Sentai Character Talk 5: Gai Yuuki/Black Condor

I apologize for the months of August and September, because for some reason I kinda lost my drive to post. But for some reason, I'm back. So what better way to celebrate me coming back with... a Character Talk!

And as of today's focus is... Gai Yuuki AKA Black Condor from Choujin Sentai Jetman.


Definitely, he's one of the least candidate that could be for a Sentai warrior. He's a slacking, suave womanizer who's had a habit of gambling, smoking... definitely the 'bad boy' type, very contrasting with the goody-two-shoes boyscout type that is our hero Ryuu Tendou/Red Hawk. He's also out for his own pleasure rather than many people's, in short, he's a jerk. However, past that, his development can be said as one of the better ones in Super Sentai. As Jetman seems to homage the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, Gai himself is a tribute to Joe Asakura (The Condor), in which probably why the directors decided to kill him off in the ending, albeit I'll admit that it was pretty abrupt...

Past/History

There's no mention about Gai's past in details. All that's given is that he grew up in harsh times, so he's been a tough, bad boy since he was little, surviving the harshness of the world on his own. Other than that, not much was known. When he's hit with the Birdonic Wave, he's just someone jobless and just spent his time gambling (though he's got an incredible luck) and just wanna have fun till he dies.

Trait

As said, Gai is put simply... a jerk. He drives men away and wooed women, even if he has to break rules. He pretty much hated Ryuu for being such a boyscout at first and was joining the Jetman at first just so he could annoy Ryuu. Overall, not a very good person and he's just drafted in the group because he's hit with the Birdonic Wave, and some people just say about being his destiny and all...

It takes an incident from a certain monster that we see Gai's hidden aspect... he was as much as a lonely good boyscout as Ryuu was. When the monster was defeated, Gai quickly dismissed this trait, but this would prevail over him in a later time.

At first, he's also really unappreciative with women, even though he wooed them. He thought all women are easy prey to his suave, ladykiller charm, and can be dumped anytime. That is, until he tried wooing Kaori Rokumeikan/White Swan, who's all heels over Ryuu. Rather than girls that just accepted him in instant, Kaori's first response on him was a slap on his face, thereby triggering Gai to actually try hard to win her. Over time, he grew to really love her and would even get to a fight with Ryuu, not because he's his competition, but also because some of his actions, especially hanging over the dead Rie Aoi (AKA Maria) in front of Kaori; hurting her feelings even though he tried to hook her up with Gai. That action pissed him off so much he'd interrupt a training session between Ryuu, Raita and Ako... just to land some punches on him. Needless to say, to consider them 'arguing a lot' is an understatement. This peaked off when Ryuu got too attached to his duty as a soldier, telling his team to repress their feelings in battle, which of course, hurt Kaori again; and Gai got so fed up and he quitted the team along with Kaori.

Then... things happen. Rie is revealed to be alive as Radiguet's ally, and this sent Ryuu to a depression, unable to lead the Jetman. After being told of what happened, it was instead Gai who snapped Ryuu out of his depression and he joined the Jetman again along with Kaori, accepting his position as the Jetman's vice leader. And afterwards, he started putting aside with how much Ryuu irritated him and became his best friend.

His relationship with Kaori was also growing and at one point, Kaori did love him back. However, they weren't really meant to be together when Kaori's parents started peeking much to his past, which irritated him and he broke up with him. After all, he's quite the man of privacy. Still, their friendship did not break and eventually Gai was satisfied with seeing her off with Ryuu.

Also, at first, he's a man who's satisfied to die alone, but when he was struck near dead by Queen Juza, he realized just how much he feared death and started to freak out. By the end of Jetman, he learned to overcome that, thus when a mugger stabbed him to near death, rather than hiding, Gai just made his way to Ryuu and Kaori's wedding, give their blessing, then collapsed/died on a chair. But at least, he's not hiding or showing fear of death anymore. He gave one last smoke beforehand.

Arsenal

Gai was hailed as one of the best fighters of Jetman, even when he's solo. Even when his weaponry are pretty much equal to the other Jetman, he does have his own finisher called 'Condor Finish', which is the only technique that can kill off a Monster of the Week, or at least, force them to grow with the power of Dimensional Bug. Not even Ryuu have that!

He's also the one who can go toe-to-toe with Gray of the Vyrams, ultimately defeating him completely in combat and slaying him. So, it's not like Gai's arsenals are weaponry... it's his immense skills.

Pairing

Officially, he's interested on Kaori, but he eventually backs down after some... things and let her be with Ryuu.

But then, there's been some who likes to pair him with Ako Hayasaka/Blue Swallow. Perhaps it's pretty common as in 'most popular guy' with 'most popular girl' (Ako was at least more popular than Kaori for the audience, I think). But this is most evidenced with the 'fake wedding' episode, whereas Gai and Ako posed as a couple... and Gai went even as far as trying to steal Ako's first kiss just to make a realistic scenario to trap a monster. Fans then ran with it. Overall, I have no say on this one, but that seems to be a good pair for Gai.

And that's it for Gai. Of course, he had an abrupt death, but during the short life he had, he was being awesome, had good development and he certainly is one of my favorite Sentai characters.

Youtube Links of Sentai Episodes Taken Down

Ah sorry for not updating this blog for so long! But today, I bear bad news.

Probably if you want to watch subbed Sentai, you go to youtube, or just download those from TV-Nihon. For some of the older series, you usually go to youtube. But just lately, youtube has taken down A LOT of Sentai episodes and even suspended accounts that stores many of such videos. Most famously, DtKingdom's account.

I have no say on this one. You probably will have to deal with downloading through Megauploads or just go with RAWs. My say: Just do it. Sentai isn't really heavy on mind screws and all, and even if you only understand a little in Japanese, you can understand the story with the raw videos. If you still want to dig more infos, there's a lot of info in wikipedia, and Sean's blog should be of a great help to help you understand Sentai more.

That'll be all I say for now.

Pairing Talk: Maskman

Okay, this will be a rather short pairing talk, about Maskman. I'm sure there are a lot who can expand this, but for now, I'll just nail it down to one pairing.

Takeru X Momoko

Yes, I know, if you're reading this, Sean, you must have liked this pair very much. Me, I like it too, I think it's one of my favorite pairs in Maskman. There's one thing that I kinda dislike, though... And it's not their fault, really.

The show didn't give them any chemistry at all.

Of course Maskman being a show about 'Star Crossed Lovers' means Takeru will get his time a lot with Mio/Iyal, the official couple of the show. But, unlike Shinkenger, which has the fan pairing Takeru/Mako, which is also supported that they spend time quite close together... This is not the case of Maskman. Takeru and Momoko has no episodes where it's exactly the two of them together. Momoko did have episodes that shares with other people, but they are mostly with Haruka; and one episode with Akira. No Takeru-Momoko in sight.

So, pretty much, this pairing has no basis given by the show, leaving it to only fan interpretation. And I keep wondering why it garners a lot of shippers. It has no basis... but I like this pairing, damn it!

Well, that's all I gotta say about this Maskman pairing. Stay tuned, maybe next time there will be more Maskman pairing talk in the future.

Super Sentai Crowning Moment Of Awesome 4: Dekaranger

Okay we're here for another Crowning Moment Of Awesome. I'm sure Sean has covered it, but I want to make a writeup on my own. Plus, I made a video out of it (how come this hasn't been in youtube??). Anyway, this is from Episode 26 of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger.



What's on this episode: Houji investigates a night club and to do that, he had to participate in underground fight. Then he got trashed. At first. Then, he goes to a rigorous training session for close combat, especially in style of boxing. Then he goes back to the fight club for a second round and gets the upper hand. Then his enemy uses a power up drug, trashes Houji for several seconds... and then Houji proceeds to knock him out with just his boxing.

Reasons of Awesome: This is Houji you're talking about. He's the sniper of the group! Not much to say about close combat! But then, within just a few moments through rigorous training, he becomes quite the master of close combat, wipes the floor with an Alienizer that wiped the floor with him previously, unmorphed, just with boxing style, and he STILL wins even when the enemy uses a drug to increase his power. This is where Houji's power is showcased and why he's one of the best fighters in the Dekaranger. So, say it with me now to sum him up: "Super Cool. Perfect!"

I'll be back for more Crowning Moments.

Intro to BlazBlue series

One of the current game/series I'm following is the BlazBlue series, made by Arc System Works. It's settings are far darker than you'd find in any Tokusatsu films, so far. However, this is offset with real nice character design and personality, unique gameplay that succeeds Guilty Gear the right way, awesome music and compellingly deep story for a fighting game, rather than just "Hey, we just opened a fighting tourney here. Come and join!".



So the story begins with how humanity survived a massive war of magic against a huge beast called Black Beast, which wiped out the majority of human race. That beast is stopped by six individuals calling themselves "Six Heroes". From them, magic is taught and humanity started to survive under the surveillance of the organization NOL, even though it's rather strict and totalitarian.

The game would open with the destruction of an NOL branch, done by just one man calling himself "Ragna the Bloodedge". He's a feared man called "The Grim Reaper", thus NOL put the highest bounty available on his head and many people started seeking this man for fame and fortune and... other reasons. Ragna's motives are a mystery, but it's clear that he wants NOL destroyed.

And he's your hero.

Thus is the setting of the first game of BlazBlue, subtitled Calamity Trigger. Trust me, we'll get deeper to that, but this is the back bone of the story of the first game.

There will be another post pertaining its sequel that will be released soon: Continuum Shift. So, if you have a PS3 or XBox 360, grab the game ASAP. It's a must buy and you REALLY won't regret the fighting system and the story. I will be spoiling a lot, but I believe that you will be able to enjoy more if you can play it.

I'll see you later!

Not dead yet!

Sorry for those who think I'm never posting again. I just got rather tied up with work and life somehow. Also, I'm thinking that since this is 'Corner of Fiction', it's not limited to Sentai only, so I'm thinking to make a talk about another series. So... yeah, what do you think? I think I can begin with other series...

Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm abandoning Toku and Sentai.

Super Sentai Humorous Moment 1: Maskman

This is one of the more humorous moments provided by the Super Sentai franchise, here from Maskman. I still cringe when I see or remember this scene.



Basically, this episode begins with Takeru showing off his mad karate skills, and starts bragging that he's one hell of a model student when he's a kid, good at studies, good at sports and martial arts, he's popular at young age. But then, Igam's most recent plot is to travel back in time and cause time paradox by killing Takeru when he's young.

And when the team meets little Takeru... turns out that he's one hell of a bratty kid who's naughty and obnoxious, flipping Haruka and Momoko's skirts and calling them hags and is overall a loudmouthed brat. Takeru of course gets ashamed at this, but eventually he conversed his little self, motivating him to get better. Eventually as the Maskman returned to the proper timeline, little Takeru gets inspired, and probably he starts getting better...

And back in the present, the rest of the Maskman wastes no time to tease on Takeru for telling them lies about his past. Note on the closeups to each Maskman team when they joke on Takeru, and what kind of face Takeru makes in response. Overall, a very funny episode.

Sentai Character Talk 4: Mei

And we're back for yet another session of character talk. Boy do I love this a lot. Anyway, our next character to talk about is Mei AKA Ptera Ranger from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger



Oh My God! Not that look! Please! It's so moe I'm gonna die! SO MOE I'M GONNA DIEEEEE!!!

*ahem*

Okay, enough overacting. But you can't deny that Mei just reeks of cuteness. And that's just on her appearance. Wait until you hear her talk, and she'll let out a real high pitched and cute voice, though if you're unfamiliar with anime, or think that anime girls sounds REALLY annoying due to their unnaturally high pitch, then you might not like Mei. So let's get to the basic of it: Mei is a Princess of the Risha Tribe, and just because she's a Princess, doesn't mean she's haughty and a spoiled brat. In fact, she's gentle, kind, nice and sometimes naive, but most of all... tough-as-nails, since she's capable of fighting on her own. In fact, her other title is 'Warrior of Love'. She's as much as loving and caring as she can fight and kick some evil butt.

Past/History

Mei's past isn't much detailed, except when Bandora struck down the world in response of her son's death by the dinosaur, she is one of the warriors that helped defeating her, sealing Bandora and tossing her to a dumpster/seal. She opts to get herself frozen in time along with 4 other warriors, only to awaken in present time later when Bandora gets released.

The show might've focused a lot on the Yamato tribe (especially for Geki and Burai), but I think that the Risha tribe also gets quite an attention and lore. For instance, it has some sort of Legendary Arrow, which is one weak point for one Dora Monster that other Zyurangers cannot beat (and Bandora has to go all the way to poison Mei just so that arrow cannot be used). Another Risha tribe lore was that Mei has an ancestor named Yui, who ended up sacrificing her life force to destroy one Dora Monster that was supposedly indestructible (and not even Burai and the Dragon Caesar or Gouryuujin can beat!).

Trait

Mei didn't develop much for the most part, since she is from a light-hearted Sentai series (she does develop, if only a little). But, again, big development isn't a must for a lovable character.

Like typical female Sentai characters, Mei is very kind to children. But then again, so are the rest of the Zyurangers, since Bandora especially targets kids. This is proven to be her proof of love, when she took care of lots of kids that fell sick when the Daizyujin and Dragon Caesar were disabled by the Zombie Franke. She also likes flowers, which plays really huge part in the battle against the monster that her ancestor once defeated (the monster turned flowers into man-eating monsters).

Unfortunately for Mei, she's also rather naive, though it's pretty justifiable that she and the rest of the Zyurangers are people awakened in the present time from slumber that dated from millenias ago. But this trait of hers could be disastrous. During the 'Golden Arrow' episode (as mentioned in past), Bandora just sent out Totpat to disguise and offer Mei a poisonous apple under the guise of 'We're only giving this apple to beautiful girls'... and she accepted right off bat without being suspicious! That led her to be poisoned and entered a dream where she's running off from being blasted to bits. She is eventually saved from falling to a sea of fire by a mysterious force, only to hear the screams of her friends requesting help. At that time Mei decided to throw away all her fears, making a leap of faith to save her friends to the sea of fire... and at that time resisted the poison. I think that's the time Mei stopped being so overly naive, it's still a trait, but not egregious.

She also has a fragile heart. When the Zyurangers got framed by fake Zyurangers, the citizens turned against them, despite their good intentions. Poor Mei in fact was the one who directly got hit with a slap from a woman just because she's helping a girl that got picked on by the fake Zyurangers! This was a huge blow to her and just when the Zyurangers found a safe hiding spot, she couldn't take it anymore and broke down crying. It's not until a session of consulting with an old lady that doesn't believe all that in one bit, in a bathtub (Fanservice time too!), that Mei started regaining her confidence (and so did the rest of the Zyurangers) and eventually managed to bring down the imposters and restore the reputation of the Zyurangers.

But perhaps her most well-known trait is about her hairstyle. Mei started out with a normal long-haired girl, but over time, she changed her hairstyle quite often, sometimes with new hair accessories. Sometimes even in a more improbable timing. In fact, when Barza called her out from her slumber, his lines were like "Stop thinking about makeups!". Still, it's considered one of her charms.

Arsenal

Mei is an excellent archer, considering that she is using bow and arrow, which is quickly upgraded later into Ptera Arrow. Alongside that is the Golden Arrow, which she used one time to defeat one Dora Monster. Being a member of the Risha Tribe, it's speculated that her life force is somewhat special, since it was the only thing that could destroy that one Dora Monster that her ancestor had to sacrifice her life to accomplish the task. Except Mei pretty much skips the 'life sacrifice' part and just concentrated her life force in attacks that would destroy the monster. And just like other female Sentai members, Mei is quite the witty one, using intelligence to outmaneuver the enemy, like when all the Zyurangers except her got eaten, she figured out how to get them all out together by herself (and some tip from Dan).

And of course, she has the power of disguise. Mei pretty much takes Miki's trait of spinning and changing clothes in instant and runs with it, as shown in the battle against Lamie, that in one battle, she goes to change from being a clown, to a masked swordsman, to a chinese girl, to a Japanese school girl, to a nun, and then to a bride in span of... seconds. This is considered as one of Mei's finest moments... even if she eventually lost the overall battle and her friends had to bail her out.

Pairing

Zyuranger isn't quite the series to focus on pairing. It's kinda jarring that Mei is the Warrior of Love, but she doesn't have any romantic interests. It's probably a more universal love, loving everyone, not just one person (we know how that would end. See: Magic Knight Rayearth). Still, as far as I'm concerned, Mei is often paired in minor missions with Boi, but I don't think that's one pair for her. Also, she has several moments with Dan, but that's strictly a more 'serious' situations (especially the one where both turned into gangsters). I don't think she interacts a lot with Goushi or Burai (Except when Burai dies, but even she'd feel crushed in the same manner if anyone else dies in her eyes). On the other hand... Geki... while they seem to do things professionally, Mei seems to be paired together with him a lot in conversations. It got me thinking that the combination of Geki's 'professional time' together with Mei and the fact that the Risha Tribe's lore got more attention than Sharma, Etof and Daim Tribes is that maybe the producers were thinking of eventually pairing off Geki and Mei, but Burai proves to be way too popular, and most of the attentions fall squarely to the Yamato Tribe (and Burai). No, I don't hate Burai for this, and it's just my speculation, of course I'd be wrong! But if you ask me what is my fave pair from the series that doesn't really care about pairing, Geki/Mei takes the cake.

And that's about all I'd say about Mei. She is a wonderful Sentai heroine, on top of being a witty and tough-as-nails fighter, she's feminine, kind, and not to mention so cute. It's quite the parallel when you realize that her MMPR counterpart, Kimberly Hart, is considered to be really hot, but I guess that's just how values are different between countries, Americans prefer hotties, Japaneses prefer cuties. But in the end, Mei is a heroine that is so moe, I'm gonna die.

Super Sentai Crowning Moment Of Awesome 3: Fiveman

Again, we're in another Crowning Moment of Awesome, by the girls again. Our subject today is from Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman, episode 34.



What's on this episode: The newest combination of Galactic Warriors this time is a combo of shark and antlion, which drags people into the ground and traps people inside a can, which will slowly become food. It has taken custody of Kazumi, and then Ken and Fumiya. Its bad habit is that it has a thing for girls, due to panty shot. After realizing this, Remi devised a plan to catch this monster... by wearing a skirt and flashing her panties to the monster, causing it to chase after her, until she can trap it by making it bite a giant bait on a construction zone, on a vehicle operated by Gaku.

Reasons of awesome: Most people would consider Remi's drunken boxing to be her most awesome moment. Yes, it's awesome, but I think this one tops it. For you perverted people out there, you get to see Remi making up panty shots, but when she can use this as a plan to get a monster, that's awesome by itself. The music also helps. And there's also the fact that for the whole scene, Remi seems like to be having fun, luring the monster while giggling happily and naughtily. Overall, this is one hell of an awesome moment that Remi can achieve even without using her innate skill for martial arts.

And thus, that's another of the Crowning Moment of Awesome I've covered. Tune in next time for more awesome of Super Sentai.

Super Sentai character ages

This is the list of ages for characters in Super Sentai. I will be missing a lot, so please help with the missing ages.

Goranger
Tsuyoshi Kaijou/Aka Ranger: 24
Akira Shinmei/Ao Ranger: 25
Kenji Asuka/Mido Ranger: 17
Daita Ooiwa/Ki Ranger I: 23
Daigorou Kumano/Ki Ranger II: ??
Peggy Matsuyama/Momo Ranger: 18

JAKQ
Gorou Sakurai/Spade Ace: 24
Ryuu Higashi/Dia Jack: 25
Bunta Daichi/Clover King: 23
Karen Mizuki/Heart Queen: 18
Soukichi Banba/Big One: 24

Battle Fever J
Masao Den/Battle Japan: 26
Kensaku Shiraishi/Battle Cossack I: 24
Makoto Jin/Battle Cossack II: 27
Kyosuke Shida/Battle France: 25
Shirou Akebono/Battle Kenya: 24
Diane Martin/Miss America I: 18
Maria Nagisa/Miss America II: 19

Denziman
Ippei Akaki/Denzi Red: 26
Daigorou Oume/Denzi Blue: 25
Jun Kiyama/Denzi Yellow: 22
Tatsuya Midorikawa/Denzi Green: 24
Akira Momoi/Denzi Pink: 20

Sun Vulcan
Ryuusuke Oowashi/Vul Eagle I: 24
Takayuki Hiba/Vul Eagle II: 23
Kin'ya Samejima/Vul Shark: 25
Asao Hyou/Vul Panther: 22

Goggle V
Ken'ichi Akama/Goggle Red: 22
Kanpei Kuroda/Goggle Black: 26
Saburou Aoyama/Goggle Blue: 20
Futoshi Kijima/Goggle Yellow: 27
Miki Momozono/Goggle Pink: 16

Dynaman
Hokuto Dan/Dyna Red: 22
Ryuu Hoshikawa/Dyna Black: 22
Yousuke Shima/Dyna Blue: 18
Kousaku Nangou/Dyna Yellow: 20
Rei Tachibana/Dyna Pink: 18

Bioman
Shirou Gou/Red One: 24
Shingo Takasugi/Green Two: 23
Ryuuta Nanbara/Blue Three: 19
Mika Koizumi/Yellow Four I: ??
Jun Yabuki/Yellow Four II: 19
Hikaru Katsuragi/Pink Five: 20

Changeman
Hiryuu Tsurugi/Change Dragon: 24
Shou Hayate/Change Griffon: 23
Yuuma Oozora/Change Pegasus: 20
Sayaka Nagisa/Change Mermaid: 20
Mai Tsubasa/Change Phoenix: 20

Flashman
Jin/Red Flash: 23
Dai/Green Flash: 22
Bun/Blue Flash: 20
Sara/Yellow Flash: 20
Lou/Pink Flash: 20

Maskman
Takeru/Red Mask: 24
Kenta/Black Mask: 22
Akira/Blue Mask: 16
Haruka/Yellow Mask: 19
Momoko/Pink Mask: 19

Liveman
Yuusuke Amamiya/Red Falcon: 21
Jou Oohara/Yellow Lion: 20
Megumi Misaki/Blue Dolphin: 19
Tetsuya Yano/Black Bison: 19
Junichi Aikawa/Green Sai: 17

Turboranger
Riki Honoo/Red Turbo: 18
Daichi Yamagata/Black Turbo: 18
Youhei Hama/Blue Turbo: 18
Shunsuke Hino/Yellow Turbo: 18
Haruna Morikawa/Pink Turbo: 18

(purely speculation since all of them attends the same school at the same year, thus may be the same as the Megarangers below)

Fiveman
Gaku Hoshikawa/Five Red: 27
Ken Hoshikawa/Five Blue: 25
Fumiya Hoshikawa/Five Black: 20
Kazumi Hoshikawa/Five Pink: 23
Remi Hoshikawa/Five Yellow: 20

Jetman
Ryuu Tendou/Red Hawk: 26
Gai Yuuki/Black Condor: 25
Raita Ooishi/Yellow Owl: 22
Kaori Rokumeikan/White Swan: 22
Ako Hayasaka/Blue Swallow: 18

Zyuranger
Geki/Tyranno Ranger: 24
Goushi/Mammoth Ranger: 27
Dan/Tricera Ranger: 19
Boi/Tiger Ranger: 15
Mei/Ptera Ranger: 17
Burai/Dragon Ranger: 31

Dairanger
Ryou/Ryuu Ranger: 23
Daigo/Shishi Ranger: 24
Shouji/Tenma Ranger: 20
Kazu/Kirin Ranger: 19
Lin/Houou Ranger: 18
Kou/Kiba Ranger: 9

Kakuranger
Sasuke/Ninja Red: 26
Tsuruhime/Ninja White: 14
Saizou/Ninja Blue: 22
Seikai/Ninja Yellow: 24
Jiraiya/Ninja Black: 20

Ohranger
Gorou Hoshino/Oh Red: 25
Shouhei Yokkaichi/Oh Green: 27
Yuuji Mita/Oh Blue: 21
Juri Nijou/Oh Yellow: 22
Momo Maruo/Oh Pink: 20
Riki/King Ranger: Around 600 millions (exact age not known)

Carranger
Kyosuke Jinnai/Red Racer: 23
Naoki Domon/Blue Racer: 17
Minoru Uesugi/Green Racer: 24
Natsumi Shinohara/Yellow Racer: 19
Youko Yagami/Pink Racer: 19

Megaranger
Kenta Date/Mega Red: 18
Kouichirou Endou/Mega Black: 18
Shun Namiki/Mega Blue: 18
Chisato Jougasaki/Mega Yellow: 18
Miku Imamura/Mega Pink: 18
Yuusaku Hayakawa/Mega Silver: 25

Gingaman
Ryouma/Ginga Red: 22
Hayate/Ginga Green: 22
Gouki/Ginga Blue: 22
Hikaru/Ginga Yellow: 19
Saya/Ginga Pink: 19
Hyuuga/Black Knight: 27

GoGoV
Matoi Tatsumi/Go Red: 24
Nagare Tatsumi/Go Blue: 22
Sho Tatsumi/Go Green: 22
Daimon Tatsumi/Go Yellow: 21
Matsuri Tatsumi/Go Pink: 20

Timeranger
Tatsuya Asami/Time Red: 22
Yuuri/Time Pink: 21
Ayase/Time Blue: 22
Domon/Time Yellow: 22
Sion/Time Green: 17
Naoto Takizawa/Time Fire: 28

Gaoranger
Kakeru Shishi/Gao Red: 24
Gaku Washio/Gao Yellow: 23
Kai Samezu/Gao Blue: 19
Soutarou Ushigome/Gao Black: 22
Sae Taiga/Gao White: 17
Tsukumaro Oogami/Shirogane/Gao Silver: 1062

Hurricaneger
Yosuke Shiina/Hurricane Red: 19
Nanami Nono/Hurricane Blue: 18
Kouta Bitou/Hurricane Yellow: 21-22 (speculative)
Ikkou Kasumi/Kabuto Raiger: 23-24 (speculative)
Isshu Kasumi/Kuwaga Raiger: 20-21 (speculative)

Abaranger
Ryoga Hakua/Aba Red: 22
Yukito Sanjou/Abare Blue: 21
Ranru Itsuki/Abare Yellow: 20
Asuka/Abare Black: 21-23 (speculative)
Mikoto Nakadai/Abare Killer: 24-27 (speculative)

Dekaranger
Banban Akaza/Deka Red: 22
Houji Tomasu/Deka Blue: 21
Sen'ichi Enari/Deka Green: 19
Marika 'Jasmine' Reimon/Deka Yellow: 19
Koume 'Umeko' Koudou/Deka Pink: 21
Tekkan 'Tetsu' Aira/Deka Break: 20
Doggie Kruger/Deka Master: ??

Magiranger
Kai Ozu/Magi Red: 17
Tsubasa Ozu/Magi Yellow: 19
Urara Ozu/Magi Blue: 20
Houka Ozu/Magi Pink: 22
Makito Ozu/Magi Green: 24
Hikaru/Magi Shine: 24-26 (speculative, physical form only)
Miyuki Ozu/Magi Mother: 42-45 (speculative)

Boukenger
Satoru Akashi/Bouken Red: 24
Masumi Inou/Bouken Black: 19
Souta Mogami/Bouken Blue: 22
Natsuki Mamiya/Bouken Yellow: 20 (actually 100000 years old, thanks to Precious Lemurian Egg, 5000 years feels like 1 year to her. 100000/5000 = 20)
Sakura Nishinori/Bouken Pink: 22
Eiji Takaoka/Bouken Silver: 23

Gekiranger
Jan Kandou/Geki Red: 18-19 (speculative)
Ran Uzaki/Geki Yellow: 19-21 (speculative)
Retsu Fukami/Geki Blue: 19-21 (speculative)
Gou Fukami/Geki Violet: 26-28 (speculative)
Ken Hisatsu/Geki Chopper: 23-25 (speculative)
Rio: ??
Mele: ??

Go-onger
Sousuke Esumi/Go-on Red: 19-21 (speculative)
Ren Kousaka/Go-on Blue: 20-22 (speculative)
Saki Rouyama/Go-on Yellow: 18-19 (speculative)
Hanto Jou/Go-on Green: 16-17 (speculative)
Gunpei Ishihara/Go-on Black: 24-26 (speculative)
Hiroto Sutou/Go-on Gold: 23-27 (speculative)
Miu Sutou/Go-on Silver: 19-20 (speculative)

Shinkenger
Takeru Shiba/Shinken Red: 23-25 (speculative)
Ryuunosuke Ikenami/Shinken Blue: 21-25 (speculative)
Mako Shiraishi/Shinken Pink: 22-25 (speculative)
Chiaki Tani/Shinken Green: 18 (speculative, since he still has to take college entrance exam)
Kotoha Hanaori/Shinken Yellow: 16-17 (speculative, younger than Chiaki)
Genta Umemori/Shinken Gold: 23-26 (speculative. 1 year older than Takeru)
Kaoru Shiba/Shinken Red: 17

Goseiger

Alata/Gosei Red: 21

Eri/Gosei Pink: 22
Agri/Gosei Black: 21
Moune/Gosei Yellow: 17
Hyde/Gosei Blue: 23

Phew!

Sentai Character Talk 3: Mele

And we're back in another Character talk. Today's character is actually not an initial member of the Super Sentai, and even her membership might be questionable to some, but she's good deep down. This character is Mele, from Juken Sentai Gekiranger.


On introduction, Mele is the fanatically loyal female minion of the main enemy Rio. She gushes over him like a lovestruck girl and might look a bit too silly. But behind that appearance is a deadly Love Warrior (yes, she said that in Engrish!) who is just about as deadly as she can get in battles. She uses the RinJyuuKen Chameleon Fist, also inheriting the stealth power of a chameleon and sharp, steel tongues for attacking. Later on, she gains the power of fire thanks to usage on GenJyuuKen Phoenix Fist, but she discards it later on. To Rio, she's not only loyal and devoted, she REALLY loves and cares about him, which plays part in redeeming her to the good side. But against her enemies, she shows aloofness and coldness, which can be heard by the tone of her voice.

Past

Nothing was known of Mele's past and how she ended up taking the RinJyuuKen style. But she did end up studying under Maku and the Three Kenma, and at best, she's just a normal fighter. She is later challenged by GekiJyuKen Fly Fist user Bae, who tried to use the forbidden technique to turn him into animal... in this case, a fly. Being a chameleon, Mele's option is to eat him, but this doesn't kill him, in fact, it made him live through Mele's dark powers.

As Maku got sealed, Mele was eventually slain. Later on, she is brought back from the dead by Rio, the new master of RinJyuDen and was given the power to retain her human form, and became his right-hand-woman. Grateful with this and touched with his unusual kindness, Mele became very devoted to him and became some sort of fangirl to Rio, serving his every order. She didn't care if it's evil or sorts, if it means she's with Rio.

Development

At first, Mele might be some cookie cutter villainess who seems to juggle between being a cold bitch to being Rio's #1 fangirl, although sometimes she shows a soft side. Her loyalty and love, however, plays part when Maku returns and made Rio his underling, which distressed Mele. A suspicious guy named Long gave her information on how to restore Rio, and she eventually did, even though Long is a rather sneaky guy. When Long introduces the GenJyuKen, to ensure that Rio gets persuaded to achieve his ambition of getting stronger, Mele volunteers to become one of its users, gaining the power of Phoenix Fist. However, this was short-lived when Mele discovers that Long's powers are just about a sham, a cover to make Rio the destroyer of world. She managed to stop Rio, but was discovered as one of the reason why Rio still has an attachment: Her love paid off and Rio realized that he loved her. Still, Long took her away and tortured her; except that Mele knew that if Rio came, he'd see her die and he'll become the Destroyer again, so she wished so hard that Rio didn't come.

But he did.

For that time, Mele was really happy that her Rio-sama hugged her warmly. To renounce their allegiance with Long, Mele discards the GenJyuuKen style and goes back into RinJyuuKen, allying with the Gekiranger and drove Long away. Jan invited them to enter the SCRTC, but both Ran and Retsu objected, since even though they repented, it's not easy to forget about the crimes they did on humanity in their quest to get stronger. Rio and Mele then burnt down the RinJyuDen as a farewell to their dark ways, and underwent Fist Judgment... even surprising Retsu and Ran that they purposely tried to get themselves hit with the final mission...

Then Long, being an immortal, came back. After showing his true form, Mele suddenly felt an urge to protect the Gekiranger and took an attack from Long, which broke her bones and left her to death. Before, she thanked the Gekiranger for redeeming her and bid farewell to Rio, with her body reduced to dust. Rio followed her shortly with his death and they departed for afterlife. It turns out that with their deaths, Gekirangers were able to learn the hidden united move of JyuKen, which proves to be vital in defeating Long.

In the Go-onger vs Gekiranger, Long is back. Mele also sensed it and urged Hiroto Sutou and Miu Sutou (Go-on Gold and Go-on Silver) to bring her and Rio back to the world of living so she could once again fight Long. Of course, it came with a cost that they'll be condemned to Hell after the battle, but it looks like Mele didn't care, if she could help the Gekirangers and finish off Long AGAIN. After the battle, she returns to the afterlife with Rio. They may be heading for Hell, but as long as there is Rio, Mele would endure.

In short, Mele has a massive development, first as a massive fangirl-type villainness, but then she becomes a girl who prioritizes her love with Rio, and it plays part in redeeming both her and Rio; as well as making her value the power of friendship. I'm pretty sure that despite her aloof attitude in Go-onger vs Gekiranger, Mele (and Rio) does have another reason to help the Gekirangers at cost of being doomed to Hell: She wants to help her friends. That's quite the development from what could be an one dimensional villain.

Traits

As mentioned, Mele practically has two modes. Mode 1 is reserved only for Rio, in which she'll spend her time gushing on how great her Rio-sama is and how to impress him. Rio usually didn't care much, but Mele kept going and going, and what do you know, it paid off. Mode 2 is for everyone else, in which she's an aloof and cold person, referring the Gekirangers as 'Losers' and pretty much doesn't give much attention to the Rinshi's, unless they have something special that could please Rio. Her loyalty is unquestioned, and she pretty much refuses all advances on her, because she devotes her body only to Rio. Her devotion can also be seen during the team's trip to the Edo age, where Rio lost his memories, Mele served him as a devoted wife, much to the team's surprise. And hilarity ensues. And if Rio orders her to call a truce against the Gekiranger to achieve a greater good for themselves, Mele would happily comply.

Despite being cruel, Mele usually tolerates Bae, the one that's been in her stomach for so long. Even though she also abuses the hell out of him, especially during commentaries between the giant battles, Mele sides and cheers for the RinJyuKen side, while Bae is on the GekiJyuKen side. Considering that GekiJyuKen always win, we always see that most of the time, Mele vents her frustration on Bae, before eating and putting him back on her stomach.

Pairing

It goes without saying that Mele belongs only to her Rio-sama and is not going anywhere without him. So I won't badger about it.

In a nutshell, that's Mele for ya. She may not be an official Green Sentai Warrior, but she met quite some qualifications despite starting out as a villain; she's just someone who yearns for Rio's love. That also gives her the standard 'Sexy Female Villain Outfit', adding more for her fanbase. It's a bummer that she died near the end, but overall she's one of the better villains that embraced the Super Sentai Series (that turned good).

Most Common Hottest Sentai Heroines

In Super Sentai, it's more common that the heroines are more properly dressed, while villainesses get more sexy dresses. Still, it doesn't stop that some heroines are still damn hot even without sexy dresses. I've observed quite on the Sentai fandom, and I would say that some heroines are more common to be called 'Hottie'. Maybe it's because of their pretty face, or beautiful hair, but... it doesn't quite matter. These are the heroines who I think to be more common to be called 'hot' by fans, mostly those who come from the Sentai series after the turn of the millenium (2000s and forward).

This does NOT portray my feelings on who's the hottest girl in my mind. In fact, I have a different list for my selected hotties.

1. Yuuri/Time Pink (Mirai Sentai Timeranger)

Well, what can I say about Yuuri. Considering that many people of the new millenia started the Sentai series in either Dekaranger, or this... They held her quite highly in attractiveness. It also helps that she is one of the few girls that take actual team leadership, and is a Tsundere, a popular character archetype. This probably contributes on why people consider her hot.

2. Nanami Nono/Hurricane Blue (Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger)

I... really haven't touched Hurricaneger at all. But, just one name from it would instill instant squee: Nanami Nono AKA Hurricane Blue. It's mostly thanks to her actress, Nao Nagasawa, who's quite popular amongst the fandom, and yes... I do have to admit that she's really pretty.

3. Marika 'Jasmine' Reimon/Deka Yellow (Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger)

Okay, as I said, Jasmine was my most favorite Yellow Sentai heroine. And yes, she's hot, precisely her actress Ayumi Kinoshita. She's quite the fan favorite amongst the team, considered really beautiful, and the fact that many people started on Sentai with Dekaranger (since it's the first to be subbed completely), Jasmine pretty much became quite the fan favorite and one considered hottest.

4. Sakura Nishinori/Bouken Pink (GoGo Sentai Boukenger)

This is also one of the great candidates of hottest Sentai babe ever. I mean, not only Haruka Suenaga (Sakura's actress) is REALLY a looker, she also gives a good portrayal of Sakura, a twist on the usually girly Pink Sentai warriors: tough as nails instead of cute and feminime, though she has some cute moments and when that happens, Haruka Suenaga usually makes that REALLY adorable.

5. Miu Sutou/Go-On Silver (Engine Sentai Go-Onger)

This is also one of the more popular choices of hottest Sentai babes. Miu gets her credit of hotness not just on her contrast towards the Go-ongers (more serious personality), or her actress (Yumi Sugimoto), but also the fact that she takes lessons in Tsundere department from Yuuri, making her much more hot in the eyes of fans.

I would add the Shinkenger, but right now I can't decide who qualifies more; Mako or Kotoha, both of them has quite the competiting fanbase that I can't pick both of them. We'll see. Also, I almost considered Mele from Gekiranger; but since she started out as a villainess, which means by default she gets her sexy wear, she's written out from this observation.

So anyway, that's my report on who are the most commonly revered as 'Hottest Sentai babe' as of today. And if you want me to do the 'cutest' instead? Well, I'll wait until later.

And this is just my observation, so there may be... mistakes. Correct me if I'm wrong. I'll see ya later!

Super Sentai Crowning Moment Of Awesome 2: Goggle V

And now we're back to another Crowning Moment of Awesome post. And now, we venture to a moment of awesome from an older series. One that TERRIBLY needs more love, and I dare to say that I probably talked the most about, while most other blogger I know (no offense) has little to say about it. I am of course talking about Dai Sentai Goggle V.

This awesome moment can be seen at Episode 39.



This continues on the next video



What's on this episode: Deathdark deploys a monster that traps people in a devilish diary, mostly spreading the diary like a normal one to the children. A friend of Miki's Computer Girl also got the diary, and after realizing what might happen, Miki went after the friend and managed to save him... but got trapped into the diary instead, and her friends too late to save her. The monster tracked her down in the diary and tied her up, so Deathmark can burn the book, which would generate fire to her surrounding and she could do nothing except wait for death. Still, Miki is a persistent girl, so she managed to burn the ropes tying her and attempts to destroy the source of the trap, an owl figure latching on a tree... then a cage was dropped to her. Still, she picked up the remnants of the rope, which was partially made of steel, destroyed the owl, and in process got out of the book while it exploded.

Reasons of awesome: Well, what can I say about this scene? This pretty much cements my liking on Miki. I've seen this since I was a kid, surrounded with other medias that portray women to be weak... and Miki just pretty much gave a boot to the head for that notion. It's even more awesome when you realize that her friends tried to get her out of the book, but Deathmark made the book indestructible, and they're pretty much fearful that she'd die. Then Miki just got out using her own wits and actions, despite previously being restrained from free movement (TWICE, in fact!). Reeks of awesome without being feminist altogether.

And thus, that's another of the Crowning Moment of Awesome I've covered. Tune in next time for more awesome of Super Sentai.

My Top 6 Sentai Green Warriors

Here be my Top 6 Green Warriors of Sentai...

6. Dai/Green Flash (Choushinsei Flashman)

Again, this is due to the lack of me watching Flashman, but I would say that Dai could've been one of my top. He's a pretty bad ass guy, especially once you realize what kind of training he's been through. He looks like an average guy, but can knock down walls with ease like a raging bull. Deep down, he's not really some silent guy or some bad mofo, he's actually a pretty softie. That's quite the plus on him and since I had a hard time in deciding faves in Green Warriors, I'd say Dai really deserves the position #6.

5. Burai/Dragon Ranger (Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger)

All right, all right, stop aiming your guns to me! Okay, I like a lot more characters than Burai, but I won't hide that the fact that he's COOL. First off, his intense storyline, it makes you pity him, it makes his death even more heartwrenching. For all the bad and hatred he's trying to make himself out at first, he gets better, becomes a good big bro for Geki. He's a pretty tragic character too, when he thought he could get all honky-dory with his brother again, news arrived that he just had limited time. Combined with how much of a bad ass he is when he fights, and the Dragonzord... err, Dragon Caesar that he controls, Burai secured the #5 place. And don't ask me on who I like better: Burai or Tommy. I don't want to anger both sides.

4. Chiaki Tani/Shinken Green (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger)

Yeah, if you notice, every single Shinkenger starting lineup characters get picked into the list. And as far as Chiaki go, he's a pretty fun guy, in a 'jerk' way. He's a rather carefree, obnoxious boy, always wanting to surpass Takeru, but later on, we see him develop and respect Takeru on his own way. He also likes coming up with unique ways to beat the opponent, like how he makes use of the monster that switches souls to inanimate objects. Above all, I also like his interaction with Kotoha, he shows his kinder side a lot to him, though that's gonna expand to the rest of the team, which is good. Overall, Chiaki might not be my favorite Shinkenger character, but he's still a great Green Sentai warrior, and that gives him the #4 position.

3. Daigo/Shishi Ranger (Gosei Sentai Dairanger)

Yes, it's still 'In Progress' as well, but I foresee that I might like Daigo a lot (second to Lin, that is). Just a few episodes and I'm already quite awed on what he's done so far: smashing his rod on the enemy groin a lot, chewing out the team for not taking their duties seriously (REALLY EPIC AND WELL DESERVED) and his illusionary skills, which would spice up a lot of fun in battle. I've also heard about a possible love story sub plot for him, which I haven't seen, but so far, Daigo was a real serious dude, he could even pass up as a red ranger (but he didn't). Overall, I'd say he deserves the position #3 for now... but he may want to be careful if in the future either his position drops... or rises.

2. Sen'ichi Enari/Deka Green (Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger)

Nice guy personified. Sen-chan is one of the nicest guy on the planet if you do not seriously piss him off, whereas he would become a raging person hell bent on making the evildoer pay. Beware the nice ones, huh. But I like that in him. Other than that, I would say that his handstand position is one of his most unique things, I mean, who can think straight when they're handstanding? Yep, just Sen. It also provides humor for those who doesn't know what it means (Ask Houka from Magiranger). Lastly, I do find his relationship with Umeko adorable, and with all things considered, it's safe to say that Sen-chan is my #2 favorite Green Sentai warrior...

1. Mele (Juken Sentai Gekiranger)

All right, all right! Like Rio, she really doesn't officially become 'GekiGreen' (as Jan coined). Still, Mele reeks of awesome, she pretty much is my favorite 'token female villainess', though only because she's deeper than the normal ones and redeemed herself thanks to her love with Rio. Speaking of love, I find it great that she is able to switch voices quickly depending on the situation, when she's dealing with her monsters or the Gekirangers, she sounded like a cold bitch, but if the situation is about Rio, she's all lovey-dopey like a lovestruck girl. It does help that she inherits most of the villainesses' trait of dressing sexily, but proves to be good eventually. As well as being unique as the first female 'Green', Mele pretty much takes the cake of being my #1 favorite Green Sentai warrior. (And hey, she and Rio did pose with an explosion during Go-onger vs Gekiranger while joining the "We're Super Sentai!" yell!)

And thus, my 'Favorite Green warriors' list ended. White might have to wait a little, longer, I apologize, but I hope you enjoy the reading. Now I'll see you later.

P.S: Once again, special thanks for the actors/actress to portray these characters. Namely; Yuka Hirata, Yosuke Ito, Tatsuya Noumi, Shogo Suzuki, Shiro Izumi and Kihachirou Uemura. You're all awesome.

Super Sentai S.O.B 2: Long

Radiguet: ............ I consider myself a man of complete depravity. A man who has a nasty sadism and enjoys seeing my enemies, especially humans, suffer before I snuff the life out of them, laughing like a madman all the way. A man who's completely monstrous and takes pride of being considered to be the undisputed champion of the most evil villains of the Super Sentai franchise...

....

.... UNTIL TODAY...!! When that position was CHALLENGED by a gold haired immortal brat, who can turn into a giant multi-headed dragon! This is the little bastard who thinks he can challenge my position of the most evil character in the Super Sentai franchise..........

LONG!

*cue the Scare Chord!*


Okay, that's enough sitcom from Radiguet who feels like his position of most evil villain has been threatened. And I'd like to thank the Nostalgia Critic for his videos and jokes, which inspired the poor, uncreative me to follow him, the leader.

Now back to the topic at hand.

So anyway, yes... I've finished watching Gekiranger and most of the part, I feel almost the same utter revilation whenever Long makes his entrance. Not only he's cruel and uncaring, he's always there with that smug smile planted on his face. So, what makes him so despicable that he could match Radiguet?

Unlike Radiguet who's more of the action type, Long is more of the manipulative type. And that's no less despicable. His background can be summed up with this:

"I'm immortal. Bored. Now. Let's destroy the world for fun!"

That's it! No explanation of why he's immortal, which makes it much more annoying for the Gekirangers to deal. Long cannot die or be killed. He can only be sealed, and in time, he would rise back again. Maybe that's why he's so smug.

So basically, with him getting bored being the immortal with great power he is, Long decided that he's not gonna destroy the world by his own hand, he's going to make SOMETHING that destroys the world, while he watches. He probably took note on Agent Abrellar from Dekaranger that if one world is destroyed, he can move on to another, and mess up the people there. That something is the GenJyuOh, the Destroyer.

Looking at the Jyuken school, Long set his plans in motion. He tried persuading one of Brusa Ii's student, the finest one there is; Maku, to the evil side, destroying all his attachment to the world, making him a twisted student who likes to prove him as the strongest and make humans suffer and bow down to his might. And killed his master too. Too bad for Long, Maku turns out to be too wild, and thus he can't be made the GenJyuuOh, so he ends up forming the RinJyuuKen style, along with Kata and Rageku, and then the Seven Kensei developed GekiJyuuKen and sealed them, now deeming them Kenma, 'Fist Demons'.

Long decided to pick someone else for the job. He attacked a family with a boy named Rio, and killed everyone except the boy, traumatizing the boy. Master Shafu, one of the Kensei, picked Rio up and took him as a student as Rio developed an unhealthy obsession of becoming stronger. He soon took up GekiJyuKen and marvels the White Tiger Dan as his rival. Since he can't surpass him, Rio ends up taking RinJyuKen instead.

Meanwhile, for some LOLs, Long visited the village where Dan came from and then destroyed it, killing Dan's wife Nami, after she sent our hero, Jan, away. This event traumatized Jan so much that he lost his memories, found by Pandas, and become the jungle boy we see of him. Then, Long hurts Dan a bit, so when Rio challenged him, he ended up dead due to the wounds and Rio's victory felt empty. This culminates so much that Rio took up the mantle of the Lord of RinJyuuDen, waging his war on humanity so he can get stronger and stronger and stronger... Meanwhile, Long took Dan's corpse and turned him into his mute servant, Suugu.

Long hid in the shadow for quite some time, until he reappeared in front of Rio's trusted servant, Mele. He gave vague hints about the revived Kenma, the souls of Jyuken from Brusa Ii, which culminates to their deaths and Rio reigning supreme again... and then, Long shows up again, becoming Rio's servant and giving him GenJyuuKen, driving him to get even stronger again. But alas, Jan came back as GekiRed and beat Rio. On frustration that he lost everything, Rio almost become the GenJyuOh that Long dreamed for, but that was interrupted by Mele, who turns out to be Rio's remaining attachment. Right after that, Long decided to spend his time planting on how he manipulated EVERYTHING and did it for his own fun. And that's... despicable.

Decidedly, Long kidnapped Mele and tortured her, and he personally hoped that Rio is watching so he'd turn back into GenJyuOh. That didn't work and the combination of the GekiJyuKen users and RinJyuKen users finally destroyed Long...

OR DO THEY??

They forgot that when Long said he's immortal, he said the truth. So he came back, killed Mele, forced Rio to sacrifice himself in vain. However, Rio left behind the Gekirangers one secret technique: A sealing technique, which they used on Long, now having to spend eternity sealed in the dark. He's back at the Go-onger vs Gekiranger crossover, and his appearance made both Rio and Mele forego the chance of living happily in afterlife , asking Shafu, along with Go-on Gold and Silver to resurrect them at cost of being condemned forever. But they did beat and seal Long again with the Gekirangers and Go-ongers.

So, there you have it, the one I'd consider one of the biggest bastards in Super Sentai. I thought Radiguet is unmatched in that terms, but Long manages to nearly surpass him. He's a dirty, manipulative bastard who prefers to let other people do his dirty job, while he watches while smiling and grabbing some pop corn. Although Radiguet doesn't just manipulate, he also takes thing onto his own hands, which I guess makes him ahead of Long. But still, it doesn't take away the fact that Long is a complete S.O.B.

Now let's see who else are the S.O.B's of Sentais that I can talk about...

Super Sentai Crowning Moment Of Awesome 1: Jetman

What is a Crowning Moment Of Awesome? In the words of TV Tropes... this is the highest moment of the character. One moment that they will be forever remembered by doing something awesome (and not heinous). Super Sentai has a lot of these, so let's talk about it.

The first awesome moment I'm talking about is from Jetman, episode 20.

What is in the episode: A Dimensional Beast now is in the form of a Vacuum Cleaner is sucking the love out of brides. After a botched plan to lure the monster using Gai and Ako as the brides; that monster instead sucks the love out of a little girl that Gai has been a bit close for the episode. In a fit of anger, Gai tracks down the monster, and rather than waiting for his friends to help him finish the monster... he single-handedly beats the crap out of the monster, forcing it to enlarge. And he still even deals with the final blow to destroy the monster utterly.

Reasons of awesome: This is one of the peak of Gai's strength. With the exception of Ryuu, most of the time, the Jetman would need to be together to stand a chance. Not if Gai, being the lone wolf he is, is mad. There's a reason why Gai is considered one of the strongest Jetman, and this is why. Oh, and while he's beating down the monster, his own image song 'Honoo no Condor' is playing in the background, adding up the intense atmosphere of the battle. Oh and there's also the fact that Gai just transforms right off bat rather than having the Jetman's normal henshin sequence alone. That just reeks of bad ass.

Well that's about it for today's Super Sentai Crowning Moment of Awesome. Tune in next time when I deliver more crowning moments of awesome in Sentai

Pairing Talk: Dekaranger

Okay, next in line of pairing talk is Dekaranger. Honestly, being a fanfic writer, I took a glimpse on the Dekaranger fanbase and it's FILLED with lots and lots of pairings, het and homo. So! Let's start with the pairings that seems very prominent.

Oh and, just this once, I'd talk about same-sex pairings because it's kinda fun to poke fun at.

1. Ban X Mari

Okay, this is just exclusive to the movie, but this gets carried over to Magiranger vs Dekaranger. It's just a normal 'I'll definitely protect you' moment at first, but this gets more forward and proves that Ban is interested of someone of different sex. We don't know if she'd play over to Ban when he becomes the Fire Squad member, but we never know. So let's just assume she did, otherwise Ban wouldn't keep her photo around in Magiranger vs Dekaranger. This is probably the most official coupling for Ban.

2. Sen X Umeko

(Apologies for the picture. I like it better if I use human form pictures, but I can't find any!)

Okay, this is also another official coupling, and as proven in Magiranger vs Dekaranger, they ARE going out together. I find it a bit rushed, since until the Sen-Umeko episode in late Dekaranger, there isn't much chemistry between both of them, except they ride their car together most of the time. But still, that one episode was quite the powerful episode that cements them together and shows that Sen DOES care about Umeko.

3. Doggie X Swan

You can't get more official than this coupling. Doggie and Swan are like completely matching pairs, even if they're of different species. The chemistries ARE there, even though they'd deny it. First off, Doggie risks his life to save Swan from his old enemy; he kinda had a denial about being in love when asked by Miyuki from Magiranger (anyone can see that coming!) and lastly, he gets pissed when he thinks an Alienizer is stalking Swan (even though it turns out to be Tetsu it's aiming). The proofs are there, Doggie, just be more than a man and admit it!

4. Hoji X Jasmine

As Sean Akizuki said, this one is not really an official pairing, but judging from their shared past, I'd say that there IS a reason behind this pairing. Plus, it's not like Hoji was uninterested with the person with different sex, he's shown that he has interest with that one woman that he had to break up because of killing her little brother. Their professional attitudes seem to match each other too, since between the SPD, both Hoji and Jasmine are the ones who are more likely to do straightforward, professional approaches. There's not much chemistries other than that, but if you ask me what my favorite ship for Hoji is... that's with Jasmine. Okay, I may be biased because both are my favorites, but... what can I say? They look great together!

5. Tetsu X Jasmine

Now before you raise your guns or whatever to shoot me, calm down and let me say one thing: I don't bash those who likes this pairing. In a way, as Sean said, I can see why people ship Tetsu with Jasmine. After Ban left to the Fire Squad, Tetsu basically replaces him and now shares car with Jasmine (it was previously Ban's seat), and he looked kinda crushed when Jasmine pursued Babon capturing Urara/Magi Blue, and ends up captured. That's it, really. Personally, I think that's not quite enough to make a couple, being that probably Tetsu was there just to replace Ban, as well as he'd do the same if someone else gets caught. But... they're not really a couple like Sen and Umeko, just professional pair (otherwise they'd be dating like them!). It's an okay pairing, but I just prefer other ships for Jasmine (above), and Tetsu (below)

6. Tetsu X Lisa

I'd say this would be the better pair for Tetsu, since they share more past, in the same way as Hoji and Jasmine. It's not unusual that we see 'teacher-student' pairing; and Tetsu-Lisa is no exception. The newer Lisa would have an easier time to accept Tetsu as well. However, this... seems to be a rather quickly-forgotten pairing because Lisa only appeared in one episode. Still, as much as quickly forgotten this is... yeah, I think I ship Tetsu with her.

7. Ban X Hoji

Okay, this is my first yaoi pair talk. Let me make it clear that I do not ship Yaois, but I acknowledge their existence. At any rate, it's obvious that for you Yaoi fans, Ban and Hoji are the most prominent pair, especially with their usual "I'm not your partner!" shtick, as well as that episode where Hoji thought of Ban dying and ended up genuinely crying. It goes even further that Hoji gets jealous of Ban declaring Kai/Magi Red his 'partner', while he gets demoted into 'ex-partner'. Still I'd say that's more like deep friendship, since as I said before, Ban and Hoji does have interest in people with different sex (as noted above).

8. Jasmine X Umeko

And balancing out between Ban and Hoji is Jasmine and Umeko, even though Umeko eventually ends up with Sen. Still you can't deny that before Sen-Umeko came to fruitition, Umeko spends more time with Jasmine, leading to many team-ups between them, showing off girl power prominently. This is a more prominent Yuri pair, as they're paired so often, perhaps as a couple or just partners. Overall, this is one girl-girl pairing that you won't be able to miss and is highly enjoyable.

And that's all I'll talk about the pairings today. I'll see you next time when I tackle other pairing eras... And I hope you won't flatten me with a hammer because my choice of shipping contradicts with yours...

Guise, Guise, Wink, Wink, Know What I Mean, Know What I Mean?

When girls wink, they look really cute. These are no exceptions in the heroines of Super Sentai. They may fight evil, but they are still human ladies beneath it all. So it should come of no surprise that sometimes they'd utilize such thing during battle. This usually happened when they use their usual disguise trait, and usually when the disguise is as a Cowgirl. Sometimes, the wink serve as a finishing touch, before the enemy fall in defeat. So, here's a list of when girls wink after beating up the enemy while disguised... mostly as cowgirls.


Akira Momoi from Denziman started it when the Denziman is fighting a television-based monster, where the team got re-outfitted into cowboy/cowgirl outfits.


Later on, Miki Momozono from Goggle V does this against enemy soldiers under a monster who fights like a cowboy/marksman. She even adds up a very cute "Ufuun~" sound in the end!


In Dynaman, this doesn't happen as a cowgirl disguise, but when Rei Tachibana shed her fencer disguise, she does this for good measure.


... On second thought, I was wrong. She does eventually disguised herself as a cowgirl and winked. AGAIN.


And then in Changeman, since one girl is not enough, so two girls would suffice. So, we have both Sayaka Nagisa and Mai Tsubasa winking at the enemy. Note that Sayaka's cowgirl outfit look similar to Miki's.


I haven't watched Go Go V or Timeranger, but I heard that during their teamup movie, such event happens. In this case, just like Sayaka & Mai; Matsuri Tatsumi (GoPink) and Yuuri (TimePink) combine their wink on their cowgirl outfits.

And that's what I have gathered so far on when girls make use of winks in the middle of battle. Please do tell me more if I missed something similar. Especially when they're disguised as cowgirls since that seems to be a recurring thing in the Super Sentai series.

(And yes, the title is based on a sketch by Monty Python... Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge nudge, say no more, say no more...)

Sentai Character Talk 2: Miki Momozono/Goggle Pink

And here's the second character I'd talk about... a classic one, that is. Miki Momozono AKA Goggle Pink from Dai Sentai Goggle Five.



Considering this show is made during the 80's, Miki's background is kept simple: She's a 16 years old gymnast (and a pretty good one at that!). Not much is known about her family, which means she probably has learned how to live alone with maturity in tact even at such a young age. Anyway, her life as a gymnast (and a schoolgirl since she's probably at that age and I'd take that the gymnastic activity is probably her most preferred extracurricular/PE lesson) gets interrupted when she is approached by a girl named Akane, who took her to a telephone booth, drops her into the Future Science Lab, and then she learns about the world's peril. Just like the 3 strangers next to her, Miki possesses a strong sense of justice, thus she readily abandoned her normal life to become Goggle Pink, an ally of justice under the team Dai Sentai Goggle Five and starts her battle against the Deathdark Empire.

Pre-Production

Well, I don't know the details of it, but when Hirohisa Soda is assigned to write a Sentai season, Goggle Five was the first. Looking back at the previous entry, Sun Vulcan, I'd say that he noticed on how the main team has no women (as opposed to Battle Fever J and Denziman) and think "I want a female warrior back!". So that's how he starts to conceive the character Miki. Considering the target audience of the Super Sentai series (kids), he designed Miki to be a teenager, at the moment, the youngest Sentai character (or lady), maybe to invoke the image of 'Cool, reliable, strong big sister figure'. This kind of designing phase proves to be a success, that when Goggle Five gained popularity at its age, Miki becomes one of the more memorable heroines from the series.

Believe it or not, at one point they tried to have another actress to play as Miki, but judging from what's said in this site, that actress seemed too old, so it doesn't really capture Miki's image well. Well, eventually that role fell into Megumi Oogawa, and then the rest is history.

Trait

I'm gonna go ahead and go to the traits parts, since this is from an 80's show, character development hasn't been occurring very often. But a character doesn't always need to develop to be lovable. So here we go.

In a nutshell, Miki is quite the typical girl, she's kind, gentle, witty and has a tender heart. Probably by being the youngest one of the team, she could relate herself with children the most, making her the one who'd approach children more easily. Despite her age, she seems more mature than she looks, as said above.

However, it is without a doubt that despite being a capable fighter, Miki relies more on her brains and wits in battle, thus she might look like the most fragile member of the Goggle Five. Early on the episodes, she was hit with a bomb, which terribly wounded her and even casted doubts on her teammates whether she should continue being a fighter or not. Thankfully, Miki also has this one trait: to never give up. Which is why despite her wounds, she still dragged herself to fight against evil. Her refusal to submission is also highlighted in latter episodes whereas she gets trapped in a demon book, and the book was being burnt by Deathmark, while she's inside and worse of all, she's tied up and all her friends' efforts to help her get out prove useless. Thankfully for Miki, her trait to never give up eventually gives her the chance to break free and get out of the book on her own before it exploded with her inside. This, IMO, is the highest/greatest moment of Miki.

Her kindness is also shown several times. When she disguised herself as a doll to investigate several living dolls, she came to have a 'bond' with another doll, which eventually shields her from incoming bullet of death. Miki was able to feel the doll's sadness and desire to protect her beloved, thus one tear fell from her eyes, signifying the tenderness of her heart. This is also shown in the movie, when the usually evil Dr. Zazoriya gets chased for betraying Deathdark, Miki was the first to cover her and even pleads the team to listen to her, genuinely thinking that Zazoriya has repented. But that somehow is also a proof that she can sometimes be gullible, because it turns out to be an act by the Deathdark to hamper the team's progress. But, like usual, Miki isn't the type to let one mistake drag her down.

Arsenal

As Goggle Pink, Miki has a lot of options in battle. Her weapons include the Pink Ribbon, which utilizes a lot of her gymnastic skills (the first time we see her on screen, she's actually practicing with ribbons), and other than attacking, it could be used for other purposes like grabbing something from afar. Her personal skill with that ribbon is the Pink Senpuu/Whirlwind, in which by spinning her ribbon, she could generate winds to either blow the enemy away or form up a protective wind barrier from enemy attack. Her other attack is the Pink Ribbon Spark, which can be shared to other Goggles (losing the 'Pink' on name, but works the same), which basically latches the ribbon onto the enemy and sends out electric current to shock the enemy. Exclusive to Miki, however, is the Double Ribbon Spark, which is... exactly as it says, two Pink Ribbon Sparks used at once.

At one time, she uses the Pink Mirror, which I think is a nice shout out to the original Pink Ranger, Peggy Matsuyama/Momoranger from Himitsu Sentai Goranger. Her other most used technique is the Pink Heart Hypnosis, which uses her wiles to make enemy obey her, such as making the enemy dance around to her will, and have them drop down in the next second.

Which goes well with Miki's personal ability: costume switch. While this is a common skill amongst the ladies of Super Sentai, I would think that Miki's case is quite special, in this case, all she needs is just to spin around and her costume would change in a blink of eye. No explanation was given on how she could do it, so we may as well chalk it down as one of the powers that come with being Goggle Pink. But this could come in pretty handy as she can do quick costume changes without much hassle. She could even transform back to human form while being Goggle Pink, as shown in the battle against the Cactus Mozoo, after stunning it with the hypnosis, she just spun and in place of Goggle Pink is Miki dressed in a sexy flamenco dancer. Her costume change isn't limited on just female clothes only, she could also pass up as a prince with just a wig, though she still needs to work around with the her voice.

Pairing

I've talked quite a bit on it in a previous topic, so I think I'm not going to reiterate twice...

In Conclusion

Overall, since this is a 80's Sentai show, Miki's characteristics might look a bit lacking when compared to the Sentai series of these days. Still, for all she had, Miki is pretty lovable. She's both kind hearted and cute, but most of all, a very formidable, witty fighter. I do need to mention that since Goggle V is one of the first shows that I've seen in my life, while in other shows women are mostly less active in battle and serve as either moral support, or a damsel in distress that the hero must rescue; Miki is definitely one of the few most 'action-oriented' (as much as Sentai allows) female characters that I've known. Maybe I don't really pay much attention when I'm a kid, but as of now, it's safe to say that Miki is... pretty much my favorite female Super Sentai character.

I'll see you later in the next talk about Sentai characters.