[Kurona]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Speaking of Sevenger, something else I really loved about the premiere I didn't really touch on that much was seeing Haruki and Z get to do some bro-bonding fighting alongside each other. That little synchronized punch grabbed my attention right from the trailers for the show. Something Mebius made a huge point of, that I always loved, was the idea that Ultramen and whatever Science Patrol equivalent of the month fight as equals, and this was a very direct version of that, right down to the hilarious moment where Haruki observes that Z's batteries are running dry too, which might even surpass the photo booth gag from Orb when it comes to cheeky ways to explain the concept of Color Timers to new viewers.

I really liked that too!! Usually when there's this sort of set-up, the humans' countermeasure is very quickly wrecked and treated as an afterthought for the real magical hero of the series to stand up and show his power.

And... okay, sure, Z is absolutely 100% stronger than Sevenger, but the way it's framed genuinely has you thinking this goofy little robot is capable of not just support but winning the day! He feels less like a failure and more like an actual team member, and I love love love that. Hell, even though he died; he died from the same thing that killed Z! It's like... I dunno, this is just great. It's a great little touch.

Talking of tropes getting turned on their head in that scene, I really like that there's no fighting or ~misunderstanding~ between Haruki and Z -- Z clearly acts like an inexperienced hero trying his best out there and knowing that he has to protect these people even if he knows nothing about them; and Haruki literally says "he's obviously the good guy". It's... it was just really nice, y'know?

And because I can't stop talking? LOVE how much is conveyed about Z's character through body language alone in that scene. I said 'inexperienced hero', and sure Zero literally said that in the scene directly before; but this made me really really believe it. He acted like an amateur whose heart was in the right place and it really endeared me to him!