Go-Busters (and Liveman): list of plot and best episodes? Abridged order?
 

Hello! I know this is a kooky idea, but sometimes I consider skipping some of the less notable episodes. Watching a series abridged instead of dropping it etc. I've gotten a couple episode lists like that here in the past from the knowledgeable toku buffs here. For Go-Busters, and also Liveman.

The idea being: in general it is better to have watched the whole thing, but this could get me to at least see more of something that I may have skipped otherwise.

For Go-Busters, I've seen the first few episodes, and it's always been on the backburner. I especially want to get to when Escape joins (ep 22), since I like that actress and that kind of fun character.

If anyone has opinions in mind for this show's skippable episodes, I'd love an abridged viewing order. Thanks!

Also, added Liveman to my request, just in case somebody had an abridged viewing order for that one too.

For Go-Busters I did find a blog with one, which can get me started. Though I have a slightly different goal, since for me I don't mind missing the occasional intro of a move or power if the episode is less engaging. But I do think episodic "filler" episodes can sometimes be a standout episode. Though that's more up to personal taste.

https://supersentaifiller.blogspot.c...ast-track.html

If you ask me, the show stops being REALLY skippable after episode 27. The only one after that that you don’t need to watch in order to understand the ongoing narrative is episode 45. Before that, I’d suggest looking at some synopsises and making your decision based on those.

Thanks, good to know.

Yeah, Go-Busters is a very unconventional sentai show is the thing -- it's a lot more serialised than usual, so this is way harder to suggest a list for than it would normally be for Sentai.

I can dig it. Though for me, I'm ok with going with the flow and missing some things. Like if reading an old Marvel comic etc.

So say for example there was a weaker episode, and it ends with the gang in a desert somewhere, looking for a trinket. I'd be ok with the next episode I watch having them be in a desert looking for a trinket, even though I missed the setup. That's why for me the idea would be to to skip some of the weaker episodes, even if those episodes are serialized.

But I know that's not usually how lists avoiding filler, as they say, are put together. That said, I guess I'm in for a pleasant surprise if there's so much story and character development going on later in Go-Busters.

Also, if anybody has a list for Liveman skipping some of it's weaker episodes, let me know too. Thanks! I edited the topic title, but it didn't show.

Story, yes. Character development, not so much.

That website is quite cool! Has anyone actually made an equivalent website for Power Rangers or Kamen Rider?

*stands outside your window day and night until you feel too uncomfortable to skip a single episode of Liveman*

Right on.

:lol

(This whole post comes with the disclaimer that Go-Busters is my favorite toku show and I'm hugely biased.)

The really tricky part here is that what constitutes a "weak" or a "strong" episode of a show is going to be highly subjective. Some episodes not on that list because they aren't murdering characters or cramming in new toys are ones I'd consider great standalone stories that flesh out the characters in ways that add a lot of "texture" to the show, if that makes any sense. It's very difficult to immediately point to a bunch of episodes that are for sure notably worse than others, because everyone will have their own tastes. (That being said, 31 and 32, the two-parter that promotes the Gavan reboot movie, are definitely THE most skippable episodes of the series.)

As has also been mentioned, Go-Busters is fairly heavy on continuity by Sentai standards. However, a lot of it is in little "sprinkles" of larger plot throughout, with episodes generally still having standalone, Monster of the Week structures at their center, and some degree of expository dialogue for the benefit of casual viewers who might not have been watching every week. You could probably get away with skipping quite a bit if you're saying you're okay with picking up things through intuition.

Going by the comic comparison, I might even suggest skipping straight to Escape's introduction if that's what you really want to see, and then maybe going back later if you end up getting into the series more than you expected?

There will definitely be episodes that won't carry as much weight without spending that time getting familiar with the characters and world (a very major turning point happens around a half dozen episodes after Escape shows up, for example), but if you're really looking to save the time, and the alternative is not watching it at all, that might not be a bad option? Like, if you have the absolute basics of the Go-Busters and their backstory from just the first few episodes (and ~maybe~ the first couple episodes for Beet and Stag Buster), I think you'll be able to follow along okay.

I mean, when it comes to toku, skipping episodes sounds almost like heresy to me, but I can definitely think of comic runs I've jumped in from the middle or read in a scrambled order and still ended up a fan of. If you're watching it with the understanding that the parts you missed are always waiting for you if you want them, I don't see anything wrong with jumping around if you're already planning to skip stuff anyway.

Thanks, always cool to hear that fan perspective and whatnot. Sounds good.

Yep, looks like that site's author has one for the first three seasons of PR.

https://powerrangersfillerguide.blogspot.com/

And googling Power Rangers filler, here's another one that covers more shows:

https://adamsrandomness.blogspot.com...r-rangers.html

I often love good episodes in the filler category. But these sort of lists are cool and creative in their own way. For classic Power Rangers season 1-3, when I gave them a rewatch on Netflix a few years ago, I essentially just skipped half the episodes. I'd try them all, but if one didn't seem that interesting or fun of a premise, I'd just flip through it. Plus it made the "arcs" or the evolution of the show go by twice as fast. But definitely for that show monster of the week episodes can be some of my favs.

I think for toku shows overall, I have just a little bit of a lower interest in the usual monster of the week episodes than other fans, without other stuff of note and a cast I love a lot to carry it. For example I love Gokaiger and Kamen Rider OOO, so those I didn't skip anything. But it did take me a couple years to watch Gokaiger.

And most toku shows I have not finished as of yet. I've seen 5 episodes or so of many of them though. If we add those up I've finished a few more. :p Also Kamen Rider 555 is one I finished back in the day. I dabble mostly. But maybe I'll get on a toku run one of these days. Ditto for anime with this formula, classics like Tekkaman Blade and GaoGaiGar that I know rule, I just haven't finished because of the repetition. But I do want to sometime. I have seen every Godzilla movie at least. Well, actually I haven't seen Smog Monster (Hedorah) yet, but I intend to remedy that on general principle.