[Sh Ranger]

Just a witty joke!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontier

Sorry if you were expecting the OP folks, looks like we're back to Yuya Takahashi shows feeling free to skip the OP when necessary.

Feels like they could've cut the fight from the end and put it at the start of the next one, or condense the scene with the Yorozu siblings, to make room for the OP. Oh well, we'll just have to be patient.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontier

Ah, so Nem is basically just a Dream Actress that commits hard to whatever role she needs to play in the dreams she jumps into, whether it's playing Baku's Bond Girl or a Police Chief for a day who arrests him. You have to admire her dedication! And her cuteness!

Agreed!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontier

I do like the dynamic where Fujimi is this passionate, near rabid, cop and Nasuka is there to literally kick some sense into him and be the only one acting like a professional.

Nasuka reminds me of Shinnosuke with how she'd rather be doing normal police work until she inevitably learns that Black Cases are actually important. Her role as the straight cop also reminds me of Myojin Tsukasa.

Fujimi is pretty humorous and I love how quickly he becomes best buds with Baku over their mutual love of Nem and passion for Black Cases. On a more serious note, Fujimi's speech about his work seems to stir something in Baku. Even though the police don't take Fujimi seriously, like Minami to Baku's dreams, that doesn't stop him from doing what he cares about. He could be a good role model to Baku and a good influence on Nasuka.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frontier

How to get around Japanese Road Laws? Have a transformable bike with a suit! Auto Vajin would be so proud! I do wonder where the Chief really is, because we saw his human body last episode. Is he human or a dream entity?

Zero is a fictional character in-universe, so makes sense that a sentient dream manifestation of him would need a remote body to interact with the real world.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I definitely feel like Nem is going to have actual plot relevance later, but for now the whole shtick of cropping up in people's dreams to play whatever part is needed is pretty fun.

Since this episode brings it up, what if Nem is secretly a Nightmare who managed to open 3 doors, but then turned good for some reason? It would be weird if Takahashi suddenly made a heroine that wasn't an artificial lifeform.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

This episode was overall more focused on establishing the setting than the first one.

I mean, that's pretty formulaic. The first episode needs to be the hook to impress on the viewers and acquaint them with the perspective character, so then the second episode can dispense all the necessary exposition about the world (or worlds) he lives in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

We learn that Zeztz has to stop Nightmares from making bad dreams come true so they don't hijack their victim's bodies and that the bad dreams seem to be some kind of representation of the victim's subconscious desires. Bad impulses that people don't act on I suppose?

Dreams are a good way of venting sadism in a way that would be unhealthy to do IRL. So this reveal presents an unnerving concept, turning an activity seen as harmless in to a potentially serious problem with real harmful results. And since not everybody can lucid dream, they don't even know they're doing it. Especially for someone like Baku, whose dreams, his missions, always require someone else to be in danger and him lucid dreaming to put them in that danger so he can save them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

I did find myself thinking that the dream setting has some disadvantages this episode though. The "anything can happen" nature of these dream fights just takes away from some of the fun physicality of tokusatsu battles for me and also having all the action take place in a dream just feels sort of lonely to me? There aren't really many people around to add spice, you know? Hoping the supporting cast takes a more active role later, or at least that the secondary Rider debut later on will resolve this.

Do you have similar complaints about the otherworldly fights in Ryuki, or does the abundance of Riders compensate for the lack of civilian interaction?