[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Watched the first 5 episodes last weekend and yeah, it's a pretty cool and dramatic start! Definitely reminds me of Zyuohger with the heroes losing their home and the villains' internal rivalry, while the skeptical kid and his occult nerd father reminds me of Goseiger. Surprising how the Gingamen can use the "Earth" elemental powers even while unmorphed, which makes me wonder if it's inherent to their tribe or a skill that can be learned. I'll give more thoughts when I reach the halfway point.

Yeah, knowing what Ryoma went through moments before, the first transformation scene hits differently especially. It's like the sense of resolve feels so genuine for a lack of better words.

[GuardianAngel87]

After many months of putting it off, I am finally back to watching Flashman and I am already up to episode 19.

[Sh Ranger]

Seijyu Sentai Gingaman Q1-2

3 years ago, I started a review for my last Heisei Rider, Blade, so I figured I would do one for my last Heisei Sentai as well. To give some backstory for this, I'd been waiting for Turboranger subs to finish, which happened a few years ago, the last ever Sentai to finally get subbed. After watching and enjoying that, I realized there were only 2 Heisei Sentai that I hadn't watched. Out of those 2, the only one I'm willing to watch is Gingaman! Showa Sentai, Riders and Metal Heroes caught my attention and brought delay, but now, finally, the stars of the sacred forest have called upon me to finish my galactic quest!

I'm currently 25 Chapters in, which happens to be a convenient checkpoint in the story. While I'm usually critical of Kobayashi, I do think she's written at least a few pretty awesome shows, like Gobusters and Ryuki. Occasionally convoluted shows with weird as hell pacing, but nevertheless, totally worth the watch. Gingaman is shaping up to be a clear Kobayashi show, mostly in a good way, but of course there are flaws. Why are there are so many random ways to revive Daitanix? Why does Zahab insist on appointing one active commander at a time, instead of rotating them? Why isn't Sambash as deep and intriguing as his PR counterpart Villamax? Yeah, the Balban hierarchy is a little weird and I don't even remember that spiky dude's name, since he hasn't even done anything yet.

Perhaps I'm underselling it though. Like, seriously, the characters are totally peak! Ryouma is already a strong hero from the start and my favorite member of the team. He's insecure about his position as the leader, trying to live up to the image of big bro Hyuuga and always worrying what his friends think about him. His arc seems to focus on gradually growing in to that role and learning to have confidence in his own actions and judgments. Like Alata, he also has a mentor role to the kid, Yuta, which probably helps him feel more validated to have someone who takes his wisdom to heart. Some of Ryouma's strongest moments so far are his interactions with the mysterious Black Knight antihero called Bull Black, where we can clearly see his unique sense of justice and determination.

Hayate is the second in command and also in the credits, but his color on the Ginga Brace is third for some reason, which makes a lot more sense in Lost Galaxy (even though that show credits Red third, which is the weirdest thing ever). Despite appearing the most serious on the surface, he has extreme reactions to certain foods, like a fear of honey rooted in childhood trauma and refusal to eat anything with tomatos, which probably gives the kids something to relate to and honestly, I have some similar habits as well, so I don't judge. He seems to have an ongoing rivalry with Shelinda, who's vexed that he outsmarted her once.

Gouki is taking a while to grow on me. He openly hates math and is prone to sulking when someone says something mean to him, even in jest. On the other hand, he cares for his friends and has a talent for cooking. I guess he's okay.

I was a little apprehensive about Hikaru after seeing how GuardianAngel87 ranked him as the worst Yellow of all time (especially considering my own poor experience with other male Hikarus in Magiranger and Revice) and while I can certainly see how Hikaru would earn that reputation, I personally find him endearing and entertaining, in a way that is also useful to teach morals about responsibility to the kids. He can also get serious when the stakes are high, calling out his friends for their mistakes and trying to keep them focused on a single clear objective. And he loves donuts! If there's an award for "Best Dude Named Hikaru in a Tokusatsu", I'm giving it to him.

Saya seems to be the cheerful heart of the team, who gives Ryouma the most emotional support and encouragement. Intriguing how the flashbacks reveal that she also has a strong connection to Hyuuga, apparently implying some romantic feelings between them. Looking back to Chapter 1, we can see their closeness from Saya's introduction by clinging to his back. In Chapter 22, she baked him a birthday cake, despite him not being around to eat it. In Chapter 25, she's the first to hug him after finally being reunited. I like how this shows Hyuuga's importance to the team, rather than only as Ryouma's big bro. With his return, I'm looking forward to seeing how the others interact with him.

The story got even more dramatic once Budo took over as commander and Bull Black made his debut, which plays similar to what happened in Lost Galaxy, except Bull Black was defeated by Sambash instead of Budo and the one he sought to avenge was his little bro Krantz, not his son. I do think it would've made more sense for Bull Black to lose against a fellow skilled swordsman like Budo rather than a rambunctious delinquent like Sambash, but oh well. Other than that, it's a strong arc for sure, ending in a satisfying redemption for Bull Black and a glorious death for both him and Budo. I'm enjoying Gingaman a lot so far and I hope the second half maintains this quality, or even continues to improve!

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

Seijyu Sentai Gingaman Q1-2

I remember Gingaman back in the days as the show that managed to make a gorilla cool.
Gouki/Ginga Blue to me always gives me the impression of what if the timid lion from the Wizard of OZ was a sentai hero. As for the show, Kobayashi really had me hooked with the premise. Strong first episode imo.

[EpsilonX]

I'm not reading your assessments because of spoiler worries, but I remember enjoying Lost Galaxy back in the day and thinking that the Megazord was awesome. Is Gingaman good? I was a little worried it'd be generic. But I've also heard it's one of the series that is closest to the fantasy-influenced vibes of Zyuranger (which, despite its problems, is still one of my favorite seasons)

[Sh Ranger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunred

I remember Gingaman back in the days as the show that managed to make a gorilla cool.

I'd argue that gorillas were already pretty bad*ss before 1998.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EpsilonX

I'm not reading your assessments because of spoiler worries, but I remember enjoying Lost Galaxy back in the day and thinking that the Megazord was awesome. Is Gingaman good? I was a little worried it'd be generic. But I've also heard it's one of the series that is closest to the fantasy-influenced vibes of Zyuranger (which, despite its problems, is still one of my favorite seasons)

It's good! Similar to Lost Galaxy in a lot of ways that made that show cool, while the setting and some of the characters are pretty different. As a fantasy type season wedged between the more techie seasons Ohranger-Megaranger and GoGo V-Timeranger, I'd say Gingaman actually stands out a lot and the fantasy elements are strongly executed as well, with even more focus on character drama than Zyuranger. I'm certainly enjoying it better and more consistently than the currently airing Boonboomger.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh Ranger

I'd argue that gorillas were already pretty bad*ss before 1998.

I meant to say the show that made a gorilla cool on the first try, since we never had a proper gorilla motif ranger until Ginga Blue in Super Sentai. My bad.

[GuardianAngel87]

I am finally back to watching Flashman and I already powered through episodes 23-30.

[Mesnick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuardianAngel87

I am finally back to watching Flashman and I already powered through episodes 23-30.

It?s a coincidence, but I?m also just watching Flashman and even at the same stage (I watched the 30th episode a couple of minutes ago). What can I say? I absolutely love the aesthetics of this season, with all the colorful splashes. The weapons, with their unusualness, really have a retro-alien vibe, I especially like the individual bladed weapons made of multi-colored glass.
I would say that the main advantage of the show is the attention and importance given to its main distinctive feature. Namely, the fact that the heroes are stolen children who grew up without their families. This is not just indicated at the beginning and then pops up later when the plot needs it. No, in the vast majority of episodes, the fact that our heroes are searching for family directly determines their actions. Because of this, even those episodes that could have happened in any other sentai acquire a specialness that is unique only to Flashman vibe.
At the same time, the show often repeats itself. In particular, the plot, when one hero takes the situation personally and goes to figure it out on his own, and the rest come to his aid at the most necessary moment, turned into a clich? by the tenth episode.
Also fights. They are very bright, dynamic, well staged and very inventive. But the special effects look bad even compared to their closest neighbors.
And I'm not sure that the comedic effect of speeding up fights was intended by the authors to be a laugh-out-loud laugh. But the stars when you hit your head are cool. The ambitions of those working on this show were clearly ahead of their time.
I like all the Flashmen as characters. I especially want to note the fact that the smartest girl on the team here is a girl. My least favorite is probably Jin, who strikes me as a rather unprepossessing leader who does what the plot requires.
But still, this is one of the first Sentai that moved away from the military origin, so the authors were just learning how to write a leader for such teams.
I also like Mag, which combines the characteristics of a mentor and a relief comedian. Plus, he's the obvious inspiration for Alpha 5.
Enemies... ok. There are too many of them, so that some even of the regular ones are perceived as troupers with individual appearance and fighting style.But, at the same time, in other shows there were villains that could not even boast of this.
Also, it seems to me that although at that time Battle Fever J was considered the first Super Sentai, Flashman pays tribute to the work of Ishinomori. The evil aliens must be fought by the children they kidnapped and raised on other planets. There is an entire episode dedicated to bikes.And in another episode, Lee Kefler uses music to force MOTW to transform and commit villainy, which is a clear reference to Kikaider. But at the same time, the aesthetics of Flashman, the prisms that blink when energy is lost, and even the appearance of flashians are reminiscent of Ultraman. So maybe the show was just inspired by earlier tokusatsu.
I?m not sure yet about the final assessment, but I think it will be quite positive.
Despite being repetitive, the show manages to maintain interest without becoming boring. And its unusual design immediately sets it apart from others.
P.S. The episode with Le Gourmess is incredibly funny.

[Sunred]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuardianAngel87

I am finally back to watching Flashman and I already powered through episodes 23-30.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

It's a coincidence, but I'm also just watching Flashman and even at the same stage (I watched the 30th episode a couple of minutes ago).

Episodes 26 and 27 in Flashman are my favorite filler eps from the show because:

1. Episode 26 has Sir Cowler dressed like a chef. That's prolific voice actor Joji freakin Nakata in his late 20s to early 30s at the time dressed like a chef while under all that Sir Cowler makeup and costume.
Joking aside, It's a great filler episode that reminds the viewers how the Flashman team were robbed of things we probably take for granted in life having been abducted by aliens as toddlers, in this case, a homemade meal.

2. Episode 27 introduces us to Mr. Ryosuke Kaizu (or as I like to call him, the Romeo of Super Sentai) as Dai's new boxing buddy who went on to become Takeru/Red Mask in Hikari Sentai Maskman the following year. By the way, Inoue fans should give it a watch if possible because he wrote this one. I feel like this episode could've been a two-parter had they felt like doing it, but it's fine as is too. Also, it's very unintentionally prophetic looking back now because Mr. Kaizu is into the ramen business these days as he has his own ramen restaurant.