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03-28-2022, 11:02 PM | #491 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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Is Majin Bone on your list?
I know this isn't a recommendation thread or anything, but I thought I'd throw my one cent into the pot. It's a toku-esque anime from Toei Animation in 2014 and it has that 3D-2D distinction Daikaijuman wanted from Shikizakura (ironically, the two other card game arcade game-inspired anime I've seen also share this quirk; see Dinosaur King or Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter). From what few episodes I've seen, it's a fun show. The suits seem pretty cool, at least, for being sourced from the arcade game. The OPs are also complete bops, IMO. Last edited by MangaArtist18; 03-28-2022 at 11:10 PM.. |
03-29-2022, 06:18 PM | #492 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Quote:
Is Majin Bone on your list?
I know this isn't a recommendation thread or anything, but I thought I'd throw my one cent into the pot. It's a toku-esque anime from Toei Animation in 2014 and it has that 3D-2D distinction Daikaijuman wanted from Shikizakura (ironically, the two other card game arcade game-inspired anime I've seen also share this quirk; see Dinosaur King or Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter). From what few episodes I've seen, it's a fun show. The suits seem pretty cool, at least, for being sourced from the arcade game. The OPs are also complete bops, IMO.
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03-29-2022, 06:52 PM | #493 |
Bat Hero
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 296
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04-02-2022, 08:41 PM | #494 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Even I Don't Know Anymore.
Posts: 1,397
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Hijacking this thread, once again, to talk about a show I've been watching as it aired, which as I write this, have just finished the series. But without further ado-
So long as justice exists, so too shall evil. Yet between this eternal conflict there is a battle that goes unseen... Kaijin Kaihatsubu No Kuroitsu-San, or Miss Kuroitsu and the Monster Develpoment Department, a show about the bureaucracy of Evil Organizations and the people who create the monsters our favorite Heroes destroy week-to-week! Now at first glance, it looks like another B Anime you'd likely see, but never linger on, but this show is like a pure love-letter to Tokusatsu and its tropes. Now I've read some of the Manga, yet that doesn't even come close to how much is in the show itself, especially since a lot of it is Anime original. For example (it's literally the start of the show), we get to see Japan's Local Heroes appear throughout the show, actual heroes who represent the various prefectures, like mascots but Toku Heroes, and we get to see a different group(s) every episode! It's one thing to just have them appear in the background, but here, we get to see them animated, and the show even credits them. I wouldn't have minded if they weren't here, but their inclusion only makes me love this even more. Anyway, back on topic. The show follows Kuroitsu, a young woman who works for the Evil Organization, Agastia, in the Monster Development Department, tasked with creating monsters to defeat their archnemesis, Kenshin Blader. However, Kenshin Blader is the least of her troubles, as creating monsters isn't exactly an easy job, what with budget, supplies, the demands of you superiors, and just plain design. I figure I don't need to say more, since I'm sure anyone familiar with Tokusatsu can figure out just how well things go. But it's not just limited to "so what will we make the monster of the week this time?" there is, as I mentioned before, the bureaucracy of Evil Organizations. This show blends work culture and Tokusatsu evil organizations in a way that makes this entertaining in just about any scenario. And it's not just limited to the villains either, since the Heroes have their own fair share of problems, but I'll leave it here. It's also got a lot of voices you've probably heard in Tokusatsu a few times before like, Hikaru Midorikawa (Gridman), Tetsu Inaba (Ichigo's backup voice), Tomokazu Sugita (King Crystalia), and Takuma Terashima (Ultraman Taiga) as Kenshin Blader. (Looking at this, it looks like I'm one of those narrators for blockbuster movies listing off the talent) Of course, as much as I've praised this show, it is not without flaws. Again, it looks like every cut-and-paste Anime you'd glance at while browsing for whatever show you're actually watching and simply pay it no mind. This, like Shikizakura, is by a new studio, and the animation quality isn't something you'd write home about (not that animation plays any major critiques for me anyway), and to most people, it's "just another Anime." Sure, it's nothing spectacular, neither is it My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, or Madoka, but to me, someone who loves Tokusatsu and just funny shows in general, this was an enjoyable season regardless. It's no masterpiece, or even close to something you'd put in your Anime Shrine (I'll be honest, I'd consider owning it), but it's something I had fun with, even if you know exactly what's coming just by looking at the character designs. (The best, and my favorite character will be obvious) Well, this probably won't be the end of me bringing in more Toku Anime, as there's another one on the horizon, I'll likely be covering after it's run its course. Until then, have a nice day, and don't disappoint your Great Leader, or else you'll be their next test subject! |
04-02-2022, 09:05 PM | #495 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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That actually sounds like alot of fun. Will definitely keep it in mind for the future!
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04-03-2022, 10:27 PM | #496 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 1: Ceremony This premiere was everything that I wanted the first episode of Dynazenon to be. I absolutely adore a well done atmosphere, especially if it's successfully pulled off in a show's' first episode. It's one of the quickest ways to get me hooked. The first two minutes really set the tone for the entire episode right off the bat; No music, with the only sounds being those found in nature. Heck, there's almost no dialogue either. And all with great direction to pull it altogether. Even after the opening, in which the action first starts to kick in, it's very clear this isn't your typical superhero action show. All throughout the episode is an air of mystery, with pieces gradually being set in place for something greater, and yet again with a distinct style that I've only really seen come from this show. What do I mean? Well, lemme introduce you to one of our leads, I-Guy. Okay so there's alot for me to unpack here. First off, and right off the bat, I absolutely adore the art style that this anime has going for it; The character designs especially. The idea is very much to be a comic book in motion, and while sure, the frame rate of said animation might take some getting used to, especially for more modern anime viewers, it's a style that certainly stands out! As such, you'll have to forgive me if, throughout this coverage of The Reflection, that a majority of my screencaps are character shots. Again, the character designs in and of themselves are really creative and I dig the hell out of them. If nothing else, the show ended up being really worth it to me on style alone. But don't let that fool you! There's certainly alot more to this that I'll talk about later on. But I kinda already spiraled into a tangent, haven't I? After all, what exactly IS the deal with this Iron Man lookin' guy anyway? Well as I said, this is I-Guy, one of our leads for the anime. And without going too much into it, he's the one who's' story will be presented as the anime's' "subplot." But, full disclosure? Screw that. This dude is great, and I'll be talking as though his tale is the center focus of the show throughout the rest of these posts. And lemme tell ya, he certainly knows how to make an entrance! My man straight up flies through New York battling a Frog Man and a Bat Boy, all while blasting the in-universe 80s hit "Sky Show" over the speakers in his suit. Clearly meant to be his theme song, he even goes so far as to hack all of the monitors in Time Square just to blast the song all over the place. The choreography of the fight is pretty cool too, and does a good job at showing just how much the art style does for the show. There's lazers, flying through walls, the monitors of the Square changing to match the flow of the fight... all kinds of good stuff. And in the end, when I-Guy has to face off against the Man Bat's' sonic wave attack, there's a nice bit of foreshadowing too, but that's for a later episode. There's a good look into the personality of this mysterious superhero too, as when the press asks him if he can protect New York from now on, his response is simply: "Sorry, I live in LA." Before flying off. Which in itself is a funny line, but also cements that he's a bit of a showboat, as if the hijacking of big screens didn't do that already. ...Oh right, I mentioned another plot going along during this story, didn't I? This is X-On, our other protagonist, and is the one of which will be presented the "main" hero of our story. And ya know, it's not even that I dislike the guy, it's just that, compared to I-Guy? It's like no contest. Regardless, I will do my best to give X-On his fair shake. His involvement is actually alot more understated in this episode, as he mainly fights against two other super-powered people in the back alleys of New York, all while a freelance photographer who can teleport takes pictures of him. X-On's' battle against a guy made of water and a dude who can shoot tendrils out of his wrists isn't nearly as flashy as I-Guy's' fight, but it's still neat to see, and does a good job at establishing X-On's' superpower: The ability to copy the superpowers of others. It's during this that the special department of the police which handles "Reflected" related incidents is also established. ...Oh yeah, I haven't exactly told you all anything about the lore/plot of this yet, have I? Well that'd be because neither does this episode up until the very end. Basically, three years before the start of our tale, a cataclysmic event where a strange light and smoke rained down from the skies worldwide. This event, which came to be known as "The Reflection" killed many, but many of those who survived ended up with mutations or superhuman abilities, and came to be knwon as "The Reflected." Which of course, considering this is Stan Lee, came with many complications such as discrimination, criminal organizations, the works. Lastly, I wanna take a second to highlight that the music of this show is rather good too. And I'm gonna start off by linking the anime's' ending theme, "SunSunSunrise" by 9nine. And yes, that is literally them in the first couple minutes of the show. Them and their music exist in-universe. With all of that out of the way, the stage is set. What caused The Reflection? Who are I-Guy and X-On? And just what is this mysterious organization that aided in the escape of the criminals who were defeated? All of these questions and more will be brought to the forefront eventually, but until then, we're in for an interesting ride if nothing else.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 04-03-2022 at 10:31 PM.. |
04-04-2022, 09:17 PM | #497 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 2: Survivors Well, I started off the music showcases with the ED, so now I might as well do the OP, which is generically titled "Main Theme." Generic title aside, I do rather like this song. Not only does it harken back to old school hero show theme songs like Superman, X-Men, what have you, but it definitely helps to make things feel as though something big is going on all throughout the plot. Speaking of plot, that's essentially what this episode is all about; Establishing motives for alot of the cast we've met so far, ontop of giving some lore to the universe that this anime takes place in. We actually get to see The Reflection event take place worldwide, and some of the consequences that came of it. There's also more elaboration on the reasons that the events of the first episode were even happening. Oh, and speaking of our cast, well, look who's here! This is Mr. Mystic, and yes, he is infact voiced by Stan Lee himself. All that is known about him right now is that he's a telekinetic who's working with the established villains of the show. Which brings me to something else that I wanna bring up real quick: Good luck remembering anyone's' name or superhero title without reading the credits every episode, because they are said very few times throughout the show's' run. For some examples, the Frog Man? His name is apparently Fearsome Frog. The Russian Ninja who can set everything on fire? She's called Flaming Fury. These titles are not said at all in the entirety of the two episodes so far. Anyway, the background we get established is all well and good, but thankfully the episode also does give us a step forward too. X-On recruits the Freelance Teleporter to help him investigate someone or something known as "Wraith" and, more importantly, we get to know more about I-Guy! Yes, he is infact taking a nap on the wing of a plane. Love this guy. Turns out his civilian identity is Ian Izzet, a one-hit wonder of the 80s who lost his ability to sing after The Reflection happened. Wanting to desperately return to show business, he gathered a team to help him create the superhero known as I-Guy. And I gotta say, it was alot of fun getting to hear just all of the background chatter that was going on that we didn't get to hear throughout the battle of episode 1. Does a great job at adding alot of personality to Ian and his crew, which in turns makes them fun to watch. And that's about it! Really, while I did separate the two episodes here, it does feel like you are meant to watch the two back-to-back as one longer episode. And given how much praise I gave to episode 1, episode 2 as an extension of the previous one is absolutely fine by me.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 04-28-2022 at 12:15 AM.. |
04-05-2022, 10:21 PM | #498 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 3: Lisa No I-Guy in this one; It's all about X-On, Eleanor(Freelance Girl), and most importantly, a girl they run into on their adventure, Lisa(pictured above). Things kick off pretty quick, as we learn that while Eleanor is certainly a talented hacker and investigator, she's not very good at covering her tracks, as her efforts into investigating the mysterious Reflected known as Wraith results in her house getting burned down by Flaming Fury. Still, she atleast got herself and X-On a lead; Two girls disappearing on the same day at the exact same time, with a mysterious, shadowed over figure in the background both times. And so, the pair set off in Eleanor's' junker of a car to investigate these strange disappearances and hopefully not get burned alive. Despite the episode being almost entirely about Lisa, we do get some nice background on Eleanor here. Needless to say, she's had it rough her entire life. Her twin brother died during birth, and her parents have blamed her for it ever since. Then, once The Reflection happened and she got the power to teleport, she was cast out of the family entirely. X-On also drops some backstory on why some Reflected are full on mutants while others look like average people on the outside; Allegedly, those who inhaled the smoke and survived became creatures like Fearsome Frog, whereas those bathed in the light remained "normal" looking, like Eleanor. Or so people claim. The event itself knocked alot of people unconscious, so no one really knows for sure. It's here that it's clear what the show is gunning for in terms of its superpowers: Personality Powers. Not the first show to ever do it by any stretch, but it's a story element that I tend to rather like, as it helps to highlight key character traits, and can sometimes make for neat action scenes too. It also gives another meaning to the title of the anime, which is nice. But the important person here is Lisa, isn't it? Lisa is a girl who was born unable to use her legs, and thus uses a wheelchair to get around. Despite what many would consider a setback, she lives a pretty full life. She loves comic books, is a track star, and even keeps an assortment of collectibles; Most notably a toy robot her dad gave her when she was young. Her dad tends to smother her regardless though. Things get dicey though when two Reflected known as Steel Ruler and Putrid bust onto the scene to kidnap Lisa, claiming that Lisa is also a Reflected and that her powers just haven't awakened yet. And they're right, because when Putrid uses his power of transforming into a literal meat grinder to threaten Lisa and her father, Lisa responds in kind by TRANSFORMING HER WHEELCHAIR INTO A GIANT ROBOT HOLY CRAP! And it's actually the toy robot her dad gave her, which is a sweet touch. Even Putrid's' secondary power of being able to regenerate doesn't do him much good against a giant bombardment of lazer fire, and the heroes escape to live another day as the villains watch on, claiming their mission was a success regardless. Interesting... Overall, this was a decent oneshot about not just introducing a new character, but showing off more backstory and personality to X-On and Eleanor. We learn X-On has other allies hiding in the shadows, and that he's also a snarky douche. Eleanor, meanwhile, has alot of baggage and is looking for purpose in her life. And Lisa, well, I already went into detail about her. The only real critique I have of this episode is that the voice direction for Lisa's' dad was uh, not ideal! As for which song I plan to show off today, I decided to go with "Battle Begins." Sure, the episode isn't really action heavy outside of the climax, but it's a theme that definitely stands out given the show's' minimalist style. Plus, the fights the episode does have are cool, especially on the side of Steel Ruler, who really gets to show off her powers alongside Lisa here.
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04-07-2022, 11:12 AM | #499 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 4: New Orleans This episode highlights what is probably my biggest critique of The Reflection as a whole: And that's the lack of balance between the two ongoing storylines. Last episode, X-On got an entire episode all to himself, so here you might think that I-Guy would get the same treatment. And, heck, it certainly looks like it's gonna be that way at first. But no. Sadly, this episode is still 60% X-On(although I guess more specifically, Eleanor). Which double sucks because the I-Guy plot is far, far more interesting. On the X-On side of things, the group realizes that one of Wraith's' next targets is likely in New Orleans, and so they head there to head them off. There's some cute interactions with Lisa along the way, and once there, they learn of two more Reflected who have also been kidnapping others of their kind. These two being known as Merchant and Trader. There's a few other things to this too, such as showing off the racism of the locals(who refer to The Reflected as "Reffers"), X-On being a dick, and showing that the overuse of one's' powers tires them out ala Lisa, but these things are all far less compelling than what I-Guy's' story brings to the table. Because you see, I now get to finally present to you all what is without a doubt the best thing in this entire show; Sky Show. This is the first episode where we get to hear a good chunk of the song uninterrupted, and god DAMN is there a good reason this song is regarded as a huge pop hit in-universe. No joke, this song is awesome, and composer Trevor Horn really outdid himself here. Speaking of him... Yeah, he's in this show as himself too, just like 9nine. This anime has alot of that, huh? Anyway, Trevor Horn composed the entire soundtrack for The Reflection, including the anime-as-hell ending theme SunSunSunshine. And he did a wonderful job. So what exactly is Ian/I-Guy going through? Well, he's essentially having an identity crisis. I-Guy is becoming really popular with the people of LA despite some criticisms from the media, and it's in a drunken stooper that Ian comes to think that, essentially, I-Guy is replacing Ian in the eyes of the public. Despite being the one behind Sky Show, Ian has basically been forgotten, and the song itself is now more attributed to I-Guy, to the point that some are now even calling the hero Sky Show rather than his actual hero name. We also learn what Ian's' power actually is and why it destroyed his singing career. Turns out, if he lets his voice get to too high of a pitch, then it sends out sonic waves that cause major damage to the surrounding area. All the lazers that I-Guy uses in fights? Yeah, turns out those are powered by Ian's' voice. At the end of the day it is just a suit. Heck, I-Guy even very easily upstages Ian during a show at a private party. Ian can't sing, but all I-Guy has to do is just show up and play Sky Show over his speakers and people cheer. I was super into this character arc and wanted to keep going with it, but unfortunately, it's cut short in favor of the X-On plot, and it's unfortunately a sort of reoccurring thing that The Reflection will be guilty of from here on out. I've seen examples with dual plotlines getting proper balance(see: s-CRY-ed), but unfortunately, this anime isn't one of them, and it's a damn shame.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 04-28-2022 at 12:24 AM.. |
04-09-2022, 05:09 PM | #500 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
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Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,415
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Episode 5: Vy and Michael This one is actually kinda hard for me to talk about. Not because it has any sort of sensitive info, or it's confusing, or anything like, but more just due to how incredibly straight-forward it is. And don't get me wrong, that's not really a bad thing, but let's just say that when it comes to storytelling, the episode works just fine, but when it comes down to emotional impact, well, this one fell short for me. So what's it about? Well first and foremost there's no I-Guy in it; This episode is all about Merchant and Trader, who we soon come to know as Vy(pronounced "Vee") and Michael. Their origin, their personalities, and why they kidnap other Reflected and keep them sheltered. Michael was a gambler who lost his eyesight when a beam of light hit him during The Reflection, but in exchange, he gained the ability to only see other Reflected, as well as if they were showered by the light or swallowed by the smoke. In contrast, his lover Vy was turned into a giant monster who acts primarily on instinct. She listens to Michael's' commands, but harbors deep resentment. And there's some decent thematic storytelling beats here; How both are hiding behind their owns shells after what happened to them, the way Eleanor manages to get through to them both, and how Vy eventually breaks out of her shell in order to motivate and protect the one she loves. It's just that, to me, it feels all a bit too rushed and isn't presented in the type of way in which to get me personally invested in it. Like, for example, this is the primary song that plays throughout alot of the episode: And it's an absolutely great song! However, it's what primarily does all the carrying when it comes to the emotion of the episode; Atleast for me. Nothing else really, from the visuals, to the acting, to the characters, really even comes close. Not that those things are bad mind you, but they just don't go all in like how this song does. And it's a shame, because this show has proven it's able to pull something like that off: Just look at I-Guy! Still, for what it is, it's fine. In terms of plot, all that really happens is that the hiding spot for the Reflected that Michael has been kidnapping gets raided, resulting in all of them being kidnapped by the bad guys. Thus leaving only our usual group plus Michael and Vy left. We also get introduced to a new Reflected called Volt Vortex(pictured below). And all this after they'd finally found the girl that they were looking for, too. Still, the moment where Lisa gets rescued from the boy who Eleanor rescued last episode was a nice touch, atleast. In the end, it's one of the weaker episodes, but I still enjoy it for what it is. Oh! And I also decided to look up who did the character designs for the show, since I love them so much. Turns out they're done by Yoshihiko Umakoshi, who would later go on to be the primary character designer for My Hero Academia, and was also one of the character designers for Casshern Sins, one of my favorite anime of all time.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 04-28-2022 at 12:27 AM.. |
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