[Mesnick]

I completed the trilogy with Earth Defense Girl Iko-chan 3: Big Operation in Big Edo. This time, Iko-chan travels back in time, where she meets her ancestor, Oiko-chan, and saves Yodo from an alien parasite. The sequel is in the spirit of the previous films, just as sweet, silly, and crazy. I enjoyed it and would gladly watch more of Iko-chan's adventures, although I do feel like Minoru Kawasaki has run out of steam.

[Mesnick]

Continuing my exploration of obscure tokusatsu, I watched Cyber ​​Lady Suzuka (1998). It's a film produced by Eiyu Club, a company that produces independent, low-budget tokusatsu films, primarily featuring robot heroines. This particular film tells the story of Minamoto Suzuka, who, along with her father, Dr. Minamoto, was killed by the evil organization ZELDA. Dr. Todoroki revived her, turning her into a cyborg, and now she fights ZELDA. During the fight, Cyber ​​Lady Suzuka is controlled by her boyfriend, Moriyama, using a remote control. Good luck if you can figure this out from the film, as it feels like the 20th episode of a TV series. It's as if the viewer is already familiar with all the lore and characters. So, information has to be gleaned bit by bit from the less-than-stellar dialogue.
Overall, the film reeks of amateurism. And the creators are well aware of this, so it's full of jokes, parodies, and deliberate absurdity. The way Suzuka and the monster lose each other during the battle after changing locations alone makes a tokusatsu fan smile. Also, the cute design and silence, combined with the main character's expressive body language, are captivating and endearing. And while I couldn't help but think that something more could have been done with such a premise, the film is enjoyable as is. So, I'll definitely be watching the second part.