#but i was reminded of sentai dynamics and i think the last one that i talked about was tatsuya towards ayase and yuuri

[nebulacritter]

some manga i've read

I have a LOT of manga in my room, so I thought it would be cool to tell you about some of them!

Mr. Villain's Day Off

I first heard about this series when I saw its anime trailer on YouTube. Coincidentally, I found two books of the original manga in my local Barnes and Noble, so that's why I bought them! I like this series because it's a slice-of-life parody of the sentai genre, and I also appreciate the titular character's love of pandas! I even liked how each of the heroes had backstories.

Favorite Character: Mr. Villain

X-Gender

This book was a great pick because it discusses queer topics in a respectful and informative manner. It is an autobiography about the author's experiences with their gender and sexuality, and if you're wondering what "x-gender" means, it's a Japanese term for being nonbinary.

Favorite Character: N/A

Uramichi Oniisan

Oh my god. This series is HILARIOUS. All of the main characters have a dysfunctional, but harmonious dynamic when they work together on stage. Everything Uramichi does or says makes me cry and laugh at the same time.

Favorite Character: Uramichi Omota

Heaven's Design Team

This is another series that makes me laugh, and I've seen clips of the anime before getting my hands on the manga. It reminds me of those "God creating animals" memes that were popular on Twitter back in the 2010's. It's peak edutainment, and each character has a very eccentric personality!

Favorite Characters: Venus and Yokota

Kirby Manga Mania

I decided to give this one a try, because who doesn't love Kirby? The art style is bubbly and bright, and the humor goes off the walls! I find it weird how Kirby talks normally instead of going "poyo poyo" all the time.

Favorite Characters: Kirby and King Dedede

Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General

Yeezus, that's a long title. I picked this one out because I thought the art style looked cool. It's a story about a villainess with a crush on Totally-Not-Batman. I enjoyed the slapstick and the amazing character design.

Favorite Character: N/A

Cells at Work!

Here's another edutainment anime. The depictions of each microorganism are really cool, and I liked the scenes where the cells had to fight off against nasty viruses! It even does a good job at explaining how the body works by providing bits and bobs of information throughout the panels.

Favorite Character: N/A

Little Miss P

I've never seen a manga that talks about periods before, and I'm glad it exists. This book is relatable because I hate it when my period arrives, but I understand getting your period is normal. I'm quite fond of the messy art style, too.

Favorite Characters: N/A

Merman in My Tub

I remember cheerily reblogging and liking posts about it last year, and I still love it to this day! All of the characters have vibrant personalities, and I really like the designs of each merman. This series is light-hearted and goofy, so that's why I think it's awesome.

Favorite Characters: Agari and Echizen

I'm gonna make two more parts later on. The second one will be about cats, and the third one will be about horror.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Cheated

I was so excited when one of my favorite manga, Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru ~Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta~, got an anime adaption. I haven’t done a spotlight on this one just yet, mostly because i waited too long and didn’t want to seem like someone jumping on a bandwagon when the show dropped, but i am very glad that i waited because the anime adaption is bad. I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too is one of the laziest anime adaptions of a rather ambitious manga, I've ever seen in my goddamn life and i hate it so much. Seriously, i love this story a great deal and, while the narrative changes aren’t too egregious, the rest of the production kind of s. Actually, i can’t even say that because this thing i animated beautifully, most of the time, but nothing f*cking happens. Like, we are, what? Nine? Ten episodes in and nothing is happening. Not a goddamn thing.

Listen, o the top, the manga adaption of this light novel is exceptional. I can’t even front n that. The art is exception and the overall character designs come across as inspired. Minatogawa Kazuomi’s art reminds me a lot of Oh! Great but with a much more subtle use of movement and perspective. his book is f*cking gorgeous, man, and i look forward to every update i get. That said, it’s not like the plot is trash, either. Listen, this is an Isekai power fantasy. If you're a  fan of anime or manga, then you know all the hallmarks by now: Overpowered protagonist, multiple heroines, spirited away into a brand new world where our mild mannered, yet, socially righteous lead character finally get recognized for the hero they always have been. By this point, it’s borderline cliche. However, the devil is in the details. It’s how you execute that Isekai formula and i think Miku does an excellent job of doing just that. Cheat Sill isn’t doing anything new with the genre but it does deliver a solid narrative with realized world and strong characters. SO why does the show suck so f*cking bad?

Anime adaptions are always hit or miss but, lately it’s been all hit. My Dress Up Darling, Overlord, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Murder Mittens (Reincarnated as a Sword for those of you who don’t follow me and wouldn’t understand that reference), Spy x Family, Uncle From Another World, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War; All released last year, all straight up bangers in their own right. The future looks amazing, too. The previews for Sentai Daishikkaku and Mato Seihei no Slave look fantastic. Slave is actually on the same list as Cheat Skill and i actually did give it a spotlight. Long story short, sh*t real good. Feels very Nineties with the action and fan service. Looking crazy forward to how that one is received in this day and age, but i digress. How is it all of these other adaptions turned out so fantastic and the one i was looking forward to the most, is ass? Like, it’s not CG Berserk ass but, i mean, sometimes it is. Like, the scenes where you’d think the animation can really flex, I'm talking fantastic fantasy battle sequences or a straight up fist-to-fist scrap, the production values drop off a cliff!

I sh*t you not, when the protagonist travels to the fantasy world and dons his undeniably dope armor, his character model switches to CG and the quality of everything immediately drops. There is no dynamism in the way those models move so trying to actually animate them in a frantic, chaotic, bloody, clash with, say, an ogre, just doesn’t f*cking work. That sh*t should be the stuff you actually hand animate or, at the very least, render your obviously cost-cutting models better. People give UFOtable sh*t about their use of computers but i defy you to give me a better example, in modern anime, on how to blend that CG sh*t with proper animation and produce a product as clean as Demon Slayer or any of the Fate adaptions they’ve made. Bro, i know Heaven’s Fell is a film series but those production values were goddamn brilliant. That’s the type of sh*t i want out of my CG animation, not these overly stiff, action robbing, computer models every studio looking to save a penny or two, seems to default on. It’s so frustrating to seem especially coming from a studio like TMS Entertainment. They’ve been around since the goddamn Forties! You’d think they’d have enough experience in the industry not to release such frustratingly mid content! Seriously, if you’re interested, at all, in I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too, read the manga. The anime does not do these characters, that narrative, or he entire world any justice.

[smokeybrand]

Cheated

I was so excited when one of my favorite manga, Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru ~Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta~, got an anime adaption. I haven’t done a spotlight on this one just yet, mostly because i waited too long and didn’t want to seem like someone jumping on a bandwagon when the show dropped, but i am very glad that i waited because the anime adaption is bad. I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too is one of the laziest anime adaptions of a rather ambitious manga, I've ever seen in my goddamn life and i hate it so much. Seriously, i love this story a great deal and, while the narrative changes aren’t too egregious, the rest of the production kind of s. Actually, i can’t even say that because this thing i animated beautifully, most of the time, but nothing f*cking happens. Like, we are, what? Nine? Ten episodes in and nothing is happening. Not a goddamn thing.

Listen, o the top, the manga adaption of this light novel is exceptional. I can’t even front n that. The art is exception and the overall character designs come across as inspired. Minatogawa Kazuomi’s art reminds me a lot of Oh! Great but with a much more subtle use of movement and perspective. his book is f*cking gorgeous, man, and i look forward to every update i get. That said, it’s not like the plot is trash, either. Listen, this is an Isekai power fantasy. If you're a  fan of anime or manga, then you know all the hallmarks by now: Overpowered protagonist, multiple heroines, spirited away into a brand new world where our mild mannered, yet, socially righteous lead character finally get recognized for the hero they always have been. By this point, it’s borderline cliche. However, the devil is in the details. It’s how you execute that Isekai formula and i think Miku does an excellent job of doing just that. Cheat Sill isn’t doing anything new with the genre but it does deliver a solid narrative with realized world and strong characters. SO why does the show suck so f*cking bad?

Anime adaptions are always hit or miss but, lately it’s been all hit. My Dress Up Darling, Overlord, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Murder Mittens (Reincarnated as a Sword for those of you who don’t follow me and wouldn’t understand that reference), Spy x Family, Uncle From Another World, BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War; All released last year, all straight up bangers in their own right. The future looks amazing, too. The previews for Sentai Daishikkaku and Mato Seihei no Slave look fantastic. Slave is actually on the same list as Cheat Skill and i actually did give it a spotlight. Long story short, sh*t real good. Feels very Nineties with the action and fan service. Looking crazy forward to how that one is received in this day and age, but i digress. How is it all of these other adaptions turned out so fantastic and the one i was looking forward to the most, is ass? Like, it’s not CG Berserk ass but, i mean, sometimes it is. Like, the scenes where you’d think the animation can really flex, I'm talking fantastic fantasy battle sequences or a straight up fist-to-fist scrap, the production values drop off a cliff!

I sh*t you not, when the protagonist travels to the fantasy world and dons his undeniably dope armor, his character model switches to CG and the quality of everything immediately drops. There is no dynamism in the way those models move so trying to actually animate them in a frantic, chaotic, bloody, clash with, say, an ogre, just doesn’t f*cking work. That sh*t should be the stuff you actually hand animate or, at the very least, render your obviously cost-cutting models better. People give UFOtable sh*t about their use of computers but i defy you to give me a better example, in modern anime, on how to blend that CG sh*t with proper animation and produce a product as clean as Demon Slayer or any of the Fate adaptions they’ve made. Bro, i know Heaven’s Fell is a film series but those production values were goddamn brilliant. That’s the type of sh*t i want out of my CG animation, not these overly stiff, action robbing, computer models every studio looking to save a penny or two, seems to default on. It’s so frustrating to seem especially coming from a studio like TMS Entertainment. They’ve been around since the goddamn Forties! You’d think they’d have enough experience in the industry not to release such frustratingly mid content! Seriously, if you’re interested, at all, in I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too, read the manga. The anime does not do these characters, that narrative, or he entire world any justice.

[heartvisor]

[nearlybanjou]

In case anyone was interested in hearing some small thoughts and opinions on all the Sentai I have watched here are some 1:30am musings I had while updating my watched list. Will perhaps make a similar list for my Kamen Rider thoughts, but not tonight. Also if anyone wants to talk to me about any of these seasons or wants more thoughts™️ just let me know.

Gokaiger was the first Sentai I ever watched and the amount of love I have for it and the amount of joy even thinking about it brings me? Indescribable. I’ve rewatched it fully through I think 4 times?? And my favorite episodes even more. And it’s my favorite because I love cocky assholes with hearts of gold. Marvelous is probably one of my favorite all time characters, with Luka right behind him, and the rest of the Gokaigers following.

Magiranger was the first thing I watched after finishing Gokaiger because I made the executive decision that I was gonna watch all the sentai that appeared in Gokaiger in the order they appeared. Never really followed through on that, but I did finish Magiranger and it slaps hard. Family antics 10/10. I also loved Hikaru and Urara and was extremely soft for them. Also immediately loved the vampire girls. Don’t remember much outside of that.

For some reason I watched a lot of go-onger and then just stopped? Like don’t remember when I stopped, or why, but I definitely watched a good chunk of it. The engines are all very good and I love Bomper. Also had many love for gold and silver (whose names I’m forgetting oops) and remember being overly fond in an “I hate it” kinda way about Sosuke’s hair…

For go-busters, the same thing happened to me that happened to me with go-ongers, as in I watched a shit ton of it and then just stopped? For no reason?? I loved it too. Hiromu? And Nick? Top tier. Tbh all the buddyroids slapped so hard. Was practically bawling during the Gokaiger/go-buster movie when they use up their vaccine programs and lose their personalities. This reminded me that I need to rewatch this.

Kyoryuger I watched all of and for some reason can never remember how to spell? Was acceptable? I love King, and Ian with his “oh my” at every occasion, and really all of them because they’re all quality. But didn’t leave that much of a lasting impression tbh.

ALL OF MY KIDS IN TOQGER!!!!! I MISS THEM!!!! This is one of my favorite Sentai! Truly so wholesome (and then really dark and when I say that shit HURTED...) and then wholesome again!! I loved the dynamic between Right and Zed and everything about Akira. He was so good! And Ticket and Wagon were a constant mood. Also I think the Toqgers have the best like crossover movie interactions. I especially loved the Gaim crossover and like to imagine that Kouta visits Right and they’re friends and hang out.

Kyuranger shocked me with how much I loved it, because there were so many of them, but the like found family feels I was able to pull from it?? So good. Lucky is one of my favorite soft, clueless boys, and I looooove Stinger because assholes with hearts of gold are my favorite, and he deserves all the love. When he made those plushies I was in tears he’s so good. Also all of the scenes with Spada feeding everyone gave me real me at my friends vibes and I was living for it 10/10 very good vibes.

Lupat also holds a strong hold in my heart. Thought I do remember while watching it constantly thinking how it was like a season of filler episodes with maybe? 7ish episode of plot?? Maybe?? But who could possibly need more plot when you instead have antics?? And just watching Keichiiro and Kairi both develop and like become soft for each other through the series?? That shit hurted.

I fully watched all of Ryusoulger, actually bought myself a toy for the first time, and still fully forgot that it existed until I remembered the Lupat crossover was happening and watched it. Not to say I didn’t love all of them very much, but this season was a little (lot) forgettable to me. I do love Kreon with my entire heart tho, he deserved better.

In conclusion I need to watch more Sentai, and have actually (in the past) got like 8 episodes into Gekiranger, Zyougher, and am currently watching Kiramager and enjoying the antics, especially the episode where they all ganged up and made poor baby Juru collapse. I do really want to watch Jetman, Megaranger, Timeranger and Hurricainger soon

[venus-says]

Mashin Sentai Kiramager Episode ZERO

It's a shame this wasn't released last year, it would perfectly match the Aikatsu and Prichan themes.

So, I have no experience with Sentai, the closest I got to it was a few Power Ranger seasons I watched as a kid, now that I started watching Kamen Rider it was just natural that someday I'd dip my toes in the sentai world and seeing that a new season is starting I thought this was a good time to start.

But what really drove me to decide to watch this show was seeing people I follow on twitter commenting about it, which lead to me watching the press conference where I saw many resemblances of Hikaru from Star Twinkle and their Red and seeing how my road with Hikaru was full of highs and lows it got me curious to see how a different show would tackle a similar character.

Of course, in this Episode Zero the Red doesn't appear much, which is understandable since this is supposed to be another perspective on what I believe will be the first episode of the show, but it was good to have some sense of the tone of this show and it was quite interesting. I wonder how much of this backstory will eventually be used in-show because they have some very crucial stuff here and I'm afraid they're gonna pull a Kamen Rider and make important explanations to happen only in an extra release that not everyone will have access to. But that's a thing for the future, let me focus on the now.

I have to admit, this episode kinda started in the bad side with me because I really don't like the look of the Crystalians, the black guy who's revealed to be with the villains looks kinda decent in his original form, but gosh Mabushina and her dad creep the fuck out of me. I think it's the eyes and the mouth being part of the mask and not moving, I know it was probably the only way to do it using a mask but still, I don't like it. And gosh they also have hair which makes everything way weirder and just makes me want to run to the mountains. I think the whole Crystalia crew doesn't speak well with me because I also don't like the Kirama Stones, again I get that that's probably the only way to make sentient gems without having to spend a whole bunch of money with extra CGI every episode, this still doesn't make them sit well with me.

And I think this is the biggest problem for me of this entire "movie" that is everything seems very fake. I don't know if it's a problem with the acting, or if is the fact they had a limited amount of time and they had way too much stuff they wanted to do so they took off transitions which gives the impression of everything being staged. I guess the answer to this will only come up when I actually watch the show.

Going into characters, to start I don't know anyone's name, I watched this without subs I didn't catch their names so I'll be calling them for their colors.

I feel like we have a very odd dynamic where everyone else in this team is super special but the Red, who's supposed to be the main character is this random awkward high school kid, which is not to say that this isn't interesting it just seems like an odd choice. Red can be an interesting character but if they don't tone him down a bit after a few episodes I feel like he'll just become annoying so I hope they work well with his character. Green seems like a lot of fun, she's probably my favorite of the Kiramagers, which is odd to say since she didn't do a lot but she has left a very good impression on me. Blue is the one who left me the most disappointed, when we first see him he's acting and the Blue Kiramastone chooses him because of his abilities with a sword, and so I thought "oh hey, they gonna make a joke out of this" because you know acted fights are more choreography than actual skill so I this would become a thing where he was scouted for his sword skills but he has none, but no, he does have abilities with a sword, and he's the stoic douche bag type too... I feel like I'll have problems with him. Yellow didn't leave much of an impression on me, I really don't remember anything about him other than he's a gamer. Pink is a bit of frustration because I wanted the more feminine to not be associated with the pink color, but that's just a personal thing because she's a lot of fun as well, there's a moment during the fight where she uses one of the pawns as a bench and she sits there and start shooting people and I'm living for it, but I'll call bs if she has her age revealed and she's not at least 25, if she's a well-known surgeon she shouldn't be as young as the rest of the cast, don't screw this up, please. Surprisingly enough the character I liked the most was the PPAP guy, I thought he would be very extra and annoying but I really enjoyed the dude, he seems like a good support guy and I'm glad he's a part of this.

Lastly, going into the visuals, I absolutely hate their transformation items, there's no reason for them to be that big. The suits alone look very pajama-y to me, I don't know if it's because they're too sparkly or if I'm just not used to it, but I like the "accessories" of it, like the belt looks like a seat belt which is fun, the shoulder pads look good, and I really like the sash that simulates a street and the gem on top is like a vehicle in said street. But what really sells this suit is the helmets! Those helmets look good as hell, the gems are so beautiful and sparkly I LOVE IT! I'm not the biggest fan of their weapons, because they're all one color for the entire group and this color is a color that is part of the team so it seems like everyone is just using Blue's weapons, but I like how they divided Yellow and Pink as range fighters with the guns, and Green and Blue as close-range fighters, it's diverse and I like the dynamic. It's fun that the gun has to be loaded with medals, it reminded me of OOO, but I'm not sure why are that a thing and I'm confused about this element being present.

I think that's all I have to say. I'm still not sure if I'll cover this show weekly, or even if I'll cover it all, but I'll be watching the show at least for the first month or so and I wanted to share how my first contact with Sentai was so that's what this post was for. What are your thoughts on Kiramager? Let me know in the comments, also please tell me if you're interested in seeing me cover this series weekly, and please leave suggestion of other seasons that I should watch, I don't think I'll be tackling Sentai in the same way I'm watching the previous Kamen Rider series because I already have way too much in my plate but I wanna watch other seasons and I want some recommendations. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I'll see you all in the future (hopefully). Bye-bye~

[narashikari]

Kamen Rider Zi-O Episode 1

So... um, that happened.

Honestly... the season’s not off to a great start for me. I already got a lot of question marks just based off the spoilers I got, but watching the actual episode made me utterly confused. But it did have a lot of potential and I really hope it gets exploited throughout the series.

Anyways, onto the review.

1. First: the theme song. Admittedly I wasn’t too keen on it when I heard it first, but upon re-listening and watching the visuals, I like it better. It’s not quite as catchy as Be the One or Excite or even W-B-X ~W Boiled Extreme~ was for me so it might take a few episodes for it to make my toku playlist (and yes, I have one. I listen to it on my commute home!)

2. Our main characters:

Sougo... might get some getting used to.

As Cam Watanabe would say, “Ladies and gentlemen... the defender(s) of the universe.”

His apparently honest reply of wanting to be a king almost borders on megalomania, which makes it utterly hilarious but also a little grating when it got repetitive. Like, I get it kid, you’re basically a human Simba. You just can’t wait to be king.

He does seem to have good intentions though, and good-hearted like most of the other Riders. Which kinda made me scratch my head as to why anyone would think he’s possibly the demon king. Aside from the fact he’d be 68 by the the future character’s time and probs not in any condition to fight unless timey wimey shenanigans is involved?

There’s also this... kinda below-the-belt shot

It’s an in-your-face way to him apart from Sento, who’s a genius, albeit amnesiac, physicist (probably). It’s inevitable that we draw comparisons between them especially since Sento does appear in the episode... but it’s still a little too straightforward. 

Geitsu... is totally my type.

The first thing I said upon seeing him is “Wow, he’s cute!” 

I feel like he’s kinda like Takeru from Shinkenger- this totally intense, duty-driven guy who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders... but has a hidden side of him that’s a total dork and adorable. I mean, seriously. 

How subtle does he think he is, trying to hide a giant red robot ala Super Sentai out in the open like that? And looking around the corner like that kinda looks cute imo. I hope we get to see both sides of him equally!

Also, i love his last name. Myokoin. 明光. It means bright light. So poetic. 

Tsukuyomi... is fucking awesome!

HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE WE HAD A BADASS LADY COMPANION IN KAMEN RIDER? Like... Drive, maybe, with Kiriko, who totally should’ve been a Rider herself?

She catches SENTO AND RYUUGA off guard for fuck’s sake!

(Sento’s face is pure gold, btw. I wish I could’ve seen Ryuuga’s. Heh.)

I really hope she lives up to her potential and stay as badass as she is in this episode!

Woz... is he supposed to be an expy of Double’s Philip with a creepy servant vibe added?

Seriously. The hairdo, his clothes, the giant book he’s lugging around... that’s definitely a callback to Philip. Even his matter-of-fact way of speaking resembles Philip’s. Except when he goes into his creepy-servant-mode... then he kinda reminds me of Sebastian from Black Butler. The servant who’ll do anything for you... in exchange for your soul!!

And yeah, I also got some kicks out of that monologue he spouts when Sougo first henshins. Speaking of henshin...

3. 

So, this commander just chooses a random person fated to die to become an Another Rider? And one who couldn’t be more different from Sento, too. There goes my theory about the Another Riders being parallels to the actual Riders.

I get the feeling each of the commanders will have different reasons to choose specific people to become Another Riders, but it’s too early for me to really speculate.

(Also... does anyone else also feel a Philip vibe to this guy? Or maybe Micchy? Is it just me?)

4. Also speaking of henshin: The suits for this season... are a little meh for me. Their suits being based off metal watches are kind of a hit and miss for me. I don’t particularly enjoy wearing metal watches so seeing them on a Rider suit is a little jarring, but I see why they went with the aesthetic. That said, I like the kana on the visor and how it’s not as blatant as Shinkenger’s or Kingranger’s kanji was. And the actual henshin pose is pretty awesome and fun with how it incorporates the belt’s rotating mechanism.

5. I will say... It was NOT a good idea to go straight into the Build tribute right in the first episode.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I didn’t want to see Sento and Ryuuga again. In fact my reaction to this scene...

...was basically to literally scream and joyfully squeal so hard the bed shook. (Yes, I am a shameless fangirl. Sue me. I love me some Best Match boys.)

But I think it would’ve been way better if they focused more on establishing Sougo, Geitsu and Tsukuyomi and showcase their dynamics for an episode or two prior to jumping into the tributes/cameos. Honestly I felt like Sento and Ryuuga’s cameos (brief as they are) kinda disrupted that.

However on the flip side...

6. SENTO AND RYUUGA ARE BACK (just for the first two weeks BUT STILL)

MY BABIES! MY ADORABLE BUNNY BOY AND MY TOUGH DRAGON DUDE! 

7. AND ALSO, THIS IMMENSELY CONFUSED ME

Like, isn’t Zi-O supposed to be in the post-Build finale, no-Sky-Wall world Sento created? So why does Sougo show up in the Buildverse pre-Build finale? Did Geitsu accidentally throw them into another timeline instead of just the past? Or, maybe... is it possible that the Zi-Overse is just the Buildverse’s distant future after Sento recreates the universe without Evolt*, and Sougo just travels that far back?

*I don’t really know how to explain this theory succinctly, I might make a separate post about it another day.

I suppose the weirdness might be because Zi-O probably started pre-production long before Build wrapped up, so the Zi-O crew didn’t really know how Build would’ve ended. Though with Build’s director involved in the episode, I’m not sure why it wasn’t discarded when he came on- he should’ve known that this would be very odd airing right after Build’s finale.

Also, the fact that Sougo travels to before the finale means that Sento and Ryuuga’s cameo is from before they eloped ran off together... in this ep at least, since we haven’t seen the bit where they were wearing Satou Tarou gear and handing the Build and Cross-Z Ride Watches in the previews. So maybe the next episode will explain all the timey wimey shenanigans. And maybe tell us what those two did after riding into the sunset together like a couple out of a shoujo manga 

8. All in all, I’d say I’m definitely apprehensive about continuing this season. The whole anniversary thing is already making me nervous since a) I’m only familiar with the post-Decade series and b) I have the tendency to compare such series to Gokaiger. Not to mention I’ll always compare it to the likes of Build and Double (the first season I watched and the first season i finished respectively). 

However, it is just the first episode and there are a year’s worth of episodes, tributes and Rider cameos to wait for so I’m also excited for the season! Hopefully Sougo and co. will live up to the hype and the legacy the other Heisei Riders left behind!

[furederiko]

Countdown Counter: 7. Does having doubt and hesitation a good thing when the universe is on the brink of an all-out annihilation? Kyuranger 42 demands Lucky to firmly answer said question...

- Having cleared out the Hell's Gate, the Space Rebellion immediately moves forward through the tunnel to enter Planet Southern Cross. Last episode's bait and switch twist worked out nicely, but what kind of repercussion would it bring to the team? Well, thanks to the reveal that Aslan is an actual puppet of Don Armage, Lucky is now completely out of his zone. I think it would have been easier for him had Aslan has already been dead like Kukuruga said. But things like this is definitely Armage's sly way of doing things. And this doubt and hesitation lingers on throughout the mecha battle too... - Prior to the cool galactic battle, Tsurugi tells Lucky to resolve his mind: choose the universe, or his father. Tsurugi himself seems to be dealing with his own ordeal, with that mysterious chest pain lingering ever since he saw Southern King's vision. Further more, Mecha-Madako also delivers a secret message from Armage to him. The Shogun wants to meet him in person! This could be another confirmation that Armage is indeed someone... 'familiar' to him. Just a theory but... I don't know, perhaps someone who stole his immortality? Which might explain why he seems to be reaching his limit. - By the way, the first mecha sequence is against Jark Matter's special welcoming committee. A horde of giant Tsuyo-Indavers, Consumarz, Unit-00, along with Mecha-Anton new creation: the hideous and enormous Akyacchuga. As the name suggests, that's Akyanba + Tecchu + Kukuruga as one unit. In the words of Spada later on, a "three-course" offering. Yikes! - There's an even bigger problem at hand. Apparently, a huge amount of Planetium stolen from various other planets is being stored inside the planet's core. Naga and Raptor who stays on board the Battle Orion Ship to analyze the core (as well as tending wounded Garu at bay with Caesar), discover that it is acting as a huge planetary-sized bomb with the potential to wipe out the entire universe! Since the Summer movie took cues from "Star Wars" and its Death Star plot, I wonder if this Planetium Bomb is also another homage to that space opera? Or could this be a nod to "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" instead? Hmmm... - Suffice to say, they need to shut down the planet's core right away. Unfortunately, Akyacchuga is NOT a force to be reckon with, since even Kyutamajin (with 4 people short though) couldn't handle it. To make matters worse, Masked-Aslan uses the opportunity to blast Orion Voyager's cockpit. Creating a hole wide open on the right shoulder, he then invades the Battle Orion Ship to personally exterminate Leo Red Orion. Yep, it takes 42 episodes to admit, but this is undoubtedly the most fatal design error of not just one, but ALL of Kyuranger's mecha. - Leo Red Orion is too focused on freeing Masked-Aslan from his mind control. Both Naga and Raptor are injured because of that, so Phoenix Soldier jumps out to aide them by throwing Masked-Aslan off bridge. This forces Draco Commander to downgrade Kyutamajin to Ryutei Kyuren-Oh amidts its battle against Akyacchuga. Of course, that means things aren't looking good so there's no other choice for the team but to retreat into the shadow using the Vulpecula Kyu Globe. NOTE: I'd argue that Naga could have used his freezing glare to stop Masked-Aslan. It would be far effective than trying to transform. But perhaps he got caught up by the moment and couldn't pull it off... - We get a quiet 'stealth' moment before the action heats up again, and it's a strong one that showcases the strength of the team. Minor details that remind us how close they have become as a family. Tsurugi keeps up his role as the strict but caring figure with his 'tough love'. Hammy continues to be the voice of conscience and logic for them, in this case for someone she initially disliked. Stinger openly reminds him to the time he had a similar situation with Scorpio, and returns the favor. While Naga (with the help of Balance's mechanical expertise to tweak machines) devises an utterly clever plan to use his very own Black Hole Kyu Globe to swallow the Planetium Bomb's explosion. They wouldn't have been able to do this, without experiencing growth throughout the series. So it's a strong point for the show, and proof of good writing that brings everyone together. - Thanks to everyone's help (including Garu who has woken up thanks to new BFF Caesar's energy), Lucky is back to his usual self. He makes up his mind that he doesn't have to choose. Because as always he's going to rely on his fortune to save both the universe and his dad at the same time. It seems Tsurugi is doing the same, for he soon will be heading out to address Don Armage's private invitation, and get the answer to the Shogun's outrageous ambition to annihilate everything. - Phase 1 is Round 2 between all mechas against Akyacchuga! Each part of the MotW showcase their unique abilities. Kukuruga's trick to absorb attacks. Akyanba's sound sorcery to take control of Orion Battler. And poor Tecchu with... I guess his thing is that chainball bit? LOL. The Vice Shogun's Triangle Burst is no match to Orion Big Bang Cannon, so this is their final moment in the show. - Phase 2 is the team sans Tsurugi landing on the planet's core to infiltrate the main base. Their goals are: set up the Black Hole Generator created by Balance, and rescue Aslan. With Commander Xiao and Raptor guarding the Battle Orion Ship, will the remaining 9 members (oh hey, KYUU-ranger!) succeed? We'll see...

Overall: Dynamic mecha battles at the start and end of one episode? That's a pleasant surprise. Not to mention the long absent formation of Ryutei Kyuren-Oh's reappearance. I admit that half of the episode was focused on Lucky's ordeal. That might have scratched several audience the wrong way. But I personally just loved how the bits and pieces from earlier stories were neatly piled up and connected to one other, as we got to see Lucky's friends returning the favor and leading him out of his hesitation. That deserved a thumbs up, even if it played a bit like dejavu to the first half of episode 12. Inspite of that, the entire episode felt intense, the stake was dire, and the plot built up wonderfully to what would be the best episode of the series. This felt like a penultimate episode, and I honestly hope that's not the case... Next week: An explosive climax in the Southern Cross... PS: In case you haven't noticed, this recap is more than a week late! I sort of 'lost' my internet connection some time around December 13th, and inevitably was forced to be completely OFFLINE ever since my last post. Took me almost two weeks to finally back online! With that said, recap for episode 43 which had already aired on Christmas Eve will also arrive later today. At the very least, I'll push for it to go up before the year 2017 ends... *sigh*

Episode 42 Score: 8,3 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: December 29th, 2017 - Version 3.10. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[recentanimenews]

Talking TRIGGER with the Masterminds Behind PROMARE

  The folks at Studio TRIGGER (Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia) have a long and impressive history within the anime industry, from some of Gainax's biggest productions to TRIGGER's own debut feature anime film, PROMARE. With GKIDS' North American theatrical screenings right around the corner on September 17 and 19, we had the opportunity to fire some questions off at director Hiroyuki Imaishi and the Studio TRIGGER team. 

  Read on for some insight into the production and how it builds off the previous work of Imaishi and co.!

    PROMARE seems like it has the same kind of structure as one of your long form TV anime series, and you can see how the big reveals would have played out in the second half of a 12 or 24-episode run. Was it always going to be a movie?

  Yes, we were planning to have PROMARE be a movie from the very start.

  The CG aspects allow for some really dynamic shots. Is there anything in particular you like about computer animation that you can’t pull off as easily with traditional methods?

  I think the biggest thing is the camera work that would be impossible to express via hand-drawn animation.

  In Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill, every episode seemed like a concerted effort to top the last. Do you feel the same pressure in your career, and do you find it difficult to keep ramping up the intensity with each new project?

  When we first started, we kept thinking that we have to surpass Gurren Lagann or Kill la Kill! But once we settled down, we figured that that kind of thinking would make us fail. So as we started talking to the staff, we decided to just forget about Gurren Lagann or Kill la Kill and make what we think would be interesting. We changed our mindset.

  The opening of PROMARE reminds me of a Super Sentai show, especially when Galo and the Burning Rescue Fire Department roll out into the city in their vehicles. Can you talk a little about the influences that went into this project? 

  There’s not one particular influence, but we were inspired by many action films.

  As far as aesthetics go, there are a ton of harsh angles throughout PROMARE. Triangles, squares; right down to the rectangular lens flare. How do you go about establishing a unique style for each anime you work on, and how early in the project do you introduce specific visual thematic elements? 

  We started production on this film with the intent of challenging ourselves to create art styles and visuals that are difficult to achieve in TV anime. And for that, we required the help of international artists and the designer, Shigeto Koyama.

  Without spoiling anything, are there any characters or side stories you wish you could have spent more time exploring in PROMARE? 

  We wanted to depict more of the action of Vulcan.

  You've worked closely with writer Kazuki Nakashima on many projects. How has your creative process together evolved over the years, and what makes the two of you such an ideal pairing?

  Mr. Nakashima would take my ideas and add more interesting and fun elements. There aren’t that many scriptwriters who can do that.

  When I first watched PROMARE I described it to someone as “extremely TRIGGER” and “even more extremely Hiroyuki Imaishi.” What is the essence of TRIGGER to you at this point? 

  I think the essence of TRIGGER is that the directors and the teams make what they think is fun and interesting.

   Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions!

    PROMARE hits North American theaters with the English dub on September 17, followed by subtitled showings on September 19. You can check theaters and get tickets via the official website. 

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[furederiko]

The 2nd episode of Kyuranger paves way for an intriguing Duo of Thieves!

- Our episode opens with "The Space Shogunate, Jark Matter has designated the insurgent force Rebellion's Kyurangers..." Wow. Looks like the Shogunate is controlling the media as well, because the news comes up really quick. LOL at that bounty photos. Even Lucky is showing a "For real?" expression on his headshot. Hahaha. - As hinted last week, we get to see two more core characters of this show. Namely, the golden-colored robot(?) Balance (VA: Yuuki Ono, whose image song as Wen Yang in "Dynasty Warriors" series is to-die-for), and the silver-haired humanoid Naga Rei (Taiki Yamazaki) whose name might be derived from 'Nagareboshi' that means 'Shooting Star' in Japanese. Gold and Silver? Yep, that's a bit on-the-nose, eh? Both of them are already introduced in the opening, so not really a surprise. This duo is located in an industrial planet called Planet Jigama, and are inhibiting contrasting personalities. Hmmm... - Hooo... interesting! Raptor is briefing Lucky and Garu about the Jark Matter's... pyramid organizational structure! We actually always had this in past titles, but I think this is the first time it's been charted so... neatly. Above the cannon fodd... er I mean Combatants, there are Malisters (Daikaan in Japanese) who are essentially the MotWs. In higher rank, there are Menasters (Karo) who represents the 88 constellation systems (That's A LOT). And on top is Don Armage himself as the Shogun. I think the more important part would be that top-left part, the "Lecture by Raptor 283", because she IS acting like a lecturer. A strict one at that. I told you last week that her personality would clash with Hammy's, and well... it's happening already. LOL. We need more of this internal conflicts! By the way, Over-Time has changed Dorado Yellow's naming from Sparda into Spada (as well as Planet Jagama into Jigama, and Malicestrate into Menasters), which might be more appropriate. So I'll be following suit in my reviews. - Updated opening sequence! Lucky and Garu are in it now. Judging from the preview and the pattern so far, we're going to get the complete (9 Kyurangers) version come episode 5! Hey, I just noticed the sequence actually includes scenes from this episode too. Hope this trend continues. Oh, and yeah, the Lacerta Kyu Globe (Tokage/Lizard) has also debuted in this episode! During the CM that is (Kyuranger Choco!!!)... LOL. - Dumb Lucky is trusting people TOO easily. I'm considering to call him Dumb-Luck from now on. In case you're wondering why Balance and Naga call themselves as BN Thieves, that's simply their initials put together. All those colored-skinned aliens reminds me of "Guardians of the Galaxy", but this diner scene also easily reminds me of Star Wars' Mos Eisley. Does this mean the BN Thieves are nods to Han Solo (or should I say, Duo)? I used to think that way last week, in that Naga might be serving as a Han-esque figure, while Balance as his Chewbacca. But it seems I might have been inaccurate. In fact, Naga's lack of emotion might be a nod to a particular Marvel's movie character instead: Drax the Destroyer! Then again, he also has that lack of social knowledge, that makes him feels like... a robot? A clone? Okay, hold that thought. Turns out everyone in his silver-haired planet also LOOKS the same. Creepy. Like, "Children of the Corn"-level creepy. By the way, Naga's actor looks so MUCH better without that silver wig. It's amazing the effect of make up to people, right? - Dumb-Luck is also very naive, isn't he? Or perhaps, too... optimistic? But that's why I can't hate him, because he's basically acting like a little brat. Speaking of personality, Balance is VERY lively. And he's sleazy too. I LOVE HIM already LOL. He reminds me of Hondo Ohnaka from "Star Wars REBELS". The fansub might not reflect it, but he has a habit of spouting slang and/or making wordplay in his speech. Like that line "Nice to meetcha!"? In Japanese he actually uses the word 'Shiku-yoro' instead of the spelling-correct 'Yoroshiku'. Perhaps, this is his character's signature style? He makes a fun pair with Naga though. One half who doesn't know how to express emotions (and longs to obtain ones), the other is expressing a little too much (without caring for other's emotions). There's a hint that Balance is just using Naga though, so I can't help but wonder how the two of them get together in the first place? Hmmm... - We have a big cast, and that's a fact. Which is probably why, the transformation and stylish roll calls are incorporated in the battle. I like this approach. Of course, this goes for the Kyurangers who are not taking the spotlight. In this case, it's the other Kyurangers beside Lucky, who plot-wise, are put to the side. That's both the advantage and disadvantage of having a big cast. - Our MotW is Malistrate Gammetsui, who seems to be based on... a turtle? Salamander? He's the boss of Jigama, and he's interested about the Kyuranger's 50 million bounty. But the team is divided into two, so which one will he target? Lucky for him, it's Dumb-Luck's team. What about the other team? Eridron (who shoots arrows, obviously, since he's from Sagittarius) himself deals with Spada and the rest. This is just episode 2, but already a Menaster is on the front line? And forcing our heroes to run for their life? NICE. After all, it's 9 Kyurangers against... the galaxy *sigh*. - Great Gawd, Dumb-Luck triggers the alarm on purpose, and calls it LUCK *smh*. He sees the good in everything, doesn't he? Holy twist, Balance actually SELLS OUT Lucky to Gammetsui. That's 'GOI-SU'!! (FYI, 'Sugoi' means 'Awesome', but you've probably known that already). All for the sake of the blue-colored treasure he's trying to steal. Technically, he's acting like the episode's 2nd MotW, much to Naga's dismay. Hence, the part where Naga chooses to be a 'friend' for Lucky and betrays him, gives Balance the shock of his life. Worse that that, Lucky actually believes that all these are merely Balance's plan? He IS that naive, eh? Wait till he knows the truth... - Which won't happen. LOL. Of course, Balance's conscience wins over him, thus he chooses to rescue Naga. It seems they are connected with a bond that's stronger than... wait a sec?! Why do they remind me of... C3PO and R2D2?!! OvO... Anyways, thanks to this rescue, we get to know who, or WHAT exactly Balance is. He's a machine organism who has the ability to control other machines. Basically, like the antagonists of "Chouriki Sentai Ohranger". Hmm... it'd be great if he is from one, right? Because that would make both series canon. Naga on the other hand, has the ability to freeze enemies just by glaring at them with his glowing green eyes. A neat nod to Greek Myth's Medusa, perhaps? - Balance wants to team up with Lucky to get loots, and also emotions for Naga. So definitely NOT in this to play a hero. He blatantly says this goal outloud, and Lucky's okay with it! I think it's good that these 2 new members have their own 'selfish' goals to be part of the Rebellion. In fact, we need more heroes who function in grey-areas like these. And nothing's wrong with that, because hey, they have awaken their Libra and Ophiucus Kyu Globes JUST because of that. Random trivia: in the recent 13 Zodiacs concept, Ophiucus is also a horoscope sign just like Libra. It's closely aligned after Scorpio, which will have a representation in this show very soon. - Yep, Balance and Naga are the focus characters, so they have the rights for a full transformation and roll call sequence. #4 The Trick-Star Libra Gold and #6 The Silent Star Ophiucus Silver make their debut! Before you complain that Leo Red is tagging along, do remember one thing for the sake of being fair: he hasn't had the chance to do these properly last week! XD. And yes, though many might be annoyed with it, I'm loving Libra Gold's dandy atttitude and attention-seeker poses too. It makes him stands out and... unique. At least audience would be worried that Naga might be in some bad company! Hahaha. Also... LOL at that not-so-subtle Kyu the Weapon's sales promotion. But never mind that, because the cool group finisher "All-Star Crash" is genuinely cool. - First 'earth'-based mecha battle and also first shot of the enlargement method for the show's MotW. Looks like all Jark Matters have the ability to do this, with the help of that weird Empire's symbol. I'm liking how Libra Voyager and Ophiucus Voyager have two forms, the spaceship one and humanoid. And the way the two practically kicks Chamaeleon Green and Dorado Yellow out of Kyuren-Oh? LOL to that. They even have their own finisher, the yo-yo slam "Kyuren-Oh! Trick Break! Super Galaxy". Due to the limb-changing concept, looks like TOEI can't rely on stock footage for the mecha's transformation and final moves this season. I hope this means we'll be getting a variety of new combination every week. - Since they have officially joined the team, Naga wears the Rebellion's uniform, while Balance? He gets a new paint-job. The best part of this closing scene, is already we're seeing personality clashes. The easy friction between Hammy's manner of speech with Balance, or how Balance and Spada seems to be on the same 'dandy' page. Whoops, that's not the closing scene. We get a quick glimpse of the next Kyuranger. This mysterious man (seriously? XD) has an Orange Kyu Globe, but his pendulum looks like a Kyu Globe too, and it's colored... Blue? Hmmm... intriguing! - Ending sequence is obviously updated as well. The BN Thieves are now included, and put center stage. It looks even crowded now, and we still have two more! At least the dance is fun, right?

Overall: This episode introduced two more characters, and more importantly two more different types of personalities. It's going to be interesting to see how they interact with the previous six members (including Raptor). The dynamic of Balance and Naga Rei was more than just intriguing or fun to watch, it evoked questions and mysteries as well. These are great potentials that are prime to be explored in future episodes, and I sincerely hope that will indeed be the case. After all, opportunities to dish out and develop every characters are just too good to ignore. On a side note, we're only in episode 2, and we already have seven Kyurangers. Do you think the plot is moving too fast? I mean, they could've simply made the BN Thieves intro into a 2-parter, right? If the show gathers all its core heroes in just 5 episodes, I wonder how the story will play out in the episodes that follow? Hmmm... Next week: Meet the Dragon Commander! Also, beware the sting of... Dopplegangers?

Episode 02 Score: 8 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: February 19th, 2017 - Version 04. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.