Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog

It's sad but true. Yes, actor Hikaru Kurosaki had passed away just recently at only 64 years old. I t's sad, but it's confirmed . His wife Yuko Asuka died on December 15, 2011 at only 56 years old. The two met during Hikaru's guest role as Shota Yamamori in Chodenshi Bioman . It was in episodes 35-36 when a prototype sixth ranger was created. But yeah, that was the Hirohisa Soda era . I called Soda's era as the head writer as the "era of experimentation". However, take note that episode 39 of Hikari Sentai Maskman titled "The Mysterious X-1 Mask" was written by Toshiki Inoue. I believe this is a concept worth revisiting. Episodes 35-36 have Doctor Man planning to create a super soldier. Mason (first half) and later Farah (second half) were in charge of gathering the Magne meteorites. It's also here that the Biomen run into Shota. The Biomen were looking for the cause of the strange fluctuations caused by meteorite rocks. Doctor Man wanted to ...

One can say Hirohisa Soda and chief producer Takeyuki Suzuki were experimenting on new stuff. I decided to update this old post before 2024 ends. It would be time to look into the history of Bio vs. Anti-Bio in Chodenshi Bioman . This article obviously contain spoilers! After watching several Super Sentai series -- Bioman was among the first to start fleshing things out! Was it planned or was it an afterthought? Bioman episode 10 featured what would be a forced plot. It's not known why Yuki Yajima left the set. It was said that she was found serving hot pot in Chiba. The reason why Yuki left was unknown. It led to Mika Koizumi getting written off. It was also the introduction of the Anti-Bio Particles -- a plot that wasn't going to be revisited until episode 37. The episode had the first Yellow 4 die in suit. It was because Yuki wasn't available to film her final episode. Yuki left presumably out of contractual issues. It led to one of the most heart-wrenching episodes in ...

I'd like to review the Bioman power up arc. There may have been some foreshadowing that Dr. Man would upgrade his troops sooner or later. If Mika's death could somehow foreshadow Silver's arrival. Episode 18 has the first Mecha Giant made of super metal with an exposed weak spot.  The Metalmegas was also like that. Dr. Man was already figuring out how to find stronger alloys and power sources to power up his troops. Sadly, Farrah Cat was never upgraded for a reason. Typically, a show would shake things a bit. Bioman belonged to the older era where upgrades were rather minimal -- presumably due to budget. However, a big upgrade was done in Bioman . Both Gear and the Biomen were powering up! It's a four-part arc where Doctor Man decides to do what I'd call BADLY NEEDED SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES! Episode 30 has Doctor Man run out of his supply of the Mecha Gigans. Doctor Man finally succeeds in creating the New Mecha Gigan. Doctor Man probably studied his previous failure ...

The New Empire Gear has comedic moments from its members. One might think of Monster and Zyuoh as a dangerous version of Dumb and Dumber. Episode 12 had Mason unleash such a ridiculous scheme that I agree with Farah and Monster. Why Doctor Man even approved of that idiotic balloon bomb operation was something. However, Bioman episodes 25-26 are two episodes that are way too scary. Doctor Man's human origins were already revealed in episodes 19-20. These episodes seem to take Nightmare Fuel Up to Eleven.  The story arc focuses on revealing Doctor Man's true son Shuichi Kageyama. Shuici was introduced to Koichi Nakamura in the first half. Doctor Man wants to find out if the boy is truly his son and not just some lookalike somewhere. IRL you might notice some people who have Toku lookalikes. Lee Seung Gi looks like a younger Hidenori Iura. Doctor Man wanted to be sure if he was looking for the right boy. Doctor Man dons a human disguise to look like his former self and confirm if ...

I guess some people have already guessed that Dr. Man was a human being but not the Big Three. Doctor Man had a hint saying to Mason he didn't design him to fail. There are hints that Doctor Man was well, a man. Here's where the clues start to drop in! Episodes 19-20 introduce us to Prince Prince calls himself the son of Doctor Man. Mason found it unbelievable because New Empire Gear was composed of androids. Mason never knew that his master was a human being. Okay, that's kinda weird since the name Doctor Man is such a dead giveaway! What do you expect when Super Sentai purposely writes plots that aren't supposed to make sense? Prince comes out of nowhere and Doctor Man says, "This my my only son Prince!" Mason gets shocked not knowing that Doctor Man was a human. Mason is amazed that Prince is such a genius and says, "Truly, he is Doctor Man's son!" The Prince story arc introduces Doctor Man's descent to madness. Prince is programmed to thi...

  I've speculated on the different preferences of Power Rangers fans who check out the source material. Some may actually prefer anything after Mirai Sentai Timeranger  better. Some Power Rangers fans are checking out what's called the pre-Zyuranger era. It can be a challenge since Power Rangers was born in the 1990s. Checking out anything 1970s-1980s means adjusting to different trends. Where does Chodenshi Bioman fit it? Bioman being 40 years old can be a challenge.  Bioman was also considered for Power Rangers and a failed pilot was created I guess Toei and Saban had their timing wrong. Before that, there was the late Stan Lee. 1978 became the time when Toei actually made their own Spider-Man with Marvel's permission. Lee even allowed his voice to be used in the eye-catch . One can wonder how much Toei paid for that. I guess that's why Toei was willing to let Saban adapt (or as prefer to say, localize, because it's tailored for the American audience)  Super Senta...

  Back then, Chodenshi Bioman was my first exposure to the Super Sentai franchise. I want to do a review of the episode that may have brought tears to the eyes of the viewers. It was the death of Mika Koizumi. She was known as Cassie in the Filipino-English dub. The reason behind the episode was Yuki Yajima's sudden departure. Some say that she was pregnant (questionable), she had contractual disputes (most likely), or that she just quit realizing show business wasn't for her.  The episode begins with New Empire Gear plotting its latest revenge. A previous episode had Doctor Man slowly planning to get the biometrics of the Biomen. Blue Three served as a sample. That also included regeneration data. However, Doctor Man slowly discovered some of the Universe's biggest secrets. The Kryptonite to the Bio Particles was none other than the Anti-Bio Particles! Doctor Man devices some form of gangster-type gun called the Bio Killer Gun. Doctor Man entrusts the weapon to Mason after...

Sometimes, fiction translates into reality, right? While some things in fiction will never be real but there's always some weird stuff. The Simpsons did somehow predict the rise of Donald Trump. I also felt Metalder in 1987 warned of the greedy oligarchy seeking to control the economy. Hmm... did Metalder also warn of the rise of Donald Trump in the person of Emperor Neros? Bioman did have one episode that may have warned about the rise of the welfare state and handouts. In 1989, Jiban did have a money-making Bionoid that let it rain money in the form of yen bills. The episode has Shingo investigate the rumors of gold coins falling in the Kagiyama district in Japan. Then the worst fears are confirmed. The city has become a vice city in the process. People want their gold coins and they will get it. Monster disguised as the "Golden Boss" tells them where the shower of gold coins will fall next. Well, doesn't that remind you of days when certain governments te...