Unpopular Opinions That I Have In Sentai

Okay, right now I'm gonna spill out some of the things I thought about Sentai. You may not like it very much with what I'm gonna say, but then again you may say I'm just not going over the popular opinion. Here we go.

1. Goggle V is really an underrated Sentai

Yes, you would see this coming, because I grew up in Indonesia, where Goggle V was pretty big, the essential Sentai of Indonesia. Most people would either ignore or underrate it due to the failed attempt at Brazil (more like due to bad scheduling, I mean airing after showing Sentai shows that has gotten a firm hold in storytelling? No, not just a bad idea... EPIC FAIL!) or that it's old. So much that in Henshin Grid's poll, most (if not all) Goggle V characters receive the lowest scores. Wow... was it really THAT bad in terms of underration? But for it's age, even with its flaws, it was still a pretty good show with quite the cast, you need to remember the focus was more about how the fights get carried out rather than how the plot goes, characters may stay static and unchanging, but hey, that's what happens in the old school ones.

I haven't seen any Sentai before Goggle V, but Fantasy Leader said that it was starting with Goggle V that the characters started to get colorful, so I really dunno how to rate that, but if it's true, then bless you, FL. And after seeing a good chunk of Dynaman, I kinda agree that the fight scenes in Goggle V are more intense and sometimes variative than Dynaman (no offense, Dynaman fans! I still like it for what it is). You should really check it out, forget about that failed attempt if you're from Brazil just treat it as some new old-school Sentai you never watched and you should feel more home. Oh, and Miki is awesome.

I really need to up my ante of promoting it...

2. Zyuranger holds on its own, and it's not Geki/Burai that's 'the only awesome thing of Zyuranger'.

Many decried that Zyuranger is a weak season, and hell I know it's pretty plagued with the 'Kid of the Week' syndrome. But I have to admit that it's not always 'Kid of The Week' even when it's not about Geki/Burai. Or when it's about MMPR nostalgia. Me, I always have a soft spot and Mei and what do you know, I find episodes featuring her entertaining, perhaps equal to the Geki/Burai episodes. Plus as said in Valsag Fantasy's blog, sometimes the 'Kid of the Week' isn't really that irritating. So yeah, I would say that Zyuranger is a pretty good show, if flawed, and should not be disliked due to the 'flaws', or overly liked merely for 'MMPR Nostalgia'.

3. I like Ahim better than Luca

Okay, in Gokaiger, everyone is crazy at Luca. I don't blame them, everyone got their tastes. That Chick, Sean, those two loved Luca. But me? I think I'm the only one who likes Ahim more. I dunno why but for some reason Luca doesn't click on me. Maybe the hair? I like long hairs on girls, maybe that's why. Plus Ahim got the 'natural cute' feel that I feel charming, and while it wasn't wholly focusing on her, I'd say her 'shared' spotlight in Episode 4 (which was about Joe), makes me like her for her sweet personality. Of course, since Gokaiger is still early, things may change, who knows what kind of stuffs Luca will do to win me over Ahim, but for now I'd say Ahim has the edge for me. And I still like Joe/Ahim better than Marvelous/Ahim for now.

That's about the opinions I had thus far which I think will really clash a lot with many people's, but I stand by my opinion and proud of it. Check this post often since my opinions tend to fluctuate so things may change, or I add up other conflicting opinions. I'll see you later.

Five Man Band: Dekaranger

All right, here we are in the first Five Man Band talk... in which we talk about... the Dekarangers


So let's get on with the breakdowns of the talk.

1. The Hero - Ban
By contrast, Ban really isn't giving out orders like he's the Leader of the group. However, he IS the Red Ranger and pretty much the team's 'fireball' and gives out inspiration to everyone. He's also the main protagonist of the series, thus he's this.

2. The Lancer - Houji
Houji is no leader, but in the same vein of Sean, yes he does have leadership qualities, as much as backfiring it was in the first try, but he has it, though he's no Kouichirou from Megaranger or Yuuri from Timeranger (where they're the technical leader). In contrast, since our Hero is Ban, Houji fits in Lancer position like a glove because of just how contrasting his personality with Ban. Indeed, they're the two that most likely would argue due to conflicting personalities. But hey, they also show great teamworks covering what they lack.

3. The Big Guy AND The Smart Guy - Sen-chan OR Jasmine
Okay, this is where I deviate from TV Tropes. Sen-chan is usually pegged as The Smart Guy due to his Thinking Pose, while Jasmine is pegged as The Big Guy because... she's a bishoujo type, the 'tougher' part of the duo with Umeko and the rest of the spots have been taken. However, let's look at the different perspective... in BATTLE, because those were really the perspective taken outside battle. When we look it at the Battle perspective, the role is reversed. Sen is the Big Guy because he held great power and when he fights, he goes straightforward pure power, remember that one episode where he kicks a chunk of rock and breaks it (or was it cutting it into two?)? On the other hand, Jasmine is instead The Smart Guy since she possesses the 'Mirage Dimension' ability which requires some creative mind and overall provides a more complex, tricky execution style, which is usually a trait for The Smart Guys.

So there we have it, up to you guys to decide which one is more Big and which one is more Smart.

4. The Chick - Umeko
Umeko is, put simply, the more emotional of the team. More emotional, however, doesn't mean to be the quiet one though, she's a different Chick because she's... well, loud and brash compared to Jasmine. But she's gotten her biggest 'Chick' credentials due to how her relationship with Sen came about, when after being tricked and nearly killed, she realized it sooner, shot her would-be killer, and broke down in tears.

5. Sixth Ranger - Tetsu (and Boss)
This is self-explanatory. Tetsu joins late, is 'different' than the rest (being that he's with the Tokkyou, and the rest are just SPD police officers). Sixth Rangers are supposed to be 'oddballs' amongst the team so he fits like a glue over there. And Boss may kind of count, but he takes more of the mentorship role...

And there we go about Dekaranger's Five Man Band formation. Tune in next time when I speak of another formation.

Super Sentai: Five Man Band

In regards of the same-named TV Tropes article, this is the series we're going to discuss for quite a bit. For those who don't know, Super Sentai draws heavy similarities with the show 'Science Ninja Team Gatchaman'. In this I mean, the formation of five people with a set of roles, each fulfilling some archetypical roles...

• The Hero: Obviously the leader. He takes charge, he gives commands. Although this being Sentai, sometimes this goes to the Red Ranger, because he's the protagonist and that's how the show runs.
  
• The Lancer: Vice-leader or number two. Usually second strongest, if not, he's the guy who gives contrast to the hero.
• The Big Guy: Member with the biggest... something. Usually biggest size, but could also be biggest weaponry, etc.
• The Smart Guy: Member with the brains, or prefers in outwitting the enemy with tricky attacks. In Sentai, this seems to translate to those whose fighting style has lots of back flips.
• The Chick: Token girl. If not, this spot goes to those who are emotional, or is offset with a low defense or something. Not to say this is useless though.
• Sixth Ranger: Extra rangers. Hell, since Power Rangers named it...
  

For the next series of posts, there's going to be a talk about the formation of these bands in each Sentai groups, how they fit into the role, etc. Look up to it!

Pairing Talk - Zyuranger

Hey, guess what. We're nearing Valentine day. Therefore, I'm back with my talk about.... Pairing Talk. This time we talk about... Zyuranger. Why Zyuranger? Because since Valentine day is about love, well why not add it with the pairing talk about the Warrior of Love herself. That is... Mei!



Basically, other than her, I don't add pictures of the characters yet. Sorry, will upload more later.

Surprisingly, even if Mei is 'Warrior of Love', she is not romantically interested to anyone. Not even to her teammates. However, it should be noted that Zyuranger seems to be more kid-friendly so they probably wouldn't dare to add such thing (so kids don't rush into romances that quickly!). Still, we, the more mature people... just can't help to nitpick. So, let's get down to the rangers we got.

1. Geki

Actually, most fans pair Mei with Geki the most, or maybe it's due to that Red-Pink pair trend. While most of them tends to take things professionally, it does seem that Geki sometimes show many concern towards Mei, and at the near end, they seem to be doing missions/visiting kids just together. Probably that's how it is for those two.

2. Goushi

(Un)fortunately for Goushi; he took things way more seriously than Geki, so most of his interaction with Mei are purely professional.

3. Dan

Okay, first off, when Dan was much of a slacker, Mei doesn't seem to tolerate with him much, but she got better on that. A lot of the interaction seems to come during that one time they're brainwashed into punks, but it's purely adventurous and dangerous, not romantic. Oh, and Dan made a boob-joke on Mei once, which pissed her off.

4. Boi

Second runner for Mei's pairing with Boi, as they are the youngest characters of the team, so they get to be paired a lot, in the beginning. By the end, Boi usually goes solo while Mei goes with Geki (though they do get together again during the pinnacle of the Burai arc). So, this is probably the second one to be paired with her, not to mention that one cupid episode where both he and Dan get brainwashed to fall in love with Mei... but since that was a monster's plot, it doesn't count.

5. Burai

Pairing Mei with Burai is... rather nonexistant as Burai heavily draws from his conflict with Geki, not with the other Zyurangers. There are mostly no pairing between them, except for professional stuffs. Or if you want to get cracky, just use the Power Rangers parallel (Tommy and Kimberly) to justify that. Just as a warning, while it will make sense in Power Rangers, it won't make sense in Zyuranger! There is a reason why we have the term 'Crack'!

And that's that for Mei's pairings for Zyuranger. Surprisingly she's very celibate for a Warrior of Love. Of course, she may be just dealing with universal love, rather than romance and lust, so she gets away free with it.

That's that from me, and I wish you a good Valentine Day later at February 14th!

Recent Image: Goukaiger & Transformation

This is just a new promotional image about Goukaiger I found. It looks like these details about what the Goukaigers can transform. Surprisingly, the roster only consist of the main, normal colors (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Pink, White, Black) and no sixth ranger type characters. It's also surprising that even Pink gets a cross-dressing outfits, which are Black Bison, Kuwaga Raiger and Go-on Black.

This team probably will get a Sixth Ranger, so I guess there's still hope for those who wants to see someone transform into Dragon Ranger, Deka Break, Deka Master, Go-on Gold, Go-on Silver, Shinken Gold, etc...

Goggle V... Subbed!?

Well, not subbed as in like TV-Nihon's subs, but... another way around.

We all know that Goggle V has yet to be subbed officially. However, in the Momotaros Raw Revolution, someone posted the subbed texts of the whole Goggle V series AND movies, and they got the timings right. There's one problem though: The grammars are very off... All we need is those who can fix the subbing grammars, and we're set.

Go find the Goggle V raws somewhere, and then get these SRT files for the subs (Thanks to ImanD of the Momotaros Raw Revolution forum!):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NIM2X60Z (Whole series)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=M6G4OXN0 (Movie)

(Password is ImanD)

Open it with a word editor (notepad or something), then fix the wordings to make it fit.
If this can be done, then Goggle V will be completely subbed and ready for a good viewing (not mired with messed up grammars).

Here's a hoping someone would take up the job!

Fake Defecting - Sentai & Others

Okay, as far as you noticed, I've been absent for god-knows how long. Well, I'm sorta back. And I'm here to tell you the reason why and my slight comfort.

Remember the last time I made a BlazBlue intro? Well, it's a game series I've been quite into right now. And I'm pretty hooked. But it became one of my undoing. By one of my favorite characters, no less. This is the character in question... Litchi Faye-Ling.


Litchi presents herself as a thoroughly good woman. She's kind, caring, maternal and loves children, and amongst the crazy cast of BlazBlue, she is quite sane, sensible and down-to-earth, as well as being driven with her love towards a friend in need. In other words, her friend was inflicted with a really fatal disease that turns him into a monster, and being a doctor, she felt it was her responsibility to save him, but the cure is currently nonexistant, so she tried to understand the symptoms by inflicting herself with said disease, but she couldn't find a cure in time before she starts experiencing the symptoms herself, meaning her time is running short and she may succumb into that sickness. (And trust me, how I described this was the theme park version of the real story. Just... go play the game yourself to understand just how SERIOUS the problem is).

At any rate, her concentration to her problem means that she didn't pay attention to the main plot in general, so suddenly, the evil bad guy came in and invited her to join their group of antagonists since they want her knowledge. At first Litchi refused, but they offered the undiscovered cure of her friend if she joins. While at first reluctant, Litchi was refused of help by her only other capable friend, thus she made the decision to eventually join the evil group and become an antagonist, all in the name of her love to her friend and her desire to see him cured no matter what. And she doesn't seem to have a lingering loyalty to the protagonist group, either...

THIS is my problem. Love is such a powerful force that it can make people do crazy things. Litchi was no exception. With love, it is quite possible that she will disregard her morality if it means getting him cured. I looked up to her as a shining example of sanity and pillar of moral character, but she turned against it. You can imagine how I suddenly feel crushed for about 6 months. Worse, the producer said that the continuation will not be coming soon, and it'll be a looong delay. While I believed that Litchi is still good... BlazBlue is a very cynical piece of work and things may go very bad for good morality later.

Now the comfort part? Thanks to Super Sentai, I find quite comfort and possible scenarios to look forward, revealing that Litchi might've gone antagonist just temporarily and will not be intoxicated! This is the term we call

FAKE DEFECTION

Basically, it is quite common in Super Sentai that the heroes suddenly betrayed the team and they've gone to the enemy side, earning the ire of their allies, but suddenly, in the very same episode, they would suddenly turn their backs to the enemy and reveal that they're just in the enemy side for something they wanted... not because they've had it being goody-two-shoes. In fact, amongst the Sentai shows I've watched, we got 3 shows in a row with scenario like this.

It starts with... Turboranger.


In the 19th episode, the Bouma attacked with a monster that inflicts fatal poison. In that attack, the monster tried targeting Haruna (Pink Turbo), but Youhei (Blue Turbo) ended up taking the attack and poison. Thinking that it was completely her fault that Youhei is poisoned, Haruna tried demanding the cure herself, but was refused and ended up taking a blow on her head and taken to the Bouma base. The next time she reappears, she looked as if she completely defected to the Bouma and attacked her friends (complete with an evil laugh on her own). Then at one point she got attacked and injected by the poison, which made her beg for her chief (at this point, the buffoon Zulten) for the antidote, in which she is given. Afterwards she retreated from the battlefield and quickly returned... and attacked Zulten and the monster instead. Turns out she just pretended being amnesiac, her defection just serves as a mean to get the antidote she needs to save Youhei, whom she brought along to kick some ass to make up for his absence.

The next series to feature this is Fiveman.



In the 32nd episode, a monster with time manipulation ability caused Gaku (Five Red) to get killed. Kazumi (Five Pink) fell into despair and thought without Gaku they'd never win against Zone. Thus she surrendered to Zone and attacked her siblings, it went so bad as Fumiya (Five Black) condemned her saying that he'll never consider her his sister again. As a reward for her 'betrayal', Kazumi got close with the monster and persuaded the monster to go back in time before he killed Gaku, and find a present for him. And... he did. Because the time is reversed, he tried finding the present rather than dealing the fatal blow to Gaku, thus all went according to Kazumi's plan about falling into despair and defecting. Gaku lives and she sticks with the team, as she never really had the intention to defect...

And then it ends with the feature being included in... Jetman.



In the 34th episode, Ryuu (Red Hawk) finally couldn't let go of his anxiety being separated with Rie, thus he handed down plans for Tetra Boy to the Vyram. Of course, his teammates didn't take it well and think he completely became a sell out in the name of love. Ryuu however trounced the Jetman while being aided with the Vyram. However, the Vyram turned on his back and shot him down, leaving his friends in anguish... only to find out that they shot a cyborg. In fact, while all of these happens, Ryuu was sneaking into the Vyram base to hamper their method of transportation and even called in his friends to help in the end. Turns out these were all staged by him and even quotes the saying "To deceive your enemy, you must deceive your friends first!" His overall plan ultimately failed, though. However, it shows that the Jetman has developed in terms of cunningness to be able to trick the sadistic Vyrams like that.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the difference between Super Sentai and BlazBlue in handling these scenarios was that Sentai usually wrapped this kind of scenario in one episode, and be done with it, while BlazBlue stops this in the middle for the sake of cliff hanger. Of course, this may turn out otherwise in the future, whether Litchi either was really desperate, or finally turned towards evilness completely. However, her scenario has a lot of similarities to the Sentai scenarios above. She fell into despair that she couldn't find a cure and it's catching up to her (kind of like Kazumi's that Gaku died), she did it to save another person with a cure (like how Haruna attempts to save Youhei with an antidote), and that person is the one she loved (like how Ryuu tries justifying his betrayal to save his love Rie (at that time being Maria)). Also I may be wrong, but Ryuu's quote about deceiving the enemy might originate from China, while Litchi's design has a lot of Chinese feel in it, so she might end up saying that in the end, if she really is just faking. But other than that, who knows what the future will hold for her, I can only hope for the best (in which, she was only faking joining the organization).

I'll talk more about BlazBlue later (in addition of Sentai). And apologies with all this absence. For now, even though I'm still rather butthurt on the events, I'll try my best to update this blog. Also, yes, I do realize that Ohranger and Abaranger have similar scenarios, but I didn't include them because I haven't watched them. Are we cool now? Good.