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akinoameNow, I'm the first to admit that maybe I'm a little nuts for picking Gokaiger as my first Super Sentai series. It's an anniversary season. It really helps to see at least one of the previous Sentai series to understand the importance of these things. Hell, it's the whole reason why I've held off on watching Kamen Rider Decade--I want to see all of the Heisei Rider series before I get to it (though as far as I can tell, seeing all of Agito at this point in time may be a little hard; I don't think GomenRider has it completed yet).
But one of the benefits of Gokaiger is that it's really gotten me interested in the previous series. When I've heard so many complaints about Goseiger, I look at 199 Hero Battle and get a little curious about them. When Power Rangers Samurai has made me a little hesitant to try Shinkenger, the tribute episode of Gokaiger encourages me to check it out. At least if only for Kaoru. And for series that I've heard are excellent and read about, it's actually made me excited to see them, such as Jetman and Liveman.
Now, the thing about Jetman is that it's hard for me to find. Apparently, there's a really crappy fansub out there that's complete. Grown Ups In Spandex is redoing the whole series, but currently, they've only got a handful of episodes and they're all softsubs (my computer is 6 1/2 years old, and I'm really not looking to download more video players on it just to watch one thing). But they do have hardsubs of Liveman, and they've got 45 episodes completed, and they're hoping to finish off the series by the end of the year (which is in a week. Good luck, guys). So I'm going into this series with what I know about Gokaiger, and it's a pretty high opinion (especially of Jou Oohara, who had been the guest star).
And I really am impressed by this first episode. Sure, the special effects are really dated. Even in comparison to the Zyuranger footage in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I can easily spot when they're using toys, and when they're not playing with them well. Like when Land Lion is trying to climb a mountain; it's very clear that it's not even making contact with the "ground" at all in parts. Takuji and Mari's transforation sequence was a little bizarre, when they tested the equipment. Volt's ships look exactly like toys flying around.
But it's got heart, and that's what matters more. Yuusuke, Jou, and Megumi just seem to be nice people, and I love that they didn't hesitate a second to run into the city when it's under attack. They are clearly hurting from Takuji and Mari's sacrifice, and hell, that was one of the most painful things to watch in a first episode. Tsukigata and the other traitor students go and shoot at the trio, and Takuji and Mari don't hesitate one second to give their lives instead. They're wearing the protective suits, so they take the bullets and die in their friends' place. Jou and Megumi break down sobbing when they realize what happened, and all Yuusuke can do is place his jacket over Takuji's face and just stand facing the opposite direction, clearly trying to take the place of leader among his friends. And then when they face their traitorious friends once more. I think this is probably my favorite transformation device-based origin story ever. For the past two years, they've taken the technology that Takuji and Mari worked on, and they perfected it. All because they knew Volt would be back, and they were waiting. And apparently, they built mech while they were at it. Just in case. They're doing this in memory of their friends, and the show makes it clear that absolutely everything is in their honor. Megumi even asks Dr. Hoshi to place the photos of Mari and Takuji aboard the planned Space Academy ship, since it had been their dream to one day join that spaceflight. As the ship is shot down by Volt and crashes down in the city, the camera takes pains to show the explosions happening around the photos as well--a heartcrushing reminder that Volt is still taking this dream away from them.
It's only the first episode, but I really am impressed with it, and I can't wait to see the rest.
But one of the benefits of Gokaiger is that it's really gotten me interested in the previous series. When I've heard so many complaints about Goseiger, I look at 199 Hero Battle and get a little curious about them. When Power Rangers Samurai has made me a little hesitant to try Shinkenger, the tribute episode of Gokaiger encourages me to check it out. At least if only for Kaoru. And for series that I've heard are excellent and read about, it's actually made me excited to see them, such as Jetman and Liveman.
Now, the thing about Jetman is that it's hard for me to find. Apparently, there's a really crappy fansub out there that's complete. Grown Ups In Spandex is redoing the whole series, but currently, they've only got a handful of episodes and they're all softsubs (my computer is 6 1/2 years old, and I'm really not looking to download more video players on it just to watch one thing). But they do have hardsubs of Liveman, and they've got 45 episodes completed, and they're hoping to finish off the series by the end of the year (which is in a week. Good luck, guys). So I'm going into this series with what I know about Gokaiger, and it's a pretty high opinion (especially of Jou Oohara, who had been the guest star).
And I really am impressed by this first episode. Sure, the special effects are really dated. Even in comparison to the Zyuranger footage in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. I can easily spot when they're using toys, and when they're not playing with them well. Like when Land Lion is trying to climb a mountain; it's very clear that it's not even making contact with the "ground" at all in parts. Takuji and Mari's transforation sequence was a little bizarre, when they tested the equipment. Volt's ships look exactly like toys flying around.
But it's got heart, and that's what matters more. Yuusuke, Jou, and Megumi just seem to be nice people, and I love that they didn't hesitate a second to run into the city when it's under attack. They are clearly hurting from Takuji and Mari's sacrifice, and hell, that was one of the most painful things to watch in a first episode. Tsukigata and the other traitor students go and shoot at the trio, and Takuji and Mari don't hesitate one second to give their lives instead. They're wearing the protective suits, so they take the bullets and die in their friends' place. Jou and Megumi break down sobbing when they realize what happened, and all Yuusuke can do is place his jacket over Takuji's face and just stand facing the opposite direction, clearly trying to take the place of leader among his friends. And then when they face their traitorious friends once more. I think this is probably my favorite transformation device-based origin story ever. For the past two years, they've taken the technology that Takuji and Mari worked on, and they perfected it. All because they knew Volt would be back, and they were waiting. And apparently, they built mech while they were at it. Just in case. They're doing this in memory of their friends, and the show makes it clear that absolutely everything is in their honor. Megumi even asks Dr. Hoshi to place the photos of Mari and Takuji aboard the planned Space Academy ship, since it had been their dream to one day join that spaceflight. As the ship is shot down by Volt and crashes down in the city, the camera takes pains to show the explosions happening around the photos as well--a heartcrushing reminder that Volt is still taking this dream away from them.
It's only the first episode, but I really am impressed with it, and I can't wait to see the rest.
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Date: 2011-12-25 07:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-12-27 02:46 am (UTC)