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02-22-2024, 12:39 AM | #61 |
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Yes, the twist at the end turns everything upside down.
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02-22-2024, 07:05 PM | #62 |
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It really does! And it's got me theorizing about Great-Z's' true nature...
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02-23-2024, 10:30 AM | #63 |
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Episode 6: Haven't You Watched Tokusatsu Before? DS: EVERYBODY CALM DOWN! AND BY EVERYONE I MEAN ME SPECIFICALLY! En-chan: So I take it you enjoyed the episode? DS: No, hated it. En-chan: Dang. DS: Of course I liked it! This episode just kept escalating! And right when I thought we were about to end on a more downbeat and somber note, BAM, right in the kisser. En-chan: You know you'd think you would be prepared for these sudden hits. After all, you have watched Dogengers. DS: It's a very different kind of beating, really. Season 1 was basically like taking a bunch of rapid-fire jabs to the senses. Meanwhile Nice Buddy lulls you into a false sense of security before karate chopping you directly in the brain. En-chan: True, we have ended on quite a few surprising developments already. DS: And this is only the halfway point! The whole episode is framed like it's the climax, but no, we still have a good number of episodes left! En-chan: Very fitting for our mid-season episode then! DS: So uh, to talk about exactly what happens in this episode. We start off with Great-Z digging into everyone as he usually does. With poor Yamashiron getting the worst of it. En-chan: You gotta feel for the dude. He gets hit the hardest out of all of them, especially when reflecting on his actions from last time. So much so he's in no shape to even help the others despite them getting a game plan together at the end. DS: It's a step in his arc that makes alot of sense too, given the first season, wherein his arc was all about how lonely he was without Blueron and Orangeron by his side. And now Great-Z has come along and flipped that entire perspective of his on its face. Talk about a low blow. Really loved Ohgaman during this part though. The plan KitaQman Metal comes up with is entirely sound, but upon seeing that his friend is in no shape to go through with it, Ohgaman's' just like "Nope. His well being comes first." Gotta respect that. En-chan: You really do. Speaking of KitaQman Metal though, despite what Great-Z pulls out, he really stole the show for me with his sudden appearance alongside Shuraomaru. DS: Yeah, didn't know Metal was as strong as A FRIKKEN MEGAZORD. En-chan: Dude's gotta make up for his lazy brother. Guess that also means being powerful as all hell. DS: But yeah, turns out Great-Z has a giant robot. And I loved the gag about it being a giant DX toy. He also has Pizza Destructo Discs. En-chan: The idea to debut it via a toy ad was very clever. Also yeah, I'm always a fan of Destructo Discs, and pizza flavor? Sounds like a delicious demise. DS: And on that note, man, me calling Great-Z a fake ended up being way more applicable than I ever thought it would be, good lord. The twist that Riku is actually the Stage Show Great-Z does line up with alot of things. His voice being ADR'd, that the "real" Great-Z seems to suffer from Foxdie when he doesn't, and said Z referring to the Stage-Z as his boss at one point. I honestly theorized that the Great-Z we got to know up to now was a robot or something, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. En-chan: It did feel like that yeah. I mean given how cutting edge Great-Z is, a robotic superhero to help cut down on potential injuries for actors would make sense. DS: I never would've thought of Dogengers as a solid mystery show, but here we are. Needless to say I am spent after that. Were there any other moments or details you wanted to point out? En-chan: You touched on it briefly, and this feeds into an earlier compliment of mine. But I just really love KitaQman Metal in this episode. Mostly because he has a really solid plan, and is a good coordinator. Especially when we find out what exactly his job was going to be in the original plan during the sponsor roll. Dude was on his A-Game. DS: I was for sure shocked when he showed up. I had nearly thought that the show had forgotten about him until now. En-chan: Well no better time to shine than the mid-season I'd say. DS: Well, in order to prepare for whatever comes after, I'm off to steal Jiro's' fit. En-chan: Good luck!
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02-23-2024, 11:08 AM | #64 |
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Yes, this was a very interesting, funny and cool episode.
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02-23-2024, 01:29 PM | #65 |
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Episode 7: Yamashiron Starts Up DS: En-chan, the vet, guiding us all through the craziness that is Dogengers. En-chan: Exactly, just keep moving forward! DS: With the way this shows keeps escalating, I really do gotta say, if you're a fan of this show, you should also watch Samurai Flamenco and vise-versa. They share alot of the same energy. En-chan: Maybe one of these days. That show has been on the interest log for a while. Though considering my backlog and how bad I'm keeping up with certain things... we'll see. ha ha. DS: Anyway, yeah, this episode, like, the majority of it is a rather quiet and down-to-earth vibe(well, by Dogengers standards), about motivations and actions, mirrored via Yamashiron and Great-Z. And then the last minute of the episode hits and I legit fell down on my couch. En-chan: Yeah. Who knew the IKEA that the Dogengers were staying in was also a Gundam-like mecha? DS: It's literally the Nightingale from Char's Counterattack! With how low scale and budget season 1 was, the last thing I was ever expecting was a straight up Megazord battle. En-chan: Yeah they've definitely increased their CG Budget for this show. Between what Great-Z shows off and now the past couple of episodes with giant robots. It's nice to see them come this far. DS: And to showcase that budget, we even get another shot of the blown up KitaQ Machine, which gave me a really good laugh when it got towed during the dramatic walk, by the way. En-chan: Gotta get all that mileage out of that insane pyrotechnic stunt they pulled. DS: It's funny, when you look at the episode as a whole, there's not alot that goes on in terms of events, but the character stuff is as strong as ever and is more than enough to carry it. The giant robot reveal was just extra chocolate syrup ontop of the sundae, ya know? En-chan: Oh for sure. We get some great moments between Fukuokalibur and Yamashiron since they are buddies. Not to mention there's some nice stuff from Riku and his interactions with Yabai Kamen and of course the mystery of Great-Z himself continues to deepen. DS: Yeah, this season's' overall theme of heroism is arguably at its strongest here, I feel. We've got Yabai Kamen pointing out that Great-Z is leaning more towards villain than hero, which is then showcased by Great-Z being really brutal during the film shoot. Then there's Yamashiron, who thanks to Fukuokalibur's' kindness is reminded exactly as to why the three people he's made up from became heroes in the first place. It's all really cool to see play out. En-chan: Yeah, even the crowd was showing concern once Great-Z started to grow angrier to the point where he had to basically lie to try and save face. I also do like how Fukuokalibur's kindness of cooking a meal for Yamashiron is treated too. It's absolutely not perfect, which Yamashiron points out. But there's enough kindness and sincerity behind it for him to get that big push he needs to come back after last episode. DS: Yamashiron even ate his bell peppers finally! Character development! En-chan: Dude took it like a champ and scarfed it all down! Really proud of him! DS: Food as a primary focus for plot or characterization has always been interesting to me in shows. We've been seeing it more and more lately too. And it makes sense. Food does bring alot of people together, especially during celebrations such as holidays. So I was glad to see how well it was presented and talked about here in Nice Buddy, whereas lesser shows would just use it as a baseline fat joke or something, like some certain Netflix productions I've seen. So I guess this means that Inoue's' kink for people eating together was ahead of its time in terms of media. En-chan: I suppose so. DS: Great-Z's' flashbacks were really interesting to see, too. Especially since the kid who is presumably Great-Z looks like a little Riku(probably thanks to the black and white filter). So like, there's gotta be some extra layer to the twist that we haven't seen yet. And I'm excited for it. En-chan: Oh for sure, and now that we're a little over halfway through the season you can bet there'll be more to come soon enough. DS: Shall we venture forth and find out how this explosive battle ends? En-chan: Of course! DS: Onward! Oh crap--MISSILE INCOMING!
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02-23-2024, 01:58 PM | #66 |
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The IKEA robot was just a mind blower!
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02-26-2024, 05:59 PM | #67 |
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Anyone who tries to claim they saw it coming is a liar!
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02-26-2024, 08:41 PM | #68 |
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Episode 8: We're All Out of Money! DS: Look, I don't have a caption for this one. It's just a mood, alright? En-chan: Oh that is absolutely a mood, cake is always so good. DS: So this episode, well, I liked it, but I dunno if the twist they intended to have at the end had the desired effect on me, because I was way more surprised by one really quick shot that we got at like the midway point. That said, man, the title of this episode? Absolutely perfect use of double meaning. En-chan: Oh for sure. Speaking on the twist, it was definitely something that felt like it was coming given the clues so it definitely wasn't too shocking. Though it is nice to have clarification on who Riku and Great-Z are to each other. DS: Part of me still wishes that Great-Z was a robot. Speaking of which, man, that giant robo battle that took up half the episode, huh? En-chan: They spent a lot of time modeling both robots so it makes sense they want to show them off as much as possible. DS: They absolutely based Sekikaguo off of a handful of Zeon mechs from Gundam, too. And unashamedly so. They even worked in a pretty fun reference to the show too. And for anyone who needs the proof of concept, well... This is an actual thing. En-chan: It's honestly a fun reference. Especially since it's such a swerve of a mecha to give our protagonists of all things when it comes to looks. DS: And function. Why Ohgaman had it respond to Yamashiron cooking and doing chores, I have no idea, but hey, it worked out. The fight itself is kinda basic, but fun. I can for sure see how it'd eat up most of the season's' budget. And Great-Z's' as it turns out. En-chan: And of course as per this season's theme, it was a collaborative effort. In which we see Fukuokalibur deal with the third of Great-Z's camera drones. It's probably the biggest loss for Great-Z yet since the robot actually needs at least 4 drones to function compared to the other abilities he's shown off. DS: And his film crew doesn't have the money to replace it, either. I was surprised at just how intense that final scene with them all talking about what direction to take their show in was in terms of atmosphere. It's definitely a nice change of pace in terms of the directing, and it's of course here we get that twist I mentioned earlier: That Riku is actually Great-Z's' son. And while that in itself isn't a bad twist and scene works pretty well, especially with that shot of Riku gripping his dad's' medication earlier on, it's uh, it's a little undermined by my penchant for reading shirts and seeing that Riku's' shirt is just utter gibberish. En-chan: It wouldn't be a Toku Show if a character didn't have a shirt with random English on it. But yeah, there's definitely a heavier tone to that end scene as well, which is reinforced further when we find out that despite how things seemed... our heroes actually achieved their goal. They got Yabai Kamen back! DS: Even threw a party for the guy. How far everyone has come! The bit about Maid Butler hitting Rookie accidentally was amusing too. Also, El Brave somehow gets drunk off of protein shakes. En-chan: Well they do say people can get drunk off the atmosphere and that was a pretty lively and jovial party too. DS: That all being said, the part that took me by surprise was actually a really quick shot we get when the other Dogengers who aren't in the robot are evacuating the civilians. Wherein it's revealed that Riku is actually a part of Great-Z's' film crew. Meaning he was trying to make his dad a superhero the whole time ontop of being his double. I really like that angle. En-chan: Yeah, it's definitely a fun angle and it makes you wonder if he's popped up in prior scenes like that as a little hidden detail. I also do like how KitaQMan Metal's plan ended up mostly being put into place here too via the evac this episode. It's incredible to see it work out accidentally like that. DS: It's probably the most straight-forward episode we've had of the show since arguably the first one. And despite that they still manage to have a hook for the rest of the show despite just showing what in many other shows would be the final battle. And all while none of it feeling like a drag. I really do gotta give props for that. And with that, I am spent, and eager to see where Riku's' arc is going. En-chan: Oh for sure. Now that we've hit the full reveal, we can get into some good character work as we're likely to finally explore Riku and his dad's situation in a deeper manner now. DS: Well, hopefully we'll get some more of that in the next one. Until then, I'm told that compared to Dynazenon, Dogengers is--oh, oh god En-chan's' got me in a headlock! HELP! HEEEELLlllll....
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02-28-2024, 10:24 PM | #69 |
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Episode 9: Ratings Crash! The Golf Episode! DS: If golf were a bit more like this I think I'd tune in a bit more often En-chan: True, unfortunately golf is the bane of the mainline Toku Fandom, that and marathons. So it's amusing that we get an in-universe "golf episode" for this show. DS: Yeah, I can see why though. As advertised. This is just golf. That's it. Absolutely nothing else. En-chan: So true. Totally no revelations about the new characters this season. No way. Just good old fashioned golf... as good and old fashioned as you can get with Dogengers... DS: Alright, we kid. This episode was interesting to me in that, like golf it was actually rather slow and methodical about things. And it also brought an answer to a question/concern I'd had in the back of my mind for a majority of the show so far. That being that, despite being the main character of the first season, Jiro has been little more than a supporting character throughout Nice Buddy. Which might make one wonder, why is he even still here? En-chan: That is a good question/concern to have. He very much fulfilled his arc in the original season so he's basically on the same league as the others in terms of how they're presented? Well despite still being a bit new to how crazy things can get. DS: Yeah, even in the episode where he and Ohgaman teamed up, that episode had alot more to do with Ohgaman than Rookie. But ya know, I'd say it was worth the wait, because we got some excellent payoff here with how Jiro and Riku are foils, and how Jiro's' backstory ties into Riku's' own sense of justice outside of the one Great-Z has. That scene where they bond over the Great series was adorable! En-chan: It was so cute seeing Jiro just snowball into fanboy mode with Riku following soon after. Just the way they talk about their favorites of the Great Series and start doing attack callouts was fun to watch. Truly a love of Tokusatsu Heroes can help bridge gaps and form bonds between others. DS: That was another thing that surprised me about this episode too: It was basically all talking. It's the sort of thing I've seen other shows fumble, too(hi Blassreiter), wherein the lack of action makes the episode feels slow or boring. But here, no, they did it how you should. Making the conversations ones that are actually interesting and/or fun to listen in on. Riku and his dad, Riku and Jiro... it's all just nice to have insight on. En-chan: The conversations hold a purpose, and still keep some good energy to them too despite the expository nature of some of them. Plus we still get some fun comedic moments too sprinkled throughout which is Dogengers' strong point. DS: So what did you think of Riku's' backstory? Did you agree with him that it was lame? En-chan: It's not the most exciting. But it is admirable to see him try and change himself after stagnating for a good while. DS: Yeah, it's pretty basic all things considered. I do hope we get a little bit of expansion on it, but if not, I guess maybe they were trying to do a bit of a subversion on how exactly superheroics tied into his upbringing in that it was mostly a hobby rather than anything incredibly substantial? This isn't exactly Soul of the Dragon, is what I'm saying. En-chan: Right. Though Great-Z as a hero himself is technically divided into/complimented by the two people who make him up, Riku and his Dad. So that might be why Riku's is rather basic all things considered. DS: True. Seeing some of the stuff he did as part of the film crew was a nice touch too. Though it does makes one wonder how Yabai Kamen didn't recognize him when he got handed that giant blade. Then again, with that shot of YK with those piercing red eyes, maybe he did. He's definitely scheming something at the very least, and I can't wait to see what it is! En-chan: Yabai Kamen's basically been taken out of his damsel in distress role due to the rescue last time. He's just chilling, and potentially waiting for some opportunity. Which is probably the most dangerous position he could be in at this point. DS: Given how incredible of a showing he had in season 1, I can only hope he gets to show off his wonderfully villainous side once more. I feel it'd be a bit of a waste otherwise. Was there anything else about the episode that stood out to you? En-chan: Not so much in the episode but I did want to drop a bit of trivia. Riku's actor, if you all aren't aware by now, is Katsuhiro Suzuki, best known as Go-Buster's Red Buster but also as Kamen Rider Quiz from Zi-O. The latter of which I find a bit amusing given his character this time also has father issues. DS: Huh, I did not recognize him at all. En-chan: It was probably the blond hair. DS: Listen, just because you fooled me by putting on a wig one time...
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03-01-2024, 12:00 AM | #70 |
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Episode 10: I Found the First Bystander! DS: Before we get into the meat of the episode, I just wanna point out how much I love that every Blaster has its own individual touch to it. En-chan: They got jealous that Yamashiron modified his gun so they followed suit. I also love the gag of KitaQMan's gun being functional all along, it's just the safety was on. DS: And yet his has the label of "Not Safe" slapped on it, haha. Anyway, yeah, we've hit endgame with Nice Buddy, and the tone takes a rather dramatic turn to match. I was super engrossed into this one. The atmosphere and directing were all incredibly on point! En-chan: Helps that the episode is mostly shot at night to help give weight to the situation. DS: There's also the twist that, man, I dunno if it even is a twist so much as something I should've figured as soon as we learned who Great-Z actually was? Basically, it's made very clear here that the flashbacks we got a few episodes ago of the bullied child weren't Riku's', but rather his dad's'. And it makes alot of his behavior and motivations make alot of sense. En-chan: Yeah, it's a less a twist but there wasn't too much emphasis put onto it until now. Still, Great-Z's antagonism towards the Dogengers very much comes from the childhood trauma of being bullied by his classmates. Because of that and only viewing the Dogengers at a surface level at first, meant that he assumed our heroes were trying to trample on the dream he made a reality despite the disapproval of those around him. DS: It's something that is right in the wheelhouse of the director, too. While I was informed that she was a co-director for Super Sentai in years prior, something I found out recently was that she was also heavily involved in Tokusatsu GaGaGa before getting to be the lead director for Dogengers. And Great-Z's' resentment and bitterness really mirrored the backstory of a character from GaGaGa, and both are portrayed wonderfully. And likewise with GaGaGa, that sort of thing -- inventing your own heroes, having trouble finding those with similar interests, it's all portrayed rather realistically and is something I'm sure many of us who're in this medium can relate to. It's what makes the ending of this one, with the Dogengers extending a hand of understanding and helping to heal Great-Z's' inner child, all the more powerful. The scene where they all geek out over their old designs is great, and shows that, yeah, the people who make this stuff have to have some sort of passion for it, otherwise they wouldn't last. En-chan: It's such a heartwarming ending to the episode. Great-Z has that understandable fear given this is clearly a recurring episode in his mind, you can really tell how pained and fearful he is of a repeat with the people he's come to fight against. So when the Dogengers start complimenting and getting all friendly with his inner child, and he starts to realize that they all had the same start, the way he relaxes and comes to accept this as the episode fades to a relaxing white, it's absolutely touching. The ending of this episode is honestly why I consider this one of my favorite Tokusatsu episodes of all time. It's an emotionally warm climax to everything we've been following and has a wonderful message of telling people that you should still believe in and love heroes, you can still create your own heroes, it may feel rough at points, but keep pushing and you'll find something more despite it all. DS: The episode all around has alot of layers to it for sure. Heck, it's not like it's all Great-Z either. His entire situation of being a diabetic and not taking care of himself, well, that directly ties into the mission statement of Ohgaman and by extension, Ohga Pharmacy. Their entire mission is to get everyone to properly take their medicine(and sleep!), and having this episode showcase some of the dire consequences that can come about when you don't take proper care of yourself was a bold move for a kid's' show. And of course, it also helps in keeping with Riku mirroring Jiro, since Riku himself admits he should've pushed harder for his dad to take better care of himself. And what does nearly every episode of Dogengers end with? Telling kids to help their family stay healthy. It's some really cool theming all around and I dug it alot. En-chan: Oh absolutely. I was honestly surprised to see them do something this in depth regarding the messages in regard to medicine since we've never hit it this hard or heavy before now. Them tying it into the over-arching narrative in multiple ways worked very effectively. DS: That's about all I got for the major stuff this episode, so I wanna rapid fire some other bits I got a kick out of: -Great-Z, if we're going by his old drawing, is based off of Getter Robo, and ya know, great choice for inspiration I must say. -Maid Butler coming in clutch, Tuxedo Mask style, was a great scene. -Did... did Shiromaru friggen DIE!? En-chan: To respond in kind. -Oh absolutely! -Maid Butler made an absolutely fabulous entrance, that shot against the moon is such a good frame. -Who's to say? He did say he smelled the stench of death though. DS: Was there any more you wanted to note? This was just a great episode all around and I dunno what else to say other than "Yeah, A+ all around." En-chan: Just that there's a clever choice of book end here. Great-Z's finisher in episode 2 is definitely a highlight in regards to the comedy of how long it takes. So to see it here in episode 10, where the long process to initiate it becomes excruciating to watch as the man is at his absolute limit? Incredible tone shift to see. DS: Oh yeah, the toy adverts being played for drama was a great twist too. Really funny on the debuts of the giant robot and all. But in the context of this episode, wherein he's seriously questioning his own sense of heroics? Heartbreaking. En-chan: Absolutely. DS: So with that, no outro joke this time. Instead I will simply parrot a certain someone and say "WATCH DOGENGERS!" En-chan: Yes!
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