[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

IT?S TIME FOR Specialest Buster!

Seriously, that Volcanick All Busters Attack, man. So great, the embodiment of teamwork and family defeating isolation and selfishness. What a way to finally end the threat of the Vagras.

Only in Super Sentai.

[Androzani84]

So at the finale, I have two last traditions to reveal.

1) because the suit actors have already moved on to working on the next show, the main 4 actors are performing in suit for this episode. It’s a tradition dating back to the 80s, which has since morphed (starting in 2007 with Boukenger) into the cast doing the final roll call either untransformed or helmetless. Go-Busters does the former because the show’s had so many helmetless scenes that having them do the roll call in that state wouldn’t have much of an impact (but then again, Go-Onger had just as many helmetless moments and they had the whole final battle done helmetless, so I don’t know what informs these decisions).

2) the hand-off. Since 2004, the final “sponsor” ident has had the red meet his successor in a brief scene in which the latter gets to demonstrate some aspect of the show. In this case, Kyoryuger’s philosophy of “getting wild” and dance-fighting.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

Only in Super Sentai.

It is a very cool aspect of the teamwork inherent in the concept!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

So at the finale, I have two last traditions to reveal.

Neat! Thanks for the info!

[Sunred]

First off, good job reviewing this show.

Go-Busters was a nice show to have after the monumental milestone masterpiece of a loveletter to fans of the series that was Gokaiger. The show's greatest achievement I think was that it tried to do a lot of new things aesthetically and challenge the norm in that sense. The secret agent concept, the techwear aesthetic and the choice of faux leather instead of the usual tights, the real-time giant robot battles, a drunk robot who reminds me of Homer and Barney from The Simpsons, and so on. The nods to Power Rangers were fun, and the overall relatively grounded approach helped make it stand out while giving fans a glimpse of what could be post-Gokaiger. And Jin and J were great to have as tsuika senshis being the unlikely dynamic duo consisting of an eccentric intellect and his drunk robot.

This was a breath of fresh air at the time for an old sentai fan such as myself, and while this is not my first pick for an entry show (I think 2016's Zyuohger and the current Boonboomger are far more befitting for that role) I suppose it could work if it draws in new fans to dig deeper into the Super Sentai rabbit hole and also check out other shows. Regardless, Go-Busters is a must-watch and a great example of how you follow up a milestone show such as Gokaiger.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

This was a breath of fresh air at the time for an old sentai fan such as myself, and while this is not my first pick for an entry show (I think 2016's Zyuohger and the current Boonboomger are far more befitting for that role) I suppose it could work if it draws in new fans to dig deeper into the Super Sentai rabbit hole and also check out other shows. Regardless, Go-Busters is a must-watch and a great example of how you follow up a milestone show such as Gokaiger.

Like, I can't really speak to which would be a better starter show, but one of the appeals for me with Go-Busters was how... not Sentai it looked? I've had years of watching Kamen Rider where I could've been won over by the aesthetics and tropes of Sentai, but none of it ever really caught my eye. (Well, DonBros; Inoue Forever.) Before I even watched it, Go-Busters felt like it was speaking to me in a language I already sort of recognized -- a smaller cast, an organization supporting them, a cause and effect to everything that felt more sketched-in. Another show might've been a purer version of Sentai, but a purer version of Sentai would've maybe bounced me right off of it.

That said (and I'll maybe talk more about this over the next week) I did enjoy the things that felt different from Rider, and I doubt this'll be my last-ever Sentai show. (Again: DonBros!) It's not replacing Rider for me, but I like being able to sample some unique flavors of toku.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I doubt this'll be my last-ever Sentai show

And that's good news.
But after this and DonBros I hope you give other shows a watch too. There's also King-Ohger and Boonboomger is definitely something to check out.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS FINAL MISSION - “ETERNAL BONDS”

...

It feels like a messier story

Well, being messy isn't as perfect as being cleanly, for sure, but for Go-Busters, maybe that just fits all the better.

I find it difficult to put into words how much this finale means to me.

I might try and elaborate on this in general when you do your usual series wrap-up or something, but Go-Busters... my connection to it is so personal and deeply felt that it becomes tricky to actually bring that stuff to the surface? I'm not sure I've ever actually talked about this show anywhere in a way that would truly give the impression it means more to me than so many other shows that also mean a lot to me, which is probably why even at the start of this thread, I'm still relying on the crutch of describing it as my "favorite", which probably isn't an adequate description at the end of the day.

With like, Kuuga, for example (the show I'm always looking for excuses to mention in this thread, apparently), if I want to tell someone how deeply affected I was by watching the final fight between Kuuga and Daguva at the end of the series, I think I can articulate that decently enough? I think I did articulate it decently enough, even. Enough to get at least a bit more specific than "it affected me deeply", if nothing else.

If I want to tell someone how much it meant to me seeing Ryuuji and Yoko put their hands on Hiromu's shoulders in one of the most simple and beautiful shots in the entire series, though...

I don't know. Maybe the day will come where I do get all this stuff committed to writing, and feel okay about what I said, but right now, it still feels beyond me. Suffice it to say for now, then, that this has always been a conclusion I've loved as raw entertainment (Jin absolutely nails his big Oscar scene, for one thing), and more than that, a conclusion that--

...

Man, even for a sentence that simple, I just can't find the words. But uh... the episode did affect me deeply? Like, even just the title of this one is something I still think about all the time, as straightforward as it is. Between that, the couple of things I've already mentioned, the satisfying bookend nature of the final scene and the premiere... if I were trying to pick apart everything I liked in it just *as* a piece of entertainment, it'd already be quite the task; trying to unpack the emotional resonance all that stuff has for me on top of that would likely leave me freezing up like I'm Hiromu seeing a chicken.

The bottom line is that I love this final episode the same way I love the whole show. I'm real bad at telling people why, so you'll just have to take my word for it that praise from me doesn't come much higher than that.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Maybe the day will come where I do get all this stuff committed to writing, and feel okay about what I said, but right now, it still feels beyond me.

The most hilarious possible outcome for me would be that my hamfisted and cursory examination of Go-Busters brought forth a definitive Fish Sandwich treatise on the series. I'd love it!

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS FINAL MISSION - ?ETERNAL BONDS?

I did like this one. Quite a bit, actually. Jin?s scene of begging the team to let him lay down his life to save the world was exquisite, nailing the tricky relationships Jin had with the whole cast in just a few precisely applied lines. (And tears! Tears from the cast! Tears from me when Jin brought up Yoko?s mom!) The battle against Enter at the end was the perfect Smug Hero vibes, the cast chuckling at how every one of Enter?s schemes had just been negated without him realizing it. The unified Volcanick Attack! Epic! It?s a robust episode of victory, with a single sour note of failure.

With the theme of this show about the power of bonds, promises and shared wishes that go beyond time, I like to think that even after Jin's heroic death and the destruction of his real body, there's still hope, kind of like another deceased character from another Takebe-Kobayashi show that aired earlier. Sixth Rangers are weird about that, since some of them have high longevity while others die young. But some of those who die manage to come back through various reasons. There's a disproportionate amount of luck that comes with being a Sixth.

I guess I have to give some respect to Enter for going down like a sportsman when he finally realized that he was screwed. Even though he failed to become a human, he did get to experience the Infinite Potential of humanity. You can't really get the full human experience without having friends or family to share it with, loved ones who'll support and fight alongside you, which was the critical factor that Enter was lacking in the end. Hiromu's life and Jin's death made the Gobusters even more motivated to win and there was no calculation or scheme that Enter could make to counter that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

(Well, DonBros; Inoue Forever.)

Be sure to check out Inoue's first Sentai Jetman as well! I recall you've already watched a few episodes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That said (and I'll maybe talk more about this over the next week) I did enjoy the things that felt different from Rider, and I doubt this'll be my last-ever Sentai show. (Again: DonBros!) It's not replacing Rider for me, but I like being able to sample some unique flavors of toku.

Yeah, there's no way Gobusters can be your last Sentai, since it was your first instead. Rider and Sentai (and other Tokusatsu) both have their own qualities, so it's totally cool to enjoy both.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

1) because the suit actors have already moved on to working on the next show, the main 4 actors are performing in suit for this episode. It?s a tradition dating back to the 80s, which has since morphed (starting in 2007 with Boukenger) into the cast doing the final roll call either untransformed or helmetless. Go-Busters does the former because the show?s had so many helmetless scenes that having them do the roll call in that state wouldn?t have much of an impact (but then again, Go-Onger had just as many helmetless moments and they had the whole final battle done helmetless, so I don?t know what informs these decisions).

Personally, I prefer helmetless, since that has a novelty feeling whereas we see them unmorphed pretty much every episode. I think there can be exceptions though, like how Timeranger and Shinkenger have their pre-morph uniforms. Seeing the actors do the roll calls can be pretty fun regardless, like that time when Komiya Rio did the impressive Juru flip! Kind of weird for Gobusters though, since like you said, we frequently see helmetless scenes for Hiromu, Ryuji and Yoko, but not so much for Jin and J. Missed opportunity here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

And that's good news.
But after this and DonBros I hope you give other shows a watch too. There's also King-Ohger and Boonboomger is definitely something to check out.

I love King-Ohger as much as the next guy, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to a newcomer. It's a little too unique for that. Boonboomger might be okay, except Lap 1 is kind of a pain to get through.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I guess I have to give some respect to Enter for going down like a sportsman when he finally realized that he was screwed. Even though he failed to become a human, he did get to experience the Infinite Potential of humanity. You can't really get the full human experience without having friends or family to share it with, loved ones who'll support and fight alongside you, which was the critical factor that Enter was lacking in the end. Hiromu's life and Jin's death made the Gobusters even more motivated to win and there was no calculation or scheme that Enter could make to counter that.

Yeah, Enter's defeat was both completely in-character -- he always seemed to miss the forest for the trees in his quest for perfection -- and a nice encapsulation of the series's themes. Enter was convinced that he could defeat humanity by copying everything but their flaws, except their flaws are what allowed them to defeat him. Pretty good series-long villain!