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12-26-2021, 08:30 PM | #1 |
I have a problematic type
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,410
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Hey, it's that thing I do.
It's once again time yet again for my annual tradition of 90% copy/pasting a look back on the previous year and the shows, characters, and moments that stood out to us. It was a better year for tokusatsu than 2020. The only hiatus we got was for the Olympics and only Ultraman had to deal with more clipshows than usual. We also got new shows to celebrate the anniversaries of Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, and Ultraman Tiga. Power Rangers, meanwhile, probably also did stuff. As always, for releases of this year I'm counting any series that aired any episodes during 2021, including: Kiramager Zenkaiger Kamen Rider Saber Kamen Rider Revice Ultraman Trigger Power Rangers Dino Whatever And again, for movies I'm counting anything that came out this year as well as anything that came out last year but wasn't available as a dvd/fansub until this year. I've also expanded this category to include one-off specials and online miniseries, since both have become increasingly common in the last few years. Favorite New Show of 2021 Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021 Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 Favorite Rewatch of 2021 Favorite Male Lead Character Favorite Female Lead Character Favorite Male Supporting Character Favorite Female Supporting Character Favorite Villain Favorite Returning Past Character Favorite Actor Favorite Actress Favorite Writer Favorite Director Favorite Suit Design Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha Favorite Fight Scene Favorite Dramatic Scene Favorite Comedic Scene Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Favorite Song Favorite Piece of Merchandise Biggest Surprise of 2021 And finally, because sometimes tokusatsu does something like hire a highly problematic actor to voice the "Mom says we have Momotaros at home" version of Momotaros, we have the traditional downer categories: Biggest Disappointment of 2021: The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu: Last edited by Switchblade; 12-26-2021 at 09:07 PM.. |
12-26-2021, 09:40 PM | #2 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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This is the first year in a long time where I've kept up with both currently airing KR and Sentai series. However, having dropped Saber at the 10 mark and Kiramei at the 22 mark, I don't have strong opinions for either series, very much limiting my options.
Favorite New Show of 2021: Easily Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. An anniversary series that isn't just a parade of "Hey, look, it's [insert actor]!" It strides by having fun with what Sentai is all about, rather than just throwing old suits on screen again. I love you, Gokaiger, but this is more like what I wanted. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger. Aside from some rather odd choices with the reasoning for the Gouraigers to start off evil, it's a fairly solid series in general. Energetic and exciting. Much like it's predecessor, Kakuranger, it just oozes style and coolness. Favorite Rewatch of 2021: I didn't rewatch any series this year, only stuff I haven't seen before. I did watch some films, though, so I guess Power Rangers (2017) through default? Favorite Movie of 2021: GODZILLA VS KONG BAYBEE LET'S GO Favorite Male Lead Character: Zyuran. In an age where the key Sentai cast are all youngin's, it's nice to have a cool dad style character be a main member again. While this character type has never left Sentai, they tend to be either late additions or just don't appear as often as I'd like. Favorite Female Lead Character: Magine is precious and I love her. A cute design, and a character type I can relate to, she's wonderful. I hate her verbal tick of "mu-mu-mu-mu-mu" since she can sometimes over-do it, but otherwise, she's great. Favorite Male Supporting Character: A tie between Hiromi and George, from Revice. There's just something to Hiromi that really makes me love the guy, and makes me genuinely interested in his story. Meanwhile, George is such a smug ass that it's kind of looped back around to him being enjoyably smug. Granted, it does have the chance of him once again becoming annoying again, but for the time being, I like him. Favorite Female Supporting Character: Yatsude. That gentle grandma that everyone loves, it's hard to not see how she's basically a Zenkaiger in everything but suit. The one who can even pull Kaito out of his funks, who first showed Stacey what kindness was, she's a no nonsense sweetheart! Favorite Villain: STACAESAR! For a character who wasn't supposed to be in the show, he certainly stole it. I love the Zenkaigers, but man, Stacey's journey is on par with Gekiranger's Rio and Mele for how much it captivates me. Favorite Returning Past Character: The kid who became Shinken Red in Gokaiger. Formerly nameless, 10 years later we learn his name was Masatoshi Niwano. I know this is an odd choice to make, but I was legit wondering, when I first started Ten Gokaiger "I wonder if the Shinken Red kid will ever return" and yeah, wish granted. Favorite Suit Design: Gotta give it to Kamen Rider Evil. Looks so swoosh with the zippers and spray paint thing it's got going on. Damn, straight outta the 90's and I'm here for it. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha: I like the Zenkai-Oh combos, but there's just something to them that really keeps me from putting them up top along some of the other main mecha that really wow me. However, ZenKaiju-Oh is a beauty! The second Dragon Caesar and V-Rex fusion reference (If I had a nickel...), it's just a show stopper Favorite Fight Scene: Although Zero-One aired back in 2020, I technically didn't watch it until this year. So I'm going to select Shining Hopper's first (Proper) fight, once properly tuned to Aruto's higher power level than initially thought. I love the speed effect, giving me a nice mix of Kabuto and Drive, alongside the visual style of where he could possibly appear before where he actually does. If this is disqualified because it's not technically from this year, then the Hong Kong battle between Godzilla vs Kong in the titular film. Between the neon lit city at night, two kaiju duking it out without restraint or interference was awesome. Made me feel like a kid again watching it. Favorite Dramatic Scene: Ikki learning he's basically the reason for everything Daiji is going through, including Kagerou's existence. Guy needs to learn that by butting in so much, he's constantly devaluing everyone else. Shame it's not led to any lasting consequences. I wanted to put a moment involving Stacey, but literally everything involving Stacey is my fav, so I couldn't just pick one Favorite Comedic Scene: Zenkaiser learning that the Battle Fever Gear's power is...Dance! Turning his and TwoKaiser's showdown into a dance off! Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: A toss up between the school episode of Zenkaiger, or the episode where Vroom discovers what love is Favorite Song: Super Sentai Hero Getter ~Ten Gokaiger Ver.~ Favorite Piece of Merchandise: I haven't had the funds to buy much any toku merch this year because Transformers have been killing it. However, I am salivating for an SMP GaoKing and I so desperately want one! Biggest Surprise of 2021: OOO 10 year anniversary being announced. I'm so excited! Biggest Disappointment of 2021: Between the lack luster CG and an overall poor design, Zenryoku Zenkai Oh. The Zenkaiger's mech system has so much potential, that the fact that we need to rely on a sequel series to get another half is incredibly disappointing. So for this to culminate in a final form that looks so bad is just a disappointment. The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu: Vice needs a vice. As always, I'm skipping actors and behind the scenes stuff simply because I don't know jack about the writers and etc.
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12-26-2021, 11:13 PM | #3 |
Kaiju or Hero?
Join Date: Jan 2021
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Oh boy, what a year for Tokusatsu it has been indeed. Well, I'll fit whatever I can say about onto the list. Let's bring out the nominees:
Favorite New Show of 2021 No question, Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger. This is where I honestly feel like I might like Sentai more than Rider, between those two. This show is not only a great anniversary, but a great cast, story, music, and probably the funniest shows I've ever seen. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021I don't know if this counts as a show, but Bima X: The Return of Darkness. This was my first experience watching an Indonesian production, much less Tokusatsu Hero Show from somewhere other than Japan. Honorable mentions would be Garo: Versus Road, as my first Garo season, and Kamen Rider Shin: Prologue, for being one of the most bizarre, yet interesting Tokusatsu media I've seen. Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 It's a bit difficult, since I haven't seen much recent movies this year (or at least, none that interested me). Godzilla Vs Kong was the only new movie I saw this year, and I haven't finished the first episode of High-Speed Hero Gundeen. I'm honestly tempted to count the Godzilla Vs Hedorah 50th Anniversary short, for rekindling the magic of Godzilla's Tokusatsu roots. Favorite Rewatch of 2021 Kamen Rider Fourze X OOO: Movie War Megamax. When it appeared on the Toei Tokusatsu World Official, I had to see it. Not the greatest Tokusatsu Movie, but still a lot of fun, and I was happy to have seen it again after when I first started watching Tokusatsu. Favorite Male Lead Character Jyuran. This character is such a great addition to the Zenkaiger cast, from supporting his friends in battle to aiding Kaito in times he's troubled, and just being a great guy altogether make him top pick here, just nudging him over Kaito. Favorite Female Lead Character I honestly didn't want to pick any of these characters because everyone is likely to pick them, but here's Magine. Out of all the female leads I've seen in Toku, it all came down to Sentai's, and of course, Zenkaiger (I know everyone's probably picking Zenkaiger characters, so I feel a little cheap doing this). After the episode with the Daikon Monster, her position is unquestioned. Favorite Male Supporting Character Akito from Ultraman Trigger. He lands this position instead of Ignis, since if you've seen it you already know. But Akito is a supporting character unlike anything we've seen in Ultraman, and for that, he deserves this spot for me. Shoutout to Yuri and Hiromi, who were both amazing in their respective Kamen Rider Seasons! Favorite Female Supporting Character Yatsude. Once again, I can't escape the fact that Zenkaiger is just that good. She's not a fighter, nor is she creating power ups for out our heroes, but simply watches over their home and provides words of support and comfort to those troubled. Favorite Villain Oh boy, this is a tough one, since I there were some good ones this year. Kamen Rider Saber's Storious, the perfect villain and parallel for the show and it's protagonist. Hakaiser, the most cheerful, fun villain to grace my vision. Stacaesar, the man who can make a sympathetic villain work. I don't know who takes the cake here. Favorite Returning Past Character If I'd seen Super Hero Senki, it would be Takeshi Hongo hands down. But here, I'd say Haruki Natsukawa/ Ultraman Z's reappearance in Ultraman Trigger. It's always a joy to see Z and Haruki together, so this was a treat for me. Favorite Suit Design Zenkaiser, Hakaiser, Trigger Dark, VR Garo, Calibur Jaoh Dragon, Kamen Rider Vice, Demons, and Kamen Rider Century are all some of my favorite designs here. If anything, I feel like it's between Century, Demons, and Zenkaiser. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha Either of the ZenkaiOh combos, ZenkaijuOh, Nursedessei, or Trigger's Glitter Blade, probably one for each category here. Favorite Fight Scene I feel like Ultraman Trigger had an abundance of these, but the highlight that comes to mind would probably be Trigger and Tiga vs. Kyrieloid. From both of them using all their forms, to the dynamic action while Tiga's Soundtrack plays, was simply brilliant. Favorite Dramatic Scene My top pick would be Ren and Dezast's final duel. These two characters are where Saber peaked for me, having one of the best character arcs in Toku (as far as I've seen), and an amazing fight and soundtrack, as he battles the monster who helped him find true strength, and a friend after his tumultuous parting with the people who were his family. Another good one would be Vice giving Ikki advice about how he treats his family, ultimately allowing him to save those close to him, which he himself cast away. I want more scenes like this of Vice. Favorite Comedic Scene Any episode of Zenkaiger could fit here. One of the ones that comes to mind would be the Jetman Gear's power, creating one of the funniest parody scenes yet. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment The Yoddona Special. Haven't seen it yet, but the trailer has that very same energy. Of course, I haven't seen Akibaranger yet, which I plan to see shortly. Favorite Song Zenryoku Zenkai Zenkaiger, or Jyuragaon's theme, for it's Showa feel, are high picks for me. Of course, Kamen Rider Beyond Generations' theme, Promise, is another contender. I also forgot Inside Out came out this year, which is absolutely phenomenal in blending the two music styles of Decade and Zi-O. Favorite Piece of Merchandise Honestly, didn't get any Toku merch this year (I'd really like to), but if by going off what looked cool, it would be the Geartlinger, TwoKai Geartlinger, or Battle Caesar Stacey's figure. Biggest Surprise of 2021 The Kamen Rider 50th Anniversary Projects. Kamen Rider W: Fuuto Detective Anime, Kamen Rider Black Sun, and Shin Kamen Rider. The first, I probably wouldn't be surprised too much by, the second is and interesting choice, but the third, I had no idea that was being planned since before Shin Godzilla. Biggest Disappointment of 2021 As much as I wish Ultraman Trigger did better with what it was dealt, it's still a fun watch every week. But Sentai going full CGI for Zenryoku ZenkaiOh, is probably the biggest thing I'd call a disappointment. Especially with it's amazing design. The Biggest Joke (bottom tier) of 2021 Tokusatsu: Power Rangers Cinematic Universe. Because it's totally never been done to death already. I don't have much else, but it's been quite a year for Tokusatsu (you made this list almost impossible to make!), and next year, looks like it might have some interesting new things getting thrown around, and lots of stuff to look forward to, like Shin Ultraman and the Kamen Rider W Fuuto Pi Anime. Edit: Missed opportunity to show off a Kamen Rider Revice Illustration for the 666th post. I'm so smart. Last edited by Daikaijuman54; 12-28-2021 at 09:28 PM.. |
12-27-2021, 05:08 AM | #4 |
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Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 462
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Having now done the list, I'm thinking I didn't do that good a job and it's too Sentai-dominated! I think despite the late KR resurgence at the end of the year for me I kind of miss when it was Kiramei,Zero-One and Beast Morphers IMO!
Favorite New Show of 2021 Kirameiger if I can have it or Zenkaiger. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021 Choujinki Metalder. It was just so good, sorry if it's a spoiler but the ending was sad though, but I just loved how every little thing felt really majestic, like when God Neros is saying some absolutely horrendous plan while that dramatic music plays! Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 I suppose Kirameiger Bee-Bop Dream although perhaps if Ryusoul vs Lupin vs Pat is allowed that might just edge it! Favorite Rewatch of 2021 I'm not sure I will keep going to quite the same degree with rewatches as I have been given in the past I haven't done it much, but probably my anniversary rewatch of Power Rangers Time Force, yeah! Favorite Male Lead Character I suppose Kaito from Zenkaiger. Favorite Female Lead Character I think Sena from Kirameiger. Favourite Supporting Characters Maybe Zox and Flint from Zenkaiger? I definitely like Flint anyway. Favorite Villain I suppose Yodonna from Kirameiger though her ending was a bit weird if I remember rightly. Favorite Returning Past Character (My first thought was did any?!) Some suit in a teamup movie lol Favorite Actor Masayuki Deai from Revice, it's a tough decision but I just like that role for him a bit better than Tessai and it's a kind of 360 going from an anti-establishment figure in Boukenger to 15 years later almost a bit like Satoru Akashi, although I admit I don't like how the story with him is going now! Favorite Actress I might just go for Sena(Yume Kinjo?) again, tough decision but yeah. Favourite Writer/Director Did Yasuko Kobayashi do Kirameiger? Whoever did Kirameiger anyway! Favorite Suit Design Possibly Magine or Zyuran either transformed or not? Favourite Fight/Dramatic Scene That Zenkaiger cliffhanger involving loads of different mecha being summoned to start a big fight was pretty cool. Favorite Comedic Scene Maybe the line when Secchan in Zenkaiger said not to answer a question with another question "tune" lol Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment In a recent Revice episode when Masayuki Deai's character has seemingly gone bad and he goes quite over the top being threatening lol Perhaps an honourable mention for the Zenkaiger beach episode though! Favourite Song If I can have Kirameiger I suppose the theme song could stay at the top of the chart for another year lol (I rarely actually buy merchandise so I don't feel like I can really comment on that, sorry!) Biggest Surprise of 2021 Zenkaiger was a surprise too, but I think I might give it to Revice (especially being as it's too much of a Sentai list anyway!) for just the level of improvement in my book. Biggest "Not-So-Good Thing" of 2021(Marginally less negative lol): Although the controversy of course with Vice's V/A playing an anti-hero sort of character while in real life having a dodgy past is not ideal...I think I will give it to Power Rangers Dino Fury or as I like to call it: Turbo Wild-Force! It just is disappointing to go from 6 years of relatively high quality to a flawed show with IMO an inferior counterpart of Gaisorg and a bit of a disappointing execution of quite a few firsts too! Last edited by tomos; 12-27-2021 at 05:12 AM.. |
12-27-2021, 10:55 AM | #5 |
Standing By
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,089
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Yay, this is my second time and I think I understand the format a little better now!
Favorite New Show of 2021: Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger After 2020, I felt like Zenkaiger should be a show that reminds people about the heart of Super Sentai. I wasn't disappointed! Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021: Kousoku Sentai Turboranger Great start to the Heisei Era. I enjoyed the drama between the Turborangers and the Wandering Bomas. Favorite Miniseries or Special of 2021: Saber/Blades x Ghost/Specter A Desast focus episode disguised as a crossover. Of course, the crossover part was cool as well, with the continuation of the plot from Specter Rebirth. Favorite Rewatch of 2021: Kamen Rider Ghost I love this show even more now. It's such an inspiring and emotional story with great characters! Favorite Movie of 2021: Kiramager VS Ryusoulger Worth it just to see Canalo do a swordpile with his actual sword. But I also loved seeing Koh return and the interactions between the two Sentai. Favorite Male Lead Character: Juran From the moment he saved that kid in the first episode, he immediately set the standard for heroism and justice that Zenkaiger stands for! Favorite Female Lead Character: Sudo Mei My second favorite heroine of any KR season! Deserved to be a Rider, but was very useful and independent despite that. Favorite Male Supporting Character: George Karizaki Pretty much everything about him is a delight to watch! Favorite Female Supporting Character: Flint Goldtwoikar I already liked her before, but Episode 37 elevated her to a new level for how she selflessly helped that kid find her doll! Favorite Villain: Stacey A lot of Zenkaiger's emotional drama is probably from his internal conflict and I really want to see if he can turn his life around. Favorite Returning Past Character: Tenkuuji Takeru After his show came last in several polls, I have to praise Nishime's courage for coming back as Takeru. Definitely worth it for the people who truly appreciate him. Humanity's potential is infinite! Favorite Actor: Yamaguchi Takaya Eclair man totally sold Rintarou's suffering from being torn between his friends/family and his loyalty to SOL. Favorite Actress: Hunter Deno That eyebrow quirk she does as Amelia whenever she gives a one-liner to the bad guys is so expressive! Favorite Writer: Komura Junko I mentioned recently that she is my new favorite Sentai writer. She really knows how to write characters with real personal problems and I think she's improved even further with Zenkaiger. Favorite Suit Design: Kamen Rider Revi That cool pink, blue and purple combo totally appeals to me! Favorite Weapon: Geartlinger A gatling gun voiced by Anna Williams' VA! Favorite Vehicle: Vice Ptera Genome A real life hoverbike with a Faiz motif! Favorite Mecha: Zenkaiju Oh A lot of firepower! Favorite Fight Scene: Blades Tategami Hyoujyu Senki VS Zooous Predator I love seeing fights outside of Japan, so this climactic fight in the North Pole is an awesome conclusion to Rintarou's arc. Favorite Dramatic Scene: Gaon saving his friends from Togyu Wald Gaon finally overcoming his prejudice to realize how important his friends are and putting his own body at risk to protect them long enough for Kaito to perform the finisher. Favorite Comedic Scene: Jetman Gear [spoiler character] is so bad*ss that even his heroic death can be used as a weapon 30 years later! Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment: Kamen Rider Genms The Presidents It gives a little development for Gai, but otherwise, I'm not sure why this even needed to exist? Favorite Song: Taju Rokou Probably for the same reason I love ALMIGHTY. Tokyo Ska Paradise can make some cool songs for sure! Favorite Piece of Merchandise: Hasbro's DX Dino Fury Megazord Not that Bandai's DX Kishiryu Oh was lame or anything like that, but I appreciate Hasbro's improvements. Biggest Surprise of 2021: Trio of Deep Sin The trailer has me excited for sure! Biggest Disappointment of 2021: Shindai Reika The female equivalent of Kureshima Mitsuzane. Quote:
Quote:
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Favorite Actor
Masayuki Deai from Revice, it's a tough decision but I just like that role for him a bit better than Tessai and it's a kind of 360 going from an anti-establishment figure in Boukenger to 15 years later almost a bit like Satoru Akashi, although I admit I don't like how the story with him is going now! Quote:
That would be Arakawa Naruhisa.
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12-27-2021, 01:38 PM | #6 |
Dai Shogun
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Location: Germany
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Before I start, thank you Switchblade for making these threads every year! I was looking forward to this one.
Favorite New Show of 2021 Kamen Rider Revice. Zenkaiger is really good, probably my favorite Sentai after Zyuohger right now, but I always preferred Kamen Rider over Super Sentai and Revice hits all the right notes for me. The characters are great, the suits are fun, the gimmick is cool, and the story makes me want to see what's next. It heavily reminds me of the time when I started watching Kamen Rider and discovered so many great shows, like OOO for example, which I loved and binge watched in days. Now, I'm not saying Revice is similar to OOO; it just invokes the same feeling of a show that I can't stop watching for me. In fact, I look forward to giving Revice another watch already, and that doesn't happen too often for me with currently ongoing shows. Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021 Choukou Senshi Changerion. I actually didn't know this show existed until Sentinel put the figure up for pre-order a few weeks ago, but I fell in love with it very quickly. Don't get me wrong, it sucks. It's really bad. Completely insane plots with an unlikeable main protagonist and the suit battles are reduced to awkward flailing around at the end of the episode when one side-character reveals they were the monster all along. But! It is never boring. Not once. It's brutally hilarious actually, even though probably unintended it makes for a fantastic parody of the genre. My favorite twist on a genre-classic story so far is that when the main character's secretary leaves and he searches for a new one, a whole slew of strong bad guys go after him all at once, so his support crew wants to get him a "power-up". So far so good, we know this kind of plot. A magic crystal is bought out of storage, and it's up to the newly hired secretary to deliver it. Now, quick detour: The main protagonist, being the absolute dick he is, chewed out the new secretary earlier for not doing anything but complain. While being rightfully hurt, she realizes he's not entirely wrong so she makes him a lunchbox, because that's what she wants to do to help. The support crew is attacked by the bad guys, they can only get the magic crystal to the new secretary, who rides away on her bike, crystal and lunchbox with her. She crashes in her hurry, both the crystal and the lunchbox fall to the ground, a hungry dog approaches and she tries to get the animal away in panic. Meanwhile, our hero is getting ganged up by the bad guys and is about to lose. The new secretary arrives, here's your power-up! ... It's the lunchbox, the dog ate the crystal. What the fuck Our hero is confused and angry, but after new secretary tells him she made the lunchbox to help he's touched by her feelings. The bad guys are pissed about the holdup, one approaches and smacks the lunchbox away, spilling the inside all over the ground. Our hero becomes so mad because of this that he easily beats all the bad guys, no power-up needed. Changerion is full of stuff like this, and most of the time it is much more insane than this. In fact, I was tempted to open a thread as I watched the series and only share one single screen cap for each episode, that one being the weirdest line of dialogue. My laziness got the better of me, as usual, and I ended up not doing it, but have a quick glimpse anyway: It's fun. Simple but effective fun. I can only recommend this absolute mess of a show. Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 The home media release was this year so I hope it counts: I really liked REALxTIME. I think it was fun. Favorite Rewatch of 2021 Okay confession time: I dropped Zenkaiger around the time Twokaiser appeared. Didn't care much for his antics and was bored with the show overall. I decided to pick it up again later and instead of picking up where I left of I decided to start fresh. And a good decision it was, I already kind of liked this show but that rewatch made me love it. It's really good early on, around the time Twokaiser appears it drops a bit for me but it goes right back up after. What a fun show. Favorite Male Lead Character As much as I like Ikki I think I give it to Kaito. He's a great Sentai leader and I think the actor makes it work. He's the type of childish hotshot who's actually likeable and has his moments where he calms down and shows some serious feelings. Favorite Female Lead Character Sakura Igarashi 100%. What a fantastic character and Rider. I like her a lot. Valkyrie was awesome, but Jeanne is probably the best female Rider we ever had IMO. Yua walked so Sakura could run. Favorite Male Supporting Character I like the dad from Revice, he's fun. Quirky but lovable. Favorite Female Supporting Character I agree wholeheartedly with Matrixbeast on that one, Yatsude rules. She's so wholesome, a great support to the team. Favorite Villain I personally don't count Stacey as a villain even though he probably is, and while Revice has cool villains they don't stand out to me that much so... okay, I'll go with the underdog pick: Boccowaus. Simply because the concept of this giant wall face that bangs its fist on the ground when it's mad, which in turn makes everyone around bounce like crazy is funny to me. Favorite Returning Past Character I really liked Tsuruhime coming back in the Zenkai Red special, I always thought it was cool that she was the leader of her team, and seeing her giving a great talk to Kaito how not every Sentai leader has to be red, how in fact appearance and gender don't matter, only your heart, that was fantastic. Favorite Actor I like Kiita Komagine as Kaito, as I've mentioned before, he really makes the character come to life with a great performance every episode. Favorite Actress Ayaka Imoto as Sakura Igarashi. Very nice variety of emotions on display, she's awesome in the role of a teenager being confronted with her own weakness and also as a kickass Rider. Favorite Suit Design This one's hard. Zenkaiser is perfect, a great homage to his predecessors and I like that they didn't give him a single color, in fact that he isn't referred to by a color at all, he's only "Zenkaiser". So cool. Similarly, Stacaesar, amazing suit design. But I give it to Kamen Rider Revi. I didn't like the design at first but seeing it in motion quickly changed my mind. Now I just adore the helmet, the sculpted Cheshire Cat-grin is so cool. Favorite Weapon/Vehicle/Mecha I like the Ohinbuster50. A fun weapon that works surprisingly well as a gun. Favorite Fight Scene Kamen Rider Jeanne going ham in her first fight was epic. Favorite Dramatic Scene There's probably better ones but Kaito being crushed about Secchan forgetting him was so well done, it got me good. Favorite Comedic Scene Zenkaiger had lots of funnies, I don't remember any particular ones though. Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Similar to the answer above. Although, Changerion overloaded my WTF-sensor many times so that trumped everything the currently ongoing shows had to offer. Favorite Song Both Zenkiager and Revice' OP's are great; I think I prefer liveDevil though. Favorite Piece of Merchandise I bought a lot Figuarts, all of them great, none really stand above the rest though. Biggest Surprise of 2021 Sentai Figuarts coming back, at least in some capacity. Biggest Disappointment of 2021 Ultraman Trigger sadly. Usually I can talk about a lot of cool stuff Ultraman did this year, but 2021 is different in that regard. The show is just "meh" to me, I don't hate it, I can enjoy the great effects and miniature work, but the show itself cannot capture my interest. The Onari Memorial Award for Single Worst Thing in 2021 Tokusatsu I'm afraid I have to give one final big middle finger to Kamen Rider Saber I guess. I just don't like this show, at all. Last edited by Kiwami; 12-27-2021 at 01:41 PM.. |
12-27-2021, 01:59 PM | #7 |
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Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,472
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Favorite New Show of 2021
Kamen Rider Revice - I have a blast watching this show week to week. Great action, amazing form changes paying homage to past riders, and a rich supporting cast that all pull their own. I love the strong family focus, it?s such a refreshing angle from our usual dead/evil parents. Mama and Papa are adorable and I love how supportive they are of their children?s heroics. And speaking of, sibling Riders? Hell yes! I think we?re in store for some really intriguing storylines down the road with this show and I?m here for it Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021 Kamen Rider Kiva - I didn?t really get to finish as many past shows as I would?ve wanted, but I?m giving it to Kiva for being the most consistent of the ones I finished (Den-O, Kiva, Decade). All in all, I found it to be a very solid and enjoyable series, really fun supporting characters with great suits & action. Inoue Forever indeed Working my way through Fourze now, and so far it?s a fun, wholesome show. The focus on the school and students is a great anchor and I can?t wait to see how the rest unfolds Favorite Movie, Miniseries, or Special of 2021 Kamen Rider Zero-One The Movie: REAL X TIME - HOLY CRAP THIS MOVIE DOES NOT HOLD BACK. Action thriller told in real time, amazing choreography, fun twists and turns, all with the Zero-One and Rider flair. Guys, the transformation scene at the church! This has got to be one of the best Rider movies by a long mile. Honorable Mention: Both of the Zero-One Others films. I can see how the story decisions were not to everyone?s liking, but I thought the angle they took made for some really thought provoking and dramatically rich themes Favorite Male Lead Character Juran- A great counterpart to the energetic and non-stop (ha) Zenkaizer. His Roger Murtaugh ?Maybe I?m too old for this sh*t? energy is a welcomed changeup to the usual character tropes we see in Sentai, but still fills the wise mentor role very effectively Favorite Female Lead Character Magine - What else can be said about Magine that hasn?t been already? An incredibly endearing character bursting with joy and earnestness. I think we can all relate to Magine?s dedication to her passions/hobbies, even if we?re not always the best at them. Plus, Yume Miyamoto does an amazing vocal performance, IMO the best of all the Kikainoids Favorite Male Supporting Character Yuri/Kamen Rider Saikou - My MVP of Saber. What makes Yuri work so well is he can do all the exposition and fights without the burden of being the protagonist. While his job is to help everyone move the story along, the moments his action and humor shine hit very hard for me. And the cherry on top: COMIC BOOK RIDER! Honorable Mention: George - Look at all those Figuarts Favorite Female Supporting Character Yatsude Goshikida - While we couldn't get Grandma Zenkaiser, she?s still a fun character that brings a wholesome and lively energy to an already packed cast. Her storyline with Stacey has been incredibly endearing to watch unfold Favorite Actor Junya Komatsu as Hiromi Kadota/Kamen Rider Demons - Dude was so good not only did he get a promotion, he upended Bandai and Toei?s release schedule to get in the spotlight Favorite Actress Yume Miyamoto (Voice) and Ayumi Shimozono (Suit Actress) as Magine - I?m giving recognition to both of these actresses for bringing Magine to life. Yume?s voice over work can go from shy and earnest to hot headed and passionate in an instant, and doubled with Ayumi?s physical acting in both civilian and Zankai mode makes for a fun character to watch Favorite Villain Stacey/StaCeaser - On top of having a great suit, Stacey might as well be our second protagonist with all the development he?s received. I feel he?s the most interesting of the villains we?ve gotten this year, with how he?s much more at conflict with himself rather than our protagonists. I hope there?s a great payoff (or sendoff) as we near the end of the series Favorite Returning Past Character Haruki and Z - I loved Ultraman Z, so any chance to see these two again is always going to be a treat for me. Just look at these two goofballs: Favorite Writer Junko Komura (Zenkaiger) - Major recognition for not only writing a bulk of the series, but also for making consistently funny and engaging episodes. A real highlight of her writing has been all the character arcs sprinkled throughout the series, with Gaon and Stacey being the standouts Favorite Suit Design Zenkaiser - A bit unconventional for what we usually get, but making him an encapsulation of Sentai with the core elements of Goranger was the perfect choice for an anniversary design Honorable Mention - Revi?s form changes. Blending the animal motifs with past Rider suits was an absolutely inspired choice. We probably won?t get all 20 Heisei tribute suits in the show, but I really, really wish there?s concept art released later on Biggest "WTF did I just watch?" Moment Favorite Song LiveDevil - I dig the K-Pop influence ( at least I think that?s going on, I don?t know all that much about current music trends, sorry ! ) It?s unique enough for me and it gets me pumped to get on with the show (though sometimes I'll rewind the song and listen again before starting ! ) Honorable Mention - Zenkaiger OP. Listening to the intro during each episode always gets me pumped for the show, but it is just not a song I would listen on repeat Favorite Piece of Merchandise So-Do Chronicle Gaim - This is the year I jumped on the So-Do train with Chronicle Gaim. I already loved the Gaim suits, but what really sold it for me was the seamless arms change feature you can pull off with most of the line. I had a blast swapping around the armors and seeing all the different looks each figure could have. To sweeten the pot, we got some of the remaining characters & arms change officially distributed to the US. Great little figures, but an even better gimmick Biggest Surprise of 2021 Shin Kamen Rider - I really hope Toei?s expansion plans pay off in the long run, but at the very least it made way for exciting projects. Never thought I?d see a theatrical Rider movie released in my neck of the woods (and how great is that suit ?). I haven?t watched Shin Godzilla or Evangelion yet, but I?m really fascinated to see an interpretation of Rider from someone outside the Toei roster Fuuto PI - I loved Double, and an anime adaptation of the sequel manga is the perfect way to revisit that world. I hope the show does well enough to open up more unique anime projects for Rider, just like Tsuburaya with Ultra. Release the concept art for Cyclone/Joker already !! Biggest Disappointment of 2021 Kamen Rider Den-O - Finally got around to watching the series, and I gotta say I was let down despite all the hype and praise people give it. I think it has some really strong elements going for it, but the last couple episodes were such a drag to get through that it really soured my experience. I?m starting to think people only really love the characters, and rightfully so, or just that the most die-hard Den-O fans are the most vocal. ------------ All in all, I think it was a solid year for Toku. Zenkaiger has been an absolute treat and I commend Toei for shaking things up this year. Rider didn?t do anything radical but Revice has been an absolute blast so far. I wish Trigger held my attention past the Z team up, but at least Shin Ultraman looks interesting ? Godzilla vs Kong was badass As always, thanks to you all on Tokunation for being awesome! Here's to another good year for our favorite masked spandex heroes in 2022 ! Last edited by MrWilliamGraham; 12-27-2021 at 02:17 PM.. |
12-27-2021, 03:30 PM | #8 |
TokuKnight89
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central Louisiana (Cenla)
Posts: 2,551
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Quote:
Before I start, thank you Switchblade for making these threads every year! I was looking forward to this one.
Favorite New-to-You Show of 2021 Choukou Senshi Changerion. I actually didn't know this show existed until Sentinel put the figure up for pre-order a few weeks ago, but I fell in love with it very quickly. Don't get me wrong, it sucks. It's really bad. Completely insane plots with an unlikeable main protagonist and the suit battles are reduced to awkward flailing around at the end of the episode when one side-character reveals they were the monster all along. But! It is never boring. Not once. It's brutally hilarious actually, even though probably unintended it makes for a fantastic parody of the genre. My favorite twist on a genre-classic story so far is that when the main character's secretary leaves and he searches for a new one, a whole slew of strong bad guys go after him all at once, so his support crew wants to get him a "power-up". So far so good, we know this kind of plot. A magic crystal is bought out of storage, and it's up to the newly hired secretary to deliver it. Now, quick detour: The main protagonist, being the absolute dick he is, chewed out the new secretary earlier for not doing anything but complain. While being rightfully hurt, she realizes he's not entirely wrong so she makes him a lunchbox, because that's what she wants to do to help. The support crew is attacked by the bad guys, they can only get the magic crystal to the new secretary, who rides away on her bike, crystal and lunchbox with her. She crashes in her hurry, both the crystal and the lunchbox fall to the ground, a hungry dog approaches and she tries to get the animal away in panic. Meanwhile, our hero is getting ganged up by the bad guys and is about to lose. The new secretary arrives, here's your power-up! ... It's the lunchbox, the dog ate the crystal. What the fuck Our hero is confused and angry, but after new secretary tells him she made the lunchbox to help he's touched by her feelings. The bad guys are pissed about the holdup, one approaches and smacks the lunchbox away, spilling the inside all over the ground. Our hero becomes so mad because of this that he easily beats all the bad guys, no power-up needed. Changerion is full of stuff like this, and most of the time it is much more insane than this. In fact, I was tempted to open a thread as I watched the series and only share one single screen cap for each episode, that one being the weirdest line of dialogue. My laziness got the better of me, as usual, and I ended up not doing it, but have a quick glimpse anyway: It's fun. Simple but effective fun. I can only recommend this absolute mess of a show. |
12-27-2021, 03:50 PM | #9 |
Dai Shogun
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,526
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12-27-2021, 05:04 PM | #10 |
TokuKnight89
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Central Louisiana (Cenla)
Posts: 2,551
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Thank you.
You echo the sentiments of a series review, which makes me think it's terrible, but just charming enough in some such fashion. https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2021/09...hi-changerion/ |
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