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12-03-2021, 08:01 AM | #9021 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,538
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Quote:
Last Sunday I watched Ten Gokaiger after hearing about a new Super Hero Getter and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to get started on the Dekaranger subs I've had on my PC for over a year at this point and holy shit Dekaranger is a top tier Sentai, Ban's a hotheaded Red and allbut he's very charming in his kiddy nature, Houji is probably my favourite of thw group as his episodes are tge most fun I've had with this amazing show, Sen's neat but I'm a tad disappointed with how his first focus episode is really good with anice way to tell the mystery before the actual reveal but other episodes not doing that. Jasmine is a delight and I adore seeing her, she's similae to Luka, my favourite Yellow when it comes to spunk and Umeko is up there with Kagura as my favourite Pink, she's great fun and Tetsu? I knew nothing about Tetsu other than that he crossdresses a lot but aa genuinely nice person as a 6th who's friendly from the start without needing to undo some brainwashing or anything or needing to become a Ranger is a very nice change of pace from what I'm used to. Currently at episode 33 and cannot wait to finish it
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12-03-2021, 05:58 PM | #9022 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Just a couple extra things about Kyoryuger real quick:
- I also went ahead and rewatched Gaburincho of Music because I will take any excuse to see that film. Calling it the best Sentai summer movie I've seen would be a huge understatement. It's a legit masterpiece in my eyes, capturing a ton of what makes Kyoryuger so good, especially in how expertly it tempers all the Sakamoto insanity with more quiet moments in just the right spots. Appropriately enough, the rhythm of it is commendable, and it tells a very tight little story while still putting the focus squarely on the action. Whether you've seen Kyoryuger or not, it comes highly recommended. - I'll also always remember Gaburincho of Music simply for being the one where Ucchi says "SHATTO GOHGURU de gozaru!", which I've always found to be utterly hilarious for some reason. I guess it's probably a Flashman reference in retrospect, but the awkward mix of English and old-timey Japanese is so definitively Ucchi that it's, well, perfect! (de gozaru.) - Oh my! Did I really spend so much time talking about other things in that post that I didn't get to mention how awesome Kyoryu Black is? Well, to make up for that mistake, I can at least share Ian's actor singing the best character song ever. (I still get goosebumps just thinking about the last time the show used this.) Quote:
...and I'm not sure I was exactly wrong about that! This whole project I'm doing with Super Sentai is arguably just a copy of something you did with Power Rangers first!
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12-07-2021, 08:30 AM | #9023 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,551
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You?d better not mess with animals in this, the latest instalment of?
Androzani?s Tsukai Detour This week, we?re covering? Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger vs Ninninger the Movie: Message from the Future of Super Sentai (Picture not available) ?Earth, a planet full of many life forms. One human meets four Zyumans, forming a pack. To protect the Earth!'" Zyuohgers: Yamato Kazakiri/ZyuohEagle/ZyuohGorilla/ZyuohWhale: Yamato is a novice zoologist, who as a child, helped Bud, a mysterious bird-man, in the forest. As token of gratitude, Bud gave Yamato a mysterious Cube. A caring person, he's the type that struggles with taking on too much. He is very strong willed and once he sets his mind on something, he'll never change it. His respect for life and love of animals enables him to use the power of the Zyuoh Changers, something which only a Zyuman should be able to do. This love of animals is what enabled him to help Larry overcome his fear of humans. He also bears a great deal of gratitude towards Bud for saving him in the past. However, Yamato is not without his weaknesses. He treasures the ones that are close to him, trying his best to look out for and protect them as much as he can. As such, he cannot bear to lose the friends that he has made. This led him to fight the original GIFT alone so the other Zyuohgers could recover the sixth Mark of the King and return home, despite knowing that he was outmatched and nearly losing his life. This trait is also exploited by Bangray, who targets Yamato's old friend Daichi and then later the other Zyuohgers. Yamato also bears somewhat of a grudge towards his father, Kageyuki Kazakiri, as he felt that his father spent too much time on work to focus on their family. This grudge is worsened when Yamato's mother passes away, as Yamato blames his father for not being there to save her in time. Sela/ZyuohShark: Sela is a shark Zyuman and a type who doesn't want to show others her weakness. She doesn't like to lose and has very sharp hearing. Back in Zyuland, Sela lived with her parents and a younger brother. As their family grew busy, they saw less of each other. However, Sela and her brother would help their parents celebrate their wedding anniversary every year. Sela took care of her younger brother in her parents' absence. Sela trained as a martial artist alongside Leo. At one point, the two of them faced-off in a tournament which ended with Sela defeating Leo as a result of him purposely not giving his all against her, thus throwing the fight, due to his chivalrous belief that the duty of a man is to protect girls and not fight them. Sela would resent Leo for doing this as it rendered her win an empty victory. Leo/ZyuohLion: Leo is a lion Zyuman who is usually calm, but has a really bad temper. He is sensitive to his surroundings and cares for those weaker than himself, which is his strength. In addition, his voice gets strangely loud when he gets excited. To Sela's resentment, he has a stereotypical chivalrous behavior towards women, and is seen as a womanizer in a few episodes. He is also slightly immature and careless, worsened by being easily bored. Unlike his fellow Zyumans, Leo never went into detail about his family. However, he implied that he possessed a great number of siblings. Tusk/ZyuohElephant: Tusk is an elephant Zyuman and the most intelligent of the four Zyumans that traveled to the Human World. Though he seems like the insensitive, unapproachable-type, he's actually extremely kind. In addition, he has a sharp sense of smell. When something interests him, Tusk*would openly show his interest in them. He also likes to learn*anything he didn't know or see before. Tusk's father was a guardian of the Link Cube before him, and the young Tusk would stand alongside him in keeping watch over the Link Cube. As a child, Tusk grew a love for reading books thanks to his father, who would read stories to the young Tusk. Amu/ZyuohTiger: Amu is a white tiger Zyuman who is more than just a pretty face. She has the ability to read situations well and is shrewd. If she sees someone in trouble, she will certainly help them. In addition, she has a strong sense of taste and enjoys the human activity of shopping. Having no Earth currency or any means to obtain it, she usually makes Yamato pay for the things she gets while shopping, much to Yamato's dismay. Out of her fellow Zyumans, Amu proved to have the coolest head, easing the situation when the others' frustrations with the yet fruitless search for the Mark of the King as well as the shutdown switch boiled over with Yamato before empathizing their feelings with him. She also held a hidden optimism, quickly deciding that she may as well get used to the human world after they were stranded. Amu used to not tell her mother what was worrying her because she was afraid to worry her mother but then she learned that overdoing something would hurt her mother even more as well as hurt herself in the process. After that, they got along just fine. Amu and her mother almost have a habit of relying on other people to help them out before they overdo something. Misao ?Micchan? Mondou/Zyuoh The World: A human fisherman who was captured by Ginis and infused with the DNA of three Zyumans that had been tortured to death, a rhino, a wolf and a crocodile, to create a Zyuohger under his control. When he was kidnapped and brainwashed by Ginis, Misao became a ruthless warrior. Once he was freed with the help of the Zyuohgers, Misao was revealed to be an introvert who has had problems with befriending others since his childhood, thus making him guilt-ridden for being weak himself. With the help of his new Zyuohger friends and the moral support from the three Zyumans inside his mind, Misao develops more self-confidence by letting go of his regret over everything the Dethgaliens subjugated him into doing, especially the deaths of the three Zyumans. Misao often takes peoples? words and actions too literally, constantly making Misao emotional about them, as he gets very excited and motivated when getting moral support and other interests, and he is prone to getting depressed easily when conflicted about the notion of either criticism or failure. Allies: Mario Mouri: Yamato?s uncle who has looked after him since the latter ran away from his father when his mother died. He owns a workshop named Atelier Mori, where he and Yamato live together, in the woods where he makes sculptures of animals, and sometimes can be seen cosplaying as different animals to seek inspiration for his works, much to the embarrassment of his nephew. Mario is the person Yamato admired the most and his vast knowledge of animals is what inspired his nephew to become a zoologist. Bud/ZyuohBird: A Zyuman who gave Yamato the Mark of the King as a child. He stole the Marks of the King years ago due to his hatred of Zyuoand?s mistreatment of humans and out of revenge for the death of his first human friend. Infusing his power into Yamato caused his hair to turn white and left him unable to use the one he kept for himself, until his wish to save Yamato?s life resonated with the Mark of the King, turning it into the Zyuoh Changer Final. He spends much of his tiem away from the others, searching for scattered Zyuoh Cubes around Earth. While Bud is caring and helpful, the mistrust of humans his people held has soured his mood and made him hold them in his contempt. Space Outlaws Deathgalien: A group of alien rogues who hunt across space under their ?owner? Ginis. Their goal is to destroy planets for fun and cause mass chaos for their own amusement. Having already destroyed 99 planets, the group decides to have Earth as their 100th planet for their Blood Game. Naria: Ginis?s right hand woman, who he entrusts with the Continue Medals infused with his own cells. While the Team Leaders act independently in their plans to send Players and create entertainment for Ginis in the Blood Game, Naria takes direct orders from him for critical assignments. Naria is completely loyal to Master Ginis, functioning more along the lines of a secretary than a general, and holds him in such high regard that she will not allow anyone to so much as insult him. However, Ginis entrusts Naria with vital assignments. Her style of speech is very formal, even when she is fighting. She also shows a great deal of concern for Ginis's well being. Quval: One of the Team Leaders, who loves inflicting mental pain on others. He resents serving Ginis, as the latter destroyed his home planet, and secretly dreams of one day destroying Ginis. A cunning and crafty individual, Quval prefers to use slightly complicated plans to mentally traumatize his prey as opposed to his fellow team leader. Though he appeared loyal to Ginis, he actually despised him for destroying his home planet and has been plotting his downfall ever since. In truth, he has no loyalty to anyone but himself, working with others only when they are useful to his plans. When ever things go bad he'll turn on his partner, like using Azald as a shield or cutting off Bangray's hand and leaving him to the mercy of the Zyuohgers. He possesses a Half Mechanical Body that allows him to survive on any planet. Azald: A Team Leader who specialises in physical pain. He has a crystallised body that causes his cells to take the form of cubes and has no memories of who he really is, swearing loyalty to Ginis so he can carry out his love of violence. Unlike his fellow deceptive and calculative Team Leader Quval, Azald is hot-tempered and likes to play his Blood Games with brute power instead of intelligence which often leads to the two of them butting heads. He is a warrior with honor, openly praising the enemy who defeated him in battle even though that enemy was an inferior being in his eyes. As shown when he refuses to battle the Zyuohgers, and only engages them when constantly provoked, he seems to prefer playing the Blood Game fair and even offered to let them just walk away twice. Similar to Ginis, he loves to drink wine when aboard the spaceship. While not in a Blood Game, he doesn?t mind playing trivial games like chess or drinking games with Quval and Jagged. If Azald is destroyed, he can reconstruct his own body, given time. Jagged: A Team Leader who chose to attack Earth himself, rather than send down his Players. He subsequently became the first victim of the newly formed Zyuohgers. Megabeast Hunter Bangray: A Hunter who came to Earth to hunt his 100th hunt, Cube Whale, the Zyuoh Cube used by the original Zyuohger Cetus. He initially joined with Deathgalien to find it, only to be betrayed when Zyuoh Whale was near them and abandoned by all but Quval. And even Quval turned on him during his final assault on the Zyuohgers, resulting in him becoming the first victim of Cube Whale?s Combination with the other Zyuoh Cubes, Wild Tousai Dodekai King. He can read any being's memories by touching their head and manifest the character (even the dead and the touched being) inside their memories into reality. However, these duplicates lack their original personality and are mute. On the other hand, it has been proven that Bangray can also give his duplicates their original personality and voice which is the case of Wakako Kazakiri, as well make them know that they are not the real ones as in the case of the Fake Sela and the Fake Tusk. Kibaoni Yokai Army: Gengetsu Kibaoni: The true leader of the Kibaoni Army Corps. In 1571, Gengetsu Kibaoni was formerly an evil feudal warlord during the Sengoku Era who believed that fear was the best method of uniting the war-torn Japan. Though Kibaoni was killed by the ninjas of the Igasaki Clan, he vowed he would return in 444 years to unite the world in terror. Hundreds of years later during an unspecific year, Kibaoni and his three generals resurrected as demons but were all single handily defeated by by Yoshitaka Igasaki and sealed away the using 48 Sealing Shuriken. Due to a now realized miscalculation of dating, it is revealed by Tsumuji Igasaki that Kibaoni's true revival will actually happen in the year 2015. It begins when Kyuemon Izayoi manages to free the warlord and his forces. Lacking physical form upon his release, Kibaoni tasks his retainers to gather fear so he can reconstitute himself, creating Yokai by sending out the now-corrupted Sealing Shuriken and combining them with inanimate objects. Eventually reborn through the fear of his wife, Ariake no Kata, upon losing her son, Kibaoni had Kyuemon kill Yoshitaka and claim the Owari no Shuriken to attain the power to create a Yokai world. In the final battle, Gengetsu absorbed his own son, Kyuemon Izayoi, and grew giant. Though he overpowered Gekiatsu Dai-Oh, once the Ninninger made it clear they are only fighting strictly by personal choice, rather than fate as a result of their linage, it allows Kyuemon to turn against his father and break free. The Ninninger then finish off Gengetsu with Gekiatsu Dai Fever. Raizo Gabi: The Spearhead of the Kibaoni Army Corps with an intense hatred for the Igasaki Ninja and a lust for power.*Raizo is a crude Spearman who desires conflict so much, he does not wish to be anywhere other than the battlefield. He's also dismissive of anyone he deems lower than his station, such as Kyuemon Izayoi. But even if that's the case, he can sometimes shown to be a great supporter of Kyuemon, giving him a corrupted Sealing Shuriken and a troop of Jukkarage to assist him in obtaining the End Shuriken. Raizo originally refused to receive orders from Kyuemon until he showed the Ninningers' main objective to collect purified Sealing Shurikens. Knowing this, he decided to act on his orders, if only so he can fight AkaNinger, the only one he had fought that actually put up a decent fight. Despite his rudeness, he is an evil warrior with the code of honor in battle. Such as not interrupting AkaNinger when he had another important fight to be finished and accepting his loss to AkaNinger when he was able to defeat him without any regret. Following the full revival of Gengetsu, Raizo is resurrected from his defeat at the hands of King Shurikenjin in an enhanced form by infusing his missing horn fragment with a corrupted Sealing Shuriken. He was later killed again by AoNinger. Masakage Tsugomori: The Chief retainer of the Kibaoni Army Corps. Masakage is loyal to his master's wish and would comply to his command to gather the fear energy. While he seems to be playful (such as teasing Kyuemon with nicknames like Hachiemon, Jyuemon, or Kyubei), this is just a cover for his inner darkness and he is wise enough to discover that Kyuemon is just a new member of the team since in the past, only three generals were present and threatens to kill him if he tries to plot something that is against his master's will. Like Gabi, he disregards Kyuemon's suggestion to gather fear, instead focusing on destroying the Ninningers. Unlike Gabi, he does not confront them directly, choosing to use deception and trickery. Most of his schemes involve weakening the team in some capacity before delivering a fatal blow, such as destroying their weapons or disabling or manipulating their OtomoNins. However, despite his cunning and calculative methods, he fails in his schemes due to either the incompetence of his subordinates or underestimating the Ninningers' growing level of skill, strategy and power. He is actually a small creature piloting a giant sized body. What do I think of Zyuohger? To be honest, while it is pretty to look at, the characters are rather dull and lacking in any meaningful growth and the plot is virtually non-existent for much of the series. While it does have some highlights, I?ve seen said highlights done way better in previous shows. As for this movie, the producer is the Shinkenger guy (who if you?ve been following these, you?ll know I can?t be bothered to remember his name anymore), our writer is Junko Komura (whose one previous vs movie credit is Go-Onger vs Gekiranger) and our director is Noboru Takemoto (whose Twitter account does for Magiranger and Dekaranger what Nobuhiro Suzumura?s does for Kamen Rider Kuuga). With all of that said, on with the review. Our movie opens on a rather bleak note, with everyone on both the titular Sentai lying dead in an inferno. We then cut to a kid, who says the same thing the fandom have been saying about literally anything that Sentai tries since Zyuohger. (No really. I see on Twitter that people are saying Super Sentai is ending because they?re trying something different or because they?re playing it safe every year) We then cut to 24 hours earlier, where the 5 main Zyuohgers are relaxing by the lake, having a picnic. Yamato tries to check up on Micchan, but he can?t get a signal (and he?s using his Mark of the King, so service areas shouldn?t be an issue). It turns out that he?s bringing part of the picnic along? which gets wrecked when he crashes into the boy from tomorrow and gets depressed (This happens a lot. He really needs help, but the show treats his condition more as a joke than anything. Even this show?s biggest stans find that in bad taste). But the main 5?s enjoyment is cut short when the Zyuman members sense something off. Cue the Ninningers appearing out of nowhere. After Takaharu calls them evil Yokai, while the Zyumans are confused, Yamato thinks it?s just a misunderstanding. But when they assume their human forms easily (ie. the one thing that turned a few long time fans against this show), but Yakumo tells them in no uncertain terms that it?s about as effective as a robber taking his mask off, throwing his loot away and saying ?it weren?t me, coppers.? When the Ninningers accuse them of being impostor Super Sentai, it officially becomes ?on?, with both sides transforming to do battle. NinShurikens: AlaNinger/AoNinger/KiNinger/ShiroNinger/MomoNinger Shuriken! Ninja Ichibantous: The Henge! Nin Nin Nin. Nin Ninnin Nin! Ninningers: Shuriken Henge! Takaharu: We are Shinobi, but we do not hide! Ninningers: Shuriken Sentai Ninninger! Takaharu: Instead of hiding, we rampage! The Zyuohgers them transform second to defend themselves. Zyuohgers: Honno Kakusei! (Wild Instinct, Awaken!) And after the fight proves too evenly matched, they escalate to the mecha, with the Zyuohgers using Zyuoh King and Zyuoh Wild, while the Ninningers use Shurikenjin alone (which probably says something about how powerful they are that the Zyuohgers feel the need to use two mecha to face them). When they?re still pretty evenly matched, the Zyuohgers combine their robots into the oh-so creatively named Wild Zyuoh King, while the Ninningers summon UFOmaru to change into Shurikenjin UFO. The resulting firefight is so powerful it blows both sides far away? except for Yamato and Takaharu, who merely resume their game of cat and mouse, while Micchan finally makes it to the picnic site, where he gets the wrong idea from everything being on fire. The Ninningers, now lacking Takaharu and unable to reach him over the phone, return to their dojo where we find that they?ve met a disgustingly cute cute creature known as Runrun (voiced by professional idol/VA Haruka Fukuhara, who Sentai fans may recognise as Lady from ToQger?s spin-off movies). As Fuuka laments the Zyuohgers getting away, Kasumi notices the plot holes in Runrun?s story about the Zyuohgers being abominable Yokai. So Runrun decides to explain that that?s part of their act. Back with the four Zyumans, Tusk is unable to reach Yamato over the phone (and again, it?s a mystical artefact. They shouldn?t have signal problems normally), while the others note that they don?t actually know about human culture that much, and some additional knowledge might help them. Luckily, their waiter at the ramen cart is Kinji, who?s all too happy to educate them. At the park, Takaharu?s fight with Yamato comes to an abrupt end when that same kid reappears, calling Takaharu his dad. At Atelier Mori, the Ninningers sneak in, in search of the sixth Zyuohger, only to almost get caught by Uncle Mario (who seems to be impersonating the Ninningers? GamaGama Guns). Then Micchan shows up, falling right into the hands of the Ninningers. And when they call him an impostor, he actually agrees with them. Then Runrun appears and decides to gag Micchan so he can?t speak. (Well that?s not suspicious at all) Back at the park, the kid explains that he?s Takaharu?s son Yoshiharu, who travelled back in time from 12 years in the future. Yamato?s reaction probably sums up that of the audience at this point. But when Takaharu asks what happens to him in the future, Yoshiharu escalates things quickly. He then adds on that all of the Zyuohgers and the Ninningers will die tomorrow. Back at the ramen stand, as Kinji finishes his lecture on how cool ninjas are, Cube Rhinos shows up carrying something. It turns out to be from the Ninningers, who announce that they?re holding Micchan hostage at an old gym. The mention of the Ninningers gets Kinji to reveal he?s also one? which promptly gets him kidnapped. Elsewhere, Yoshiharu explains that Runrun (quelle suprise) tricked the Ninningers and the Zyuohgers into fighting each other. This one event ended the history of Super Sentai (why? Did the government ban them after that event?), so Yoshiharu travelled back to change this so he could become AkaNinger, like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather (which seem pretty selfish, given that there are greater reasons to want superheroes back). Yamato and Takaharu then make their peace and apologise, with Takaharu wondering who Runrun is. A question which quickly gets answered: he?s a professional hero killer who Naria hired to eliminate the Zyuohgers for messing up the Blood Game one too many times (where?s this aggression in the show proper? Seriously, this is the most character Naria?s ever displayed. Even Quval seems surprised). Runrun reveals that he also released a pollen into the air which disrupts communications, so that both sides would become confused and angry. And for good measure, it turns out that the muzzle he put on Micchan forces him to spout the same story Runrun made up. And inside Micchan?s mind, he gets terrified. But luckily, the three Zyumans who live in his head (they don?t get names) help him realise that only his mouth has a muzzle on it. The next day, both sides meet at the gym and show off their hostages, before transforming to go into battle with each other? just before Takaharu and Yamato show up (where?ve they been in the time jump? Chilling by the pool?) When their attempts to stop the fight through words fails, the two Reds see their sixths tied up and run to help them? only for those two to be all too willing to get revenge. Seeing no other options, both Reds run into the battle to try and stop it by fighting? which doesn?t work much better and eventually, both sides destroy each other, as Yoshiharu predicted and Runrun anticipated. But before Runrun can hand out invites to his victory party and get a deal for his book ?How I Ended the History of Super Sentai?, everyone?s corpses fade away, before they emerge from their camouflage. The two Sentai explain that Yakumo and Kasumi suspected Runrun was a creep from the get go (with that design, how could you not), so when Micchan started moving about, seemingly struggling, they realised instantly that he was actually using his posterior to write a message on the ground. So after that, they went to the Zyuohgers and explained the whole plot, so they decided to fool him into thinking this was a success (that, and the Zyuohgers wanted to get even with the Ninningers). They didn?t tell Takaharu or Yamato to sell their performance. An enraged Runrun transforms into his true form, Gilmarda (and his voice changes, appropriately enough, to Nozomu Sasaki, star of Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack). Gilmarda knocks everyone outside, before creating clones of Kibaoni, Rabi, Masakage, Jagged and Bangray (don?t ask how, he just can). Which means it?s time to transform. NinShurikens: AkaNinger/AoNinger/KiNinger/ShiroNinger/MomoNinger/StarNinger Shuriken! Zyuoh Changers: Eagle!/Shark!/Lion!/Elephant!/Tiger! Triple The Light: The World! Ninja Ichibantous: The Henge! Nin Nin Nin! Nin Ninnin Nin! Star Burger: The Change! Ninningers: Shuriken Henge! Kinji: Shuriken Change! Zyuohgers: Honno Kakusei! Ninja Ichibantous: Aka Ja! Ao Ja! Ki Ja! Shiro Ja! Momo Ja! Ninjas! Star Burger: StarNinger Wow! Tripe The Light: Whoah Oh Rhinos! Yamato: (Eagle) Monarch of the Open Skies, ZyuohEagle! Sela: (Shark) Monarch of the Wild Seas, ZyuohShark! Leo: (Lion) Monarch of the Savannah, ZyuohLion! Tusk: (Elephant) Monarch of the Deep Forest, ZyuohElephant! Amu: (Tiger) Monarch of the Snow Fields, ZyuohTiger! Micchan: (The World) Monarch of the World, ZyuohTheWorld! Yamato: Doubutsu Sentai? All: Zyuohger! Takaharu: A Splendid Rampage, AkaNinger! Yakumo: The Roaring Cloud, AoNinger! Nagi: The Shimmering Calm, KiNinger! Fuuka: A petal blowing in the wind, ShiroNinger! Kasumi: The Wavering Mist, MomoNinger! Kinji: The Colorful Star, StarNinger! Takaharu: We may be Shinobi, but we do not hide! Kinji: We may be Shinobi, but we party all night! All: Shuriken Sentai Ninninger! Takaharu and Yamato: Instead of hiding? All: We awaken out wild instinct! A fight then breaks out (there is a song playing, but I can?t find a video for it) between both sides. Takaharu: Ninjas and? Yamato: Monarchs! All: Better not underestimate them! Yakumo and Tusk take on Jagged, eventually defeating him when Yakumo uses his magic to distract Jagged, before turning Tusk into Paonmaru to ram him. Nagi and Leo take on Gabi, with Nagi using the Kakuranger Shuriken to overwhelm the opponent, before Leo jumps forward to headbutt him. The 4 girls take on Bangray, with Kasumi and Fuuka deciding to join in on the animal fun by using Shuriken Ninpo: Doubutsu Henge no Jutsu to turn into Pandamaru and Byakkomaru to knock the Hunter back. (Being left wearing thematic onesies for some reason) The 4 then finish him with Yasei Kaihou Nin Retsu Zan Kinji then raises Micchan?s spirits enough to help him take down Masakage and take a selfie together. Back with Yamato and Takaharu, who are facing Kibaoni, Yamato transforms again to hold him off. Zyuoh Changer: Gorilla! Yamato: Yasei Kaihou! (Unleash the Beast!) While this fight happens, Yoshiharu gets a Sealing Shuriken, which turns into an AkaNinger Shuriken with his name literally written on it. It?s then that Tsumuji shows up, having been chasing the stray Sealing Shuriken from the Igasaki dojo. Being provided with a spare Ninja Ichibantou, Yoshiharu joins his father and grandfather in transforming. Tsumuji: The Slashing Whirlwind? Takaharu: A Splendid Rampage? Yoshiharu: Fair Weather Today? As the three take on and defeat Kibaoni while Yamato charges Gilmarda, Naria, Quval and Azald make plans to attack both parties, only for Bud (as for who plays him, his nickname is ?Bird Kusaka?. I?m sure knowledgeable fans are Standing By to Complete the gap in people?s knowledge within 913 minutes) to show up to stop them. But before he can do more than pull out his Zyuoh Changer Final, someone new crashes to Earth? literally. When the Deathgaliens ask who he is, he introduces himself as Lucky, the luckiest man in the galaxy. But he?s also the Super Star, Shishi Red! And he?s not the only one with his type of powers. And it?s not just 5 this time, it?s nine. As the Deathgaliens get confused, Azald summons the amoebas to fight the new group, who take down the grunts with their varied abilities (such as paralysis, flight and camouflage), before taking down the major villains. Lucky then introduces themselves as the Ultimate saviours. Uchuu Sentai? The three commanders then depart, as do Lucky and his party. Bud takes them as proof that the future of Super Sentai has been changed (okay 1. How does Bud know what?s been happening? Did he read the script? And 2. No, I?m sure they?ve been around for quite a while, given that they already have their powers). Back to the main battle, Yamato shifts into ZyuohWhale, while the rest finish off the remaining clones. After Yamato defeats Gilmarda, he has the others join in as he kills him (I love people disparage shows like Ninninger and Kyuranger for being Red seemingly doing everything, when shows like Shinkenger and Zyuohger where the Red actually does everything exist and receive nowhere near the same flack). Rather than have Naria teleport in, explain what a Continue medal is and insert it, while the monster says some variant of ?Thank you, Naria?, he already took a few and inserts them himself, with no comment. All of these turn him into a plant Kaiju. The heroes take him on in Wild Tousai Dodekai King and King Shurikenjin (why are they going with what?s basically the first upgrade mecha? That?d be like Kamen Rider Zero-One winning his final battle with Shining Assault Hopper. Why not Ha-Oh Shurikenjin? Or Gekiatsu Dai-Oh? Or Ha-Oh Gekiatsu Dai-Oh?) But in the ensuing fight, both prove unable to do a thing, and Gilmarda easily trashes them. But before he can crush them, the twelve are whisked away to a void, where every previous Red warrior is waiting. And standing between HurricaneRed and Gokai Red, the two who had prominent guest spots in Ninninger and Zyuohger proper respectively, is Choujuu Sentai Liveman?s Red Falcon (reprised by his original actor for the first time since he came out of retirement), who passes on the spirits of every Sentai to them (this is some pretty generic legend dialogue, but then I felt the same with a lot of Komura?s Gokaiger episodes, so I?m not too bothered). Returning to reality, Takaharu gets a new Gattai NinShuriken, allowing for a new combination as a theme tune kicks in for the first time since Gokaiger vs Gavan. Free-flying wings in the distant skies. ?watched by a boy with longing eyes. Eagle! Shark! Lion! Elephant! Tiger! Wild instinct, awaken! The kings of kings, Zyuohger! Using wild power? They protect their friends on Earth. The undisputed victors, Zyuohger! Hearts hotter than the sun? Are unbeatable, Zyuohger! Wild Tousai Shuriken King is more of a match for Gilmarda, before they summon the powers of every Sentai ultimate mecha (Variblune, Sky Ace, Battle Fever Robo, DaiDenzin, Sun Vulcan Robo, Goggle Robo, Dyna Robo, Bio Robo, Change Robo, Great Titan, Galaxy Robo, Super Live Robo, Super TurboBuilder, Max Magma, Great Icarus, Kyukyuku Daizyujin, Kiba Dai-Oh, Super Kakure Dai Shogun, Buster Ohranger Robo, VRV Robo, Super Galaxy Mega and Wing Mega Voyager, JuuSouKou GingaiOh, Max Victory Robo, Shadow Alpha, GaoIcarus, Revolver TenraiSenpuujin, MaxRyuuOh, Super Dekaranger Robo, MagiLegend, Ultimate DaiBouken, SaiDaiGekiFire, EngineOh G12, Samurai Ha-Oh, Hyper Gosei Great, Kanzen GokaiOh, Great Go-Buster, Gigant Kyoryuzin, ToQ RainbOh and Ha-Oh Shurikenjin) to finish him off (eh, pretty much every other anniversary did this better. Even Gokaiger). With the battle won, Yoshiharu formally introduces his elf?s to his other relatives before returning to the future. Takaharu then causally explains how he came to be: he got married recently and didn?t tell anyone (and given that this wife and child aren?t in the picture by the time of Ninninger?s ?Returns? movie, it?s safe to say he had an equally abrupt divorce that ended with him receiving no custody rights). Cue the credits. Final thoughts: Like Zyuohger itself, this was a relatively dull piece that doesn?t break much in the way of new ground other than looking slightly pretty. But, since I?m not too pleased with how the Ninningers were handled here, I?m ranking it lower and calling it the third worst VS movie (behind ToW vs Kyoryu and Ginga vs Mega). I liked Gilmarda though, he?s cool. And here?s a note. For the next two weeks, I won?t be posting reviews in this thread, to give Fish time to catch up with his own thing. Last edited by Androzani84; 12-17-2021 at 04:13 PM.. |
12-09-2021, 05:55 PM | #9024 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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~Fish's Zenkai Tour!~
Station 38 – Ressha Sentai ToQger Despite watching Super Sentai for years by that point, ToQger was actually the first series I made a conscious effort to properly follow from start to finish, right from the initial rumors and trademarks and catalogues and all that. I had learned my lesson about ignoring this franchise, and Toei was even kind enough to make ToQger a gift-wrapped present for me in celebration of that fact. I mean, it's being written by Yasuko Kobayashi! I'm instantly in love with the captivatingly simple and fun designs! A huge number of fans violently despise these designs and are already decrying the show they haven't seen as a failure! When I get to enjoy something by Kobayashi and be a huge contrarian at the same time, you know it's gonna be a good year. I wasn't actually in love with the show for a little while, to tell the truth. The initial stretch of episodes didn't totally connect with me for whatever reasons, and that's why I'm very, very lucky this also happened to be the first year I was determined to stick it out anyway. As ToQger moved along, it started really picking up steam, and I can still vividly remember a couple particular episodes that cemented massive shifts in my attitude towards the series. By the introduction of the team's obligatory sixth member in episode 17, I was seriously enjoying each and every week. After a particularly major turning point for the plot in episode 32, I was outright head over heels, eagerly anticipating whatever adventures awaited the heroes at their next stop. And given that the premise does revolve around the protagonists traveling on a train from place to place each week in search of their ultimate destination, it really was the perfect series to finally commit myself to for a whole year. I was onboard for this crazy journey with everyone else, and along the way, as the characters grew and evolved, so too did my understanding and appreciation for everything ToQger was doing as a series. The thing is, ToQger is childish. Aggressively so. It's arguably more childish than maybe any other Sentai, and considering the franchise is aimed at children by nature, that's really saying something. But I think it's fair to say ToQger can lay special claim to that word, not merely because it's unabashedly silly (which was my mistaken first impression), but because childhood is legitimately baked into the thematic core of the narrative. It's a show about five childhood friends who don't remember anything except their childhood friendship, and the quest they go on together to find their way home, all the while using the power of their Imagination to shine a light on the darkness that seeks to crush all the world's joy. The ToQgers ride the Rainbow Line, relying on their youthful exuberance and flexible thinking to carry them to victory, while the villains of the Shadow Line are a bunch of aristocrats stuck in their stubborn squabbles and chained by their designated roles in society. In other words, they're largely adults, and particularly stuffy ones at that. It's honestly sort of brilliant? The trick ToQger pulls is that both groups get quite a bit of focus, meaning there's twice as much here to get hooked on. You can watch the show for the appealing simplicity of the heroes, both in their bright, colorful aesthetics and their amiable personalities, and follow them along as the strength of their friendship overcomes any obstacle. Or! If that's just not doing it for you, you *could* find yourself absorbed in the fascinating complexity of the main villains, both in their elaborate gothic designs and their surprisingly layered personalities, and witness the constantly unfolding soap opera of their often uneasy alliances punctuated by shocking betrayals and gambits. The writing of the show is capable of getting way more sophisticated than you might expect at first glance, and the contrast between heroes and villains ends up highlighting the strengths of both sides' respective style of drama. It's two great flavors that go great together, and ToQger's plotting is full of some fantastic twists and turns thanks to both the mystery surrounding the protagonists, and the intrigue that defines the antagonists. Although I'm not sure how those simple colorful designs could ever not do it for someone. Well, okay, of course I get it, but like, I don't want to? The ToQger aesthetic is so nicely considered, you know? The suits have the absolute minimum of detail because the scarcity of complex patterns and accent colors brings out the vibrant rainbow that is a Sentai team standing together as much as possible, and it's the same story for ToQ-Oh, a robot made entirely from five vertical lines of color, because it's literally just five trains side-by-side that stand up. Which is awesome! It's not cool, yeah, but it's awesome, so who cares? I guess I'd describe the visuals of ToQger as pleasant, to narrow it down to a word? It all ends up looking very nice on the screen, and the minimalistic approach matches the themes and tone of the series just about perfectly. I seriously wouldn't have it any other way. It's like the ultimate visual distillation of Super Sentai as a concept. I'm sure this has become a way less controversial opinion over the years, so I probably don't even need to give this whole spiel, but darn it, I'm just that passionate about this! ToQger's designs are really bold and smart and I love them to bits! Do I love ToQger's first episode that much, though? Well, I certainly love it a lot more than I did back when it aired. I mean, I've rewatched other early episodes of ToQger before this, so I kinda already knew the problem back then was more with me than the show. It took me a while to get a handle on why the show told its stories the way it did, but now I do understand that, so revisiting the place it all started after all these years is only going to be a good time for me. To be fair to my past self, however, it's not like this one episode actually has every single thing that makes ToQger what it is packed in there somewhere. In a lot of ways, the plot here is extremely thin, even, but again, it's all in context now. Gradual reveals are a fundamental part of ToQger's narrative structure, so it makes sense to give only the absolute basics right away, and hey, they even end this one on a pretty legendarily sudden cliffhanger reveal, as if to prove how intentional this all is. That might make it sound like sort of a poor debut showing, if I'm saying it only comes together in retrospect, but that's not what I'm trying to get at. At the time, I was in some rush to immediately see that nuanced characterization and storytelling I expect from Kobayashi, and in doing so, I missed a lot of the other qualities ToQger is bringing to the table. First of all, quite a few seemingly incidental details end up holding much greater significance in light of later developments, starting with the very first scene, so the nuance IS there – it's just hiding, which arguably makes it even more clever. Second, that's maybe not the point of any of this. This show is fun before it's anything else, and that means the show's first episode is almost all fun, all the time. Like, again, the plot isn't much. Our usual excitable Re... er, #1 for the series, Right, wakes up on one of the bad guys' trains while the monster of the week is in the middle of kidnapping a bunch of crying children, so you instantly know they're bad guys, meaning the other four ToQgers show up to save the day, so Right gets involved, remembers they're all friends, becomes ToQ #1, and the five of them blow up the monster together. Weaved throughout the process is some discussion on the nature of imagination. But boiling a summary down to the mere events ignores how rich the flavor is. That opening scene, for example. You have a monster gleefully going around stealing kids, which is pretty messed up, but then the first thing Right does in the entire series is immediately undercut that menace – entirely unintentionally – by obnoxiously snoring, completely oblivious to the situation he's in, right up until he tries to take a bite out of the monster's arm in his sleep. What an introduction for our big hero! And then once the ToQgers make their heroic entrance, that gets immediately botched by ToQ #2 tripping on his way out the door, and the awkward energy only continues throughout the initial fight scene. Later, when Right rushes off ahead of everyone to stop the monster after becoming a ToQger, he looks straight into the camera to sheepishly ask how you actually become a ToQger, because nobody had the chance to give him his ToQ Changer before he ran out of the room to go play hero. When I originally watched this episode back in 2014, I think there was a huge part of me that felt the comedy was too broad or something, but now? It all just feels like a natural – even essential – part of establishing an overall vibe for this team. They are emphatically *not* traditional heroes. They're only kind of qualified for this job at the moment, and that's very directly reflected in how weird everyone is about it. The one thing the team does have going for them, and what Right in particular has going for himself, despite all the flubs, is that aforementioned Imagination. It lets Right get his big legit hero moment for the episode when, before even transforming for the first time, he actually does manage to land a good hit on the monster by mapping out his approach in his head. Like with most things, I think it's the way the series expands on that core concept of Imagination after this which really makes it special, but looking back, the premiere does establish a solid foundation. Right's actual plan to dodge a punch before punching back isn't especially impressive, but what matters is showing how his ability to face problems by proactively thinking of solutions gives him the self-confidence to make those ideas into reality. And that all completely tracks with what that central theme is about. All of what I've been talking about those past few paragraphs all comes crashing together when the ToQgers start swapping colors around during the climax, one of the show's trademark gimmicks. (It's also why they're distinguished by numbers instead.) Much like the designs themselves, you'll never convince me this is anything besides completely genius. The thing is, there's almost no point to them having this ability whatsoever. They switch around their personal weapons, yeah, but it's like, you could just hand the other person your weapon. So why bother with this concept at all then? Because it so perfectly reflects everything this team is about! Of course Right would be the guy who would just suggest this bonkers idea out of nowhere, because he's way too creative to be bound by the rigid traditions of the genre. He's not an adult who understands or cares about the reasons those rules exist, he's the kid roleplaying with his friends, getting bored of being Red and deciding Blue or Pink would be more fun. And it is fun! It's a chaotic energy you just can't get from any other Sentai! Which is normally for the best, but for ToQger, this is the best. Even the idea that the colors are fluid ends up speaking to the flexibility of the team's dynamic, something the show makes a point of later by having it be explicitly stated that everyone on this team is the leader. And if you can tell who the leader in a Sentai is because they're wearing Red... So yeah, this is a good premiere, for sure. I always kind of thought of it as overstuffed due to how much time is devoted to establishing just about everything the ToQgers can do in a fight, from the color changing to their bazooka to the giant robot, all given plenty of time to shine while the story takes a backseat, but once again, it just sorta feels right now. Not a very objective analysis, I know! What can you do, though? I love Kobayashi, and I love ToQger. She apparently wrote this show feeling it might be her final Sentai (which it currently is), and it was a strong note to leave on if you ask me. ToQger has a wacky comedic slant that distinguishes it from the other Sentai she was in charge of, keeping things fresh, while still retaining all the usual humanity and warmth that makes her work so excellent. No matter how insane the antics get, it's that bond between the heroes, written the way only she can write it, that keeps things grounded. ToQger is always amusing, and quite often sincerely touching. It was great getting to make a quick stop on the tour to see it again. (Kobayashi could totally still write yet another amazing Sentai if she wanted to, by the way.)
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12-09-2021, 06:08 PM | #9025 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,417
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ridiculous. who would ever watch something just for fun.
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12-12-2021, 10:34 AM | #9026 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Posts: 2,448
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Finished both Go Busters and Ryu Soul (Hasbro Era)
Finishing Bouken and have 11 episodes left. Resuming Kyo forward.
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Currently watching Galaxy Man - Aba and To Quger - Don Bros. on DVD. |
12-12-2021, 11:59 AM | #9027 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,538
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The latter part of ToQger was amazing don't let the first batch of eps fool you, I'll say that much. That aside, this was the show that featured both Jun Shison and Ryusei Yokohama, now big names in their own rights and Yokohama was a surprise to see having seen him in Fourze prior to this as Ryusei/Meteor's jeet kune do buddy. Another surprise was Yui Horie as Ticket since she was the last person I expected to see be credited in a toku show.
Oh, and the theme song is nice as well. And let's not forget the team-up with Gaim.
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12-12-2021, 02:06 PM | #9028 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 905
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^Yeah, as I said before, ToQger is a far better Sentai series than it had any right to being and its theme song has pretty much grown on me to the point I ended up head-banging to the first few beats of it when the song itself was brought back during the Super Sentai Strongest Battle mini-series. I also really enjoyed their crossover with Gaim and it’s probably my favorite among the crossovers that we got between Sentai and Kamen Rider.
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12-14-2021, 01:38 PM | #9029 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 905
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Apologies once again for yet another double post. Just for fun, I decided to re-watch episode 43 of Gekiranger and episode 44 of Gokaiger as part of my Christmas marathon for this year.
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12-17-2021, 03:45 PM | #9030 |
Henshin Heaven
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Inside a Hyper Battle Video, help.
Posts: 1,242
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I've started Timeranger a few days ago and have seen 11 episodes now. I'm really enjoying it so far, which surprises me since I don't think I've heard people talk about it much, and when I occasionally did it was in a somewhat negative sounding tone. The cast has really fun interactions, interesting character arcs, and generally the story has a more dramatic tone than most other Sentai. Admittedly the show looks kind of terrible in thr visual department and has utterly boring mech fights full of overly long stock footage, but I'm willing to overlook it since a lot of the rest of it clicks.
I'm curious now though, do people like this show? I barely ever see it dicussed and I'm a little afraid you all are going to tell me "Oh, yeah, that show. I was great until it got Hibikied half way through".
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