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02-01-2017, 02:42 PM | #7501 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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I think so, yeah. He's just so darn adorable, and episodes about him tend to be the funniest in the series.
I really love Blue Racer and his ridiculously polite speech patterns though. For that matter, everybody is pretty enjoyable. Have I mentioned how much I like this show?
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02-06-2017, 10:52 PM | #7502 |
Stronger Than You
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: nyet
Posts: 25,326
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So, the end of Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger has finally come. And quite a sad one at that...No, the ending wasn't depressing. Just that I really want more of the show.
I wanted to post all my thoughts on Zyuohger in the final episode's thread, but nah. It was odd typing up an overall overview in a thread solely dedicated to the finale, so I hiked over to this thread. So, let's get cracking! Zyuohger is a series that had a very, very rocky start. And that's not even from the first episode! From the moment we saw the suits, opinions on the series were wildly negative. Myself included! The animal faces on the spandex and the very simple suit designs with little outside of their primary color, it was a massive disapproval rating. Then the Mecha, Zyuoh King, was revealed/leaked, and things just fell even further. The minecraft megazord didn't get much love, with it's stacking cubes and minimal actual transformation leaving many people with a nasty taste in their mouths. Very few were actively looking forward to the series (For most, it was more a combination of cautious optimism and curiosity that had people starting it off). When it came to early opinions, I think the only positives were the animal people being main characters (With hopes that their animal forms would be seen often), and the strange, strange suit upgrades in their unleashed forms. And Kaixa. From the series' start, people's expectations were a little subverted. Our heroes were nothing new to the franchise, but they brought their own little charms to the table. Yamato was lax, but he wasn't passive, and he surprisingly had a bit of a temper. Leo was boisterous, but he wasn't just the dim muscle and comic relief. Sela, one of the two straightmen, actually had her own quirks to keep her from being dull. Amu wasn't as airheaded as assumed. Tusk...Had some sweet duds. The characters were all lively and made for a perfect team. They had a comedic balance where they could all play off each other. The characters worked well regardless of which other character they shared the limelight with (Contrast to one of my favorite Sentai, Kakuranger, where they basically walled off Seikai and Saizou for comedy. Even their most dramatic moment involved them in silly kappa suits. Sasuke was part of the comedy for the first 15 episodes, but he soon straightened up). Yamato, Zyuoh Eagle, was a nice change of pace. Sensible, responsible, and lively, he was the well rounded red ranger we don't get very often. He had his own troubles that he tried to run away from, leaving him more comfortable in the company of animals over humans. I guess the Zyumen are blessings for him. However, he's not antisocial, and he's easily a likable guy. While some would say that the focus on him was a little hard, it was made up for in the fact that he needs his friends as much as they needed him. He worked well with everyone, making any team up episode involving Yamato a good one~ Sela, Zyuoh Shark, was one of our straight men. Straight laced with a love of fighting, she was always rather direct and took most things seriously...Mostly. She was human (Er...Zyuman), so she did have her moments of goofing off and just enjoying life. She was also the one we got the most backstory on, which was great! Leo, Zyuoh Lion, was kind of a comedic character. His big deal was that he was always a straight shooter. Painfully honest and always wanting to tell things like it is, which caused some tension with others due to how innocently blunt he could be. Despite this, he was also rather emotional, always wearing his feelings on his sleeves. Very passionate. If he was on a team that utilized burning justice, he would easily be the lead. Although he butted heads with others, either due to his attitude, his actions, or just bad timing, he was always energetic and ready to stand by his friends. Tusk, Zyuoh Elephant, is probably who I would call the weakest Zyuohger in the series. The other straight man, he was your typical smart character who drew the ire of his teammates by wanting them to be less silly, and received just as much for being such a stick in the mud. He wasn't bad, by any means, but he was just a little dull. His episodes did have their moments, though. Amu, Zyuoh Tiger, is our resident "Feminine" female character. Somewhat air headed, loves to goof off and just relax, she seems like the rather typical girl character sentai tosses in. She does have her moments, though. She is surprisingly keen and observant. She knows handing out fliers to find a 7x7x7 ml cube won't get anything done, and she's able to outwit a lot of enemies. She's also one to bring up why some ideas won't make sense, though she usually goes along anyway because she just likes a good time. Anyway, a little bit of spoiler territory, let's talk about the biggest subverted trope in the series, the 6th ranger. Misao, Zyuoh The World, the evil ranger created to make the villain's games more interesting (We'll get to them), soon brought back to the light. Where most people were expecting a gruff, tragic 6th who really doesn't play well with the others (Like DekaBreak or GoseiKnight), we instead got a massive nerd. Not in the Gokai Silver manner, but instead, as a depressive dork with absolutely no self confidence or self esteem. It was a nice change of pace, and one of the few things rather original for Zyuohger. Misao's fits of depression due to slights on his part (Mistiming an attack or something) or just something completely out of his hands, both in and out of suit, were a hilarity to watch. Seeing him awkwardly go from an elephant in the room (...Other than Tusk), desperately trying to connect with the others to them being true friends was definitely a highlight (All coming to a head when a villain forces the heroes to be painfully honest to Misao's face). The heroes are all really great, and I do love them all! I certainly can't wait for Kyuranger vs Zyuohger simply for more Zyuohgers! However, there was one distinct issue with them: A lack of backstory. Yes, we got everyone's default backstory, but there were so few episodes dealing with them missing Zyuworld, and we only really got anything substantial with Yamato (And maybe Sela). It was a little disappointing, because episodes about what the Zyumen are going through so far from home was something ripe to explore. That said, though, while it is disappointing, it doesn't really affect my love for the bunch. Through their characterization and personality, they all managed to shine through and avoid becoming a footnote. Well, I talked about a lot of the good and things I liked...Let's get to the other side of the coin... First off, the suits. I'm listing this first because they honestly grew on me! While I was initially down on the overly singular colored outfits with their respective animal face on the chest, I soon came to liking them. While Gorilla is still a bit...Strange, I'll be damned if Zyuoh Whale and The World aren't some gorgeous designs. The rest took a little time, but I soon found myself digging their designs~ The animal/Zyuman suits were a little rough. They were a little too static for my tastes. I know they can't do much with just masks, but while our main cast were fine, the background Zyumen were pretty bad. Though, Wolf and Crocodile managed to look pretty good! But boy oh boy, when it comes to suits, let's bring up the big ones. The mechs. First off, the individual Cube Animals, the mecha of this series, were all rather lackluster. There was actually something really creative about having all the mechs contort into a cube that could've worked, but then it was ruined by having the central gimmick be an auto-morph that requires all 3 cubes to be skewered to form the torso. It meant there was no real transformation...Dammit. The mech itself wasn't anything too good, either. Zyuoh King, who I also grew to, too, I don't find myself loving. While the proportions on show were a lot better, it was just too lacking and underwhelming...Guess I'm not surprised that it ended up getting replaced so soon in...Not that it was much consolation, but eh. When it comes to the biggest problem for Zyuohger though, it's undoubtedly it's villains. Working to appease Genis's blood lust through "Blood Games," they put the Earth through numerous different sadistic attacks in order to gain the most favor. Individual monsters are called Players, and they're grown giant via coins called Continues. It seemed someone at Toei was big on gaming. To not delve too deep into spoilers, let's begin... Genis, our big bad. Spends most of the show sitting on his ass, leaving all work to be done by his generals. While he is shown to be a powerhouse, it comes too little too late, unfortunately... Jag'd/Jagged/Jagudo, one of the generals...Dies in episode one. Moving on. Kubar (I've seen his name spelled so many different ways that I'm just listing it like this), a general who operates in more tricky games. He seems to operate in the background a lot, giving to the idea of something up his sleeve. While his plot is pretty good, it takes far too long to actually reach, and is resolved a little too quickly. Azald, the other general. His games involve just destroying stuff. Straight forward, and makes for a spectacle. Notably, he's immortal, simply able to reshape himself if destroyed. This comes around later...Way later... Naria. Nothing of value. The big shaker, though, is Bunglay/Bangray/Buglay/whatever. Appearing in the early 20's, he was the shake up the villains (And heroes) needed. The strange 3rd party with his own agenda, it was quite enjoyable to watch. While I felt his arc stagnated a little, he was still a big changer in the show and it did make the villains rather interesting. Unfortunately, Zyuohger's biggest failing is in the villains department. Genis is a bland big bad. The calm and cool puppeteer that's always 1 step ahead of everyone. Our generals has the angry one that likes to break things and the smart one who makes snide comments. Girl stood around looking pretty. Bunglay only lasted so long, and some even felt he over welcomed his stay. Zyuohger is a series that unfortunately didn't bring much creative to the table. It did have a few things (Notably Misao), but mostly, it was what you'd expect to see from a Sentai series. However, much like how change isn't always inherently good, staying with the formula isn't always a down side. What it did bring was a group of lovable characters and a solid team that feels more together than even my beloved Gekirangers. While I wish the villains were a lot more creative and interesting, it doesn't diminish too much from my enjoyment of the series. It's a show that felt good to watch, which is all I really want from a show: Something enjoyable. If I gave shows numerical ratings, I'd give it a 8/10. It didn't reinvent the wheel nor did it break new ground. However, it proved to me that, in a franchise that churns out series content at being painfully average, it takes those tired concepts and touches them up, rather than tossing them out, and proved that it still works. It may not be a top 5 (Or even top 10) breaker for everyone, but it is for me. 1. Gekiranger 2. Kakuranger 3. Dairanger 4. Jetman 5. Zyuohger (Gokaiger has been edged out. Changed list from 10 to 5 because I need to re-evaluate a lot of shows I've seen while in a depressed state, mainly Megaranger and Dekaranger)
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02-07-2017, 12:00 AM | #7503 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Quote:
Quote:
The heroes are all really great, and I do love them all! I certainly can't wait for Kyuranger vs Zyuohger simply for more Zyuohgers!
I was a little hard on them at first coming off of Ninninger, which I felt had really strong characterization (I spent like two months raving about it), but the Zyuohgers, while not offering a lot in terms of Plot stuff (like the lack of backstory), have this inherently likable quality to them. They're also way more *chill* than any team we've gotten since Go-Busters, so that was a nice change of pace. And they have hecka chemistry. Like, probably the strongest I've ever seen in Sentai (having only seen about 9 shows, mind you). The importance of that can't be understated.
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02-07-2017, 12:22 AM | #7504 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Englewood CO
Posts: 10,893
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Zyuohger would be closer to like 20 if I were to rank the series. The villains were just dreadful and so god damn boring. I would rather rewatch Ohranger or Liveman over Zyuohger because despite those series' flaws, their villains have good arcs and moments. Plus, Ohranger has some truly epic episodes whereas Zyuohger's were average to below average. I wasn't wowed by anything they did. Oh, and the Gaiarks could have just been wallpaper and they would have gotten the same effect.
Last edited by Dr Kain; 02-07-2017 at 12:26 AM.. |
02-07-2017, 12:49 AM | #7505 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 2,934
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I personally would rank Zyuohger as my favorite Sentai. Mostly that's because it's the only one I've seen, but I honestly think it's a really good show. People who are more experienced with the franchise may say that it's not terribly original, and I defer to their opinion, but as I have no real frame of reference, all I know is it was a damn fine show. I'm glad it was my first. I hope Kyuranger can be equally good, but well, we'll see.
After watching it, I'm definitely more interested than ever about checking out some more Sentai, but I'm still kinda focused on going through the Rider shows I've yet to see. Though....starting to feel like I may need a break after I finish Kiva. I'm most interested in seeing Go-Busters...I dunno, I'll see. |
02-07-2017, 04:43 AM | #7506 |
Super Sentai Eien ni
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Germany
Posts: 2,862
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I think Zyuohger falls in the "solid show that has just the right Sentai-vibe" category. It didn't really stick out most of the time, but did have its own personality to make it unique enough.
I had a bit of a hard time getting into it at first, especially because I liked the Ninningers so much and the Zyuohgers kinda lacked that strong characterization, but catching up on it now after taking a forced break, I did enjoy the second half a lot (the movie was also really cute and fun). I was also glad they changed Misao a bit, because him sulking over almost everything said to him was one of my major pet peeves in the show. Yamato also really grew on me in the second half of the show, while Tusk is still the most uninteresting to me because he didn't really stick out in a positive or negative way. But that's okay as long as his dynamic with the team works and it certainly did. I also liked the overall theme and that it had some really heartwarming moments- I like me some fuzzy feelings in Sentai xD Action was nice, suits looked good to me, though far from being favorites and the Zyuman designs also grew on me. The villains were plain, but that's something that many Sentai shows have and I don't particularly mind it, as long as I enjoy the heroes (as in: it's good to have engaging, deep villains, but I'm not angry or disappointed if we don't get them). The only thing that still leaves me a bit confused. The ending was cute and all, but it felt kinda weird, tbh. Not sure if I like it or not even now. I was almost disappointed when I watched the episode. Have to think about that for a while, I guess. |
02-07-2017, 02:25 PM | #7507 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Posts: 209
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I still have two episodes left of Zyuohger to watch. I fell off the toku track in December and January, due to playing FF XV and being very busy at work. But I'm almost caught up to Zyuohger and Ex-Aid now!
If Zyuohger has an okay ending, then it'll probably rank in the 5 to 7 range for me (counting Zyuohger, I've seen 12 Sentai shows). I think the main cast is very likable and the single episode plots are decent. Yamato is an excellent Red and Misao is delightful. The on-foot action is really good and the mecha action is a little weak. The world-building is ...probably about average for a Sentai, but I agree the Deathgaliens aren't very interesting villains until the very, very late material with Kubar and Azald (which isn't enough to redeem them as interesting). So yeah, Zyuohger has its strengths and weaknesses, but is ultimately above average for Sentai, maybe not one of the all-time greats. My unranked "tier list" of the 12 I've seen would go in alphabetical order: THE BEST Dairanger Gokaiger Gekiranger Jetman VERY GOOD Carranger Dekaranger Shinkenger Zyuohger JUST OKAY Boukenger Gingaman ToQger Zyuranger EDIT: now that I've finished Gingaman and almost finished Zyuohger, I plan on continuing where I left off with Abaranger and Kakuranger. I'm in the mid-teens with Kaku and late 20s with Aba.
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02-07-2017, 08:53 PM | #7508 |
The Immortal King Tasty
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Every diner you've ever been to.
Posts: 3,833
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Go for it!
I'm horribly, horribly biased because I think Go-Busters is *spectacular*, but even putting that aside I think it's VERY far from being a bad show. And not like "hey, I'm Fish Sandwich and I think Ghost and Faiz are pretty cool" not bad. It's actually a good show. It's also not Kiva. So that's something.
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02-08-2017, 12:00 AM | #7509 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Englewood CO
Posts: 10,893
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I posted this in the Zyuoh topic, but it probably works better here. Right now, if I were to rank each Sentai show, it would probably be this:
Dai Kaku Zyu Geki Car GoGoV Aba Jet Time Gokai Ginga Mega Hurri Gao Oh Live Mask Bio Shinken Magi Zyuoh Go-Busters Bouken Five Deka Kyoryu Turbo Go-On Nin ToQ Gosei |
02-08-2017, 11:41 PM | #7510 |
A total trash mammal.
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 537
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So my wife and I started Jetman, so far pretty good. Though I keep chuckling at "Birdonic Waves".
Last edited by dexilay; 02-08-2017 at 11:56 PM.. |
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