Gokaiger Episode 17 Review

Episode 17 introduces Gai Ikari as Gokai Silver. The episode starts out with Navi giving his prophecy, which was finding something or someone "sugoi in silver." This turned out to be Gai, who the others dismissed initially (although Luka found him to be cute). However, he transforms into Gokai Silver much to everyone's surprise and takes out the Gormin. Later, he's able to defeat the MOTW, and the other Gokaigers start questioning Gai at the end of the episode.

This episode reminds me a lot of Genta's debut in Shinkenger. Of course, personality wise Gai is a lot like Genta, hyper and flashy. He's also a wannabee Super Sentai senshi, like Genta was kinda a wannabee samurai, although Genta had a deep friendship with Takeru. I thought Gai kicked ass in his fight scenes and I love the Gokai Silver suit. However, there were two issues I had with this episode. The brief second in which Gai was fantasizing about being a Gokaiger, everyone's personality except for Ahim changed which kinda annoyed me, but this was a minor issue. The real big issue I had was with Gokai Silver's long, drawn out, and over the top roll call. I mean seriously, Gai's roll call is longer than any of the Gekirangers', which is saying something. It really doesn't fit with this show especially when the others have such a short and straight to the point roll call. I hope this was just a one time thing because I don't want to see Gai's roll call stealing the show every episode. About the character himself, I felt for this episode Gai was alright. It's only one episode and there's a long way to go before I can judge his character. I am, however, really interested in seeing the next episode with him obtaining the Zyuranger, Abaranger, and Timeranger grand powers. That will be interesting to see. Overall, I thought the episode was ok, so I give it 7/10. I'm just more interested to see what will happen next.

Most Mature Power Rangers Seasons

Recently, Sean made a post on some of the most mature Sentai seasons, so I felt compelled to make one for Power Rangers.

Power Rangers In Space

In Space was the first truly mature season. It had complex and edgy storylines such as Zhane and Astronema hooking up, the search for Zordon, the main villain being Andros' sister, and the final battle Countdown to Destruction. For me, In Space is the most epic season of Power Rangers.

Lost Galaxy

Lost Galaxy was also a very mature season and was pretty dark. Lost Galaxy had more on screen deaths than any other season of power rangers and also had the morally questionable Magna Defender. Overall, I felt Lost Galaxy wrapped a nice story together, and did better than any other season of mixing the Sentai plot with its own plot. Still, for me Lost Galaxy isn't quite as good with the drama as In Space and RPM are.

Lightspeed Rescue

Lightspeed Rescue was another mature season, but not as mature or as dark as some of the other seasons on this list. Its maturity mostly revolved around the character Ryan, whom was Captain Mitchell's son and Kelsey's brother. The story involved Ryan being evil at first and later having to fight for his own life, which was threatened by the cobra tattoo that was placed on his back by Diabolico.

Time Force

Time Force is another dark season that dealt with issues such as death and terrorism. However, most of the plots surrounding these issues were copied heavily from its Sentai counterpart, Timeranger. The only real mature issue that was original and Time Force covered was discrimination against mutants in the future. This was shown with Ransik's backstory.

SPD

SPD I felt had some really mature situations as well. Particularly surrounding the murder of Sky's father, the kidnapping of Crugar's wife, and the destruction of his home planet. It also had two Robin Hood like characters, Jack and Z, who were offered to join the team as redemption for some of the crimes they committed previously.

RPM

RPM is probably the most mature and darkest season of Power Rangers. With the setting of the post-apocalyptic world, as well as many of the character's backstories. Particularly noticeable was Dr. K's backstory, how she was basically quarantined inside a military bunker her whole life and how she was the one who created the Venjix Virus that went on to nearly wipe out humanity.

Sentai Female Characters Who I Think are Their Series' Best Characters

Because Sentai has a male-majority audience, and far more male characters than female characters, I think sometimes the girls get overlooked. This is especially true unless the female character is hot. In fact, I think often the "girly-girl" or ditzy characters get bashed too often, like Umeko, Natsuki, and Ahim. So I decided to talk about some female characters that I feel are the best characters in their respective series. These are my biased opinions so I don't expect everyone to think the same way as I do.


Yuuri, Time Pink




I think Yuuri is the best character on Timeranger. Not just because she's the leader, or tsudere, but also her toughness and strategy intelligence. I also like her backstory with her family being killed and how it relates to her trying to capture Don Dorunero to bring justice to him.


Sae, GaoWhite




Sae is my favorite Gaoranger character. She's not really that good looking (but not ugly), but she has a delightful personality and excellent fighting skills. She's level headed and like the glue that keeps the Gaoranger team together, imo. I also loved the episode with her and her father. Interestingly, tvtropes.org describes her as a "bratty teenage daughter" but I just don't see it. It seems more like someone who didn't like her just added that to her character profile.


Jasmine, Deka Yellow



This one won't come as much of a surprise to anyone. For me, however, it's more than Jasmine's looks that I think makes her great. Her toughness, and mysterious charm. BTW, Ayumi Kinoshita is really good at playing mysterious characters, I'd recommend watching her on Uramiya Honpo to see this as well. Anyways, I also like Jasmine's funny sarcasm and her antics like nick-naming the MOTW or half-way singing the abaranger theme song on Dekaranger vs Abaranger, and of course because she's an ESPER. Not to mention she has a really touching backstory, where she was made fun of so much at one point she considered suicide before Doggie saved her.


Sakura/Bouken Pink and Natsuki/Bouken Yellow



In Boukenger I think both Sakura and Natsuki are the best characters. Sakura won't surprise anyone but Natsuki will. IMO Natsuki is highly underrated and gets bashed too much (at least on rangerboard) for being the girly girl and the ditz. However, I think her ditzy and energetic personality makes her cute and funny, especially episode 24 when she goes overkill with Ultimate DaiBouken. Besides her personality, Natsuki has one of the most interesting backstories with her being an ancient member of the extinct Lemuria civilization. Episodes 33 and 34, which covers Natsuki's background, are two of my favorite Sentai episodes ever.

However, I do like Sakura a tad bit more and think that Sakura is the better character. Like Yuuri, she's tough, intelligent, a genius with battle strategy, and a much different pink. But unlike Yuuri, Sakura can be both really badass (like episode 12) or really cute and adorable (like episode 37).

Eri/Gosei Pink, and Moune/Gosei Yellow



Like Boukenger, I think both of the Gosei girls are the best characters in their series. However, the difference is that in Boukenger, Sakura and Natsuki stick out in an already good cast. Here, Eri and Moune stick out in anotherwise bland and boring cast. For me, Eri and Moune aren't great characters but they're descent. They're the only Goseiger characters that really have any kind of personality. Eri, like Natsuki is bubbly and ditzy, but somewhat funny. Moune is also a bit on the bubbly and cheerful side as well. I will say that I hated the running gag of Hyde treating Moune like a child. It was alright the first time but afterwards it just got tiring.

Gokaiger Episode 15 & 16 Review

I'd like to apologize for my lack of activity in recent weeks. I've been busy with school but now that school is over, at least until September, I'll have plenty of time to work on my blog.

Episode 15

In episode 15, a new villain is introduced, Basco. Basco is a former member of the red pirates gang that included Marvelous and AkaRed. Basco betrayed them to seek the universe's greatest treasure by himself. He also had his own set of ranger keys (practically all the 6th ranger keys), and summoned them to fight with a trumpet. First, the Gokaigers defeat TimeFire, Shurikenger, DekaBreak, Dragon Ranger, and King Ranger. However, Basco summons 10 more 6th rangers, and they overwhelm and capture all of the Gokaigers except for Marvelous.

This episode I thought was pretty good. Great fight scenes, as usual, and the friendship bonding. I've felt Gokaiger had been slightly lacking in the villain department, but I really enjoyed Basco. He's despicable, dirty, just what I felt Gokaiger needs. I'm anxious to see how he'll turn out. For this episode I give it 8.5/10.

Episode 16

In episode 16 Joe, Luka, Ahim, and Don try to escape Basco's ship but fail. We get a flashback to when Marvelous first met AkaRed. They have a mini dual before AkaRed recruits Marvelous to join the treasure hunt. Meanwhile Basco ransoms Joe, Luka, Ahim, and Don for the Ranger Keys. However, Marvelous had a clever plan. He threw the chest into the air, in which Don managed to catch a Gokai changer with is mouth, while Goe catches the ShinkenGreen key with is mouth as well. Together they use it to transform Don into ShinkenGreen, who then cuts everyone free. Meanwhile Navi gathers the scattered ranger keys. The Gokaigers defeat the remaining 6th rangers and collect their keys. However, they have to do battle with a giant Sgormin, which they defeat with the use of ShinkenGokaiOh. At the end of the episode, Basco reveals he still has more ranger keys.

Episode 16 I felt was descent. Not as action packed as the first part of this two parter, but still pretty descent. I would have liked to see a little stronger background story with Marvelous and AkaRed, but I'm guessing we'll see a lot more as the series progresses. I give this episode 8/10.

May Poll Results, New Poll

Favorite Gokaiger Character



Captain Marvelous won the "Favorite Gokaiger Character" poll with 59 votes (45%). Luka was second with 31 votes (23%). Joe was third with 18 votes (13%). Ahim barely beat out Don with 12 votes (9%), and Don was dead last with 11 votes (8%).

Favorite Power Rangers Samurai


Mike won the poll for favorite Power Rangers Samurai character with 43 votes (36%). For me, he's the only descent character on Samurai and the only one that has any real acting ability. Jayden was second with 28 votes (23%). Antonio was third with 22 votes (18%). Emily was fourth with 11 votes (9%). Mia was fifth with 9 votes (7%). Kevin was dead last with 5 votes (4%).

The next polls will be on the funniest and saddest moments among 21st Century Sentai's. If I'm missing one let me know.

Most Childish Sentai's

Recently, Sean Akizuki made his list of "kiddie" Sentai series, so I decided to make my own list of Sentais I consider kiddie or childish.

Go-Onger

G0-Onger IMO is easily the most childish Sentai series with the talking mechas complete with anime eyes (the engines), cartoon strips, and its comedic style. Commercially Go-Onger was a success, selling 12 Billion Yen in toys, the highest since Abaranger. However, this strategy alienated older adults. Among English-speaking fans Go-Onger has come off as a love it or hate it series with many calling Go-Onger the worst Sentai series, mostly due to its childish nature. Personally, I don't think Go-Onger is a bad series at all. Actually, I feel that its childish nature works well in its favor and makes the show entertaining. The engines have really cool and vibrant personalities with my favorites being Speedor, Birca, and Bear RV. As for the show's comedy, I thought it was ok. Not as good as the comedy from Dekaranger, Boukenger, or Shinkenger but much better than say Goseigers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm, and Power Rangers Samurai.

Magiranger

Magiranger I think is the second most childish Sentai behind Go-Onger because of the magic motif, characters like Mandora Boy and Smokey, and its goofy comedy. However, this series mixes its childishness with some pretty dark and serious moments. Unlike Go-Onger, Magiranger doesn't get as much criticism for its childish nature due to its unique story. Personally I think the childish aspects of Magiranger were ok. I'm not a fan of magic shows but I felt the magic motif overall was handled ok. Mandora Boy was ok and I actually liked Smokey quite a bit. The comedy, like Go-Onger's, I thought was just ok. However, for me Magiranger is at its best when its more serious, like when the story focuses on the villains or Magiranger's family aspects.

Zyuranger

Zyuranger is another childish Sentai. The dinosaur motif was handled in a fairytale fantasy setting, the child of the week gimmick, and its kiddie outro. This seemed to work well with kids but like Go-Onger it alienated older audiences. Among Western fans, Zyuranger has fans split between fans who think it's not that good and fans who tend to overrate the series due to MMPR nostalgic factors. Personally, I disliked Zyuranger's childish aspects. I don't really care for the fairytale setting in Zyuranger, but unlike Magiranger I didn't think it was handled well at all. Also, the child of the week gimmick I feel is pretty lame and distracts the show from character development. However, like Magiranger, I think Zyuranger is at its best when its story circles around its more serious aspects such as Burai's touching story, his relationship with his brother Geki, and to an extent Bandora.

Goseiger

Goseiger is fourth on this list for a few reasons. The show's motif IMO is pretty childish with the angel motif and the second outro was kinda kiddie. However, it's last on this list because when you actually watch the show it seems unsure as to rather it wants to take the turn of childish comedy like Go-Onger or go for the more serious tone. Goseiger hasn't been well received among Western fans. I have to admit like Magiranger's motif, I'm not much of a fan of Goseiger's angel motif. But at least Magiranger did handle the magic motif reasonably well, here Goseiger does virtually nothing with the angel motif. Initially it was set up well with the 5 Gosei Angels from three different tribes but other than having different powers and abilities, nothing is really done to distinguish how these tribes are different. In Zyuranger for example, when all the characters are from different tribes, we do at least get some background story, particularly surrounding Geki and Burai. However, unlike Magiranger or Zyuranger, the serious moments in Goseiger aren't that well handled IMO, at least not until towards the end a little bit. So for me, this series fails both with its childish and comedic tone, and its more serious moments. Goseiger so far is the only Sentai series I truly dislike.

The Thunder Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Storm

After writing my previous post on the Goraijers, Sean Akizuki requested for me to do a similar post on their Power Rangers counterpart, the Thunder Rangers. So, here's the Thunder Rangers story.

The Thunder Rangers' backstory is somewhat similar to their Hurricanger counterparts, the Goraijers. Yet it's much different as well. Like in Hurricanger, the Thunder Rangers are from a different ninja school, who's ninja school was destroyed by Lothor's invasion. Also, like Dustin, they had dirt bike racing hobbies. They're also brothers like the Goraijers, but unlike the Goraijers they're foster brothers. It seems this was used as a plot convenience since the actors have different ethnicities. Anyways, like the Goraijers they were dealing with family issues, but instead of having a coldblooded manipulative father, they were dealing with the death of their foster parents. Lothor destroyed the Thunder Ninja Academy, captured Blake and Hunter and their sensei. Lothor blamed the death of Blake and Hunter's parents on the Wind Ranger's sensei, Kanoi. They made a deal with Lothor, battled the Wind rangers, and eventually captured Sensei Kanoi. However, when they took him to the Cavern of Spirits. It was here that the truth was revealed, that Lothor had killed their parents.

After this debacle they left town before returning a few episodes later. Here they got a second story arc in which Chuubo tricked them and put them under mind control. Chuubo used them to fight the wind rangers. However, Blake snapped out of Chuubo's mind control first. He told the wind rangers the truth about what happened. Together with the wind rangers, Blake was able to bring his brother Hunter to his senses. Because of this humiliating defeat, Chuubo was exiled from Lothor's ship. Chuubo went after the Thunder Rangers and captured them in a box. They were eventually freed by the Wind Rangers and joined the Wind Rangers permamently in their fight against Lothor.

The Thunder Rangers backstory doesn't go any deeper than this. Personally, I thought the first arc involving their foster parents was ok, but it wasn't mind blowing like the Goraijers story with their father. The second story arc with them being manipulated by Chuubo comes off to me as an outright Evil Green Ranger rip-off. It's not nearly as intense and the dialog during this arc tends to be hit or miss. It's either funny at times or overly cheesy. Their development also isn't as strong as the Goraijers, who gradually bonded with the Hurricangers and became friends. There may have been some limitations placed on the writers by Disney, which Disney is known for much softer story telling. There are some reports that during Dino Thunder the writers wanted to have Trent be the Evil White Ranger just as long as Mikoto was evil during Abaranger. I will say that unlike in Hurricanger when Isshu and Nanami have a ship-tease and nothing is done with it until Hurricanger, they do go a little farther with the hints of Blake and Tori. It's evident early on that Tori likes Blake and the writers seem to want to hook them up, but like the Isshu-Nanami relationship it really goes nowhere. As for the characters themselves, I find Hunter to be really bland. He's not the worst power ranger character I've seen but I think he's just a boring character. I do kinda like Blake. He's charming, somewhat cool, and somewhat interesting. Still, neither character really compares to either Ikkou or Isshu from Hurricanger. In fact, I don't think they're even the best part of Ninja Storm. Personally, I think the best part of Ninja Storm is the story surrounding Cam who later becomes the Green Samurai Ranger (Shurikenger's counterpart), the story surrounding his family, his father (Sensei Kanoi), and his uncle (who happens to be Lothor the main villain). Also, Lothor who's kinda funny I think is also more interesting than either the Thunder Rangers are.