Toshiki Inoue: For Better Or For Worse

 

I remembered one of Shogo B'Stard's entries and one of them was Toshiki Inoue and his finales. If there were two Toku writers I feel don't put their best in finales - it's both him and Yasuko Kobayashi. I still find it all too weird the way both Gai Yuki and Naoto Takizawa died - one died by a thug and the other by a lowly footsoldier from a distance. Both Gai and Naoto are douchebag anti-heroes in their own series though the latter is the sixth ranger. Hojo Toru in Kamen Rider Agito is pretty much the douchebag antihero who I wish was played by Shinji Kasahara. Inoue tends to be one of those guys who gets known for good episodes and his screw-ups. 

That's why I wanted to panic with his appearance in Avatar Sentai Donbrothers - just remember how Hirohisa Soda fell down during Kosoku Sentai Turboranger (and I feel like fans of Power Rangers are going to rant on me over and over again that Gekisou Sentai Caaaarrrrrannger is SO MUCH BETTER) and Chikyu Sentai Fiveman (which might be doomed to be overshadowed because Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive is SO MUCH BETTER and I bet Power Rangers fans and I can agree on that), Yasuko Kobayashi didn't have much juice either during Ressha Sentai ToQGer, how Junki Takegami didn't do much with Engine Sentai Go-Onger (which I hate now ever since Carranger and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters even if I didn't like RPM), and for some, Naruhisa Arakawa with Kiramanger which I enjoyed for its rather simple approach. 

Inoue himself was an important contributor during the Soda era with some episodes of Flashman, Maskman, Liveman, Turboranger, and Fiveman. Soda was so burnt out during Fiveman that Inoue did help out in some way. Inoue did have some minor contributions during the late Noboru Sugimura's era. I guess writing through Jetman was easier said than done. Besides, I felt his one episode in Zyuranger was nothing special but not horrid either. Besides, I felt Zyuranger was already doomed to be overshadowed even before Mighty Morphin' came out - both Jetman and Dairanger overshadow it. I bet Super Sentai DVD sales just weren't as high until Dairanger came in. Inoue did put his heart into every episode with Jin Matoba where Yutaka Hirose gave his best. I admit that I enjoyed many of those episodes. Some of them were rehashes (such as when Inoue wrote the episode where Billion had a lover, clearly inspired by Kunio Fuji's episode in Maskman with Kiros) and his episode of Momoko having an affair with a monster (without knowing the truth until later) was later rehashed by Naruhisa Arakawa in Dairanger.

Toei Ltd. decided to do some management decisions. I find it amazing that didn't contribute much for Super Sentai after a few episodes of Ohranger. Seriously, I felt he should've been involved in a few episodes of GoGoFive before just having TWO episodes of Timeranger. Though, some episodes written by Kobayashi felt like Inoue wrote them such as how Naoto died. Inoue was put in charge with a good chunk of Kamen Rider Kuuga's episodes with Naruhisa Arakawa. Inoue would later be a writer for Kamen Rider Agito and a good portion of Kamen Rider Ryuki. He became the full writer of Kamen Rider Faiz - a series I'm still mixed on but I did enjoy for the seriousness. I felt that Masato Kusaka was a more fleshed-out version of Captain Ryuuya from Timeranger. I could imagine Inoue probably hated the executive meddling instead of him having a writer war with Kobayashi. Both Kobayashi and Inoue were also contributors during Kamen Rider Decade - they both prevented it from becoming as disastrous as Saban's Mashed Rider. Though, Kamen Rider Decade was canceled before the year could end presumably due to lack of popularity. 

Instead, Inoue got his hands full with more Kamen Rider series. Inoue did get a one-episode shot in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger which I felt was his most cruel episode written. Sorry but I still think it is cruel and oh so cruel. I just wonder why he wasn't even put as a secondary writer for Go-Busters is beyond me. Would've been interesting if Inoue was involved in it IMHO. Instead, Inoue was probably involved in other projects instead. Right now, I feel like he's taken out to "bail out" Super Sentai since it's rumored that Donbrothers might be the last... 

What do you think?