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02-12-2024, 10:52 AM | #51 |
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02-15-2024, 12:30 PM | #52 |
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Episode 1: KitaQman Gets Roasted Look at our boys! Dying for their craft! En-chan: Truly a staple of the Tokusatsu genre! DS: Hello everyone! I'm DreamSword! En-chan: And I'm Enchilada645 DS: And this this is... DS and En-chan's' STAMP NAVIIII--I MEAN--WATCH DOGENGERS NICE BUDDY!!! Yeah, so, I decided I wanted to do something a bit different this time around, and given that En-chan was the one who got me into Dogengers in the first place, I figured I should bring him on board for this watch/review of the second season. En-chan: Considering what goes on in this season, it is very fitting that we're tackling it like this. DS: I'll take your word for it. And man, speaking of what goes on, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this first episode is almost as bonkers as the premiere of the first season. En-chan: Yeah, you definitely don't get caught as off guard because well, you should be kind of used to it. But it definitely catches you off guard nonetheless! DS: Yeah, for real. I was not expecting it to start off with the entire team putting together an apology video, haha En-chan: Honestly, I entirely forgot it started off with a Marvel Studios logo bit. But yes, you see, being local heroes is serious business. DS: Especially when you don't eat your green peppers and you oversleep. Who would ever do such things? Not me! That was tied to one aspect I really dug though: The little ways in which Ohgaman got fleshed out. Him having flaws such as oversleeping and being afraid of heights is both funny and really adorable to see after how invincible he was in the first season. En-chan: Yeah, Ohgaman is a powerful and scary man... except when it comes to sleeping properly and also heights/roller coasters. It's nice to see that our big CEO guy is just as human as everyone else on the team though. DS: For sure. And man, the episode as a whole is just fun, ya know? Like, a big part of the episode itself is literally just a stage show. Like, a real life one. Wires and small pyrotechnics and everything. And I won't lie, I was actually really getting into it, haha. En-chan: Oh for sure. Having seen a lot of stage shows of various productions in the Tokusatsu world, this one reall helped capture that feeling. The sparks exploding in time at different parts of the stage, characters exiting the stage to transform or to 'explode and die'. It really nailed all the little details. DS: It also helps to highlight when things get for real at the episode's' climax too, what with the sudden splash of VFX with the arrival of "COOL NEW HERO" who fittingly enough is the mascot for a VFX company. And man, his theme song is rather funny, given the W thread going on at the time of this writing, haha. En-chan: Very true, but he's not just an ordinary letter like W, he is the Great Z! DS: Which like, was he cribbing Mazinger Z? Is that just a me a feeling? Either way, dude makes a heck of an entrance. Like blowing up KitaQman's' car. Which from what I understand was a stretch goal on Kickstarter, or something? En-chan: I believe so, maybe? I know the sponsor bumper banners at the end for sure mentioned a lot of talking to studio execs about getting permission to do that. Which you know, despite how late or lazy he is, that is an expensive looking car that gets to be blown up via pyrotechnics. DS: That's another thing too; how the sponsorships are integrated into this franchise. Like, I love the go-to visual gag of Yabai Kamen being stamped with their logos, but it's actually a nice visual touch that Great-Z is too. Shows that he's not as clean as he first appears. En-chan: Oh for sure. DS: Speaking of The Secret Society of Darkness, man, it is so surreal watching this now after having seen Jisariz, haha. Here's to hoping they cross over again in season 2 of that show. Another random tidbit I wanna note: Yuki's' actress. I am like 90% sure she was a character in Tokusatsu GaGaGa too. ANDROZANI, TELL ME. En-chan: ha ha, if anyone has that kind of knowledge then it's probably Androzani But oh yeah for sure, seeing Yabai Kamen and the two wolf siblings (I forgot their names...) after having watched Jisariz (I still haven't seen Metropolis) was definitely some whiplash. DS: But yeah, that's about all the big highlights I had in mind. Was there anything specific you wanted to point out or talk about? En-chan: I will say that I do enjoy the big wrinkle starting from episode 1 being the new hero shows up and decides "Yabai Kamen's mine now". Definitely will make for an interesting season. DS: Honestly I'd do the same. Who wouldn't want Yabai Kamen as their arch-nemesis, really? En-chan: So true, dude's honestly the best. DS: But yeah, overall this first episode does make for a great hook on shaking the team up in unexpected ways, ontop of bringing all of that high energy that I loved from the first season. No complaints from me! En-chan: Oh for sure, definitely a solid start! DS: And I think that'll bring us to a close. Hope you all enjoy this new format. I'll be playing around with it as we go, so we'll see how it all turns out in the end. But, until next time! En-chan: See ya! ====== So what do you all think of this idea/format? Feel free to make any comments on improvements, ideas, and whatnot if you have any!
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02-15-2024, 01:22 PM | #53 |
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Cool change in tone. The discussion format really brings new colors to the episode review. Still, for me personally (perhaps solely because of the language border) it was sometimes difficult for me to grasp the idea. I would advise diluting the correspondence with footage from the episode or making the tirades more detailed. More letters than SMS. But this is just my opinion, so let someone else speak up so as not to accidentally ruin the whole idea.
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02-15-2024, 01:42 PM | #54 |
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Quote:
Cool change in tone. The discussion format really brings new colors to the episode review. Still, for me personally (perhaps solely because of the language border) it was sometimes difficult for me to grasp the idea. I would advise diluting the correspondence with footage from the episode or making the tirades more detailed. More letters than SMS. But this is just my opinion, so let someone else speak up so as not to accidentally ruin the whole idea.
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02-15-2024, 02:00 PM | #55 |
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02-16-2024, 05:39 PM | #56 |
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Episode 2: Ohgaman Dies DS: My reaction to a majority of this episode. En-chan: I can only imagine given while we've kind of retained the status quo, we've also revised it thanks to Great Z DS: Yeah this episode is very much a setup episode for what I imagine is the rest of the season. Great-Z has essentially taken everything that the Dogengers used to have. Their fame, their timeslot, their apartment, and even their villain! So the group decide to split into pairs and venture out to find ways to figure out just what the heck to even do now, since it's not like they can just beat the guy up. And while it's all presented in a rather lighthearted tone, I did find myself surprised how seriously the whole thing is treated, and even how meta things kinda got at one point. En-chan: There's a reason I said us teaming up like this was fitting for this series in particular. There's definitely a pretty high level of gravitas at play that helps set everything up. Also considering Great-Z is a walking commercial, I totally get what you mean by it being meta. DS: Yeah, and it doesn't even end there with him either, with how he talks about CGI effects vs Practical ones, albeit briefly. That is a debate that still goes on to this day, especially in the Toku world. And because of that like, I can't help but feel like it's entirely intentional that his civilian identity, Riku, is very obviously dubbed over, haha. En-chan: I didn't notice it in my first viewing somehow but yeah, the dude is very obviously doing ADR and that caught me off guard. lol DS: I did love the bit too where he has the overly long finishing move. Why do I feel like I could see a show doing that unironically in the future? En-chan: If there's one scene I've seen circulating in regards to Nice Buddy (even before I saw it), it was absolutely that overly long finishing move so while long, it's definitely iconic. DS: "Iconic" is pretty appropriate here, actually. Because we also got some background in regards to Great-Z, mainly in that he's part of the same franchise that Great Ace from the bonus episode of Dogengers. I felt that was a nice way to keep him tied into the main cast, as well as establish why people in universe would be invested in him outside of just pretty special effects. En-chan: I remember you talking fairly highly about Great Ace during your Bonus Episode review. So I was very much waiting for you to get to this show where we get the big connecting tissue here. That said, A to Z huh? That's a lot of heroes, even if they did take a break for a while before Z. DS: What? You didn't watch Great Base, Great Case, or Great Dane? Fraud confirmed. En-chan: Dang, I've been outed! DS: But Great-Z aside, uh, I was not expecting the title of "Nice Buddy" to actually mean what it ends up meaning in this show. In that this now the Dogengers Buddy Cop Show. En-chan: Very much so, time to tackle this duo style. I'm totally glad they solved this fairly and not by Ohgaman being Ohgaman and just picking everyone in advance. DS: Haha, yes. Totally fair ladder lottery. Resulting in Team Pharmacy(Rookie+Ohgaman), Team Good Bois(Yamashiron+Fukuokalibur), and Team... uh, Red, I guess(KitaQman+El Brave). En-chan: Team Red indeed. Well I can't fault him too much tbh, he did basically set them up with the one dream everyone has. Living at IKEA. DS: Yeah, how the heck does that even work? Did Ohgaman like... buy, the furniture store? In its entirety? En-chan: Do not doubt the power of Ohgaman. DS: But the most important thing in this episode. "Imagine Dogengers with Guns" is now real. En-chan: It's what every Toku Hero needs, as demonstrated very clearly by Kuuga. DS: So, yeah, I really do gotta wonder where exactly we're going now, especially since if the next episode preview is any indication, Rookie and Ohgaman will be confronting Great-Z first. And I woulda figured they'd be the last group to face him. En-chan: You'd think, but I suppose that just means they've got some fun surprises in store for us. Let's just hope Yabai Kamen makes it out alright, dude was suffering a lot this episode. DS: Bro has gotten no respect at all so far. I feel legit bad for the dude. En-chan: We can only hope as this series continues he can get his groove back. And also a less heavy prop to swing around. DS: Guess we'll find more out come next time. Anything specific you wanna talk about before we close out? En-chan: I think I hit all the points I wanted to, so I'm good. DS: Well alright then. Next time, watch me shoot En-chan live on stage! En-chan: Wait, what?!
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02-17-2024, 03:36 AM | #57 |
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Cool review.
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02-19-2024, 12:41 PM | #58 |
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Episode 3: Rookie, the Camera's Rolling DS: So uh, mind if I start this off with an anecdote? En-chan: Sure DS: Back when I was a kid in the early 2000s, "Game" anime was a huge thing at the time. Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblade, Bakugan, etc. During that time, my friends and I would often joke about how we wanted there to be a Rock-Paper-Scissors anime, with over the top special effects, sonic booms blowing people across rooms whenever they lost, and a whole bunch of other ridiculous stuff. And then Dogengers just came and made that reality. Like, I talked a couple times during the first season about how the show made me feel like a kid again when watching it, and now here, in season 2, they continue to carry that feeling and I gotta say, it's just great to see and feel. En-chan: See, this is why Ohgaman is a powerful but also incredible man. Dude reminds you of your childhood and shows off a technique taught to only one child in every generation of his family. DS: Which, given what we learn of his backstory in this episode, implies he had these powers before he became a superhero, somehow. And I just love that. But yeah, there is so much going on in this episode it's hard to know where to even start. Because what starts off as what seems to be an episode about Ohgaman and Rookie bonding quickly turns into a big insight into Great-Z, the SSoD, and Ohgaman's' backstory. It's wild. En-chan: There's definitely a lot going on in this episode despite its fairly simple premise. Honestly one thing I'm glad for is them putting Ohgaman's focus as the first one of these. Helps that they're pushing him as a regular cast member now too which was definitely something I was hoping for out of this sequel. In the first series he was this pretty powerful figure that rarely showed up and had some neat quirks to him, but now we get to see he has a lot more layers to who he is. DS: Yeah, getting to see his more human aspects really has been a treat. And the way the characters have been paired up as they are makes alot of sense, as we never got to see Jiro bond with Ohgaman in the first season like he did every other character. Which even Ohgaman himself points out. And I really gotta wonder how much his story pulls from reality here, because I get that this is a low budget indie production, so like, did the whole "Founding of Ohga Pharmacy" thing mirror how Dogengers itself came to be? I honestly wouldn't doubt it. En-chan: Who knows, but it is fun to think about given the very small scope of this franchise and how many of these guys are actually out and about as we're speaking. DS: Speaking of Ohga products though, the Buddy-Buddy Blaster. I love how much fun they have with this thing throughout the episode. Like how unwieldy it is for Rookie due to being the size of his torso, haha. En-chan: It wouldn't be a Toku weapon if it wasn't a bit bigger than usual. lol That said it is a fun weapon to give most of the cast given their fighting styles, so one can only imagine what other shenanigans we'll end up getting as a result. That said I do like that, at least for our two Ohga-sponsored heroes, they get some cool charged attacks. DS: Megaman would be proud. Ohgaman isn't the only highlight here though. We also learn that Great-Z's' show is actually live-streamed in real time, and we also learn what exactly Great-Z's' idea of justice is, which, while I could see many complaining makes him contradictory or hypocritical, I personally think the way it's presented makes him a very interesting character to think about. En-chan: Right, Great-Z is definitely an interesting antagonist to introduce into the series. Dude's not a villain, just a hero with his own kind of ideals that just can't understand the Dogengers' own. So it definitely makes the conflict and clash between the two parties a lot more complicated than a simple good vs evil showdown. DS: Plus, them fighting over who gets to be the real rivals of the SSoD is just a fun premise in general. And it also leads to a moment that I for sure was not expecting: Some extra spotlight for Maid Butler and his unlocking of his own super mode. En-chan: Yep! Definitely an interesting but very cool choice to give the villains some updates of their own. We don't really see much of it in this episode beyond its appearance, but it's cool to see that giving characters power-up forms in this series isn't only limited to the heroes. DS: And without the help of the Golden Seal from season 1 either. It really is an awesome shot to end the episode on too, given MB manages to be the only one to outright resist Great-Z's' teleportation drones. I got legit hyped! En-chan: That's the power of being loyal to your boss for you! DS: Is there anything else you wanted to note about the episode? Cause I can't really think of much else to say besides "It's just a fun ride from start to finish." En-chan: I think we just about covered all the bases here, it's a simple premise that really just spirals into a lot of fun and interesting details about our cast once it really gets going. DS: Welp, I guess that brings us to a close then. Stayed tuned next time forrrrmegetting kidnappedbya teleporterdrone apparently aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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02-20-2024, 12:35 PM | #59 |
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Episode 4: El Brave Takes It Off DS: En-chan waiting for me watch all of Dogengers. En-chan: Don't worry though, you're making good pace. DS: This episode, while I liked it, it felt a bit imbalanced in its focus. Or atleast the title of it had me thinking things would flow a bit differently than it did. Cause like, while it is the episode where KitaQman and El Brave team up, they're like, the last thing that the episode overall is concerned with. En-chan: Yeah this was an odd one to come back to. Because I had honestly thought the main confrontation with Great-Z with them was the focus for this one, though it seems like that'll be saved for later? There's a lot more moving parts to this episode that are basically setup than anything else. DS: For sure. I was definitely surprised to see that this was like 70% a Great-Z episode. Granted, the bits of development we got with him are nice though. Especially with the wonderful meta commentary that comes with it ontop of the reveal that he's a foil to Jiro. Really dug that. En-chan: Hey despite opposing our heroes he is a hero too, meaning he's got to have some more to him than meets the eye which is always nice to see. DS: Absolutely, and maybe I'm reading too much into it, but it seems to me like the show is raising the compare and contrast between more traditional heroes like, say, Superman, who tend to more deal with black and white morality vs more modern ones like Kamen Rider, who tend to be more gray. It's clear that while he's doing his best to shake it off, Ohgaman's' speech about how his motivations are hardly grand standing really did hit Riku in a place he wasn't expecting. En-chan: There's definitely a more solid line to his morals than there are with the Dogengers even if they are being questioned. But that makes a very good comparison to at least one of the Dogengers in this episode at least, Fukuokalibur. In which despite some of the team trying to blow off Maid Butler who genuinely is asking for their help, Fukuokalibur is there to be like "Yeah you can stay with us". DS: It's a good thing too because like, KitaQman was definitely not helping the situation any. As you'd expect from your average twitter junkie. En-chan: He did have a really good mustache though, and I have to respect that. DS: What he did not have however, was a working gun. Which leads to a pretty fun(ny) confrontation between KitaQman, El Brave, and the Wolf Bros. Which is full of great bits that are not only funny, but make total sense in context. Like, no duh El Brave can't hit anything! He's a wrestler, not a gunman! En-chan: Exactly. Which is why the idea of "give everyone a gun" is such a fun mix-up for this show. Because if Ohgaman said that these are their new secret weapons, of course they're going to try and use them. And we see what happens when you end up giving these dudes guns to begin with very well in this episode. DS: Speaking of secrets, I know it was a thing last season, but Unmasked KitaQman will never not be cursed to me. And then he had to go and spread said curse by taking off one of El Brave's' masks. I don't care what they say, that second mask is nowhere near as good! En-chan: So true, I much prefer his armored mask. DS: Also, is it bad that I felt more for the Wolf Boys in this fight? Like, I too would be really upset if someone stole my pizza. En-chan: It might be because I've seen Jisariz recently, and they were portrayed as pretty alright guys in that. So that probably helped add to the fact that, yes, I would also be very upset if my pizza was stolen. DS: The building relationship that the SSoD is having with everyone in the cast might actually be the biggest highlight for me in Nice Buddy so far. It's lead to alot of great interactions that I love, and it's leading to Yabai Kamen being one of my favorite toku villains like, ever. Dude has so many dimensions to him that he's always a blast whenever he's on screen. En-chan: Even as a damsel in distress the dude is very charming, so I'm very glad you're continuing to adore him! DS: That romance scene at the start between him and Riku was gold. So good. But yeah, those are all of my highlights. Was there anything else you wanted to mention? En-chan: Actually, one thing I do want to bring attention to. I like how the only one actually fully onboard with Great-Z is Shaberryman. The rest are kind of just going with the flow or actively resisting like Yabai Kamen. Meanwhile this dude just decided to put all his eggs in the Great-Z basket. DS: Makes sense. He is a cameraman afterall. Gotta get those ratings. He even personally thanks the sponsors during the Pizza Cooc commercial! En-chan: Speaking of Pizza Cooc, though, I could absolutely go for some pizza right now. DS: I agree. Let's go get pizza. A pizza deez nuts. En-chan:
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02-21-2024, 08:47 PM | #60 |
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Episode 5: Fukuokalibur Really is a Proper Hero "I'm gonna beat you with the power of friendship and also this gun I made!" En-chan: I wonder if it infringes on the Ohga Company's rights what with the modification done here. Granted given Ohgaman just pays out of pocket for his hero stuff, I don't think that'll be an issue. DS: I mean, Yamashiron does also commit slander during this episode, technically, and he is from a different prefecture than the other Dogengers, so maybe he's got diplomatic immunity or something So like, question for you, En-chan. How does this show manage to never bottom out on how crazy it can get? En-chan: It just can't I suppose. Which is funny when it comes to dealing with relatively low-tiered characters in regards to power levels. Granted, their vibrant and loud personalities make up for that gap so that probably helps out a lot. DS: It's something I really have to compliment this franchise on, honestly. It's the toku equivalent of a roller coaster ride. It's not just some constant stream of crazy, although there are episodes where it certainly does that too, but knows how to balance said craziness to keep it at its most impactful. And I feel like this episode was a perfect example of that. Because like, the majority of the episode, despite its kooky beats, is fairly standard... AND THEN THAT FINAL SHOT HITS AND I FRIGGEN LOST IT. En-chan: Yeah you get some great character moments, some nicely done comedy. And then BAM, there are two Great-Zs?! DS: But uh, we're kinda getting ahead of ourselves here. So, this episode is both the climax of the El Brave and KitaQman team up, as well as the episode devoted to Yamashiron and Fukuokalibur's' team up. And on paper that sounds like it'd be tough to juggle, but I think they actually handled it pretty well here. En-chan: It helps that we already got through a lot of the Kita-El Team stuff in the last episode. DS: Yeah, and that the scene itself is great, ontop of lending more towards how the momentum of the episode builds towards that final twist. Like, when the Wolf Boys teleported in, I was at first thinking "Oh, Great-Z finally let them out of the pod." And then once Kita and Brave beam in I was like "Wait a sec." And then, surprise! Both episodes were basically happening simultaneously! It's a really clever idea! En-chan: Yeah, it really helps things flow a lot better than us having one full episode where KitaQman and El Brave take on Great-Z and then another separate encounter where Yamashiron and Fukuokalibur take on Great-Z on another day. Speaking of those pods though, Great-Z needs to take better care of those things. That's like the second one that got blown up. DS: And on the same shoulder too. Those things can't be cheap. Speaking of Great-Z though, I did love the attention to detail when it came to his stage show. With Great-Z's' suit being a rather simplified version of his normal wear for practicality's' sake. Just like stage shows tend to do in real life. En-chan: Yeah. I also love how they managed to capture the smaller outdoor stage aspect too. I've seen a few of those floating around on Youtube of either Rider or Sentai, and they definitely nailed the low-budget but fun vibe of them down. DS: With all the rep stage shows have been getting, I really wanna go to one in person someday. But Great-Z isn't the only highlight though. We also get El Brave's' backstory, as well as Fukuokalibur's' motivations for heroism. And Yamashiron delivers probably my favorite comedic moment in the season so far too. Not to mention, the fight at the end between Team Good Boys and the Wolf Boys had some genuinely great choreography. Who knew Fukuoukalibur was so skilled with firearms!? En-chan: Dude really used the whole hog when it came to his skillset. Mixing in some shooting with his usual swordplay, and even going for a few kicks? Pretty impressive, though I suppose that makes sense given he's a dual wielder normally. DS: I do gotta wonder what's going on in the minds of the crowd though. I know if it were me, it'd be along the lines of "I dunno what's going on but man this is hype." En-chan: Honestly same. It's definitely a "Wow two cakes" kind of situation. DS: Was there any other big highlights for you on this ride? En-chan: None off the top of my head. DS: Then if you'll excuse me, I must now don my disguise and disappear into the masses. Until next time, farewell~ En-chan: See ya?
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Last edited by DreamSword; 02-22-2024 at 06:14 PM.. |
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