Valsag Fantasy

Stuff I love about Kamen Rider

2012-02-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

Much like my previous post, "Stuff I love about Sentai," this is a post on some of the specific elements of why I exactly love Kamen Rider.

Likable Cast

Much like in my Sentai post, a cast of likable and interesting characters are a must. Cause with fun characters, it can make watching the story be a blast. Some Rider casts tend to have grumpy unlikable characters, or even guys who are just plain jerks, which isn't good at all. But man, when Rider gets a great cast, it's REALLY great. ^__^

Concepts and Premise

Kamen Rider really knows how to set up an interesting premise with plenty of imaginative concepts. Rider has a lot of really cool ideas every single year, making it a very vast and expansive franchise.

Mystery

If handled properly, consistently, well-planned, and exciting, Kamen Rider is absolutely amazing in this area. There's a lot of Rider stories that are mystery driven.

B-Horror

When Kamen Rider tries to add in horror elements to the franchise, imo, it has often done a very good job. I love the way Rider tries to execute it's horror elements. Usually they're the eerie, creepy, and bizarre kind of horror or the tension rising type of horror. It gives off the feel that something dangerous is lurking right around the corner. The executions of horror are often done in many different kinds of styles. Usually they involve some kind of deceptive lighting, weird camera angles, bizarre special effects, creepy music, etc. This is even better when the monsters or villains are creepy or horrifying. It also helps when the mood gives off a sense of mystery and uncertainty, to the point where it overall feels like there's a sense of doom and struggle.

Stuff I love about Sentai

2012-02-10T01:17:00.000-08:00

Of course when it comes to liking Sentai, good stories, good characters, good music, good action, etc are all very important, and is probably what you'll hear almost every Sentai fan say to describe their favorite seasons. However, I'd like to try and be a bit more specific. I wanna share my thoughts on why I love sentai, particularly for the elements that I can usually find in Sentai only.

Fun, likable, diverse casts.

This is pretty self explanatory. I enjoy Sentai when it stars heroes who are fun to watch, are likable, and have interesting dynamics with each other. After all, Sentai stars a TEAM of heroes. And of course, each individual member must have their own unique personalities. While I have enjoyed watching a good chunk of the teams in the franchise, a good chunk of them can also fall into the more bland side, which isn't good at all.

Imaginative Mecha and Concepts

A good chunk of fans say that one of Sentai's biggest weaknesses are the mecha. This I disagree on. Mecha is part of what makes the Super Sentai franchise what it is. And as such, I do believe that when mecha is handled properly, it can actually be very cool and lots of fun to watch. Same with the actually concepts that compliment the team's motif. These elements HAVE to be executed with a very open-minded mentality, or else, the concepts and mecha will just come off as bland, boring, and just more of the same.

Cool Villains

Sentai often really knows how to handle their villains. They can come in many different shapes and forms, offering a wide variety of concepts, and executing various forms of cruelty upon humanity. Sentai has offered many cool villain teams that could make you at times want to root for them. It's even better if even the Monsters of the Week are awesome and entertaining!

Comedy Execution

When Sentai does good in humor and comedy, it can get REALLY good! Sentai's best comedy tend to be character-driven or situational. Sentai comedy is often at it's best when it is well planned out, smartly written, and actually flows well with the stories. Sentai imo has offered many good laughs throughout the franchise's history. And I consider shows like Carranger a masterpiece due to how well written the show was in terms of handling it's comedy.

Nightmare Fuel

For a children's television series, Sentai imo actually can execute this REALLY well. Throughout the franchises' history, Sentai has often played around with surrealism. This can often result in many subtle yet creepy ideas. Some of these ideas might seem perfectly okay at first... until the thoughts really sink in... Yeah, and then there are some of the plots that the villains execute. Some of them can be just downright silly. But some of them, if looked at in a certain way, can actually be quite horrifying. Whether it involves tentacles coming out of nowhere, or children being turned into puppets, or people getting trapped in strange dimensions, the list goes on. And a very long list it can get. lol.

RIP Yuuko Asuka (Kurosaki) (Farrah from Bioman)

2012-02-02T11:38:00.001-08:00

On Feb 1st, 2012, Yuuko Asuka sadly passed away. She is known by toku fans for playing the villain, Farrah from Bioman. She was 56. Source:

http://moon.ap.teacup.com/wild/

The cause of her death is not mentioned. But I'm sure many fans will miss her very much. RIP Yuuko Asuka. And thank you so much for the many wonderful memories. =)

Toku Head Writer: Yasuko Kobayashi

2012-01-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

Yasuko Kobayashi was a toku writer who started in the 90s and got big in the 2000s. She is known for coming up with various innovative concepts that have often become successful. She has lent a hand in both Rider and Sentai. Kobayashi is praised mostly for her deep and thought provoking dialogue in her writing.

Kobayashi started off by writing a few episodes for some of the Metal Heroes. Megaranger was where she got to write a whole lot more. She wrote eps 16, 24-26, 31, 32, 35, 36, 40, 41, 44, 47, and 49, making a total of 13 eps (a quarter of the whole show).

Gingaman was the first show where Kobayashi became the head writer. I personally think she helped a great deal in trying to mix a retro feel with the then new school elements of sentai smoothly together. Her and chief producer Shigenori Takadera I think made a great team. This first work of Kobayashi's struck gold imo.

Kobayashi wrote 11 eps for GoGoFive. They were eps 6, 8, 13, 16, 19, 20, 27, 32, 34, 41, 46.

Timeranger was Kobayashi's second work as head writer. Hailed by many fans to be one of the greatest installments of sentai ever. Timeranger is debatably one of the darkest installments to the franchise. Kobayashi went for a serious and realistic approach with the show.

Kobayashi's first bit of work on a Kamen Rider was episode 28 of Agito (which was written by Toshiki Inoue). It was an ep that starred Ryou (Gills). I'm assuming that this ep might've been somewhat of a test to see how she'd handle a Rider series. I think the ep was pretty good.

Kobayashi's third work as head writer, and her first full attempt at Kamen Rider, was Ryuki. Perhaps the most controversial out of all of Kobayashi's works to date. Fans are incredibly divided over Kobayashi's work on the show. Some say the dialogue was horrible due to this being Kobayashi's first attempt at Rider. Others have said that the plots are either boring or repetitive or just derails what came before. Other fans have praised the show for being very realistic and grounded, as well as having a fun concept. Perhaps Kobayashi's biggest daring move in the show was the finale, which fans are still immensely torn over to this day. Kobayashi had said in an interview that she had never seen Kamen Rider prior to her involvement with Ryuki. Which would explain the huge change in identity compared to previous Riders.

When it comes to Kobayashi, she often loves to do all the work herself as much as possible. Her fourth work was Kamen Rider Den-O. This show was a massive hit, spawning countless sequel films that are still being released to this day. Kobayashi used the concepts like time travel, the Imagins, and the character Ryoutarou in ways that made Den-O feel like a whole new series that wasn't like the traditional Kamen Rider at all. Kobayashi also went for a more comedic approach, which I think is kinda nice after many years of serious seasons. However, I personally think Kobayashi kinda goes overboard with the comedy. Her comedy style for Den-O included a lot of recurring gags and one-liners, which were all over the top and wacky. And much like Ryuki, Kobayashi plays around with time travel again. While Den-O is indeed a fun show, I personally would not consider this as one of Kobayashi's better works. Kobayashi also writes the two Den-O episodes in Decade.

Kobayashi wrote 11 eps for Boukenger. They were eps 12, 15, 16, 23, 24, 31, 32, 35, 36, 39, and 40. They were okay, but I wouldn't call them great.

Shinkenger was Kobayashi's fifth work, and her third Sentai series. I personally think Kobayashi kinda burned out with this season. The middle lagged in terms of plot. It just seems like she got writers block. The dialogue can be good in Shinkenger, but I think Kobayashi kinda lacked the subtlety this time around, as the cast kinda came off as rather predictable imo. Compared to the casts of Gingaman and Timeranger, I do not think the Shinkenger cast was as unique or as well written. Nevertheless, Shinkenger was still a big success. It's samurai motif won many fans over. Kobayashi also took a big risk and wrote in the first female red warrior. Kobayashi also wrote the two Shinkengers eps in Decade.

Her sixth work was Kamen Rider OOO. OOO was another big success with it's huge toy sales, which beat out Ohranger's sales (which was before, the record)! Kobayashi tries to make the show serious with Den-O style comedy. Though imo, the mix came out pretty badly. And like Shinkenger, I think Kobayashi runs out of ideas again mid-way through. The dialogue in this season was very good however.

Kobayashi has been confirmed to be the head writer for the upcoming Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. This will be her fourth sentai, and her seventh work overall.

Sentai Warriors and their Personal Hobbies Part 3/3

2012-01-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Gaku (Gaoyellow) plays the ukelele.

Nanami (HurricaneBlue) practices singing.

Yukito is chiropractor. Ranru is a mechanic. Asuka plays the harmonica. Mikoto just tries to find anything to keep himself excited.

Umeko loves taking baths. xD

Kai loves soccer. Makito loves gardening. Houka loves dating. Tsubasa practices boxing. Urara practices cooking and does her best at being a motherly figure. Hikaru is a fan of trains, magical, or otherwise.

Renn has been shown cooking on his free time. Hant always seems to have some sort of part-time job.

Ryuunosuke (ShinkenBlue) is a Kabuki artist. Mako (ShinkenPink) loves to practice cooking. Chiaki loves to play video games. Kotoha (ShinkenYellow) plays the flute. Genta is a sushi chef.

Alata (GoseiRed) does gardening with Nozomu.

Sentai Warriors and their Personal Hobbies Part 2/3

2012-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

The five Turborangers were all regular high schoolers. Riki is an ace pitcher and captain of his baseball team. Daichi is a track star and a dedicated student. Youhei is a jock who's a swimmer and a high jumper and loves to flirt with girls. Shunsuke is a gymnast. Haruna is the student body president, is a very bright student, and loves to act.

Gai loves motorcycling, swimming, saxophones, gambling, and womanizing. Raita is a gardner. Kaori plays the piano and violin. Ako is a high schooler.

Ryou makes dumplings. Daigo works at a pet shop. Shouji is a boxer. Kazu is a beautician. Lin is a college student. Kou skateboards.

The Kakurangers made crepes outside of battle.

The Carrangers all work at Pegasus Garage.

Kouichirou is a soccer player and is a member of the class committee. Shun is a computer graphics artist. Chisato is a photographer. Kenta and Miku are both slackers that just like to play. All the Megarangers (minus Yuusaku) were high school students.

Hayate plays the flute. All of them are often seen training and doing their daily chores at the Silver Star Equestrian Club. Hikaru and Saya love to play around and compete against each other at things. Gouki also loves cooking.

The GoGoFive are all rescue workers.

2012 Toku Anniversaries

2012-01-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Just a post for some Toku anniversaries this year. =)

Both Kamen Rider Ryuki and Hurricaneger turn ten years old this year. Oh god, already??? 0__o

Megaranger turns 15 years old!

It's the 20th anniversary of Zyuranger and Exceedraft this this year.

Maskman, Metalder, and Kamen Rider Black all turn 25 this year!

This year is the 30th anniversary of Goggle-V and Gavan, and the Metal Heroes franchise in general!

JAKQ turns 35 this year.

Sentai Warriors and their Personal Hobbies Part 1/3

2012-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

Much like the post for Kamen Riders, here's one for the Sentai Warriors. I put in as much as I could remember.

Daita Ooiwa (Kiranger I) often loved to go out and get some curry rice to eat.

Sakurai (Space Ace) from JAKQ is a Japanese pentathlon athlete and has been in the Olympics. He practices karate, archery, Judo, and is an equestrian.
Higashi (Dia Jack) was a former boxer who still keeps in touch with his former boxing partners. He also loves listening to jazz music.
Karen (Heart Queen) loves fashion.
Daichi (Clover King), I don't remember him ever showing any hobbies. Though he was an oceanographer prior to joining the JAKQ.
Sokichi (Big One), I don't remember him ever doing anything outside of his job as a member of JAKQ.

Masao Den (Battle Japan) practices Judo and Karate.
Kensaku Shiraishi (Battle Cossack I) loved to play pachinko and loved to eat caviar.
Makoto Jin (Battle Cossack II) is an expert marksman and plays the trumpet.
Kyousuke Shida (Battle France) is a beautician, practices Spanish dances, and likes to eat escargot.
Shiro Akebono (Battle Kenya) likes talking to animals and loves to eat anything.

Ippei (DenziRed) from Denziman is a member of an Athletic Club and teaches karate and other sports to children.
Daigoro (DenziBlue) is also a member of the Athletic Club. He is a circus acrobat and he teaches yoga and gymnastics.
Jun (DenziYellow) is an inventor and a space researcher. He's also a chef.
Tatsuya (DenziGreen) is a detective and also is a boxing coach.
Akira (DenziPink) is also a member of the Athletic Club. She used to play tennis. She teaches swimming. She also really loves fashion.

Akama (GoggleRed) from Goggle-V was a world class explorer and mountain climber.
Kuroda (GoggleBlack) is the president of the chess club at Touto University.
Aoyama (GoggleBlue) is a ice hockey player, and loves to invent stuff on his free time.
Kijima (Goggle Yellow) works at a zoo.
Miki (GogglePink) is a gymnast, and she also works as an announcer at the Kourakuen Stadium.

All five Dynaman are inventors.
Dan (DynaRed) from Dynaman practices all martial arts and is a champion motorcyclist.
Ryu (DynaBlack) trains in the art of ninjutsu, and makes sure he does so EVERY day.
Shima (DynaBlue) is a swimmer and surfer.
Nango (DynaYellow) I've only seen just focus on inventing.
Rei (DynaPink) practices fencing.

Mika (Yellow Four I) from Bioman was a photographer.

Hikaru (Pink Five) from Bioman practices the flute.

Akira (Blue Mask) practices Chinese boxing and swordplay.

Haruka (Yellow Mask) tutors a girl on dancing.

Momoko (Pink Mask) teaches kids Tai Chi.

Jou (Yellow Lion) does sports and skateboarding.

Differences Between Sentai and Rider Villain Groups

2012-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

As a request from marty, a brief post about these differences.

Like most 70s toku villain groups, both Rider and Sentai started off with villains that were very Nazi inspired. They were terrorist organizations that used monsters. Kamen Rider is known for the classic Shocker organization. This style was very prominent in the 70s and would continue to be used until the early 80s.

While Rider mostly went on hiatus during the 80s and 90s, during the mid-80s, Sentai villains dropped the terrorist style concepts and went on to a more fantastical level. Here, we start to get more villains that are heavily sci-fi oriented, as well as villains that are of the ancient tribe type. And rather than just being evil for the heck of it, like it was in the 70s, Sentai villains became more multi-dimensional and actually involved with the stories.

While Rider continued with it's hiatus, the majority of Sentai's early 90s seasons were written by head writer Noboru Sugimura. Sugimura tended to love giving villains a human persona. The villains during this time were all very quirky and downright crazy. Perhaps the best way to describe these villains would be "corrupted humans."

The late 90s sentai villains went back closer to the styles of the late 80s with some new 90s twists. Much like the late 80s and early 90s, the late 90s villains continued to be just as fantastical. Perhaps a big difference with the late 90s is that the human-faced villains had been reduced to just one or two per group.

In the early 2000s, Kamen Rider returns. The early Heisei Riders took the classic concept of terrorist organizations like Shocker and did a completely new thing with it. These early Heisei Rider shows often depicted very mysterious villain groups that would get revealed bit by bit as the shows progressed. These villain groups also particularly wished to wipe out humanity more than just conquering the world.

The 2000s decade of Sentai, as well as the later installments of Heisei Riders continued to used the same concepts that they had been using before. 2000s sentai continued with it's fantastical approach, while Heisei Riders continued to use the mysterious organization concepts. But perhaps the biggest change in recent years is that the two concepts were given a dose of quirkiness and silliness thrown into the mix, giving more of a balance of seriousness and silliness, as opposed to the more seriousness of earlier shows.

My Top 5 Favorite Crash Bandicoot Games

2011-12-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

I decided to make this post before the year ended. 2011 marks the 15th anniversary of one of my favorite video game characters, Crash Bandicoot. And well, I'm rather annoyed that he didn't get to celebrate his anniversary with anything this year (Especially after the disappointing 10th anniversary). So in tribute to the franchise, I'm gonna go over the games that made me love Crash's games. =)

5. Crash Bash

Of course, like any fan that grew up with Crash Bandicoot like I did, the four Naughty Dog games are without a doubt the best out of them all. However, one non-Naughty Dog game that I personally think deserves lots of praise would be Eurocom's Crash Bash. A party game in a similar vein to the Mario Party franchise. Though what I think differentiates Crash Bash from the Mario Party games is the fact that Crash Bash actually focuses more on each of the mini games and expands them, rather than keeping them short mini-games like Mario Party did. Another difference is the lack of the board game.

The Crash Bash mini-games are all simple in rules and controls, nothing very innovative, but who cares! They're lots of fun! Sometimes it might be a bit of a struggle when playing by yourself, but with other people (especially four players), it's a blast! Another reason why I love Crash Bash is because unlike most post-Naughty Dog games, Crash Bash at least keeps the general consistent feel and atmosphere of the Naughty Dog games (as far as music and visuals go), so it at least feels like a traditional Crash Bandicoot game. This is mostly cause many people who worked on the previous four Crash Bandicoot games in Naughty Dog had also helped work on Crash Bash.

4. Crash Bandicoot

The first Crash Bandicoot game. While not as polished as the second and third games, the first game still offers plenty of it's very own kind of experience and is still a very well made game. The first game offers it's very own set of levels and challenges that you can find nowhere else, but this game. What really drew me into admiring the Crash Bandicoot games was how it's levels were set up. Before, platformers were often 2D side scrollers. Shortly before the release of this game, platformers started going 3D with Mario 64, which offered lots and lots of exploration. Now, while I do think Mario 64 is good for what it is, I think I prefer Crash's level set up more. Crash mixes both the 2D elements and the 3D elements together, creating "linear" style levels, with the camera showing different sides of Crash (depending on the level). In some levels, it's like a 2D side scroller, while most of the time, the camera is set with Crash's back facing you. Other times, Crash is even running directly towards the camera. I think this style of level design is very good cause it can directly engage the character into the action, whereas in Mario 64, you have to get to the action first (which of course is still fine for what it is).

The first game involves a lot of platforming, where the player must control Crash's jumping skills and time his movements precisely. The controls for this game may feel a bit sluggish and slippery, but overall, I'd say this game has aged very well for what it is. Oh, and I absolutely love the visuals and the music in this game. The choice of instruments used are very unique and very catchy, and compliments Crash's tropical style world very well.

3. Crash Team Racing

A kart racing game in the same vein as Mario's Mario Kart games. But like the Mario Kart games, Crash perfectly integrates all the elements that makes up his world and transforms it all into a racing game. And it does a really good job at that! As far as kart racing games go, Crash Team Racing is my favorite. I feel like Mario Kart 64, while good for what it is, was still a bit sloppy in a few areas. I feel like Crash Team Racing fixed some of those problems, thus felt much more solid to me. While the controls seem relatively simple, there are some pretty deep mechanics going on for this game, which I really admire. A very fun and very well made game. =)

2. Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

The third game was overall a very well made and solid platformer. It has everything I love about the first game, but made so much better. I love how Crash can obtain some pretty neat new moves after defeating bosses (like the bazooka). And playing as Crash's sister Coco was cool too. I also love some of the vehicles in this game like the jet and the motorcycle. For tons of replay value, this game introduced Time Trial mode, which allows one to race against the clock to try and get to the end of the level at a set time. Beating certain times can reward one with Relics of various different values, plus it's just fun trying to beat the high score for each level. Also, the whole time travel motif was really awesome. Got to visit all sorts of sweet places like the Egyptian tombs and the Prehistoric Era. And like all Naughty Dog games, the visuals and music are very catchy and memorable.

1. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

The second game is by far my favorite to date in the Crash Bandicoot franchise. It improves on the controls of the first Crash Bandicoot game, eliminating some of those sluggish controls. Not only that, but this game gives Crash plenty more moves, which he must learn to master in order to get through all the challenges in this game, including learning how to defeat various different types of enemies.

Crash 2 is a very vast and very imaginative game. It is chock full of secrets throughout the levels that the player will have to use their wits in order to solve them, in order to achieve 100% of the game. This is a big reason why Crash 2 beats Crash 3 for me. Crash 3 relied more on collecting Relics in order to achieve full game completion, while Crash 2 wasn't quite as direct. What Crash 3 does is perfectly fine, but I found myself fancying what Crash 2 did more. =) Plus, while the vehicles in Crash 3 are very cool, it's not gonna give itself an edge against Crash 2's imaginative concepts for me. lol.

Overall, I think Crash 2 is a perfectly good example of how sequels to games should be presented. The game was an obvious upgraded version of it's first installment, and I think it is by far one of the best platform games ever made. Oh, and for the record, I really love Crash Bandicoot as the character he is. He's just a simple fun loving marsupial who really knows how to kick butt and is very nature loving. He's also a lovable goof, but also knows how to be badass when he needs to be. *Death Tornado Spin!* =D

Most Unique Kamen Rider Villain Concepts

2011-12-08T07:47:00.000-08:00

Much like the "Most Unique Sentai Villain Concepts," I'll make a post for the concepts of Kamen Rider villains.

I am classifying these guys as those with original concepts not found anywhere else outside of sentai. So concepts like pirates, animals, or simple space conquerers will not make the list. I am also classifying these groups purely by concept only. The actual characters will not play any role in this, unless they give off some form of style (any mention I give to the characters will probably be just bonus info).

Gorgom from Black. Much like the ancient tribe type villains in my previous post (Maskman's Tube and Turboranger's Bouma), the Gorgom have their very own unique imaginative hidden world, located beneath society. The Gorgom's rituals, forms of science, and strange designs all created a world that truly made this faction a landmark as far as concepts go. The Gorgom also manages to pull off an atmosphere of creepiness that helps add on to it's concepts. Honestly, the only weakness I find with Gorgom's concept, is that the show doesn't delve into it as much as it should of. Nevertheless, Gorgom's concepts still remain to be very imaginative.

Well, I hate to leave this post off with just one faction, but honestly, I'm not sure what other Rider villain faction actually fits the criteria of actually being listed on one of these posts.

Most Unique Sentai Villain Concepts

2011-12-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Sentai villain organizations have come in many different forms. Ranging from terrorist organizations, to alien empires, to evil ancient tribes. But which sentai villain organizations have had the most unique concepts? Something that just wouldn't be found in any other sentai? Well, here are my picks for what I think are the most unique ones.

I am classifying these guys as those with original concepts not found anywhere else outside of sentai. So concepts like pirates, animals, or simple space conquerers will not make the list. I am also classifying these groups purely by concept only. The actual characters will not play any role in this, unless they give off some form of style (any mention I give to the characters will probably be just bonus info).

Deathdark from Goggle-V. Deathdark is one of those terrorist type sentai villains, but what makes them unique is the history that they bring. Apparently every natural disaster in the history of Earth (like the sinking of Atlantis) was all the cause of the Deathdark. That's pretty cool if you ask me. And it's something no other Sentai villains have repeated in the franchise. I personally don't think Goggle-V made great use of Deathdark's concepts, or it's villains (except maybe Mazurka). But the imagination at least still exists and definitely deserves mentioning.

Gear from Bioman. Much like Sun Vulcan and Ohranger, Bioman had a group of machines for villains. So what exactly is so unique about Gear? Well, I give most of the credit to Doctor Man himself. What he had that made Gear so unique was that he had STYLE. Unlike other big bads, Doctor Man was a crazy scientist who absolutely loved that he was throwing his humanity away to become a machine. Pretty disturbing if you ask me. Doctor Man was very passionate about being the big bad, which is something that a lot of previous big bads failed at imo. Doctor Man had style, ranging from the way he talked, his choice of wardrobe, and even his arm movements. He sure loved to show off his cape. LOL. I also think head writer Hirohisa Soda did a great job with the deep dialogue which helped put even more dimension into Doctor Man and the character he was. Not just Doctor Man, but the other Gear villains were also able to follow along Doctor Man's style of villainy. And it all worked very well. Overall, Doctor Man is HARDCORE!!! =D

Gozma from Changeman. While the Gozma are indeed another alien villain organization, what truly makes the Gozma stand out are the backgrounds that make up what it is. Gozma is made up of the universe's most powerful warriors, consisting of countless different alien species. This provided great diversity and imagination for the concepts that Gozma offered. On top of that, Gozma was lead by Star King Bazoo. A great planet eating entity, which was something to truly be feared of. No other Sentai villains have replicated this type of concept. There's also the fact that none of the members of Gozma wish to serve Bazoo of their own free will, and are all enslaved.

Mess from Flashman. Another alien type villain group. So how are these guys unique? Especially compared to Gozma? Well, instead of Mess consisting of alien warriors from around the universe, Mess consists of various experimental lifeforms. All brought to life by the scientist, Lee Keflen himself. Each of the experiments that Keflen created happened to be very diverse and imaginative, ranging to a full myriad of different designs and concepts. Plus, it also helps that the cast of villains in Mess have a level of badass not found in any other sentai season. =D On top of all that, there are also the Alien Hunters! A group that kidnaps infants from all over the universe for their own selfish reasons. And to make that even more cool, the Alien Hunters are lead by Sa Kaura, who's also a badass!

Tube from Maskman. Tube is one of those secret ancient tribe type villain factions. I think these guys are unique due to the vast world they live in. Unlike other ancient tribe type sentai villains, the Tube's world is huge and all takes place underground on Earth. The imaginative underworld is rich full of history and various concepts that tie in well with Maskman's plots. On top of that, the Tube also have a very interesting cast of villains. Each of them have their own backgrounds and conflicts that work very well with the whole underworld concept.

Volt from Liveman. Volt's concepts are something that no other sentai season has really attempted. It consists of a group of humans who wish to throw their humanity away in order to become the greatest geniuses in the world, compared to the "inferior" humans. Using strictly science, Volt makes great use of their unique technology and the use of super-powered human brains to terrorize the Earth in many different ways in order to strike fear into the hearts of humans. On top of all that, the Volt pretty much consists of a whole cast of badasses. And this is further put to use with how Liveman's story pits these villains against the heroes in a very personal manner. Liveman's story themes of revenge, betrayal, and redemption worked very well with all the elements that made up Volt.

Bouma from Turboranger. Another ancient tribe type villain faction. I personally feel like that as far as concepts go, the Bouma were the only ones of this type that were able to give itself imaginative concepts on the same level as Maskman's Tube. Much like Tube, the Bouma have existed here on Earth for centuries and have their very own vast world hidden within human society. The Bouma's designs, cultures, motifs, rituals, etc, are all very unique to the world of the Bouma, that it can still easily be distinguished from the Tube. The Bouma also have their long history with the fairies. On top of that, Turboranger eventually introduces the Nagare Bouma which makes things even more interesting! =D

The last one I will mention will be the Bowzock from Carranger. Carranger's overall world is pretty unique in itself in the franchise. The Bowzock are space biker gangs. That's definitely something that no other sentai have done, even compared to any of the alien type villain factions. The Bowzock are made up of many very bizarre members, each with their own quirks, roles, and titles. Ridiculous, yes. But very imaginative. =)

Kamen Riders and their Personal Hobbies

2011-11-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

As a request, this is a post that's basically just a guide to what each Kamen Rider does as their life style, outside of just fighting monsters. My knowledge is lacking in certain areas, so I might not get everything, but here's to the best of my ability. Most Riders in their shows tended to be quite busy, trying whatever they could to counter their enemy organizations and their plans.

Hongo loves to ride motorcycles.

For a good chunk of Kamen Rider Amazon, Amazon tended to spend his time enjoying nature and learning to become more civilized. His friend Masahiko was his best teacher.

Skyrider's Tsukuba loves hang gliding and he also practices karate.

Super-1's Kazuya Oki practices karate to train himself.

Godai (Kuuga) and Eiji (OOO) were both adventurers and simply wished to help anyone who needed help to keep them happy.

Shouichi (Agito) loved to cook a lot. He eventually go on to open his own restaurant.

Not really sure if this counts, but outside of being a Rider, Shinji (Ryuki) did have his Ore Journal job to take care of.

Hibiki often trained himself, in preparation for his job as an Oni.

Tendou (Kabuto) tended to try all sorts of things so that he could discover what was truly worth his time. Cooking tended to be the most common hobby of his. Tendou also tended to spread his grandmother's words of wisdom to other people, everyday in his life.

Wataru (Kiva) played the violin, as well as made violins.

Tsukasa (Decade) was a photographer.

Shotaro (W) was a detective. His partner, Philip assisted him in any way he could.

Gen (Fourze) just lives youth to the fullest, goes to school, and tries to make as many friends as possible.

Food of the Season: Kamen Rider

2011-11-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

Another "Food of the Season" post. This time, it will be about Kamen Rider! I didn't find any representative food in any of the Showa seasons, so I'll be talking about just the Heisei seasons.

For Kamen Rider Kuuga, we normally saw the Pore-Pore Cafe. Oyassan (Kazari) and sometimes Godai would be seen making curry.

In Agito, the G3 Staff would occasionally be seen eating ramen together for lunch.

In Hibiki, tea and dango was the specialty that the members of Takeshi made in their restaurant.

Kamen Rider Kabuto the series itself had a food theme in general going on for itself. xP Lots and lots of food obsession and weird cooking styles and all that other crazy stuff. Wonder what the writers were thinking when writing the show. The above pic pretty much says it all. xD

Den-O had coffee. Airi was very passionate on how she makes her coffee. Naomi also makes coffee, but it's apparently cheaply made. At least it's pretty looking. xD

Also in Den-O, Owner was often seen eating rice several times throughout the series. It's apparently some kind of weird sport played by both him and the Station Master. xD

A recurring gag throughout Den-O was how Deneb constantly tried to get Yuuto to eat mushrooms, due to how much he hated them. xP

Kiva had coffee. Jirou loved coffee a lot.

In W, either Watcherman or Santa-chan would occasionally be seen eating ramen for lunch. They were called Fuuto Ramen. They are most distinguishable due to the huge piece of naruto resting on top of the bowl. Credit goes to marty for the picture. ;)

Also, I didn't want the rest of marty's pictures to go to waste, so I'm gonna post the links to all of them here:

http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-386713.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-386935.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-387199.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-387323.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-389124.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-388796.png
http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/k542/robert12133423/vlcsnap-389492.png

OOO had birthday cakes. xD

Just a request to post this link here: jooble-us.com

Thoughts on Gokaiger so far, as of ep 34

2011-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

Unlike my other fellow bloggers, I haven't been expressing how I've been feeling about Gokaiger at all, since it's debut. So, I decided I'd make a post on how I've been feeling about the show, as of it's first 34 eps. So how do I feel about Gokaiger so far? Well, I REALLY LOVE IT! I know that there are others who are enjoying the show, and others well, find it a complete dissapointment. hehehe. But yeah, I don't think I've enjoyed a Sentai this much since Gekiranger (the last Sentai that I really loved).

The overall concept of Gokaiger is really imaginative imo. The show is a true tribute to the previous 34 seasons in many different ways. Ranging from nostalgic one-liners, to secret easter eggs, and even bringing back story themes that were prominent in previous seasons. Oh, and I also love how Gokaiger tends to poke fun at the franchise itself. Pretty creative if you ask me. =D

I think the show makes great use of the whole Super Sentai lore as it's backstory and sets things up very well with the Legend War. The tribute episodes are very well done and it's awesome seeing the older actors return. In fact, I really love how the whole show makes use of veterans while still giving enough screen time to the Gokaigers themselves. The overall show creates a very cool concept and balances all the elements out very well. In some ways, I feel like this is Gaoranger vs Super Sentai blown up into a tv series.

While I do love the plots of Gokaiger (most of them), what are good plots without good characters? Well, I'm really liking the cast of Gokaiger. =D So far, I feel like the theme of the series is "To care, or not to care." The Gokaigers are a group of pirates who's lives got completely screwed up by the Zangyack. The Gokaigers do not believe that the Zangyack can be beaten, thus don't even wish to try opposing them. After Marvelous splits ways with AkaRed, he takes the chest full of Ranger Keys, gets himself a crew, and travels to Earth in order to obtain the Universe's Greatest Treasure. And this is where the Gokaigers get themselves involved in the Zangyack, as well as all this Sentai lore. They get even more involved when Gai joins the team. I really like the stories that the Gokaigers follow. They truly do act like anti-heroes, and their involvement with the history of Super Sentai becomes their true test of heroism.

For the individual Gokaigers themselves, I like Marvelous. Honestly, I think his character fits well with everything that's going on in the show. He has his responsibilities as team captain, as well as trying to fulfill Akared's wish. I like his tests of heroism, as well as the rivalry he has going on with Basco.

Joe is the quiet character of the group. I really like him. A lot of fans have accused him of being a jerk with a heart of gold. But I disagree. I do not see Joe as a jerk in any way. Yeah, he's quiet and may sound like he's not interested in what's going on around him, but I think he has proven many times that he's one of the nicest guys one could ever meet, even if he doesn't show it. And he truly gets emotional when it comes to his backstory with Sid (Barizorg).

Luka is a very awesome character imo. She's a very crazy individual who does anything for money, all for the sake of helping children (especially after her sister was killed). While Luka is quite rash and daring, she has very good intentions.

Now, I know lots of fans are often mixed about the comic relief in Sentai, but I think Don is a very well written character. A very awkward fellow with a lot of quirks, while still trying his best to be useful, I think the actor pulls off the character very well. Not only that, but I think his suit actor, Yasuhiro Takeuchi, goes all out crazy and performs all sorts of awesome stunts for the character. Both the acting and the suit work truly brought the character, Don, to life. He's just a fun character to watch. =)

Ahim is a very interesting character. She's a princess and comes off as very wealthy. However, despite this, unlike previous wealthy characters, wealth plays no role in Ahim's character. And Ahim isn't another one of those rich girls that tries to become something more than that. Ahim was already her own individual character from the get go, which I found to be very refreshing. Though as a princess, I love how Ahim is very well-mannered, yet still isn't scared to make threats or kick some major butt, while still seamlessly keeping her innocent exterior. To me, Ahim is like a Machiko Soga character, except instead of being a villain, she's a hero! =D

Gai was a very interesting addition to the series. I love how he's a Sentai fanboy. Thus, I felt like I was able to relate to him very well. Gai also helped the team very much with his sentai knowledge. Gai is very enthusiastic. While he does come off as a wacky character, he still has many moments of subtlety which I really admire about the character.

The villains, the Zangyack have been accused by many fans to be Gokaiger's biggest flaw. What are my thoughts? Well, I admit that during the mid 20s of the show, I was feeling kinda mixed on the show, and I mostly blamed the Zangyack for dragging my excitement down. Especially since the Zangyack were built up to be really potentially awesome at the start. But after looking back at the show, I don't find the Zangyack to be nearly as bothersome as I used to think.

I often viewed the Zangyack to be like these side characters, rather than full fledged villains like in previous seasons. Basically, after the Legend War, the Emperor sent out his good for nothing son, Walz Gil to go conquer Earth, since it should be simple now that the 34 Sentai teams were gone. Unfortunately for Walz Gil, by the time he arrived on Earth, AkaRed had already reclaimed all the Ranger Keys, and Marvelous and his crew arrived on Earth. The Zangyack mostly serve as enemies for the Gokaigers to face, as well as serving some kind of conflict for the plots.

Overall, like Dekaranger, I feel like Gokaiger's villains are just a very different execution style for villains. And for what it is, I think the show is doing a fine job so far. I am not watching Gokaiger, expecting to see a second Gozma (Changeman villains). Yes, I do think the villains do still have flaws, but it's still not enough to hurt the show for me.

Of course, every show has their flaws. Some less than others. I did see a few flaws in Gokaiger. Though these are VERY minor imo.

There's the Gokai Change battles. At times, these were very creative and very well choreographed. Plus, some fanservice as a nice icing on an already delicious cake. =D However, in some episodes, the Gokai Changes were just tacked on in an unimaginative way.

There's also the mecha. IMO, Gokaiger is the first series since Gekiranger where the mecha is actually watchable. Thank god. I still won't say Gokaiger's mecha are great, but thank god it's not awful like Go-on, Shinken, and Gosei were. And frankly, some of the mecha battles are actually quite good.

Finally, there's the fact that Gokaiger hasn't given much attention to the 80s sentai, which I find a little sad. It's a minor complaint, but it would've been nice to see what stories could've come out of such potential tributes.

Other than that, I can't really come up with any other complaint towards Gokaiger.

To wrap this review up, as far as the story is going so far, I think Gokaiger's story is by now pretty much over. All that's really left in the show is to see how things will wrap up. So until then, just gonna sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the time this show has to offer. =) So yeah, overall, Gokaiger has been a blast to me! The overall show has struck gold as of it's first 34 episodes. Honestly, I think the only thing that can hurt Gokaiger for me now is if the writers mess up big time in the last 15 or so episodes. And that's only if the flaws are REALLY big (like, Decade big). Other than that, I just can't wait to see what else this show has in store in the future. =D

Toku Head Writer: Toshiki Inoue

2011-10-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Toshiki Inoue is a very well known head writer to tokusatsu programs. Notably for his works on Jetman and various Heisei Kamen Rider seasons. I feel like Toshiki Inoue learned a lot from previous head writer Hirohisa Soda, as his works were similar to Soda's. Inoue was known by many fans for putting in a lot of drama in his shows. He would show various patterns of writing that have been named "Inoue-isms" by fans. Fans have praised Inoue particularly for his works on Jetman and Kamen Rider Agito. However, after Agito, Inoue's works get kind of debatable amongst fans in terms of quality.

Flashman

Inoue worked on four episodes in Flashman. They were eps 14, 27, 35, and 38. This was his start to Sentai.

Inoue continued experimenting with Sentai with Maskman. He wrote eps 8, 13, 16, 34, 39, and 42. And yup, he's the one who wrote the X1 Mask episode! Kinda surprised that Inoue didn't kill Ryo off. Inoue is kinda known for killing off innocent people, resulting in heart-wrenching tragedies. Inoue did some pretty good work here imo. He also wrote the ep with Kenta's kung-fu teacher, which I really loved.

Inoue continued writing Sentai with Liveman. He wrote eps 9, 15, 36, and 40. Then for Turboranger, he wrote eps 19, 20, 26, 35, and 43. And for Fiveman, he did eps 10, 18, 27, 32, and 39.

Inoue finally gets his chance as head writer with Jetman, after Hirohisa Soda left. Inoue took all of his past experiences, brought them all together and created this show. Jetman was pretty much a culmination of Hirohisa's Changeman through Liveman run. Inoue gave Jetman a lot of drama, as well as a very dark atmosphere and very strong character development. Of course, his finale for Jetman was hit or miss amongst fans, which tends to be a recurring issue with Inoue's works. Inoue tends to love "shock value" towards his audience.

Inoue wrote ep 26 of Zyuranger.

For Dairanger, Inoue wrote eps 26, 27, 35, and 39. In other words, he wrote the whole Jin arc. ^__^ It should also be noted that Inoue is good friends with Yutaka Hirose in real life.

For Ohranger, Inoue wrote eps 5, 9, 15, and 23.

Changerion was the next tokusatsu program that Inoue worked on after Jetman. Changerion was one of the first tokusatsu shows that would be filmed in video. It was also one of the first comedic toku shows that were the "so weird it's unique" type. And yes, Inoue came up with a lot of unique ideas that wouldn't be found in any other toku, despite how really weird they came across. Changerion's weirdness was also a sign of the weirdness that would later show up in later Kamen Rider seasons.

For Timeranger, he wrote eps 14 and 22.

Inoue wrote his first batch of Kamen Rider episodes with Kuuga. He wrote eps 13, 14, 18, 23, 24, 27, 28, 32, and 33 (this one with Naruhisa Arakawa). I think he did a really good job in this show. Especially eps 23 and 24 which really gave off an excellent horror vibe.

After Jetman and Changerion, Kamen Rider Agito was Inoue's next work as head writer. Debatably considered by many to be his last good work, as many think his works after Agito are hit or miss. Inoue does a fantastic job with Agito. He sets up this really complex story and executes it all with amazing consistency. The show has very likable characters, several very complex and my mysterious plots, and a dark and serious atmosphere. The concept he came up with for Agito was very creative and very flexible. I seriously think this show could've gotten a second season. Oh, and he gets Yutaka Hirose to come back one last time for toku! =D IMO, this is Inoue's best toku work to date.

Inoue wrote a good chunk of Ryuki eps (14 to be precise). He wrote eps 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 24, 25, 29, 30, 41, 42, 43, 44, and the 13 Riders Special. He most notably wrote the Imperer arc, as well as introducing characters like Kitaoka and Megumi. I think Inoue does a pretty decent job here, but I think he does start flubbing up a little with his later eps (particularly when Megumi shows up).

Kamen Rider 555 was Inoue's next work as head writer, after Agito. This show was where fans started to split and started to question what Inoue was doing. 555 was intended to be an even more complex and dramatic story than Agito was. 555 had tons of plots going on for it. The show was also one of the most depressing tokusatsu shows to date. Fans are very divided on this season. The fans who like this season often praise it for it's innovation. However, other fans tend to despise this season with a passion, due to Inoue's blatant forced drama, mixed with inconsistent writing. Fans point out that Inoue tended to force a lot of the fight scenes between characters through silly misunderstandings, or just by having the characters act stupid in general. Other criticisms involved having too many plots, not wrapping everything up, killing off certain characters, and the handling of Kiba towards the end. Sadly, what Inoue attempted to do with 555 never really turned out too well and just did not reach the level of quality that Agito was.

For Kamen Rider Blade, Inoue wrote eps 17, 18, 29, 30, 43, and 44. Most notably, eps 29 and 30 were a comedic set of eps. Inoue started trying out more comedic plots that were very silly, and in a way parodies the actual show itself. Fans are very divided on Inoue's attempts at comedy. Some say it's just plain wacky fun. Others call it a poor attempt at trying to be funny that's just irritating.

Inoue's next work as head writer was the second half of Kamen Rider Hibiki. After the infamous writer change half way through, the previous head writers, Shinji Oishi and Tsuyoshi Kida were replaced by Inoue himself. Inoue did not care much for the style that Hibiki had going for it during it's first 29 eps, so starting with the movie and ep 30, Inoue changed some stuff up to fit his image of Hibiki more. Fans are very divided amongst this. Hibiki was where Inoue really got his bad reputation amongst Rider fans. The fans that hate the second half of Hibiki accuse Inoue for ruining the show for what it was trying to be. Even the actual actors of Hibiki did not approve of Inoue's scripts. Other fans claim that Inoue's half of the show was the more improved half, claiming that it was far more exciting to watch. Me personally, Hibiki felt pretty consistent and fun to watch the whole way through. I do admit, that Inoue stumbled in his first few eps of Hibiki, as well as the finale, but I really loved some of the stories he did, like the Shuki arc. To me, Hibiki has been Inoue's only post-Agito work that I thought was actually quite good.

Inoue next wrote 16 eps of Kabuto. They were eps 11, 12, 15-20, 27-30, 39-40, and 45-46. The head writer to Kabuto was Shoji Yonemura. Shoji Yonemura has been accused by many fans as being a worse version of all the bad stuff that Inoue does. Yonemura does attempt to write a complex story. However, things change greatly every time Inoue comes on. Inoue was the writer that introduced Drake and Sasword and wrote the majority of their episodes. Fans have criticized Inoue for how tacked on Drake was to the show, as well as giving him an over-the-top gimmick, which was make-up. Sasword's story is hit or miss amongst fans. Some found it to be a very heartwarming story. Others found it underwhelming due to Inoue attempting to throw in unnecessary comedy into what should be a tragic character. Inoue also was the one who introduced Dark Kabuto late in the series, which was really not good at all, as far as consistency goes. Overall, the majority of Inoue's eps in Kabuto are all very silly, splitting up the fans. Inoue was also the person who wrote the infamous cooking arc. xP

Inoue's next work as head writer was Kamen Rider Kiva. Kiva had a lot of interesting elements going on for it. Like the two eras concept (1986 and 2008). However, fans found a lot of holes in each of Inoue's scripts. Fans criticized Inoue for continuing to use his same old cliches that were prominent in 555 and Kabuto. Other criticisms involved Inoue's execution on the concept of the two eras, which many say was repetitive and not very well done. Other fans however tend to give Inoue a break with Kiva, claiming that Kiva would've been "too difficult to do in one year." Other criticisms involved Inoue turning serious characters into comic relief, like Nago. Other elements that fans were split on was how Inoue copied previous ideas that were a success, into Kiva:

Otoya was pretty much a second Akira (main character from Changerion).
Rook's amnesia story was pretty much a copy of the Radiguet losing his memory plot (from Jetman).

Some fans loved these, considering them to be a fine tribute to Inoue's previous works. Other fans hated this, claiming them to be a lazy re-imagining of Inoue's previous successes.

For Kamen Rider Decade, Inoue wrote eps 20-23 (4 total). They were the Nega World arc and the Diend World arc. Uh... I guess these weren't terrible, but they just added in more elements in mysteries that don't really get solved ever (like the origins of the K-Touch). Elements like these were really unnecessary when the show was already having a lot of problems to begin with.

So far, Inoue's most recent work on anything Kamen Rider related was Movie War Core. Inoue wrote for the OOO half of the film. Many fans have criticized Inoue's involvement in this film, for making all the OOO characters out of character (ex: Making Eiji act stupid and feel like he actually needs a purpose in everything he does. Which is wrong, since Kobayashi portrayed Eiji as a very smart and selfless person).

Inoue's most recent work was ep 28 of Gokaiger. Praised by many fans to be one of Inoue's best episodes in recent years. Inoue is good friends with Toshihide Wakamatsu (Gai Yuuki/Black Condor) in real life. According to interviews, Inoue had called up Wakamatsu, telling him that he would be writing the Jetman tribute. Wakamatsu happily agreed to do it, and the episode was made. A lot of fans loved how Inoue wrote quite an imaginative and epic episode that was very well in continuity with Jetman. Even fans that disliked Jetman's finale have said that this episode made them like the finale a bit more. Some fans have said that Inoue is all burned out on Rider and should try out a Sentai again, due to this ep. This was the first sentai ep that Inoue wrote since Timeranger (11 years ago).

Message to Godzilla606

2011-10-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Godzilla606, Blogger is being stupid again, and it's not letting me comment on your blog. =( Just wanted to congratulate you on your 100th post dude. ^__^

Update: Ninja Captor

2011-10-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on the status of Ninja Captor on the Sentai franchise. Apparently this picture below was taken in 1981 during Sun Vulcan's airing:

As one can see, Ninja Captor is not acknowledged in this picture at all. This could mean many things. It's possible that Toei might've just added Ninja Captor to the franchise sometime between Sun Vulcan and Bioman. That, or that image from 1984 was just a goof and that Ninja Captor was never even once counted as part of the franchise.

It should also be noted that the name "Super Sentai" actually didn't exist until during Sun Vulcan's airing. So it's possible the above picture might've been shortly before the franchise title came into existence. Though what's interesting is that in some later Sentai like Flashman, advertisements did acknowledge the existence of Goranger and JAKQ as part of the franchise.

Also, the first five Sentai seasons also shared many of the same writers, directors, and stunt crew, while Ninja Captor had a completely different production team (even if they were all part of Toei).

For a while, Goranger and JAKQ were referred to simply as just "Sentai." It's possible that Ninja Captor was just called "Sentai-esque," while the main franchise of sentai-style shows was called "Super Sentai." And as we can see, by Ohranger, they decided to count Goranger and JAKQ as "Super Sentai." From what I've heard, a term called "Cho Sekai Zen Sentai (Super Century All Sentai)" was used during Dairanger as name to describe both Super Sentai and Ishinomori's Sentai. This was obviously dropped by Ohranger.

So, yeah, plenty of mysteries in the past. So confusing. xP

The Lost Super Sentai Season: Ninja Captor

2011-10-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, there's actually a sentai show out there that used to be part of the Sentai franchise, but is no longer acknowledged as such. The show is called Ninja Captor. Ninja Captor aired in 1976, between Goranger and JAKQ. Back then, it was labeled as the second installment to the Super Sentai franchise. It had a total of 43 episodes. Ninja Captor was unusual, as it had seven main characters from the start. The colors being the traditional red, blue, yellow, green, and pink, as well as orange and brown added to it. Pink is the only female member. And yes, brown is overweight. Ninja Captor's motif were elemental powers and ninjas (which would make Kakuranger the second ninja sentai, and Hurricaneger the third). The information that shows that Ninja Captor was originally part of the Sentai franchise was found on 4chan. There was a Bioman guidebook, and scans of it's pictures were put onto some Japanese blog. One such scan acknowledges all of Bioman's predecessors in the Super Sentai Franchise.

I find this very interesting. It's common knowledge that Goranger and JAKQ were originally referred to simply as just "Sentai," whereas Battle Fever J was labeled as the first "Super Sentai," due to it having a giant robot. And it's also common knowledge that Goranger and JAKQ would not be added into the Super Sentai franchise again until Ohranger, in celebration of Sentai's 20th anniversary.

But here in this Bioman guidebook, both Goranger and JAKQ are clearly labeled as "Super Sentai." And this is 1984! So this contradicts what most people have been believing. Not only that, but Ninja Captor is also acknowledged as the second installment of the Super Sentai franchise. Goranger, Ninja Captor, and JAKQ were all obviously removed from the franchise by the time Liveman aired to celebrate the franchise's 10th anniversary (from Battle Fever J and onwards).

So why were Goranger, Ninja Captor, and JAKQ removed, if they were counted as part of the franchise until at least Bioman? Was Toei just THAT desperate to celebrate an anniversary to take out three teams of the franchise? Not only that...

When Ohranger came along to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise in 1995, Goranger and JAKQ were acknowledged once again. But not Ninja Captor. Why is that? I looked at a bit of Ninja Captor, and I honestly cannot figure out what good reason there would be to no longer acknowledge this show as part of the franchise. Did Toei just forget about the show's existence? Maybe cause it aired during Goranger or something? (that sounds silly). If Ninja Captor was acknowledged now, then Gokaiger would then become the 36th installment instead of the 35th. lol. I wonder if Ninja Captor will ever be a part of the franchise again?

Toku Head Writer: Hirohisa Soda

2011-10-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to go over each of the shows that toku head writer, Hirohisa Soda worked on and how his talents affected his shows. I'll also be sharing some of my own comments as well. Hirohisa Soda was a man who wrote a ton of Sentai seasons. To date, he's the head writer to have written the most Sentai seasons to date. Nine seasons total! He wrote every single season from Goggle-V to Fiveman. Soda also returned later in the mid-90s to write some eps for Ohranger and Carranger. Soda is praised by many fans for being the person to raise the bar on Sentai in terms of having more complex stories and deep characters (this was a big step up especially for the villains). Without Soda's involvement in Sentai, then it's likely that Sentai would've just died out in the late 80s. Overall, Soda really set the storytelling standards for the Sentai franchise, moving it away from the more "realistic" and "American superhero" styles of the first five shows. Thanks to him, the Sentai seasons of the mid and late 80s, 90s, and 2000s are what they are.

Goggle-V

Soda's first sentai as head writer was Dai Sentai Goggle-V. Now, Goggle-V was a very simplistic and episodic show, much like the five seasons that came before it. My bet is that Soda just wanted to take things safe for his first season. Goggle-V is an interesting season as far as the writing goes. The majority of the episodes in the show clearly show that Hirohisa Soda was experimenting with very new types of plots and character executions never before seen in sentai. Soda went all out taking a lot of risks, all to set things up for the next seasons to come. And Goggle-V was the prime example of this. This risk taking resulted in some pretty good episodes and some rather mediocre episodes. Goggle-V however did not have much interaction between the members of the team. I will definitely give credit to Soda for letting his imagination go wild, as he created the imaginative concept of the Goggle-V and the Deathdark, which is definitely something on a whole another level compared to the previous five shows.

Dynaman

After a ton of experimentation with Goggle-V, I think Dynaman is where Soda really starts to get the sentai formula right. Soda continues to go all out by offering a lot of awesome plots for each episode. And while Dynaman is still mostly episodic, it still introduces the very first multi-episode long arc in it's final episodes. Dynaman is also where Soda starts to incorporate story themes in each episode in order to give off a strong sense of continuity throughout the show. IMO, Dynaman is also the first season to actually have a really strong cast of characters who all interacted very much, which I think is a big breakthrough for Soda. Soda really went all out with giving the characters plenty of badass, hilarious, and heartwarming moments. While the villains remain rather basic for this season as well, Soda does use the villain Megiddo to become a renegade villain.

Bioman

Bioman continues where Dynaman left off in the evolution of Super Sentai. Bioman is the first sentai series to have multi-episode arcs littered all over the season. Soda also attempted to put various elements of realism into Sentai, like having a rebel ranger (Mika/Yellow Four I). IMO, Bioman is the season where the main villains start to get REALLY personal with the main characters, as well as showing multiple dimensions to their personalities. I think Soda's biggest breakthrough in terms of villains was the main villain Doctor Man himself. Doctor Man was a very evil villain that had plenty of style going on for him, yet somehow still had a kind heart buried away deep within him.

Changeman

Changeman is considered by many to be the season where Soda's years of experimentation finally came full circle. Changeman went all out gave us some of the strongest and deepest characters ever in the Sentai franchise. The villains had all become very multi-dimensional and all offered many different kinds of stories. Soda also went all out and offered very complex plots in each episode of Changeman (ep 5 being a prime example). The story of Changeman had a ton of stories going on for it, each sharing very similar themes to help the characters truly grow. Each of the stories unfolded very naturally and was very consistent, until everything finally climaxed in the final few episodes of the show. Soda really let his imagination run wild for this season, utilizing concepts like the military, Earth Force, the themes of the horrors of war, the Gozma being made up of the galaxy's best alien warriors, and the concept of Star King Bazoo. Hirohisa Soda has considered Changeman to be his best work, as well as his favorite and most influential. He firmly believed that Sentai should be enjoyed not just by kids, but by adults too.

Flashman

Following on the heels of Changeman's massive success, came Flashman. Soda continued to work the same magic that he had used to bring Changeman to life. Flashman continued to offer the same level of creativity that Changeman had. But of course, in order to differentiate it from it's predecessor, Soda came up with even more original ideas for Flashman. Such as the concept of Prism Power, Flash Star and it's environmental effects, and Mess which creates various experimental lifeforms to take over the universe. Flashman also offered the very first bittersweet ending in Sentai.

Maskman

Soda's deep imagination for sentai didn't stop there. The next show he wrote for audiences was Maskman. Maskman was the very first sentai that utilized mystical elements, as opposed to just technology. Soda brought to life several of the elements that made Maskman what it was. The martial arts, the Aura Power concept, the vast world of the underground, the complex lineages of the members of Tube, and the themes of forbidden love that struck the hearts of the characters deeply.

Liveman

For Liveman, Soda goes all out by utilizing the themes of betrayal, revenge, and redemption for the story. A very powerful theme that really pits the heroes and the villains against each other in a very personal way. Soda also once again comes up with some pretty neat villains in the form of evil scientists and their lust for intelligence, Volt.

Honestly, I think Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, and Liveman are Soda's four best and most unique works. They really set the majority of the standards for Sentai storytelling.

Turboranger

While others may disagree, I think Soda once again struck gold with Turboranger. While not as good as Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, or Liveman, Turboranger is still a pretty darn good show! IMO, I'd rank it fifth place behind those four as far as Soda's seasons go. Of course, Turboranger didn't turn out to be nearly as popular as the previous four shows, which I think is a bit of a shame. Turboranger continues to utilize very imaginative plots (much like Maskman) and eventually the conflicts between the heroes and villains get very personal when Yamimaru and Kirika arrive (like Liveman). The show offered plenty of new and original elements to Sentai, making this show quite the blast to sit through.

Fiveman

I think this is where Soda pretty much burned himself out. Fiveman's plots weren't nearly as imaginative as his previous works were. And at times it kinda looks like Soda is just playing around with the show. It kinda seems like Soda just took various elements out of his previous seasons, mashed them all up together, and just chose to mess with it. Even the finale is not very well wrapped up. Overall, while not a very impressive show imo, it was still a pleasant send off for Soda's nine year long run as head writer. lol. After Fiveman, Soda would be succeeded by head writer Toshiki Inoue, who would be writing Jetman.

Ohranger

The next time Soda would write any key episodes for sentai would be Ohranger. Ohranger's head writer was Noboru Sugimura. The show was known for bringing back a lot of people who worked on older shows. Soda being one of them as a secondary writer. Soda wrote a total of 12 episodes for Ohranger: 11, 16, 19 - 22, 33 - 36, 42, and 44. I think Soda did okay for what he did on Ohranger, but not great. But I do think what he did was better than what he did for Fiveman. Soda noticeably wrote the eps where Red Puncher is obtained, as well as the eps where OhBlocker is obtained, the defeat of Bacchusfundo, and the introduction of Bomber the Great. The Red Puncher story was more or less just a copy of the Galaxy Robo plot from Maskman. IMO, not as good as Maskman's.

Carranger

Carranger was the last time Soda would do anything related to sentai (as of now). Once again, Soda was just a secondary writer, while Yoshio Urasawa became the head writer to Carranger. Soda wrote a total of six episodes for Carranger: 10, 14, 18, 38, 39, and 44. While these episodes didn't really affect the plot for Carranger, they provided very strong character development as well as some pretty wacky and unique ideas for the plots. Judging by what Soda did for Fiveman and Ohranger, I think Soda was just itching to write some silly stuff in order to keep his imagination going. And I think what he did on Carranger really did his writing justice.

My Pick for Top 5 Metal Heroes shows

2011-10-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

I personally am not too big on Metal Heroes, but there are a handful of shows that I do think deserve credit (only in chronological order). =)

Kyojuu Tokusou Juspion (1985)

Coming right off from the very repetitive nature of the Space Sheriffs (no offense to them), I feel like Juspion for the first time gave us very engaging characters for the Metal Heroes franchise. It still continued to have the similar Space Sheriff-like feel to it but with some twists. It's pretty neat how Juspion is considered to be the "Tarzan of the Galaxy." Brings an interesting element of mysticism to the show. Also debatably the most popular Metal Hero ever in Brazil.

Jikuu Senshi Spielban (1986)

Succeeding Juspion, Spielban also makes use of the Space Sheriff elements with many new elements of it's own. Spielban is a very interesting installment to the Metal Heroes franchise. The show offers very deep and complex cast of characters. Characters like Spielban, Diana, Helen, and Ben all offered deep and emotional backstories which believe it or not, is very rare in Metal Heroes.

I personally think Metal Heroes often drops the ball when it comes to offering good villains (especially compared to Sentai), but Spielban actually offered a very interesting cast of villains, in the form of the villain group, Wahrer. We've got the main villainess, Pandora, played by the late Machiko Soga. Pandora imo is probably Soga's best role. She manages to go all out by being a playful yet very devious villain, while at the same time consistently keeping a smile on her face! Then we've got Doctor Bio (Ben), who was Spielban and Helen's father, converted into a cyborg. And even Helen gets converted into the mind-controlled Hellvira to add some drama (imo, this was handled better than the Shadow Moon plot in Kamen Rider Black). There's General Deathzero, who was played by Shouzo Iizuka, who is known for playing many main tokusatsu villains in the 80s.

During the late 70s and early 80s, Japan was swarmed with all sorts of sci-fi related material like Star Wars and stuff like that. Spielban went on to be like a culmination of the sci-fi hype. With plenty of action and a dramatic story, Spielban is possibly one of the franchise's most well made installments ever.

Choujinki Metalder (1987)

Debatably considered by many to be the best Metal Hero ever. Metalder is known for really shaking things up as far as tokusatsu formulas go. The villains, the Neros Empire, are divided up into four different factions, each specializing in their own method of operations. All four factions are very active and often carry out missions in groups. There's a lot of conflict amongst all of the characters, and the main character is there to witness it all. Metalder is also known for putting a TON of money into it's special effects. For me, sometimes I had to re-watch a scene just to see if I really did see that "big budget special effect" thrown in there. LOL. But because Metalder used so much money and tended to appeal more to older fans, Metalder went over budget and was cut down to 39 eps, compared to the originally planned 50 eps. Nevertheless, Metalder wrapped up it's story perfectly and avoided dragging along.

Blue SWAT (1994)

Possibly one of the most overlooked Metal Heroes ever. A lot of people tend to shove Blue SWAT aside due to it's opening theme song not sounding epic enough. I personally thought the theme song sounded pleasant and somewhat catchy and fitting for the show. Plus, it was nice to see a different take on an opening theme. People also tend to criticize the suits for looking bland and for not having enough armor. Well, I personally think that's a bit silly, since a show can still be awesome despite how the suits look.

I think Blue SWAT is one of the most well made Metal Heroes ever, due to it's very successful attempt at realism (something which imo the Rescue police Trilogy kinda failed at. No offense to them). The show's fight scenes and choreography are very well executed and show plenty of strategic elements to them not seen in other toku shows. Also, the sci-fi style music in Blue SWAT is pretty catchy.

The cast of Blue SWAT imo is one of Metal Heroes' best offerings. A very strong and deep cast of characters who are all very likable. There's Shou (Blue SWAT) who's the cheerful main character (kinda like a precursor to Ban from Dekaranger). There's Sara (Purple SWAT) who imo is one of the most badass female characters ever in Metal Heroes (also a precursor to Sakura from Boukenger). And then there's Sig (Grey SWAT), who is an alien disguised as a human, who follows a tragic story about losing his son. Also, the villains, the Space Mafia are really cool as well. The designs are pretty sweet and I really love the concept of them possessing people. Normally, they possess people of higher status like business people, which really fits in with the times since during the early 90s, Japan was trapped inside of an economic bubble. Plus, the main villain, Queen, is played by Miyuki Nagato (Ulk from Flashman)! =D

Juukou B-Fighter (1995)

B-Fighter went back to it's Space Sheriff roots and brought back Dimensional battles. B-Fighter also brought us some very imaginative concepts by offering a very balanced out mix of scientific technology, nature magic, and insects. B-Fighter also offered some very well made suits that truly did look like they were heavy. The show had a pretty decent cast of characters and villains, even offering a direct evil counterpart to the main character (Takuya/Blue Beet), in the form of Shadow (Black Beet). B-Fighter also offers some very interesting mecha at it's disposal as well. The show is an overall well-rounded and balanced out show with some pretty neat concepts. A bit of a shame that it had to be succeeded by the less awesome B-Fighter Kabuto. Ah well.

My Picks for Top 5 Best Sentai VS Movies

2011-09-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Title says it all. I'll admit that I am rarely ever fond of the Sentai VS Movies. Mainly because I feel like the plots are so repetitive, that we rarely ever get anything new from these kinds of films. Only a very small handful of these films has ever actually pleased me.

5. Hurricaneger vs Gaoranger

Almost EVERY single Sentai VS Movie has to have a plot that involves a conflict between the two teams. Whether they don't get along or something happens that causes the two teams to actually fight each other. lol. Sometimes these turn out well, other times they're okay, and other times they're just plain stupid. xP

Hurricaneger vs Gaoranger does have the two teams fight each other... sort of. I really love the twist this movie provides by having the Jakanja disguise themselves as the Gaorangers and even Gao Access themselves! The Gaoranger actors do a great job at portraying the villains. The conflict is both intense and makes perfect sense!

Another major element to a VS Movie is the plot of bringing back the older team. Sometimes the execution is done well, other times not so much. lol. For this film, imo, the Gaorangers got brought back in a very interesting way. They are captured by the Jakanja which would eventually lead them up to meeting with the Hurricanegers. I personally think it's very well set up.

4. Gaoranger vs Super Sentai

This movie is often criticized due to having a huge number of flashbacks in the film. But honestly, I think the flashbacks are a ton of fun! I think this film really knew how to celebrate all of Super Sentai and did an excellent job at capturing an awesome moment for each sentai warrior of the first 24 seasons.

Gaoranger also has a very simple yet very epic plot too. The Gaorangers have to find help from previous Sentai Warriors from multiple decades while the Orgs attempt to stop them. Pretty sweet if you ask me. And the concept of a multi-decade Dream Team was a very original idea, which makes this film to be very groundbreaking imo. Plus, such a simple plot is way better than the plots of most VS films, which often just fall flat on their faces.

I really love how the film's plot revolves around capturing the essence of everything that's Super Sentai. Oh, and I really loved Big One in this film. Originally, I thought he was a bit too hyper in JAKQ, but this movie made him kickass! Oh, and I really loved the detailed elements that were brought back for Red Falcon (like the four graves he prays to).

3. Megaranger vs Carranger

This movie is all sorts of awesome. The two teams meshed very well together. The plot is an imaginative and fun one. And while the Carrangers are toned down on their comedy, they are still the characters that we know and love. It's a really well written film! A shame that most films don't choose to be as creative as this one. -__- Oh! And the Megarangers get a kickass power-up! =D

2. Carranger vs Ohranger

IMO, this is the most well made VS Movie to date. The Ohrangers enter Carranger's bizarre world, and the movie just does it's magic. Carranger, being a very well crafted and very imaginative series, does what it does best by creating a movie that's both epic and hilarious. It's great seeing the Carranger's zaniness conflicting with the Ohranger's more professionalism. The dialogue is all very well done and while the plots are weird, it's still very epic.

1. Magiranger vs Dekaranger

My personal favorite VS Movie would have to be this one. I just find this film to be both very epic and heartwarming. The dynamics of the two teams worked very well together as they were both able to relate so much to each other. I always thought that the Magirangers were like a second Dekaranger in terms of personality/team positions. The plots manage to deliver strong themes of family, courage, and justice and mixes them all up together. I also love how the film pokes fun at itself, which is very much in nature to these two shows. Overall, it's just one great film. =D

My Top 5 Kamen Rider Movies

2011-09-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

These are my top 5 favorite Kamen Rider movies to date. =)

5. Movie War 2010 (W half)

I really love the whole revelation of the Begin's Night story. It's both epic and heartwarming. And Kamen Rider Skull kicked ass! =D I really didn't like the Decade portion, so I tend to ignore it.

4. Kamen Rider Ryuki: Episode Final

I loved how Ryuki gave itself multiple possible endings, such as this movie. A fun little film that neatly wraps up the stories and has me begging for more.

3. Kamen Rider W Forever: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate

A pretty sweet film starring Kamen Rider W as he faces off against Foundation X's experimental secret fighting force, NEVER. The dopants in this film are very cool, as well as Kamen Rider Eternal. The story is action-packed, heartwarming, and heroic, and we even get a pretty neat cameo from Eiji (Kamen Rider OOO).

2. Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4

Easily one of the best Kamen Rider films to date. Taking place between eps 41 and 42 of Agito, this film provides a very heartwarming and imaginative plot that is full of all sorts of action-packed epicness. It is very well-written. Oh, and if anyone is planning to watch it, watch it with the Director's Cut! Cause it's all worth it! =D

1. Kamen Rider Hibiki & the Seven Senki

Personally, this is my favorite Kamen Rider film to date. It's pretty much an epic folk tale based on Seven Samurai. The film features various oni and stars them in their quest to help rid a village of evil. A very fun and neat film that's full of imagination.

Some Positive thoughts on the "Flawed" 2000s Sentai Casts

2011-09-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

I was looking back at all the post-Timeranger Sentai's cast of characters. And well, there is indeed a good chunk of the sentai fandom that much prefers the casts from the 80s and 90s, compared to the casts from the 2000s (with an exceptional few. mileage will vary). Now for my thoughts, yeah, perhaps the 2000s casts aren't as deep as the ones from the 80s and 90s. But when looking through them, I noticed a certain charm about them that I think helped mold the 2000s sentai into what they are. Here, I'm going to do a little analysis over my top 5 favorite Sentai casts of the post-Timeranger era. Basically, it's kinda me defending them, while still acknowledging some of their faults. hehe.

Gaoranger's cast is blamed by many pre-Gao sentai fans for "starting a new trend on sentai casts." Such a trend being that Toei will cast younger, more inexperienced, and sillier actors, just cause they look like role models.

For starters, Timeranger is pretty much the season that started the trend of casting younger actors, not Gaoranger. xP And honestly, I think Gaoranger's cast tends to be overlooked. IMO, they felt just as deep as any of the 90s sentai casts did, complete with very good actors. And I'm even daring to say that Gaoranger's cast did an even better job than Timeranger's cast.

There's also GaoSilver, whom some fans thought was just bland. But I personally think he had a very strong story and was actually pretty cool and brought plenty of awesome to the show (even after Ura's defeat). When he appears, the rest of the cast do feel more comfortable with each other, which did bother some fans. But I rather liked how things turned out for the cast.

Like Gaoranger, I feel like Abaranger's cast is very overlooked as well. IMO, Abaranger has one of the most complex casts not just in the 2000s sentai, but the entire franchise in general.

For starters, I've heard fans complain that the main three characters, Ryouga, Yukito, and Ranru are boring. This I find to be the most ridiculous criticism towards Abaranger. Ryouga is often accused of being a blatant loudmouthed red. To me, Ryouga is more of a very cheerful father-like figure who wants to do anything to protect people's smiles. Pretty much a sentai version of Yuusuke Godai (Kamen Rider Kuuga).

Ranru imo is one of the best female characters in sentai ever (as I mentioned in another recent post). Yeah, Ranru gets thrown into a lot of weird plots, but the actress made it work so well.

Yukito Sanjou imo did the "cold blue warrior" character better than any other one has to date. He's a jerk with a heart of gold, but has this great backstory to back up his attitude. And Yukito truly is smart enough to allow himself to change and grow for the better, rather than being stubborn and not trying to grow up like certain other characters.

Most fans are perfectly alright with Asuka and Mikoto, since the two of them have the season long plots. But I disagree completely when fans think that Abaranger is only good when Mikoto shows up. Overall, Abaranger has a great cast imo.

Okay, while I pretty much defended Gaoranger and Abaranger big time (claiming them to be overlooked), let's look at Dekaranger. Dekaranger seems to be a more blatant example of what some fans of older seasons tend to have issues with. Dekaranger has a younger cast compared to the 80s and 90s casts. And yes, they really aren't as experienced as the casts from the previous two decades.

One major element that I noticed about 2000s Sentai is that they tend to love to parody the motifs and themes that they are working with (particularly post-Gaoranger). A lot of older fans will definitely find this to be a weird shift in tone for sentai, after the seriousness of the 80s and the cheeriness of the 90s. As such, Dekaranger tends to be a bit of a parody of the cop detective motif, rather than being a straight up serious cop show. And for what the show is, I think the Dekaranger cast does great in their roles. Yeah, the show isn't as deep as the 80s and 90s are, but hey, remember, sentai is all about having fun too! =) And I think it's great that Dekaranger can offer a brand new flavor of storytelling to the franchise.

Okay, so for what the show is, as I said, I think the Dekaranger cast of actors fit their roles very well. I personally think the actors for DekaGreen and DekaPink were the best. Yes, Ban is often criticized for consistently screaming, Hoji is criticized for his stubbornness, Jasmine is criticized for her "lack of emotion," and Tetsu is criticized for his "blandness." But like I said, this show is meant to be all out crazy like Abaranger before it, instead of being taken seriously. I can easily make a list of reasons as to why I think the Deka cast is great despite their criticisms, but that would probably take all day. lol. I'll just quickly say that I think Ban is very heroic, despite his unusual reckless ways (something that the others learn more about). Hoji and Tetsu act as the serious cops of the show at first, until they venture deeper into this new more bizarre world of the Dekarangers (especially Tetsu). Both Hoji and Jasmine get the bulk of the much more emotional drama of the series. Okay, moving on now. =)

Magiranger's cast was another favorite of mine. Magiranger basically continued the style of silliness that Aba and Deka started. And for what Magiranger is (being a show that parodied it's magic motif), I think the cast worked out very well with it and made the show lots of fun. I always viewed the Magiranger cast as like a Dekaranger version 2.

Ban/Kai (hot headed leader)
Hoji/Tsubasa (the cool stubborn one)
Sen-chan/Makito (the heart of the team)
Jasmine/Urara (the collective girl)
Umeko/Houka (the ditzy girl)
Tetsu/Hikaru (the good looking sixth rangers with a high rank)
Swan-san/Miyuki (the mother-like mentor)
Boss/Isamu (the father-like mentor)

Overall, I pretty much feel and defend Magiranger the same way as I do with Dekaranger.

Gekiranger will conclude the list for me. Gekiranger has had an interesting history. When it was airing, the show was all the hype. But then along came Shinkenger. People were awed by Shinkenger's cast and continue to do so as of now. This however caused many people to look down on Gekiranger. The show ended up getting viewed as "that show with the bland cast." Thus, as of now, I now view Gekiranger to be one of the most underrated sentai seasons in recent years.

And yes, I do think Gekiranger has a great cast. I think Shinkenger's cast is alright, but it's not going to make the list for me. Gekiranger's biggest criticism is that it either "focuses too much on the villains" or "it focuses too much on Jan." Now, I personally don't think that there's ever been a sentai season where Red gets too much focus (yes, that includes Maskman, Jetman, Timeranger, and Shinkenger). Simply, Jan is the main character, so the story follows him. Simple as that. The other characters help support him throughout the story as the series progresses. Thus, the whole team gets plenty of spotlight and development. It's just a different execution of story telling. Not a bad one at all. And like previous 2000s sentai, I think Gekiranger is somewhat of a "parody" of the kung-fu motif in terms of it's storytelling execution.

As for the villains, well, the story follows Rio just as much as Jan. The two of them create an intense rivalry which imo is one of the best in the 2000s. I don't think the villains get too much focus. But it does seem that way since there's only Rio and Mele. Of course, there's Long as well, but he was more of a full fledged villain than the other two. To wrap up the villain actors, Rio, Mele, and Long were all very well executed, and many older fans tend to agree with this.

Now, the five main heroes is where a lot of the issues come from. Jan is a very hit or miss character, due to his immense childishness and screaming. Which I can perfectly understand. But like Ban and Kai before, I really admire Jan's actor's enthusiasm with the role, and he really helps make it all work and bring the character to life.

Ran and Retsu are commonly accused of being underdeveloped. In a ways, yes, this is true. Are they bland characters? Honestly, I don't think they are. I personally feel like they got the bulk of their development in the first half of the show, whereas in the second half, they support Jan as the show starts to wrap up. Ran and Retsu show Jan examples of what it's like to have a family which helps move the story. I always viewed Ran as a second Ranru (AbareYellow). While a little less deep, Ran is a serious character who wishes for peace, and like Ranru, ends up in a lot of weird plots. But luckily, the actress makes them all work. Retsu is the perfectionist and completes the triangle for the team dynamics. Retsu's story further develops when his brother, Gou arrives. It's elements like these that make me appreciate Gekiranger's ensemble cast.

Gou's common criticism is that he's "bland" or "pointless." Which I greatly disagree with. To me, Gou always felt like an 80s style sentai character in the 2000s (yes, far more than any Boukenger). His actor pulled off the serious exterior with an occasional cheerful interior seamlessly, which was quite common in the 80s. Oh, and he has a badass entrance as GekiViolet, which is something that has become quite rare for the additional warriors of recent years. I also disagree that Gou was pointless. Gou has this large history with several characters in the show: Miki, Shafu, Rio, Retsu, and even Long! Gou suffers many internal conflicts like the loss of a friend (Rio). And like Ran and Retsu, Gou shows Jan an example of what siblings are like. And just for good measure, Gou was mentioned very early on in the show by Retsu, already proving that he was important.

Finally, there's Ken. Ken is commonly criticized for either being annoying or just plain pointless and tacked on. It's true that Ken does come in rather late. However, a lot of fans tend to miss that Ken was actually talked about as early as the teens (before Long and Gou showed up). Ken kinda introduced the fact that Shafu did have a student earlier on, so that it didn't seem like Shafu was doing nothing this whole time. It also helped make Gekiranger's world seem all the more vast and expansive with many plots, with many people learning Jyuuken. Ken introduced the Souzyuutou arc with would be a major turning point in the series. Before Ken arrived, Jan pretty much had most of the comedic moments, but I think Ken brought in a new dimension to the team dynamics by being this very cheerful, yet rather idiotic warrior, who also had a sister as another example of family for Jan. True, Ken is still probably the least complex of the Gekiranger characters, but the character still turned out to be fun and the actor pulled off the role very well.

Overall, I think Gekiranger has a pretty solid cast, even if fans find them to be hit or miss. And, that pretty much concludes how I feel about my favorite 2000s casts. Like I said before, yeah, they aren't as deep as the 80s and 90s casts, but the 2000s bring in something special where the new casts are able to make them all work. That's my defense for them. =)

My Top 14 most Unique Female Sentai Warriors

2011-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

There have been many female warriors throughout the sentai franchise. Each with their own unique personalities and traits. But which one of them have left the biggest landmarks in the long history of female warriors? Here, I have chosen 14 of them. They IMO have the most unique personalities and have left the most groundbreaking impacts in the franchise.

Jun Yabuki (Yellow Four II) from Bioman. Sorry Mika fans, but while Mika did introduce us to many new elements for a female warrior, her full character was never given the chance to be explored, due to her untimely death. Now, as for Jun, Jun IMO brought in a whole new level of badass that wasn't previously seen in Super Sentai. Sure, we had female warriors that did some badass stuff like Miki (Goggle Pink) and Rei (Dyna Pink). But Jun was a much tougher character. She had a very strong sense of justice and truly loved to adventure. Her unique instincts urged her to join the Bioman, even though they refused to let her join at first. Plus, Jun's actress, Sumiko Tanaka was a member of the Japan Action Club and did a ton of her own stunts, leading to many badass moments for the character. Jun was also very smart and could think when it was necessary. And she knew when to have fun as well.

Sayaka Nagisa (Change Mermaid) from Changeman. Sayaka was very talented and was very professional with her job in the Dengeki Sentai. However, she wasn't super strict like most women in her position would be. She was much more caring and easygoing. She was always loyal to her job, without coming off as an unthinkable jerk. Thus, she was able to bond very well with the other Changeman. There were moments where she and Tsurugi seemed like a couple. And she was very close friends with Mai, despite her being the complete opposite of Sayaka's character. Sayaka also gets many opportunities to shine by kicking all sorts of butt!

Mai Tsubasa (Change Phoenix) from Changeman. Like Jun before, Mai was a tough as nails girl. However, Mai was a much more laid back character. She was much more tough rather than elegant, as opposed to Jun. Mai still had a very strong sense of justice, but at times tended to not always think things through. But lucky for her, she's got Sayaka to look after her. These two make such a great duo! Mai always had the chance to kick butt, even if at times her recklessness got her in some tricky situations. hehe.

Sara (Yellow Flash) from Flashman. Sara was a female warrior that was given a lot of depth. Many times throughout the show, she showed how much of a caring and selfless person she was. This new dimension to a female character was a very new take on the female sentai warrior, and to date happens to be a very unique trait to Sara. Of course there are many selfless female warriors out there, but Sara goes to great lengths to ensure that the people around her are happy. Even if it means hiding the fact that she was the only one of the Flashman to find her parents. Sara is also very smart. Her sharp mind proves to be useful on many occasions in order to combat Mess' plans. Sara is often very serious when she is in the middle of a battle. Overall, she is a very well written character.

Luu (Pink Flash) from Flashman. Luu has great strength. But this doesn't really represent her personality at all. Luu has a very cheerful personality and like the other Flashman, longs to see her family. She does however get tough when she needs to. Luu also tends to be clumsy at times, and at times tends to think about wanting to eat good food. In some ways, she's like a sillier version of Mai from Changeman. Luu is tough on the outside, yet in a very cheery mood on the inside. While there are other female warriors that have the tough exterior and softer interior, Luu's personality stands out due to making the two sides seem perfectly seamless rather than having them conflict against each other.

Haruka (Yellow Mask) from Maskman. Haruka was the first female warrior that had a very deep backstory. And her background really affected her character. She was forced to become a ninja at the cost of abandoning a happy childhood. Thus, Haruka now lives as a very talented ninja, but was robbed of her only chance to ever experience what it was like to be happy as a kid. Thus, she knows exactly how it feels when she sees other children suffering and unable to achieve their dreams. Haruka is very serious and talented with her skills and fighting styles. But despite this, Haruka still has many layers of self-conflictions built up inside of her. Her skills and her very well being is put to the ultimate test when she goes up against her rival, Fuumin. Haruka remains to this day as one of the most deep female characters who comes off as very believable due to the unique impact that her childhood gave her.

Momoko (Pink Mask) from Maskman. Momoko was a much more elegant character compared to some of the more then recent females. But despite her elegant exterior, Momoko was still a tough girl. A REALLY tough girl. In a way, she's kind of an opposite of Luu in terms of exterior and interior personality. And like Luu, Momoko stands out amongst female warriors due to how seamless her two traits seem to be. But what made Momoko a different character compared to someone like Jun was that Momoko was a whole lot less confident about herself. She was often ranked down there with Akira in terms of experience compared to the other three. But despite that, Momoko had a very strong sense of responsibility and proves many times that she can go all out when the battle tests her limits. I think she's probably the most badass female warrior to date! =D

Megumi Misaki (Blue Dolphin) from Liveman. Our first female blue warrior was the brains of the team, like Sara before her. Megumi at times often tries to make sure that both Yuusuke and Joh don't do anything stupid. Thus, she's kind of a sister figure to the others. So what makes Megumi a unique character? Cause we've already seen characters like Sayaka who had these traits. Well, as the tragic story of Liveman tells, Megumi loses her two friends, Takuji and Mari at the hands of three of her other friends, Kenji Tsukigata (Kemp), Rui Senda (Mazenda), and Gou Omura (Obular). The pain of being betrayed and losing everything one loves impacted Megumi heavily, just as much as it hurt Yuusuke and Joh. Megumi in particular gets into a rivalry with Mazenda. While Megumi is a tough girl, she is also quite sensitive, often crying in almost all the episodes. Megumi manages to finally stop crying when she confronts Bias in the finale and uses her intelligence to show Bias, Kemp, and the other professors the error of their ways. Overall, Megumi is a very believable character and is very heroic. Oh, and she really knows how to sing! =D

Remi Hoshikawa (Five Yellow) from Fiveman. While I'm not really a fan of Fiveman, I think Remi is one of the few gems in the show. And a very bright gem indeed! Remi's actress, Ryou Narushima was the last female member of the Japan Action Club to ever play as a main character in Sentai. So she really kicks butt! Remi is the twin sister to her brother, Fumiya, and is the youngest of the Hoshikawa siblings. Remi tends to long for her parents more than the others do, due to having the vaguest memory of them. So what's so unique about Remi? At best, she might just seem like a Jun meets Sara. While that is true, Remi's actress does such a wonderful job and manages to make all of her traits seem seamless. While Remi is elegant like her predecessors, she's actually very clumsy with simple stuff like housework. Remi is a very cheerful individual, despite never growing up with the love of her parents. She often gets herself involved in a lot of crazy plots by Zone such as getting drunk or even having to show off her underwear to lure the monster of the week. Remi is also very skilled at kung-fu and music. With so many many traits supported by a very good actress from the Japan Action Club, Remi truly stands out amongst the female sentai warriors.

Natsumi Shinohara (Yellow Racer) from Carranger. Natsumi was quite different compared to most female warriors. She's one of the more serious members of the team and tends to be quite reckless and doesn't always think things through. It is eventually revealed that Natsumi grew up as a very awkward child, often being accused of lying by other people. While such a childhood could've potentially broken her, Natsumi continues to do her best to be strong, despite what a struggle it is. Her snappy and rebellious attitude is also shown whenever she occasionally opposes the leader of the team, Kyousuke. To an extent, I feel like she's the closest we got to a "season-long Mika Koizumi." Oh, and Natsumi has kickass mechanic skills! No other female warrior has that! =D

Youko Yagami (Pink Racer) from Carranger. Youko was pretty much the first ditzy female warrior in Sentai. While her predecessor, Luu, loved to eat a lot, Youko was even more crazy about what she ate. Particularly sweets. While at the same time is rather self-conscious about her weight. Youko often daydreams a lot about what's in store for her in the future and wishes to become an idol and to marry a rich husband. Youko is also quite absent-minded which can often cause a lot of unnecessary trouble for her teammates. However, Youko proves many times that she's not necessarily stupid, and that she can get quite serious when she needs to. Her actress, Atsuko Kurusu manages to pull off the role well by seamlessly combining Youko's more disastrous traits while still making her seem like a perfectly normal person who can think.

Miku Imamura (Mega Pink) from Megaranger. I feel like a lot of fans tend to treat Miku as one of the more average female warriors in Super Sentai. But I personally think Miku is one of the most unique female warriors in sentai to date. While Miku does indeed share the same traits as Youko, like eating a lot while still being self-conscious about her weight, Miku proves that there's a whole lot more to her character that helps differentiate herself from other female warriors. A lot of fans often describe Miku as ditzy, and yes, she tends to be at times. But unlike Youko, Miku is much more aware of her surroundings. And honestly, I think "lazy" would describe Miku a whole lot better than "ditzy." Most female warriors are often either elegant, cute, or tough. But Miku was just lazy, often falling asleep in class and being rather disorganized. She really doesn't like homework, just like Kenta, which is why the two of them are such great friends. But despite her lazy attitude, Miku truly has a big heart and loves her friends very much and even has a crush on Shun. Throughout the series, Miku's heart is broken many times due to various drama, but in the end, Miku grows up and continues to be strong. Overall, I think Miku is a very relatable character and is very fun to watch.

Matsuri Tatsumi (GoPink) from GoGoFive. Matsuri was the youngest of the Tatsumi siblings and was the only girl of the family (after her mother "died"). Because of this, Matsuri feels the need to be very responsible and often takes charge of things when her brothers and her father seem to be getting out of control. Matsuri has a strong sense of order and does not take things lightly when things go terribly wrong. But at the same time, Matsuri is also the one with the biggest heart and does her best to keep everyone happy. These traits merge very well together and bring the character of Matsuri to life. Matsuri is very agile and does anything she can to save people's lives, even if things tend to get quite gruesome.

Ranru Itsuki (Abare Yellow) from Abaranger. Ranru is a character who does plenty of things to keep herself busy like being a mechanic, as well as formerly being an idol until she gave up on it. Ranru proves that she's not just any mechanic and proves that she's actually quite a genius with some of the stuff she makes. Ranru is a very crazy individual who really just wants things to be peaceful. While that might not sound very original, I think what makes Ranru stand out amongst female warriors is the fact that she's got a very bizarre and aggressive personality. She has all of these bizarre traits like hating natto, having to work with a bizarre dancing instructor, doing instant cosplay, and stuff like that which all end up getting integrated into Abaranger's plots in some form or another. I think Ranru is just so weird that she's so unique. And I really have to give credit to her actress, Aiko Ito for seamlessly merging all of these weird traits into one unified whole. Ranru isn't necessarily wacky and is quite believable, despite all these strange traits. And she can even kick lots of butt!

My Top 5 Favorite Kamen Rider Seasons

2011-09-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided that I'd make a post about what my top 5 favorite seasons from the Kamen Rider franchise was. The following five shows are IMO the most epic and most consistently well written and enjoyable seasons in the franchise. =)

5. Kamen Rider Ryuki

Ryuki for many was a hit or miss series. But for me, it was a very enjoyable show. I really liked the concept of the series of having various Riders fighting each other, just to get a wish. Now, that may not sound like the most original kind of plot ever, but I found it to be very fun regardless. I also feel like Ryuki's story has a strong sense of heroism, in the form of the main character, Shinji.

4. Kamen Rider Hibiki

Hibiki was another hit or miss season for fans. But I absolutely love this show for it's innovation, creativity, and very enjoyable cast. I love the Japanese feel it has going for it, and I think Hibiki's world is easily one of the more better crafted worlds in the franchise, as it is vast with many Oni and stories to go with it. And yes, there's the infamous staff change halfway through, but that didn't really bother me. Yeah, some of the eps in the second half stumbled, but nothing really detrimental to the show IMO. Plus, I think it just further proved that Hibiki's stories could go in so many many directions. =D

3. Kamen Rider Kuuga

Come on, what kind of a fan would I be if Kuuga wasn't on the list??? xD (yeah, I know non-fans exist. hehehe). But yeah, Kuuga is a very fascinating series. I loved the "realistic" vibe it went for. The cast is very likable and the Grongi are very mysterious and frightening villains. The cop and detective elements brought all sorts of suspense to the series. Oh, and I REALLY love the fight scenes in Kuuga! The form changing, the bike choreography, everything was just so well done! Easily not just only one of the best Kamen Riders of all time, but one of the best tokusatsu programs ever!

2. Kamen Rider Agito

Oh my. This show was REALLY well planned. An array of very complex and deep stories full of mysteries on top of mysteries. All the characters were very well involved and very likable, that I found myself rooting for everyone (well, maybe except Hojo. lol ). Man, this show was so well made, that I feel like it could've easily gone for two years! I know Kuuga is considered by most to be the best Rider season, but I have to pit Agito against it. xP

1. Kamen Rider W

Honestly, I think Agito is the most well-made Rider in the franchise. But due to my own personal tastes, I placed W as number 1 for me. Mainly cause I loved the epicness and wackiness mixed together in this show. W ranged from having very heartwarming to very hilariously ridiculous eps. I really loved the concept of the Gaia Memories and how they were used by the main characters and the villains. The Dopants, along with the Sonozaki Family were all very well-crafted characters, which is something I rarely see in a toku. Oh, and as a bonus, a good chunk of the Dopants are Sentai actors! =D I also really love the two-in-one concept for the main hero. The main characters, Shotaro and Philip were both very likable heroes. And the stunt actor, Seiji Takaiwa played them both very well. And watching the two halves of the W suit fight brought all sorts of possibilities to the fight scenes! All the characters in the show are lots of fun, as Shotaro goes to talk to them all in the Windy City of Fuuto. The detective elements were also lots of fun. Overall, the show had a sweet concept, great execution, fun plots, and fun characters. Thus, I am happy to put W as my number 1 favorite season of Kamen Rider to date. =)

W, OOO, and Fourze Connection

2011-09-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of seasons, we were given hints showing that possibly Kamen Rider W, OOO, and Fourze are all connected. These hints (so far two of them) showed up around the end of both W and OOO. It's very possible that these are just mere easter eggs and that nothing will come of them, but I thought they were interesting nonetheless.

Episode 47 of W showed Foundation X leader's Neon Ulsland looking at her touch screen, and briefly, we see her looking at Core Medals and Cell Medals, which are the primary "weapons" in OOO. This hinted that Foundation X was funding for the Core and Cell Medals to the Kougami Foundation, much like they were funding for Gaia Memories for the Museum and NEVER.

During the ending credits in the final episode of OOO, we see Hina walking past a couple of the characters from Fourze.

Food of the Season: 20th Century Heisei Sentai

2011-08-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

Food of the Season, for the 20th Century Heisei Sentai. =)

Jetman had three. The first being warm milk. It was Ryu's favorite drink, as a substitute for alcohol, since Ryu didn't care much for hard drinks. He was often seen drinking warm milk when thinking about Rie.

Second for Jetman was ramen. Lots of fans remember episode 10 of Jetman, involving the ramen theme monster, Noodle Jigen. This was an Ako focus episode. Ako involuntarily ended up becoming the mascot to a new ramen product which was all part of Tran's evil plan. The commercial for it came with a rather chipper theme song.

The third for Jetman was tomatoes. Episode 46 was another ep that many fans remember. A rather strange ep starring Raita and his fear of tomatoes. The MOTW was a tomato themed monster known as the Tomato King.

In Dairanger, Ryou was a cook, best known for his dumplings. Everyone that tried them called them the best.

The Kakuranger's Nekomaru had everything they needed to make crepes. They would sell them to make money, since they were pretty much broke. xP

In Ohranger, it's likely that Shouhei's favorite dish is ramen, since he tends to eat ramen a lot. There were also moments where he even made ramen himself.

Carranger had imoyoukan of course! Used to make you giant! xD

Kenta in Megaranger would repeatedly tell everyone about how much he loved barbecue. To an extent, Miku also loved it.

In Gingaman, Hikaru's favorite food is donuts. Even Gokaiger pays homage to this in ep 20.

A lot of fans remember the weird episode in Gingaman where Hayate hates tomatoes and can't eat them (episode 21). What's up with all the negativity towards tomatoes in Sentai?? xP And of course, there's Hayate's infamous line when he eats the tomato: "IT'S GOOD!!!" xD

Finally, in ep 16 of Timeranger, many fans remember this ep about Domon making the Ultimate Soba. LOL.

Request: Sentai Group Poses with Female in Center

2011-08-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

I was requested to make a post of a collection of Sentai poses where the female warrior is standing in the middle. Gotta say, it was really hard to find them. Doubt I found them all. So yeah, here's what I got. =)

I was given this pic of Turboranger where Haruna is standing in the middle. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the ep where this happens. >__<

EDIT: The pic is from ep 25.

An image of Jetman with Ako in the middle, from ep 15.

Zyuranger with Mei in the middle in ep 26.

An image of Zyuranger with Mei in the middle again, from ep 38.

Dairanger with Lin in the middle in ep 14.

Three of the Kakurangers with Tsuruhime in the middle from ep 1.

The Gingaman with Saya (GingaPink) and the guest of the week who looks like Saya, Misaki Hoshino in the middle, from ep 14.

The Gingaman with Kurokishi Hyuuga. Saya is technically in the middle of this pose. This was from ep 33.

GoGoFive with Matsuri in the middle in ep 4.

GoGoFive with Matsuri in the middle, again! This is from ep 9.

And GoGoFive with Matsuri in the middle, AGAIN! Hey, at least the other four are standing in different locations. xP This is from ep 24.

Well, it's kinda debatable if the Timerangers pose at all. But here's a pic of them with Yuuri standing in the middle and claiming she's gonna lead them to arrest the Londarz Family. Fitting, since she's the leader. =) This is from ep 1.

The last one I could find was from ep 11 of Gaoranger. Here, Sae poses in the middle with the other Gaorangers.

Sentai Motifs that Fans are "Biased" on

2011-08-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Every Sentai season has their own motifs. And depending on the fan, they are all loved in many different ways. However, some motifs tend to get instant praise from fans, just because they are what they are. For example, a fans would say they love this particular season cause they have a bias for, or is just a sucker for this particular motif. The following motifs are the ones that I tend to hear fans treat them as such.

Martial Arts. Lots of people are just crazy about high martial arts choreography.

Dinosaurs. Animals are cool, but some fans seem to have a particular thing for the dinosaur ones.

Ninjas. Lots of people think ninjas are cool! They're stealthy, use cool weapons, and they use shinobi magic to warp reality. LOL.

Time Travel. While not too much time travel was done in Timeranger, fans still ate up the time motif of the show.

Detective Police. There's plenty of people out there that are just suckers for police trying to solve crimes through space detective means.

Magic. People love their magic too.

Samurai. Like ninjas, the samurai is another asian motif that people are crazy over. People really eat up stuff that involve people using swords in battle. hehehe.

Pirates. Hey, there's a reason why ninjas and pirates have this big online rivalry. LOL. People love them both so much!

Going on Vacation this August

2011-08-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just want to let all followers know that I will be going on vacation this August. So I will be on a short hiatus from my blog. I MIGHT have some posts this August if I can access internet anywhere. And I will try to moderate any comments during the month. I will be back from vacation on September 3rd. After that, I will try and get back up to the faster pace that I had before this summer started. So until then, later! =)

Sentai Teams that Civilians are aware of

2011-08-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Usually in Super Sentai, normal civilians are not aware of the existence of the Super Sentai teams. Usually, the Super Sentai teams try to mind their own business and keep their conflicts only involved with the villains. This is why there are several episodes where a civilian or a guest of the week will express surprise when a Sentai Warrior transforms in front of them. However, there are some seasons, where civilians are perfectly aware of the existence of a Sentai team.

As far as I can remember, Battle Fever J seems to be the first team that civilians were aware of. Many viewed Battle Fever J to be the team that protected the dreams of children. Thus, becoming their heroes.

The Dynaman were acknowledged quite a few times throughout the series by people (usually by the children).

Fiveman was next. This is especially shown when a news reporter (in episode 9) shows that she perfectly knows who the Fiveman are, as well as acknowledging their heroic existence. There was even an ep where a little girl wished to grow up and become just like FiveYellow.

The Zyurangers were known by civilians to be these ancient warriors who had come to the modern age to protect the world from Bandora. Bandora would on a couple of occasions try to turn the civilians against the Zyurangers by framing them.

While not touched upon much, it's hinted slightly at the start of the season that people are aware of who the Dairangers are.

The Ohrangers were military officials who patrolled the city regularly and saved people whenever it was needed. Thus, the Ohrangers were a very well respected team amongst the people. Even their commander, Miura is a famous figure to the people (as evidenced in Carranger vs Ohranger). People also know of Ohranger's trademark pose and roll calls. "Ohle!"

The Megarangers were these heroic superheroes who's identities were unknown to the public. However, when their identities are revealed, it doesn't sit too well with the people. But things do get better.

Like Dairanger, Gingaman isn't very heavily touched upon in this area. But it is proven in a few eps that people do know who the Gingaman are.

Like Ohranger before, the GoGoFive were public rescue workers. Even though at first, the team worked independently, until some trouble came with them and the Fire Department's chief, Inui. Much like in real life Japan, rescue workers and policemen are very well respected, and it's no different here in GoGoFive. Even the children in some eps look up to them.

Like GoGoFive, the Timerangers were a fighting force that the city's people were aware of. However, the Timerangers chose to not work for any organization throughout the entire season (save for the 30th Century police). This caused conflicts with the Asami Corporation. Eventually, TimeFire appeared to fight for the City Guardians. Also, the character, Honami attempts to at first try to find out who the Timerangers really are for a news article, but eventually gets infatuated by TimeYellow.

Much like Dairanger and Gingaman, Abaranger isn't touched upon as much either in this area. There was however one episode where Honami's actress (from Timeranger) is a news reporter and gets the honor of being on tv with the Abarangers.

Much like GoGoFive, the Dekarangers were a military force that could do stuff like police work, rescuing, detective work, etc. The SPD was an entire galactic organization. So everyone knew who the Dekarangers were.

The Magirangers started off as just these rumored heroic magicians at the start of the series. But as the series progressed, it became obvious that more and more people believed in their existence. And by the finale, everyone knew of them and cheered for them to defeat N Ma. Wow, all three sibling Sentai made the list. xD

The Go-ongers were known by everyone in the city. People even voted on online polls for who their favorite Go-onger was.

Everyone knew that the Shinkengers and their Kuroko were of a special service for the entire city.

Finally, there's Gokaiger. In Gokaiger's universe, the events of the previous 34 seasons had occurred. So to human civilians, stuff like giant monsters and robots is something that's common in everyday life. LOL. People are also perfectly aware of all the teams that came before, as well as their involvement in the Legend War. Also, people are aware of the fact that there are space pirates running around with the Ranger Keys of the previous teams. People range from either doubting them, or praising them.

My Top Five Favorite Final Fantasy Games

2011-07-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided that I'd make a post about what my top five favorite Final Fantasy games are. =)

5. Final Fantasy X-2

I know a lot of people are going to find this game to be the oddball one on my list. But yes, I truly do love this game. I do understand that a huge chunk of the Final Fantasy fandom really hates this game with a passion. And I can perfectly understand why. Reasons often ranging from silly concepts like singing, dress spheres, and pop music.

So why do I love this game? Why the hell did this game make my list, whereas other games like Final Fantasy IV, V, VII, VIII, and Tactics failed to do so? Well, there are many reasons. For one, Final Fantasy X is my #1 favorite Final Fantasy game to date. And I was left very saddened by it's very bittersweet ending. When I found out that there was a chance for me to find Tidus and reunite him with Yuna, that was motivation enough for me. A game that would give me a chance to make things right in the world of Spira. And technically, that's what most of the game is. After a grueling 1000 year long dark age in Spira, Spira was finally ready to have some fun. However, Spira is still on the verge of falling apart, similar to what happened 1000 years ago, until Sin's appearance. It was great being able to travel all across Spira as Yuna to try and make things right. Cause if played the wrong way, things could turn out horribly.

I absolutely loved the freedom that this game offered. Being able to start in an airship and to go through missions all over the world. And the Dress spheres were a neat concept. Yeah, it's silly, but it was fun playing with them and leveling them up with such an innovative battle system. To me, I actually had more fun playing X-2, than V and Tactics (not that those games were bad of course).

The characters are lots of fun too. Yuna, who had always wanted to be more head strong in the first game, has her character development in the first game finally pay off. Yuna absolutely loves to adventure and will do anything to be reunited with Tidus. And to balance her out, we've still got the ever so cheerful Rikku, and now the new character, the quiet, yet mysterious Paine, who has a tragic backstory. I absolutely loved the mysteries that revolved around the many characters like Nooj, Baralai, Lenne and Shuyin.

As for the overall atmosphere, I actually liked it. It made perfect sense that Spira would try to brighten things up more after 1000 years of misery. Yes, the Dress spheres and the pop music is all ridiculous. But the game was trying to have some fun for a change, as opposed to the heavy plots of previous games. It wanted to poke fun at itself, be weird, and of course, parodied various cultural media that was popular in Japan during the time. The game is kinda like a more epic version of a Carranger style Final Fantasy game, hehehe.

4. Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy XII is another game that some fans might find strange to be on a list. Since XII is a rather hit or miss game when it comes to it's fans. Fans are often torn between XII's battle system, characters, and plots. Me personally, XII hit most of my good buttons. =)

For the battle system, fans have criticized it for not being traditional. Well, for me, I play games cause they're fun. Not for traditions. And frankly, I felt like this was a neat step to take for the innovative evolution of Final Fantasy games. The Gambits are probably the biggest criticism when it comes to the battle system. Due to how the game plays for you. IMO, if you want the game to play for you, then what's the point in starting the game at all. It's much better to just flip off the Gambits and just play the game manually. Problem solved. However, I do have to praise the Gambits. It's very complex yet understandable and can really help give the CPU characters the correct commands, however necessary. I also absolutely love traveling around and exploring the vast world of Ivalice. There's just so much to it. I love it a lot.

Now for the characters, they have been criticized for being bland. But I really loved the cast. I liked Ashe, Basch, Balthier, and Fran. They're stories were all very convincing and believable imo. Of course, it's more political based, rather than the dark drama that was present in previous games. But to me, for a fan that grew up with games like IX, X, and X-2, XII just felt like the Final Fantasy game that just grew up with me. Thus, it's got a special place in my heart. Also, I do like Vaan (who is probably the most criticized character in the game). To me, Vaan was like my window into the world of Ivalice and to the rest of the cast. I felt like I was truly drawn into the game and that I could help support everyone in the game. And the fact that Vaan's life got ruined thanks to the war between the Archadian Empire and the Rosarrian Empire, as well as the death of his brother Reks, I think it's reason enough that he gets to tag along with Ashe and the others to stop the conflicts. All of their stories were neatly tied together, and I really loved that. The game also shows a very solid element of grey, compared to the usual good vs evil. Even the Archadian Empire has many shades of grey going on within it. And watching how these sorts of plots unfold is a lot of fun imo. And the main villain, Vayne, does great to support these stories.

3. Final Fantasy VI

The timeless wonder that is Final Fantasy VI. This game is just so darn fun and epic! Definitely one of the best things about this game is that it was able to stuff a huge cast of characters into your party. 14 of them! Which is a record to date. Yes, it's a lot. But what Final Fantasy VI does that's so amazing is that it perfectly balances out the 14 characters and gives each of them a unique class and fighting style, which helps make each of them unique and offers plenty of different strategies for the game. Each of the 14 characters also have a rich backstory that makes each of them memorable, and the game does an amazing job at keeping the balance of who gets the spotlight. And of course, Final Fantays VI has one of the best villains of all time: Kefka. An evil coward who has everything you'd ever love to hate about a villain. And his fun, quirky personality was always great. Kefka was a very ambitious villain. He manages to succeed in destroying the world and becoming a god. He practically wins in the game. Thus, by the end of the game, the characters must move on from their bittersweet victory. Overall, this game is just downright beautiful. The best way to describe this, is the opera scene where Celes sings. =D

2. Final Fantasy IX

For me, Final Fantasy IX was a huge representation about everything that was awesome about Final Fantasy. After the more dark, realistic, and sci-fi styles of VII and VIII, IX went back to it's roots and brought back the medieval fantasy theme that was present in the earlier Final Fantasy games, as well as going back to a more classic battle system. The world was just so awesome and fun, and the cast all had a lot going on for them. Also, Kuja is personally my favorite Final Fantasy villain to date. I just love his cunning, graceful, and scheming personality. The artwork in IX is also fantastic and a lot of fun too.

1. Final Fantasy X

For me, Final Fantasy X has left the biggest impact on me. I was absolutely mesmerized by it's overall atmosphere of how it's whole world worked. I really loved the world of Spira and how the people in it lived. The game had such complex concepts and worked out so well and so gracefully, that it just completely blew my mind. The scene where Yuna performs the sending and dances on top of water is the prime image of everything wonderful that made up Final Fantasy X.

I absolutely love the battle system. A complex, yet simple system involving a Turn-based concept, with very deep mechanics. Final Fantasy X's characters were balanced out by having their own individual Jobs like IV and VI did, while also being very customizable, similar to VII and VIII. And I think the Sphere Grid also helped support everything. A very clever and addictive way to level up the characters, while still retaining their own individual powers. Their individual classes offer a wide variety of different tactics when it comes to battle. It's just so much fun.

For me, X had the best cast of characters in Final Fantasy to date. Each one of them had a very deep and moving story going on for them, that just made me fall in love with them all. They were all very close to each other, and it was just heartbreaking when some of the more surprising plot twists are revealed later in the game. Most notably, the revelation of the Final Summoning. The plots all wrap up neatly until it climaxes with the fabulous bittersweet ending. Also, the love story between Tidus and Yuna was very convincing and very heartwarming.

Super Sentai Villain Getter

2011-07-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

A person decided to take Gokaiger's ending theme, "Hero Getter," and decided to make a villain version of it! Did a pretty awesome job if you ask me. =D

Why Gingaman is my #1 favorite Sentai

2011-07-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

To date, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman is currently my favorite Sentai series to date. My biggest reason is cause to me, Gingaman pretty much represented everything that I loved about Super Sentai. And I think it really showed, due to how well the new school elements and the old school elements were all mixed together. To date, I think Gingaman has mixed old and new much better than any other Sentai season.



By the time I had seen Gingaman, I had already at least seen eps from Jetman to Megaranger. At times, Gingaman could get dramatic like Jetman and Dairanger, and sometimes it could get comedic like Kakuranger and Carranger. Gingaman also does the whole warriors from ancient tribes that was done in Zyuranger. Though imo, Gingaman handled it much better. Especially since you get to see them actually suffer for when they lose their home (the Ginga Forest). In some ways, I feel like Gingaman is kind of a spiritual successor to Dairanger, due to the use of "mystical" animals, mystical powers, the color scheme (duh xP ), and I felt like it also had an overall suburb-like feel (not as much as Dai and Kaku, but I did see several elements of it). Also, Kakuranger's Teruaki Ogawa (actor to NinjaRed) does return to play the character, Hyuuga (Kurokishi), which is epic! In some ways like Ohranger, Gingaman felt like an overall solid series imo, with the new and old school elements. Gingaman did also make use of some of the new special effects that Megaranger tried out. Particularly the use of their "technology."



I eventually managed to finally watch the 80s Sentai. And I particularly loved what the second half of the 80s decade had to offer. I re-watched Gingman again afterwards, and I truly felt like elements from these five shows also existed in Gingaman, and it made me appreciate Gingaman even more. Like how Gingaman's intermission sequence was practically a colored picture, which was reminiscent to sentai from Changeman and before. I think Gingaman also shared the same element of Flashman in terms of missing family and home. And like Maskman, I think Gingaman is one of the most imaginative Sentai when it came to concepts and imaginative plots. I also felt like this was similar to Turboranger in this area as well. And again, Liveman had an animal motif, just like Gingaman did (even if Gingaman was less tech-based). However, Gingaman did make use of the four generals concept for the villains, which was very reminiscent of Liveman and even Goranger.

To me, the villainess Shelinda was practically a 90s version of the Changeman villainess, Ahames. Ahames imo is the best female villain in Sentai to date. And I feel like Shelinda was a worthy successor of the classic villainess. Shelinda is cruel, selfish, greedy, and is just downright evil. A villain to truly fear, all these elements make me love to hate her. If there was ever a female Yutaka Hirose type villain, villains like Ahames, Nefel, Mazenda, Gara, and Shelinda are the prime examples imo.

I think a lot of the villain suits felt very reminiscent to various 80s style suits in terms of looks and movement, while still having some 90s styles added to them. Kugutsudayuu (the monster pic above) imo is a prime example of how I felt about the way the villains looked.



There of course have been many post-Gingaman seasons that I have loved. Each of them introducing very new concepts while still reusing the concepts of the past. And even though they aired after Gingaman, every time I watch these shows, and then watch Ginga afterwards, I can always seem to sense elements of these newer shows in Gingaman as well. So I guess in a way that would make more sense, I truly feel like Gingaman left an impact in all the shows that came after (for me at least). GoGoFive, Timeranger, and Dekaranger harkened back to the sci-fi style that dominated the late 80s shows, and I feel like attempts and executions like these felt very similar to what Gingaman did. Abaranger also had the heartwarming partnership concept that Gingaman also had. Like Boukenger, I feel like Gingaman did have some epic adventurous feel to them (in Gingaman they actually do do a lot of treasure hunting). And Gingaman did have a mystical feel to them, similar to Magiranger and Gekiranger.

Since I've made such a huge deal about loving Gingaman due to the old and new school elements combined, I might as well compare this to Gokaiger. To me, Gokaiger is very well executed in terms of mixing old and new school elements. And so far, I'm loving it a lot. Though I think it just barely loses to Gingaman for me in terms of execution, but isn't major.

For me, I definitely think a cast is best when all of them are very likable (who doesn't? xD ). But I do admit that I do have some soft spots for a cheerful cast of characters (ex: Flashman, Kakuranger, Magiranger). Anyway, I love the Gingaman cast a lot, because I felt like I could relate to all of them so well.

Ryouma is one of my all time favorite Red Warriors. I just love how he's so devoted to his position as a Red Warrior and has such a cheerful personality. He also tends to suffer due to the "death" and leaving of his brother Hyuuga. Ryouma has a lot of responsibilities, and I was able to easily relate to him in how he had to get his problems solved. Also, I loved it whenever Ryouma got pissed at the villains whenever they did horrible things. To me, Ryouma kinda feels like Yutaka Hirose, if he was a good guy. xD I also loved his short rivalry with Budoh and his minions. It really brought me back to the intense rivalries of the 80s.

I loved Hayate a lot too. I just loved how calm he was and how he was so good at so many things (as well as being wise in general). Yet, he never rubs this in anyone's face (though Hikaru thinks otherwise xD ). He instead continues to be a cheerful character (not necessarily happy happy joy joy) while still maintaining his cool. He also has a tragic story where his fiance, Miharu was killed at the start of the series. And it gets worse for him when Shelinda starts taking advantage of that. Much like Gai Yuuki in Jetman and Daigo in Dairanger before, Hayate was given the honor to have a season long rivalry with a main villain, while not being a Red Warrior. And his rivalry with Shelinda was intense! I also loved how the final battle between the two turned out, as Shelinda's karma finally caught up to her (referring to her relationship to Budoh).

Gouki was a very fun and unique character. He's the tough guy of the team, yet has a very weak and sensitive heart. He does everything he can to help out anyone in need. And his relationship with Ms. Suzuko was very touching, due to his lack of self confidence. Gouki helps people a lot, yet tends to have trouble finding help from others. Overall, Gouki could've been a hopeless character, but instead manages to keep on fighting and does manage to succeed. Such a complex character, I owe this a lot to the actor, Shouei (Teruhide Takahashi).

Hikaru is personally my favorite. Mainly because I feel like I could relate to him the best. A young character who's just trying to live life to the fullest, and is unaware that he does not always know right from wrong. He does tend to get scolded by the others, notably Hayate. Overall, he kinda reminds me of myself. xD I also loved his rivalry against the evil genius, Bizunela.

Saya is the lone female member of the team, and like other lone females, she does her best to stand out amongst a crowd of guys. She of course doesn't do things that are "too feminine." In fact, she often tries to do more "manly" things in life. For example, she loves to train a lot. Plus, she refused to cry during Hyuuga's funeral. However, she's not scared to admit that while she's a warrior, she is still also a girl. Saya loves to water flowers and does wish to become a star in the future. I also love how she's pretty much best friends with Hikaru. The two get along great. Honestly, I find it rare to ever see a male and female Sentai Warrior being best friends together without any romance involved. Her relationship with Hyuuga is a touching one. As Saya looks up to him as a warrior and knows him very well. And I love how Hyuuga happily returns her feelings. The only time Hyuuga's personality caught Saya off guard was when he turned against them to side with Bukuratesu. Overall, I found Saya's character to be a lot of fun to watch.

And Hyuuga is just badass. I love that he's played by Teruaki Ogawa (actor to NinjaRed). Hyuuga is a fun character as he takes on the role of an older brother to Ryouma, as well as a mentor figure to others like Saya. He gets along great with the other characters, and has quite a bit to live up to after BullBlack's death. So many of the plots that Hyuuga is involved in are just so epic. I loved how he pursues to try and figure out a way to destroy Zeihab by agreeing to side with the rogue Bukuratesu, even if it meant sacrificing his "Earth," which was something major, as it disconnected him from the actual planet he once served. The way his story comes full circle with Ryouma in the finale is just pure spectacularly amazing.

The Baluban were all very stylish and colorful villains imo. I absolutely loved how there were four generals, each with their own method of operations. I loved Sanbash. He was voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama. Nuff said. In fact, Sanbash is easily one of my favorite Hiyama roles. Budoh is a calm and wise swordsman. Really cool if you ask me. Iliess has an egyptian theme going for her, which I also found to be quite neat. Though she's quite greedy. ;P And Battobasu is like a mechanical viking, always ready to do some terrorist attacks on the city (reminiscent of the early sentai seasons). I've already talked about Shelinda. And Bukuratesu was an interesting one. I like how he goes from his very well respected rank amongst the Baluban, to becoming an outcast. As well as how he goes from being a cheap and dirty villain (much like Iliess and other Sentai villains), to becoming a much more honest person during his time training Hyuuga. Bizunela was also a pretty cool character. I loved how he's a genius and how that reflects in the way he talks. He comes up with some pretty interesting missions for Battobasu, and his design is pretty cool too. Finally there's Zeihab. Zeihab starts off as being a pretty typical Sentai villain leader. But as the series progresses, we learn more and more about just how cruel Zeihab truly is, as we see how he interacts with each of his generals. And by the finale, we learn just how terrifying his power truly is (basically, the power to destroy a planet).

So to wrap this up. I just very much love the concepts, the imagination, the execution, the music, the designs, and the characters in this show. As well as how it pretty much represented everything I loved about Super Sentai. To date, Gingaman is the season where I've had the most fun watching. =)

Super Sentai Action Directors

2011-06-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

One of the main elements that creates Super Sentai is the action and choreography. And we've got these guys to thank for creating the joy rides that we all love. =)

Goranger: Kazutoshi Takahashi (eps 1-23), Rikiya Ikeda (eps 24-26), Masaru Okada (eps 27-66), and Junji Yamaoka (eps 67-84)
JAKQ: Junji Yamaoka
Battle Fever J: Osamu Kaneda, Kazutoshi Takahashi, and Junji Yamaoka
Denziman: Junji Yamaoka
Sun Vulcan: Junji Yamaoka
Goggle-V: Junji Yamaoka
Dynaman: Junji Yamaoka
Bioman: Junji Yamaoka
Changeman: Junji Yamaoka
Flashman: Junji Yamaoka
Maskman: Junji Yamaoka (for the first few eps. I believe it's eps 1-5), and Michihiro Takeda (the rest of the show)
Liveman: Michihiro Takeda
Turboranger: Michihiro Takeda
Fiveman: Michihiro Takeda
Jetman: Michihiro Takeda
Zyuranger: Kazuo Niibori
Dairanger: Michihiro Takeda
Kakuranger: Michihiro Takeda
Ohranger: Junji Yamaoka, and Michihiro Takeda
Carranger: Junji Yamaoka, and Michihiro Takeda
Megaranger: Michihiro Takeda
Gingaman: Michihiro Takeda
GoGoFive: Michihiro Takeda
Timeranger: Michihiro Takeda
Gaoranger: Michihiro Takeda
Hurricaneger: Michihiro Takeda (Chief Action Director), and Hirofumi Ishigaki (Secondary Action Director)
Abaranger: Michihiro Takeda (Chief Action Director), and Hirofumi Ishigaki (Secondary Action Director)
Dekaranger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Michihiro Takeda (in some late eps)
Magiranger: Hirofumi Ishigaki
Boukenger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Michihiro Takeda (in some late eps)
Gekiranger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Michihiro Takeda (in some eps in the middle)
Go-onger: Hirofumi Ishigaki
Shinkenger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Michihiro Takeda (in some late eps)
Goseiger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Michihiro Takeda (in some late eps)
Gokaiger: Hirofumi Ishigaki, Koichi Sakamoto (in some eps)

Slowing Down

2011-06-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I just wanted you all to know (if you haven't noticed yet) that I will be posting stuff up on my blog a bit less frequently this summer. Mainly cause I got myself a summer job, working full time. And frankly, I'm actually working a whole lot more than I really should be, which is pretty much my fault. =( So yeah, I'm tiring out and not really able to focus much on other things. I am however still typing up quite a few blog posts right now. I'm not sure when I will be done with my next blog post, but hopefully, it won't be too much longer. But yeah, I just want to let you all know what's going on. Thanks. ;)

What does Gai (GokaiSilver) like most in Sentai?

2011-06-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

This might be rather unnecessary to make a post of, but whatever, I wanna. xD So since Gai is a Super Sentai fan like any one of us fans, I started wondering what his particular sentai tastes were.

I assume that due to Gai's enthusiasm as shown when he first appears, that he does like all previous 34 sentai teams to some extent.

Gai seems to have a very strong sense of justice. As such, Gai seems to believe more in selflessness rather than selfishness. This might imply that certain sentai warriors like Akashi (BoukenRed) and Marvelous (GokaiRed) are not what he has in mind as the "ideal heroic sentai warrior."

As shown in Gai's daydream, we get to take a look at what his example as an "ideal sentai team" would be. As shown for Marvelous, Gai apparently loves a Red who's selfless and heroic. This might imply that he especially loves Reds with a strong sense of justice, like Ban (DekaRed) and Tsuyoshi (Akaranger). This also might show that Gai obviously knows nothing about Marvelous, thus assumes what Marvelous is like. Or this might imply that this is the kind of personality that Gai wants Marvelous to have.

With Joe, Gai shows that he seems to love a good lancer/strongman for a team. Obviously, since Gai talks so much, there doesn't need to be a "not so talkative" member on the team in his opinion. xD

Gai apparently seems to love it when there's a cheerful yet encouraging female character on the team. So this might imply that he loves characters like Umeko (DekaPink) and Natsuki (BoukenYellow).

Ahim is left unchanged in Gai's daydream. So this might imply that Ahim is a good example of what Gai would consider to be an ideal pink warrior. Sweet, caring, and still able to hold their own.

Don was omitted from Gai's daydream, which might imply that Don is his least favorite Gokaiger at the moment. And might also imply that silly sentai warriors are not Gai's favorites.

Gai screams "Oh my god!" in english. This obviously means that he's imitating GaoYellow. xD And also implies that Gai liked him enough to be quoting him. Goes to show just how much Gai loves Super Sentai.

Gai apparently LOVES roll calls a lot. So much, that he made himself this ridiculously long roll call just for himself. xD And since he's such a dorky fanboy, he just had to include all five colors in his roll call, while also stealing a piece of Dairanger's roll call as well. LOL.

Apparently Gai has been studying the various plots that villains in the past have conducted. Thus, he seems to know a lot about the tricks that villains can come up with. Oiles Gil's plan imo was pretty good and sneaky. However, Gai uses his talents to help aid him in battle and to avoid defeat.

Recent Sentai: Looking forward to the Sixth Ranger?

2011-06-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the Sixth Ranger in Sentai, it's a big something that many fans greatly look forward to. Why? Because they often bring in interesting new dynamics to the team and new plots that make things more intense. However, on various sentai related forums, I noticed that people lately have been feeling kinda worried about the Sixth Ranger concept in recent seasons. Many feeling that they might disrupt a show that's already good at the start.

The Sixth Rangers from JAKQ, Liveman, Zyuranger, Dairanger, Ohranger-Gingaman, and Timeranger-Gekiranger were all characters that people greatly looked forward to, and enjoyed what they had to offer to their respective stories. And as such, people were looking forward to Go-on Silver and Go-on Gold for Go-onger. It surprised lots of people that Go-onger would be the first season to get an official seventh ranger (not including the extra heroes from Deka, Magi, Bouken, and Geki). Before their debut, Go-onger was having a bit of a rocky time with trying to please it's fans. So many people were really expecting these two to shake things up for the show. For some people, they did. But for others, it made the show worse.

Some fans loved the serious nature of these two, as opposed to the comical nature of the first five Go-ongers. However, some fans hated how the two came off as jerks to the point where they were rather hard to watch and enjoy. Both Miu and Hiroto did gain some more fans in the later episodes, when the two mellowed out. But overall, their appearance and presence throughout the show did split many fans.

After the questionable reception of Go-onger, we had Shinkenger that instantly became popular with many fans. With the Go-on Wings aside, many fans were looking forward to the Sixth Ranger, much like any of them in the past. Shinken Gold's debut however immediately sparked varying different opinions amongst fans. Some fans loved the chemistry that Genta brought to the other five Shinkengers. While other fans hated how annoying and hyper Genta was, which was a stark contrast to the seriousness of the first five Shinkengers. This was practically an opposite to the Go-on Wings, who were serious warriors working with a comical team.

As the series progressed, opinions concerning Genta went crazy. The fandom was absolutely divided over the inclusion of Genta in the series. Many fans ranged from loving Genta to downright hating him, with many wanting Genta to have been something else, which of course, sparks many arguments.

GoseiKnight was next. Before his debut, Goseiger was also having controversial reception, similar to Go-onger. Thus, many fans expected a lot from GoseiKnight to shake things up a bit. GoseiKnight sadly walked into the show during the Yuumajuu arc, which was practically the time when the writers just went crazy and not knowing what the heck they were doing. Much like the Go-on Wings and Genta, GoseiKnight was another Sixth Ranger who's personality was a complete opposite of the main team. The Goseigers were more cheery, whereas GoseiKnight was much more serious and rather moody. GoseiKnight was written in a rather strange way, as it clearly seemed like the writers did not know what they wanted the character to be. This of course, divided a lot of fans, and left a humongous dent in the reputation of Sixth Rangers. Which then leads to...

GokaiSilver. I've noticed how some fans have been dreading his arrival, even when not much was revealed about him. Which is rather sad if you ask me. We should be looking forward to the mysterious Sixth Ranger not dreading them. For many fans, Gokaiger has been awesome, and they don't want a "bad Sixth Ranger" ruining it. After three years of controversial Sixth Rangers, we can see how the fandom feels about them now. Eventually, more and more info was revealed about GokaiSilver, until everything about him was revealed (other than his story and background). Some fans were worried about how he reminded them of Genta.

Now, with Gai's most recent debut, he's not a controversial character at the moment. It's more like fans are just confused about what to think about him. Some think he's a blatant Genta clone, while others find him to be a very unique character, being an ascended Sentai fanboy for the series. Of course, it doesn't really help that we learn very little about him in ep 17 and now have to wait two weeks for the next ep. xD

Super Sentai's Primary and Secondary Colors

2011-06-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Super Sentai has featured a myriad of different colors of warriors throughout it's history. However, it seems like certain colors are viewed as more prominent than others.

When it comes to the five core members of the team, it seems like red, blue, yellow, green, and pink are often viewed as the primary colors that represent a Super Sentai team. This color combo was used for the very first season, Goranger. And in paying homage to this color combo, Gokaiger is also doing the same.



To date, red and blue are the only two colors to appear in every single season. Just a thought, but maybe that's why the Gouraijers from Hurricaneger were chosen to be darker shades of red and blue?

Yellow is the second most recurring color, right behind red and blue. When it comes to teams that consist of three members, it often comprises of a red, blue, and yellow.



While green has often alternated with black, it seems like green is treated as the more primary color of the franchise. Despite both colors having an equal amount. Thus, black remains as a bit of a secondary color underneath green. Same with violet. There have however been a couple of seasons where green and black are together in a team.



Even though yellow is hardly ever replaced, it seems like the few times that it was, it was replaced with the color orange in Battle Fever J. And was replaced with a white in Changeman. For Changeman, it's possible that Toei was still experimenting with the two females concept and just decided to give the girls a pink and white combo, which is something that hasn't been done again.

A secondary color for pink seems to be white.



For the sixth ranger position, it seems like silver has become the most prominent color. Secondary colors underneath it seem to include both gold and white.

SPD Movie Poster by Drew Struzan

2011-06-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Since the Japanese SPD dub will be airing soon, I thought I'd share this, if people weren't aware of it. Director/writer Greg Aronowitz is friends with the famous movie poster designer, Drew Struzan. Drew Struzan created this fantastic movie poster for Power Rangers SPD. Pretty good job if you ask me. =D

A video of Kei Hosogai (Basco)

2011-05-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

A video of Kei Hosogai, the actor to Basco from Gokaiger! If you didn't know, he's Japanese American, fluent in both English and Japanese. As shown in this video, he speaks english with well, quite a "manly" sounding voice as opposed to his much more cheery Basco counterpart. Makes me praise his acting skills. =)

Poll: Who is the Sentai Mascot in your eyes?

2011-05-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

A total of 99 people voted on this month long poll. This poll was multiple choice.

57 people voted for Goranger (57%). To most people who voted, Goranger was the mascot to them.

For the majority of the month long poll, Big One was just barely behind AkaRed. But during the last few days, Big One just barely surpassed AkaRed. Big One had a total of 47 votes (47%).

Akared had 45 votes (45%).

Jetman had 23 votes (23%). Sun Vulcan had 13 votes (13%). And both Bioman and Changeman had 12 votes each (both at 12% each).

Which Sentai are Dark, Serious, or Gritty?

2011-05-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

When a particular sentai season is the opposite of "light-hearted," fans often describe that particular season as either dark, serious, or even gritty. However, a lot of fans tend to confuse each of these terms with each other. So which seasons classify in these categories?

When a season is "Dark," it's when the season is full of unhappiness, unpleasantness, and tragedy.
Main examples:


Other examples (these have varying levels of dark elements to them as well):


When a season is "Serious," it's when a season tends to focus more on serious plots, dialogue, and characters. Of course, comedy exists in all Super Sentai, but some seasons are noticeably more serious than others.
Main examples:


Other examples (with varying levels of seriousness):


When a season is "Gritty" (or "Edgy"), it's when the season tends to portray specific elements that one might consider rather disturbing. This can range from horrific physical torture, to psychological mindbreaks.
Main examples:


Other examples (with varying levels of grittiness):

Styles of Comedy for Comedic Sentai

2011-05-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Comedy comes in many many different kinds of styles. And because comedy is so diverse, each individual will have different tastes in terms of what is "good comedy" to them. Super Sentai has had it's fair share of sentai seasons where comedy played a major part. Your mileage may vary with which seasons can actually make you laugh or face palm.

Dairanger's comedic style often tended to revolve around the Gorma and their quirky personalities.

Kakuranger's comedy was pretty much the same as Dairanger. Except, Kakuranger used the comedic aspects much more often than Dairanger did. Especially during the first half of the show. Kakuranger had Youkai with very quirky personalities. But not only them, we had other quirky characters like Sandayuu, Nekomaru, and the Narrator. xD Then there's also the comedic aspects that played off of Seikai's desires for food and hot girls, and Jiraiya's struggle to speak Japanese. And who could ever forget the 60s Batman-esque special effects? LOL.

A lot of people often describe Carranger's comedy as constant LOL. I don't agree with that at all. To me, Carranger is like any other Sentai season, but with a very strange and bizarre concept (Car Magic, the Bowzock, imoyoukan, bizarre monsters of the week, Wumpers, etc). The characters act like they're in any other regular sentai season, rather than actually being aware that they're in a self-parody (which also reflects their stupidity xD). The show lacked seriousness compared to most seasons, like having scenes where the characters would even break the fourth wall! So yeah, combine all these elements, and you get Carranger, which is an overall self-parody of the Sentai franchise while still being it's own season! Carranger is just a very well written series with it's very well built up and well timed comedy, which for me, left a smile on my face. I absolutely loved the humor and the satisfaction that this series offered.

Similar to Dairanger and Kakuranger, Abaranger followed a dark and serious story, but had a lot of comedic elements to it. Abaranger was like one big acid trip, where a lot of the plots were just downright weird and WTF. LOL. For some, it might be "too weird." But for others, they find it unique, not-cliched, and very intriguing. xD

Dekaranger's comedy took a much more subtle approach compared to the previous seasons. While every season has their fair share of comedy, Dekaranger consistently had it's own comedy, to the point where you could pretty much expect it all the time. Like Carranger, Dekaranger built up and executed it's comedy pretty well, with some episodes being completely devoted to it (ex: the ep where an alien falls in love with Tetsu xD).

Magiranger is similar to Abaranger, as it has a serious story, while having plenty of pretty wacky episodes. xD Magiranger's execution wasn't as bizarre as Abaranger's was, due to the imaginative mystical themes that played with the show's plots. But it was still pretty weird. xD

Finally, there's Go-onger, which was just constant zaniness. Each episode basically has ridiculous things happen one after another, with a cast of rather unintelligent (for the most part) characters. xD Go-onger never necessarily slows down with it's zaniness, to the point where it is practically making fun of itself. So yeah, Go-onger is pretty much the widget season of the sentai franchise. Some people say it's a modern version of Carranger, though I don't completely agree, due to how different Carranger's execution in comedy was.

Food of the season: Showa Sentai

2011-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Throughout various programs, a particular kind of food can occasionally be highlighted. Here's a bunch from the Showa Super Sentai. =)

In Goranger, the food of the season is curry rice of course! It's Daita's (KiRanger) favorite food and he loves eating huge portions of it. In some ways, curry rice could be the representing food of the entire Sentai franchise, due to making a comeback every once in a while (ex: Sun Vulcan, Abaranger, Boukenger, Shinkenger, and Gokaiger).

Denziman had anpan. It was Oume's (DenziBlue) favorite food to munch on.

Changeman had tonkatsu. Oozora's dream in life was to open up a tonkatsu shop.

Flashman had pumpkins and miso soup, from the popular crazy episode 26. xD Luu gets desperate to try out some good Earth food rather than always eating Magu's distasteful alien food. She manages to try some pumpkins, which was infected by Mess. The only cure, it's miso soup! xD

Fan Reactions to Post MMPR-Productions Power Rangers

2011-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here's the post to the fan reactions of the post MMPR-Productions of Power Rangers.

Ninja Storm was met with rather negative reception when it first aired. Though today, Ninja Storm has more fans and has a solid fanbase.

Dino Thunder was a pretty popular season. Many fans felt nostalgic over the high school setting, the dinosaur motifs, and the return of Tommy.

SPD was met with mixed reception. Fans either love it for it's amazing cast, or hate it for falling apart with it's writing. SPD does however have a pretty solid fanbase.

Mystic Force was met with very negative reception.

Operation Overdrive was also met with extremely negative reception. Considered by almost all fans as THE worst Power Rangers season to date, even compared to other badly received seasons.

Jungle Fury was met with mixed to negative reception. Like any of Kalish's seasons, it's not going to get any awards. But Jungle Fury does have a small fanbase.

RPM was not very popular, due to being screwed by the network. But amongst fans who managed to see it, RPM remains as one of the most popular seasons of all time, becoming a fan favorite. With it's intense stories, likable cast, creative dialogue, innovative concepts, good choreography, creative comedy, etc. For me, this was the only Power Rangers season that I truly loved. =)

Much to the annoyance of fans, Saban Brands does acknowledge the MMPR Remake as an official 18th season of the franchise, rather than a remake. This remake was met with very negative reception, with many fans hating it to the point of actually putting it on Operation Overdrive's level.

Samurai so far has been very popular amongst kids, due to the tons of advertising, as reflected off of the ratings. However, Samurai has received rather negative reception amongst older fans, due to the lack of creativity, bad acting, horrendous dialogue, etc.

Fan Reactions to MMPR Productions (Saban) Power Rangers

2011-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

As requested from Sean, I'll make a post on fan reactions to each of the Power Rangers seasons. I'll start off with the seasons that were made under MMPR Productions. Or as fans prefer to call it, the Saban Era.

The first season of MMPR was very popular when it first aired, and to this day, it has become a cultural icon of the 90s outside of Japan. Today, a huge number of people that grew up on MMPR are very nostalgic towards it.

The second season of MMPR was even more popular than the first when it aired, leading up to the climax of it's popularity that was The Movie. Today however, fans look back at the season with differing opinions. While the first half of the season is generally well liked, with many people feeling nostalgic over it, the second half tends to receive mixed reception. Fans either love it or hate it that Tommy becomes the star of the show, that Jason, Zack, and Trini get replaced by Rocky, Adam, and Aisha (though Adam goes on to become a fan favorite), and that Zedd marries Rita and becomes more comedic.

The third season of MMPR received a somewhat decent reception when it first aired. It was nowhere near the level of popularity of the first two seasons though. Today though, fans are rather mixed about this season. Fans either love it or hate it that this season is more arc driven, that Kimberly leaves the show (after a 9 ep story arc), decent writing, and that there's more American fight scenes done.

As for the Alien Rangers arc, it was mostly met with negative reception, with many fans claiming that the Alien Rangers were unlikable and that Aisha got a terrible send off.

Zeo like the previous season did somewhat decent when it first aired. Today, many fans are nostalgic towards this season, similar to MMPR (even though not on the same level). Fans loved Zeo's new spin on things like the new suits, Jason returning as the Gold Ranger, decent writing, still using the classic characters, etc. So overall, Zeo has a pretty solid fanbase.

Turbo was met with very negative reception when it first aired. And to this day, fans still frown upon it as one of the worst seasons of all time. Though to be precise, it's mostly the first half and the movie that fans hate. The second half tends to have somewhat of a solid fanbase. Though I guess fans can't really say they "love Turbo" if it's only half good. xD There's a lot of reasons as to why Turbo wasn't good, but I won't get into it, just to avoid repetitiveness.

Power Rangers in Space was very popular, able to come back close to MMPR's reception. To this day, Space is a fan favorite amongst many fans for having noticeably better writing compared to previous seasons, having a beginning, middle, and end for a story, a finale that wraps up six seasons, multi-dimensional villains, and actually killing off Zordon. Plus, Space is also praised for not carbon-copying it's Sentai counterpart.

When Lost Galaxy first aired, it was very popular, with ratings that became higher than MMPR's. The second half, not so much. Many fans agree that the first half to Lost Galaxy was rather slow and episodic, while the second half was much more epic. While not as popular as In Space was, Lost Galaxy still maintains a very solid fanbase to this day.

Lightspeed Rescue was met with mixed reception. To this day, it still remains as a love it or hate it season amongst fans.

Time Force is a fan favorite amongst fans back when it aired, and even still to this day. Time Force was noticeably darker than previous seasons, it had very good actors, and the dialogue was noticeably much better. It however, copies a lot from Timeranger's story.

Wild Force was met with mixed to negative reception amongst fans. Fans either love it or hate it for the either terrible or serviceable acting (whichever you think is more true), for being the last season to not be filmed in New Zealand, that there's a dramatic story with Cole, etc. Though despite this, Wild Force does also have a major hatedom, where many fans view it as one of the worst seasons ever made, due to the bad acting, the unlikable character that was Cole, the blatant carbon-copying of Gaoranger, etc.

Fan Reactions to 21st Century Heisei Sentai

2011-05-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

And now finally, the fan reactions to the Heisei Sentai of the 21st century.

Gaoranger was very popular in Japan in 2001. But overall, it's a pretty hit or miss season amongst fans. Fans are pretty divided over the characters, the power animals, the plots, the executions, the tone, etc. I personally am a Gaoranger fan though. =)

Hurricaneger has a solid fanbase.

Abaranger is hit or miss amongst fans. Abaranger has a very unique and bizarre execution with it's plots (perhaps too unique for some fans), despite how well it's made. I personally loved Abaranger a lot. It's one of my top favorites. ^__^

Dekaranger was very popular in Japan. And it's popularity still holds to this day (even though a good chunk of it now is nostalgia).

Like Dekaranger, Magiranger was also very popular in Japan. Hot on the success of magical themes like Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, Magiranger caught on fast with fans. Magiranger however has been hit or miss outside of Japan, due to it's unique and strange mix of childish and dark themes.

Boukenger was another pretty popular season, celebrating Sentai's 30th anniversary.

Gekiranger was popular amongst older fans in Japan, and even more so outside of Japan. However, Gekiranger was rather unpopular amongst the targeted audience. Reasons range from the team having only three members and having less "adventuring" (after coming off of Boukenger), to the more serious and dramatic stories amongst the characters. Though on the opposite side, fans loved Gekiranger for it's complex and brilliant stories and innovative concepts.

Go-onger from what I've seen hasn't been very popular.

Shinkenger was very popular amongst fans. As of now, it's fanbase seems to be pretty solid.

From what I've seen, Goseiger has not been very popular.

Gokaiger so far has had it's fair share of fans.

Fan Reactions to 20th Century Heisei Sentai

2011-05-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Next, the fan reactions to the Heisei Sentai seasons of the 20th century.

Turboranger is hit or miss amongst fans. It indeed had a lot to follow up on, after the Changeman-Liveman run. But for Turboranger's fanbase, Turboranger had plenty of merits that help it stand on it's own. While some fans on the other hand had issues with Turboranger's overall story and executions. I personally am a Turboranger fan. =)

Fiveman was met with mixed to negative reception amongst fans in 1990. Fiveman took a much lighter turn, lacked the innovation of it's predecessors, and had a lot of problems with the writing. Of course, Fiveman still has it's fans, but it's nowhere close to becoming a fan favorite. Though Fiveman's reception was a bit better in the Philippines.

Jetman was outrageously popular. It was the Trendy Drama with fight scenes! With it's complex stories and very strong character development, Jetman became a major fan favorite. It was so popular, that it even received a sequel manga three years later. =)

Zyuranger was not very popular amongst older fans. But it was quite successful amongst children, back in 1992. Zyuranger however is a major fan favorite amongst American fans, for obvious reasons.

Dairanger is another major fan favorite, rivaling Jetman. It did struggle a bit with trying to catch the attention of fans back in the 90s, but today, this show has aged very well and has become a major legend.

Kakuranger, tended to struggle for fans as well in the 90s, like Dairanger. Today, Kakuranger has a pretty solid fanbase.

Like Dairanger and Kakuranger, Ohranger also had trouble trying to get fans in the 90s. Today, like Dai and Kaku, Ohranger now also has a pretty solid fanbase. Though Ohranger has struggled to get fans outside of Japan though. Though in the last year, Ohranger has been getting a fanbase.

Carranger had a pretty solid fanbase back in the 90s. Today, Carranger's fanbase has grown much bigger. Carranger is praised for it's very well-written self parody.

Megaranger was pretty popular in Japan back in 1997, as it revolutionized Sentai (during the time).

Gingaman was also very popular in Japan back in 1998, as it succeeded Megaranger. During the time, Gingaman really mixed up the then new school and old school elements very well. Like Ohranger, Gingaman has struggled to get fans outside of Japan. Though in the last year, Gingaman has been getting a fanbase.

GoGoFive was very popular amongst older fans back in 1999. For younger fans, it was kinda average to them, due to the dark, serious tones. Like Ohranger and Gingaman, GoGoFive has struggled with trying to get fans outside of Japan. But has recently been gaining an international fanbase.

Timeranger was very popular amongst older fans too, back in 2000. But not so much for younger fans. Timeranger has overall become a fan favorite, greatly rivaling other shows like Jetman and Dairanger.

Fan Reactions to Showa Super Sentai

2011-05-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

As a request, here are some fan reactions to Super Sentai. I will start off with the Showa Era.

When Goranger first aired in 1975, it was very popular. So popular, that like the original Kamen Rider, it became a cultural icon in Japan. Like just about any of Shotaro Ishinomori's works, Goranger was another one of his innovative series.

JAKQ was not very popular back in 1977. Due to it's huge shift in seriousness and depressing stories, which was a stark contrast to the more lively Goranger. As JAKQ continued, it became much lighter and softer, until we finally reached episode 23, introducing Big One. Big One, played by the fan favorite Hiroshi Miyauchi immediately stole all the spotlight. With his quirky, unique, and fun loving personality, Big One became a legend in Super Sentai, despite appearing for only 13 eps. Sadly however, Toei didn't care anymore by that time and just chose to can the show with an abrupt finale.

Battle Fever J has a solid fanbase. And it's very popular in Hawaii.

Denziman also has a solid fanbase.

Sun Vulcan was very popular in Japan, and is one of the most popular seasons of all time. It was very simple, catchy, and quite crazy. It also featured popular actors like Shin Kishida (as Daizaburou Arashiyama) and Machiko Soga (returning from Denziman as Queen Hedrian). Lots of Japanese fans are very nostalgic towards this season.

Goggle-V also has a solid fanbase in Japan. Though when it first aired in 1982, older fans were turned off from it, due to being "lighter", "more fantasy", and "sillier" than Sun Vulcan. But children loved it a lot. And today, many fans look back at Goggle-V fondly. However, Goggle-V was especially popular in Indonesia, which many fans today are nostalgic over. Plus, many fans in general regard Miki (GogglePink) as one of the best Pink Warriors of all time.

Dynaman also has a solid fanbase.

Bioman has a solid fanbase too. Though it is especially popular in other countries like France and the Philippines. In France, Bioman was so popular, that two other seasons got renamed as "Bioman 2: Maskman" and "Bioman 3: Liveman." Bioman is also a cultural icon like Shaider is in the Philippines, as many fans remember the show fondly. Bioman was dubbed into English for the Philippines.

Changeman was very popular. Considered by many to be the season to pretty much discover the modern Sentai formula, upgraded with tons of complex plots and by having multi-dimensional villains. Changeman was also very popular in Brazil, becoming a cult classic.

Flashman was also a popular season in Japan. And it was also very popular in Brazil as well, right behind Changeman. In Brazil, Changeman and Flashman fans have a rivalry over which show was better. LOL.

Maskman was not very popular with children back in 1987 (possibly due to the very serious tone). But was quite popular with older fans (even if the popularity wasn't as strong as Changeman and Flashman). While Maskman does have a very solid fanbase, there are a good handful of fans that feel iffy towards this season due to it's unique/different execution with it's stories (perhaps too different for them, lol). Maskman was the first season to be dubbed in Tagalog in the Philippines. Like Bioman, Maskman was also very popular, with Filipino fans often comparing the two, trying to figure out which is the better show, creating a major rivalry.

Liveman was another very popular season in Japan, celebrating Sentai's then 10th anniversary. The show starred the then popular singers, Daisuke Shima and Megumi Mori. Liveman was an overall very well-crefted season with lots of drama.

What's so great about Yutaka Hirose?

2011-05-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who's watched the villains played by the Toku actor Yutaka Hirose are likely to say he's nothing but awesome. Why? Cause he's awesome. =P Okay, what's really special about Yutaka Hirose and his characters? What do people like about them?

For starters, Hirose's characters are always getting into rivalries. Us fans love rivalries. Especially if they are all the more intense and epic of course. There was Wanda vs Jin, Kemp vs Yuusuke, Tranza vs Ryu, and Jin vs Ryou. Hirose's characters often loved to harass these Reds and to make fools out of them. Now that's what a villain does to make you love to hate him. =D And on top of that, Hirose knows how to do his own stunts!

Some villains really do their job as a villain really well, if they're pissed. Yutaka Hirose really knows how to play a pissed off villain. It truly makes his characters seem all the more dangerous and that they truly mean business, and that failure of any sort is not an option for them. Oh, and one of my favorite quotes from Wanda being pissed:

KURAAAAAAAAAGGGGGEEEEEENNNNNN!!!!!! xP

Some villains are such scum that they go so far to commit such evil deeds to the point where one might think it's crazy to even think they could be redeemed. Hirose's villains, Kemp, Wanda, and Tranza commit several crimes that could pretty much classify as unforgivable. And what's even worse is that these villains laugh at the fact that they commit such evil deeds and take pride in them, which is just sick. And that's also exactly why we love these villains. LOL.

Finally, there's the fact that Hirose can truly act. He plays as four different characters, and manages to differentiate them all. While all of these villains have similar traits to represent that they are a "Hirose Villain" (rivalries, pissed off villain, really cruel, etc), there are some key differences about each of them. For Wanda, Hirose plays himself the role of an elite warrior, serving an empire that's bent on world domination and creating the ultimate lifeforms, while also coping with the fact that he's made up of four lesser species. Kemp plays the role of a former classmate of the heroes and has an intense drive to rid himself of his humanity in order to be "superior" to all humans. Tranza plays the role of an emperor who has hogged all the power from the Vyram and just loves to torture and play childish tricks on all the heroes and the villains and enjoys it a lot. And finally, Jin plays the role which pretty much has elements of his previous three roles with an anti-hero mix (him turning good in the end was a neat twist). So overall, Hirose is able to tap the full potential of each character and the positions they are in, and to just let his own unique magical talents flow into them.

Super Sentai's Handling of Nostalgia (fantasyleader)

2011-05-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just decided to give my two cents on this topic like Mr. Smith and Sean did. =) So yeah, these are the seasons that I think really tackled nostalgic factors. The way I see these, these seasons have particular executions in terms of choreography, special effects, character execution, etc that somehow reflects several of the seasons that came before it, thus will give off a feeling of nostalgia. This will not be about a post that talks about what seasons payed homage to previous seasons (cause that would be a good chunk of the franchise then xD ).

To me, I always felt like part of Ohranger's 20th anniversary, that Ohranger was a kind of remake of the very first season, Goranger. Like the Gorangers, the Ohrangers' visors are in the form of geometric shapes, which they can pull their weapons out of. Ohranger was also military themed, like Goranger and Changeman were before. I also think Ohranger brought back a lot of elements that were present in the late 80s seasons. Such as bringing back head writer Hirohisa Soda (Goggle-V to Fiveman) for several episodes and even bringing back chief action director Junji Yamaoka (JAKQ, Denziman - early Maskman), which both gave a sense of 80s style storytelling and action. In a way, Ohranger was like an 80s Sentai season that aired a few years late.

Gingaman was a season that back then really mixed up the old school elements with the new school elements. Many of the monsters of the week's designs were reminiscent of the designs from various 80s Sentai. Gingaman also brought back the "-man" suffix back into it's name, after six seasons since Jetman. Gingaman's choreography and styles were all very reminiscent of the late 80s Sentai, while also feeling brand new at the same time. Gingaman's music was also a very good mix of the late 80s music and 90s music. Many singers were also brought back to Gingaman like Takayuki Miyauchi. The overall creative techniques that were put into this show really gave off different kinds of nostalgic feelings.

Hurricaneger was a mix of various elements of Liveman and Kakuranger (with a few twists of it's own of course). Liveman, due to how the characters were students from an academy, their colors and animal representations were the same, and various characters specialized in science and technology. Plus, there's the two Gouraijers who join the team later, but at first are enemies and refuse to be friends. Hurricaneger also starts the story off with their academy getting destroyed, just like Liveman. Hurricaneger had elements of Kakuranger, due to the ninja motif and comedic elements. Plus, Shurikenger would disguise himself as various past Sentai actors. I also think Shurikenger pays tribute to Big One (due to his dramatic entrances), Ninjaman (due to his playful yet kickass attitude), and Jiraiya (NinjaBlack) (due to his english).

Abaranger I think had a 90s feel going on for it. A lot of the fight scenes felt much more similar to the 90s styles of execution, rather than the 2000s (for the most part). The cast of characters also felt like a cast that would normally be found in the 90s. The cast was a nice blend of comedy and seriousness and were for the most part quite cheerful (except Yukito xD). I also felt that many of the plots felt reminiscent of the 90s plots as well, with plenty of new twists. One of the most notable being the Asuka and Jannu plot, which I thought was similar to Jetman's Ryu and Rie plot.

Like Abaranger, I think Dekaranger also had a bit of a 90s feel going on for it. Not in the cast of characters, but more towards the fight scenes. A lot of the special effects had a 90s style execution going on for it, as well as having the mecha formations and fight scenes going back to using actual models instead of CGI. Dekaranger also had elements of some 80s Sentai, like Bioman where very few Monsters of the Week actually grew giant, but instead piloted their own mecha to fight.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary, Boukenger had the entire cast of characters pay tribute to various Sentai Warriors of past seasons (while still making them their own characters). Each of the villains and monsters of the week were also based off of previous Sentai Robos of the past seasons. Boukenger's plots, fight scenes, and filming executions also payed homage to various scenes and elements from previous seasons.

Finally, there's Gokaiger, which should be obvious. The Gokaiger's story is triggered after the events of the Legend War, creating huge backstories to the plots of each episode. The Gokaigers can also transform into previous suits and use mecha that's based on previous teams. Whoa, I just realized that all three of the seasons that Naruhisa Arakawa (Aba, Deka, and Gokai) wrote are on this post. xD

Fan Reactions to Metal Heroes

2011-05-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the last of these posts that I am able to do. So I hope these were helpful. =)

Gavan aired in 1982 with a total of 44 episodes. Gavan was the very first season of the Metal Heroes franchise, as well as the first installment to the Space Sheriff Trilogy. What made Gavan such a unique show was the high use of "technology" which was reflected off of the spaceships, metallic armor, etc. And like all Metal Heroes, Gavan focused mostly on the action, which was created by the action director, special effects crew, and stunt actors. The action is basically what Metal Heroes specializes in. And for Gavan, the main character played by Kenji Ohba did not disappoint. Gavan remains to this day as one of the most innovative tokusatsu programs, and is fondly remembered by many Japanese fans to this day. Gavan still appears in posters and merchandise and stuff like that, so he has definitely not been forgotten. He even appeared in a recent stage show with the Dekarangers!

Sharivan aired in 1983, with a total of 51 episodes. It was the second installment to the Space Sheriff Trilogy. The character of Sharivan was actually first introduced late into the season, Gavan. As a result, Sharivan was already pretty well set up, as the show takes place directly after the events of Gavan. Gavan himself also appears in a few eps of this show. Sharivan is considered by many to be the season that perfected the Space Sheriff formula. Thus, Sharivan is greatly appreciated and fondly remembered by many fans to this day. While he's not as iconic as Gavan, Sharivan comes close. The main character is also played by Hiroshi Watari, who's a huge fan favorite when it comes to tokusatsu.

Shaider aired in 1984, with a total of 49 episodes. It was the final installment to the Space Sheriff Trilogy. The main character was played by the late Hiroshi Tsuburaya. While Shaider is still remembered to this day by Japanese fans, it's impact wasn't as strong as Gavan and Sharivan were. Shaider mixed up the elements of the sci-fi Space Sheriffs, along with mystical Ican-like enemies, resulting in a huge bizarre acid trip of a season. And like any season that ends up being weird or out of the norm, Shaider ended up being a hit or miss season for many fans. However, Shaider is praised for having a more recurring story throughout the season, compared to the previous two which were more episodic. Shaider is also praised for having the most interesting villains, music, and concepts out of the trilogy. Plus, Shaider is also fondly remembered for his butt kicking sidekick, Annie, who was the first female assistant in Metal Heroes that actually helped the main hero fight. In the Philippines, Shaider was massively popular, and is very iconic even to this day.

Juspion aired in 1985 with a total of 46 episodes. Juspion continued to use the Space Sheriff styles of execution, but managed to add on a ton of new twists. Juspion was a whole lot less "repetitive" with it's episodes compared to the Space Sheriff Trilogy, and had much more plots going on throughout the season. Juspion has a solid fanbase in Japan, but is really huge in Brazil.

Spielban aired in 1986 with a total of 44 episodes. Like Juspion, Spielban continues using the Space Sheriff styles, but with tons of new twists. Speilban is noticeably darker than Juspion was, as well as much more dramatic. It wasn't very popular in Japan, due to people losing interest in the Space Sheriffs by that time. But Spielban is much better received today by fans.

Metalder aired in 1987 with a total of 39 episodes. Metalder broke away from the Space Sheriff styles and became more of a then modernized version of Kikaider. Metalder was much more serious than other Metal Hero shows and utilized a huge budget for it's special effects. Sadly, children were not interested in the show, thus there were very little toy sales. Though older fans loved Metalder a lot. But because Metalder wasn't making much money, it went over-budget and thus, the show had to be cut down to 39 eps (which I personally thought actually did it justice). Overall, Metalder was a failure to the target audience, but older fans hail Metalder as one of the greatest tokusatsu programs ever, even to this day.

Jiraiya aired in 1988 with a total of 50 episodes. Jiraiya utilized a ninja motif, with a story revolving around international ninjas. It is basically a then modernized version of Kamen Ninja Akakage. Jiraiya has a solid fanbase in Japan, but is one of the most popular shows ever in Brazil, right behind Juspion.

Jiban aired in 1989 with a total of 52 episodes. Jiban had a sci-fi detective motif, being like Japan's take on Robocop. It pretty much sets things ready for Toei to try out the Rescue Police concepts of the next three shows. Jiban has a solid fanbase in Japan, and was very popular in Peru.

Winspector aired in 1990 with a total of 49 episodes. Winspector was the first of the Rescue Police Trilogy. Winspector focused more on rescuing people with hi-tech technology and gave off a very realistic vibe. Winspector was very popular in Japan, and still has tons of fans to this day.

Solbrain aired in 1991 with a total of 53 episodes. It was the second installment of the Rescue Police Trilogy. Taking place after Winspector, the show also had Masaki as the mentor (also the mentor in Winspector). Ryouma (main character from Winspector) also joins the Solbrain team midway through the season. Solbrain began to focus less on the realistic aspects that Winspector specialized in. Solbrain was met with mixed reception amongst fans, due to particular changes in the concepts and the execution of some of the characters.

Exceedraft aired in 1992 with a total of 49 episodes. It was the last installment of the Rescue Police Trilogy. Exceedraft did somewhat use realistic aspects for it's episodes, but it eventually took a turn for more sci-fi and mysticism, as well as being more plot heavy (compared to the previous two seasons which were mostly episodic). Exceedraft has a solid fanbase.

Janperson aired in 1993 with a total of 50 episodes. Janperson was basically the second attempt of Jiban's motifs. Janperson didn't really have a monster of the week, and fought up against three different organizations (a concept that would later be used by Boukenger). Janperson's enemies are notable for mostly being human-faced. Janperson has a solid fanbase.

Blue SWAT aired in 1994 with a total of 51 episodes. Blue SWAT went for a very realistic feel and went back to the sci-fi elements of the early Metal Heroes. Blue SWAT however became a much more traditional tokusatsu show during it's second half, when the tone was lightened up. Blue SWAT was met with mixed reception amongst fans for it's different styles and change in tone half way through.

B-Fighter aired in 1995 with a total of 53 episodes. B-Fighter went back to the roots of Metal Heroes and brought back certain concepts like the dimensional battles. B-Fighter utilized a very imaginative concept by combining the nature of insects with manmade technology. B-Fighter had an overall solid story that's praised by many fans.

B-Fighter Kabuto aired in 1996 with a total of 50 episodes. It served as a direct sequel to B-Fighter. B-Fighter Kabuto was met with mixed to negative reception amongst fans. BF Kabuto has been criticized for it's "lack of imagination," terrible pacing, uninteresting characters, and for having a main character who steals all the spotlight and is debatably considered by many to be one of the most annoying tokusatsu characters ever. The Metal Heroes franchise was cancelled after B-Fighter Kabuto (no, I'm not gonna go over Kabutack and Robotack. lol xD).

Fan Reactions to Heisei Kamen Riders

2011-05-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are the fan reactions to the Heisei Kamen Riders (minus Kuuga, since I covered him in a previous post).

Kamen Rider Agito aired in 2001 with a total of 51 episodes. Coming hot off the heels of the massively successful Kuuga, Agito pretty much sets the tone for the Heisei Riders. The Heisei Riders were shows with very complex plots and mysteries that were shot on video instead of film and had lots and lots of drama in them, while often starring a cast of rather quirky characters. Heisei Riders were also known to experiment with lots of different kinds of styles and motifs, making each season very different from one another. While the franchise still maintains some traditions, each season in the Heisei Era is very different from one another. Agito continues to use the detective and police aspects that were used in Kuuga, while also adding in an ancient war between gods as a twist. Agito is notable for being one of the more "adult" seasons, featuring stuff like alcohol and tobacco on a very regular basis. Agito is also notable for starring three main Riders instead of just one. Agito was very well received by fans and is considered by many to be one of the best Rider seasons of all time, rivaling Black and Kuuga. Agito was praised for it's strong writing, characters, pacing, and very complex plot.

Kamen Rider Ryuki aired in 2002 with a total of 50 episodes. Kamen Rider Ryuki completely deviated from several traditional Rider concepts in terms of storytelling. Instead of the story focusing on a single Rider, Ryuki's story was instead about a battle royal where a total of 13 Riders were involved. Kamen Rider Ryuki is a season that fans are divided over. There were fans who hated Ryuki for it's "bizarre/different" concept and writing styles, saying that Ryuki "should've been something else" in terms of how it was handled. While other fans love Ryuki for it's innovative concept, well-written stories and characters, and by still carrying out the true meaning of what it means to be a Kamen Rider. So overall, Ryuki seems to be an acquired taste which results in a love it or hate it. Me personally, I'm a big fan of Ryuki. ^__^

Kamen Rider 555 (Faiz) aired in 2003 with a total of 50 episodes. 555 went back to the concepts that Agito had started and continued on from there. 555 was notable for being one of the most depressing (if not THE most) Rider seasons ever. Having tons of intense drama with no breath of fresh air in sight. 555 had an even more complex story than Agito, with it's many layers of plots. 555 also moved very quickly, with each ep ending with a cliffhanger. 555 has a lot of solid fans. Though some fans have issues with some of 555's plots. But overall, 555 has a pretty good reputation.

Kamen Rider Blade aired in 2004 with a total of 49 episodes. Blade continued the style of writing that 555 had going on for it, except it's plots weren't as complex and it paced itself more slowly. These differences often put 555 fans and Blade fans at each other's necks. xD But yeah, 555 and Blade often tend to have a bit of a rivalry due to their differences. I personally like both of them.

Kamen Rider Hibiki aired in 2005 with a total of 48 episodes. Kamen Rider creator Shotaro Ishinomori before his death had created the plans to a work known as Ongeki Hibiki. Sadly, Ongeki Hibiki never materialized due to Ishinomori's passing. However, in 2005, Ishinomori's work on Ongeki Hibiki was picked up and turned into a toku. However, at the last minute, the name "Kamen Rider" was slapped onto the title (also cause Hibiki did a "Rider Kick" in the first ep). Apparently, Blade was supposed to be the last Rider season, but apparently Rider was just too marketable for Toei to give up on. So as a result, we get Kamen Rider Hibiki. Hibiki was vastly different from every other Rider series (as it wasn't meant to be a Rider series at all). Hibiki focused on more mystical themes like Oni. Hibiki's story also focused more on character interaction and development than any other Rider series had ever done, giving the story a much more character driven plot. However, as the series progressed, Hibiki did start gaining traditional Rider traits, which helped the show be more comparable to the other seasons. Like Ryuki, fans are also divided with this season. The people who dislike Hibiki dislike it for not traditionally being a Rider series and for having a much slower moving plot. While fans love Hibiki for it's great innovation, outstanding cast of characters (debatably one of the best in the franchise), and giving training lessons and stories that perfectly explained what it truly meant to be a hero, possibly much better than any other Rider season executed. So yeah, like Ryuki, Hibiki is a love it or hate it. Me personally, I also love Hibiki a lot. =)

Kamen Rider Kabuto aired in 2006 with a total of 49 episodes. This season celebrated Kamen Rider's 35th anniversary. Kabuto is notable for a taking a bit of a more comedic turn where the Kuuga-Hibiki run was much more serious (with a touch of B horror elements). Kabuto was a very popular season, as fans loved it's innovative concepts like the Clock Up fighting system. However, some fans complained about Kabuto having a messy plot. Overall, Kabuto has a solid fanbase.

Kamen Rider Den-O aired in 2007 with a total of 49 episodes. Den-O was noticeably more comedic compared to most Rider series, as well as starring a main character who lacked confidence, compared to the more confident Riders of the past. Den-O also brought in the concept of mecha (the Den-Liner), time travel plots, and the concept of "possession" which is what was used for Den-O to obtain his powers (via Imagins). Den-O's concept was very original and very "catchy" that it caught on to fans very quickly, proving to be one of the most popular Rider seasons of all time, even going so far as to be iconic in Japan (particularly the Imagins). Den-O was so popular it spawned a second movie!... no, three movies... four... five, six, seven... eight! xD Yup, Den-O movies are still being made to this day due to it's popularity. However, while fans love Den-O a lot, the movies have ranged from mixed to very negative reception amongst fans (despite their success). Fans often love the first three movies. But starting with the fourth, the movies were branded as a series known as Cho Den-O, starring a completely new character, replacing the original Den-O. Like I said, the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th movies have been met with mixed to negative feelings amongst fans. So much to the point where fans would rather not involve Cho Den-O with the original Den-O.

Kamen Rider Kiva aired in 2008 with a total of 48 episodes. Kiva had a monster and music motif going on for it, involving vampires, werewolves, dragons, etc, with musical instruments, notably the violin. Kiva continued using the various concepts of Den-O like the powers of possession and time travel (though to a lesser extent), and starring a main character who lacked confidence. Kiva was unique in the fact that it followed two separate sets of stories, each with their own sets of characters. One taking place in the year 2008 while the other took place in 1986. The show would alternate between the two eras. Kiva was a season that fans felt divided over. Kiva had a lot of plots that many viewed to be written in a controversial matter. Thus, this season often tends to be a love it or hate it. I personally love Kiva a lot.

Kamen Rider Decade aired early in 2009 with a total of 31 episodes. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Heisei Riders, Decade used the concept of traveling to the previous nine worlds of the Heisei Riders, while having the powers of all the Heisei Riders. Decade was quite popular when it first aired. However, as Decade progressed, it was met with extremely negative reception amongst fans, due to the show having controversial characters, terrible writing, and tons and tons of plot holes. The debate over Decade's quality has been something that fans can tend to talk about for quite some time. The last episode of Decade ended on a cliffhanger, which made fans to have to watch it's movie to see the ending, three months later. The movie was greatly criticized by most fans and considered by many to not be worth the wait. Overall, Decade did not have a very good reputation amongst fans. For me, this is the only season in the Heisei Era that I did not like.

Kamen Rider W started in the middle of 2009 and ended in the middle of 2010, with a total of 49 episodes. W used the concept of having two people in one becoming the main Rider. W brought in a completely new set of writers who handled very new concepts and styles with a really good cast of characters, which helped W feel fresh compared to Decade. W proved to be very popular with fans.

Kamen Rider OOO started in the middle of 2010 and will end in the middle of 2011. Succeeding W, OOO utilizes the concept of using three special medals and inserting them into his belt to achieve three different powers in one. As of now, OOO is a little more than half way through it's run. So far, OOO has had a pretty solid fanbase. Though it does tend to be compared to the success of W quite often.

Fan Reactions to Kamen Rider ZX, Shin, ZO, and J

2011-05-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Next I'll be going over the stand-alone Rider Movies: ZX (never bothered with the full title xD), Shin, ZO, and J.

Kamen Rider ZX was released early in 1984. It was meant to be a celebration, as ZX was considered the 10th official Rider in the franchise. I rarely hear people talking about this movie, but I do hear people say that ZX should've had a series and that the movie wasn't enough.

Shin: Kamen Rider was released in 1992. This movie was specifically meant for adults (notably the adults who grew up with Kamen Rider in the 70s). This movie was very dark, serious, gritty, depressing, and quite violent. Shin was different from other Riders, due to be a pure organic monster, rather than a traditional henshin hero. Some fans like this movie, since Shin was basically what Kamen Rider was originally meant to be. However, Shin has mostly been negatively received by fans due to Shin being a major deviation from the traditional Kamen Riders. Even with that aside, a lot of fans also didn't care much for the overly dark storyline. So overall, Shin appears to be something of a required taste.

Kamen Rider ZO was released in 1993. ZO was a much more traditional Rider than Shin was. Most fans agree that ZO was the best of the three Rider movies in the 90s, due to having a pretty good script.

Kamen Rider J was released in 1994. J was hit or miss amongst fans, due to the bizarre concept of Kamen Rider J growing into a giant to fight against enemies (just like Ultraman). Many fans say that the movie was okay for what it was, but like Shin, it's "growing" concept" is something of a required taste.

Fan Reaction: Kamen Rider Showa to Heisei Transition

2011-04-30T01:50:00.000-07:00

After talking about the Showa Riders (Ichigo to Super-1) for these particular posts, I will now go over the seasons that transitioned from the Showa era to the Heisei era.

Kamen Rider Black aired in the middle of 1987 with a total of 51 episodes. Black was the first season to be stand-alone and not have any connection to the previous Rider seasons (which were all in the same continuity). Black was basically a then modernized remake of the original Kamen Rider, with plenty of new late 80s twists and intense drama and storytelling mixed to it. Black drops the use of a scarf, which was present in every season prior to him. Black's suit is much more complex and detailed compared to his predecessors, as well as clearly more expensive. It somewhat represented the style of suits that would soon be common place in the Heisei era Riders. Kamen Rider Black was extremely popular in Japan, as well as other countries like Brazil, the Philippines, and Indonesia. To this day, Black remains as a fan favorite amongst Kamen Rider seasons by both Showa and Heisei Rider fans.

Kamen Rider Black RX aired in the middle of 1988 with a total of 47 episodes. This is considered as the final season in the Showa Era of Kamen Rider. It served as a direct sequel to Kamen Rider Black, taking place six months after it, and starring the same main character (Kotaro Minami). The first ten episodes of this show aired in the Showa era, while the remaining 37 aired in the Heisei era. Black RX takes place back in the continuity of the pre-Black Kamen Riders, as they all appear to help him fight in the finale. Black is somewhat semi-connected to Black RX's timeline, as there does tend to be some contradictions and plot holes concerning how RX's timeline works. Black RX is noticeably lighter than other Kamen Rider seasons, with even the main character being much more cheerful and happy go lucky (many question if this was even the same character). Black RX was the season that introduced form changes, which is a staple in the Rider series that would be present all throughout the Heisei Era. Black RX, like Black was very popular in Brazil. However, in other countries like Japan, Black RX was met with very mixed reception. The overall toku fandom today is very mixed on this season. Mostly due to the lighter tone, controversial writing for several episodes, and plot holes when compared to the original Black. Fans range from having mixed feelings for this season, to downright hating it, to the point where one tends to ignore RX's existence. Though despite the controversial reception that RX has, it does have it's fair share of fans as well. Though rarely will you ever find someone that likes it more than Black, or even as much as it.

Kamen Rider Kuuga aired in 2000 with a total of 49 episodes. It was pretty much the end of the transitional period for Kamen Rider. Kuuga was the season that restarted the franchise for the Heisei Era, after an 11 year long hiatus. Like Black, Kuuga continues the tradition of not being connected to previous Rider seasons, and chooses to have it's own independent continuity. Kuuga was the first season to be filmed in video, rather than film. Unlike the Showa Riders which had a more traditional toku feel, Kuuga deviated from it and had a more "realistic" feel to it, which is something that would eventually lead to Agito's style of setting up the norm for Heisei Riders. Kuuga is extremely popular in Japan. It's the main reason for why Kamen Rider still exists to this day. Kuuga is widely regarded as a fan favorite and a master piece amongst critics, with many easily going as far to call Kuuga the pinnacle of tokusatsu. With it's well made episodes, superb acting, well choreographed action, and the list goes on, Kuuga pretty much nearly perfects itself in almost every area in terms of making a tokusatsu program. Fans see little reason for why Kuuga shouldn't deserve the praise it gets. To this day, Kuuga has debatably become the best season in the Rider franchise to date.

Story Themes of Each Kamen Rider

2011-04-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Similar to my post of "Story Themes of Each Sentai":

http://valsagfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/12/story-themes-of-each-sentai.html

The way I look at it, story themes were handled very differently in Kamen Rider, compared to Super Sentai. In Sentai, I felt like they were a major element to the story. For Kamen Rider, I feel like it's a supporting element to the huge number of plot twists that Kamen Rider stories specialize in. IMO, Kamen Rider Black was the first season in Kamen Rider to have a noticeable recurring theme throughout the show.

Black's theme is about the "fragility of family" and "overcoming sadness and loneliness." Such themes were best illustrated by Kotaro's legendary rivalry with his brainwashed brother, Shadow Moon. As well as how throughout the series, Gorgom practically wrecks Kotaro's life. Yet, Kotaro continues to be heroic and moves on.

Black RX's was pretty much the same as Black's, except not touched upon as much.

Kuuga's theme was "Selflessness." Basically how Yuusuke Godai would help whoever he could for selfless reasons. And this is especially put to the final test when Kuuga's Ultimate Form is finally activated in the finale.

Agito's theme was about "Change" and accepting it and trying to get used to it. All the characters in the show were constantly changing as they were all quickly put into many new positions in their life and having to deal with them. Also similar to how Shouichi's powers of Agito are constantly evolving. Some characters like Kino try to stop the changes in life. Despite the changes, the characters learn that no matter what changes, they will always be themselves. Like Mana says, "Shouichi will always be Shouichi."

Ryuki's theme is about "To fight or not to fight." All the Kamen Riders in this show want to fight and kill each other for particular reasons and desires. However, a couple of them (notably Shinji himself), wishes to end all the fighting and to stop the pain and suffering. However, it turns out to be a whole lot easier said than done.

555's theme is about "Trust" and "Racism." All the characters in 555 are very distrusting of each other, or even just downright uncomfortable with being together for whatever reason. Racism is also a major issue between the struggles of the humans and the Orphenocs.

Blade's theme is about "How to use power." All the characters in the show seek to obtain some form of power to use in order to help benefit them for whatever reason. It doesn't always work out, but the characters will use their wits and inner strengths however they can until they get what they need. And the most amazing feat in terms of using power is displayed in the shocking finale.

Hibiki's theme is about "Training well" and "Growing up." The series displays how an average kid like Asumu can train and grow up to become a great person and a hero like Hibiki is. While not originally intended to be a Kamen Rider season, the story evolved into having many similar themes that could be found in other Kamen Rider seasons.

Kabuto's theme was about "Absolute Justice." The main character Tendou is someone who could pretty much be described as almost perfect. So much, that the character Kagami wishes to someday surpass him. However, regardless of how "perfect" Tendou is, he is not completely invincible, as he runs into other characters who are willing to oppose him with their own kind of power.

Den-O's was about "Overcoming inner weakness." Just about every guest of the week is an example of this. And in the long run, the main character Ryoutarou, who goes from a completely pathetic character, to someone who is more than manageable, through the experience of his fellow Imagins.

Kiva's theme is about "Breaking the chains of destiny." The characters in the year 2008 are chained down to the issues that were thrown at them, due to the problems that happened in the year 1986. The characters of 2008 attempt to do whatever they can to reclaim control of their lives and destiny in order to free themselves from the events of 1986.

Decade's I'm not really sure to be honest. I want to say it's "Destroy everything, connect everything", but due to how the story was handled, there seems to be some contradictions.

W's theme is about "The loss of family" and "Partnership." Philip ends up being separated from his own family with no memory of them, Ryu's family was murdered, and Akiko's father was killed. These three characters, along with Shotaro stick close together, since they're probably the closest thing they have left for family. Shotaro also learns about partnering up with the rather smart yet absent-minded Philip, which is a stark contrast to his more "cool" and attempted "hard-boiled" personality. His partnership with Philip is put to the final test in the finale.

OOO's theme is about "Giving in to your own desires." Pretty much every character in the show except Eiji counts as an example.

Fan reactions to Showa Kamen Riders

2011-04-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

broken_hearted_seraph requested that I do a post on how fanbases feel about particular Kamen Rider, Metal Hero, and Ultraman seasons, just so he can have a better idea about where to start and to know what to avoid. I won't be able to do a post for Ultraman though, as I know very little about the series. But I can definitely try helping out with Kamen Rider and Metal Heroes. I will start off with Kamen Rider. =)

For starters, the Kamen Rider franchise is divided up into two major eras. They are the Showa era and the Heisei era (named after the actual Eras in Japan). The Showa era consists of nine seasons (1971-1989). And the Heisei era currently consists of twelve shows and counting (2000-present). Also, there were three Kamen Rider movies that were released in the 90s, between the two eras. Now, I will say that the Showa era and Heisei era both have very different styles and executions. So different to the point where you could pretty much say it's two separate franchises. So for this post, I will only focus on the Showa Riders (most of them).

First we've got the original Kamen Rider from 1971, with a total of 98 episodes. The majority of the Showa seasons aired in the 70s and the early 80s, and all have that traditional toku feel to them. After all, Kamen Rider was what started the henshin hero genre. So if you prefer that kind of toku, then check out the Showa stuff. For this season in particular, it starts off very dark. The show, being the first of it's kind does a lot of experimenting, and does so for 98 whole episodes. Old school fans love this show a lot.

Kamen Rider V3 was next, which aired in 1973. V3 was a direct sequel to the first Kamen Rider series. He is called "V3" since he's "Version 3" of a Kamen Rider (the first two appeared in the first season). V3 had a total of 52 episodes. After tons of experimentation from the first series, V3 showed that it was a much more balanced out series with a much more reasonable episode count. V3 also tended to have much more drama than the first season did, which helped make this season a fan favorite for many old school fans.

Kamen Rider X aired in 1974 with a total of 35 episodes. Again, this show is a sequel to the first season and V3. However, rather than actually meeting the previous four Riders (from the first two seasons), X meets up with Tobei Tachibana, who was the mentor in the first two seasons. Tachibana continues to be the mentor for this season too. This season also has the villain, Apollo Geist, who's a fan favorite, and many fans love X's rivalry with him.

Kamen Rider Amazon aired in 1974 with a total of 24 episodes, succeeding X. In this season, Tachibana once again returns as the mentor. This season is unique in that the main character isn't a cyborg like his predecessors, but rather gains his powers from ancient magic from the Amazon, and tends to fight in a more animalistic style. The main character also tends to not really talk, since he grew up in the Amazon, Tarzan-style. Despite being a major deviation to the traditional elements of Kamen Rider, Amazon proved to be one of the more popular seasons of the Showa era due to it's innovation.

Kamen Rider Stronger aired in 1975 with a total of 39 episodes. It was the last season to feature Tachibana as the mentor, bringing a close to five seasons of direct continuity. This season seems to have it's fair share of fans.

Skyrider aired in 1979 with 54 episodes. Called Skyrider, since he can fly. Originally intended to be a revival of the original Kamen Rider, it eventually changed things up and went in it's own direction. Skyrider would eventually meet up with all of his predecessors from previous seasons throughout the season. This season also has it's fair share of fans.

Kamen Rider Super-1 aired in 1980 with 48 episodes. From what I've heard, fans range from having mixed feelings about this season to liking it.

I will talk about Black and Black RX in the next post, which will go over the transition between eras.

Fan reaction to Gokaiger ep 11's preview

2011-04-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

As of the first 10 Gokaiger episodes, fans have been very excited over each new episode of the show. But I noticed that the fan reactions for ep 11's preview was kinda different.

Fans are excited for this episode more than any other episode. Why? Well, it's many things. Kaoru Shiba returns for a Shinkenger tribute for a 2-parter. The main villains finally get out onto the battle field. And we learn more about Joe's time in Zangyack and his relationship with Barizorg. And we get to see the Gokaigers become the Dynaman and Gingaman for the first time.

However, all those elements are secondary compared to...

...the transformation into the Zyuranger suits. Yeah... even though Shinkenger was quite popular as of recent, fans are far more excited about seeing a few seconds of the Zyuranger suits in action, rather than seeing Shinkenger tributes or learning more about the villains or Joe. Oh wait, did I say "Zyuranger suits"? Actually, no one cares about Zyuranger. I should say "MMPR suits" instead, since that's the reason for why all the fans are excited. Poor poor Zyuranger. When people see those suits, only Power Rangers comes to mind. xD

But yeah, I find this fan reaction kinda weird. And in some ways, a little sad. No offense to anyone who's excited to see those suits. Cause I am too. But for very different reasons. And it's not a bad thing to be excited for it, but it just proves how much more controlling Power Rangers is towards the fans. Heck, what if they transformed into the Zyurangers almost every ep? Would that make the show better for people? =P

Consistency in my Blog?

2011-04-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

While on the topic of consistency, I looked through my own blog to see if it "looked" consistent at all. Granted, I've said some things in my earlier posts that I probably would not agree with anymore, LOL. =P As I've said before in this blog, that this blog was meant to be about many things like all toku, anime, and video games. But as many people have probably noticed, I have focused much more on making posts for Super Sentai. My reason being that very few people online had actually seen the majority of the Sentai franchise, let alone would even bother to delve into the shows and dig up it's details. Whereas anime and video games are genres that have been discussed many many times online already.

I noticed that 2/3 of my posts were Sentai related while 1/3 of my posts were non-Sentai related. I'm not entirely sure what the people looking at this blog feel about it. Cause this doesn't seem too consistent imo. xD Though it seems like a lot of the people I have met on Blogger happened to all be people who loved Sentai. Which all reminds me of this poll a while back:

http://valsagfantasy.blogspot.com/2010/11/polls-11410.html

In a couple of these polls, I had asked how people felt about how I was handling my blog. It seemed like most people were happy that my blog covered occasional non-sentai material and that they didn't want me to stop with it. So even if my blog isn't completely balanced out, it seems like people don't seem to mind it.

How I got into Super Sentai (fantasyleader)

2011-04-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

ThatChick wrote a blog post about how she got into Super Sentai:

http://thattokublog.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-i-got-into-sentai.html

I thought it was a nice read, so I decided I'd do the same too. =)

Well, since I'm half Japanese on my mom's side, I had a very close connection to Japan, even though I live in the United States. One of my aunts who lives in Japan often recorded various tv shows like anime and toku and sent them to me, via package. One show of course, happened to be Super Sentai. So yeah, I was exposed to Super Sentai at a very young age. I got to see various episodes of Jetman, Zyuranger, Dairanger, and Kakuranger. And I loved all four of them. =)

Now, since I was a kid in the early 90s living in the United States, there was no way that I would miss out on Power Rangers. I actually wasn't aware of Power Rangers' existence until most of the first season had finished airing (which by that time, Kakuranger was about halfway finished). And yes, I was a huge Power Rangers fan and was very nostalgic of MMPR (surprised? =P ). I admit, I found it weird how it used Zyuranger footage, and eventually some Dairanger footage. But well, no one in the States knew what Super Sentai was. So I often talked about Power Rangers with people and kept my love for Super Sentai a secret.

Other shows I grew up watching were Ohranger, Carranger, Megaranger, and even B-Fighter. I also somehow managed to catch bits of Kamen Rider Black, Shaider, Spielban, Metalder, and B-Fighter Kabuto. And I loved all of them. =D Well, except B-Fighter Kabuto which I thought was meh. xD By that time, I was actually thinking of growing out of Super Sentai and moving on (since back then, watching Sentai was just a simple hobby). But then Gingaman came on, which to this day, is my #1 favorite Sentai season of all time. To me, Gingaman represented everything that I loved about Super Sentai, while also helping me open my eyes to realizing how the franchise had so many concepts and ideas that it could use. I continued watching Sentai by watching GoGoFive, Timeranger, and Gaoranger. All which were also awesome.

After Gaoranger, I had a bit of a falling out with Sentai as I became a teenager and just wasn't sure about what to do with myself, or how I should think. I did see some eps for Hurri, Aba, and Deka though. I eventually decided to check Sentai out again with Magiranger, since I thought the concept sounded cool. And I loved it a lot. So I ended up watching through Boukenger as well. By the time Gekiranger started, I finally got my very own laptop and my parents dropped cable and moved on to wireless fast internet (about bloody time! =P ). With my access to the internet, I revisited the entirety of Super Sentai, and even finally got to see the 80s Sentai that I had missed, while also greatly enjoying Gekiranger. Gekiranger ended in 2008, which pretty much signified that Sentai was pretty much going to remain being a huge part of who I was. Throughout the years, I had hid the fact that I watched Sentai from everyone. Including my friends. Though my friends did manage to find some hints to my secret hobby throughout the years. But after Gekiranger ended, that was when I could finally show off how much I truly loved the franchise.

After securing Super Sentai for myself, I checked out some other toku like Kamen Rider, which is another toku franchise that I love a lot. So yeah, a couple of years after Gekiranger ended, I discovered Sean Akizuki's Sentai blog and was inspired to share my own thoughts about the franchise with a blog of my own. So yeah, I started this blog and here I am. =)

Inconsistent Sentai seasons

2011-04-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

Sean made the request to me to make a post on Sentai seasons that were inconsistent. Now, of course every sentai season will have some inconsistencies. Some seasons far more than others. I had picked Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, and Carranger for my Most Consistent Sentai Seasons post, because I felt like those were the five seasons with the least amount of inconsistency (especially Changeman and Flashman which hardly had any at all). For this post, I will mention the Sentai seasons that I thought were most inconsistent. Basically, inconsistent to the point where it irritated me. xD

Now, I'm not much of a fan of JAKQ in general, but the inconsistent tone of the show is something that really annoyed me nonetheless. The show starts off as grim dark and depressing. By like episode 13, the tone drastically changes to a much more light-hearted atmosphere. I found the change to be a very bumpy ride, due to how all the characters were having their personalities altered. Even the main villain Iron Claw became less threatening (didn't care for him to begin with though xD). By episode 23, Big One is introduced, and he completely steals the show. Everything in JAKQ before Big One's appearance is completely tossed aside, just to make him look good. Though I admit, Big One was the only thing that I cared about the show. =P Though I will say that each episode of JAKQ was fine for what it was. But for what it was as a whole, I could care less. And it doesn't really help when the show is given a crappy finale, just cause Toei decided to screw the show over. Though I admit, the exploding rat was awesome. LOL.

I personally don't really care much for Sun Vulcan either, but I don't have as many negative feelings towards it like I did with JAKQ. Sun Vulcan started off as a pretty good secret agent type show, with lots of realism and awesome fight scenes. But after like 10 episodes, the whole entire show went completely crazy. All the plots became less realistic and more silly. Of course, this isn't a bad thing. But the change was so abrupt, that it didn't really flow well with how the show started out. Of course, it would go back to being realistic and serious every now and then, but that tended to bug me. The ending felt kind of weak to me as well, with the random inclusion of Inazuma Gingar.

Fiveman had a very epic and intense two-part introduction arc. But that tone quickly diminishes right after. The show quickly goes to becoming much more kid friendly and the villains become a whole lot less threatening compared to how they were portrayed in the first two episodes. By halfway through the show, the villains suffer massive amounts of character derailment and end up becoming much more comedic. Plus, we end up having those Five-kun Puppets interrupting several scenes just to narrate it (particularly the fight scenes), which kinda broke the mood and consistency for many scenes. The finale was also an issue. Vulgyre's revelation was very random and hardly had any build up. Garoa becomes a top general again, right after spending a good chunk of the show being an idiot (is this supposed to be "good" or "interesting" character development? I don't think so). The battles involving the Gingaman and Chevalier were also very rushed. Finally, they decide to kill Garoa off by just having him trip into a coffin and getting trapped while Vulgyre explodes around him. To me, Fiveman is an okay season. It's watchable and can be enjoyable, but it's inconsistencies are quite glaring imo.

Goseiger is the only other one that I can come up with. Inconsistent writing was one of the biggest and most glaring issues that I had with the show. I remember how Eri mentions in the Moune becoming a cheerleader episode, that Moune might be in love and has a boyfriend. Fast forward to episode 20, and we get a scene where all the Goseigers don't even know what the term "love" means. That's just terrible writing. Hyde also started off as the leader of the team, with a bit of a quiet yet quirky personality, which was quite interesting. By the 20s, Hyde derails into having a bland and stoic personality. Plus, he no longer becomes the leader, and the team talks like it never even happened to begin with. Again, this is just bad writing. And it's especially bad when in the ep where they're trying to decide their leader, that Hyde has completely lost all of his leadership skills from the start of the series, and even going so far as to recommend the air-headed Eri as the leader (like, seriously Hyde? What happened to you???). There's also his story with Magis that seemed to have a lot to work around, but it never went any where. And even though the show pretended that the Magis story was important, it didn't even matter at all in the end. Moune's personality is also a major inconsistency. At the start of the series, she acts like a typical tomboy. But in many other eps, her personality shifts to more "girly" and cheerful. Though I will admit that I still liked Moune despite that, and she was my favorite character in the show. Agri well, it never seemed like the writers knew what to do with him. Then there's GoseiKnight. This character comes off as a watered down Kurokishi BullBlack carbon clone imo. GoseiKnight never seems to understand what's right and what's wrong and often refused to help the Goseigers. The Goseigers do manage to convince him otherwise. But after that, GoseiKnight once again goes back to pondering the same things and refuses to help. Basically, his character development constantly kept on getting reseted. That's not good at all. Then there's the problem with the villains. We have three whole groups that have no connection with each other and just happen to come in to the story right when the previous one gets defeated. Heck, when the Yuumajuu were defeated, the show technically could've just stopped there. The villains also leave little to no impact on the overall plot. Alata's rivalry with Dereputa went nowhere for the overall series. As for Bladerun, he was consistent for the first two arcs. But we were left to believe he was dead after his defeat in the Yuumajuu arc. He randomly comes back as a cyborg without any of his memories. In the final arc, Brajira explains that everything he did in the Matrintis arc was part of his plan. So... he purposely let himself get "killed" and took the huge risk of being picked up by Matrintis, turned into a cyborg, and losing all of his memories, but knew he'd get them back? There's no way he could've planned that. That's just not believable. The way the finale ended was a bit of a cop out as well.

Top 6 Most Consistent Sentai Seasons

2011-04-24T00:04:00.001-07:00

Throughout the 35 years of Super Sentai, we've learned that what truly makes a great Sentai season is the journey that takes place between the beginning and the ending of the stories. However, the journeys are a bumpy ride and can't please every fan. Some shows take a completely different route in the middle of the journey or even have a tone change which could either end up making some fans happier or unhappier. So here, I'm going to talk about the Sentai seasons that I personally think were most consistent.

I personally think that Changeman is the most consistent season out of all the ones on the list. Changeman's episodes are all so well planned out, that every 20 minute long episode doesn't miss a beat and just keeps on flowing right through, all the way to the end. Nothing in this show is ever just thrown into the story in the middle of the show. Heck, even Ahames is mentioned as early as episode 06! And for more consistency, Sakura from ep 16 is brought back for the finale. Changeman manages to maintain a consistent dark, serious, and epic tone without throwing in some random comedy ep that would hurt the consistency. Speaking of which, whenever Changeman does have a comedic ep, it still flows well with the series (like the ep where Oozora has to sing. xD). Each and every episode of Changeman has very tightly written and complex plots that are full of deep meanings, surprising plot twists, and good character development. Despite the fact that Changeman has such complex stories, it still manages to be very consistent, and it's quite a wonder how it was able to manage such a feat.

Okay, I may have said that Changeman is the most consistent, but Flashman is a worthy contender, so it's a tough pick. Like Changeman, Flashman was very well written, well planned out, and consistent. Basically, everything I said about Changeman could pretty much be applied to Flashman. If it comes to which of the two shows you like more, it's all gonna be a matter of personal taste.

Maskman is another season that I think is very consistent. I wouldn't say it's as consistent as Changeman and Flashman, due to Akira getting a bit more focus eps than the other characters, as well as the Zeba plot coming in kind of late. Other than that, Maskman is right behind Changeman and Flashman.

Liveman I'd say is on the same level as Maskman in terms of consistency. The only things that keep it from being on Changeman and Flashman's level imo is the fact that Black Bison and Green Sai came in very late (though also in it's defense, they were still related to Takuji and Mari). Plus, Liveman's plots kind of lost some of it's complexity towards the end of the series (though again in it's defense, it was more than made up for it's intense drama and character development).

While I don't think the plots in Jetman are as good as Change, Flash, Mask, or Live (still VERY good though), Jetman still manages to stay consistent for the most part. I'd say the only controversial part of Jetman is the finale.

Finally, I'm going to mention Carranger. Yes, I know this season seems kinda out of place compared to the other four. LOL. But despite having an extremely ridiculous concept and having a lack of seriousness, Carranger's plots were all very fresh, unique, and original, and were actually quite complex for what it was, despite how bizarre they were. And on top of that, were all very well written. Carranger manages to maintain such multi-dimension episodes and keep them all on a consistent basis.

Overrated Sentai Seasons

2011-04-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Much like the "Underrated Sentai Seasons" post, I will make a post for what I think are the overrated seasons. Like the "Underrated Sentai Seasons" post, I did make a post like this a while back, but now am going to make a more "updated" post for it. Before I start, I'm going to give an explanation to what I mean by the term "overrated," since it's a word that I think tends to get overused by people to the point where people forget it's meaning. Basically, "overrated" is when the show tends to get more credit than it actually deserves and ends up hogging away that praise and credit from other seasons (that might deserve a bit more). Remember, "overrated" and "popular" are not the same things. Some popular shows are perfectly deserving of their credit and tend to not overshadow the others. A lot of people tend to use the word "overrated" as an excuse to bash something that lots of people love, and to "claim" that it's truly "bad stuff" instead of good.

Sun Vulcan is one of the most popular seasons in Japan of all time. Many Japanese fans are nostalgic over it. It's concepts were very simplistic and catchy. Three guys that fought with tons of action and well-crafted handmade special effects, with very catchy 70s style music. Plus, it had popular actors like Machiko Soga (as Hedrian) and Shin Kishida (as Daizaburou Arashiyama). It was also pretty much the last Sentai season to be more "realistic" and have the American Superhero feel to it.

I personally don't care much for this season, mostly due to having hardly any plot or character development. And the only characters I really liked were VulPanther, Arashiyama, and Hedrian. Anyway, I felt like the other nine Sentai seasons from the 80s had much more dimension and depth put into them all, and I feel like they deserve credit more than Sun Vulcan gets.

Choudenshi Bioman was a massive hit in the Philippines. So much to the point where it's a cultural icon and the representation of all Super Sentai. Many Filipino fans claim that Bioman is possibly one of the greatest Sentai seasons of all time (if not THE best. Filipino Maskman fans continue to be a rival to this day). Now, I personally LOVE Bioman a lot. I always felt like it was truly the first season where Sentai finally found it's balance in terms of storytelling and character development. However, a lot of Filipino fans tend to treat Bioman like it's on a whole another tier over all the other Sentai seasons. Even compared to other awesome shows like Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Jetman, or Dairanger, Bioman is considered by many to be on a whole another level compared to them. And well, a pretty good chunk of the overall toku fandom happen to be Filipino fans. I personally don't think that Bioman is THAT good. Especially when compared to those six seasons. I think Bioman is really awesome, but it's definitely not on the top tier.

Choujin Sentai Jetman is a season that gets tons and tons of praise by fans and critics alike. Even 20 years after it's airing, Jetman still has a very strong fanbase going on. Jetman is so well liked, that it's common knowledge to label Jetman as the "Best Sentai of all time." And well, to many fans, nothing can get better than the "best." I don't necessarily blame them. Jetman is THAT good! A very well-made Sentai season, that it's no surprise that it has left a permanent mark on the Sentai franchise. However, even though Jetman is one of the most well-made Sentai to date, it does still have some issues here and there. Issues that were better executed in certain other seasons like Changeman, Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Carranger, and Abaranger. And well, those six seasons rarely ever get the same amount of credit and praise that Jetman gets. While Jetman definitely deserves lots of praise and credit, I think it gets a little bit more than it deserves and tends to hog some of the credit that could probably be more deserving for some other seasons.

Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger is one of the most popular seasons of all time amongst American fans. Why? Cause it's the season that used it's source material for everyone's nostalgic MMPR. Zyuranger definitely executed it's stories better than MMPR did in pretty much every way. And well, American MMPR fans go absolutely crazy over the comparisons between the two shows. Anytime when people talk about Zyuranger, it's immediately gonna lead to a comparison to MMPR. Talk about Burai's death, and I'm sure a mention of "Tommy merely losing his powers" is right around the corner. Anyway, I find such reasons to love Zyuranger simply as just silly. Zyuranger has at most only 10 episodes with english subs (and many more with fake subs). Plus, it's really hard to find raws of the show. People know the overall story thanks to sources like Wikipedia, some vids from Youtube, and forum discussions. Overall, I don't agree with the fact that loving Zyuranger just for being source material to some nostalgic show is a good enough reason to consider this show as one of Sentai's all time bests. And frankly, I personally don't think Zyuranger is as great as several other Sentai seasons are in terms of quality. Other seasons should get more credit than that.

Gosei Sentai Dairanger is on this list for reasons similar to Jetman, but to a lesser degree. Like Jetman, Dairanger is an amazing season and definitely one of Sentai's all time bests, and deserving of lots of praise and credit. However, like Jetman, it does tend to hog a bit more credit than it deserves from other shows that executed certain elements better, like Maskman.

Why I don't agree that there's too much Red Focus

2011-04-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Too much Red Focus is when a Sentai season tends to focus way too much on the red warrior, letting them steal all the spotlight and while leaving all the other characters out in the cold. Takeru (Red Mask), Ryu (Red Hawk), Jan (GekiRed), and Takeru (Shinkenred) seem to be the four reds that get accused of this the most by fans. Okay, now I know a lot of people are going to think I'm crazy, but I think none of these four reds hog the spotlight for the worse. In fact, I don't think there's such thing as a "too much red focus" problem that exists in Super Sentai, as of 2011. To be honest, I think that's more of a Power Rangers problem. But anyway, I'll share my reasons as to why I think these reds don't steal the spotlight for the worse.

Some fans have criticized Maskman for letting only Takeru (Red Mask) have the only season-long story... Why is this a bad thing? Mainly cause fans want to see an equal amount of all five characters. But remember, Takeru is the star of the show! Much like any Kamen Rider, he is the main character of Maskman (just like TimeRed in Timeranger). In all honesty, I think it's Akira (Blue Mask) that gets a bit more focus eps than the others, but hey, I still love the kid. ^__^ Anyway, while the story of Maskman is pretty much Takeru's story, it doesn't mean the other characters are useless or don't add onto the plot. In fact, quite the opposite. They add onto the show's expansive imagination and help support it, which also helps support the story that Takeru follows. So overall, Takeru is A-OK by me!

I think Nick from Power Rangers Mystic Force is a good example of Red getting too much focus. Cause it got so bad to the point where all the other characters brought nothing to the show, and frankly, they were just getting in the way, like slowing the story down. I feel like Wild Force and Operation Overdrive tended to suffer from this as well. These four Sentai Reds are nothing like that imo.

Ryu, I could pretty much give the same reasons as to why I defended Red Mask. Though some fans tend to also criticize Kaori and Gai for getting too much focus. In other words, some fans feel like Raita and Ako got left in the cold. Again, I disagree with this. Raita was basically the heart of the Jetman team. He was the one who always talked to everyone and always connected the team together. And Ako was a very cheerful character, which at least kept some positive energy in a show that was heavy with intense depression. Without Raita and Ako, I can assure that Jetman would be nowhere near as great. Frankly, I think it would just suck. So yeah, Ryu gets a pass by me.

Jan I will once again defend for the same reasons as Takeru (Red Mask) and Ryu. Rio and Mele also got similar criticism by some fans, due to the story involving them more than the other characters. So about Ran, Retsu, Gou, and Ken: Well, I think during the first half of Gekiranger, the show gave plenty of focus on Ran and Retsu, as their triangle relationship was established with Jan. During the second half, the two of them support Jan in every way they can, similar to the execution of Maskman and Jetman. Plus, their rivalries with Rio and Mele continue, so they aren't forgotten at all. Ran also tends to have a couple of small stories that support the overall story, like her becoming the leader (which frustrates Jan), and her relationship with her mother (something that Jan yearns for). Retsu gets further development as his relationship with Gou is finally established (something that was hinted at the start of the show). When Gou first appears, he has to deal with his cursed Shigeki, especially when Long starts messing around with it. After taking care of that, Gou continues to develop, as we learn more about his former partnership with Rio and how he wants to fix it. It eventually gets to the point where Gou truly needs Jan's cooperation to help stop Rio. Finally, there's Ken. Ken's arrival triggers the Souzyutou story arc. Afterwards, he doesn't do too much plot wise, but what I find neat about him is the type of cheerful comedy that he brings into the show, rivaling Jan's more child-like mentality (which by that time was starting to wear off). Like the other characters, Ken continues to support Jan in every way he can and brings a new positive energy to the group. Ken even supports Mele on a couple of occasions. So overall, I find that all the characters in Gekiranger are used very well. So Jan is okay in my book.

Finally, there's Takeru Shiba. Once again, I defend him the same way as I defended the other three. All the other Shinkengers had very unique personalities, and all the stories that they experienced (often involving family) eventually lead up to the kick ass final 10 episodes. The themes of family all tie in together, as the Shinkengers show that they truly love Takeru as their leader and as part of their family (notably after Juuzo's defeat). I think that's pretty much all I can say. So yeah, Takeru Shiba also strikes gold for me.

Super Sentai's Mascot

2011-04-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the "face" of the Super Sentai franchise as a whole, different characters will come to mind, depending on the fan. Other toku franchises already have a perfectly established mascot: Kamen Rider has Kamen Rider Ichigo (and to an extent, Kamen Rider Nigo as well). Metal Heroes for the most part has Space Sheriff Gavan. And Power Rangers has the Zyuranger suits and the Kibaranger suit. In the Philippines however, Super Sentai's mascot is Bioman.

When Goranger first aired, it immediately became a cultural icon in Japan, similar to Ultraman and Kamen Rider. However, Goranger was not acknowledged as part of the Super Sentai franchise during the Battle Fever J - Kakuranger run. So for 16 years, Super Sentai for the most part was left mascot-less, as people rarely ever considered Battle Fever J (the then first installment to the franchise) as the face of the franchise.

While Sentai was left mascot-less for a decade and a half, people would usually just picture a simple five color-coded heroes on a team as the face of the franchise. No details in particular. However, some Sentai seasons did prove to stand out more in the eyes of the public. Notably Sun Vulcan, Changeman, and Jetman. So in a way, these teams were like unofficial mascots to the franchise. Sun Vulcan was a very popular show which many Japanese fans are still very nostalgic over to this day. It was very simple and very catchy (similar to MMPR's popularity) and had some well known actors which caught the public's attention. Changeman could pretty much be described as the definition of Super Sentai in general. An elite team of Sentai Warriors working for the military in order to defend the Earth from an incoming threat. Plus, it is possibly the most well-written and most consistent Sentai to date. Finally, Jetman caught people's attentions with it's trendy styles, dark and mature tones, and intense drama which was rather unusual for a Sentai season. Plus, it payed homage to Gatchaman which gave birth to the Sentai subgenre.

While the season, JAKQ wasn't very popular, the character Big One was very popular. He was played by Hiroshi Miyauchi, so go figure. xD When Goranger and JAKQ were added into the Sentai franchise in 1995, Big One was still a fondly remembered character, despite only appearing in 13 episodes. And Big One's popularity grew even more when he practically stole all the spotlight in the 25th anniversary movie, Gaoranger vs Super Sentai. Big One had a very distinct and likable personality that just made fans love him for how cool he was. Big One was also classified by Toei as a Multi-Colored Sentai Warrior, as he had the powers of all the colors in the rainbow, which fit him perfectly. So to many people, Big One is considered as Super Sentai's mascot. However, his title as "mascot" seems to be draining due to the recent appearance of AkaRed, as well as how Big One is taking a back seat in Gokaiger while the Gorangers are treated as more important (same with AkaRed). Plus, Toei apparently no longer classifies Big One as Multi-Colored, but just White.

In the 30th anniversary movie, Boukenger vs Super Sentai, we are introduced to a new character named AkaRed, who has the powers of all the Red Warriors in Super Sentai (a power that later Kamen Rider Decade and Gokaiger would adapt). AkaRed had a similar role in this movie compared to Big One from Gaoranger vs Super Sentai, as he was pretty much the star of the film. Even in Gokaiger, AkaRed is treated as rather important (despite his brief appearance as of now), though not as much as the Gorangers. AkaRed instantly became popular and rivaled Big One for the title of Sentai Mascot. Though as of Gokaiger, it seems like Toei is using the Gorangers (with Akaranger leading) for the mascot.