Thursday, July 29, 2010

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.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

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.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

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!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

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.