Also, as a fun bonus for this week, I couldn't help myself, and have decided I'm at least going to frame a bunch of shots from this premiere on a virtual wall. (I should totally consider dedicating a real wall to pretty Kamihoriuchi screencaps at some point though. Tell me that wouldn't be awesome.)

https://i.imgur.com/7sXs2Wz.png

https://i.imgur.com/Ob0DOAw.png

https://i.imgur.com/vzMQ8Q8.png

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

https://i.imgur.com/rkRcbV6.png

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https://i.imgur.com/KY36tzY.png

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

Considering the only experience I've had with these suits so far not actually being from Dino Fury, applying this summation to Power Rangers Kids Force is (darkly) hilarious to me.

Sadly, I honestly considered Ryusoulger ultimately the weakest out of all of the Sentai seasons I have seen thus far. Yes, even more so than Ninninger. I honestly want to like this series too considering most of the aesthetics as well as the knight motif the show got going for it as well as the early appearances of Ryusouls Black and Green that were used near the end of the Super Sentai Strongest Battle mini-series as well as the use of Gaisorg as a major antagonist during the events of it. Though, they really should've gone with dragons instead of dinosaurs mainly so it can help differentiate itself from Kyoryuger among other things. Also, Rysoulger coming across as more of a Kamen Rider series in Sentai clothing rather than being an actual Super Sentai series also did not help any matters.

I was quite into Morning Musume around 2011-14 time so it was interesting to see Reina Tanaka as a guest star, lol. I did at least like Ryusoulger more than Dino Fury so far, even if it is just of course by default and I much prefer Gaisorg as like a 'cursed armour' situation like in Abaranger with Girudon than just as some basic villain, I find the Wyzul and Kreon stuff a bit of a better aspect!

Haruka Kudo was a member of Morning Musume before. Her role is what inspired other MM members to watch Sentai.

I finally watched The Legacy of The Master's Soul, after deciding to just wait until I got to Ryusoulger's spot on the Zenkai Tour, and man, did that decision pay off. The way the plot ties right into the premiere feels so so much cooler having just watched it again than if I were struggling to remember it after like two years.

On which note, I still have no idea why this miniseries exists after like two years, but I'm glad it does, because I thought it was excellent. It's written by Ayumi Shimo, though, so that's not too surprising to me. Really, I think this thing ~might~ just demonstrate how she maybe has the potential for a main writer job one of these days? If I might dream? There are a quite few separate plot threads and new characters all mingling together in those 45 minutes, and it's really commendable how fleshed out they all feel in such a limited span of time. The story doesn't ever trip over itself, the returning characters all get their nice little moments without detracting from the real focus... it just left with me with a really good feeling, over all. I literally clapped at the end, because like with all those episodes of Kiramager written by Shimo, I was that impressed by what a well put together story I'd just watched. There's nothing even remotely remarkable about the low-budget action, so it's all up to the script to draw you in, and it totally delivers.

Again, it's weird that Ryusoulger keeps getting these little projects when I don't get the impression it was exceptionally popular (I guess it's one of those ones where the cast and crew are just extra tight then?), but I've got no problem with that when Memory of Soulmates and this were both such fun side-stories.

They definitely have a strong following in Japan. When the Final Tour got cancelled due to COVID, they got a lot of thank you Tweets on the intended premiere date and the project got revived as an audiobook, a script release and a manga adaptation. If that’s not a sign of popularity, then I don’t know what’s popular.

I have heard that while Lupat had pretty low toy sales, it did do well in merch sales of things like photobooks and stuff sold at movie premieres -- the sort of thing that dedicated fans would get of shows that aren't selling toys, and that also reflects how high it's been in popularity polls since. I guess it's the same for Ryusoulger?

Ryusoulger is perhaps my favorite Sentai to date, up until Zenkaiger. This show had a great cast, amazing suits, and my favorite Sentai Villain of all time, Wyzul (Wiserue?).

I really enjoyed this show, which sure, it had its flaws and low points, but it was a show I looked forward to each week. It had a strong start, and an emotional finish, some great mechs, a fun gimmick, and of course, Wyzul! I loved the Ryusoul Ken and its sound effects, the armor gimmick, and then there are the magnificent suits of Max Ryusoul Red and Gaisorg. Something about those suits being bulky, armored knights as opposed to just simple spandex with some shoulder guards and a few extras here and there, I just love.

There are some things that don't quite land for me, but I did like the cast, and Ryusoul Gold I enjoyed more than Lupin/Patren X, though I wish we had maybe some more undersea battles (unless I'm misremembering), and there were times the show didn't really progress, or Red, in typical Red fashion, gets every power-up, and the Ryusoul Calibur was a little lackluster (though I still love it and the forms attached).

And let's not forget the insane popularity of the Ryusoul dance at the ending, where just about everyone was doing it. Boy, lots of fond memories of this show. Of course, I also get reminded of Mana Kinjo, AKA Usui, which still stings despite her role in the show.

On a final note, I still have to watch the other pieces of Ryusoulger media, the movies, Master's Souls spinoff, and crossovers. Some Ryusoulger fan I am!

Ryusoulger isn't my favorite of all time, but I do owe a lot to this show for changing my perspective of what Super Sentai can be. Like, yeah, at the time all I could focus on was how, on the surface, it looked like Kyoryuger 2.0. and damn, I really didn't want another Kyoryuger. Not at all. I had a pessimistic attitude towards Ryusoulger as the upcoming Sentai, expecting that same disappointment I experienced before. I realize now that I was so wrong for thinking that way, as Ryusoulger instead turned out to be a surprisingly subversive and revolutionary installment of the franchise and an awesome way to end the Heisei Era! One of Ryusoulger's recurring themes is not judging a book by its cover, figuratively speaking, a trap I had fallen in to before the show even started.

Even though the show isn't my favorite, I'm pretty sure that Koh has become my favorite Red Ranger, for many of the same reasons I praise Juyong, as a motivational leader who understands the strength of his comrades and doesn't try and carry them on his own. Like that scene in Dinosaur Panic where Koh is fighting Gaisorg on the ground, while he trusts the others with the important job of destroying the meteor flying towards Earth. While I'm giving all this praise, Dinosaur Panic might be a contender my favorite Sentai summer movie, it's an awesome story with strong emotions, thrilling action and pretty much everything you could want from a Sentai movie, except for an explanation for how meteor fragments can create time portals to extremely specific destinations, but who cares about that little plot hole when it's such an awesome movie, right?

You know, I totally forgot that Master's Soul Episode 3 aired sometime around Christmas, so thanks for reminding me to catch up with that.

And yeah, I agree. Shimo really captured the essence of what the show was about and I think she's earned a future head writer role for sure. As much as I loved Ryusoulger, it left me with very little information about the Masters, specifically Red and Blue. So I'm glad this special exists to make them less like part of some obscure lore and more like actual characters with their own personal problems and worries about their students. It also has Matsuda Kenji, so that's pretty awesome as well!

Wiserue is up there with my favorite Sentai villains as well. He's a great source of entertainment for sure!

The most irritating thing about Canalo, other than his insecurity about being single, is how he virtually always joins the team's swordpile with his gun, even though he totally has a sword. Hopefully Androzani will screencap the rare exception to that in his Kiramager VS Ryusoulger review.