What Are You Watching? (American Toku Edition)

Orange Ranger · 07-02-2013, 05:51 PM

And I think that compact stories give you the best chance of not ruining your premise. I love how in Japan, especially with Anime, they have a set number of shows they will do form the start. Doesn't matter if it's 13, 26, 49 or whatever they have a chance to spread things out well with a beginning, middle, and end. In the US they start a show off and hope it's a hit and if it is they try to go as long as they can, which usually means they run out of ideas and it gets crappy. Sometimes we don't even get proper endings here because don't know stuff is getting canceled. It doesn't always work but I think knowing when you are done with the characters really helps to keep things fresh. I think In Space through Time Force really did a job with what they were given. Even though they all have flaws it's clear they learned from the past.

Dr Kain · 07-02-2013, 09:12 PM

I would mostly agree except for the endings part. Japan does not know how to do proper endings either half of the time. THey will just end a show with answering only 5 out of 20 questions you got from watching the show, if that. SOmetimes, it feels like the ending was made up as they got to the end because they forgot it was going to end soon. Even short series like C Control manage to some how **** it up, which any series that is 13 or less should NOT be doing.

Orange Ranger · 07-02-2013, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Kain

I would mostly agree except for the endings part. Japan does not know how to do proper endings either half of the time. THey will just end a show with answering only 5 out of 20 questions you got from watching the show, if that. SOmetimes, it feels like the ending was made up as they got to the end because they forgot it was going to end soon. Even short series like C Control manage to some how **** it up, which any series that is 13 or less should NOT be doing.

I completely agree. Like I said it doesn't always work because you still have to have talented and creative people. It's just that when you go the other way doing as many episodes as you can get even brilliant writers can easily fall short over time or when asked to do a finale with little notice and no chance to properly set up the ending they wanted.

Dr Kain · 07-02-2013, 11:33 PM

So I watched episodes 9-11 of S2 today and I think my disc is defective or something as I have audio missing in the Venus Island episode. Like, Zack and Jason will make actions, and people will respond to them, but they never say anything. Does Shout know about this? Or is it just my disc?

ZeoRangerV · 07-04-2013, 03:26 AM

3 episodes into Dragon Knight now and I think I'm having the opposite problem to Dr Kain when it comes to audio. The ridiculous swooshing noises dominate the fight scenes and really take me out of the moment.

Also Incisor is a terrible, terrible character.

Locke · 07-04-2013, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeoRangerV

3 episodes into Dragon Knight now and I think I'm having the opposite problem to Dr Kain when it comes to audio. The ridiculous swooshing noises dominate the fight scenes and really take me out of the moment.

Also Incisor is a terrible, terrible character.

Yeah Incisor only exists to die and let Len grow as a character. And for Kit to realise that this isn't a game.

ZeoRangerV · 07-04-2013, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

Yeah Incisor only exists to die and let Len grow as a character. And for Kit to realise that this isn't a game.

Just like Scissors then

Locke · 07-06-2013, 09:31 AM

So watched a bit more of MMPR and here are some general thoughts.

I know it's a tired criticism of MMPR but taking it a bit seriously, I realise now why Billy was my favourite character as a kid because minus being MacGyver in dungarees....he is the closest one to normal. He isn't a professional martial artist, he hasn't harnessed the power of the swag, he doesn't have some huge world changing plans (other than being a superhero), he is just a nerd.

I think it would have been great, especially as a kid, if MMPR actually followed through what it suggested it wanted to be about and balance the battles of the Rangers, to their daily battles with high school. Because let's be honest, if you were a bit of a nerd in school, probably the kind of kid who enjoyed Power Rangers, high school fucking sucked and it was fucking hard, wasn't it? And the last thing I wanted to see is my heroes that got me through my shit school days to be embodied by the kids who were bullying me.

Our 'dweebs' are made up of a gymnast, a guy so cool I can only hope to be half the man he is, an eco warrior and a dude whose problems consist of bench press challenges. Basically the head bully, his girlfriend, her best friend that the head bully hates but allows to be around and the bullies right hand man, I'm sure anyone who has been bullied knows the types and how well the characters fit into this types.

How cool would it be if the five teenagers saving the world in their giant robot...were actually as insecure, confused and scared as the rest of us? They even still had to deal with bullies (actually bullies not an obese thirty year old man and his heroin addicted sidekick). I could relate to the show then.

Also considering Zordon wanted to keep the Power Rangers hush hush, the communicators sure are dumb huh? Not only do they blurt out to everyone around them what is being said by Zordon (so even a public phone would be more private) but Zordon doesn't even try any subtly or code he's just like 'BY THE WAY ZACK, TRINI, KIMBERLY, BILLY, JASON...THE POWER RANGERS THEY ARE THE POWER RANGERS....' Zordon is a fucking d-sack.

And the final thing is there really is no attempt to gel the sentai and american footage at all is there? They trim down the sentai fight to a tiny condensed couple of sequences, making sure that every story beat is removed so it is about nothing so they can just throw it in anywhere, so they can add whatever corny message they want to the episode and it really pulls me out of the experience because although they have removed all element of the plot to the fight from the sentai they don't shoot any new footage to make the fight about what their episode is about so it's just a random fight devoid of any feeling.

decepticusprime · 07-06-2013, 10:19 AM

i alwaus thought the episode where mrs applebee took tommys 'pager' was the dumbest thing rver. since when do pagers look like a watch? as much hate as phone morphers get, they are tons more subtle

ljacone · 07-06-2013, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by decepticusprime

i alwaus thought the episode where mrs applebee took tommys 'pager' was the dumbest thing rver. since when do pagers look like a watch? as much hate as phone morphers get, they are tons more subtle

It was the 90s.

07-04-2013, 03:26 AM	#645
ZeoRangerV Kawaii 5-0 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cardiff, United Kingdom Posts: 12,851	3 episodes into Dragon Knight now and I think I'm having the opposite problem to Dr Kain when it comes to audio. The ridiculous swooshing noises dominate the fight scenes and really take me out of the moment. Also Incisor is a terrible, terrible character. __________________ My Shiny Toy Robots: Toku, Anime & Toy Reviews

07-04-2013, 03:27 AM	#646
Locke Big Bad Wolf. Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Raiding tombs. Posts: 9,529	Quote: Originally Posted by ZeoRangerV 3 episodes into Dragon Knight now and I think I'm having the opposite problem to Dr Kain when it comes to audio. The ridiculous swooshing noises dominate the fight scenes and really take me out of the moment. Also Incisor is a terrible, terrible character. Yeah Incisor only exists to die and let Len grow as a character. And for Kit to realise that this isn't a game. __________________

07-04-2013, 03:32 AM	#647
ZeoRangerV Kawaii 5-0 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Cardiff, United Kingdom Posts: 12,851	Quote: Originally Posted by Locke Yeah Incisor only exists to die and let Len grow as a character. And for Kit to realise that this isn't a game. Just like Scissors then __________________ My Shiny Toy Robots: Toku, Anime & Toy Reviews

07-06-2013, 09:31 AM	#648
Locke Big Bad Wolf. Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Raiding tombs. Posts: 9,529	So watched a bit more of MMPR and here are some general thoughts. I know it's a tired criticism of MMPR but taking it a bit seriously, I realise now why Billy was my favourite character as a kid because minus being MacGyver in dungarees....he is the closest one to normal. He isn't a professional martial artist, he hasn't harnessed the power of the swag, he doesn't have some huge world changing plans (other than being a superhero), he is just a nerd. I think it would have been great, especially as a kid, if MMPR actually followed through what it suggested it wanted to be about and balance the battles of the Rangers, to their daily battles with high school. Because let's be honest, if you were a bit of a nerd in school, probably the kind of kid who enjoyed Power Rangers, high school fucking sucked and it was fucking hard, wasn't it? And the last thing I wanted to see is my heroes that got me through my shit school days to be embodied by the kids who were bullying me. Our 'dweebs' are made up of a gymnast, a guy so cool I can only hope to be half the man he is, an eco warrior and a dude whose problems consist of bench press challenges. Basically the head bully, his girlfriend, her best friend that the head bully hates but allows to be around and the bullies right hand man, I'm sure anyone who has been bullied knows the types and how well the characters fit into this types. How cool would it be if the five teenagers saving the world in their giant robot...were actually as insecure, confused and scared as the rest of us? They even still had to deal with bullies (actually bullies not an obese thirty year old man and his heroin addicted sidekick). I could relate to the show then. Also considering Zordon wanted to keep the Power Rangers hush hush, the communicators sure are dumb huh? Not only do they blurt out to everyone around them what is being said by Zordon (so even a public phone would be more private) but Zordon doesn't even try any subtly or code he's just like 'BY THE WAY ZACK, TRINI, KIMBERLY, BILLY, JASON...THE POWER RANGERS THEY ARE THE POWER RANGERS....' Zordon is a fucking d-sack. And the final thing is there really is no attempt to gel the sentai and american footage at all is there? They trim down the sentai fight to a tiny condensed couple of sequences, making sure that every story beat is removed so it is about nothing so they can just throw it in anywhere, so they can add whatever corny message they want to the episode and it really pulls me out of the experience because although they have removed all element of the plot to the fight from the sentai they don't shoot any new footage to make the fight about what their episode is about so it's just a random fight devoid of any feeling. __________________

07-06-2013, 10:22 AM	#650
ljacone Uchu Kaiju Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,669	Quote: Originally Posted by decepticusprime i alwaus thought the episode where mrs applebee took tommys 'pager' was the dumbest thing rver. since when do pagers look like a watch? as much hate as phone morphers get, they are tons more subtle It was the 90s. __________________ Check out my Japanese giant monster podcast --Earth Destruction Directive!