[Salaryman Zero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

This is starting to feel personal.

It's not clunky, it's hefty, okay? It's basically the ultimate weapon. Even if Gai runs into a monster too tough to stab or slash, he can always use the flat side to bludgeon it to death.

I am genuinely curious how you feel about Orb Origin as a whole though. The beefy greatsword is one thing (I'm a sucker for heroes with swords), but the way Orb completely flipped the script on how super modes work has always been really fascinating to me. Instead of something really elaborate and regal, Origin is by far the most simple of Orb's forms, genuinely looking the part of a standard Ultraman design. The context it had in the story, with the brief glimpses of it in silhouette during flashbacks (as well as on the show's main promotional poster that was being used before it even premiered, IIRC), and it representing Gai finally sort of reclaiming his identity after hitting his lowest point (again) made it extremely memorable. Everything about that debut coming out of the Thunder Breaster arc was just perfect, especially hearing that melancholic tune Gai is always playing reworked into a triumphant anthem. His tragic history was the spine of the story from the opening scene, and I don't think anyone could ask for a better payoff.

Part of me wishes Specium Zeperion got more of a fair shake, because I like that design a lot too, and having seen those early episodes again, a lot of the fight scenes it was in were extremely cool and creative in how they used its abilities, but it's hard to argue with Tsuburaya's logic in treating Origin as being Orb's default form ever since the show ended. Namely, because, you know, that's what it is.

You know what else I don't care for? The Filet o' Fish. Waaaay too clunky.

I will say this about the Orbcalibur though: I think it was a smart decision from an aesthetic standpoint, because having a giant sword is a good complement to the clean design of the Origin form. The concept of a sword adds a little pizzazz to a costume that might be too plain otherwise. I just don't like the actual look of the sword, which screams "toyetic" to me, much like the Geed Claw.

As for the Origin form, I would never call it iconic, but it's inoffensively fine. Sticking to just three solid colors (plus the Color Timer blue and the eyes) helps it to avoid the "messier" color schemes of his other forms, in my opinion. I particularly like the black "trunks" portion of the suit.

I will mention though, that my favorite Orb form is probably Thunder Breaster (hehe). Three main colors, enough features from Zoffy and Belial to tell he's using their powers, and those DUMMY THICC shoulder pads. It also helps that Thunder Breaster was key in the three-part storyarc which I really enjoyed.

I don't hate Specium Zeperion especially, but it just looks too much like a messier revamp of Tiga for me to dig. And don't get me started on Orb Trinity from the movie...

Also thoughts on the new Taiga:

First off, if you guys haven't heard this episode's voice-drama yet, go check that out. Just a hilarious comedic romp with the Tri-Squad, and it further cements why Titas is my favorite of the trio so far.

As for the actual episode itself, without delving too much into spoiler territory, I'll just mention three things. 1) I'm actually surprised by the overall somber and dare I say more "real-world" tone that Taiga has taken so far. Yeah we get occasional glimpses of levity with the cast, but it's not exactly R/B is it? This week's episode even had a downer ending, and the world of aliens coexisting with humans isn't all sparkles either.

2) THE PRODUCTION VALUE. Seriously, it's insane to see how far TsuPro has come since the Ginga days. I feel like they're literally throwing money at Taiga. The sheer detail of the sets and miniatures. The beautiful fight cinematography and camera-work. And did I mention the mind-blowing CGI in this episode? Like, damn, whenever I watch Kamen Rider or the CW DC superhero shows, bad CGI always takes me out, but Taiga has been consistently impressive with their VFX.

3) Tregear is really, really fun to watch so far. I have zero clue what his evil plan even is, but he just exudes enough smarmy villainous douchebaggery that he stands out from the more conventional "I'm EVUL" Belial. And him whipping Homare in H2H combat, and then doing the same to Fuma. I'm really excited to see what Tregear ends up doing.