[EpsilonX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldenXtreme

*raises hand*

I've always been kind of fascinated by rescue-themed tokusatsu, so I've seen both Force and Fire. They're very explicitly for kids, without many appeal elements for the older crowd, which is fine as long as you control your expectations. If you've seen any of the Rescue Police Trilogy from the Metal Hero series, the Tomica Hero Rescue shows are basically a softer take on those.

Force is alright, but you should keep in mind that it's really low budget compared to Sentai and Rider so the whole experience oozes cheapness, except for the oddly good CGI (and there will be a LOT of CGI compared to other tokusatsu of the era). The protagonist, and to a lesser extent the secondary male lead, really dominate the show's focus too. It's probably a show that is best watched by someone who would enjoy the novelty of a show made by a different company than usual and who hasn't seen enough similar shows to make it feel less novel.

Fire is actually really solid in my book though! It's a direct sequel to Force, so there are some characters that crop up in both, but I think you could just jump directly to Fire if you wanted. It's an all around more polished experience, with some decent cast members, better fights, better visuals, and better plot. Just a solid show if you want some light and fun rescue action with some actual substance under the surface. It's nothing mind blowing but I do randomly find myself thinking fondly about the show and its flaming CGI banana monsters and how much I like Ritsuka. I think most Sentai fans would be able to find something to appreciate in it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

I agree with everything GoldenXtreme wrote. These are truly good series, as long as you don't expect them to change your worldview and remember that these are kids' shows. I'd also add that Tomica's motto is: "Not a single episode without a new toy!" So, even compared to modern tokusatsu from Toei, there are a lot of gadgets and vehicles.

Thanks! That actually sounds doable. My view of Tomica is going to toy stores in Japan and seeing piles and piles of cool toys and such, and I love that era of TV, so my expectation going into this is basically just nostalgia + something different (Aside from 2-3 movies, every tokusatsu I've seen is Toei, Godzilla, or Ultraman). Plus I love the suit designs.

So far I watched the OP and I loved the vibe of it, so I think I'll find enjoyment even if I never finish it.

On that note, I am interested in some of the TOEI rescue shows as well, specifically Winspector. I've been wanting to get into Metal Heroes, since I absolutely loved Beetleborgs as a kid, but aside from that all I've seen is the "You've been had!" episode of Shaider

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EpsilonX

On that note, I am interested in some of the TOEI rescue shows as well, specifically Winspector. I've been wanting to get into Metal Heroes, since I absolutely loved Beetleborgs as a kid, but aside from that all I've seen is the "You've been had!" episode of Shaider

Winspector is special because it was the bread winner for Toei in 1990 despite a limited budget but printed money with one of its roleplay toys, and the show itself was really unique in that it wasn't another beat up bad guy wearing clunky fiberglass armor and helmet. They really committed to the rescue side of things more compared to most toku hero shows.