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10-16-2022, 11:56 PM | #641 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
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Hey all. While I haven't fully decided on what the next show I cover is gonna be yet, I did however start another project over in the Podcasts/YouTube section of boards. It's something I only plan to update once in awhile when the mood is right, but if you wanna talk both live-action and anime Toku with me, that's the place to go.
The full details of the project are in the linked thread, but the short of it is that I just kinda wanna highlight episodes of Toku shows that I find especially memorable. Either because they're my favorite, or they introduce an interesting topic of discussion, or whatever the case might be. Feel free to tune in and participate if you so wish. That's all I've got for now. I'll probably be going back to covering Toku Anime in November, since I recently just got a new job and I'm still getting used to it. So, until then, peace!
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10-31-2022, 11:41 AM | #642 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
|
Episode 1: Debut of Samurai Flamenco! Here's an honest question that I've yet to ask during the progression of this thread: When you read the phrase/title of "Toku Anime" what is it that immediately pops into your head? Is it a specific show, like say, the various Garo anime? Or perhaps it's more of an idea such as an anime dealing with Henshin Heroes? One thing I'm almost willing to bet on is that very few people, myself included, think of an anime that's about Toku, rather than just simply being in the style of one. Because at its core, that's exactly what Samurai Flamenco is. The first episode, while not incredibly eventful, does a great job at presenting to the audience what exactly a major theme of the show is: Toku, more specifically the Superhero genre, and the effects consuming such media can have on the psyche of those who consume it, as well as how its core values impact and reflect upon real life. But of course, as cool of an idea as that can be, it would mean nothing if it didn't have some solid characters to go with it. Goto is a patrol cop who, despite witnessing and being annoyed by the petty crimes of everyday life, chooses the much more adult, logical path of simply not acting unless it's a major offense. He does his job, he gets his paycheck, he unwinds at the end of each day with a smoke and a beer. Average, down to Earth type of stuff. Has a long-distance girlfriend who seems to love texting him alot though. Apparently she'll be coming to town to visit next month. One day while heading home, he runs into Masayoshi, a young man who outs himself as the up and coming superhero to be known as Samurai Flamenco. Goto blows it off as nonsense at first, but yet is still willing to hear Masayoshi's' plight and follows the boy back to his apartment, where it turns out that Masayoshi is actually a fashion model, which is a nice little nod to how alot of Toku actors get their start(modelling). And Masa, being a huge Toku nerd, not only has a ton of collectibles, but his own built in theater for watching reruns, especially of his all time favorite Toku show known as Harikiri Sunshine. A big chunk of the episode is actually devoted to the duo talking about not just superhero shows, but also just how much you can expect the things you see on the screen to work out in the real world. Superheroics don't land you a steady income, and the average person, whether they work out a solid amount or not, can't exactly do much against a high profile criminal. Goto takes the more cynical angle, whereas Masayoshi instead chooses to highlight how the world needs heroes for both inspiration and to motivate people to be model citizens. Despite the talk, Masayoshi decides to continue his vigilantism, which unfortunately gets him in trouble with a local gang of young punks. He is of course scared at first, but he remembers a heroic speech made by Sunshine, which motivates him to stand up to the injustice he sees before him, and even inspires him to deliver his own speech to the delinquents. ...And for that he gets his ass kicked, but hey, points for trying, right? The episode overall is all setup, but I feel it really does a great job at setting up how our two leads play off eachother, establishing their friendship, and bringing up topics of discussion that the show will continue to highlight in future episodes. As someone who regularly consumes superhero media, I rather dug it. It's a quiet beginning to a big adventure, and it's a rather nice change of pace compared to other media that I've been consuming as of late.
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10-31-2022, 08:23 PM | #643 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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I adore Flamenco. I'll ramble about that once the dust has settled... Cause like everything in this show is a spoiler.
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10-31-2022, 10:02 PM | #644 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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Oh! Samurai Flamenco! I've been meaning to get around to watching that...
But anyway, Happy Halloween, DS!
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10-31-2022, 10:10 PM | #645 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
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Quote:
Happy Halloween to you too buddy! Feel free to watch along.
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11-01-2022, 12:02 PM | #646 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
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Episode 2: My Umbrella is Missing! One of my favorite episodes of Kamen Rider Wizard is "The Ringed Novelist" wherein the primary moral of the episode is that anything can have sentimental value; Even a cheap plastic ring that most people wouldn't even give a second thought about. And this episode of Samurai Flamenco is much the same, wherein the climax of the episode has Masayoshi and Goto arguing about the nature of petty crimes and whether or not they really have a big impact on society. When the topic of umbrella theft comes up, Goto's' stance is one most people would understandably have: Umbrellas are often left out in the open, they only cost like $5, and it's not like it kills anyone, so who cares? Masayoshi, however, has a much different and more idealistic view. Sure, umbrellas are cheap, but it still doesn't mean that you're allowed to take what isn't yours, and doing so can have a serious impact on the person who owns it: Those affected could have to walk home in the rain and get sick, or the umbrella itself could be an important keepsake. There's no way of knowing for absolute certainty that it doesn't matter. This of course comes full circle once the umbrella that belongs to Goto's' girlfriend gets stolen. Tying into all of that though is that Flamenco himself is gaining quite the reputation around town. His constant boyscouting every night having some big consequences to both himself and others. Not only is he becoming a known as a public annoyance(which funnily enough the police chief notes isn't actually a crime), but Masayoshi himself is starting to seriously lose sleep over his going out on patrol every night. While sure, the narrative does sort of point towards Masayoshi being "more" correct about his ideals in the end, I do think that the episode does a good job at showing the ups and downs of both sides overall. It's something that's actually very rare in superhero shows, and I definitely appreciate it. Oh, there's also some hints that Masayoshi and Goto might end up as a couple in the future, but no need to think about that yet. The video of Samurai Flamenco himself returning people's' stolen umbrellas going viral is much more important, ya know?
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11-01-2022, 08:29 PM | #647 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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"I'm a past offender. I stole an umbrella, damn it!" And he means every word of it sincerely. Never fails to get a kick out of me..
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11-02-2022, 06:43 PM | #648 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
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Whether one agrees with Masayoshi's' stance on justice or not, he certainly is genuine in his beliefs!
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11-02-2022, 07:42 PM | #649 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,395
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Episode 3: Flamenco vs Fake Flamenco! This episode was a pretty entertaining meta spin on the "Evil Clone" plot that many a superhero show has. Samurai Flamenco becoming a trending topic lands Masayoshi in some pretty hot water. There's now a bounty out for his identity, people who suspect that he's Flamenco begin hounding him about the topic, and worst of all, a Fake Flamenco, played by an in-universe TV star that used to play the hero known as Red Axe arrives to take all the credit and profit off of the heroics. Fame and attention being suddenly being thrust onto someone in ways they didn't expect is an interesting enough topic on its own, and going along with that is the episode highlighting how alot of bigwigs in the industry really don't care who gets hurt by all of media coverage as long as they profit off of it. But all of that was secondary to me, because there are rather strong character moments in this episode. Ishihara is probably the biggest standout. She's Masayoshi's' manager, and while certainly a scary woman in the eyes of Masa, it's clear that she puts up with alot of crap on a day-to-day basis, and really, in the end, only has Masa's' best interests at heart; Especially his career as a model and potential actor. More subtly than that though, despite her constantly calling superheroics nonsense, I think it's rather telling that she keeps the miniature axe figure that she accidentally got from Masayoshi's' apartment around as a sort of trinket. Likewise, Goto shows some nice development here too in regards to his friendship with Masayoshi. When Masayoshi suffers a bit of self-confidence issues and is seriously letting the Fake Flamenco take over, Goto tells him flat out that Masa needs to do whatever will make him happy. Goto might not like all the commotion that Flamenco has been causing lately, but he hates seeing his friend be down on himself even more. It's pretty touching. And how it all ends, well, sure, it's a bit frustrating, with Goto's' facepalm capturing the moment rather well, but I can't exactly say that it's out of character for anyone involved. And Goto being able to help Masayoshi keep his secret identity was rather sweet too.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 11-03-2022 at 08:07 AM.. |
11-02-2022, 09:44 PM | #650 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 43
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Kamen Rider Parody teases Toku Parody while a cop watches in exasperation. Yeah, this is Flamenco alright. Red Axe's theme goes hard though.
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