Sean Akizuki's Super Sentai Blog

I still have my Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger hype. However, I caught up with Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger which I dare call the "necessary return to simpler-looking designs". This week has made me more familiar with the Japanese number 119. Yes, 119 works the same way as 911 in America. 119 in Japan is an emergency rescue number. Boonboomger carries the motif of a lightspeed delivery service. I'm warming up to how a ranger team of "mostly unremarkable civilians" are proving themselves worthy to handle the powers of lightspeed. This is coming from me who thinks that lightspeed rescue technologies are best handled for those who do rescue work for a living -- not non-professional civilians!  The scene almost feels like an upgrade to Ressha Sentai ToQGer's Imagination Power. I confess the show felt boring -- it was at that time I had franchise fatigue! Taiya originally wanted to be a firefighter but never got to that point. It seems Taiya was probably prohibited by hi...

  This week's episode of Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger really brought in the Royal Battlizer. It wasn't just what I'd call an improved Corona Aurora from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive . It's also that said crown formed a Battlizer that both Gira and Racules were able to use. With King-Ohger as a possible celebratory season - it seems that it's a show with several shows in mind. It's time to look at how Super Sentai and the localization called  Power Rangers have used the Battlizer concept for some time.  The pre-Zyuranger era's introduction of Battlizers I can understand if some Super Sentai seasons do get less appreciation. Would anybody want to sit through 84 episodes of Himitsu Sentai Goranger ? Would anybody want to sit through what might be considered the cheesier days? Several experiments were done and most of them aged badly as flawed prototypes or became a staple item. Kagaku Sentai Dynaman had the Dyna Tector which was an experimental concept. Ryu H...

This week's episode of King-Ohger starts with Gira's return. Yes, Gira has returned to the spotlight and it's nice to have him back. This week's plot almost reminds me of that plot device from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive . I gave the show a second opinion of a show that I just hated too much based on some Bandwagon effect. I think the Corona Aurora could've been a good plot IF it wasn't for that lousy schedule by Disney. It seems that the Corona Aurora is about to redeem itself here. It's because this episode is about a magic crown endowed with powers.   The scenario has Gira facing off Racules and Daigorg. Racules does get surprised to learn that Gira's still alive. This is an uneasy alliance between the self-entitled idiot Racules AND the Bugnarok. Gira can't stand it any longer. Racules reveals another ancient artifact of Shugoddom. It's called the Founder's Crown. Okay, I was thinking about the possibility that the crown may have so...

While I'm enjoying Zyuohger, I really said this, "For the 40 seasons of Super Sentai, I would dare believe that every time innovation happens that the main focus is on how to sell more toys." Super Sentai is more of a children's show. Adults belong to the secondary market while children are the primary market. Older audiences may still enjoy it with their children or nephews or for some, with their grandchildren. Let's take a look at a lot of gimmicks that have been created for a very long time. Analyzing the gimmicks Toei made throughout the years for Super Sentai may help provide an insight to what went on with Toei's research and development for selling toys. I even felt that happened during Zyuohger's and Kamen Rider Ghost's meeting in each other's shows. Zyuoh Eagle and Kamen Rider Ghost looking at each other's weapons made me want to think it's a message that says, "Don't forget to buy our toys!"

Looking back at the glorious fighting out-of-suit scenes in Super Sentai and extension Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Metal Hero, and Other Heroes for the past couple of years (but screw you ToQGer and Ninninger for not doing that), some Super Sentai groups went from the traditional "beating mooks out of suit and just your fists and kicks" to actually drawing weapons. I still felt like, "WTF!" at times but again, the theme may have called for it. The question is where did they even store it? I even wanted to question where do they keep their weapons when they're not fighting in suits? Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger Unlike its predecessors, Zyuranger was based on warrior tribes' lineage. That theme would get repeated over and over again in several other series. Some did it better, others didn't but you can't deny how the Zyurangers went from traditional fighting unarmed against foot soldiers (and at times monsters) unmorphed but also that they really fough...

After writing on two articles on swordsmanship namely non-red ranger swordsmen and them red swordsmen , I just thought of that line by Yuusuke Amemiya/Red Falcon in Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai movie. The statement was, "How can a frightened sword like that defeat enemies?" This was the lesson that Gaku Washio learned from Yuusuke when they met. So I thought I might make some instances where the enemy supposedly had a stronger sword but was defeated at the end of the duel. I'll give a few examples below. In Bioman episode 30, Doctor Man had a powerful katana prepared for the Mantis Kans. In this episode, even if the katana may seem "superior". At the hands of Monster who was an incompetent guy, Shiro Gou/Red One managed to really get over the dilemma of the samurai sword. Mantis Kans soon had that super powered katana that split even the Bio Shield into two but cleverness and proper use of the Super Maser saved the day.

After watching the interview of Michiko Makino , she had revealed that the fire sword stunt had a prop sword wrapped in oil-soaked rags and placed on fire. It was really that hot! As much as some may call it the "flames of courage" but at times, I felt it was too reckless and not to mention too risky to be given more screen time. In Kakuranger, there was the time when Sasuke used the Flaming Shogun Sword in episode 20 against the Hanarangers. If one notices the scene, the flaming sword wasn't used all the time. I guess they used more than one prop sword filming that awesome scene because it's a very risky scene to do. As for Muteki Daishogun's finisher, it was the usual use of already filmed stock footage for robots executing their mecha. Goseiger gave the same treatment for its robot Gosei Great's finishing move.

Just a start, just because a show appears here doesn't mean I dislike the show. I'm just pointing out which suits I felt weren't really in part for my taste. I've watched some Battle Fever J and I'll admit, it's a pretty cool show even if it's really that old Super Sentai. I'll admit this wasn't really what I had in mind when it came to costume innovation. I was amazed how this suit was made for the one-shot X-1 Mask in Maskman. I just thought that I'm not such a fan of minimalist designs. Kakuranger is one of them. It might be a fun show but I still can't help but think the suits are bland. The action and other stuff made up for it.

I wrote an entry on cheaper-looking swords for Super Sentai as of late but it would be nice to think of the sharper-looking blades that were done. This is where innovation really did it right with the swords. Kurama Tetsuzan's samurai sword looked pretty sharp. Now why didn't Battle Fever Robo get that kind of blade for the fight scenes? Not enough budget perhaps? Takayuki Hiba/Vul Eagle II uses a samurai in battle. That was a really sharp start, pun intended. While the swords in Bioman didn't look all that impressive, Bio Robo's Super Maser looked amazing. While I could say, "Well that's the 80s." to Red Mask's rather weak looking Masky Blade, the Photoelectron Riser sword was really sharp looking.

While it could be understood that many swords in the 80s Super Sentai looked cheaper than those in later seasons due to the technology that time. I thought about the quality of sword props in later modern Super Sentai seasons weren't really good. Some of the swords of older school Super Sentai from the 90s to last decade looked better than these. So are they immediately promoting the toys directly instead of having to use prop swords? Looks like it. Kyoryuger's Gaburicalibur While Kyoryuger had lots of the main cast doing civilian fight scenes, I thought the Gaburicaliburs really look dull. The civilian fight scenes done by the main cast are still a plus for the show though. ToQGer's Rail Saber Much of ToQGer feels for me, "Is this the best innovation they can come up with?" These Rail Sabers make me think that the crew responsible for design for just almost everything in the show weren't putting their heart into it. Ninninger's Ichibantou I...