. But with this, I can't deny that "Tsuu" is much funnier and more active. And the alternating endings from different Super Sentai are a great find.
To sum it up, this is definitely a show worth watching, but only if you're a Super Sentai fan. At the very least, I wouldn't recommend trying Akibaranger without first watching Jetman, Zyuranger, Dairanger, Hurricanger, Dekaranger and Boukenger.
P.S. Also, I think the PR portrayal in this show might upset some people.
https://tokuzilla.net/wp-content/upl...aranger-02.jpg

12 episodes in to Solbrain and while the absence of Bichael and Walter is a loss, I think this show is leveraging the human drama better than Winspector so far. Since our heroes are a rescue unit with emphasis on saving hearts, the danger presented by villains is a framing device for the main conflict that comes from confronting the evil inside them, to determine if there's any good left to salvage. To the point that even in a situation that Solbrain can easily win, you won't necessarily feel good about the outcome.

P.S. This is my 2500th post!

Congratulations!
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6f/40/30/6...0a6095cf48.jpg

Next stop, 3,000. :rock:

It has been quite a while but I'm finally back to watching Android Kikaider.........again. Although this time, I was able to power through another set of episodes yesterday and today and I am finally down to less than 10 episodes into the series. For some reason, I ended up taking forever to get around to this point.

When I've had downtime at work I've been slowly watching the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon from the 70s. Wrapped it up just now, and while it's hardly a forgotten classic I was surprised at how much of a genuine Godzilla experience it was. The show has a lot of limitations of course, only Godzilla himself shows up from Toho's collection of monsters and the regulations of American TV at the time prevented the story from ever even approaching grimmer subject matter, but the variety of silly alien invasion plots and random giant monsters really captured the appeal of the later Showa films. A good effort for a series that had so much stacked against it, I had a fun time!

I have finally reached the Hakaider portion of the original Android Kikaider series and it also looks like I will be able to finish this series very soon since I now have several episodes left.

I just started my rewatch of Spielban today and I even finally finished Android Kikaider a few days ago.

I have been rewatching Spielban over the last few days and I am already a little more than halfway through the series.

Finished my rewatch of Spielban as of last night and I started watching the first few episodes of Kikaider 01 as well as started my long overdue (second) rewatch of Metalder which I will be watching through Metallic Fansubs this time.

I am now officially halfway through my second rewatch of Metalder and I am also up to episode 14 of Kikaider 01.

Watched the Chinese Iron Superman from 1975. This movie was not very lucky, because it was released at the same time as Superinframan, which was also promoted under the names Chinese Superman and Chinese Iron Man. Plus, the costumes of both heroes are very similar:
https://tokuzl.net/wp-content/upload...uperman-01.jpg
https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfH...57_p_v8_aa.jpg
Also, in 1975, the kung fu action movie "Hong Kong Superman" was released, adding even more confusion. In any case, in Iron Superman, unlike Superinframan, the hero does not grow, but pilots a giant robot, fighting against aliens who are sinking ships in the Bermuda Triangle. The influence of Ultraman is strongly noticeable, including before the participation of the Japanese in the creation of the film. And even though the plot is quite absurd even for that time, credit should be given to the villains: they come up with all sorts of insidious plans and modify their robots, so that each battle becomes a test for the positive characters. But the ending was very crumpled and hasty. So, for the sake of interest, you can watch it, especially for those who like practical special effects and support squads of giant heroes.
P.S. Although my perception could also be influenced by the fact that I watched this Chinese-Japanese film with German dubbing and English subtitles. There is a high probability that I could have misunderstood something.

As of today, I am now officially halfway through Kikaider 01. I am also down to the final six episodes of my Metalder rewatch. Oh, and I should get my copy of Janperson on Blu-Ray as released by Discotek Media from Amazon sometime today. I will definitely be looking forward to rewatching this series through that.

Started my rewatch of Janperson today via my copy of the series on Blu-Ray that I got on Amazon yesterday. I have also finished my second rewatch of Metalder on which I still considered it one of my top favorite Toku series of all time.

I have just finished my rewatch of Janperson via my copy of the series on Blu-Ray as released by Discotek Media. While the show is not, by any means, perfect, Janperson is still a damn good show as well as being one of my favorites.

I inexplicably started watching Robot Detective and I have already knocked out its first seven episodes which also means I'm already a quarter through this series. I am also eight episodes into my Gavan rewatch via my copy of the series on Blu-Ray as released by Discotek Media and yes, I am also planning to rewatch Sharivan and Shaider the same way.

Robot Detective reboot would be great by now. We had a glimpse with Anno's recent movie but a proper reboot would be nice. Speaking of, apparently the writer for the toku show is Masaru Igami, father to Toshiki Inoue and grandfather to Akiko Inoue.

I managed to finish Robot Detective not too long ago.

Just started Juuko B-Fighter and, oh my. Blue Beet's actor is...Not very good :lol
I'm sure he gets better, but his line reads are just not it. That's not really to say the other two are much better. Granted, a lot of their dialogue just isn't written well.

As of now, I am officially a little more than halfway through Gavan via my copy of the series on Blu-Ray.

Out of a weird sense of boredom, I started watching the live-action Toku series version of Sailor Moon for the first time.

This is a great thing if you can live with the low budget of the production.

Watched Kanpai Senshi After V. Well, the impressions are quite mixed. I'll try to sort them out point by point:
- The concept was stretched out into 12 almost twenty five-minute episodes, which is more suitable for a five-minute sketch.
- A complete lack of action, even the absurdly conventional one shown in the openingю
- The most basic elements of Super Sentai are parodied, which even those who don't know the term know. So that the experienced tokusatsu viewer will yawn and constantly catch himself thinking: "I've heard this before... a hundred times."
- The humor itself is specific and will not appeal to everyone. Perhaps, to make it funnier, you need to get drunk with the characters.
- And to top it off, the jokes are repeated over and over again. I know that's a trope, but it's clearly overused here.
+ The characters turned out to be quite bright and they even have development, both individual and team.
+ The music in the show is excellent and even the uninteresting visuals are worth it.
+ Compared to Akibarenger, Kanpai Senshi is much more suitable for tokusatsu newbies. As I wrote above, even those who have never watched Super Sentai will understand the meaning of this show.
+The plot, while horribly drawn out, was surprisingly engaging. The Ranger swap trope was played out beautifully.
+ And the relationship between the Commander and the Combatant is so good that it deserves a separate point. It is because of them that I do not regret watching this show. Honestly, I would be very happy to see something like this as a C-plot in a real Super Sentai.
To sum it up, as I said, my impressions are controversial. I won't recommend it, and I won't discourage you either. I'll just say that the three-episode rule doesn't work with this show, and the ending is touching in its own way.
https://test.tukoz.com/wp-content/up...after-v-04.jpg

It's better than the rough first impression would have you believe.

Takes some wild swerves from the usual story, though (in a good way).

Dark Mercury is gorgeous!

I am currently 14 episodes into Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and despite its obvious production limitations, I find the show to be pretty enjoyable so far especially in regards to its overall character drama.

I finished up Janperson and, like... I think I'm a little obsessed? What the heck, I loved that a ton in spite of some shortcomings!

The show clearly didn't know what it wanted to do at the beginning to be blunt. Janperson is more of a plot device than a character and the small handful of recurring friendly humans get phased out quite quickly. I guess they really wanted to play up the mysterious hero angle, but it was a bit too detached. This isn't to say this part of the show is bad per se, the villains lay on the campy vibes particularly hard early on so I was able to enjoy in in a 70s tokusatsu way at least!

After a while though, the show starts to hone in on a more dramatic angle, with the show hitting its stride with the whole "Janperson has emotional trauma" arc, replacing the enigmatic hero angle with a much more emotional Janperson with a concrete backstory that haunts him, along with finally solidifying some recurring allies for him. It was around this point that I started to really appreciate the suit acting in this show. Having a hero who is always "in-suit" can be difficult, but the actor did a good job with both tender moments and sorrowful ones. The show loses a some of the campy appeal at this point, but more than make up for it with better episodes and characterization.

Then came to point where this show gave me brain worms, lol. Folks, I am 100% obsessed with Gun Gibson. His slow burn arc from anti-villain to anti-hero to just a flat out hero with a reckless streak was well paced and fascinating. He's also dripping with coolness. His relationship with Janperson also greatly enhances both of them, with Janperson getting to act as a mentor who gets Gun Gibson to mellow out and seek something beyond violence and revenge, while Gun Gibson serves to challenge Janperson's sense of justice at times and just proves to be a loyal friend to him. This is it everyone. HEATED DRAMA BETWEEN ROBOTS! The show in general just continued to become more dramatic from that point on, with some really quite daring episodes with interesting social commentary. I do think the actual climax of the show was a bit haphazard, but the final fight was undeniably cool and I couldn't help but smile at the ending.

I really had a blast with the show and it dethroned Winspector as my favorite Metal Hero show quite easily (even if Winspector has more spectacular effects and better pacing). The 90s really were a good era for tokusatsu, eh?

^ Whoo-Hoo! We got another Janperson fan in our hands! :D

Just out of curiosity, what would you say are your favorite episodes of the series?

Oooh, there were some really good ones! Some that jumped to mind:

• 42: The one where Janperson breaks Gun Gibson out of prison, choosing to go against the law when he knew it was wrong. Showed how much Janperson had grown and the ending bit with the girl giving Gun Gibson some flowers and him moving into the base with everyone was very sweet.
• 18: This was definitely the moment where I realized the show might have the sauce. Janperson's backstory where he went out of control due to rogue machine learning was genuinely quite horrifying. Kaoru's whole unusual mentality is also demonstrated concisely this episode, so she has a strong debut.
• 29-30: The story with the Jesus End (awesome name) device that will destroy all robots. It's a rather philosophical two parter that addresses the difficulty of humans and robots living together. Gun Gibson comes into a very organic conflict with Janperson here over the whole fact that, you know, he doesn't want to die. Janperson's unwavering faith in humanity is spectacular this episode, and is ultimately what saves him.
• 37: This is the one with the high spec underwater robot that goes on a grief stricken rampage against Janperson. Gun Gibson sees himself in this other robot, but ultimately has to strike him down after realizing his AI has driven too haywire to be saved anymore. Peak sad robot content.

I could go on and on. Tons of great episodes in this one!

It's a great show. The idea of ​​a robot hero without a human form is not new, since Janperson does not hide that he is inspired by Robot Detective, but the different time allows it to be revealed better. Plus, compared to Zero-One, which also explores the problems of interaction between people and machines, I like the greater variability of situations and solutions in Janperson.

It was definitely a time of diversity and interesting experiments. Perhaps the 70s were better, but for some viewers it was too retro.