Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog

  It's too obvious that I decided to quit doing episode reviews because I'm watching shows at irregular paces. Avatar Sentai Donbrothers is already no exemption to that rule. Right now, I even feel Kamen Rider Geats has become somewhat more enjoyable version of Squid Game (which I dropped due to how annoying the "hero" is). I even feel that Geats may become more enjoyable (hopefully), especially with how Neon Kurama may become a more fleshed-out version of Sakura Nishihori from Gougou Sentai Boukenger . Now, it's time a new concept in Super Sentai (but not so new to Kamen Rider ) where an ally or team member's secret identity is unknown. So, I thought it's kinda weird really how the Donbrothers team was gathered. Haruka Kito still questioned Don Momotaro's real identity. I don't deny that Haruka has every right to be skeptical after all the bad events that happened. One teammate namely Tsubasa's secret identity is still secret to them. I find i...

  It's obvious that I'm losing my Toku spark one way or another. I think I might want to exit it but at least leave a bit of a mark with some good memories of the franchise. I find myself not paying much attention to Zenkaiger when watching it. However, a new article from Henshin Grid discussed about the sci-fi influence with Power Rangers . Yeah, you know by now I dislike the franchise even when I acknowledge that Toei Ltd. is also part of it. This will be a pretty exhaustive post which I want to write because it's been five years since Kyuranger aired. With that, I decided to celebrate its fifth anniversary today with this post! The popularity of certain American franchises A bit of research may help you find out some of the popular movies and series that may have influenced Toei Ltd. 1977 was the birth of the Star Wars movies which The New Hope was the first film. The success spawned the rise of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - all before Disney's ...

Sorry really for not updating this blog as much. As said, the blog is just a hobby and I find myself slowly withdrawing from Super Sentai (while I want to check out the upcoming Kamen Rider Revice  - the first dinosaur-themed Kamen Rider) so be ready for this blog to get outdated again. Just think I even miss out on writing about this one. The upcoming crossover between Kamen Rider Saber and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger is called Super Hero Senki (Super Hero Chronicle) which Shinichiro Shirakura stated that the crossover is the last crossover between the two franchises . Maybe not, but I hope Shirakura brings the idea to Banpresto and please Japan - STOP MAKING STUFF EXCLUSIVE ONLY FOR JAPAN! Moving on... certain characters are indeed returning for the movie. Recent updates from Nihonhero reveal that Fumiya Takahashi (Aruto Hiden in Kamen Rider Zero One ), So Okuno (from last year's Mashin Sentai Kiramager ), and Shogo Suzuki (Chiaki Tani from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger ) are returning . ...

Just because there's no episode for Kiramager this week doesn't mean I can't write a post about it, right? Okay, there will be spoilers ahead IF you haven't watched some old-school Tokusatsu or the most recent Kiramager episode. But if you've seen loads of older Tokusatsu (which should also include old school Showa-era Kamen Rider series), the Space Sheriff Trilogy (specifically Sharivan ), or you just don't mind spoilers then be my guest. One weird scene in the latest episode of Kiramager  is the revelation about Yodonna . If you've watched it then you may notice some really intense scenes. Yodonna wonders why Carantula has talked with Emperor Yodon face to face while she hasn't. Later, it's revealed that she's actually a part of Emperor Yodon which she's not even aware of. So, she's got her own personality but she's also a part of Emperor Yodon. She's shocked to find that out. I think Emperor Yodon has to use Yodonna as one of ...

I was thinking about the time I made a reaction towards the statement that Kamen Rider Saber turns out to be unpopular in its first eight episodes . It was five days ago and I thought I might want to see how Saber is faring against the current Super Sentai, Mashin Sentai Kiramager , in terms of its first eight episodes.  What reasons are the first eight episodes of Saber getting flak ? Here's what was gathered from Daisuki Toku :  Too many Kamen Riders may cause an accident. It feels more like a 30-minute toy commercial and the content is shallow. The pace is getting too fast to sell more Bandai merchandise that it's boring. A lot may happen in the 30-minute airing but it feels empty. The fact it's written by Takuro Fukuda contributes to the hate.  Kamen Rider Ghost  is considered the worst Heisei-era Rider ever. Some worries were proven right. So, I decided to do a rundown on Kiramager's first eight episodes again. I did write eight weekly reviews of Kiramager (ni...

It's time for some #FlashbackFridays if there's also #ThrowbackThursdays. Sometimes, I just don't feel too comfortable with most post Go-Busters Super Sentai - maybe except for Kyuranger and Lupinranger vs. Patranger for my taste. Sure, those two aren't really top masterpieces for me but I admit that I give them huge points for trying something much newer than the fourth dinosaur Super Sentai, Ryusoulger. Then, I decided to look back when the Year 2000 happened which would be the final year of the 20th century and the beginning of the 2000s. We've had the 2010s and today it's the beginning of the 2020s. I might be kind of old-fashioned with Tokusatsu (though I do love newer Kamen Rider) and I'd love to take a trip back in time. So, let's get started with why I think celebrating the 20-year mark should be very important as a new decade begins... How Kuuga ended up reimagining the Kamen Rider franchise Checking the long history of the Kamen Ri...

I would dare say that I can't enjoy everything equally. It's like I like Japanese music better than Korean music while liking Korean food better than Japanese food. I think the same has been with me, Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. I could still enjoy new school Super Sentai but not as much as the old school (for reasons like the quality of action scenes) all the while I think new school Kamen Rider is better. Okay, I admit, I was guilty of not really checking out much of the 2000s era until some life-changing scenarios such as I felt the need to take a vacation from Super Sentai or the moment the digital age got more advanced made me realized what I just missed. Then I watched more new school Kamen Rider. Lately, it's safe to say that I like newer Kamen Rider over newer Super Sentai for personal reasons. Sure, Kyuranger can be loads of fun but I got suckered into the medical dramas in Kamen Rider EX-AID and the darker atmosphere of Kamen Rider Build. I didn't want to ...

There's really no doubt that while I do enjoy newer Super Sentai that I still prefer most of the old school classics in terms of storytelling. The effect is quite the reverse that while I usually prefer older Super Sentai better -- I usually tend to to prefer most new school Kamen Rider over the Showa era. Weird? Not really. It's just like liking classical or old school music better while enjoying mostly modern movies, TV shows and video games at the same time. It's a mixed bag of choices so I decided to do this rant as I enjoy the best of old school and new school. I remembered everything can go back to my childhood during the 90s and two late 80s shows that I enjoyed. I remembered how both my childhood favorites had the classic masterpieces Kamen Rider Black and Hikari Sentai Maskman -- though I'm no longer wanting to rewatch the Tagalog dubs! It was a bit of a fanservice from that otherwise super duper disaster known as Super Hero Taisen  but it wasn't enough...

It's time for a Thursday Throwback again and I decided to come up with this post because of Kamen Rider Zi-O. The Heisei era is coming to an end by next year -- which means that Zi-O will be the last Kamen Rider of said era. Now it's time to consider looking back at two shows last Year 2000 namely Mirai Sentai Timeranger and Kamen Rider Kuuga. What do both shows have in common? They were both shown in the new millennium era. Kuuga premiered on January 30, 2000 and Timeranger premiered on February 13, 2000 of that year -- way before the "Super Hero Time" jingle  was created in 2003 starting with Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger and Kamen Rider Faiz. But they both have a contrasting difference -- one show ended an era while another began a new era. The Kamen Rider franchise was struggling to return back to its feet. The 90s had some pretty good Super Sentai shows (such as Jetman, Dairanger, Megaranger, Gingaman and GoGoFive) or some Metal Hero series which I deem as the f...

I didn't want to write this post immediately but I decided that I may want to at least give my speculation to what happened. Remember this is partly speculative though I got said news from the Tokusatsu Network . Here's what's being said about the current standing between Kamen Rider and Super Sentai (and Ultraman is listed to) in terms of Bandai merchandise sales: First quarter sales in the current fiscal year associated with Kaito Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger posted the lowest first figures in recorded history for the franchise. Super Sentai is reported to have made 1.4 billion yen in the first quarter with forecasts of 3.0 billion yen in the first half and a full year forecast of 10.5 billion yen. Ultraman is reported as having made 0.7 billion yen in its first quarter with a forecast of 2.5 billion yen for the first half of the financial year, making it just the second time Ultraman will have outperformed a Super Sentai series. The current show, U...