[Matrixbeast]

GINGAMAN COMPLETE
I don't even know what to say about it, really. It kind of falls into the realm of ultimately average. It's not bad, but it doesn't commit to the really great things. Kind of a shame.

Let's start with the plot, which is probably the worst thing about the show.
Barban is awakened and their seals released. However, they encounter a hitch because their vessel and big gun, the Daitanic Monster, is still sealed and dormant. This awakening is also met with another hitch, the newly appointed Gingamen, a group of 5 warriors who defend the Earth. After losing their home, the Galactic Forest, and the intended Ginga Red, Hyuuga, the Gingamen are forced to take shelter with a father and his son, who let them live at a stable that they...Work at (I kind of forget the father's relationship to the stables, since I know he doesn't own them). There, they plant a sacred tree that grows into Mokk, which is both their mentor and their base of operations.
From there on, Barban dispatches monsters to find methods of reviving the Daitanic.
Plot over.
There really isn't much to the series in this regard, which is it's biggest problem. While the individual episodes were alright on their own, the lack of a solid plot to tie everything together really brought things down, especially during the middle of each villain's arcs. Things were really just going through the motions there.

The characters are some pretty nice high points, though.
Ryouma is a great Red. He's energetic, but he's not an idiot. He has a lot of heart, but he's a warrior first, so he's not fighting for the rush of it like some other fireballs (Ironic, given that he's one of the few characters with actual pyromancy). Only chosen as Ginga Red because Hyuuga gave him the Star Beast Sword after falling into a chasm, I like that he doesn't let it get him too down. Fighting to not disappoint his brother's final wish, for the planet, for his fallen home, and for his friends, he's a pretty strong character. Charismatic and likable, he's kind of what Daigo/KyoryuRed should've been. No visible or easily exploited faults, but he still feels down to Earth. Able to push forward when everyone else is beaten, but still clearly needs the support of his team to keep going. I like him~
Hayate is a pretty solid character all around, though certainly the most bland of the bunch. I guess it's kind of inevitable when you're the straight man. Often a foil to Gouki's more dim moments, Hayate's childish nature, or Ryouma when he elects to join in slacking off, he's kind of a conglomerate of most traits appointed to the straight man. Quiet and brooding, check, silly fears/weaknesses, check, unable to connect with others on an emotional basis, check. Still though, he's a pretty nice character. He never exudes an air of superiority, and it never really feels like "Why is this character not the leader?" which keeps him in a nice balance. He's a team player that bounces off the others well, both in comedic timing as well as on the battlefield. He's just a little bland.
Gouki, the muscle and nice guy...Yup. All around handyman, strongest member of the team, and sometimes a little dim (Especially around his love interest), it's easy to like him. Unfortunately, he's kind of just a fly on the wall unless Suzuko is involved, being the most quiet (Even more so than Hayate), most reserved, and just relaxed otherwise. There's nothing wrong with that, it's actually kind of cute that his crush changes him, but not in a drastic way. I like it. He has a big heart, is always the optimist and idealist, which probably helps the team a lot more than he gives himself credit for.
Saya, the only woman, is around, too. Unfortunately, she's kind of burdened with all female Sentai stereotypes. She's cute and calm, and always doing her best to help others smile, but she's also a tomboy who isn't afraid to get rough or fight, but she's also bubbly and energetic, wanting to enjoy life. She also plays the big sister role to Hayate.
"Matrix, you know that most people can be like that, right? She's actually more realistic because she's not defined by one or two traits."
Yes, I know, but with only 50 episodes, and only about 8 of which are specifically dedicated to her, she can sometimes come across as being spread too thin. However, ultimately, she's a nice character. I also like the ambiguous crush on Hyuuga.
Hikaru is basically the kid. Brash, loud, annoying, and quick to a fight. Probably the most stereotypically Sentai character on the team. He's angry and willing to break away from the team to prove himself, but he clearly cares for his comrades and will do anything to save them. He isn't really anything special. He often butts heads with everyone, sans Ryouma, surprisingly. Guess Ryouma is too chill to get angry at him. Dunno. He's a good kid, but his character just isn't anything new and, unfortunately, they didn't do anything special with him to change things up.
Hyuuga, their "Extra Hero," the original GingaRed, and eventual Black Knight, and Ryouma's older brother is kind of your stereotypical 6th, but in a weird way. Being introduced after the first Black Knight, they clearly didn't want to market his toys anymore. So shortly after his introduction, he's swept under the rug. Participating in fewer fights, finding reasons to not grow giant, and generally staying out of focus when he is around (Unless it's one of his episodes, of course). However, I did enjoy that they gave him a semi-legit arc for why he had to basically be cut from the show for about 10 episodes around the end.
He's a fine character, though. Going to extremes to defeat Barban, but never going too far over the edge like his predecessor. He's dedicated to protecting the Earth, not to kill his enemies.
Bull Black, the first Black Knight. Original keeper of the Galactic Lights, he was badly wounded (Presumed dead) by Barban after tricking them about their whereabouts. He only returns after Hyuuga falls into the crevice. Saving his life, he then uses Hyuuga basically as a host body to return to full strength. Pissed off, filled with vengeance, and not afraid of any casualties that may occur as long as Barban is destroyed. Losing his planet and younger brother to Zahab himself, he vows an ageless grudge. Being their 6th replacement, he often showcased power above the Gingamen, able to take down foes the other 5 had trouble with. However, he makes it painfully clear he is not a Gingaman, and that their goals only barely overlap, going so far as to, at one point, try to destroy the Earth to kill Barban. In the end, though, he makes the ultimate sacrifice when the spirit of his younger brother, Krantz, finally talks sense into him.

Other characters include Yuuta, the young boy who befriends the Gingamen. He wants to be like them, even going so far as to start sword training, but at the end of the day, he's still just a kid in grade school. He has a big heart and a shocking amount of courage.
Yuuta's father, Haruhiko, who is a bumbling artist and writer who is a good man, offering the Gingamen a place to live in exchange for their work. Kindhearted, he eventually writes the Gingamen's story into a children's picture book, which is pretty nice.
Ms. Suzuko, one of Yuuta's teachers whom Gouki gets an insane crush on. She seems obvious to Gouki's feelings at some times, and blissfully unaware at others (Though, those moments might just be her teasing him for not being able to just spill it), she's pretty good. I like that she chose Gouki, though I wish their relationship had more resolution. Oh well.
Mokk, their mentor and base of operations at the same time, a mystic tree that is connected to all other trees on the planet, thus being able to locate most anything as long as it's nearby plant life. He's pretty standard as far as mentor characters go. However, he's able to forge connections with his team rather easily despite being a talking tree.
Bokk, a wood sprite that kind of hangs out with the Gingamen and Mokk who uses his name as a pun a lot. Not much to say...He was a character...At least he wasn't too annoying?

Onto the bad guys, Space Pirates Barban (Which, by the by, it's super crazy to hear "Uchuu Kaizoku" and have it refer to the villains...Damn you, Gokaiger )
First we have Captain Zahab, big bad of the series. Also, kind of uninteresting. Only leaving the ship, what, 4 times in the whole series, his lack of interaction with the heroes means that their final encounter doesn't hold as much weight as it should. Personally responsible for starting Bull Black's grudge and otherwise...Just kind of around, really. As a pirate, he isn't against backstabbing his own crew. Also, due to his suit's design, he's very inhibited, so his fighting is also leaves a lot to be desired. Not a fan.
Next, Shellinda, a scantily clad swordswoman who steers the ship. She doesn't do much of anything, either, to be honest. She bitches at the generals not accomplishing their goals and just stands around looking angry. She holds a grudge against Ginga Green, however, she's not on his level, losing most of the time, and sometimes being disregarded as he has other matters to attend.
On to Bookrates (Which the wiki spells as "Bucrates" which makes more sense considering his design is a barrel crate. However, considering his name is pronounced "Boo-kura-tes," the pun is still lost). Uncle to one of the generals, Iries, and the smart guy in the villain lair (Until his job is taken by Businera), he just kind of waddles about insulting everyone with Shellinda. He wasn't anything special, and only really grew to be interesting after his betrayal and him vowing revenge against Zahab (And forcing Hyuuga to help).

On to the generals. Each general got about 10 episodes to them, give or take.
Sanbash, voiced by everyone's famous shouter, Nobuyuki Hiyama, was the first General to get a shot. His main mission was to find any kind of fuel source to awaken the Daitanic (Along with general plans to randomly wake him up, like noise pollution). Brash and loud, he was a perfect start. The one to do the deed initially to Black Knight Bull Black, he ultimately died due to general incompetence, but he certainly went out with a bang.
Next is Budo, the samurai. Very respectful, he kind of nails the samurai vibe perfectly, right down to his theme (Though, considering it's an effing Japanese show, I shouldn't be surprised). His mission was the find the Galactic Lights specifically to awaken the Daitanic Monster. Ultimately, he's betrayed by one of his fellow generals, forcing him to turn traitor to Barban to clean his name. I really like the dude, a villain who honors his fallen soldiers, speaks calmly and respectfully, and just generally a very classy dude, even when he loses his temper.
After is the one to betray Budo, Iries. Themed around mysticism, she specifically wants a reward for her work. Quite a bit of a schemer, she most certainly has bigger goals in life, but for now, she's content swimming in a pile of gold. Unfortunately, she fails just as often as her allies, even more so, actually, as she doesn't even have a main trend. She's just going after possible ways to revive the Daitanic (Though her plans tended to involve attacking people).
And finally, Batbass and his right hand man, Businera. Their plans initially involved finding ways to help awaken the Daitanic after it's heart starts beating once more, and once they do, to enlarge the Earth Monster after the Daitanic's should be obvious fate. He was kind of uninteresting, to be entirely honest. While his army had a lot of charisma, he himself wasn't anything special. I do like that he was more proactive, willing to aid his soldiers, but he didn't do it nearly as often as I would've liked. Businera, after introducing the Giga beasts, just basically became another smart dude until forced out in the field for no real reason.
It was around the Iries and Batbass arcs where the show really started to weaken, but that doesn't save Budo or Sanbash, either. The middle of their respective arcs were complete borefests as well. Not even Bull Black's assholishness could save Budo from stagnating. However, the changing generals did help the show from stagnating too much. As after about 4 episodes of tedium, the handoff will occur, often with a really cool climax following into a pretty strong introduction for another.

Moving from the villains and onto the designs, I...Kinda like 'em. I'm not a fan of the Charlie Brown stripe against the Gingamen's suit. It just seems splashed on to break up the white with no rhyme or reason. I get that it's supposed to be teeth, but it just doesn't come across very well. Otherwise, the suits are fine. I love the Black Knight design. It really stands out and is quite striking. The cape looks great and the bulky look really screams "Knight" to me.
Concerning the mecha, they were all really hit or miss. GingaiOh is pretty decent, but it's overly boxy torso and Gingorilla's face just pointing forward, while creative, just don't do anything for me. It's just alright with me. BullKnight is also just decent, too. While not as boxy, it just seems too...Puffy. It's torso juts out too much and is far too rounded and it's head seems too small for it's own body. If it's proportions were fixed, I think it'd be pretty solid. I do love Giga Rhinos and Giga Phoenix, though. Being artificially morphed into machines, they work pretty well. While I'm not a big fan of the individual vehicles not having an animal aesthetic, and only their helmet conveying the animal in combined mode, that doesn't change that their combined mode is pretty damn good. Really love them. Giga Bitus...Not too in love with it, but it's the burden carriers must shoulder.
That said, I love the kaiju forms for the Star Beasts. They looks great, though they do have their annoying flaws (Gingat not having a functioning jaw, Gingaverick's movements being pretty poorly done (Since it has to be "Fast"), etc), but I still enjoy them nonetheless. Gingalcon is probably my favorite~

On the villain side of things, each General had a specific monster aesthetic. First is Sanbash's Gang, which is a biker-insect themed group. I dig 'em. They carried the look solidly and none of them really disappointed me (Well, sometimes...But never too much). Budo's Mob were samurai and ancient Japan themed. And I love it. It was really done nicely. Guess I'm just a sucker for a samurai aesthetic. Iries's Tribe were mysticism themed, meaning voodoo and undead. It was kind of eclectic, but in a good way. She did have a few that missed the mark (especially the ones that don't really have anything to do with anything, or the ones where you really have to connect the dots, like the Valkyrie), but in general, her's I also enjoyed. Finally, we have Batbass's Corps. I'mma be straight: I didn't really like it. That's not to say there weren't some really good ones, such as the missile themed monster, but military and weapon themed monsters really don't do anything for me. While Iries's are also kind of generic Sentai, the designs still popped for me.
The Yatotos, the henchmen, were effing weird, man. They fit the pirate theme, at the very least, but dude...I don't know.

Anyway, Gingaman. I don't really know how to rate it. It was a pretty enjoyable series that kept things shaken up with the villains power shifting. However, the constant "REVIVE DA DAITANIC" really made the plot a bit of a bore and forced me to rely on the individual episodes' merits to enjoy things. And it worked...Some of the time. When an episode didn't work, it just felt like a chore to get through, and made me want to watch the next episode even less, which made marathoning this show difficult (I often found myself only watching one a day). Each general had a point where their arc stagnated, which made things all the worse as they reached a routine. They enjoyed this routine so much that they were still doing their routine even by episode 48, 2 episodes from the finale. The Daitanic's awakening and destruction felt more like the end to the series, despite it happening about 8 episodes before the actual ending.
It was just kind of an okay, middle of the road kind of series that's still enjoyable, but I don't really feel like it's a show I should herald over it's quality.

Eh, 7/10. It's worth watching, but I don't think it's worth pushing to the top of the lists to watch. That's fair, right?