[Sh Ranger]

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 3: The Search for the Blue Power Stone

Episode 4: The Advent of Bima-X Storm

Speaking of Ray though, I feel as though he's become a little unhinged after all the battles he's gone through. Part 1 features him getting pelted with arrows in order to unlock Ultra Instinct, and the climax has him demand that the safety tips be taken off. And yet this absolute madman manages to pull it off. And that's without any sort of transformation, either. Like, are the wind powers any sort of upgrade at that point?

Reminds me of that Super Mega Force episode where Noah trained with swinging blades. I guess Ray can get more psyched up if he knows that the training is just as deadly as it would be in a real fight, but yeah, there's no way he would've done something so reckless in the previous season.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

On that note, the Blue Power Stone. I do like that now when Ray modifies the stones to match his new Red one, the design on the silver trim is unique to each stone. And while I do love me some form changes, I feel like the way it's pulled off here isn't ideal in terms of my aesthetic tastes. I wish that the undersuit also changed color at the very least. And that's not even getting into how much I liked/preferred how the stones would grant different weapons and augments in the original BIMA.

While I was also a little confused about the minimalistic form changes at first, I eventually started to like them. Ray has the strongest synchronization with Power Stone Merah, so I think it kind of makes sense that most of the suit stays the same. This design concept may have been ahead of its time, since a year later we got a Rider whose form changes were just wearing different jackets. I think Bima-X does it better than Agito anyway, since Bima-X at least changes the head.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

First, how much I'm liking BIMA-X's' OST. Episode 4 actually had a really nice score all around, and the tracks here are standing out alot more to me than what they did in the original show.

Like that short instrumental track that plays when Bima-X assumes Storm Mode. Each form has its own variation and I love how it sets the mood for the new form.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Episode 5: The Ghost Ship Appears!

Episode 6: Shadow Crisis' Plan Starts!

And I gotta tell you, it made me so happy to see Iron Mask and half the crew of Shadow Crisis come back. It really showed how much I enjoyed the cast of the original show that I don't even care about a proper explanation and I just loved seeing them in action again. Heck, I even liked seeing the two Combatmen mooks show up on screen for all of four seconds before mysteriously disappearing!

Topeng Besi is just too angry to stay dead! Cool to see Shadow Crisis back as well, Zacros is always entertaining to watch and since Karax only got one episode before, it's fair that he gets a comeback here.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

The overall moodiness of the Ghost Ship/Building set made for a great location too; Helping to fill the episode with a sense of dreariness that's very befitting of the characters who return for this one.

Another sign of the franchise's improvement in Tokusatsu quality, as this ghost ship setting feels climactic, like something you'd typically expect to see much later. The staff are seriously showing off and it's awesome! Totally a strong first impression from Kihara Daisuke, the writer for this 2-parter and also the next one.

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Originally Posted by DreamSword

Ricca(the camera lady) also shows that she's got alot more intel than anyone should have: Having a map of the building connected to the Ghost Ship. And Ray's' line makes me wonder: Did she ever tell Ray her name? Because I don't think she did.

Like Stella Cornelia who portrays Rena, Ricca's actress Thalia is also a member of the idol group JKT48. So yeah, you can expect her to be important, which is good since the sudden absence of Belinda left a vacancy for a second female character.

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Originally Posted by Enchilada645

I do like that even though he got a new form, Ray still wants to train to use it properly. I also like that since Helios is sentient, it basically gets to be his training partner. It's also interesting to see we're not getting everything about a form right away, given we just now got a new weapon and finisher a couple of episodes after its debut.

Yeah, it's cool when a new form doesn't reveal its full hand from the gecko, as this increases the form's longevity for future appearances. For Showa Riders, this was basically essential due to lack of form changes, like V3 with his 53 secrets.