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And its greatest treasure is the Carranger pose.
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Said it before will say it again. Minoru/Green Racer and Signalman's road trip to Hokkaido to get the Giga Formula back is GOAT episode in Super Sentai history. :lolol
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I really need to watch Carranger someday. Seems like everyone who watched it views it as a favorite
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Just finished Kyuranger and outside of a few writing hiccups at the start and the character development being somewhat uneven, it is a very solid and enjoyable series. It's honestly a shame there is no crossover movie between Kyuranger and Zyuohger. I would've loved to see how these two teams would have interacted with each other. Now, it's onward to Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger.
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Finishing up on episode 15 of LuPat and, well, is it wrong for me to want to see Patren#1's dance after being healed from the Monster of the Week's poison being made into a GIF? The series is starting to grow on me.
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Hi, it’s me. After thinking it over, I’ve decided to move my feature from Fridays to Sundays/Mondays. So without further ado, let’s get on with
Androzani’s Tsukai Detour This week, we’re covering Denji Sentai Megaranger vs Carranger And now, on with the explanation. “Coming from another dimension, the Wicked Electric Kingdom Nezirejia tried to take over the Earth which led them to engaging INET, made up of the best minds in the world whom were forced to assemble Megaranger, a high tech team to fight Dr. Hinelar who plotted to twist the world by sending Nezire Beasts and Psycho Nezilar.” Megaranger: Kenta Date/Mega Red: An underachiever and laziest student attending Moboroshi High School, Kenta Date enjoys eating barbecue and playing the Megaranger arcade game. His gaming habit causes him to be scouted out by INET, and in a moment of crisis, he is chosen to become Mega Red. While he's Red, he's not the leader of the team (that position goes to the more responsible Kouichirou/Mega Black). But he usually takes point as most Red Rangers do, since that's usually how it is in Sentai. Turns out he's not really that dumb, since he can be smart when the time demands. He's just lazy about studying. Possesses the power of the computer, allowing him to download any fighting skill he needs. Koichiro Endo/Mega Black: Model student, Student Council President, a hard working boy who pretty much treats everything like Serious Business. He is the appointed leader of the Megarangers, due to being more responsibile. Possesses the power of the satellite, allowing him to monitor transmissions and trace them. Shun Namiki/Mega Blue: The token genius, an aspiring computer graphic artist. At first, he prioritised his dream over fighting, causing him to quit, but ended up going back anyway since dreams can be re-created, but not friends. He's still pretty aloof compared to the rest, though. Possesses the power of television, allowing him to create holographic illusions indistinguishable from reality. Chisato Jougasaki/Mega Yellow: A bright photographer girl, and a more responsible one. She's into various girly hobbies like singing. While she's smart and responsible, she also sometimes likes to slack off and play Megaranger. Has the power of the digital camera, granting her the power to record anything she sees, or scan opponents for weaknesses. Miku Imamura/Mega Pink: A not-so-bright student who's a good friend to Chisato. Likes eating, but is quite conscious on her weight. Like Kenta, she's just Obfuscating Stupidity due to her dislike of schoolwork. Has a crush on Shun. Has the power of cellphones, allowing her to scan for abnormal noises. Allies: Professor Eikichi Kubota: The man behind the Megaranger project. Dr. Kubota invented the Megaranger video game to seek out recruits to face the Nezirejia. Yusaku Hayakawa/Mega Silver: A researcher of INET who tends to slack off. Despite his lazy attitude, he's one of the top agents INET could offer. He developed the prototype of the Megaranger suit, and when the final product was completed, he used the prototype to create the Mega Silver suit. Initially, it had a 150 second time limit to increase its power output, but this was later removed, along with the power. Possesses the power of the microchip, the basis of all digital technology. Ken Ooiwa: the homeroom teacher of the five Megarangers during their civilian lives as students at Moroboshi High School. He's a rather lazy, slacking teacher who'd rather oversleep instead of going to school, upsetting good students such as Kouichirou. However, he is a caring teacher who does look out respectfully and with authority for his students. Jaden Kingdom Nezirejia: an evil force from the Nezire Dimension, led by Electro-Emperor Jabius with the intent to twist our reality to be like their own. Dr. Hinelar: Jabius’ main enforcer, who carries out the dimension. Formerly known as Dr. Samejima, the Kenta to Kubota’s Koichiro, who worked on the Megaranger project on its early stages, even submitting his own design for the Mega Suits, which was rejected as too horrific. He was believed in an experimental transporter test, along with the 5 prototypes for his Mega Suits. Shibolena: An Android who is second in command to Dr. Hinelar on the Death Neziro. She often comes up with plans for conquering and prefers devious plans over brute force. Bibidebi: a playful winged imp-like creature that Dr. Hinelar modified to enlarge*the Nezire Beasts by injecting them with*a*Growth Virus*through his bite. While mostly harmless, Bibidebi on occasion has formulated plans that if successful would have spelt the end for the Megarangers; such as shooting Toad Nejire's eggs with an evolution beam in order to increase their growth and*raise an army of Toad Nejires.*He is*loyal to Dr.Hinelar and very much towards Shibolena. He even has affection towards her as seen when he sent Canary Nezilar out to mainly spark her interest towards him. Bibidebi doesn't get along very well with Yugande*due to*his*more*serious and hot-headed nature. Mobile Commander Yugande: an artificial life form warrior*created by Dr. Hinelar*to serve as his chief enforcer and general. In addition to his swordsmanship; Yugande possesses a vast arsenal of powers such as energy blasts, the creation of illusionary copies, and the ability to enlarge himself without Bibidebi's*Giant Injection. He is armed with the Dark Thunder (ダークサンダー Dāku Sandā) sword. He has already been destroyed and rebuilt twice, once in battle against Galaxy Mega, after which he was restored as the stronger Yugande Relive and another time as a sacrifice by his treacherous ally Guirail, after which he became the cybernetic Yugande Strong, with Dark Thunder becoming Dark Crisis (ダーク クライシス Dāku Kuraishisu) as a result. Psycho Nezilar: more powerful robotic monsters, created by Dr. Hinelar's "piano", using Mad Guirail's remains in the Nezire Beast creation process, that were used following the debut of the Mega Voyager. They differ from the Nezire Beasts due to their heightened psychotic natures and metallic bodies. My opinion of Megaranger: It’s an odd one. The show works at first, due to more of a slice of life feel. But in the last few episodes, it changes track and goes through an ongoing storyline that just seems to exist to put the heroes through a living hell. Don’t get me wrong, I like the show. I’m just not going to be naming it as a favourite any time soon. As for the staff, this marks the VS Movie debut of Naruhisa Arakawa. And if you don’t know who he is somehow, I’ve written a detailed biography here, while our director is Ryuta Tasaki, whose major Toku credits include Power Rangers Lost Galaxy and Lightspeed Rescue, Kamen Riders Agito through Faiz, Kiva and Zi-O and the recently released Super Hero Senki. With all that said, on with the review. We open with a shot of a clam drifting through space (yes, really), before the thing inside eyes Earth and drifts there. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IhJlX...jpg&name=small And on Earth, Kenta wakes up late for school, which gets exacerbated by his dad having to pick up the truck from a shop, with some familiar voices offering him imo-yokan for his trouble. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IhJpX...jpg&name=small Cue titles. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IhJwX...jpg&name=small https://youtube.com/watch?v=5EIxieH9lhE For the game warriors What happens may look like some sort of lie Making good use of these masks That's the best sensation! But what a shock! In the true battle, life hangs in the balance You cannot reset A fight this hard Let's jump in Let's strike at them Right away! Let's go, Mega! Let's change, Mega! Let your courage go beyond reach Take a look, Mega! Let's do this, Mega! As if you were to reach to the farthest skies High tension at the millions We are Mega! Mega! Mega! Denji Sentai Megaranger! When Kenta arrived, he finds Mr. Ooiwa in a suit, which he finds hilarious. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IhJzW...jpg&name=small But his bubble gets burst by an unusually expositional Chisato and an unusually snarky Miku. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IoicW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IoimX...jpg&name=small When Koichiro sees something coming down, he and his fellow Digital Research Club members all come down with “a sudden illness”. They head to the woods, where the clam lands in Miku’s hands. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IoiuX...jpg&name=small Before they can do anything with it, they see something else coming down. An alien with a motorcycle who makes the clam’s inhabitant scared. (And Miku has decided to become a surrogate mother apparently) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IomyW...jpg&name=small The alien introduces himself as the Space Berserker Helmedor, who isn’t a Nezirejia. He explains that if water is poured on the clam and it is rubbed twice, he can turn the universe into a biker’s paradise by wishing for it (Is that really so bad? If anything, it sounds pretty awesome). But since he’s threatening a living being, the Megarangers install to fight him, only to be overpowered by Helmedor. Yusaku takes this as his cue to be badass. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IylfX...jpg&name=small He then ends his limited face time with a command, as his insert kicks in. Yusaku: Keitaizer, Install! https://youtube.com/watch?v=McyhVQPWVA0 Yusaku and Helmedor then have a protracted bike duel (apparently, Toei still sees no reason to award Taketera the right to revive Kamen Rider over the guy who created it or his assistant), which Yusaku wins, with his Blazer Impact attack. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IylgW...jpg&name=small But Helmedor survives this, growing large somehow (and throwing the bike into the mix as well) to run them over. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65IyljX...jpg&name=small The Megarangers call Galaxy Mega to battle him, upgrading to Super Galaxy Mega when Helmedor proves too much and managing to pull the win out. But Helmedor survives and escapes https://youtube.com/watch?v=kaLj5cxdBzA Back at the school, Koichiro contacts Kubota about the clam, who reveals they received a mysterious message from space (which was conveniently decipherable) Kubota: “Protect the light of hope from the space berserker, dapp.” Chisato: Light of hope? Shun: Space berserker? Koichiro: and what’s that last word “dapp” mean? Kubota: INET is putting all our resources into researching “dapp” (Honestly, that’s the beauty of these crossovers. Things that are normal for one side come across as plain bizarre for others and it’s fun to see that) A mysterious figure strolls down the hallways of the high school. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65I9sHX...jpg&name=small As the Megarangers are tasked with protecting the clam from falling into Nezirejia’s hands, Miku decides to test out what Helmedor said about granting wishes on it. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65I9sBX...jpg&name=small After a few seconds where it seems like the shell was a dud, a huge cake appears and fails to crush the table. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65I9sYW...jpg&name=small Then the mystery weirdo shows up and runs off with the shell, causing the Megarangers to give chase. They come across a group of suspicious looking students. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65I9scW...jpg&name=small They claim to be from class 8, which Koichiro immediately uses to expose them as fakes, prompting one of them to ad lib (and not very well). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JGCgX...jpg&name=small But Koichiro is a pot calling the kettle black (Megaranger is the one Tokusatsu show from Japan with a school setting where none of the cast are teenagers. Turboranger has Shunsuke/Yellow Turbo, while Fourze has Ryusei, Yuki and Mio) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JGCmW...jpg&name=small Rumbled, the thieves depart with the shell, managing to outpace the Cyber Sliders in a mini of all things. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JGCoX...jpg&name=small But luckily, Chisato shot a homing device onto the van, allowing it to be followed. At Pegasus Garage, the Carrangers go over the fax they received from Dapp. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JGCxW...jpg&name=small They also positively id the thing in the shell. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JOd-W...jpg&name=small As they get up to the part about how it works, Kyosuke decides to use it to do lunch by wishing for katsudon. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JOd-X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JOeIX...jpg&name=small As he gets chided for wasting one of the 5 wishes they get, Yugande shows up with his newest monster, Kani Nezira, to take Picot https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JOeNX...jpg&name=small The Megarangers show up and volunteer to fight off the Nezirejia, the Carrangers transform, shocking everyone. As Carranger fail to do anything against Kami Nezira, and the Megarangers struggle against Yugande, Koichiro has an idea. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JZiOW...jpg&name=small After everything is cleared up between the two Sentai and the villains have been driven off empty handed, Picot emerges from his shell to reveal a weird dragon-thing. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JZiWW...jpg&name=small He thanks them for saving him and tells them that with the katsudon and the cake, they have three wishes left. Kenta, Koichiro, Shun and Chisato: Katsudon? Naoki, Minoru, Natsumi and Yoko: Cake? Kyosuke and Miku: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JniFX...jpg&name=small At Death Neziro, Dr. Hinelar is annoyed at the Carrangers getting involved and Shibolena suggest they create a second Psycho-Nezilar. Cue Helmedor making his entrance. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JniMX...jpg&name=small He says that once he’s made his one wish, he’ll give it to them to use, which Dr. Hinelar agrees to (to the point he drops the point of how Helmedor made his way into another dimension and boarded Death Neziro without anyone seeing him) At the beach, the two Sentai do lunch, fresh from Kitchen Gynamo (long story), off Minoru’s unreceived pay-check. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65JnifW...jpg&name=small As they discuss their adventures, Kenta shows us that when it comes to making wishes, he is a man of simple tastes (though he’s actually suggesting grilled meat, not specifically Korean barbecue) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Ju8FX...jpg&name=small Kyosuke then reveals what they intend to wish for. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Ju70W...jpg&name=small As Kyosuke and Minoru discuss the memories they made with their friends, Miku has a realisation. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Ju8HW...jpg&name=small It’s at that point that Dapp shows up for a reunion. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Ju8SW...jpg&name=small But once they give him Picot, he turns violent. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65J23NX...jpg&name=small Sure enough, as you may have guessed, it’s not Dapp, but Helmedor, who leaves with his prize. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65J23dX...jpg&name=small And it’s transformation time. Megarangers: Install, Megaranger! Carrangers: Gekisou! Accel Changer! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65J23RX...jpg&name=small But giving chase proves impossible, as Shibolena shows up with a group of Kunekunes and brainwashes the Carrangers into obedience by blowing them a kiss(because she can do that apparently) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65J23ZW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KCZtX...jpg&name=small Elsewhere, Helmedor reiterates his dream for a biker’s paradise. So of course, he wishes for a giant laser cannon (how the two are remotely connected is beyond me) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KCZuX...jpg&name=small He then tests his new toy by blowing up his prison on Planet Jail (har har), along with the planet itself (So did he murder everyone locked in the prison? That’s cold). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KCb8W...jpg&name=small Kani Nezira shows up and points out that he’s technically used his one wish. But Helmedor terminates this alliance and starts fighting him over Picot (then why did they establish this alliance if they were going to dissolve it almost immediately?). Back at the beach, the Megarangers are struggling, until Kenta finds the real Dapp tied up in a cave (how did Helmedor or Nezirejia know he’d be there?) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KCb5X...jpg&name=small Dapp analyses the situation and says that the only way to free the Carrangers from the brainwashing is to hit them with both his Kurumagic power and the Megaranger’s finishing move. But this just gives the Carrangers the idea to summon the Giga Booster, with the Megarangers reluctantly assembling the Drill Sniper Custom and the Multi Attack Rifle. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KRGDW...jpg&name=small The Megarangers hit first, reversing the brainwashing. Kyousuke then insists that Kenta go on ahead to retrieve Picot. As they get there, Kani Nezira has defeated Helmedor and proceeds to make his first wish (turns out he has a convenient water cannon built into his pincer, even though they had no idea what Picot was capable of when they detected him). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KRGMW...jpg&name=small And so, Tokage Nezira, Condor Nezira, Lion Nezira, Yamarashi Nezira and Kamakiri Nezira are revived (not revived: Canaria Nezira) and begin attacking. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KRGSW...jpg&name=small Kani Nezira then proceeds to make his final wish. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KZXSW...jpg&name=small Or he would, if a brawl didn’t break out over Picot between Helmedor and the Carrangers, ending with Picot reverting to a clam and Kyosuke tricking the two with the katsudon he wished for earlier (so when’s the giant cake going to turn out to be useful?) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KZXjW...jpg&name=small An annoyed Shibolena decides that in order to get the space fairy, they need to work together. So she kisses Helmedor before leaving. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KZXgW...jpg&name=small With the Psycho Nezilars proving too overwhelming, the Carrangers give up their wish for a flying car to give Megaranger the last wish. Though reluctant, they take it and Kenta wishes for a new power. Which turns out to be… golden armour. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KZXlX...jpg&name=small (I think Taketera has a fetish for golden armoured forms) And thus, it’s role call time. Kyosuke: Red Racer! Naoki: Blue Racer! Minoru: Green Racer! Natsumi: Yellow Ranger! Yoko: Pink Racer! All: Fighting for traffic safety, Gekisou Sentai Carrrrrranger! Kenta: Mega Red! Koichiro: Mega Black! Shun: Mega Blue! Chisato: Mega Yellow! Miku: Mega Pink! Kenta: Denji Sentai… All: Megaranger! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KkAGX...jpg&name=small And thus a battle begins, set to the English version of Megaranger’s OP (a distressing trend during this period) https://youtube.com/watch?v=GFmhixh5Edk To cut a long story short, they win. Bibidevi then shows up and enlarges both Helmedor and Kani Nezira (didn’t Helmedor have his own growth method? Oh well). The Megarangers summon the Voyager Machines to form Mega Voyager, while the Carrangers summon the Ranger Vehicles to form RV Robo. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Kj_8W...jpg&name=small After a protracted fight, wherein the giant cannon from earlier reappears, and Yusaku reappears in his Mecha Mega Voyager (where we he for most of this madness) to destroy said cannon, RV Robo defeats Helmedor with the Gekisou Giri while Mega Voyager loans Mega Winger’s um, wings to become Wing Mega Voyager and defeat Kani Nezira with the Winger Spartan. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Kj_8X...jpg&name=small Later, the two say goodbye to Picot, who heads off to the next planet. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Kpq3W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65Kpq4X...jpg&name=small And it turns out that the Megarangers missed that graduation photo that wasn’t that important. But who cares, since they go back to the beach and have fun, set to Megaranger’s ED (despite that decidedly not being an upbeat song for this kind of scene). https://youtube.com/watch?v=T8T_NPgVQC4 When I feel sad, when I feel like crying My digitizer beeps I answer, pretending to be fine But then I couldn't hide it from you "Go ahead, tell me" You reply in your soothing voice Am I just imagining That I felt the warmth of your touch on my wrist Maybe I'm just imagining I feel as if you are right next to me Even the usual words of encouragement Seem like words heard for the first time As I place it close to my ear And there’s a post credits scene which puts a slight damper on this being entirely happy. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KprFW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E65KprPW...jpg&name=small Final thoughts: Once again, this wasn’t abjectly terrible. But once again, there wasn’t much of an attempt to integrate two villains corresponding to both series into the same plot. Aside from the shared mcguffin of the wish granting clam, this could’ve been too separate movies. But it’s still better than what comes next, I can assure you of that. The challenge: If you had 5 wishes, what would you wish for? |
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Helmedor's plot isn't much different from Exhaus cause Exhaus wanted to build a grand space highway where accidents happen constantly, but the Earth was in the way so he wanted it blown up! Helmedor also strikes me as inspiration for Sanbash in Gingaman, given that the two are meant to emulate hardcore bikers! The idea of enlarging with your own bike will never be topped! By the way, where did that damn bike go for the final battle anyway? It wasn't shown being destroyed! It is a shame that Gynamo didn't reappear. It would've been nice if he had contributed to Helmedor's defeat by saying something like "I know that guy. He's even crazier than Exhaus was! I'll help you beat him down!" If Shibolena can control Carranger, why wasn't this skill used in the Megaranger series? Bad guys making deals and then betraying your allies isn't surprising. The MegaTector honestly doesn't look all that bad. I just feel as though they could've displayed its armor qualities more. It makes sense that Helmedor had to be helped when he was enlarged since he took the final attack earlier with the monsters. If you've been defeated by Rangers, you probably are going to need help to grow. I never found the English versions of the themes to be an issue! I find them amusing and entertaining. I think, in years past, I played the battle, Post-MegaTector Debut, just to hear the song! They reused footage of the Mega Voyager debut battle here. I think the fights are probably more entertaining than the actual story, given the gaps in the story, but it's still meant to be dumb fun...and it is in the long run! |
Only thing I will say is katsudon FTW. :lolol
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This is my overall fourth favorite Sentai crossover movie. I seriously love the dynamic between the Megarangers and the Carrangers and the film itself is just downright fun. Oh, and the continuity nods to the previous series is a nice touch.
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I watched Zyu Oh Vs Ninja Ranger recently being my 2nd team up movie. The first was Magi / Deka.
Update Toei shows on a short delay for catching up Power Rangers Beast Morphers on Netflix for the 2nd half. Finishing the 1st 20. Power Rangers Beast Morphers Part 1 (01 - 20) (Complete) Dino Fury (Episode 12) Dino Fury is on hiatus at the moment and I have 7 left on the first half of Beast Morphers. |
I'm now up to episode 25 of LuPat. I am now officially close to the show's halfway point.
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And we’re back for another one of these, even if Fish took the week off. So, without further ado, let’s proceed with…
Seijuu Sentai Gingaman vs Megaranger https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-lgaX...jpg&name=small "The Starbeasts: They are mysterious animals who fight for the sake of defending harmony in the Milky Way!" “Mystical animals that protect the galaxy, the Starbeasts give power to five chosen warriors. These warriors can freely control the natural power of Earth which they used to beat the Space Pirates Balban that were wrecking planets.” Gingaman: Ryouma/GingaRed: a rookie in the art of Earth Power, Ryouma became GingaRed to fulfil his brother Hyuuga's last wish. His potential is stronger than Hyuuga's. He is bright, optimistic, and hardworking. When Hyuuga returns, Ryoma offered his saber back, but he changed his mind, to Hyuuga's pleasure. His element is fire. Later, with the Lights of Ginga, Ryouma can become Super Armor Shine GingaRed (超装光ギンガレッド Chōsōkō Gingareddo). Hayate/GingaGreen: Cool and quick-witted, he is an expert flute player. A very qualified sub-leader, his only weakness is tomatoes (although he fixes this through the series) and honey. Miharu, whom he is engaged to, gave him a flute and amulet, which he always carries, before leaving the Ginga Forest. He became rivals with Steerwoman Shelinda after a sword battle. Hayate's element is wind. Later, with the Lights of Ginga, Hayate can become Super Armor Shine GingaGreen (超装光ギンガグリーン Chōsōkō Gingagurīn). In the finale, Hayate reunited with Miharu after the Ginga Forest is restored following Zahab's death. Gouki/GingaBlue: Gouki is strong but shy and slightly nervous, and a lover of forests and wildlife. He thought this aspect of his personality would not let him be a good Gingaman, but at the end he even conquered long secret love Suzuko Miyasawa. He is also a good cook and his element is water. Later, with the Lights of Ginga, Gouki can become Super Armor Shine GingaBlue (超装光ギンガブルー Chōsōkō Gingaburū). Hikaru/GingaYellow: Even though he can be very childish at times, he hates to be treated like a kid. Hikaru is a gluttonous prankster. His favorite food is Mister Donut's doughnut. After the appearance of Black Marketeer Biznella they often fought each other. Hikaru's element is thunder. Later, with the Lights of Ginga, Hikaru can become Super Armor Shine GingaYellow (超装光ギンガイエロー Chōsōkō Gingaierō). Saya/GingaPink: Saya has a strong admiration for Hyuuga and sisterly affection for Ryouma that gave her courage to fight against the Balban with her comrades. She loves climbing trees and is always playing or competing with Hikaru, which often leads to arguments and misunderstandings between them. Saya is a strong but introverted girl, her "earth" element is nature and later, with the Lights of Ginga, Saya can become Super Armor Shine GingaPink (超装光ギンガピンク Chōsōkō Gingapinku). Allies: Kurokishi Hyuuga: Ryouma’s older brother and the original candidate for GingaRed. But during the initiation, he was attacked by Barban’s Gun Boss Sambash and left for dead in a crater. He was however, saved by the spirit of Kurokishi BullBlack, a warrior with a strong vendetta with the Barban who had fallen into the same pit 3000 years ago. Eventually, BullBlack sacrificed himself to save the Earth, restoring Hyuuga in the process, with the latter gaining access to BullBlack’s Bull Riot sword, armour and Starbeast GoTaurus. He later gave up his Earth Power to master the Knight Axe and kill Zahab, only to regain it later after the Axe proved insufficient. Wisdom Tree Mokk: a tree spirit who serves as a mentor to Gingaman, providing them with new weapons from his seeds. He can sense Barban in any area that has a tree nearby. He sacrificed himself to prevent the Earth from being poisoned by the Earth Monster’s presence and the Super Growth Extract dropped within the soil, but was revived from a seed planted in the Ginga Forest after Barban’s defeat. Fairy Bokk: a diminutive tree sprite with an acorn-shaped*cranium and who ends every phrase with "bokku!" When the Barban attacked the Galaxy Forest Village, he was the only one to escape before it turned to stone, carrying an amulet he was instructed by the village elder Ohgi to deliver to the Gingamen. He usually stayed inMokk’s chamber. Yuuta Aoyama: a child who introduced the Gingaman to the outside world, after disbelieving in the legend of them at first. His father gave them shelter at his ranch so he could write a children’s book about them. Space Pirates Barban: A gang of space pirates who go around destroying planets and collecting their riches. They were sealed away by the original Gingaman 3000 years ago, but the seal decayed into uselessness in the present day. Captain Zahab: Barban’s leader, who spearheaded their efforts first to revive the Daitanic and when it was destroyed, to cultivate the Earth Monster as a replacement. He has been kept alive for millions of years using the compressed remains of his planet as an artificial heart. In the final battle, he was killed by the Black Knight's Black Chop, the JuuSoukou Gingamen's Ginga no Senkou, and finally, ChouSoukou GingaRed, using his Flashing Starbeast Sword and Beast Armour Claw for the Beast Fire Flash in mid-air as the final attack. Steerwoman Shelinda: Zahab’s right hand, who had a desire to kill Hayate after he scarred her breasts, even though he never acknowledged her at first, until she posed as his lost love Miharu to sadisitcally torture him, which made him dedicated to destroy her, which he succeeded at. Gun Boss Sambash: the hot-headed and leather-clad leader of the Sambash Monster Gang. In battle, he wields a pistol with great destructive power and rides a motorcycle equipped with a machine gun. He was the first general of the chosen by Captain Zahab to fight the Gingamen. He would try to revive the Daitanic using trivia about it, until his final plan, wherein he discovered the Galactic Light sealed in a cave and planned to take that. But upon finding that it was a decoy, he went insane and was killed in a botched suicide attack against Ryouma, that ended with him going over a cliff and exploding. Samurai General Budoh: the leader of the Budoh Monster Mob, and the second general chosen by Captain Zahab to fight the Gingaman and revive the Daitanic. His appearance is of a humanoid manta ray whose wings form a partial cape bearing his army's emblem. Budoh is armed with the Girasame katana and despite his unpredictability possesses a strong sense of honor and loyalty that even Captain Zahab recognized, thanking his men for their service whenever they fall in battle. He planned to continue where Sambash left off, by finding where the Galactic Light was hidden. But not only did the Gingaman get there first, but he was framed for treachery by his rival Illiess and disgraced, choosing to go out in battle against GingaRed , since he had little left to lose. Spectral Empress Illiess: the leader of the Iliess Monster Tribe and was the third general to face the Gingamen. A spiteful and covetous Egyptian-themed sorceress, Iliess valued money even over the lives of her own family and always demanded monetary compensation upon a successful plan, a trait that did not go unnoticed by Captain Zahab. She gained her position of field general by humialitong Budoh in revenge for his humiliating her uncle Bookrates, then she proceeded to instigate plans to gather certain numbers of people to carry out rituals to break the seal, in exchange for a monetary reward. In her last battle, she summoned the spirits of all her monsters and combined with them to become Evil Empress Illiess (邪帝イリエス, Jatei Iriesu), but was defeated by GingaiOh and BullTaurus, with her soul gem being crushed to stop the Daitanic’s heart from decaying. Destruction King Battobas: the leader of the Battobas Monster Corps, and the fourth, final, and strongest of the Barban Generals to face the Gingamen. A weapons and tactical specialist; Battobas is considered by Captain Zahab to be "his right arm", which suggests a longer relationship between them than the rest of the generals. He also has a long relationship with Dark Merchant Biznella, whom he hired on to be his second-in-command after Captain Zahab seized Biznella's ship, as compensation for the loss of the Steel Starbeasts Biznella had sold to them earlier. His plan initially focused on carefully planned strategies to restart the Daitanic’s heart, and later on pouring Super Growth Extract into the ground to forcibly enlarge the Earth Monster. He succeeded in the second goal, but unfortunately for him, the monster was now hungry. What do I think of the show? Considering it’s written by one of my least favourite Tokusatsu writers and produced by one of my least favourite Tokusatsu producers? It was actually pretty good. Shame I can’t say the same about what we’re about to get into. Like with the last one, this is written by Arakawa (a fairly odd choice, given that there are two other writers who did both shows that had way more of a contribution to Gingaman than he did), but this time, the director’s chair belongs to the late, great Takao Nagaishi, who was the main director of Megaranger among other shows. This is also the last Sentai production by Taketera (whose madcap scheme to get creative control over Kamen Rider at first went swimmingly, before his second crack ensured he’d never work at Toei again). With all that said, on with the review. Our movie opens in the Galaxy Forest, with the narrator explaining the story so far. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8CJPX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8CJVX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8CJcX...jpg&name=small (Yes, dear viewer. This takes place AFTER the series. Don’t ask why, it makes about as much sense as when Ex-Aid and Zero-One did it) As everyone talks about how much they love the tranquility of the forest (because, nature series), Mokk senses something coming. And it’s not the Starbeasts. (I spell it as one word because, to me, the only “star beast” is Beep the Meep) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8CJcW...jpg&name=small Cue titles https://youtube.com/watch?v=H9rQ9grBTjU Dash, run to all the corners of the Earth. (Gingaman) Dash, be like the wind in the wilderness. (Gingaman) Howl, howl, howl! Gingaman! Hear the sounds of footsteps on the ground! Strong and fierce, louder than anything! You can beat the setting sun to the horizon! (Gingaman) Gan gan, gin gin, Gingaman! Gan gan, gin gin, Gingaman! Let the roars of five beasts be heard! Gan gan, gin gin, Gingaman! Gan gan, gin gin, Gingaman! The legendary blade that pierces the galaxy! Seijuu Sentai Gingaman Heading to the scene, the Gingaman find a creature like the Daitanic, but in red, crashing in the centre of the city. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-lglX...jpg&name=small Ryouma is the first to leap into the fray doing his transformation. “Ginga Tensei! (Galaxy Rebirth) Ha!” (Per a meet and greet which involved Saya’s actress Juri Miyazawa, the ‘ha’ is absolutely necessary) But as their Earth Power proves ineffective, it turns out that this monster has its own pirate associated with it. Space Pirate Gregory (who has the same VA as Space Berserker Helmedor from the previous movie) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-lgqW...jpg&name=small (I have no idea where either “Gregory” or “Gelmadic” come from. So I hope you won’t mind if I nickname the former “Cap’n Crunch”, since I have trouble taking the name seriously thanks to the Wimpy Kid books) Cap’n Crunch beats the tar out of the Gingaman with ease, only for the battle to be joined by a newcomer who overpowers him. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-lg2W...jpg&name=small Cap’n Crunch: Who is that guy? Kenta: An ally of justice. As Kenta defeats Cap’n Crunch long enough for the Gingaman to pull out their JuGekiBou (which bizarrely use the original toy-accurate design rather than the upgraded version from Gingaman’s endgame arc). Cap’n Crunch survives this and bids the Gelmadic attack them all, to which the three Silver Starbeasts, Giga-Vitus, GigaRhinos and GigaPhoenix, show up to do battle. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XkXV7oPUzJU After a protracted fight, the latter two defeat the Gelmadic… only to explode for some reason (no, there isn’t an explanation I can think of or one given in the story for this to happen. It just does) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8xxEW...jpg&name=small And to add insult to injury, the Gelmadic survives, though Cap’n Crunch detaches his castle before the monster disappears. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8xwmX...jpg&name=small As Cap’n Crunch moves his castle to an island, we learn he has a subordinate. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8xxFX...jpg&name=small Hizumina offers to react a barrier around the planet so the Starbeasts can’t interfere with the Gelmadic’s healing (despite, oh I don’t know, exploding). Cap’n Crunch is pleased with this, moving onto stage two of his plan. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N8xxCW...jpg&name=small But because he used up all of his sword’s energy (energy? It’s a sword, not a blaster), he can’t resurrect anyone more powerful than the commanders. But Hizumina offers to get him some extra energy, at which point we learn her resemblance to Shibolena (“Shibole”= squeeze, “Hizumu” = distort) is more than skin deep, as her end of the bargain is the resurrection of Nezirejia. Cap’n Crunch then begins his ritual, as Hizumina vows to revive Dr. Hinelar. Back at the Galaxy Forest, Ryouma reads Kenta’s card. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N87QZW...jpg&name=small As Kenta chuckles about being unemployed and is amazed by what the Gingaman have as a set up, Mokk recounts how the Starbeasts sealed an evil man in space long before the Barban became a threat to Earth. And he has no idea where Cap’n Crunch or his monster went, so Kenta volunteers to help. In his evil lair, Cap’n Crunch performs a ritual to bring back, Shellinda, Sambash, Budoh, Illiess and Battobas (but not Bookrates or Businera). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N87QnX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N87QrW...jpg&name=small At Kenta’s college, the Gingaman draw laughs from everyone, which Kenta quickly works out the cause of. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9PoiW...jpg&name=small He says they need to change into something more inconspicuous. One jump cut later. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9PotX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9PotX...jpg&name=small Hikaru asks the obvious question of why Kenta is wearing Ryouma’s outfit, to which he explains he always wanted to wear something like this. It turns out our other featured yellow hero (and Juri Miyazawa’s NIYA NIYA SISTERS bandmate) isn’t crazy about it either. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9Po4W...jpg&name=small Chisato reveals that they lost sight of the fortress because of a magic barrier that appeared around the Earth, to which Kubota has suggested they can reverse engineer a solution from Ryouma’s Ginga Brace. After everyone changes back (then why did the bother changing, beyond a gag?) and Kenta explains that Koichiro, Shun and Miku are all overseas, a mysterious woman in mink breaks into Chisato’s room and steals the Ginga Brace. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9f0LW...jpg&name=small The woman removes her disguise to reveal that she is Hizumina, who explains her origins. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9f12W...jpg&name=small She then explains why she didn’t blow up when Grand Neziros was destroyed by Mega Voyager in Megaranger’s finale. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9f03X...jpg&name=small She was flung into space, where she collided with Cap’n Crunch’s prison of 5000 years and made a pact to revive their respective factions to get revenge on their tormentors. As the non-Ryouma Gingaman attack, the Barban commanders make themselves known. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N9tHUW...jpg&name=small And then Hyuuga, after being absent from every scene outside of the Galaxy Forest, shows up to save Ryouma from being stepped on by Cap’n Crunch and to help the others escape before their Ginga Braces can be taken by summoning GoTaurus to force the bad guys to retreat. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N94OrX...jpg&name=small As Ryouma heals in a hospital, Kenta and Chisato apologise for losing his Brace as the Earth begins to shake, which Mokk confirms isn’t an earthquake. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N94PsX...jpg&name=small (That’s not how this species works! Goodnight) And then they learn that the barrier is preventing the Starbeasts from returning to Earth (this was probably supposed to be the most dramatic scene in the film, but thanks to some truly laughable staging, the opposite happens). Back at the evil lair, Cap’n Crunch performs the resurrection ritual to bring back Zahab… only for Hizumina to interrupt by stealing the sword and revealing what this alliance was actually about. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N94QgX...jpg&name=small She states that only Dr. Hinelar can rule the universe, only to be beaten down by Shellinda, who argues that it belongs to the Space Pirates (so Hizumina went down like a bitch). But performing this ritual has allowed Mokk to pinpoint their location to the sea (real helpful)… and the other Megarangers show up to pinpoint the exact location. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-BZ4X...jpg&name=small As Koichiro acknowledges Kenta as the real leader and reveals they actually got enough data for Kubota from the scan of the Ginga Brace, everyone but the two reds head out for the island. Where Cap’n Crunch has finished reviving Zahab. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-BdkX...jpg&name=small Zahab and Cap’n Crunch cement an alliance to destroy the Starbeasts (which they can’t do, since the barrier is preventing anything from coming and going to Earth). Elsewhere, Ryouma tries pulling himself to the battlefield, which Kenta approves of, giving him a lift on his bike (which he got from… somewhere) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-BarW...jpg&name=small The others set off by boat (which Shun knows how to drive, for some reason) and find the island with Koichiro’s machine (which prompts a completely off-tangent discussion of how they’ll protect this planet. A nice sentiment, but it has nothing to do with what they were talking about). As the Gelmadic quakes and throws the two reds into a literal cliffhanger, Kenta saves them by summoning his Cyber Slider as they fall off. As the others reach the island, Cap’n Crunch has his crew (they’re not your crew, they’re Zahab’s) fill his sword with their hatred to heal the Gelmadic… which turns out to be unnecessary, as he’s already healed and is heading for the island right now. As the heroes beat their way through Yatotos, Cap’n Crunch stabs his sword into the ground, beginning the process of reviving the Gelmadic (so is it revived or not? Make up your damn mind ABOUT ONE THING!) The heroes witness this and decide to charge in after the obligatory transformation sequence (or in the case of the Megarangers, as per the same meet and great I mentioned earlier, doing a pose before cutting to the cameraman’s hand working the Digitizer) Hyuuga! Kishi Tensei! (Knight Rebirth!) Ha! Megarangers: Install, Megaranger! Hayate: Ginga Tensei! Ha! As they charge in, they get blasted back by the full force of Barban’s leaders. But then Kenta and Ryouma appear. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-OBPX...jpg&name=small Ryouma blasts Cap’n Crunch with his Honoo no Tategami (mane of fire) technique, knocking his Ginga Brace free so he can retrieve it and the two reds can transform side by side for this group shot. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-OBLW...jpg&name=small Roll call time: Kenta: Mega Red! Koichiro: Mega Black! Shun: Mega Blue! Chisato: Mega Yellow! Miku: Mega Pink! All: Denji Sentai Megaranger! Ryouma: GingaRed, Ryouma! Hayate: GingaGreen, Hayate! Gouki: GingaBlue, Gouki! Hikaru: GingaYellow, Hikaru! Saya: GingaPink, Saya! Hyuuga: Kurokishi, Hyuuga! Ryouma: The legendary blade that pierces the Galaxy! Seiju Sentai… All: Gingaman! Narrator: Gingaman: it is a title bestowed upon courageous galactic warriors. But then Cap’n Crunch reveals he revived a whole army of monsters, not just the generals (I won’t bother naming them all, but I will point out that their presence here ultimately screwed up the production of Power Rangers Lost Galaxy by limiting what suits they had access to) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-X7eX...jpg&name=small As the heroes make incredibly quick work of these revived monsters (Cap’n Crunch should’ve realised resurrected monsters are always weaker than their first time out), the commanders start fighting Gingaman, while Hizumina revives long enough to face down Megaranger (She’s still here?) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-X-rW...jpg&name=small After Hizumina decimates 4 of the Megarangers with her variety of arbitrary powers, Kenta defeats her for good in a one hit kill (possibly the saddest death of a V-Cinext villain ever. Who cries for Hizumina? She never really achieves anything, contributes nothing unique to the plot and now she dies without any kind of redemption or enemy mine situation. Heck, even Kylo Ren got an enemy mine situation). Then, the Gelmadic emerges from the Earth, now coloured blue (and I will henceforth refer to it as “the Neo-Gelmadic”) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-X9WX...jpg&name=small The Megarangers and Hyuuga then go to deal with the Neo-Gelmadic in Denji Gattai (Electric Combination) Galaxy Mega and Gashin Juushi (Fusion Beast-Warrior) BullTaurus. But Cap’n Crunch isn’t having this and grows himself (somehow) to join the fight and overpower the two. But during the fight, the Megarangers get a call from INET, which they then pass on to the Gingaman: use your Earth Power (HOW was this not obvious before?). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-X_yW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-hRPX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-hSfX...jpg&name=small (Don’t ask how the fortress of Cap’n Crunch is the source of the barrier when Hizumina was the one who cast it. This movie can barely keep continuity with itself, let alone the series it represents). And then (to prove the point I just made), INET sends down a booster device to help the Gingaman destroy the barrier (despite the barrier preventing things from getting through and INET being based on the moon) But, because they need to pretend there’s still tension, Zahab and his band blast Gingaman down. But they recover quickly, transform into their JuuSoukou forms and defeat all 6 major villains with their Ginga no Senkou attack (they could give lessons to Decade). They destroy the barrier effortlessly and summon the Starbeasts to form Seiju Gattai ChouSoukou GingaiOh (Starbeast Combination Super Shining Armour Galaxy Earth King. What a mouthful), and destroy Cap’n Crunch while BullTaurus destroys the Neo-Gelmadic (so Galaxy Mega was utterly useless in this fight) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7N-hU-W...jpg&name=small And rather than any kind of resolution to this madness, we get the stock ending of everyone hanging out, set to Gingaman’s ED (which I already bundled with the OP in the video above, so I’ll simply post the lyrics here) Turn your face to the sun If the shadow of sorrow becomes too big for you Try laying yourself down on the ground If your tears suddenly become too much for you It’s fine to sometimes let your mind be free I’m running to catch up with you With you, born amidst nature’s greenery With you, called by the journey of the stars What we call today will be tomorrow’s legend Final thoughts: This was not a great feature. Not by any stretch of the imagination. For one thing, they try shaking things up by having the big bad be the villain representing the current series rather than previous one. The problem with that is that it shows us why it was always the previous season’s associated villain that got priority. As a result of this inversion, Hizumina is left with nothing to do except theoretically be a reason for the Megarangers to get involved. And she can’t even carry out that function, since they don’t learn she exists until AFTER the team up part has begun. Throw in a load of gratuitous and wholly unnecessary non-sexual fan service, and fail to have the slightest semblance of a plot with anything resembling consistency and Ginga v Mega is an absolute mess of a production. This is really from the same guys who gave us Kamen Rider Kuuga? What the hell happened? There’s no challenge this week, I’m too annoyed to come up with one. So last week’s is still open for the time being. |
The only good things that came out of this crossover are the Megarangers themselves, the massive battle between both teams against an army of the revived MOTWs and the giant mecha battle near the end. I also rather liked how the movie featured a nice mixture of soundtracks from both shows.
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Episode 21 – Denji Sentai Megaranger https://i.imgur.com/tZAxH68.png You'll have to forgive me if this post gets all high tension times a million, but I love Megaranger so much it's a struggle to try and stay all nice and structured when all I want to do is sit here yelling about how awesome this show is. Actually! In that case, how about I don't bother trying at all! Normally I'd start with broad context or whatever, but who needs any of that setup when I can come out of the gate swinging with a particularly bold statement considering what this entire project is dedicated to: I firmly believe Megaranger's premiere to be in the running for the best first episode in Super Sentai history. That last sentence is total hyperbole on my part! I'm contradicting myself right here and now so it won't be a surprise if I do later. If I seriously thought the entire back half of this tour was going to be downhill from this peak, that'd mostly just be depressing. But what I do seriously think, and why I'm wording it that strongly anyway, is that Megaranger is completely amazing, and its initial outing is about as tight as they come. See, Megaranger is in a bit of an interesting spot when it comes to the whole personal connection angle I like to cover, because it's both a show I've already seen in full, AND one I watched the premiere of but nothing else for what I believe was at least a couple years. Which means I'm basically doubly hyped here, hence why this whole post is such a jumbled mess of excitement. Although I don't remember exactly what my initial interest in the show was, or why I didn't jump on the whole thing right away. I know that even before watching the show, I adored the theme song so much I could spend an entire paragraph on it, and, hey, guess what you're reading right now! Replace "premiere" and "first episode" in that above hyperbolic statement with "opening" and "theme song" and you've got the gist of it. What an absolute masterpiece of a jam. That energetic rhythm! That triumphant sound! Those fitting lyrics! There are only a scant few Sentai openings that can even come close to getting me as pumped as Megaranger's does. So that probably played a huge role in drawing me towards the series. And once I did watch that first episode, it immediately left a strong impression on me. Apparently not strong enough to start watching the rest of the show right then and there, but it became something I knew I wanted to get around to sooner rather than later. It's a premiere that's downright impeccable in how thoroughly and clearly it lays out what the show is about, and all in an extremely entertaining fashion. Conceptually, Megaranger revolves around two ideas (digital technology and youth) which are arguably a single broader idea (things that make the future), and the catch in both of those cases is that this is another show produced by Shigenori Takatera, so those ideas are employed in large part to ground the fantasy in a degree of reality. So what's our Red for the series, ordinary high school student Kenta Date, doing in the very first scene of the premiere? Hitting up the local arcade and using his skills playing the Megaranger fighting game to crush some bully picking on little kids, of course! It's a really fun introduction, from the futuristic holographic visuals of the game, to the way the setup instantly endears you to Kenta, showing a caring side to him right away, but in a distinctly down-to-earth manner. A big part of the appeal of this show is that none of the heroes start as hypercompetent warriors, or even people "merely" predestined to eventually become hypercompetent warriors, and nothing could make that much clearer than Kenta's complete indifference to getting recruited to become a real-life Megaranger, being much more preoccupied with the free meal they had to give him so he'd sit down and hear them out. He was technically brought there because he had latent potential, yes, but even the guy running the whole operation has trouble believing it after getting a load of his personality. Kenta's hardly the ideal human, and that's what makes him the ideal symbol of this show's goals. The rest of the character introductions are similarly strong, even though they aren't the ones given the most spotlight. The aforementioned guy in charge of the Megaranger project, Kubota, is easily my favorite mentor character in any Sentai I've seen, and you get a feel for why right away. He's just another very normal dude, often very visibly stressed out the way someone with his job probably would be, while still clearly being qualified for it. Again, far from an ideal human. But while the heroes may not follow the usual heightened standards of the genre, the villains of the show, the Nezirejia, most certainly do, and that's what the makes the conflict so compelling. Right from their name, playing off of a Japanese word for twisting or distorting something, they're clearly bad news, and they start living up to that very quickly, tearing through a facility in use by INET as part of the organization's efforts to stop the oncoming invasion of the world... a facility where all our main characters happen to be at, naturally. So there's some real thrills to this episode's structure too, as within a minute of Kenta, Kubota, and the other four future members of the team all getting in a room together for the first time, everything starts exploding, and suddenly there's this HUGE pressure going on. Kubota sees the surprising ingenuity and determination of these five random high school kids when put in a pinch, and these five friends can see the weight of the violence happening around them, so they end up becoming the Megarangers, and from there it only gets even cooler. You've got the obligatory fight with mooks, the first hint of a bit of a cool rivalry between Mega Red and the main muscle of the villains, and it all ends with the team narrowly escaping the complete destruction of the facility by heading up to space, with that little bit of text in the corner assuring the viewer that this is merely the beginning. And sure enough, the show really does get cooler and cooler from there, as though that's possible. So many wonderful moments, exciting new characters, and just generally stellar episodes all over the place. I could talk about so many of them! The awesomeness of Galaxy Mega as early as the second epiosde! The suspense of the debut of its successor, the Mega Voyager! Wonderful additions to either side of the cast, like Yuusaku and Guirail! The Nezirangers! The Nezirangers!!! It's too much! This is already way longer than I wanted these posts to be, and there's still a part of me that wants to keep going. Where's the whole paragraph dedicated to how great the ending theme song is too, you know? Needless to say, Megaranger is a show that is very much to my tastes. Grounded and realistic in ways that make it more human and relatable, but without ever losing sight of the big engaging drama or goofy fun that makes hero tokusatsu what it is. I mean, INET tried to find candidates for the Megarangers using a video game; the show's not actually that obsessed with logic! But if a bit of "realism" here or there can add a cool factor to all the technology, or a hint of subtle depth to the characters and their bonds, or a greater sense of menace to the antagonists, then Megaranger never hesitates to take advantage of that. The tone hits a great sweet spot in my opinion, and the individual stories it tells within that world are often as compelling as can be. I speak so highly of Megaranger because it did an unusually fantastic job drawing me into its universe and endearing me to the people living in it. There was a stretch where my signature on this forum was an out-of-context screenshot of a random goofy line from the show I loved, and that lasted for WAY longer than it really needed to. Even now, it's a series I feel a ton of attachment to. At the end of the day, I don't think I can sum it up any better than that. |
I still very much remember when your signature was "I don't have time for both Megaranger and Romance!" so seeing this high praise really matches up! It makes me weirdly nostalgic, in fact? Because that was one of my first impressions of you, and I've admired how you write out these posts and navigate how these shows make you feel from the start.
Regardless... yeah, god, Megaranger seems so SO fun to me! Unfortunately yet another Sentai I have to throw on my "looks awesome but I probably won't get to it for ages" list, but one that gets consistent passion and praise everywhere I look. Right away that description of Kenta really grabs me as unique but in a familiar way and he sounds like a character I'd just love watching... |
Oh, yeah. I seriously love Megaranger. It's easily one of my top favorite seasons of Super Sentai (my second favorite overall with Gokaiger being the first) and I even bought series on DVD several months ago along with Jetman. This also reminds me that I really need to re-watch the series through that DVD set since I only managed to watch the first disc.
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Well it is for now my favourite 90s sentai having not yet seen Jetman or Dairanger, lol. It's weird because in a lot of British media 1998 and 9 stand out more for me but for Sentai, 1997!
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Megaranger was basically The Last Starfighter super sentai style. That said I loved the cast and the team. You got Kenta the idiot goofball who has mad video game skills, Koichirou aka Lisa Simpson as a high school boy, Shun the handsome tormented artist, Chisato the normal one, and Miku the foodie. And who can forget good ol Yuusaku who was a delight to see for being a grown-up version of Kenta with a degree in engineering; smart but still dumb. :lolol
Jokes aside I love the suits and for its time love how they pair up electronics with each ranger's personal abilities. It felt like at the planning phase the creators for fun thought up of a Heisei reimagining of Denziman and then finessed it so that it is original enough. I mean Galaxy Mega was pretty much Daidenzin 2.0 only difference being it was one singular spaceship and a shuttle but hopefully y'all know what I mean. And the high school setting I thought was done better than Turboranger in that they went with the setup of they are all members of the after school digital technology club. It made more sense than them randomly ditching school saying I gotta pee or I think my lunch was tainted. :lolol |
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I think I had always sort of meant to go back to the perfectly nice Ghost-themed signature I was using prior, but as esoteric a choice as it was, it just always made me happy to look at that picture of my guy Kouichirou being exactly the overly serious dork I love him for being, even long after I had finished watching Megaranger. And if the fact that I put that show over Ghost in any context at all doesn't say something, I don't know what will. Quote:
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I'm now up to episode 39 of LuPat. Is there any explanation on why this series couldn't just be purely thief-themed right from the very beginning? Because the Patrangers, as much as I really liked them to the point I'm more partial to them than the Lupins, are seriously coming off as massive afterthoughts considering the amount of mecha and gear the other team has rather than having them be legitimately equal to each other.
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Here we go again, with another edition of
Androzani’s Tsukai Detour And this week, to make up for Fish missing last week, we’ve got a special edition focusing on… Kyukyu Sentai GoGoV: Clash! The Brand New Super Warrior https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPGpCX...jpg&name=small Now for the explanation. “To stop the Psyma Family who plot to bring calamity and chaos upon humanity, the five Tatsumi siblings equip to become GoGoV.” GoGoV: Matoi Tatsumi/GoRed: The eldest son and the leader of the team. He is Captain of the Capital Fire Department Rescue Squad. Matoi takes his duties as a leader and as the eldest brother very seriously. He never backs down from a fight no matter how difficult it might be. At times he yells at his younger siblings for messing up for him. Matoi does everything by the book with no room for messing up. Since he was the one that practically raised his younger brothers and sister, he feels very much responsible for them. He is their "father" and brother rolled up in one.Gets into a lot of arguments with Shou. He might argue with his siblings quite a bit but that's only because he loves them and wants them to be the best they can be. He was also the one who came up with the team's battle cry. Nagare Tatsumi/GoBlue: The second son of the Tatsumi Family, who belongs to the Capital Fire Department's Chemical Extinguishing Team. He is also the second-in-command to Matoi. Nagare is always looking out for his younger brother Daimon, even though most of the time Daimon does not listen to him and gets in trouble for it. Although he might get yelled at by his older brother at times he never talks back to him like Shou does. Nagare is very protective of his family, and would sacrifice himself to save the others. He usually is the intellectual one of the group, Nagare does not rush into a fight without researching what he is fighting first, once he figures it out he heads full force into battle. Shou Tatsumi/GoGreen: He third son, he is a helicopter pilot in the Capital Fire Department's Flying Corps. Shou has always dreamed of being a pilot, when he first got his job at the Helicopter the whole family celebrated with him. Out of all the siblings Shou was the most angry and bitter towards their father. While Nagare does not talk back to their older brother, Shou does, arguing constantly with Matoi. Shou is a skilled helicopter pilot, he never loses control and can be very reliable. Daimon Tatsumi/GoYellow: The fourth and last son of the Tatsumi family who is a Capital Police Force Sergeant. Daimon is the hot head of the group, who rushes into things before thinking and often ends up getting into trouble. Daimon is somewhat the joker of the team, being the youngest male he can be pretty reckless and cocky. Daimon has yet to fully learn to be a team player. One of the reasons why he is always yelled at by Matoi is because he thinks he can handle any situation on his own without his siblings' help. A wannabe bike cop, he is the only brother not in the Fire Department. Matsuri Tatsumi/GoPink: The youngest and only daughter of the Tatsumi family and fifth member of the GoGoFive. She works as a National Coast Hospital Paramedic. A kind-hearted girl, Matsuri is a strong fighter who is very agile and quick. She does not take it kindly when others weaker than her are treated unkindly or in trouble and her temper is deadly when the Psyma attack innocent people. At times Matsuri is the one that brings order in the household when her brothers and father get out of line. Allies: Dr. Mondo Tatsumi: The father of the 5 who disappeared 10 years ago. He returns in the present, having spent the time preparing for the return of the Psyma clan by creating equipment to fight back.he has his children dismissed from their jobs so they can use the quipment he created to fight back against the coming crisis. Mint: the analysis robot that operates Bay Area 55. Kyoko Hayase: A shuttle pilot who is Shou’s superior. She discovered GoGoV’s identities by recognising Shou’s voice when they saved her shuttle launch from disaster. Afterwards she wanted to join the GoGoFive but could not because Mondo Tatsumi only designed the team for five people. So instead she occasionally aids the GoGoFive in any way she can and never gets in their way. Psyma Clan (災魔一族 Saima Ichizoku, lit. "Disaster Demon Clan", translated by the subs as “Catstrophiend”): A family of demons who plan to wipe out humanity to herald the return of their mother, the Grand Witch Grandiene, during the Southern Cross alignment. Dark King Zylpheeza: The oldest of the siblings and master of the Air Psyma Beasts. Though he hates humans, Zylpheeza is deeply loving to his siblings and mother. Beast Baron Cobolda: Second oldest of the Psyma siblings and master of the Ground Psyma Beasts. He is the strongest of the Psyma siblings and his strategies always rely more on power than thought, giving him a complex when he compares himself with the dexterous warrior Zylpheeza or the cunning strategist Denus. Evil Spirit Princess Denus: Sole daughter of the Psyma siblings, the only remotely humanoid child of Grandiene and master of the Aqua Psyma Beasts. Gifted in the arts of disguise, she often uses them to gather information or just cause havoc. Her strategies are particularly cruel and fearsome. She feels great respect for her older brother Zylpheeza Infant Demon Drop: The youngest of the Psyma siblings, who controls Fire Psyma Beasts. Dragon blood runs through his veins. Being just an infant, he has to be cared for by Pierre, and can only say "Drop", not being able to speak. Despite this, his high sorcery and fire abilities let him participate among his older siblings. Spell-Master Pierre: A fly-themed sorcerer that serves as the butler to the Saima Family as well as the primary caretaker to Drop, translating his speech. He is also responsible for summoning the monsters within the Psyma Cards given by his masters, and later reviving them as giants using either the Revive cards or the much rarer Golem cards. What do I think of GoGoFive?: I enjoyed it a lot more than the previous two seasons. I like how the show focuses more on saving people than keeping peace and protecting the planet, which is best exemplified with the line “One life is the Earth’s future”. And after two seasons of MCs who got along a little too swimmingly for my taste, having a group that actuall has conflicts with each other was a breath of fresh air. Especially since, compared to his two predecessors, Matoi stands out for the fact he’s constantly pissed off, which is another unique thing this season has going for it. All of these changes can be attributed to our new producer Jun Hikasa. Though the name in the writer’s chair, Junki Takegami, certainly isn’t new (he’d previously written episodes for the previous two seasons) and neither is our director, Katsuya Watanabe. With all of that said, on with the review. An object descends to Earth from space. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPEHBW...jpg&name=small The object, a sword, lands in the mountains and crystallises itself (I love the horror vibes with this) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPEHMX...jpg&name=small The next day, another object collides with Tokyo, which alerts the GoGoV (apparently, the mountain is outside their jurisdiction) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPFKeW...jpg&name=small As they move out, the theme song plays. https://youtube.com/watch?v=es8TF7FNAns Hang in there! (Go Five!) Stay alive! (Go Five!) They’ll be there soon Great disasters Extreme chaos Like five gusts of wind they escape just in time Saving one life Means saving the future Rescue soldiers! Faster than before! Keep on winning those dangerous battles (GoGoFive) Rescue soldiers! Stronger than before! Build up your courage, now it’s your time to shine Save the Earth! Save the life! Quickly! Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive As the song plays, GoLiner sets out and deploys the 99 Machines to do their jobs. Pink Aider evacuates civilians on the road, Yellow Armor rescues civilians underground, Blue Hover puts out the fires, Red Ladder allows GoRed to enter the buildings to save the people while Green Hover puts the fires out. And with everything done on the rescue end, Kyoko shows up to help. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPHPnX...jpg&name=small So Shou gives his sempai a task even she can’t fail at. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPHP5W...jpg&name=small With Kyoko successfully annoyed, GoGoV heads to the crash site to investigate the energy source. Then the sky turns red as the source (voiced by Tetsu Inada in his Sentai debut) reveals himself. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPKRvX...jpg&name=small “I feel it. I can feel it.” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPKS6X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPKgEW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPLEWX...jpg&name=small After mistaking the newcomer for a Psyma Beast, they try blasting him with the Life Bird in Calamity Breaker mode… which doesn’t work. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPLGiW...jpg&name=small And worse, the creature heals the wound they gave him just be mousing over it with his hand (thank god he isn’t a Psyma, or they’d have lost long ago). But he’s annoyed enough to hit them with his Shadow Sword, which leaves all of them writhing in pain. But before he can finish them off, his sword gets shot out of his hand by bullets from another newcomer. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPLg9W...jpg&name=small The monster recognises the newcomer, who identifies him as “Golmois” (which is pronounced with a French accent). Said newcomer then fires several bullets at Golmois, who deflects them into the buildings and Kyoko (should’ve taken Shou”s advice). And the dude learns nothing from this, as he simply shoots the GoGoV and pulls out a bigger gun (jerk). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPMPpW...jpg&name=small But before he can finish off Golmois, the Psyma appear to sequester Golmois, who they identify as king of the Juuma (portmanteau of “juu” (beast) and “Akuma” (demon), rendered by the subs as “Demonster”) Clan. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPMSwX...jpg&name=small As he asks why the Psyma Clan took Golmois, the stranger’s attention is taken by GoGoV, with the resulting volley of insults (which will be more prominent with other newcomers in Hikasa’s later shows), which ends when Shou points out that Kyoko was injured by stray fire. This shocks him. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPMuTW...jpg&name=small As the stranger makes his getaway, we cut to the Psyma Paradico, where the evil siblings are taking the piss out of their guest (risky strategy for someone they presumably want on their side) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPNgtW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPNsmW...jpg&name=small Golmois clarifies that he’s missing his Dark Sword, and with it, half of his power (the other half being in the Shadow Sword he still possesses), having lost it in a confrontation with the “Juuma Hunter”. He requests the Psyma help him retrieve it by minimising GoGoV’s interference, by offering to help with their goals. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPN2HX...jpg&name=small As Golmois and Zylpheeza cement their alliance, Denus reveals to Kobold that they actually have plans to take both swords from him (what’s a good Sentai villain group without backstabbing?) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPN2XX...jpg&name=small Back at the Tatsumi house, Mint sends a message to the family from Bay Area 55. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPPDVW...jpg&name=small In the other room, Kyoko sleeps, mostly undisturbed. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPPF0W...jpg&name=small The Juuma Hunter approaches Kyoko, repeating the word “Lillia”, before touching her face. But the siblings detect his presence from the next room and come in as he bathed her in green energy. After a short fight between Matoi and the Juuma Hunter, who states his one goal is to defeat the Juuma King Golmois and how he doesn’t need help, the fight gets broken up with a shocking reveal of what he was really up to. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPPY5X...jpg&name=small As Kyoko asks who he really is, the Juuma Hunter sheds his armour and introduces himself as the Juuma Hunter Sieg (played by Keiichi Wada, better known as TenKaSei Ryou/RyuRanger in Dairanger) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPPrxX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPQd6W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPQf8X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPQyfW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPREzW...jpg&name=small Back at the house, as Nagare ponders Sieg’s words along with the others, and Kyoko says that she believes he isn’t all bad, Dr. Tatsumi discovers something interesting that happened at Myojin Valley last night. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPTO7W...jpg&name=small Realising this is likely the Dark Sword, everyone sets out. In the city, Sieg sees Golmois acting and pulls out the green ball in his pocket and in case you’re not convinced he’s RyuRanger, he does the Dairanger/Magna Defender pose (any similarity with Shurikenger is purely coincidental) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPTRCX...jpg&name=small Sieg: Sieg Tector! Now transformed, Sieg teleports to the Valley, where Golmois is in the process of searching for the Dark Sword with the Psyma Clan. As Sieg decides to just kill them all, the GoGoV appear to aid a very reluctant Sieg (Dude, get over yourself). They transform after beating the grunts. All: Chakusou! (Equip) Matoi: GoRed! Nagare: GoBlue! Shou: GoGreen! Daimon: GoYellow! Matsuri: GoPink! Matoi: One life is the future of the Earth! Burning Rescue Souls! All: Kyukyu Sentai… Matoi: Go… Nagare: Go… All: Five! Matoi: Move Out! A fight breaks out, with Matoi and Nagare facing Zylpheeza, who fights back with illusions of their civillian forms. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPT15X...jpg&name=small Nagare disperses his with the Build Discharger, before both use their Five Lasers to defeat him. Shou and Daimon then go against Kobolda, with the latter making use of the Beak Driller and the former using the Wing Spreader. Finally Matsuri and Denus fight each other, with the heroic female not having anything resembling an edge. Finally Sieg faces off with Golmois, swearing to avenge his comrades by preventing Golmois from retrieving the Dark Sword. To which Golmois has something shocking to say in response. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPWAqW...jpg&name=small As Sieg is angered by this, Golmois manages to gain the upper hand and stab his enemy with the Shadow Sword. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPWC_X...jpg&name=small Matoi thus abandons the fight to help the weakened Sieg. But in the process, Golmois becomes free to track the Dark Sword. As Matoi saves Sieg from falling to his death, stating his ideology of not leaving anyone behind… he’s forced to leave Sieg behind with Kyoko when the extent of his injuries becomes clear. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPZk4W...jpg&name=small (I’m beginning to see why this wasn’t picked up for Power Rangers) But Matoi gets interrupted by Zylpheeza before he can get very far in his pursuit. In the woods, Golmois provides us with exposition on the two swords and his connection to them. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPZ5cX...jpg&name=large https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPZ66X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPZ7OX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPeACX...jpg&name=small His Dark Sword back in hand, Golmois grows to giant size and zaps the siblings… both good and evil. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPeVOX...jpg&name=small His face then begins to tear off to reveal a more monstrous one (did Keita Amemeiya ghost-direct this, or something? Because this is some 90’s Rider sh*t right here) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPeVfX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPjMeX...jpg&name=small As the Psyma withdraw, GoGoV summon the GoLiner, separating into the individual Liners (numbered 1-5) and combine them into Renketsu Gattai (Coupling Formation) Grand Liner. https://youtube.com/watch?v=chqcJYmZ6BQ As Grand Liner proves unable to so much as scratch Golmois (which is bad, as he’s basically the type of monster it was built to fight), Sieg shares his story with Kyoko. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPjkJX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPjvYX...jpg&name=small Only one other than him survived. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPnPzX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPnm8X...jpg&name=small Lillia decided to sacrifice herself to give Sieg a chance to relieve Golmois of one of his swords. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPnnuX...jpg&name=small Despite his reluctance, as Lillia being stabbed, Sieg took the shot and knocked the Dark Sword from Golmois’ grasp. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPob9W...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPoxaX...jpg&name=small Now Sieg has decided to pass on his life to GoGoV, giving Kyoko his green crystal as he expires. (And his body vanishes into the crystal) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPoxBW...jpg&name=small It’s then that the Imps show up (No, I don’t know why), and Kyoko uses Sieg’s crystal to equip the Sieg Tector, becoming a female Juuma Hunter (listed in side materials as “Sieg-Jeanne” https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPsbfX...jpg&name=small After using her gun to shoot the Imps away, Kyoko makes her way to the giant battle, where Golmois is unleashing his ultimate attac on Grand Liner. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPsI_W...jpg&name=small Kyoko shows up as Grand Liner is downed to give them advice. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPsuoX...jpg&name=small The GoGoV comply, sending out the 99 Machines and forming Kinkyu Gattai (Emergency Combination) Victory Robo. https://youtube.com/watch?v=BvWfZE42HuQ As they deploy the Braver Sword, Kyoko merges with it using the Sieg Tector. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPu-eW...jpg&name=small As everyone is amazed, Matoi sums up what’s happening. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPvAsW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPvU2X...jpg&name=small Victory Robo’s new power allows it to shrug off Golmois’ attacks and break his two swords when he tries the same move again. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPyjLX...jpg&name=small With Golmois stripped of his strength, Kyoko leads everyone in a powered version of the usual finisher to destroy him for good. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPyOpX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPyQcX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zPy1cX...jpg&name=small As the sun rises once more, Sieg’s soul reappears to say one last thing to Kyoko. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP1PJX...jpg&name=small As the GoGoV note how they misjudged Sieg in life (to be fair, he was acting like kind of a dick), they vow to make it up by protecting the people of Earth. The gem then bursts into light particles. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP1NFX...jpg&name=small One particle then falls into Kyoko’s hand, turning into a miniature gem. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP10GW...jpg&name=small The plot proper then ends with our heroes watching the sun rise. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP3jOW...jpg&name=small But now, it’s time for the credits, which are set to a mix of the gang at a swimming pool and shots of the 5 running into action. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_UjmWlsnmZg Whether or not you are all alone You find that all of you are extraordinary What kind of small experiences Do these five allies share? On this planet, In this city With our memories wrapped around us They will never break the courage within our hearts All of us will continue forward Chasing the blue sky of tomorrow With our faith in the tomorrow All of us leap into the blue sky https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP337X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E7zP4KRX...jpg&name=small Final thoughts: A fairly good plot, with a surprising amount of world-building for characters we only see once. Sieg in particular makes a very interesting foil to the GoGoV, given his focus on getting the bad guy defeated over saving lives (which also makes him something of a subtle jab at the previous two teams being all “defeat the bad guy” above all else). And Golmois proves himself a surprisingly creepy antagonist, even without his graphic transformation into a dragon Kaiju being accounted for. There’s no challenge this time, since this is a special. There’ll be a new one next time though. |
Watched some more LuPat after some unintentional stalling due to watching a few Kamen Rider shows in between. Only five episodes to go and I will finally be finished with this series.
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Chapter Twenty-Two – Seijuu Sentai Gingaman https://i.imgur.com/2MeBUJO.png Gingaman! It is a title of honorable galactic warriors, bestowed only upon those with courage! Gingaman is also a show I'm continually growing more fond of. I'm not sure how best to condense my whole experience with it in a way that will make sense to people who aren't me, but I initially watched it right after Megaranger, in the middle of that huge group of shows I went through following my rewatch of Ninninger that I mentioned way back at the start of the tour. And like, you guys saw last week how hyped I get about Megaranger. I utterly adore so much about Gingaman conceptually, and naturally I enjoyed the show itself just fine, but it rarely got me as fired up as some of the shows I surrounded it with, and for a while I kinda mistook that to mean I *must* like it less than I want to or something. I don't know. It's wasn't a very logical thing. I explicitly said Gingaman was a victim of poor timing for me when I got done with it, though, and I was at least right about that much. As for those concepts, this is the last of Shigenori Takatera's trilogy of Sentai he was the chief producer on, and he picked what was, for him, a radical new direction – to not take things in a radical new direction. This really needs stressing. Takatera was in charge of five shows for Toei, and this is the singular one where he decided to try his hand at a more traditional approach to heroic fantasy. Which might make it sound like he was phoning it in that year, but I definitely think it's much more earnest than that. This was a traditional show that would be made to his standards, and you can tell Gingaman received every bit as much care and detail as usual. Here's an easy example of that usual care and detail: the episode titles. Like always, there's a consistent format to them, and in this case, the episode numbers themselves have their own format as well, beginning a Sentai tradition I have always been extremely fond of. So much so that this trend Gingaman started is the entire reason I've formatted the numbers of these posts the way I have, even knowing I had to wait until almost the halfway mark for it to pay off. That's just how serious I am about this. I maintain seemingly minor bits of nomenclature like this can play a huge role in conveying themes, tone, atmosphere, or whatever other facet of a story. Gingaman completely nailed that with its simple but effective choice to refer to its installments as "chapters". This is a heroic fantasy, so what you're seeing isn't merely a show: it's a legend, being written down page-by-page every week on your TV screen. And that's awesome as heck! Straight up and down, I think the motifs in Gingaman are brilliant, and it goes way beyond even that one cool idea. The heroes are also heavily themed around nature, so they push the animal motif with living mecha, some of my favorite suits in the franchise, and insanely cool body language. Their posture when running is iconic, and whoever came up with the idea for them to smack the ground with their hands during the roll call is a genius. It's all so delightfully active, and exactly why I love seeing toku heroes based on animals so much. The villains are pirates from space, but also broken down into several factions with wildly different themes decidedly unrelated to pirating, who spice up the series by turning each quarter into its own arc with a totally unique set of monsters – a bit of conscious inconsistency in the name of good fun. Gingaman manages to tie all this together into something almost inexplicably cohesive feeling, and what really helps on that front is how the story is still grounded in a proper sense of humanity. This is the part where I finally get around to mentioning something that's a pretty big deal to me personally. Gingaman was the first ever main writer credit for Yasuko Kobayashi, a woman who has been my favorite toku writer basically the entire time I have been into tokusatsu. There's a heart to her characters and stories I don't think I could ever summarize in a sentence, but it was already evident even back in the episodes of Megaranger she wrote, and it's evident in Gingaman too, right there from the first episode. Gingaman's premiere is rock solid. You get a great feel for show's fantasy atmosphere, with five young warriors in a hidden forest village being chosen to become the new Gingamen, a position so deeply rooted in ancient tradition that there have been triple-digit generations of them over the past three thousand years. You get a great feel for the villains, who of course show back up with dramatic timing after being sealed away all that time, with all the main generals going around messing up the city, demonstrating their signature styles and selling the threat the group poses if left unchecked. Which naturally means our fresh-faced heroes are suddenly in a rush to claim their powers and put a stop to this, leading to an exciting confrontation... ...And this is where I wind back a bit to say that, on top of this flawless structure, you also get a great feel for a compelling series-length character arc, which is where, in my bias, I'm going to say Kobayashi's talents come in. See, Ginga Red ends up being a guy named Ryouma, when the guy who was actually appointed to the role was his older brother Hyuuga. And you have to understand, Hyuuga is cool. He's a way better warrior, and the very image of a hero, right down to being played by Sasuke from Kakuranger, and literally wearing Geki's shirt from Zyuranger. Hyuuga is so cool, that even when he's about to fall into a crevice to almost certain doom, instead of showing fear, he simply entrusts his sword to his brother and leaves him with words of encouragement before dropping. Ryouma doesn't believe for a second that he has it in him to be that cool, and that inferiority complex creates an interesting dynamic. It wouldn't fit Gingaman's mission statement as a show to have heroes who are flawed in the usual ways, so they cleverly got around that by having Ryouma be an idealized hero whose sole issue is that he's blind to his obvious innate talents and quality of character. His flaw is that he thinks he's flawed. Because Ryouma is totally cool too! He even proves it right after the tragic loss of Hyuuga, displaying an immense amount of power in his rage, and transforming with the rest of the team for an awesome fight scene that involves a ton of elaborate wire-work and other such stunts and effects to further sell the bestial style of the team. And amidst all this action, Ryouma is there, charging in with his sword and managing to land a hit on every single one of the main bad guys. In the first episode! He can't defeat any of them yet, of course, but dude, you don't get cooler than that. It's an absolutely wonderful finish to a great episode, and the whole thing also benefits immensely from an amazingly theatrical soundtrack once again by Toshihiko Sahashi, and from the slick direction of Ryuuta Tasaki, who handled his first premiere with Gingaman, and who would be entrusted with a great many Kamen Rider debuts following this. It's become apparent to me at this point that I might have more to say about Gingaman than I did about Megaranger. I did also sort of expect this, though. See, the whole point I was going to get around to, tying back to the start, was how Gingaman's epic fantasy trappings are contrasted by an equal level of dedication to being a very chill show about pleasant people, and how that's why it didn't get me as actively excited as the energetic show it followed after, but like, I ain't got time to elaborate on that anymore! I've gotta stop myself at some point in these things, and evidently, this is where the line ended up this time. Suffice it to say, I've since realized with the benefit of hindsight that Gingaman's unique vibe is its strength, and it's one of many. I feel like this huge rambling post has barely scratched the surface, and that's yet another thought that makes me like Gingaman more than I already did. |
The idea to go back to tradition is also probably what brought the original -man suffix back for one final time.
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I also found out while making that post that Seiji Takaiwa has explicitly stated in an interview that the Gingaman run was hard on his back, so it's a little scary to think that they had him doing that a decade later in a much more top-heavy costume during Kiva. Emperor Form really couldn't have come soon enough! |
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And to Fish, since this is the end of Taketera’s influence on Sentai, the next show you watch will have some fairly drastic changes in mood, series planning and how they treat later additions, vs movies and later additions in vs movies. You’ll see what I’m talking about in my next review. |
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But yeah, sorry if I wasn't being clear enough there. I was talking about the posture of the Gingamen when they're running, all bent forward with their arms spread wide out. Which looks awesome on film, but is naturally going to throw your center of gravity way off, and probably put a ton of stress on your spine in the process. My point was that Kiva runs the same way in his base form, and that suit is way more bulky and heavy. (There was even a Decade Net Movie where Takaiwa explicitly said it was heavier than any of his other main Rider suits up to that point.) So if running like that hurt as Ginga Red, it almost certainly hurt more as Kiva. I've never actually seen a source on the oft-repeated story that Emperor Form was used so frequently and so early to get around the weight problem, but between knowing for a fact the original suit IS heavy, and now finding out this tidbit about Takaiwa's time as Ginga Red, I really don't doubt that it's true. |
Gingaman was many things. It was one of the gigs that kickstarted Shoei's career as Gouki/Ginga Blue, Teruaki Ogawa returned to the franchise post-Kakuranger and became one of my favorite bangai senshis to date. Of course, this was one of the first traits of a Kobayashi-penned sentai where the red ranger is someone that was not planned to be and also Norio freakin Wakamoto was a talking tree aided by a acorn fairy. :lolol
The seijuu designs, both the organic and mechanic versions, are on point and Gingaioh is one of those "very standard yet designed and structured well" type of deal in my opinion. Speaking of, this was the second show to have a simian motif robot Kakuranger being the first, and both shows had Ogawa in it. That said, Gingarilla is one of my favorites, the Ginga Blue suit is also a favorite of mine, and I loved the subplot Gouki had with Yuuta's teacher. Also loved how Yuji Kishi who played Kyosuke/Red Racer in Carranger appears as a totally different character playing the white collar snob who is competing with Gouki for the affection of Yuuta's teacher. The art direction for the civilian looks is very interesting too. It has some Ainu and Indigenous vibes going for it. And finally the suit. This is where 90s sentai shows shined. Nothing complicated yet a simple white background with a black zigzag line and voila a design that resembles the teeth of beasts. That is crazy how it works well when you consider their motif. |
Here we are again, with another instalment of
Androzani’s Tsukai Detour And this week, we’ll be covering… Kyukyu Sentai GoGoV Vs Gingaman (There’s no title card image this time, due to me missing the timing. There is this though) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK8GCW...jpg&name=small Since I already did the majority of GoGoV’s cast last time, I’ll be using the slot here to cover those who didn’t appear in “Clash! The Brand New Super Warrior!” Allies Liner Boy: A sentient robot that transforms into a space shuttle built from designs provided by Kyoko Hayase, with an AI unit developed by Dr. Kagami, that not only allows it to function without a pilot but also gives it a voice and personality of its own, essentially making it the*"sixth"*of the Tatsumi siblings. Can function as the front of the GoLiner in Max Shuttle form, or combine with Victory Robo to form Max Victory Robo. Psyma Clan Grand Witch Grandiene: Matriarch of the Psyma Clan and the ultimate combination of all the negative energy in the universe, who came into being four billion years ago. She set everything up for her arrival in this reality on the day of the Grand Cross. However, the GoGoFive interrupted the ritual and Grandiene ended up trapped half-way. Since then, she has ordered her sons and daughter to gather the negative energy needed to recreate her true form. Dragon Dark King Salamandes: Following the defeat of Zylpheeza at the hands of Max Victory Robo, his Dark King Star passed onto his brother Drop, causing him to undergo a metamorphosis into first a young boy with pyrokinetic powers, and following Grandiene’s return, the adult demon Salamandes. Using the Dark King Star on his chest, Salamandes can create the Saima Zone in which the solar light is completely cut-off, allowing the Psyma beasts to boost their power tenfold, while leaving the Victory Robo, LinerBoy and the Max Victory Robo combinations vulnerable. He will do anything to earn his mother’s favour, even sabotage his own siblings in their schemes, but his recent failures have caused him to fall out of failure with her. Skipping the opinion part, I’ll go into the credits. In addition to the new producer Hikasa, this VS movie has a new writer, Yasuko Kobayashi (if you haven’t heard of her, then what rock have you been living under?). The director is Takao Nagaishi, who has worked on one of these before. So with all of that said, on with the review. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK1K2X...jpg&name=small (Yes, we’re going all in on the creepy this time) We open with a horde of hooded creatures emerging from the ground (represented by them walking up a hill) at the dead of night, during a storm. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK1LBX...jpg&name=small A sole figure emerges from the other side to take them on in battle with his sword. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK1K0W...jpg&name=small But then their leader appears, which gives the demon soldiers the strength to prevail. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK1K_X...jpg&name=small This does not go unnoticed at Psyma Paradicio, where Grandiene reacts… With recognition. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK8FTW...jpg&name=large After a sequence of the Tatsumi siblings doing firefighting drills at the beach, set to the theme song, Matsuri notices a young boy sitting alone on the rocks. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK8FXW...jpg&name=small The boy is about to sit down and read a book. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XK8FtX...jpg&name=small When approached by Matsuri, the boy says that he is waiting for a friend, who he points out to them in his book. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLDRdW...jpg&name=small They thus assume the friend is imaginary, until Ryouma appears in real life to greet Yuuta. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLDR_X...jpg&name=small As the Tatsumi siblings are shocked to see the guy in the picture book in real life, and as Yuuta gifts him the Star Legends book, Ryouma collapses. Matoi discovers that he’s bleeding (this ain’t your daddy’s vs movies anymore), with his attackers appearing soon after. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLDSdX...jpg&name=small The Tatsumi Siblings equip the GoSuits and shoot the enemies down with their Five Lasers… which fails to defeat them, as does the V-Lancer. It takes Ryouma summoning up a Honoo no Tategami to repel them. Ryouma is taken back to the Tatsumi Disaster Prevention Institute (read: Their house), whereupon it turns out that Daimon has read Star Legends and become a Gingaman fanatic instantly (dear god, he’s us) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLDTIW...jpg&name=small Enquiring after the Starbeasts, Ryouma explains that they lost contact with them a few days ago, during the Grand Cross (considering Victory Mars appears in this, and that was 5 episodes after the Grand Cross, evidently a lot happened in a few days, considering none of the interim episodes were multi-parters), Hyuuga is searching for GoTaurus and that the other Gingaman members have split up to find anything they can on the new enemy beyond “they appeared in the dark”. Cue the tv reporting on someone who Mint thinks is Ryouma’s ally. Sure enough, it’s Gouki. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLMBFW...jpg&name=small As Gouki nervously soaks in the spotlight, Hikaru is frustrated. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLMB0X...jpg&name=small Mokk then contacts Ryouma from within the Galaxy Forest, to tell him of a strange force (way to be helpful, Mokk), while Matoi looks about ready to murder Daimon over his obsessive fanboying (believe me, I’ve felt the same way sometimes) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLS7fX...jpg&name=small Ryouma leaves Yuuta at the Institute while he and the Tatsumi siblings leave… just as Mondo enters, looking for a legendary warrior to help make sense of some readings he’s been getting. The group meet up with Gouki and Hikaru at the beach, where the sky starts to darken and the wind picks up. (And it turns out that while Ryouma is aware of GoGoV, Gouki isn’t and Hikaru doesn’t believe it’s the guys wearing the GoGoV emblem on their jackets. Truly the gamut of secret identity reactions here) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLS8GX...jpg&name=small Both sides are soon attacked by the demon from earlier, now fully visible. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLS8_X...jpg&name=large A demon Grandiene recognises as Gil (which is a common name for evil demons in Japanese media. Don’t ask why). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLTAiW...jpg&name=small As Kobolda and Denus wonder who Gil is, Salamandes fills them in (how he knows and they don’t, I’m not sure about) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLZQSX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLZQ9W...jpg&name=small They then ask why he isn’t ruling alongside them, to which it turns out that even an abusive mother obsessed with destroying everything alive in the universe has some morals. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLZRmW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLZSRX...jpg&name=small As Salamandes wonders why he’s returned from ruling over the dead, Gil summons up an army of his ghosts, revealing his status as the perpetrator of all this to the heroes (but not the audience, who already knew). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLibdX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLib_X...jpg&name=small The two groups transform/equip and fight the ghosts, only to meet with the same results as before. But Ryouma’s Honoo Issen, Gouki’s Geki Ryu Ittou and Hikaru’s Ikazuchi Issou annihilate them handily. Both groups then realise that Earth power is the one thing that can affect them, which gets proven when Matoi’s V-Mode Punch fails to make contact with Gil, who then makes short work of both Gingaman and GoGoV alike, sending them into a pit. At Psyma Paradicio, Salamandes reveals that if Gil destroys the surface world, then he’ll rule the planet. But Salamandes isn’t worried, since their mother cast him into hell once and she can do it again. He then reveals what exactly Gil is aiming to do. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLicnX...jpg&name=small Grandiene orders Denus and Kobolda to combine their powers, as we cut to a girl named Yuka and her mother going to visit the man of the house at his job (Yes, Lightspeed Rescue didn’t invent the subplot with the little girl’s parents getting captured. They just introduced it sooner and gave it more prominence). As you’ve probably guess from my bracketed comment, they find the whole office has been converted into a set of cages, wherein the workers are drained of blood (Jesus). And Yuka and mother are next. (With Yuka seeming rather bored at the prospect of her papa being leeched) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLidcW...jpg&name=small Salamandes then visits his brother at work, whereupon Gil reveals what he’s doing with the blood. Namely, satanism. (Jesus!) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLpsoW...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLpvKW...jpg&name=small Salamandes looks forward to it, while Gil refutes being his “Aniwe” (old fashioned form of address for an older brother), since he insists he no longer has the blood of a Psyma. As the heroes recuperate in a cave, where Gouki and Hikaru reveal that the building they were recorded outside is where the plan is taking place and the woman that they caught was pushed (nice to see our heroes have an actually plot-relevant conversation, after the boat scene from last time), because she saw what they were up to (then why didn’t they just leech her? Why make it obvious something shady was going down). As the two groups argue over whether or not GoGoV should come with them (Now this is the kind of tension hat was missing from Ginga v Mega), with Ryouma taking them along after Matoi makes it clear he cares more about saving lives than fighting. Elsewhere, Mondo and Yuuta track the readings to a beach, where they meet up with Hyuuga. (Who in the introduction to the tradition of VS hair, has grown a mullet. It’s not an improvement) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLptkW...jpg&name=small As the three set off on a boat, Mondo reveals that he picked up 5 meteors coming down during Grandiene’s arrival, which Hyuuga believes to be the Starbeasts. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLw3_W...jpg&name=small As they set off to revive them at the exact point, they are observed by a ghost. As the leeching continues (with Yuka’s drawing getting stained in blood. JESUS!), the heroes evacuate the building by posing as firefighters (okay, Matoi, Nagare and Shou actually were, but they’re not employed as such currently, so… it’s a good thing the fire captain knows GoGoV’s identities, or they’d face serious repercussions for this). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLw5sW...jpg&name=small As Ryouma and Matoi head upstairs, sounding the fire alarm in the process, while Nagare and Matsuri team up with Gouki and Hikaru to create a real fire (talk about method acting), Matoi and Ryouma get into a dick measuring contest over Ryouma insulting firefighting equipment (no, really). They still make it to the room, where the leeching stil, hasn’t made it to Yuka yet (oh thank god), but another poor sap is completely dry (JESUS!!!!!) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLw45X...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XLw63X...jpg&name=small As the two face Gil in battle, the others head up to he,p, only to be blocked by Salamandes, Denus and Kobolda, with a group of Imps. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XL6C5W...jpg&name=small Back upstairs, Matoi gets everyone thrown out of the window, only for him to be saved at the last minute by Ryouma, who now understands his viewpoint (glad that “plot-line” was resolved). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XL6DyX...jpg&name=small The two are then saved by Hayate and Saya (who unlike Hyuuga, are actually rocking the VS hair), who disguised themselves as ghosts to go undercover. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XL6FzX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XL6EqX...jpg&name=small Now on the ground, the now complete lineups for both Sentai find themselves confronted by the combined forces of Gil and the Psyma Clan. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMAjaW...jpg&name=small So of course, they transform/equip. Gingaman: Ginga Tensei, Ha! GoGoV: Chakusou! Ryouma: GingaRed, Ryouma! Hayate: GingaGreen, Hayate! Gouki: GingaBlue, Gouki! Hikaru: GingaYellow, Hikaru! Saya: GingaPink, Saya! Ryouma: The legendary blade that peirces the galaxy, Seijuu Sentai… All: Gingaman! Matoi: GoRed! Nagare: GoBlue! Shou: GoGreen! Daimon: GoYellow! Matsuri: GoPink! Matoi: One life is the Earth’s future! Nagare! Burning rescue souls! Shou: Kyukyu Sentai… Daimon: Go… Matsuri: Go… All: Five! Matoi: Move out! A fight breaks out, which is a lot more focused than the all out brawls of previous films. After taking down the Mooks in pairs, Matoi and Ryouma face off against Gil, with Ryouma vowing to protect the children, Nagare and Hayate facing Salamandes, Gouki, Daimon, Hikaru and Shou facing Kobolda, and Denus taking on Matsuri and Saya. None of the heroes have an advantage in their fights, until Matoi lands his V-Mode Punch on Gil, wounding him and making him spark, much to his chagrin. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMAncX...jpg&name=small This stops the flow of blood to the stones and distracts the Psyma clan long enough for them to be blasted by a JuuGekiBou/Hyper Mode combo attack. But Gil survives exploding long enough to stab himself (you know what I’m going to say here) and grow his blood into the pyramid. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMKchX...jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMKdkW...jpg&name=small The pyramid now full, the Dark Beast manifests in reality as a giant Kaiju. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMKgQX...jpg&name=small (I have to say, this is one of the best looking costumes they’ve ever made) Salamandes then comments on the convenient irony before departing with his brother and sister. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMTSnX...jpg&name=small As the Dark Beast begins destroying the city, Matoi calls for Liner Boy to bring them the Mars Machines, which they combine into Ryusei Gattai (Meteor Combination) Victory Mars, while Liner Boy also joins the battle after his Tokkyuu Busou (Special Rescue Armament) [https://youtube.com/watch?vvlnmbHLYXWeE https://youtube.com/watch?v=WEIz6KnUYI8 As this battle gets off to a rough start,w it’s the Dark Beast proving invulnerable to nearly everything, Mondo and Hyuuga find the Starbeasts out at sea, whereupon the ghosts attack them (why do mooks keep showing up near the end of the fight in these movies), who Hyuuga fends off easily, before he reawakens the Starbeasts. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMTVFW...jpg&name=small As things look hopeless for GoGoV, Gingaman sees the Starbeasts, revived and standing before them. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMTWEX...jpg&name=small Hyuuga, now transformed, comes running forward to explain this. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMcPRX...jpg&name=small Gingaman: Roar! Galactic Light! Ryouma: JuuSouKou! Soon enough, ChouSouKou GingaiOh and BullTaurus join the fight, managing to sever the Dark Beast’s arm. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMcPRX...jpg&name=small But this just makes the monster angry and it defeats both Starbeasts combinations easily, after tanking their attacks, along with that of Victory Mars. The Gingaman get picked up by Victory Mars so they can still help. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMcRSW...jpg&name=small And help they do, as their Galactic Light flows into Victory Mars. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMcSXX...jpg&name=small The Gingaman appear inside Victory Mars. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMhwsX...jpg&name=small Which is transformed by the power of the Galactic Light into ChouSouKou Victory Mars (which you can’t recreate with the toys, due to the armour parts being uniquely shaped for GingaiOh). https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMhvZW...jpg&name=small Armed with the weapons of both their robots, ChouSouKou Victory Mars defeats the Dark Beast with the Ginga Double Flare. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8XMhxxX...jpg&name=small As peace returns to Tokyo once more and Yuka gets to show her papa the picture she drew, (glad that subplot got a resolution), after Matoi gifts his firefighter’s jacket to Ryouma, the movie ends with the Gingaman and Hyuuga joining the Tatsumi siblings in their training exercises. Final thoughts: The good: the focus on one villain instead of two with one for each series makes the plot a lot more streamlined and less stitched together, the character actually get some significant interactions in this movie, with some mistrust realistically arising and the combining their powers to finish the ultimate villain is a much more satisfying end to a crossover movie than the two sides killing a bad guy each the usual way. The bad: Gingaman had no real stake in this crossover, some of the conflicts seem tacked on to pad out the runtime and the subplot with Yuka is not only utterly unnecessary, but also unnecessarily violent, both of which are complaints I have with a lot of Kobayashi’s works. Overall: Not the best plot in the world, but it’s heart is in the right place and the direction is great. The challenge: If you could work as any kind of first responder, what would it be? |
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