Sentai Time! Double Follow-up

In order to clear up some backlog, I’ve decided to do follow-ups of both Kyoryuger and Shinkenger at once. Sounds unwieldy? Maybe, but I think its worth trying trying. Let’s start with…

New Rangers

Kyoryu Silver and his partner Bragigas supply up to one-fifth of the world's badass.

It’s worth mentioning that Kyouryuger is the Super Sentai series with the most rangers, with 10 rangers spread over 21 different characters. That being said, the tenth ranger, Kyoryuger Silver, is easily my favorite auxiliary ranger of the series (it wouldn’t be fair to call him a 6th ranger, because the team already has one). His debut was so damn awesome I couldn’t help but smile the whole way through. It also helps that he’s one of the shows best characters. I won’t spoil his identity, but I definitely look forward to him lending his strength more often.

Make sushi. Act hammy. Beat up demons. All in a day's work.

As for Shinkenger, the sixth ranger of the the team is Genta, Takeru’s childhood friend who becomes Shinken Gold in battle. I honestly have mixed feelings about Genta. A lot of his actions are carried out in this manic energy that made Go-Onger so annoying for me. His wild actions seem seem to tone down as the show progressed, but the energy his actor puts in the role is often too over-the-top. However, in battle, Shinken Gold probably has my favorite style out of all the Shinkengers, and I have to admit his manic actions carry over well when in the suit. He’s growing on me, but it’ll take a while to get over the lousy first impression.

New Mecha

This is Bragi-Oh, who must be a RPG character because his weapon is as big as he is.

The newest mech in Kyoryuger is Bragigas, a silver brachiosaurus robot and partner of Kyoryu Silver. Just like his partner, Bragigas has a brilliant debut, with his humanoid form, Gigant Bragi-Oh, completely no-selling all the enemies’ attacks. He’s probably my favorite giant Zyudenryu, but I have to say its fusion with Kyoryuzin is probably more dorky than like an ultimate weapon. Still, you can go wrong with a giant robot with an axe as big as it is.

The crown makes it all work.

Shinkenger brings the Ebi Origami, a gold lobster mech created by Shinken Gold, to the party. Its humanoid form, Daikai-Oh, a colorful robot with several different weapons based on the four cardinal directions. Daikai-Oh is a very versatile and very interesting robot, but what really steals the show is Daikai Shinken-Oh, a fusion of Shinken-Oh and Daikai-Oh. The design is steller, and its ultimate attack is a true spectacle. As far as ultimate weapons go, its really, really cool.

Super Forms

Too silly, you say? Not silly enough, say I!

At this point in both series, the super form has been introduced. For Kyoryuger, the only ranger to have a super form is Kyoryu Red. His super form is called Kyoryu Red Carnival, and it allows him to borrow the powers of Kyoryuzin’s various combinations. This form packs several new, flashy attacks, and the ability to change armaments mid battle is something I really like. I do have to protest that Kyoryu Red is the only one to get the super treatment, but most fights that have had Kyoryu Red Carnival have been very enjoyable.

"Elvis Goes to Japan" never really took off.

Shinkenger’s super form had a much better build-up, but I found the payoff to be more disappointing. Yes, the first use of it by Shinken Red is pretty impressive, but the super form doesn’t look very...super. I’ll admit I haven’t seen it in action too much, but I still find the super form to be underwhelming.  

Thoughts on Kyoryuger

For a brief time, the Deboss Army had a new general: Endolf, the Chevalier of Hate. despite being based on a candle (of all things, a candle is what you chose?), he’s probably the strongest knight in service of Deboss. There isn’t much I can say against him. I like his personality, his fighting style, his sexy voice, and especially his combat prowess. My only objection to him is that he disappears after only a few episodes (for plot relevant reasons that I won’t spoil). Had he stuck around, I would have loved it.

Other than that, Kyoryuger is progressing smoothly, and I’m still enjoying the show an awful lot. It’s lighthearted without being void of entertainment. It’s energetic without being manic. The fights are as excellent as ever. I’m totally looking forward to the final 12 episodes.

Thoughts on Shinkenger

Super Sentai may be a kid’s series, but Shinkenger can get dark sometimes. How dark? How about one of their villains being a woman scorned who burned down her crush’s wedding? How about another villain who became a demon so that he could experience the joy of killing for a longer time? But despite this, Shinkenger never gets too gloomy. It maintains a great balance between its darker elements and the light elements usually found in Super Sentai. I look forward to the next set of episodes.

Sentai Time! Movie Double Feature

Hello, all my lovely people! Today I’ll be reviewing two Super Sentai movies, both based on Sentais I’ve already reviewed. First up is…

Shinkenger: The Fateful War

The closest thing we're going to get to a Super Sentai Musou game.

Fun Fact: This was the first Japanese movie to be filmed in 3D.

This movie was part of a double feature with the Kamen Rider film, “Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs Dai-Shocker.” This film takes place between episodes 24 and 25 of Shinkenger. The Shinkengers are engaged in a losing battle with the Kusare Gedoushu, a powerful faction of the Gedoushu that have resurfaced after 3 centuries. The Shinkengers’ only hope is a secret disk hidden away in a temple deep in enemy territory. When the disks yields little help, the Shinkengers choose to charge deep into enemy territory, hoping to win the war in one attack.

My biggest complaint about this film is its length. The whole thing is barely 21 minutes long, which makes its about the same length as a regular Shinkenger episode. I know it was part of a double feature, but I would have loved to see more of, well, anything. There’s one scene in particular that I thought could have been expanded: the duel between Juzo and Genta. We see the very beginning, but that’s about all we see. Even if the film was only five minutes longer, I would have prefered it.

That being said, while this does play out like an episode of Shinkenger, it's still a very good episode. All the great elements of the show are present, including the great characters, well choreographed fights, and a fair amount of drama. It also features two great additions that really make this stand out from anything in the show (at least from what I’ve seen). One would be the entire sequence where the Shinkengers engage a literal army of Gedoushu. Group fights have always been my favorite part of Super Sentai, and this film goes full on Musou with this concept, down to having the Shinkengers riding into battle on horses. Another addition would be the Kyoryumaru, a dinosaur sword. If that doesn’t sell you on how great it is, you have no taste.

The Fateful War may be on the short side, but it's still very good. Its a great addition to an already great show. I say it's worth a watch, even if it's just for to see the Shinkengers wreck a literal army. Next up is…

Kyoryuger: Gaburincho of Music

Some singing, all dancing.

This movie was part of a double feature with the Kamen Rider film, “Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land.” It takes place between episodes 20 and 21. The film details the Kyoryugers fight against D, a former member of the Deboss Army who has forced the lost ZyuDenRyu Tobaspino to be his partner. He kidnaps the popstar Mikito, an old friend of Daigo’s, and plans to use her power of song to wipe out humanity.

Gaburincho of Music bills itself as a musical, which I find to be a stretch. Not counting the insert themes, there are only three songs: one which is repeated throughout the movie, the ending dance number, and one with Candelira which basically amounts to a (admittedly hilarious) non-sequitur. the songs are fine songs, but calling your movie a musical when there isn’t that many musical numbers is kind of weird. I know this is a nitpick, but it does bother me.

One thing I have to both praise and criticize are the fight scenes in this movie. On the one hand, the fights are very visually impressive, with tons of crazy acrobatic flips and tons of flashy attacks that are a serious step above the show. On the other hand, the flash seems to be there to compensate for a lack of good fight choreography. Strip away the effects and the fights themselves are pretty average (aside from the acrobatics). They’re fun to watch, but they’re a bit too much flash and not enough fire.

Despite this, the film does have some great components. D is a great villain, being powerful, intimidating, and having a great design. Tobaspino is a very cool robot, and its humanoid form is kickass. Its a shame neither D’s Kyoryuger outfit or Tobaspino make an actual appearance in the show, since both are great additions. Despite this, however, I can’t really say that Gaburincho of Music is worth seeing unless you really like Kyoryuger.

Have a request, constructive criticism, or compliment? Leave a comment!

Sentai Time! Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

This review was authorized by divine providence.

Translation: Samurai Squad True Sword Ranger

Number of Episodes: 49

Original Run: 2009-2010

Theme: Feudal Japan and Japanese folklore

Adaptation: Power Rangers Samurai

Welcome back to Senai Time! This time I’ll be reviewing Shinkenger, which I like just as much as Kyoruyger, but for different reasons. Let’s get started.

The Concept

Who better to fight demons than samurais! You know, people who have estates to manage!

For centuries, humanity has been at war with the Gedoushu, a race of demons that inhabit the River Sanzu (the Buddhist equivalent of the River Styx). The Japanese emperor, in order to counter them, created a squad of five samurai headed by the Shiba clan. Eighteen generations have passed, and the Gedoushu have resurfaced once again, hoping to flood the world with the waters of the River Sanzu. Now a new generation of samurai must take up the age-old mantle and stop the Gedoushu’s plans to make humanity suffer.

The Sentai

From left to right: Mako, Chiaki, Takeru, Ryuunosuke, and Kotoha.

The Shinkengers consist of Takeru (Shinken Red), the seemingly aloof 18th head of the Shiba clan, Ryuunosuke (Shinken Blue), a former kabuki actor and fanatic follower of Takeru, Mako (Shinken Pink), a former teacher who dreams of being an average woman, Chiaki (Shinken Green), a slacker and hardcore Tekken fan, and Kotoha (Shinken Yellow), a talented flute player and swordswoman. Each have control over mojikara, a special kind of magic that can be utilized through kanji.

I like this sentai quite a bit, but for much different reasons than why I like the Kyoryugers. Rather than being a fun barrel of monkeys, the cast of Shinkenger is more realistic (or at least how realistic as Super Sentai will lend itself to be) and interesting on an individual level. Takeru is only aloof to protect people from being hurt, Kotoha has been bullied enough to believe the mud slung at her, and so on. The characters develop quite well, and unlike Kyoryuger, it develops fairly evenly. Its not the most fun cast, but its far from boring.

The Villains

From left to right: Juzo, Doukoku, Shitari, and Daya.

The Gedoushu consist of Doukoku, the literal embodiment of rage and leader of the demonic hordes, Dayu, a mysterious shamisen player who is the only one able to quell Doukoku’s rage, Shitari, the oddly cheery strategist, and Juzo, an exiled swordsman who wishes to find the perfect opponent. The goal of the Gedoushu is to conquer the human world and turn it into a literal living hell. However, they can’t survive long without the waters of the River Sanzu, and thus wish to raise its waters by causing human suffering.

A monster that actually looks threatening? Blasphemy! 

I feel that the Gedoushu are pretty strong as an antagonistic force. Unlike the Deboss Army, which rarely posed a serious threat, the Gedoushu are more than willing to cut down countless civilians on camera and blow up buildings. Their monsters, the Ayakashi, are all based on Japanese folk monsters, and are more than a match for the Shinkengers. And most importantly, the Gedoushu actually look demonic and capable of causing destruction. The Gedoushu live up to their demonic appearances, and make for a great villainous army.

The Mecha

Lion + Dragon + Turtle + Monkey + Bear = a human robot. Whut...

The mecha for this show are called Origami, animal themed mechs that can either be pocket sized or giant. The Origami can combine into Shinken-Oh, a large samurai robot. Shinken-Oh can be augmented with other Origami, gaining new powers such as a naginata. Shinken-Oh is a pretty neat robot, as are the other Origamis, and while the auxiliary attachments are admittedly silly looking, they do offer some cool attacks. While I think that the Origami system could be improved a bit, its still very solid.

The Fights

Yes, that sword is as big as him. And no, it isn't as awesome as it looks.

The fights of Shinkenger deviate from the Super Sentai norm, as it focuses almost entirely on weapon combat, not martial arts. The Shinkengers’ main weapon are their katanas, not their fists, and each one uses their specialized weapons more often than other sentais. The fights themselves are still very good, being well choreographed and coordinated. I do have a couple of nitpicks though: the sword styles of the individual Shinkengers aren’t terribly different, and Takeru’s specialized weapon (a red buster sword) is more cumbersome than awesome. Other than that, the fights are great.

The Music

The music here isn’t as memorable as Kyoryuger. Sure, some of the insert songs and character themes are very good, but most of the background music is just...there. I can’t remember any of the background tunes. Unmemorable isn’t the same as bad, but its not good either.

The Verdict

Shinkenger is every bit as good as Kyoryuger, but for different reasons. It features actual character development, a great antagonistic force, and interesting concepts like kanji magic summons. There’s a lot to like about Shinkenger, probably more so than Kyoryuger.

8.5/10 - Terrific

Thanks for reading! As always, constructive criticism is welcome. I won’t be doing another Sentai Time for a while, but expect follow ups of both Kyoryuger and Shinkenger.