My Thoughts On The Chou Super Hero Taisen Film

I remembered giving a really bad review on the first Super Hero Taisen movie and until now I think it's still a terrible movie. The idea's not bad but it's all based on on one fact: it's hard to integrate such an ambitious project in a movie and a lot of the plots in all those movies are best done in video game format. Strangely enough, Chou Super Hero Taisen is a video game in the crossover movie's plot. As said, don't even try to harmonize Kyuranger and EX-AID into one universe as this is the third time that both Lucky and Emu meet each other for the first time. Please don't even attempt to connect all the Super Hero Taisen films and please treat them like you would treat the Super Robot Wars games.

So did Shoji "Patrick Star" Yonemura get it right in this one? In this case, I think it's a huge improvement from the first movie which deserved all the bashing. So what's the plot? It's where the video game world "Chou Super Hero Taisen" or Ultra Super Hero Taisen ends up merging with the real world. Classic old school games which I don't intend to replay like Xevious and Galaga cause trouble. The Kyurangers just enter into the movie like as if they weren't from another universe. I mean, don't you remember Kyuranger Space 18 showed that Kyuranger is an entirely different universe.

I could talk about the pros about the movie. I like the whole video game world and the concept of "Another Kagami" as well as video game versions of other characters. This main villain was a result of a child's depression adn he wasn't cured by the real Kagami. This causes cloned versions of various Super Sentai warriors and Kamen Riders to appear in a mysterious game show. The game system itself is a five vs. five team. If it were an actual video game you would have probably had a turn-based gameplay against another opponent though I expected something like Super Robot Wars. The movie itself has an atypical plot since it's a child's decision that could affect the whole world as we know it. As far as writing goes this is my favorite Super Hero Taisen film so far.

As for the cons I could always mention a lot of stuff I wish happened but couldn't happen. Only if we have the complete Zyuohger team instead of just Amu showing up in the flesh. Only if we had Kagura in her human form show up during the slot machine selection process. I mean, wouldn't it be nice to have the predecessors resume their roles for a huge non-canon crossover film? I think you can't just get everyone around. It was good to have Utchusemimaru's actor appear even if it was just a video game version. I know it's difficult to get a lot of seniors around considering some of them may be busy doing other projects.

Personally, I think the film had a lot of colorful action but as I love to say it, a video game (or comic series) would have been better than a film. I mean, if you had a video game you could even put a non-canon version of other villains whose actors wouldn't resume their roles. They could have put a whole stage devoted to Xevious, Galaga or maybe even Pacman (since it was used in the Kamen Rider EX-AID crossover film) or other arcade classics whose companies will allow it to be done. Sigh, only if Banpresto the company behind Super Robot Wars would just make a Super Hero Taisen video game.

What do you think of this crossover film?

Kyuranger 27: Indasion Of The Clones

It's the Indasion of the Clones by the Indavers... pun intended. In this episode, we get a fun clip show while the Kyurangers try to drive out the soldiers from within. It's a funny episode with some cool recollection of some of the series' milestones. 

There are just times in Super Sentai we've never seen villains unmasked whether they be footsoldiers or generals. I remembered how we never saw Bubba's face in Changeman or Lar Deus' face in Flashman to name a few. I guess there are times we're left to imagine how they look underneath. On the other hand, we see the chestnut like shapes and we learn they're genetically modified soldiers. They also try to try play sympathetic which was too predictable.

I could also feel the bit of conflict of Tsurugi with the others. I mean, I was more in favor of his decision to throw the caught goons into the Time Hole. Spada is kind of naive which sort of irritates me. I feel like this show is telling me to learn to adjust to another group of young people which I used to be part of. 

It's too predictable that the captured Indavers were lying that they were spies. Their indasion of the Orion is probably one not too well thought plan. The Jark Matter could have sent them as suicide bombers and just blow up the ship ASAP. I guess Super Sentai villains get too confident or stupid which usually leads to their long strings of defeat. 

It's time travel gone wrong. Is it me or is the CGI dinosaur which was probably taken straight from Kyoryuger. Since this is an entirely different universe then don't expect the Zyurangers or their ancestors to show up.

I find this scene funny where a roll call backfires. Is it me or is it weird how Super Sentai roll calls end up with explosions at the back in a lot of seasons. I guess they felt the wrath of Michael Bay in this scene. Speaking of which, I wish Millionfold will resume subbing Dynaman with the finished batch so I can write more about it but no episode by episode reviews. 

What was funny to think is that Shou Ronpou's weakness is similar to Doggie Kruger's. They both have a weak back. Too bad we never saw him in the out-of-suit fight scene. 

The out of suit scene was cool in its own way. Too bad Shou Ronpou was too hurt o stand up. I also like how it was ended with a reckless move by Tsurugi doing a last minute henshin to destroy the five stupid Indavers thus stopping their Indasion.

Next week will be a Naga focus episode. How they'll get Naga back to their side is still unknown. 

The Super Sentai Crossover Hype

I never thought I'd put this into writing but I want to write about the Super Sentai crossover hype. If you try to do some reviews you might notice that the crossover hype wasn't done overnight. There were some stage shows then later TV performances. I want to write about the Super Sentai crossover hype which was shelved for a long time but came back during the late 90s and has been continuing until this present year of 2017.

The ongoing yearly Super Sentai vs. Super Sentai VS Movies

It started with JAKQ vs. Goranger which were the only two series made by Shotaro Ishinomori. The two movies were somewhat connected to each other. But what's known is that Super Sentai series didn't have any TV crossover after JAKQ ended. Battle Fever J came two years later after JAKQ. JAKQ ended early in 1977 due to slow ratings and Battle Fever J became the first year-long SUper Sentai series in 1979. From what I heard there was supposed to be a planned crossover between Sun Vulcan and Denziman but it never pushed through.


The first return of the yearly Super Sentai vs. Super Sentai movies was with Ohranger vs. Kakuranger. Judging by the events of the show there's no way both series could easily fit into both continuities. Mecha that existed after Bacchushund was destroyed by Ohblocker were there and Buldont was still a child. Many succeeding movies tend not to fit into both series involved. It's pretty much a what if scenario

It's always been the trend and I still can remember how Fantasy Leader (now Sentai Bandicoot) once told me that there's no Super Sentai timeline. It does make sense to think of a Super Sentai multiverse where almost every Super Sentai takes place in their own continuity. Personally, I think the multiverse format is more innovator friendly than trying to cram everything into one incredibly huge and long continuity. Most of these series are better off self-contained. For instance, Timranger says that teleportation and time travel weren't invented yet a lot of seasons before it had used some form of teleportation and time travel.

I guess no matter how non-canon most of the VS Movies are but I think they're pretty popular even with the older audience. After Ohranger vs. Kakuranger there were more of these movies. They usually have events that can't be reconciled with both continuities. The thought that dinosaurs died differently in various Super Sentai seasons makes it impossible for Zyuranger, Abaranger and Kyoryuger to meet in their main continuities but possible in a huge what-if VS Movie.


Anniversary series catch the crossover fever one way or another

It can't be denied that anniversary seasons catch the crossover fever. Ohranger was the 20th Super Sentai season with Goranger and JAKQ now included in the Super Sentai series. It was also the first Super Sentai series to return the yearly Super Sentai vs. another Super Sentai type of crossover. Yet we have the anniversary seasons after that namely Gaoranger (25th), Boukenger (30th), Gokaiger (35th) and Zyuohger (40th). One way or another they couldn't be an anniversary season without a crossover.

There were two anniversary seasons that had the Super Sentai season vs. Super Sentai franchise crossover. These movies are Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai and Boukenger vs. Super Sentai. Both of them had guest casts from each season. Just a note we never had Gaoranger vs. Timeranger and Boukenger vs. Magiranger as a result. Both of these seasons featured some what could be considered as non-canon (for main continuity) crossovers while these events got carried over to Gokaiger.

Then we could think of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is one whole season of crossover hype. Most of the episodes show the Gokaigers meeting certain selected Super Sentai seniors before them. Gokaiger had the Hero 199 Movie where they had a crossover with the Goseigers. Then they ended up returning in Zyuohger for a two part crosser. How's that for a huge anniversary fever caught by Gokaiger?


Super Sentai vs. non-Super Sentai crossovers

The idea was once in many of Toei's stage plays. The idea was somewhat loosely placed in JAKQ vs. Goranger at the end of the film. Then we had a lot of stage plays going on which weren't TV specials but I guess Toei ended up liking TV specials better. I thought about how Toei usually operates by a multiverse and there are many ways to travel into into one universe after the other. The idea itself was later placed into Super Sentai crossovers where one Super Sentai series meets a non-Super Sentai series. Lately, we have Gavan vs. Dekaranger or before that Gokaiger vs. Gavan as well as the EX-AID and Kyuranger "crossover" where both happened exclusively from the other.

The first official Super Sentai vs. Kamen Rider crossover was with Shinkenger's guest role in Kamen Rider Decade. It didn't stop there as we had ToQGer vs. Gaim as a summer movie, Ninninger vs. Kamen Rider Drive, we saw a guest role for both Zyuohger and Kamen Rider Ghost which are all crossovers before we had both Lucky and Emu guest role in each others' shows.

Should I mention Super Hero Taisen movies are becoming another trend? I don't deny I really hate the first Super Hero Taisen movie but I think some of the succeeding ones managed to do better. Super Hero Taisen Z was a bit of an improvement from the first movie. I'm still yet to see Chou Super Hero Taisen though I hope it wouldn't be a disappointment. I think that the Super Hero Taisen franchise has potential though it's better off as a video game series due to the number of characters involved.

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I think that continuing the crossovers with new ideas and what if scenarios would be good. They would just need proper implementation or trying other ideas. They could try and have more video games based on Super Sentai and hopefully, they'll get English versions for non-Japanese readers and speakers.

What do you think of the Super Sentai crossover hype?

Two Morally Gray Characters In Mirai Sentai Timeranger

Timeranger is probably one show that's complex for many, some consider it Yasuko Kobayashi's Magnum Opus (though which series she was the main writer is somewhat debatable) and yet there's some gray areas. These are probably what I'd call the gray areas of Timeranger or what really happened.

Remember spoilers ahead so read at your own risk!


Naoto Takizawa

As much as I'm a fan of Timeranger but I tend to think about criticisms even from Super Sentai fans towards this guy are also valid. What could be a weakness and a strength for the show at the same time is Naoto's role. He appeared pretty late in the series in contrast to other sixth rangers before him like Burai who appeared in the 17th episode. So what was his role? I thought Yasuko Kobayashi's tendency to write anti-heroes and maybe, just maybe she wanted her own version of Gai Yuki (minus the womanizing, gambling and drinking) but this guy took it too far in some way. He's a real douche and has taken Gai Yuki's character too far. I wish Gai Ikari made a comment on that in Gokaiger!

What I thought was this guy might be a preview of next year's Kamen Rider Agito with the character known as Hojo. Both he and Hojo could be considered morally grey people in some way. Both of them are rivals to the main heroes but have a certain degree of respect. They are both power hungry. Naoto's hunger for power is because he started with nothing and he considers Tatsuya's willingness to run from the Asami path to be stupid. He also has questionable motives like why in the world did he want to exploit the Timerangers' identities? He also wanted to take over the City Guardians and he's always presenting himself to be even more aloof than Gai Yuki ever was in Jetman. He ends up helping the Timerangers though but he always remains as Tatsuya's rival.

I thought about one area where he and Gai Yuki do fall down. I really felt like their deaths were written in a bizarre way. I don't know which feels out of place between Gai Yuki's death by a mugger or Naoto's death by a lone Zenitto firing at a distance. Granted, Naoto did eventually start mellowing down a bit like when he decided to rescue the pet birds of a little girl or when he served to inspire a younger child to get the surgery. But after that episode he still shows his signs of being the douche he really is and maybe he wants to stay that way. Gai Yuki started to get better midway but Naoto just feels like he always intends to remain as Tatsuya's rival.

Also, I can't stop but still bring up the whole Naoto vs. Eric Myers debate. I can't blame some people who may think Eric is better though the argument could be apples and oranges. Timeranger is meant to be darker and edgier while Power Rangers Time Force is meant to be lighter and softer. Eric's decision not to reveal the Timeranger identities or not to try and seize control was a good thing. It's also another thing to see Eric take the bullet for both father and son. I think Eric himself was a better character for that reason. On the other hand, Naoto's unique writing can be a good thing though it it could leave a lot of mixed reception.

On the other hand, I thought about the Naoto doppelganger in the finale. Was it him revived because time changed or was it just a lookalike? I could discuss about that (to a certain extent) in the next entry which will be much longer than this one.

 Captain Ryuuya Asami 

Oh boy where do I even start with this guy? This section will be longer because he's really trapped in the shades of gray much more than the first character. I thought about how Shogo B'Stard listed him under the list of mentors and had this to say about him:

Asshole extraordinaire. People like to pretend like Ryuuya is this deep character, realistic in his flawed shades of grey, but I think he's just a sloppy, nonsensical mess of a bad writing complimentary of master of sloppy, nonsensical messes of bad writing Yasuko Kobayashi.

Ooh, Ryuuya, this shady guy who we're going to be cheap and just use the awful guy playing Time Red. He's in the shadows for most of the show while we think up what to do with him. Ooh, he's a descendant of the Red, and is coming to take back the powers! Ooh, he's pulling strings and is up to shady shit to ensure his safety. Ooh, one of our heroes kills him. Just...screw this guy. He made no sense. We're told he's so cold-hearted that he rewrites history in order to have people die in his place*, but he's just such a softy that he feels bad for the Timeranger and repeatedly saves them by sending their mecha, even though they need to die to further his agenda? What? Kobayashi Bullshit. Stupid.

(*I think that's an interesting sounding, villainous character, but Kobayashi sure couldn't pull it off.)

I dunno I've had disagreements with Shogo in many areas with Tokusatsu in general. I like Timeranger, Hurricanger and Boukenger (which are popular seasons) and he doesn't but I won't let that ruin anything between me and him. I still want to keep all these disagreements as friendly as possible. I could think about it that I agree with him that Ryuuya is an or the a**hole extraordinaire with what he did in Timeranger. Come on, let's think about the bad things he did. He was guilty of willful neglect where he could have prevented Dolnero's escape (which triggered the events of the show) but he chose not to. Later, he would even free Gien from his pacifying device for some stupid reason. It's all part of his scheme to prevent himself from dying so he could live a normal life. I think about how often this guy made me thankful that Masato Kusaka in Kamen Rider Faiz didn't have a time machine. Though both of them can die for all I care. =P

What I thought about this guy is the attempt to write a morally gray character. Yes, he was guilty of neglect by not doing anything when he could have prevented Dolnero's escape. Yet it was also him who sent those Bandai merchandise into the Year 2000 which saved everyone from dying again. Yet he was also thinking of the Great Disappearance which I thought could have been prevented. He wasn't giving orders to the recurring villains but he was trying to be a puppet master.

Here's what Toku Warriors has to say about him as a morally gray character:

Captain Ryuuya: as the one being pulling the strings of the plot, and the one who was the mastermind of all that happened in the show, he seems to be a real Big Bad. And why has he done all that stuff? to save his life. However, it's forgetting the important fact that he wanted to save his life without otherwise changing history and also protecting the 30th century, which means that, had he done nothing, events would have been pretty as destructive as they have been with him pulling the strings; perhaps even worse, since apparently, had he done nothing, Yuuri, Domon, Ayase and Shion would have died. One could say that Ryuuya is responsible for Naoto's death; but Naoto has been choosing his fate of his own free will.

So he was really doing all the events. So I thought about him as the big plot driver he could be like the Overlord of Darkness in Kamen Rider Agito. Both were pulling the strings with some noble intentions yet were guilty of actions that can't be justified. Seriously allowing the villains to escape to the 20th century and let the Great Disappearance take place or restarting humanity because of the Agito Seed issue is just STUPID. But I thought what if Ryuuya foresaw another event after the Great Disappearance? I even think that with the ambiguous rules of time travel in science fiction that maybe there's this third event that we don't know could have happened. I thought about a number of times that I called this douchebag extraordinaire an idiot because if Tatsuya died in the past then wouldn't that mean he would be deleted from existence instead of dying?

What's this third outcome I'm talking about? I remembered the last words of Captain Ryuuya in the final episode prior to his death.... though I wish Ayase broke his neck like how Masato died in Faiz. It was that he saw the two futures. He saw an entire era vanish if Gien were to get killed by the G-Zord and if the Great Disappearance happens where 2/3 is destroyed the 30th Century will be saved. So what if he saw that the Great Disappearance may happen and never happen? If you don't get what I mean let me explain it to you. So let's say the Great Disappearance happened and it killed Gien with it. I mean killing villains from the future in the past can have an impact to the future. Spielban's ending prevented the events from happening to the future and Don Dolnero's death in the past prevented the assassination of Yuuri's family. So what if Captain Ryuuya saw that if Gien died during the Great Disappearance of 1/3 of the 21st century then 1/3 of what disappeared would just return, people who died will just resurrect and the event would be like it never happened?


So I thought what if the ending were actually worse if Ryuuya didn't intervene? I dunno but Captain Ryuuya if there was ever a third outcome (which the show is probably not going to mention AND the viewers are left to decide) could have just told them of the outcome. I thought about how the future changed (again) and Tatsuya has to be torn apart by time. So what if all the changed Ryuuya did for the 30 century are undone after they won the battle? Gien disappeared and maybe, just maybe that would have changed time for both eras. But what if Ayase is going to die after all from the Osiris Syndrome and a cure no longer existed? What if Yuuri will have to accept her family is gone? The show does remain ambiguous about what happened to the future. But the ending seems to provide some crazy answers or not. I still feel that everything is somewhat left for viewers to decide.

So in the end of Timeranger, Tatsuya runs into some doppelgangers of his friends and even his rival Naoto. The show doesn't suggest that they were either the ancestors of the other Timerangers or just lookalikes. I doubt it that the Sion-lookalike was ever a Hubbardian from thousands of years back or maybe he was. It's possible that all the meddling caused the timeline to change with aliens starting to blend even more with humans in Timeranger's continuity. The Naoto lookalike may or may not be Naoto revived for this reason. If everything from the future was destroyed from the past then maybe Naoto is alive without his memories. Maybe Naoto never became Time Fire or never died because the Zenitto that did the act no longer existed. Wow, I think that's a whole lot of speculation there. Heck, maybe Captain Ryuya who supposedly died several minutes ago is probably back to life as a better (or worse) person after the show ended.

So I wonder who's really screwed up time in Timeranger now? I guess we're all left to our decisions to what the ending really was.

Kyuranger 26: Dangerous Emotions

This week's Kyuranger deals with Naga. While I do appreciate some character development for Naga but I feel this is a bit of a drag. I guess I'm too anxious to travel back in time or what? Anyway, I hope next week will get better. So where do we go? 

The new Vice Shogun Akenba unleashes her specialty to make people overly emotional. This is where Naga falls down and I hope it brings some character development. 

She offers Naga the chance to have his emotions. This is a real issue that the show brings up. I really call this deal with a villain to be typical but it can be good depending on how well it's written. 

We see more of the Orphiucius System and what really happened. They were an overly emotional people. To stop wars they abandoned emotion and individuality. Talk about the opposite extremes. I guess this 

The unleashing of emotions doesn't happen in a good way. He becomes twisted and evil inside which results to a huge dilemma the Kyurangers must face. How will they redeem Naga? While it's predictable that they'll free him but I wish it will happen in a good way.

Meanwhile, I can't wait to see the time traveling plot. What will happen when we see the past? Will Tsurugi find out the truth? I assume that there's going to be some partial origin story of Don Armage. I hope the writers and producers will create something worthwhile even if it's going to be predictable. 

Next week is also the battle for the Orion. I can't wait to see some suitless action as well as some morphed action against the Indavers. Oh, indaver is a play on the word invader.

How Time Travel Could Affect The Various Continuities In Toei's Tokusatsu Multiverse

Remember spoilers ahead! Don't read unless you're a spoiler addict like me!

After rewatching Timeranger (with TV-Nihon subs and in better quality before Shout! inevitably licenses it) I thought about how time travel could affect various continuities in Super Sentai. Just take note that Toei tends to use the multiverse format when they write Super Sentai. A lot of events here would include crossover movies (which may be referred to as the VS. Universe) which manage to change the way things go. It's time to ride the Den-Liner or Time Gamma (take your pick) to see how time travel could affect various continuities in Toei's entries of Tokusatsu series. I may be missing some so feel free to write down what's missing.

Time travel was done in Denziman (though I haven't seen that episode), Maskman, Liveman (though it was someone from the future getting dragged into the past and a dinosaur was dragged into the present), Jetman, Abaranger, Magiranger, Goseiger, Timeranger (which the crossover with GoGoFive also had it), Go-Busters vs. Gokaiger, Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters, the ToQGer Returns Movie (which past and future versions of the ToQGers team up) and Ninninger. I guess we're going to see a time travel anytime soon in Kyuranger.

So what consequences could happen as a result of it? Here's a few episodes or instances that my mind could remember. This entry is subject to a lot of editing since I may have missed a lot of stuff here.


Hikari Sentai Maskman

Maskman's time travel episode (episode 38) is probably one funny episode in an otherwise serious show. I can't forget the reaction everyone had when they discovered Takeru was lying through his teeth about his past. Prince/Princess Igam requested Emperor Zeba to use Time Doggler so she could delete Takeru in the past. We know the consequence of that. This managed to change history a bit since it was Takeru in the present that changed Takeru in the past. How Takeru in the past managed to become a better person prior to this incident remains unknown. However, everyone seemed to forgot it happened since it was not brought up again. I guess the Maskmen decided to focus on the present Takeru who reformed from the bad child he was in the past.


Chojin Sentai Jetman

Jetman episode 26 "I'm a Primitive"presents another possible impact time travel could have with history. While it doesn't address what if Raita decided to stay in the stone age or whether or not it could delete him from history but it does show one expected event. Raita taught the primitives a thing or two and even had a near romance with who could be Kaori's ancestor or just her doppelganger. The end of the episode showed that Raita ended up getting deified as a god by the cavemen in some magazine. Hmmm... way to leave a mark in history huh?


Mirai Sentai Timeranger

The year 3000 made the most advanced time travel technology which could alter the flow of time itself or events that happen. The series did focus on that on some issues like how the supreme douchebag Captain Ryuuya himself was pulling the strings. Early on the series the Timerangers weren't even allowed to return to the Year 3000 because the Londarz has escaped. So what's going on? It's a huge fight against fate one way or another.

I thought about Dolnero's escape to the year 2000. What planet Dolnero came from wasn't know but hasn't he considered he could be deleting his own existence? The Timerangers are also requested not to kill but to simply bring back the prisoners. I guess death penalty was abolished and replaced with the much more painful cryogenic freeze compress or maybe killing them in the past could affect the future. Don Dolnero's death at the hands of Gien caused Yuuri's family to still live. Gien's death in the past could have also changed the year 3001 though these changes aren't even being shown.

My own WTF analysis should go to Captain Ryuuya. Watching this show made me thankful Masato Kusaka in Kamen Rider Faiz didn't have access to time travel. Captain Ryuuya saw the possibility of two futures. One was where Gien gets wiped out by G-Zord and their era ceases to exist. The other is where the Great Disappearance happens but the 30th century won't change much. Captain Ryuuya wanted to cheat death without otherwise changing the 30th century for the worse. I thought about it did he even consider that his own actions that he could get deleted from existence if Tatsuya dies or is there some kind of reset button that he also foresaw?

I thought about the Great Disappearance phenomenon which part of the the 21st century would be destroyed. Why was Captain Ryuuya allowing it to happen? Did he foresee other events that were deleted from the script? My only speculation is that if Gien were destroyed in the Great Disappearance then maybe we'll get Kamen Rider Ryuki's executive meddling induced reset button ending. Maybe, Tatsuya would have survived, Naoto would have died and maybe none of the events of Timeranger would have happened. It could have ended up like Spielban's last minute ending for everyone. Then again we know Yasuko Kobayashi tends to like being tragic at time. Fortunately, she started having lighter tones post-Ryuki like Shinkenger, Kamen Rider OOO and ToQGer while she was writing the dark spin-off series Amazons.


Kamen Rider Den-O and later Kamen Rider series

Kamen Rider Den-O can be one confusing season because of all the time travel that happens. The hero Ryota Nogami is a loser and suddenly he becomes a hero. The plot involves a future ravaged by Imagins and only a hero of the present can save them. A hero from the present must team up with people from the future to prevent a dystopian figure from happening.

What should be very funny is that Ryota meets an adult version of his niece Hana (the daughter of his sister Airi and Sakurai). Events start to show stuff like the arrival of the mainv villain Kai into their present time.  The finale manages to save the future though Ryotaro is back to being a loser. Talk about confusion when you meet your niece who's now as old as you are. In some fictional cases your son or daughter from the future may return in time old enough to be your parent.

The idea of time messing up stuff didn't stop with Den-O or even its predecessor Ryuki. In "OOO,
Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders" leaving a Core Medal in the past allowed Shocker to become Shocker Greed as a result of it. The events resulted to a lot of crazy stuff such as one person from the future remained in the past and fathered a child back in the 70s. Talk about screwed up since the child who got stranded in the past returned as an adult. So how did that affect the timeline? Somehow, audiences are left to decide.


Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger

Episodes 12 to 13 of Abaranger showed the Abarangers getting flung back in history. The consequence of this action was that as long as the Abarangers remain in the past the Evolien would also disappear. This isn't explained why it's like that. The Evolien not wanting to be destroyed ended up sending back the Abarangers to the present. Why sending the Abarangers into the past ended up nearly deleting the Evolien is left unexplained. My only theory is that sending the Abarangers into the past may have disrupted the flow of time that would have allowed the Evolien to exist in the first place.

Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger

The Gekirangers were sent back to feudal Japan in Lesson 33. They were to reclaim the Virtuous Beast King Sword. This was also to prevent a mess-up of the events that really happened on January 30, 1703 where Kira Yoshinaka was killed by the 47 Ronin. If anything should happen outside history then Japan's history would be forever altered.


Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters

Well this was one mess of a movie IMO due to the fact they had to insert Abaranger and Zyuranger when the dinosaur trilogy are very different from each other. It was a cool what-if scenario for some though I would have preferred if the other two series weren't brought in to avoid cramming in too much space. I still thought that the plot where the Kyoryugers are brainwashed into killing dinosaurs in the past. The consequence is that they could have destroyed the Zyuden Beasts in the process.

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I guess we can be thankful that time travel may never be a reality. As much as I want to travel in time but it seems to have more risks than rewards involved. These incidents show that how time travel can be a double-edged sword which could help make a better future or a worse one. But I guess the only thing I could do right now is live in the present and live for the future.

Kyuranger 25: Tick Tock, The Planet Is A Clock

This week's Kyuranger is the quest to find the Horologium Kyutama Globe in the planet Tocky. As the implies, it's a click. Speaking of Tocky, doesn't that remind anyone that Tock is also the name of the owl in Timeranger?

This planet has twelve keys which must be rotated to access a different area. There are twelve Kyurangers and we're seeing them all in action at once. I hope the Kyurangers will find some way to break through the rule of having only five at a time because the battles are getting tougher and tougher. 

The planet triggers past memories of everyone. Some of them are revived enemies. Others would also involve painful decisions or just plain hilarious. It must have been caused by the explosion caused by Tecchu.


Speaking of which this has to be the funniest part of the episode. Raptor is stuck in an illusion with the four boys courting her and she's a freaking robot.


This reveals the closeness of Commander Shou Ronpou to the late Commander Bear. This causes him to revert back to the past until he realizes he's got a mission in the present.

Mizuho Harata makes another guest role as Kotaro's mother. I could remember her make a guest role in Shinkenger (as a reporter) and in Boukenger (as a cat turned human). She was also Mugi Grafton in Dekaranger: Ten Years After.

I love this part when Tsurugi tries to help Kotaro out. It's a hard decision for Kotaro: will it be the Universe or his late mother who will disappear when he finishes turning the key. Kotaro then makes the right decision to turn the key. I hope the next episodes will help us see more of what happened 300 years ago prior to the events of Kyuranger.

Don Armage isn't too pleased as Tecchu is finished. Now he plans to send in the next two Vice Shoguns namely Kukuruga and Akenba. Both of them are sent by Don Armage. 

Next week, it'd be nice to see a Naga-focused episode. Naga makes a dangerous deal with Akenba. How he will get out if it still remains to be seen. Anyway just expect a few delays next week before the next episode review can be uploaded.

Reviving One's Super Sentai Spirit Like A Phoenix?

There are times I thought about how I felt like "giving up" on Super Sentai without realizing I just needed a short break from stuff I like and "move on" with other new school stuff like I did in the past. After moving on with other new school stuff I eventually missed Super Sentai and start watching more new school entries. I found that event weird considering how I tend to prefer new school Kamen Rider over old school Kamen Rider. There's always many ways that a person can be weird and somehow, I always admit that I'm a weird guy myself.

Tsurugi Ootori is played by a 32 year old actor Keisuke Minami and that should give me a reason to still like Super Sentai even if there's a lot of new school stuff that I like these days. It's given me the urge to turn into Nobuo Akagi whenever I feel like it. The arrival of Phoenix Warrior made me wish I could enter into a cryogenic stasis like he did though that means I'd miss a lot of good stuff new school has to offer and a lot of old school quality stuff getting digitally mastered. His age made me think that while I may like Tokusatsu less these days because I want to enjoy other new school stuff but I don't need to give up on new school Super Sentai just to be an adult. I could start looking at the changes that happen every now and then as part of a huge marketing gimmick that keeps the money rolling in thanks to Bandai merchandise. I have the urge to buy some Kyuranger merchandise as a collection (because a lot of them look REALLY GOOD) with my own money right now because they look much better than last year's Zyuohger merchandise though I'm more interested in other new school stuff. I mean, there's a lot of stuff new school has to offer right?


So how revived is my Super Sentai spirit this 2017? I can't say it's fully revived nor is it like a phoenix. I like Kyuranger but there's more new school stuff worth checking out than just the latest Tokusatsu. Did it just revive because of the Gavan vs. Dekaranger film or the fact it was bridged in Kyuranger episode 18? It's been more than a decade since I took a short break from everything I like in alternate order. Then I find myself watching K-Drama, J-Drama, Taiwanese drama, a few American shows (though I've given up on Power Rangers long ago because of the number of times that franchise keeps shooting itself at the foot) though I hardly watch American shows these days together with Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. While it does help to take a break from one to fully enjoy another but I don't think it's always necessary. Sometimes, I just need to slow things down as I focus on real life affairs. I could still enjoy the best of everything and reject the worst of everything. But as said, Tsurugi Ootori is reviving my spirit to never give up in the struggles of life especially against the stupidity of society itself.


So what superficial reasons do I seldom have for disliking some new school stuff while I like other new school stuff? My most stupid reason why I seldom drop a show is the lack of eye candy never mind some quality shows I enjoyed for the plot have very little of it. You could talk about not me having unfair biases towards Kyoryuger all the while enjoying the K-Drama series Kang Chi: Gu Family Book not because of the story but because of Suzy Bae. I remembered watching Megafailed for the eye candy only and had to rinse it off with Shinkenger (because it's a good show with loads of eye candy), Gokaiger (because it'll always be the huge anniversary that Megafail will never be) and Megaranger (which is always the the true Mega series).

But right now I'm watching Super Sentai and Kamen Rider without minding too much about the women. Sure I find some of them cute but I think I'm about to break my superficial shell for the nth time. I admit that I don't find all the girls in Changeman, Flashman, Dynaman or some of the 80s to 90s classics all that attractive but I watch it for the plot. Yet, I always find myself in superficiality in more than one occasion. Right now, I'm watching Kyuranger but I don't watch it for Hammy in contrast to me watching Akibaranger (first time round) all because I developed a crush on Hiroyo Hakase or that I returned to watching Super Sentai last decade all because of Nanami Nono, Ranru Itsuki, Marika "Jasmine" Reimon, Sakura Nishihori and Mako Shiraishi which makes me overrate the shows they're in. All the while I still end up enjoying a good plot even when there's less eye candy which is just weird.


Right now, I'm excited for what Kamen Rider Build (and I was still liking Kamen Rider's latest entries for some time) will bring to the audience. Although it does look like a modified version of the Kamen Rider W suit but the plot of a genius physicist fighting in a Japan turned into three sections thanks to the "Sky Wall" should be interesting. While it's sad that Kamen Rider EX-AID will have to wrap up earlier than expected but I hope Build will bring in a whole new level of fresh content for Kamen Rider. I guess the change of schedule is because of the TV ratings have been dropping down for Tokusatsu or to avoid directly competing with Pokemon. I didn't immediately embrace the Heisei era Kamen Rider formula immediately either until I felt it was more "mature" than the Showa era Kamen Rider IMO. I thought that Kamen Rider seems to appeal more to adults.

I mean, this is what Japan Info has to say about Kamen Rider and I can relate to it:

With different themes for every installment, Toei made the story line quite dramatic with unexpected events and plot twists to cater to older audiences, while at the same time making the series as educational as possible so that the kids in the audience will learn something after watching the series. Taking latest Kamen Rider GHOST as an example, the theme of Rider power-ups (a Rider’s special abilities) have been based on famous historical beings (eg. Newton, Edison, Robin Hood, Nobunaga, etc.) Audiences can also easily fantasize to be one of them by purchasing the rider’s belt and buckle from their neighborhood toy store. Many hardcore fans (especially the older ones!) also like to purchase them as a collection item.

The Rider series is suitable for all age groups due to its dramatic story lines. It is also cool, colorful and has fun computer generated images that can entertain anyone. The creativity of the writers and directors with plot twists and their ability to incorporate different aspects while sticking to the original theme makes the series a success, and one to look forward to every year.
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I accept there's always the need to go forward while there's the chance what's new can fail the first time. Think of how many times innovative thinking may subject itself many times to modification before any idea finally worked. Some good ideas can fail if the implementation is done wrong. There's also the lesson of learning what went wrong and how to do things right before something new creates something so good. I have to keep that in mind that even roses have thorns. The best innovators fail at times before they bring something so good to the table or that people can undo themselves when overworked or when they get overconfident. There's always a struggle before a victory is attained and a victory means another struggle is coming anytime soon. That's the cycle of life and there's always the need to keep one's spirits up in the face of adversity. Innovation will never be an easy path but it's a path to take, accept failures and successes, learning from them and continuously learning as life goes on and on. There's no stopping to the learning process.

Kyuranger 24: The Phoenix's Rage, The Lion's Roar

This week's episode is quite predictable with what happens to Tsurugi Ootori. I gave a thought on how things are with both sides. Tsurugi has trouble letting go of his past and Lucky doesn't want to accept him. I think I would have done the same thing if I were in their situation. Tsurugi acts all tough all because of his past. Lucky's the opposite as he acts all carefree to make up for his past. Either way, I think both approaches tend to happen to just anyone.

In this week's episode, the Vice Shogun Tecchu brings his monster Gabbler with him. This is starting to bring pieces of everything together. They show they're not to be joked with as they capture the other Kyurangers. 

The other Kyurangers are forcibly trapped in Gabbler's systme. I wish they made the scene a little scarier here but I guess we're going to get parental complaints. Anyway, they're about to be digested and it's been like the nth time people in Super Sentai are at the risk of getting digested. Last I remembered was that Dora Boogaran ate the rest of the Zyurangers or Seelon nearly got digested by a Violent Demon. Can anybody name any more past incidents similar to this?


This time, Don Armage is getting more active and hopefully he will start getting fleshed out. So he's showing himself to be an illusion. Is this guy like Star King Bazoo in Changeman or is he a human with massive magical abilities? I'd like to guess he's actually a powerful sorcerer who rules the Universe and maybe, just maybe we're seeing his ghostly projection here.

We get a view of what Tsurugi's past was like. He gathered 88 warriors some 300 years ago to help battle Don Armage and free the Universe but it was in vain. Is it me or does it feel like that Kyuranger actually takes place in the year 2317 and we're still in 2017? 

The loss of his good friend Kuervo of the Corvus System. I don't blame Tsurugi for acting the way he did. He saw his friends die right in front of him risking their lives. Kuervo became a shield and that was in vain. Don Armage managed to survive the assault.

We also see how frightful Don Armage can get. Is he like that Ultraman villain (forgot the name) since I haven't been watching Ultraman like for ages. Regardless, I'm glad that there's some nightmare fuel with this guy. He's intimidating and destructive. As of right ow, I assume he's probably human sized but like Count Radiguet in Jetman... he could momentarily project astral projections of himself in giant form. 

The two manage to put their differences aside. Shou Ronpou fights the Vice Shogun  Tecchu in battle. Both of them combine the rage of the phoenix and the roar of the lion in one deadly package saving everyone. Now it's time for something both awkward and awesome.

I admit I haven't been too fond of last year's cube mecha with Zyuohger but I think this year's Kyuranger brings in a lot of cool stuff. This time, we see both rangers pilot the Kyutamajin which uses the other orbs to complete it. I have a hunch we might see the Cluster Mecha make a comeback anytime soon. 

Sidenote, this is really not surprising. Tecchu uses the monster of the week as a shield. It somewhat serves as the anti-thesis of Tsurugi hating the fact that people became his shield. 

Yes, he's now officially part of the time. I hope Toei won't be adding any more characters because it could derail the plot. But as far as I'm concerned, Tsurugi is my favorite character in the show.

Next week is a Kotaro-focused episode. It will take place in the Planet Tocky. It's going to involve the Horologium Kyutama Globe. I'm thinking is Tsurugi really going to try and find out what happened in the past or is he going to have a failed attempt to change history? I can't wait to ride my rocket ship to find out!