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04-27-2021, 08:23 PM | #8511 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Episode 8 – Choudenshi Bioman Bioman actually has the honor of being the very first premiere I'm rewatching here instead of just watching, if we're not counting the Dynaman dub. (I'm not counting the Dynaman dub.) Not that I've seen the whole show, mind you. I have this concept I like to call the "guilt-free first episode" – basically this weird bit of logic in my head where watching only the premiere of a show on a whim is like a free trial that may or may not go further, while any more than that starts to create a sense of obligation to keep going until the end. It's not some hard rule or anything, as there are definitely shows out there I've watched several episodes of and stopped for whatever reason, but it's enough of a trend for me that I gave it a dumb name, so there's that. I have no idea how much sense this paragraph will make to anyone but me, but the point is, occasionally I find giving random shows that "free trial" fun – which may well be the genesis of this entire project – and Bioman kinda happens to be one I gave a go well beforehand. So well beforehand I don't remember too much about why? This was once again super early after getting into Rider and Sentai and all that, and since it was just something I did on a whim, there's probably no deep story there anyway. I think I've just always found Bioman cool? I know I really like their watches, for example. Oddly specific thing, yeah, but I know for a fact the Techno Brace captured my attention when I was first learning about all these shows, and that honestly might have been all the reason I needed to get a taste of Bioman, being an aficionado of wrist-based transformation devices in toku. All I could recall about the episode before seeing it again was that it had some kind of cliffhanger I found a little shocking, and that it made some real fun use of the giant robot. Going back to it one more time, I can really see why those things would leave an impression. Bioman's premiere doesn't have the instant explosive charismatic appeal that Dynaman did, but it does have some notable elements that, with all the added context I now possess, I can say do a fair bit to shake up the formula. One thing I've been waiting for since JAKQ, for example, is to hit the point where they finally realize it's not actually that exciting for the team's first transformation to happen standing around a lab every year, and it makes me pretty happy to find out Bioman is the first show since Goranger to show the team assembling in suit outside, where there are bad guys to fight. I honestly think this is a huge difference, and Bioman's version of it is the one we still get to this day, with the team turning the tables after getting cornered by evildoers, and figuring out their cool new abilities as they go along. Similar to most of what Denziman did, it's a formula that's hard to beat. I don't think I need to make much of an argument for why the catharsis of the heroes receiving their powers in a moment of great peril is inherently interesting, so I won't. There's a unique appeal to the way those previous shows handled things, too, don't get me wrong, but I think Bioman's approach carries with it tons of benefits to the storytelling. Even the way the team is gathered is super dynamic and creative, which is where the first of those things I still remembered comes in. Bio Robo moves of its will, existing to protect the planet, and once it realizes the villains are smashing the place up, it moves to put the crew together, walking from location to location literally scooping them up in its hands one by one, saving them each from danger in the process. It's ridiculously cool. I mean it; I freakin' love Bio Robo! This montage sequence is crazy memorable, and one thing that jumped out at me this time was the very grand, symphony style background music playing over it, which felt very distinct. Sure enough, looking it up, Bioman is the first Sentai to be scored by Tatsumi Yano, who is apparently legitimately considered to have pushed Sentai BGM in a new direction through his work on the franchise. It's a pretty dang solid first outing for Bioman, all things considered. One I think I'm a lot more appreciative of now than I would've been years ago. Like, that other thing I remembered, right? The cliffhanger in question is Yellow Four deciding she wants no part of this and walking off, and I now understand it's legitimately kind of a big deal that Bioman made an effort to incorporate some elements of serialization where it could, and this was a rather bold statement of that intent. The team just got together and they're already breaking up! And as if that weren't crazy enough, I said "she" because Bioman is also the first Sentai to have two women on the team! (Maybe they stole one from Sun Vulcan?) I said I just find Bioman cool, and I'm realizing at this point how true that is, because I've been going for this long, and it's only now occurring to me how many more things I'd like to touch on that I haven't even mentioned. I mean, the high tech motif of the suits is cool. The sidearms that transform from guns to swords are cool. Red One's sword being on fire is hot, but also very cool. I guess this is where this post ends, because I've hit the point where my brain refuses to even try and structure these thoughts anymore. Seems I still have more of a connection to this show than I figured. This premiere was cool, and I bet the series as a whole will be cool when I get around to it as well.
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Last edited by Fish Sandwich; 03-05-2022 at 05:22 PM.. |
04-27-2021, 08:31 PM | #8512 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,399
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thats never stopped me before keep going
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04-27-2021, 08:32 PM | #8513 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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...Did I mention the main villain's name is literally Doctor Man?
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04-27-2021, 08:35 PM | #8514 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,399
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Is he BFFs with Doctor Ghost from Super-1?
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04-27-2021, 10:55 PM | #8515 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,512
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Bioman was historic in that it was the first show to have two female members in a sentai team, making Yellow 4 the first female yellow ranger ever in the franchise. Yellow 4 is also the subject of controversy given that Yuki Yajima who portrayed Mika one day just fled the production for unknown reasons thus resulting in the show taking out Mika early on in the show and replacing her with Jun the archer. Because of her absence Mayumi Tanaka who we know as Luffy from One Piece and Krillin from the Dragon Ball series to name a few had to fill in as the voice of Mika.
Juspion fans will love to hear that their favorite Mega Beast investigator had a guest role for two episodes(35, 36) and the following year went on to be the titular Juspion the following year in 1985. He also went on to marry then Yuko Asuka who portrayed Farrah some time later after the show ended. They later retired and opened a scuba diving shop & class in Okinawa. Sadly Yuko passed away in 2011 but seems like he still continues to run the place last I checked. And of course, the show gets real good after they introduced Bio Hunter Silva. Silva is practically a design recycle of Hakaider updated for 1984 and painted silver, but boy did he make things interesting going T-800 on the Bioman team. Basically his whole purpose is to kill anything that has Bio Particles, the source of the Bioman's power. And then Balzion happens. In retrospect, the designs are really nice in a retro cool kinda way and when Bio Robo got Super Minipla'd it reminded me how Bio Robo was one of the best designs to come out of the 80s. The black, white, and red color scheme really mashes well together and looks really streamlined. FYI, Munemaru Koda who portrayed Doctor Man went on to potray Gorma XV in Dairanger 9 years later and Hidenori Iura who played Doctor Man's son Prince went on to portray Jun in Solbrain.
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Last edited by Sunred; 04-28-2021 at 12:22 AM.. |
04-28-2021, 01:37 AM | #8516 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,550
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Ah yes, the show famous for a) having no monsters of the week at all (which actually made the show more expensive to produce, since they were using that budget for elaborate robot costumes that only appeared for one scene, basically showing WHY they do it) and b) almost becoming the first Power Rangers series (it would’ve starred the guy from Iron Chef America).
Jokes aside, I can say that Bioman is the show that got me REALLY hooked on this Sentai thing, after having spent 9 months working my way through Kakuranger and Gingaman while keeping up with LupinPat (plus a few VS movies on the side). I just loved the look of the suits. |
04-28-2021, 01:50 AM | #8517 |
Showa Girl
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 9,064
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Bioman I can definitely say is one of those seasons I'm excited to watch at some point. From what I've heard, for a Sentai it's got a surprisingly serialised and heartfelt story -- and after both watching Dynaman and reading here how it contrasted with the previous 6 shows, it's not hard to see how much different a fare it may have been. It's also just very popular in general, a reputation it seems only Liveman gets in the pre-Jetman era!
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04-28-2021, 01:53 AM | #8518 |
New Member
Join Date: Mar 2021
Location: VA
Posts: 47
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For the man!
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04-28-2021, 03:39 AM | #8519 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 462
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It is one of many of shows I've only watched the first one or two of but it was actually one of those English dubs from Hong Kong or Southeast Asia years ago in like 2006-8 time, lol. It is of course also the most popular Sentai in France and I suppose a few other countries, which makes it all the more embarassing that Britain never even attempted any kind of own tokusatsu dubbing considering we're not a million miles away from France! I think this is probably the point where I really start to love the 80s in sentai though, I really like the 00s too although technically a different proposition!
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04-28-2021, 04:49 AM | #8520 |
Yodonna oshi
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 748
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I love these Hong Kong English dubs! *explodes*
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