Maskman Team Analysis
Well I'm being plain rude not to pay tribute to my favorite 80s Super Sentai team of all time and part of my childhood to which I can no longer return to. So okay here's my review on the Maskman team:
Takeru/Red Mask
I just thought he'll always be my childhood red ranger. Okay here's what I thought- Kazunori Inaba does a good job playing as this guy. In fact, I pretty thought he's one of the best developed red rangers around except he and Momoko didn't interact much except in professional terms. So okay, I'm not surprised he's pretty well-liked, in fact I think more well-liked than Takeru Shiba for older Sentai fans like myself. I just thought that he has adequate leadership skills though he can be a hot-head, it was also funny at the same time to see that as a child he was a real troublemaker (like I was) so again, I could relate to him. So his fingers are positioned as "zai" meaning control over natural forces, but his biggest obstacle is actually his forbidden love with Mio/Ial. I just thought his rivalries with Igam, Kiros and Baraba were pretty well-written, actually I give most credit to his rivalry with Igam because it has a very personal, dramatic level to it because Igam and Ial are sisters, although he is not aware of it at first until later in the series or that Igam is really a woman. For his rivalry with Kiros for Ial, I just thought one lusts after her, the other truly loves her and it's again bound to Ial in a usual hero-villain love triangle but Igam of course, doesn't approve of any of them to get her sister Ial. For Baraba, just pretty standard yet I enjoyed their final battle as one of the best scenes ever.
Kenta/Black Mask
Okay I just thought whether or not the code name "Black Mask" is ever or even a pun on Bruce Lee's character in Fist of Fury :P. Maybe. But all I can say is Kenta though he was a womanizer, he wasn't a jerk with a heart of gold like his predecessor Hayate/Change Griffin or his successor Gai/Black Condor. I just thought he had several love interests which does prove he can play around. I think my favorite encounter of his was Ru from the Tube Empire. I just find it bizarre he also had a monster lover as well. I also had fun watching him fight Fumin in trying to thwart that really nightmare fuel episode where the Tube was planning to transform surface world humans into monsters. With the sign of "Jin" which tries to tackle on the feelings and intentions of others, however he has fallen several times into levels of gullibility (like I am at times) to which he eventually develops from it.
Akira/Blue Mask
Okay he may be just a kid but don't let him fool you. Despite his immaturity factor, he's pretty enjoyable to watch especially with his martial arts moves like how in one episode, he fought for almost the whole time out of suit and henshined only at the last minute to do an attack during that faux martial arts tournament. I thought that while he was only 16 when the show started, he has shown pretty much development. I do enjoy his focus episodes as well, pretty well-written if you ask me. For the Fencer Unas arc, I just thought that, that arc made him very human. For his hand gesture "retsu" or "dominion over time and space", I just thought that it wasn't very emphasized.
Haruka/Yellow Mask
Okay maybe she's not my type appearance-wise but personality-wise, I think I'd say she's really terrific. So maybe she's a tomboy because of her ninja upbringing. I thought that she's somewhat like Jun Yabuki in some way, tough, witty and a bad-ass chick in one package. Her rivalry with Fuumin was a ninja vs. ninja issue which would remind me of Farrah Cat's battles first with Mika and later with Jun (who she reminds me of) in Bioman. Some of her focus episodes are just fun to watch, wow I can say she's one of the Sentai girls I enjoy watching despite her lack of physical beauty. With her gesture of "tou" or harmony in the universe, in her very own universe she could be seeking to balance herself. especially when she didn't have a normal childhood and didn't have the chance to play girly stuff.
Momoko/Pink Mask
Okay I've said it I had a crush on her but now it's time to look at her inner qualities. Don't let that pretty face fool you, she's still tough despite her elegant exterior. I just thought that while she didn't have that much episode development nor did she really interact with Takeru that often except on professional grounds but she did show some really good episodes. My favorite episode with her was when her strength and weakness were exposed in one episode- she showed her great concern for children, her martial art skills and yet she was also fooled by Tube to which she fought a female monster (forgot her name) out of suit, which led to the temporary defeat of Great Five. I just thought that she's probably the first female warrior to balance femininity and toughness, a trait to be later used for later pink rangers. For her gesture "sha" or self-healing, she did have some very painful episodes too like when she blamed herself for the Great Five's temporary defeat or when she had a lover who turned out to be Gorin Dogra.
Once again kudos to my childhood Super Sentai heroes. :)
Takeru/Red Mask
I just thought he'll always be my childhood red ranger. Okay here's what I thought- Kazunori Inaba does a good job playing as this guy. In fact, I pretty thought he's one of the best developed red rangers around except he and Momoko didn't interact much except in professional terms. So okay, I'm not surprised he's pretty well-liked, in fact I think more well-liked than Takeru Shiba for older Sentai fans like myself. I just thought that he has adequate leadership skills though he can be a hot-head, it was also funny at the same time to see that as a child he was a real troublemaker (like I was) so again, I could relate to him. So his fingers are positioned as "zai" meaning control over natural forces, but his biggest obstacle is actually his forbidden love with Mio/Ial. I just thought his rivalries with Igam, Kiros and Baraba were pretty well-written, actually I give most credit to his rivalry with Igam because it has a very personal, dramatic level to it because Igam and Ial are sisters, although he is not aware of it at first until later in the series or that Igam is really a woman. For his rivalry with Kiros for Ial, I just thought one lusts after her, the other truly loves her and it's again bound to Ial in a usual hero-villain love triangle but Igam of course, doesn't approve of any of them to get her sister Ial. For Baraba, just pretty standard yet I enjoyed their final battle as one of the best scenes ever.
Kenta/Black Mask
Okay I just thought whether or not the code name "Black Mask" is ever or even a pun on Bruce Lee's character in Fist of Fury :P. Maybe. But all I can say is Kenta though he was a womanizer, he wasn't a jerk with a heart of gold like his predecessor Hayate/Change Griffin or his successor Gai/Black Condor. I just thought he had several love interests which does prove he can play around. I think my favorite encounter of his was Ru from the Tube Empire. I just find it bizarre he also had a monster lover as well. I also had fun watching him fight Fumin in trying to thwart that really nightmare fuel episode where the Tube was planning to transform surface world humans into monsters. With the sign of "Jin" which tries to tackle on the feelings and intentions of others, however he has fallen several times into levels of gullibility (like I am at times) to which he eventually develops from it.
Akira/Blue Mask
Okay he may be just a kid but don't let him fool you. Despite his immaturity factor, he's pretty enjoyable to watch especially with his martial arts moves like how in one episode, he fought for almost the whole time out of suit and henshined only at the last minute to do an attack during that faux martial arts tournament. I thought that while he was only 16 when the show started, he has shown pretty much development. I do enjoy his focus episodes as well, pretty well-written if you ask me. For the Fencer Unas arc, I just thought that, that arc made him very human. For his hand gesture "retsu" or "dominion over time and space", I just thought that it wasn't very emphasized.
Haruka/Yellow Mask
Okay maybe she's not my type appearance-wise but personality-wise, I think I'd say she's really terrific. So maybe she's a tomboy because of her ninja upbringing. I thought that she's somewhat like Jun Yabuki in some way, tough, witty and a bad-ass chick in one package. Her rivalry with Fuumin was a ninja vs. ninja issue which would remind me of Farrah Cat's battles first with Mika and later with Jun (who she reminds me of) in Bioman. Some of her focus episodes are just fun to watch, wow I can say she's one of the Sentai girls I enjoy watching despite her lack of physical beauty. With her gesture of "tou" or harmony in the universe, in her very own universe she could be seeking to balance herself. especially when she didn't have a normal childhood and didn't have the chance to play girly stuff.
Momoko/Pink Mask
Okay I've said it I had a crush on her but now it's time to look at her inner qualities. Don't let that pretty face fool you, she's still tough despite her elegant exterior. I just thought that while she didn't have that much episode development nor did she really interact with Takeru that often except on professional grounds but she did show some really good episodes. My favorite episode with her was when her strength and weakness were exposed in one episode- she showed her great concern for children, her martial art skills and yet she was also fooled by Tube to which she fought a female monster (forgot her name) out of suit, which led to the temporary defeat of Great Five. I just thought that she's probably the first female warrior to balance femininity and toughness, a trait to be later used for later pink rangers. For her gesture "sha" or self-healing, she did have some very painful episodes too like when she blamed herself for the Great Five's temporary defeat or when she had a lover who turned out to be Gorin Dogra.
Once again kudos to my childhood Super Sentai heroes. :)
This is the 80th time me saying this, if it wasn't for Maskman, there would be no Dairangers or even Gekirangers. I thought Kenya should have been a bit rougher instead the gentle Mr Niceguy. And that is what the show needed. Other then that Haruka and MoMoKo where the both hottest girls in the team. This show deserve a retrospection.
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