Top 22 Episodes of Mahou Sentai Magiranger

In honor of the year of Kamen Rider Wizard, I have decided to do an analysis of Mahou Sentai Magiranger.

1. 33. Toward the Infershia ~Maagi Golu Magika~ (インフェルシアへ～マージ・ゴル・マジカ～ Inferushia e ~Māji Goru Majika~^?) The origin of Blagel explained.
2. 34. Bonds of Courage ~Goolu Golu Goludo~ (勇気の絆～ゴール・ゴル・ゴルド～ Yūki no Kizuna ~Gōru Goru Gorudo~^?) The sacrifice too soon?
3. 9. Fiery Friendship Fusion ~Giruma Maagi Magi Jinga~ (炎の友情合体～ジルマ・マージ・マジ・ジンガ～ Honō no Yūjō Gattai ~Jiruma Māji Maji Jinga~^?) Sort of Tokusatsu's Au Hasard Balthasar. Very unexpected.
4. 37. Sniping ~Golu Maagi~ (狙い撃ち～ゴル・マージ～ Neraiuchi ~Goru Māji~^?) Having a gun as a magical weapon has certain scary benefits. You also get to see Makito speak English!
5. 48. Decisive Battle ~Magi Majuulu Gogoolu Jingajin~ (決戦～マジ・マジュール・ゴゴール・ジンガジン～ Kessen ~Maji Majūru Gogōru Jingajin~^?) All seems lost.
6. Forbidden Magic ~Rooji Maneeji Magi Mamaruji~ (禁断の魔法～ロージ・マネージ・マジ・ママルジ～ Kindan no Mahō ~Rōji Menēji Maji Mamaruji~^?) What really makes this a great episode is the ethics behind time travel. Tsubasa shines again. Probably would have been better if they built up on this episode later. Oh well.
7. 36. Carrying Out Divine Retribution ~Maagi Golu Gogika~ (神罰執行～マージ・ゴル・ゴジカ～ Shinbatsu Shikkō ~Māji Goru Gojika~^?) The actor for Hikaru and Ifrit pull off making this seem like a face off for fate. It also played off Drake as the nice one of the group.
8. 4. The King of the Majin ~Maagi Giruma Magi Jinga~ (魔人の王様～マージ・ジルマ・マジ・ジンガ～ Majin no Ōsama ~Māji Jiruma Maji Jinga~^?) A sad memory and sacrifice by Urara, learning about most of the characters.
9. 47. Using Magic to Reach You ~Luludo Goludiiro~ (君にかける魔法～ルルド・ゴルディーロ～ Kimi ni Kakeru Mahō ~Rurudo Gorudīro~^?) I felt this ship like in Dekaranger was forced at the end. But they sure did make us try to believe it. Also, the climactic ending.
10. 28. Eternally… ~Giruma Magi Magi Magiine~ (永遠に…～ジルマ・マジ・マジ・マジーネ～ Eien ni… ~Jiruma Maji Maji Majīne~^?) A good Tsubasa episode that developed him as more than the cold brother of the Ozu clan.
11. 6. The Ruler of Darkness ~Uuza Douza Uru Zanga~ (闇の覇王～ウーザ・ドーザ・ウル・ザンガ～ Yami no Haō ~Ūza Dōza Uru Zanga~^?) The Ozus are tested by Wolzard without the use of a new monster. Gutszu.
12. 3. Ride the Magical Dragon ~Maagi Giruma Jinga~ (魔竜に乗れ～マージ・ジルマ・ジンガ～ Maryū ni Nore ~Māji Jiruma Jinga~^?) Makito shows jealousy, and who wouldn't? He's the real star of the show. Not Kai!
13. 35. Valley of the Gods ~Magi Magi Jijiru~ (神々の谷～マジ・マジ・ジジル～ Kamigami no Tani ~Maji Maji Jijiru~^?) A review episode mixed with the grand introduction of the Infershia Pantheon.
14. 18. Uniting Powers ~Maagi Giruma Gii Jinga~ (力を合わせて～マージ・ジルマ・ジー・ジンガ～ Chikara o Awasete ~Māji Jiruma Jī Jinga~^?) What really boosts this episode is the special appearance.
15. 13. If I Were Mother ~Jinga Majuna~ (お母さんなら～ジンガ・マジュナ～ Okāsan Nara ~Jinga Majuna~^?)
16. 27. Our Bonds ~Magiine Magiine~ (俺たちの絆～マジーネ・マジーネ～ Oretachi no Kizuna ~Majīne Majīne~^?)
17. 38. A Promise With Big Brother ~Goo Magiiro~ (アニキとの約束～ゴー・マジーロ～ Aniki to no Yakusoku ~Gō Majīro~^?) Decent Tsubasa-Kai episode after a Makito-Tsubasa episode. 
18. 45. Those Two are Friends ~Gii Golu Majuna~ (二人はともだち～ジー・ゴル・マジュナ～ Futari wa Tomodachi ~Jī Goru Majuna~^?) Sure, the tale of everybody becoming good came out of nowhere leading to poor execution, but this episode worked.
19. 2. Bringing out Courage ~Maagi Magi Magika~ (勇気を出して～マージ・マジ・マジカ～ Yūki o Dashite ~Māji Maji Majika~^?) (I would have liked it a little better ending with MagiMother's downfall in episode 1 than beginning of 2.)
20. 43. Mother's Scent ~Giruma Giruma Gonga~ (母さんの匂い～ジルマ・ジルマ・ゴンガ～ Kāsan no Nioi ~Jiruma Jiruma Gonga~^?) The return. Toad was pretty sinister. You could say it was a MAGIcal moment.
21. 22. A Date in Kyoto? ~Luuma Goludo~ (京都でデート？～ルーマ・ゴルド～ Kyōto de Dēto? ~Rūma Gorudo~^?) I know it's childish of me to choose this episode as they do not even get together in this season and I'm pretty much giving it points because of the fight choreography... But it's all so good...
22. 42. The Garden of Thorns ~Magi Magi Gogika~ (茨の園～マジ・マジ・ゴジカ～ Ibara no Sono ~Maji Maji Gojika~^?) They seem to love the game theme, and Toad was sinister, but I just felt that the evil dopplegangers idea was wasted by easily being defeated by Legend forms.

NYCC 2013: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Green Ranger

NYCC 2013 Sunday: A Family of Ranger Fans

Kamen Rider Decade 1-8 Summary

Opening episode:

• The Rider War
• The laughing.

Perfect debut formula:

• All hope is lost.
• Henshin.
• Good guy wins.

2:

• vs Kuuga
• PunchHopper KickHopper attack

3:
vs all Grongi.

4:

• Fangire-Human truce
• Renegade Fangire
• Replace Wataru as King

5:

• Wataru finding his father.

6:

• Natsumi framed for assassinating the Editor in Chief

7:
They find out who is really behind the assassinations. I have no idea what consequence this has for the Ryuki world, especially Alt Reality. Good thing Alt Knight has something going for him.

Episode 8:
Money and cook. Rider Employees

Revealed: Cast Member for Power Rangers Super Megaforce

2013 End of Year Tokusatsu Polls

I am trying to move the site to a more professional looking WordPress.
I am just trying it out at the moment. For whatever reason, Toku seems to be more popular (at least for new articles,) on Blogger.
Please tell me in the comments what you think.

Feel free to discuss to keep people excited, yet educated in Tokusatsu.
Thank you.

Who-are-you-most-looking-forward-to-coming-back-in-super-megaforce?

Who-do-you-think-should-make-a-kamen-rider-gaim-game?

What-is-the-best-tokusatsu-of-2013?

Initial thoughts of Kamen Rider Gaim

It looks like a fun video game-like series. Not too serious. Caters to somebody, whereas recent Saban or Gobuster, which catered to nobody.

It establishes a city that does not quite look like the Japan we see in every other Kamen Rider series, with more liberal lifestyles (extracurricular dance vs conservative forms of studying.)

In contrast, I think Kouta's/Kamen Rider Gaim's actor does not deliver when he has to do serious acting. Kouta's not a good character, not even that interesting of a character: just one that caters to child and child-like fans.

I wish it catered to older fans too, but in such a terrible age of Tokusatsu, one cannot be so greedy. I personally do not really care for the series, and just fast forward to whatever joke or toy shows up and save myself a lot of time with this series.

Yasuko Kobayashi and Gokaiger Staff will return for Ressha Sentai Tokkyuger.

Recently a Japanese magazine announced the staff behind the 38th Super Sentai series Ressha Sentai Tokkyuger (烈車戦隊トッキュウジャー).

STAFF:
Producer: Takaaki Utsunomiya (Gokaiger), Kei Ishikawa (Toei)
Screenplay: Yasuko Kobayashi (GoGo Sentai Boukenger, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger)
Action Director: Hirofumi Fukuzawa (Kyoryuger vs Go-Busters)
Director: Shojiro Nakazawa (Gokaiger vs. Gavan: The Movie)
Special Effects Director: Hiroshi Butsuda

Meanwhile, confirmed cast members are expected to be revealed by the first week of January.

The show looks to have a decent budget behind it with Gokaiger's Producer and Director involved. Being a big fan of Yasuko Kobayashi, I cannot wait to see what she has in store for Tokkyuger.

Ressha Sentai Tokkyuger premieres February 16th, 2014.

A Live Action Samurai Flamenco is everything Japan needs now

The first episode made the series seem really dark, like a darker version of Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, and James Gunn's Super with Tokusatsu: it incorporates elements of the lackluster untrained with the realistic reasons of why would someone become a superhero in this time. After all, why else do it? No one else has yet?
The main character seems to have split personality disorder and seems to be seeing things, as well as has some sort of ignorance of things, convincing himself of certain things that are untrue that truly make him a deep character. There is a lot to it than in typical Toku- no, superhero franchise in general that make this so complicated and interesting.

Heck, all the characters are imperfect:

• The Hit/Flamenco Girl fights for fun more than justice.
• Red Axe wants to be famous.
• Even the cop, thinks he knows everything about society, even though there is crime and a dark underbelly to his world.

Kamen Rider X Super Sentai: Super Hero Taisen had a really good beginning

Good Beginning:
I had a lot of fun with this film unlike the other Gokaiger films. It was a little bit odd having Black Cross Fuhrer under Gokai Red's command, especially without saying anything, but it was pretty cool seeing the GokaiRed lead the Super Sentai Universe against Kamen Rider Decade. I think the beginning premise was very interesting and they should have stuck with it. GokaiRed being Super Sentai's Akuma against Decade.
Gokaiger of Thrones

Bad Middle:
Also, why Joe and Doc and not Joe and Luka? Luka and Joe are the stronger if not strongest ones on their teams. You cannot even use the girls only excuse like in Mighty Morphin Mutants, since they put Gai in the deleted list as well. I guess they thought it was redundant and felt that Doc was a better lighthearted, weak character, but they didn't include Ahim!
Why did Joe and Kaito go home? They were still fighting. Joe can take on Marvelous.

Terrible End:
The reveal that they were not really bad was a bit dumb as well. Nobody trusts Decade. How did they get back Toils Gill?
I also do not know enough about Kaito to understand why he would want to power Big Machine and this movie did not make him look that memorable for me to care.

Sound:
I also did not like the use of the Gokaiger and Decade themes, which are normally awesome. They were remixed beyond recognition, unmemorable and a lot of stuff did not work.
No voice actors showed up.

Drinking game: Suit actors half fall or pull the Picard manuever.

Does Pacific Rim US box office failure mean lack of Power Rangers film?

Pacific Rim is a big step back for the giant mech vs big monster genre as well as great different looking films made by Guillermo Del Toro.
Sure, the script and character do not speak masterpiece, but given the massive scale of the must see in IMAX film, over films that have also failed critically such as Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and Star Trek: Into Darkness, one can only, I don't know, completely lose faith in humanity as we get swallowed by giant monsters. Do movie goers really not know any more what kind of films are worth watching during the summer?

Was it a Hollywoodization or whitewashing of the giant mecha genre? Probably not, as many fans note the nostalgia of the genre to other childhood kaiju films. Notably Godzilla.

Fans complained specifically how "Pacific Rim was like Power Rangers."
Now, I did not see any of Haim Saban's handy work, notably this. However, the franchise not being in the ultra realistic genre we supposedly hold today is an unfortunate delay for Power Rangers fans.

Power Rangers however is a 20 year long brand. Pacific Rim had a ton of marketing issues. Power Rangers has tons of conventions, fan sites, etc.. Guillermo Del Toro's problem was that the film was made was too quickly without knowledge of this possibly new franchise. Too much of a risk to pull off. Maybe a DVD anime release should have came first like a Gotham Knight or Animatrix.

The Power Rangers movie drew fans in. Power Rangers' adaptation of Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Super Megaforce may bring fans back in as well.

Could we use JJ Abrams and Michael Bay to get people into Power Rangers? (I can imagine all the fans speculating a naked Kimberly now!)

Joss Whedon would be more fair. Albeit, Disney and Power Rangers have yet to pull off anything good besides RPM. He hired Anna Hutchinson for Cabin in the Woods. Avengers got ate up doing nothing remotely interesting besides have Tony Stark talk to a flawed Loki, which was really just Kenneth Branagh's fault setting up. I would not enjoy it from a movie stand point much like I did not with the original film, which just copied Day of the Dumpster with a rushed ending with a character I could care less about.

If you do not believe me,
Jason David Frank's line at New York Comic Con 2013 was huge all four days.
Note to self: Take a picture of the line next time.

How Chojin Sentai Jetman made it to America theory

Although never stated by Tony Oliver at Power Morphicon or any other interviews, I have this theory of Jetman's adaptation into the US.

Kaori and Kim both start with the letter K, and are the rich damsels with major romances on their team. Kaori and Kimberly have the same number of syllables.
Ako and Trini are both the more athletic females on their team.
Those are the girls of the team.

Raita and Billy both wear glasses and are the unathletic ones on the team who are pacifistic.
Ryuu and Jason are the leader.

Cross Changer sorta sounds like Power Ranger even.

They even used a jetting technology in Season 2: it looked horrible and was probably why they never adapted Jetman with that technology.

Lost Galaxy: A Red Romance, Etty Lau Farrell is on my hit list

Was Leo never attracted to Kendrix? Only one way around?
Did they not think this through when they were making the series?

Kendrix does say, "Leo, are you okay?" in this episode making me think she was not Press Conferenced, but Global Gamed.

The episode could have been made for acting chops for John Koyama, and he's absolutely great in this episode.

The monster's pink.

I was pondering if that was the VR Troopers cycle, but it was just Gingaman episode prop.

Maybe I won't put a hit. She is from Hong Kong and she's cultured, being a Wong Kar-wai fan. http://www.alivenotdead.com/ettylaufarrell/details.html But gosh. She took Kendrix from Leo. Foul play, dear! Foul play!
(It's actually very odd for me, as I never quite understood everybody's deal when Kim left Tommy.)

Dan Southworth's Divergence Done By An Auteur

Quantum Ranger, Dragon Knight I mean Divergence is about a soldier dealing with some sort of mental illness after being on some mission. He is a handful for his a little bit too everyday girlfriend, who really does not know these things. (We do not really get to see conversations between them as Mark in the series tends to be outside the house determining his suspicions. What is an everyday conversation between the two of them besides "Thanks for not leaving me?" Have they met each other's families. We know she's met and talked to Ty, his best friend in a wheel chair who we have seen fighting at the beginning of the series.)
When they revealed the manipulation of the doctor, it could have been done subliminally like by a book on his desk stating something along the lines of PSTD Patient Manipulation.
As for the doppelgangers, if I were Alfred Hitchcock, I would have done something a bit more ambitious and written a story about how the doppelgangers were not only literal, but also figurative reflections of the characters of the show. A great example would have been giving the wife a doppleganger that resented Mark for mistreating her in her dimension which reflected something this dimension's wife had.
He does however set up the perfect murder with a doppleganger who may be lying, classic Hitchcock.
However, what do I know about a special effects show? Funding, cuts, takes.
The ending of the series has not been shown yet either. Who knows what will happen then?

The positives I've gathered from the Gatchaman criticisms on wikipedia (9/19/2013)

So far:
Pros:

• The opening fight is excellent, just so extreme. Seems like the 199 Super Sentai Senshi battle.
• The actress portraying the nemesis. She seems to mix ham and seriousness like a perfectionist chef's omelet deli sandwich.

Con:

• Marriage scheme to get into the nemesis' palace.

What we have to wait to see:
The technical jargon: It's an anime. They do it in Star Trek and very little criticism is given about it. (I criticize it.) Anime follows the same suit since.
The cast and acting: There have been complaints about hamming it up and not being Oscar worthy. It honestly was not like we were expecting that.
The special effects: This is not a $200 million budget movie. Fans did not expect it to be.

Where is the VR Troopers-Power Rangers crossover?

It's the fucking 20th Anniversary of Power Rangers.
It's not like Toei was like fuck, we don't know what we're doing. Let's not do anything special this anniversary!
I know there has not been much use of this since the purchase, but let's take the next logical step Saban. Let's have Ryan Steele team up with Jason Lee Scott. Let's have the Power Rangers Turbo teamup with the Big Bad Beetle Borgs. Let's have Power Rangers Mystic Force team up with the Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. Heck, bring that Lawrence brother and the dudes from Tattooed Teenages from Beverly Hills as well!

Oh and make sure Ryan wears the Season 1 costume. Who the fuck wants to remember that mother fucking catastrophe of a Season 2?

Where's Patton Oswalt where you need him?

LOST Galaxy should have been a Nickelodeon series

Not everybody hates Lost Galaxy.

Some people love it. Some people hate it. Everybody has an opinion about it. Here's what I got based on my Netflix experience.

There are some great moments in it.

Leo's quest to become an adventurer, a good guy in outer space.

When Mike gives Leo the Quasar Sabre (although it is adapted straight from Gingaman, it is done in an intergalactic fashion.)

Trakeena's training with Villamax.

Trakeena dueling with Leo

The post 9/11 insensitive finale.
The comeback of the Psycho Rangers.
Kendrix's death.
The return of Astronema.

However, there were confusing moments in the series as well.

Leo would fight Treacheron in a scene where it was horribly complicated who you were supposed to root for, and it seemed unnecessary to be put in that position.
There were moments but not something as a very cohesive experience. There's so much that could have been done with all the previously mentioned things.

However, you have to remember, they did not know there was going to be another series. And even in Space was not the best show in the world.
The crew had ideas, and implemented them well.
If this had been a Nickelodeon season it would have been really good.

Power Rangers Sitcom?

Ever feel that all the Japanese tokusatsu footage is being overused or that there is too much action to concentrate on the entertaining side of American tokusatsu? The humor?

How about a show that revolved around Bulk and Skull and Spike in Power Rangers Samurai?
An episode of Power Rangers Megaforce that revolved around that doing a project like The Saved By The Bell aspects of Mighty Morphin?
Beach episodes of Power Rangers Ninja Storm?
Boom the Orange Ranger and the cadets trying to get through SPD Academy classes?

Let's forget about the monsters and the fighting.

Heck, work on the acting and we can have a serious show about relationships and characters like in Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, Rainer Werner Fassbinder or works from the French New Wave.
Yeah. Work on the acting..

I keep watching the first minutes of the non-Jonathan Trachzor Power Rangers Megaforce episodes

They suck.
They're fucking terrible.
I want to gouge my brain out of my body and turn my body inside out as a result of that.
They want to save the world, but they are going to school, which we do not see. What the heck is that?
Mighty Morphin made it work. They are copying that and not making it work.

I guess this is how critics of the 90s felt. I wonder how critics of the 00s felt. I wonder what is going to happen 10s to 20s.

NYCC 2013: Sunday: Gokaigers

NYCC 2013: Saturday: Megaforce/Goseiger Black

NYCC 2013: Sunday: Kamen Rider Decade

NYCC 2013: Saturday Evil: Astronema and a Green Ranger Fan

NYCC 2013: Saturday: Yellow Mighty Morphin Power Ranger

NYCC 2013: Friday Fans: Mega/Space Pink

The costume is very shiny. The rip looks like it fits right into the costume.

NYCC 2013: Friday Fans: Female Red Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fan

Not really a cosplay, but growing up in an anti-Power Rangers New York City, I have to appreciate it.

What I would have changed with Power Rangers Megaforce to make it more like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

I would have the Rangers mainly hang out at the Command Center
We know nothing about Gosei or Alpha Amillion.

I don't get much out of the dopey Ernie and the overzealous teacher.

I would have made Troy and Jake best friends: Troy and Jake may be friends, but Jason and Zack were best friends as were Austin St. John and Walter Emmanuel Jones. They always hanged out, trained together. I also would have made Noah hang out with Gia and Emma more.

Soni Aralynn, Power Ranger cosplayer has been cast as Divatox in Cisco Davis, Jr's Zordon of Eltar

Soni Aralynn, famed cosplayer and Power Rangers fan has been cast in Cisco Davis, Jr's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers prequel, Zordon of Eltar.
Soni has gained fame on the internet for cosplaying the last couple of years. I have her on facebook. I have seen her Dino Thunder and comical Green Ranger cosplay. She currently has 151,751 likes on Facebook. Hopefully big support for the fan film can come for that fan film. If each fan contributed a $1 to Cisco's fan film, Cisco can be well over 10000% over the budget it spending and we can have a real dream project going here! All he needs is your support. Please contribute whatever you can. $1 can really help.

Zordon of Eltar Fan Film reaches 1st 3 Stretch Goals: 4 Days Left

Stretch Goals:
1: Photographic Comic Book Series has been reached.
2: Scorpina and Goldar added to the film
3: Apollo 21: Day of the Dumpster: Extended Ending has been reached. Prepare for takeoff!

Director Cisco Davis, Jr has also added another stretch goal for the fan film.
4: Teemagers with Attitudes
That's right! If Zordon of Eltar, the Fan Film reaches $3500, he will add 5 new cast members to the film to play:

• Jason
• Zack
• Trini
• Kimberly
• Billy

for the Zordon of Eltar, fan film.

That is what he has in store for the fan film.

And with 4 days to go with your help, he may be able to reach it!

Best of luck, Cisco!

NYCC 2013: Friday Fans: Mighty Morphin Black Ranger

NYCC 2013: Friday Fans: The Brown Ranger?

Power Rangers Super Megaforce is going to suck

1. Same cast
2. Same crew
3. Same shitty acting
4. Haim Saban
5. SHIT

Good luck at Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, an already really campy show.

Zordon of Eltar Fan Film Announces Stretch Goals

With the film becoming fully funded and a current slow down of funds due to the Thanksgiving weekend, director Cisco Davis, Jr decided to introduce stretch goals for the film.

Cisco and I did discuss Goldar before during the interview process and wanted to keep it hush hush till he had good reason to mention him in the series. Thanks to other fans wanting the characters to be in the show, he has introduced it as his $2500 Stretch Goal. Cisco needs it to prepare the costume for Goldar and Scorpina. He wants to ensure an epic feel to their costumes just like with the rest of the cast in the first $1500. It also expands with a mini comic book discussing their origins.

Stretch Goal $2000

Not getting enough from the fan film? Craving more Zordon of Eltar? How about a photographic comic book MINI-SERIES?

What is included in this miniseries backstory would be:

• Rita Repulsa as a child with her father.
• Divatox's release from a galactic super prison
• Political tensions from the Machine Empire
• Zordon leaving his loved ones to become Master Guardian of the Power Coins
• Alpha 5's reassignment to the Command Center with Zordon.

Stretch Goal $3000

Apollo 21: Day of the Dumpster, Extended Ending

This would include a director's cut of the introduction to the pilot of the acclaimed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.

Interview: Cisco Davis, Jr, Director of Zordon of Eltar (Fan Film)

I recently came across Cisco Davis Jr's Zordon of Eltar project on Kickstarter as noted in my previous post. He was kind enough to let me interview him about the project to spread awareness of his goals with the project.

The interview came across really great. He was really informative and helpful, discussing issues Saban's direction of the show had, while still portraying it as his inspiration. I really have to thank him for the interview.

Speaking of which, right when I was coming up with this interview, he did some more updates from social media, including the fact that his film has received full funding. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody including Cisco!

Here come the questions:

PRPHD: How did your animation team get together? There is a lot of detail in this film like that on the scale of a Lord of the Rings budget. 

Cisco Davis, Jr: There wasn't an animation team to speak of to begin with when this project started. I actually taught myself how to do the basic animations and placement  of 3D objects within a shot four weeks prior to the release of my trailer. In all the years of my filmmaking experience I had sought out others to do my visual effects work. This was the first time I did everything myself and I learned pretty quickly to get the shots I wanted.

Cisco Davis, Jr: Fortunately, after the trailer's release I was able to hook up with Demone Amerson who offered help with creating 3D assets and assisting with animation. He's currently tasked with working on the Dragonzord and it's looking great so far!

Cisco Davis, Jr: I'm a firm believer that if you have a good idea for what your shots look like you can create a project with a high production value on a very limited budget. Sure I'd love to do high budget films one day. But making a film like this on a smaller budget forces me to be creative and become a better problem solver, the mark of a good filmmaker.

PRPHD: Any homages to the source material Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger?

Cisco Davis, Jr: Not specifically. This fan film uses Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and parts of the somewhat murky mythology the show created and takes the opportunity to flesh out a re-imagined history to MMPR.

PRPHD: With the emphasis on realism in superheroes nowadays, I was wondering your stance on the direction American superhero shows have had recently and what were your perceptions of storytelling needs?

Cisco Davis, Jr: One of the things I wanted to do was try my best is to take some of the very "fantastic" elements of the children's show and try to give it a contemporary spin. I'm not trying to make things more "realistic" but make the fan film present the universe as something more epic.

PRPHD: I know that there will be differences; (it is a space show opposed to a teenager's show,) but in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, there was this emphasis on honor and martial arts. Will there be something similar to that like that of perhaps King Arthur's Knights or something? What can you tell me about the new/old Rangers?

Cisco Davis, Jr: The focus of this fan film will be around Rita Repulsa and Zordon. I originally wanted to have a team of rangers but that kind of story demanded a somewhat more involved budget and also a less involved story. By focusing on fewer characters I believe I am able to give the audience a better time at relating to and experiencing the characters during the film.

PRPHD: Will the film be accessible to non-hardcore fans?

Cisco Davis, Jr: For starters this fan film is going to eventually be posted online for everyone to watch for free. The main person I'm making this film for is myself because I'm the one who wants to watch it most. It's really just an added perk that I get to share this labor of love with the whole world as well.

Cisco Davis, Jr: The intent for this film is for it to be standalone and presented in a way that anyone, Power Ranger fan or not, could watch this film and understand everything that's going on. That's why I decided to make this film a prequel because I feel the audience would much better appreciate Angel Grove's team if they knew the history they lead up to them. I also wanted to give the Zordon and Rita Repulsa more depth. Especially Rita. I felt like she needed more depth and motivation to be the character that she is. That was my first challenge when taking on this project.

PRPHD: I understand you are attempting to make it inspired by Mass Effect. That seems ambitious on such a small budget. Yet you seem to be pulling it off quite well. It seems very inspiring to the point of being a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers lesson all in itself. Tell me more about got you into this direction for the film.

Cisco Davis, Jr: As with films like Star Wars and Star Trek the video game Mass Effect helped influence this fan film by means of its portrayal of futuristic space-faring civilizations and how they interact with each other. Mass Effect, by far, has the most superior caliber of sci-fi storytelling.

Cisco Davis, Jr: The Power Rangers universe plays host to tons of different planets and alien races. But despite countless seasons I never felt we got to feel the scope of how vast the universe the show created. One of the things I wanted to try to do with this fan film as a prequel was portray a sort of "living and breathing" galactic civilization. I hope I do a good job at it.

PRPHD: Again about Mass Effect, there were several interesting things about that universe, such as the races, the aliens, the decisions and the characters. (More on that in the Zordon question!) Speaking of which, do I see a little bit of dark Fem Shepard in Rita Repulsa? What else is your favorite thing about Mass Effect and your other inspirations that you are trying to bring about in the film?

Cisco Davis, Jr: Rita Repulsa is pretty much her own unique character for this film. I just knew I wanted to give her an origin story and legitimate enough motivations to become the villain of the Power Rangers. In the very first episode I remember one of Rita's lines being "Hey look a planet! Let's go conquer it!" as if it was a random idea she came up with after being imprisoned for 10,000 years. Logic like that wouldnt cut it in my project. So as a writer I sat down and asked myself what would motivate her to attack earth and why would she have conflict with Zordon? After coming up with a convincing story and plot for the prequel I went on from there and built upon that.

I'm a big fan of science-fiction in general and like I mentioned Mass Effect is in my opinion is the best modern display of sci-fi storytelling hands down. I just aspire to tell compelling stories and have characters interact with each other that we can care about as an audience and as fans.

PRPHD: Will new things such as planets, zords and characters be introduced? I've noticed a few monsters that were not included in the show.

Cisco Davis, Jr: Even though this is a re-imagining I don't plan to go crazy with creating a lot of new things. I will mostly take the source material and present them in different ways. For instance we know there are many different planets that comprise the Power Rangers universe ... but there is no unified or authoritative system of government between them. How did they discover each other? How would people travel between them? Do they trade with one another? There are little details like those that are completely overlooked in the show. The only things I would add to the story would be to give this universe some much lacking depth.

Cisco Davis, Jr: I won't take a great deal introducing new characters either as my goal with this fan film is to re-create the exisiting universe and its characters. Without listing off a laundry list of familiar names or characters I will just say that everyone I do have in this fan film serves a purpose to the plot and isn't there for fan service. Telling the story is top priority with this project.

PRPHD: Will certain enemies such as Lokar, Cyclopsis, Goldar, Finster, and Master Vile appear? There was a certain mythology to Rita's creatures and you saw that in the design. 

Cisco Davis, Jr: Rita is obviously the focus as far as why she becomes a villain and this fan film will serve as an unofficial origin story for her. The mentioning of the god Lokar is an interesting point you bring up because in the fan film dialogue there is at least one reference to Lokar's name as a god in Rita and her family's religion. I did enough research to make sure at least one reference to a deity was made in this fan film. Because as much as religion plays a role in our world I would imagine it would even in this fantasy world.

Cisco Davis, Jr: The Cyclopsis story arch isn't important to this story and isn't a part of it. Not to say Cyclopsis wouldn't exist in my version but it definitely isn't important to Rita's origin story. Master Vile is an interesting case as he is Rita's father. Even though vague refrences will be made to her father he will not make an appearance. I do opt to show Rita's mother though. I also might add that I'm not a fan of Rita's relatives looking like monsters while she looked humanoid. So when I do show members of Rita's family, like her brother Rito for example, don't expect him to be a bone-headed talking skeleton! Haha!

How will the character of Zordon be in this film? We saw how he looks but not how he acts.

I have a very romanticized vision of how Zordon could have been in the past. Early in the show it had appeared as if Zordon had experienced the monsters threw at the Power Rangers in the past and he always seemed to know how to defeat them. So I went on that assumption that maybe Zordon was some kind of fighter or warrior in the past and ran with it.

My version of Zordon I wanted to make out to be an epic hero like from Greek mythology. Perseus, Thesseus and Odysseus came to mind when I was re-imagining this new version of him. Aside from being an alien obviously I wanted to give Zordon a somewhat  "human" element. I hate to say it but Zordon in the early parts of the show was very 1 dimensional and always knew the answers to everything. I hope to portray a Zordon who questions himself and his objectives if need be, deals with morality issues,

 and actually DOESN'T always have the right answer and can actually be wrong. It still needs to be seen how that will come across on screen but this was a goal of mine for my interpretation of Zordon before he became the mentor of the teens from Angel Grove.

PRPHD: Will old personalities show up in Zordon of Eltar? The Blue Senturion, Phantom Ranger, Andros and the Masked Rider come to mind.

Cisco Davis, Jr: Again, while I'm sure these characters would and should exist in my re-imagined universe they aren't integral to the specific story I'm trying to tell. Adding too many characters for the sake of adding them convolutes the plot and takes away from the story which is the most important part to any film. A character or two from Masked Rider may have brief cameos though however. If you might remember correctly there was a certain character that was responsible for creating Alpha 5 so... Hmm. Haha!
'
That is it for the interview. Again, I have to say thanks to Cisco as it really does seem to be a dream project for the fans. He really seems to be the Carl Icahn of fan films, considering how low the budget is.
Best of luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

Yellow Ranger has a commercial about a double sausage egg sandwich

Nakia Burrise, who played Tanya Sloan, the Yellow (only) Zeo and (first) Turbo Ranger was in a Dunkin Donuts commercial on Hulu. There, she was jealous of her on-screen boyfriend who was talking about loving the sandwich. That got Nakia jealous as she thought it was the female blue collar employee instead of the sandwich or her.
You can never get jealous of a Dunkin Donuts Double Sausage Egg Sandwich I guess.

Glad to see she is getting work. She did a great job in Power Rangers.

Zordon of Eltar Fan Film costs only $1500: Back Director As Holiday Present

Zordon of Eltar looks like a great mix of animation and live action as seen in the Kickstarter trailer.
Creator Cisco Davis, Jr looks like a top producer when coming up with action and entertainment in this show.
The film has inspirations from Star Wars, Trek, Pacific Rim, Mass Effect and Shadow of the Colossus.
It reimagines Rita Repulsa as her younger self with a connection to the Dragonzord in the same universe as Zordon fighting on alien worlds.

Here is the link.

Power Rangers Mystic Force Top 10 Episodes

In honor of the finale of Kamen Rider Wizard, I have decided to do an analysis of Mahou Sentai Magiranger.

1. 4. Rock Solid: Wish the relationship aspect of the show went somewhere. Oh well. It was original.
2. 16. Soul Specter: Is it not as good as Magiranger's equivalent? Hard to say with Nic Sampson's performance.
3. 22-
4. 23: Heir Apparent: A decent change from the original Magiranger storyline finally comes into fruition.
5. 30. The Return: A decent Vida episode.
6. 3. Code Busters: Interesting play on Magiranger's Yuki. Didn't really go anywhere though.
7. 13. Scaredy Cat: I enjoyed the restrained American conservative use of Jenji in Mystic Force. The use of the Salem voice from Sabrina: The Teenage Witch probably helped as well. Fireheart was built up upon even if it was a bit of a lackluster storyline. Original at least.
8. 17. Ranger Down: Decent Jenji/Madison episode, albeit not as good as the original. The performances stood out.
9. 6. Legendary Catastros: A rehash of Magiranger with Firass Dirani's performance not as good. Oh well.
10. 29: Light Source II: Part of a Two Parter. Could have been better.

Jetman Episode 20 sets up the rest of the show

Notes:
Gai saves a marriage episode 20, sealing his own fate.

Marriage is a vacuum. A symbol of female woman doing housework, backwardsly compared to Gai's premises of female relationships.

"She is making you angry so you work harder." Kaori?

Gai not being with his love because of circumstances is also expressed in this episode.

Sidenote: Why didn't Jetman figure it out from all the other woman who cancelled their weddings?

Jetman 18-19 builds on the show interestingly

The episode begins with interesting chess piece imagery, symbolizing the war between Vyram and Jetman. The introduction of the Empress is similar to that of the introduction of other characters displayed in any other sci fi show at the time like a Star Trek fanfiction worthy to build upon from the series.
Radiguet's blah and is kept unfortunately. It at least has a children's logic though in a he was so dark he killed his human wife he barely known logic.
They do not explain the hierarchial structure of the Vyram through exposition, but rather through the taking of power. A warlordish society much like that of ancient Eastern times.

The Top 20 Power Rangers Villains

Other geek websites have been doing articles such as this so I thought I would go along.

1. Venjix: Not really his fault as it was Dr. K's and Alphabet Soup's. A HAL 9000 in a Terminator future.
2. Diabolico: A man so loyal he would outdo his God's son, only to deal with what to do after his God betrayed both him and the son.
3. Dru A man corrupted who joins the bad guys.
4. Trakeena: Really evolved then changed in the cocoon stage
5. Frax: A human that gets killed in Power Rangers essentially. Perhaps even blown up.
6. Evil Dillon: A man who has to deal with time clock into becoming a killing machine, while searching for what he truly desires.
7. Dr K
8. Darkonda: So chaotically evil and fun.
9. Mirloc: Tortures a Power Ranger with his dead father's memories.
10. Ecliptor/Zen-Aku/Koragg/Deker: The trend of the noble knight on the side of evil before becoming brainwashed and becoming evil. The Green Ranger story told right. A warrior of honor
11. Psycho Rangers The most noteworthy dopplegangers with force.
12. Astronema: Is evil truly a part of human nature? Nature even?
13. Bulk and Skull: A classic comedic duo that always provided solid performances in the midst of camp after being portrayed as school rivals and contrasts of the Rangers.
14. Thunder Rangers: Two Zen-Akus. The good side of them made no sense, but oh well.
15. Broodwing: A war profiteer. Could have went more into depth with that...
16. Rita A classic
17. Master Vile A father of a classic.
18. The Master
19. Dark Specter
20. Omni

The 21 Best Episodes of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Some geek sites also did a list. Why not let the professor take a shot at it too?
2013 was a year of a Mighty Morphin rehash with Megaforce and dinosaurs with Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. It's only fitting.

1. Changing of the Zords II: All is lost for Kimberly and Lord Zedd even shows up in the Command Center.
2. A Different Shade of Pink I: Kimberly passes out. Katherine is saved. Could have used more monster suits in an episode that requires the Rangers to pass out from exhaustion.
3. Changing of the Zords I: Established Zedd and Katherine as great threats the show has never faced before.
4. Changing of the Zords III: Tommy and Lord Zedd fight! The Rangers outsmart Lord Zedd.
5. A Friend in Need I: Really showed Count Dregon as a force to be reckoned with. Ties in to Power Rangers in Space noted.
6. II
7. III
8. A Different Drum: Great realistic episode in a show with a lot of camp.
9. The Green Dream: The Green Candle done right with original footage. Jason vs RoboGoat fight scene was awesome. Fight!
10. Return of an Old Friend: Part 1 Did not see that coming when I was young despite its title.
11. Mirror of Regret: Crystal of Nightmares done by Adam Park without a racist Zack Taylor Bruce Lee hyah.
12. Crystal of Nightmares: Show the gang's acting chops while doing very little adapting, producing a great original episode. Take lessons Power Rangers Samurai and Megaforce!
13. On Fins and Needles: Shows jealousy in a camp way that separates it for kids instead of adults.
14. Return of an Old Friend: Part II: Welcome back Jason David Frank.
15. A Different Shade of Pink II: Would have been better if Katherine was bad and actually tricked them. It seemed to rehash Changing of the Zords II- a slight complaint.
16. The Power Stealer: Good Green Dream episode
17. The Beetle Invasion: Good Green Dream build up episode
18. Plague of the Mantis: Praying Mantis Kung Fu.
19. Something Fishy: I love Billy phobia episodes. Shows human side to the super machoness of the show.
20. Reign of the Jellyfish: Time Capsule was trending in the 90s. Awesome original monster.
21. Mighty Morphin Mutants

My Top 15 Episodes of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger

1. Burai Dies: Of course
2. Daizyujin's Last Day: It's in the middle of the season, but it was hyped as this unbeatable time when Lamie and Burai joined.
3. Blaze, Burai: The time ticks.
4. Live Again Zyusouken: A sad story about Dragon Caesar
5. Presenting the Vicious Squadron: Probably the best story ever told in Super Sentai history about doppelgangers.
6. Combine Gouyrujin: The brothers united in a show that was all 5s. It started a new trend that Power Rangers has perfected a little bit more.
7. Female Warrior Scorpion: Introduced Lamie, and Scorpina to the world. Had an awesome fight not seen in Power Rangers that most be seen for historical reasons. Sets up The Gods Lost well.
8. The Fate Filled Brother's Sword: Explains why Burai hates Geki, even though it seems a little bit too convieniently forgotten.
9. The Birth: Excellent technical crafted masterpiece that introduced us to the show.
10. Fight in the Land of Despair: The Zyurangers could not win even with their Shogyuzu. How can they win? Good use of a kid.
11. The Legendary Weapons: Good way to build up the Power Weapons/Toys in the show.
12. The Knuckleball of Infatuation: Very campy, but sets up a good use of a different configuration ONE TIME.
13. Satan Comes: Daizyujin's Last Day is done better.
14. The Gods Lost: Daizyujin's Last Day is done better.
15. The Revival: Kids saved. Two monsters. TyrannoRanger Shogyuzyu introduced.

List of Power Rangers characters that would be more interesting to make a film out of than Tommy

Although Tommy Oliver is a milestone and tv tropish figure in Power Rangers, there was a lot to be desired with his storyline as well as his childish antics behind the scenes. With recent news of Jason David Frank and Haim Saban negotiating a deal of a Tommy movie, (why did Saban not agree to that from a money stand point?) here is list of characters that are more interesting to make a film out of than Tommy.

Billy Cranston

He's super smart and cannot fight. Perhaps he uses not fighting as a way to solve his problems in the future

Andros

He's a combination of Obi-Wan, Captain Kirk

Ecliptor and Astronema
Dark soldiers with good in them.

Trakeenaiot
Aliens who were very different combined into a completely different being.

Diabolico
A loyal slave who is destroyed by his owner and God.

Jen Scotts
A romantic who is a female leader.

Frax
A man who wanted to save humans; a robot forced to destroy everything.

Sky Tate

A dedicated soldier who discovers everything wrong in his department.

Dr. K
A farmed human who causes the end of the world for freedom.

Dayu & Deker
Dark soldiers with loyalty and love.

Good news for Kamen Rider OOO Fans in Taiwan

There are several coin games located in the night markets

Bad news: the toys are no different than the ones in the United States. Perhaps maybe some Financial difference but not very significant difference

Haim Saban in talks with Jason David Frank to make Green Ranger movie

Jason David Frank's (Facebook) fan page has shared a link from moviepilot about Haim Saban and him being in negotiations for a Green Ranger movie. Frank interviewed with complex.com about talking to Haim Saban, being the Wolverine of the Power Rangers.
AKA
Haim Saban has no new ideas
The fanbase has no new ideas
Let's watch a movie about overexposed overhyped Tommy with no new ideas.

Haim Saban cannot make the show work. How can we trust him to make a good film about Tommy? Do you want to see Tommy get ruined? Support this movie!

Steve Cardenas says his role in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was cheesy

According to the Steve Cardenas (Facebook) Fan Page September 19th 2013,
Steve Cardenas said,
"Hey, everyone. Dont forget to come see me at the Nuart Theatre tomorrow for the Midnight screening of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Movie. I will be doing a Q&A panel right before the show and I'm giving a way some autographed pics to some lucky audience members. If you come, don't laugh too hard at my cheesy performance. Haha"

It is cool to see, not that he would have any reason to, see him as himself, self-deprecating and realistic, rather than an overzealous actor, which some of us fans end up being. (I say that from my own personal experience: from myself)

So LA Power Morphicon fans, have a great time. Have some fun with Steve as if he were your bud, for me. I'll see if I can get there. I am in the county, but I don't know if I can get to use my aunt's car or not. Enjoy.

Choujin Sentai Jetman Episode 6 "Rage of the Robot"

In honor of the July release of Pacific Rim and August release of Gatchaman, I will be doing reviews of each episode of Chojin/Choujin Sentai Jetman.

The House Jigen as well as Jet Icarus, its combined five mechs represents unity and how one wins using it. Gai still does not want to Gattai a bit immaturely, even though the world is at stake. This is getting a bit old. However, the show's spin on why Gai wants to join Jetman is sort of interesting. He did not find a selfless reason to join, but rather a selfish one: Gai protects Ryu for Kaori and is ultimate impressed by Ryu's machismo and overprotectiveness of the team.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Radiguet claims that he hates humanity because of its history, which seems like a bunch of lies given what he does the rest of the series. He talks about ugly bugs even though Vyram uses bugs for Jigens. I honestly think Radiguet looks better as a beast than with all the Salvador Dali palettes on him. It is an awesome form he has nonetheless, despite his nonsensical backwards speech. Then again, who is to disagree since he is after all the Earl of the Reverse Dimension?

Watching Pacific Rim proves I am a Toei fan

Pacific Rim is a symbol of anti-Hollywood trends such as superheroes. Despite having unmemorable Caucasian actors as protagonists, toleration of other culture was the reason to purchase tickets for this film.

However, I watched the beginning of the film and could not get over how anti-Toei the shots were establishing the action and the cuts were. We, for whatever reason, did not get to see the whole mech, when it could have been a good time to or a cut is too rushed so we are unable to see the attack. Maybe it was my theatre, maybe it was the 3D IMAX experience, but something just didn't feel right.
 

Although Mako Mori's story was interesting, it was not fully developed. Possibly will be in developing the franchise. I am used to Toei's use of 80s tropes and was sorely missing them in this film. Although the Mako Mori storyline is similar to previous mech characters storylines such as that of Shin Getter Robo Armaggeddon, it just did not have an impact on me.

The story about the brothers was interesting, but was filled with a bit too much Hollywood jock story that the film just did not appeal to.
Normally in Showa era giant robo/kaiju cinema, there is the jock, the lancer loner, the female, the comedy relief, the brain. While I understand it's not realistic to have people of these actual qualities piloting a giant robot, its more cinematic, appealing to viewers of all ages and is less complicated to screw up.
Now we have the jock, the female jock, the twin jocks, the father jock, the father and son jocks, did I mention the jocks?
What is cool is that we get to see more of different cultures working together. However, even that doesn't work, because we don't really get anything interesting to learn about these separate cultures. What is cool about being Russian? Chinese? American? Can they really work together? Were their world at war prior to the Kaijus?
We don't really get a good taste as to what makes the characters similar or what makes the characters different in character tropes. So what do we really get?
I really would've enjoyed a Quentin Tarantino moment where they discuss things that they like outside of Giant Robots.

Idris Elba was the only saving grace in the film and he died without any reason to care for him, other than that he was the original pilot of the Jaegers.

I could have even wished for an auteur's development of characters, such as that of Christopher Nolan, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.

Now. Forget everything I said, and let's talk about what worked with Pacific Rim.

Presenting the MMPR fan film Red Ranger

According to the MMPR facebook,

Detective Christian Tate is a member of the Angel Grove Police Department and is out to protect the city he loves from anyone that wants to harm it. But how far will he go as he enters a world of turmoil as he battles a corrupt Government agency, an underground crime lord and even his own partner whose motivations are quite unclear.

When people are in danger, Christian Tate is always ready to fight. One of the last true beacons of hope in Angel Grove, will he be able to lead a team of new Rangers into battle not only to save the city, but the entire World?

This looks great.
Instead of a martial arts student, the Red Ranger protagonist of MMPR is portrayed as a detective, but men dealing with morals and honor encompassing their characters. He still has the training of a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, and also helps make Angel Grove look a bit darker, filled with corruption and lack the Bulk and Skull camp cops.
There is always the possibility of something more Machiavellian or Watchmen-like in this incarnation of MMPR with this detective around a world of turmoil consisting of a corrupt government agency, an underground crime lord and partner.

Choujin Sentai Jetman Episode 4 & 5 "The Fighting Bride" and "Fall for Me" Review

In honor of the July release of Pacific Rim and August release of Gatchaman, I will be doing reviews of each episode of Chojin/Choujin Sentai Jetman.

I sort of did not like the depiction of Kaori in this "The Fighting Bride" episode. She seemed a bit too camp not wanting to do things that she wanted to do. And it seemed a little forced or badly edited that she did it because she was a princess.
And the fiancee is a bit one dimensional.
This and the previous episode definitely sets up the ending however. Ryu telling Kaori to believe in herself. Kaori wearing a wedding dress. Etc..
However, there is probably something about Japanese culture I do not get. The Samurai for example, like an American being a patriot, a soldier or a police officer.

Fall for Me develops Grey, although all he says is "Jetman, huh?" in the beginning.
Meanwhile, Tran hits the primary Sentai colors Red, Yellow and Blue with a car in a Road Jigen episode after trapping them in a 4 sided wall before a House Jigen episode.
Kaori is sad that she was not able to perform the Jet Scramble. The Vyram all work together to destroy the Earth, although they don't trust each other. Tran proves to be quite a threat. Kaori and Gai prove to have a lot of Terminator horror tropes.
Ryu finds out Maria is a brainwashed Rie during which Kaori's desperation to live (or her jealousy over Rie) forces her to save Ryu.
The Road (Jigen) is over. The 5 are together again.
Or are they?

My favorite Giant Mech serieses

In homage to the July released Pacific Rim and the August released Gatchaman, I decided to compile a list of giant mecha anime that I have enjoyed.

10. Escaflowne: I did not really care for the story, but the fight scenes are cool, yet not too ridiculous.
9. Megas XLR: A hilarious parody of Toonami.
8. Turn A Gundam: Gundam as a god.
7. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Great music, great themes of peace that are a bit overdone when there are so many people dying every episode. 5 Memorable Gundam pilots who are equally as mighty although Heero Yuy is the protagonist. Great dub.
6. Getter Robo: The graphics are out of date, but the dynamic between the 3 is really killer. Proves that dark alone does not make a great series as seen in the sequels.
5. Combattler V: A predecessor to the Super Sentai series, even with similar Goranger costumes.
4. Neon Genesis Evangelion: A hybrid robot series with Armageddon references that could have been the greatest thing since sliced bread.
3. 08th MS Gundam: A really realistic real robot series.
2. Mobile Suit Gundam: The real robot franchise that started it all.
1. Z Gundam: Probably the darkest and most psychologically interesting of the Gundam series, before T2.

Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo is Shit Getter Robo

It is a combining mecha anime movie with very little combining mecha fighting or combining and what they have is not good.
Gou Ichiminoji is an annoying idiot and does not even appeal to the Dekaranger Ban fans or post GekiRed Super Sentai fans as he is not really that happy enough. He is a brooding annoying Fast & the Furious members. The other two members of Neo Getter Robo are not even a best friend and love interest trope. They're just two other pilots on Neo Getter Robo. This thing was like 6 episodes and they could not give them any interesting tropes or characteristics? Gou Ichiminoji is not that interesting either and they concentrate the entire series on him.
The Engrish is hilarious though. The voice acting is otherwise convincing and intense.
That intro song is great too.

Choujin Sentai Jetman Episode 3 "The Power Of Five" Review

It never is really revealed why Gai joins Jetman.

However, if you want to go all Rob Ager theory on these writers, who may or may not be auteurs:
There are two girls he gets to hang out with, although Ako is 18. Ryu plays with Gai's balls after Gai knocks his cue into them.
He does after all hit on a police woman earlier in the episode.
(Unfortunately, it is the 1980s and Super Sentai appeals to mainly boys back then, as Gai chauvinistically forces a woman to talk to him, in which the police woman responds, "Do I look pretty?" before looking in a mirror.)
Heck, Ryu even asks Gai on a date in this episode.

Meanwhile, Kaori notes not wanting to do training, while saving the world, i.e. tying the tires climbing up the hill onto Raita. Ako adds to the mischievousness.

Game over.
The last shot is a pretty awesome one.

On a last a final note, quite ironically this episode ties into the one for the last one of the series. Gai says that all he wants to do is "take care of himself." Not for others. He later does the opposite, signaling the Shakespearean end for him.

Who I would have put in a Boukenger vs Super Sentai Gokaiger episode

Gekiranger
GekiBlue: The most serious and smartest of the original 3. His brother is GekiViolet.
Toei probably would have put:
Gekichopper
He is definitely an improvement and stand out from Jungle Fury.

Go-onger
Go-on Black easily the coolest of the Go-ongers, although campy himself.
Toei probably would have put:
Go-on Green in a similar teamup, and I would not have complained either. Both really stuck out as the bad ass-suck up combination.
The Go-on Wings would probably work really well as well. Why did Toei decide to underfund the toy/suit division that half decade? Tired from Deka/Magiranger teamups? They definitely could have added the team to 6, missing previous warriors.

Shinkenger (inclusdes who Toei should have put)
Shinken Red should lead them. Kaoru Hime did a great job in the X GokaiBlue episode 10-11, so she would be a great choice.
I personally like ShinkenGreen a lot, maybe because I am a pseudo Otaku.

Goseiger:
Gosei Pink. I do not know about you, but her cheerful personality stood out for me. Alata is not comparable with any of the Shinken Reds. Gosei Yellow and Black really did not stand out either being twins. Gosei Blue was a smart one, but not as much as GekiBlue.
Who Toei Chose: All of them, though not much stood out for them.

They probably could have added anybody from Deka, Magi and Bouken and people would have been happy as well.

Choujin Sentai Jetman Episode 2 "The Third Warrior" Review

In honor of the July release of Pacific Rim and August release of Gatchaman, I will be doing reviews of each episode of Chojin/Choujin Sentai Jetman.

The second episode falls where the first one left off, searching for the remaining Jetman and hoping for a more powerful team than the first outing. The conflict between the Ako and Kaori; Ryuu and Gai was interesting. I would have found it interesting that they had made one of the Jetman not join the team. Although the storytelling of the show is great, it is not that fancy or unpredictable of a show. I wonder if some of his loner personality was put into Dillon of Power Rangers: RPM albeit his reason was more concrete, SPOILERS ALERT being the only hybrid on the show, although Go-onger had an interesting Black as well. However, how effective can that plot device be if you have him on the intro for the show in costume?
The episode establishes the very campy directed approach that Toshihide Wakamatsu had to pull off straight in the show, always winning with incredibly unlikely hands against incredibly unlikely hands making very unlikely situations without actually showing how he beat his opponent in a kid friendly un-auteurish show, This made him very memorable for better or worse.
Speaking of which, the theme of the episode was money and competition.
Gai beats a lady in a game of five-card poker before courting her. He then beats up a man who accuses him of cheating.
Ako then wants to be bribed to participate in a sports competition before mentioning saving the world.

Having the servant show up for Kaori adds a certain dimension to the show that Super Sentai shows would learn to adapt.
Gai shows no attraction to Kaori this episode, which is understandable as his conflict was Ryuu was the episode's purpose.

What I found odd was that the episode before Ryuu made a big deal of his girlfriend's death. This episode, he just talks about saving the world. Maybe it was a time issue or a retcon correction to his selfishness, but it seems very odd for him to change motivations in between episodes.

Again, although this show is not as auteurish as say a Christopher Nolan film, one must admire the fact that they again use the Commander to travel by plane like a Jetman to contact Jetman. Imagine the speculation people must have for the possibility of her having Birdonic Waves.

On a final note, Gobusters could have learned from this Ghostbuster attack, opposed to their arbitrary weaknesses.

Choujin Sentai Jetman Episode 1 "Seek the Warriors" Review

In honor of the July release of Pacific Rim and August release of Gatchaman, I will be doing reviews of each episode of Chojin/Choujin Sentai Jetman.
The beginning scene is very simple yet gets a lot established. Ryuu Tendo codenamed W6, and Rie Aoi, W3 are great candidates for superheroes based on a robot's out of controlness. Ryuu loses Rie in a scene similar to that of Hikari Sentai Maskman episode 1. Ryuu turns into a Jetman. Rie Aoi turns into a Vyram. Vyram destroys both Earth base and Raita's field. Although, the intro points out that she is not a Jetman, her fate was probably a big reveal back then.
Vyram unnecessarily goofily establishes itself a threat giving a half hearted Pablo Picasso/Salvador Dali Sieg Zeon address to the planet aka urban Japan. However, it and the death of Rie Aoi is effective at establishing hero and enemy. It's pretty awesome seeing Commander Odagiri piloting Jet Hawk, establishing later segments of the series.
Sidenote: I don't see how Jetman has a secret base if it's shown in the middle of the day.
Ryuu establishes himself a bit understandably selfish, attempting to avenge his girlfriend's death, even at the expense of another person's will. It is a bit one sided, but empathetic.
In contrast, Raita is selfish, because he is a vegophile. He is also supposedly against violence. It makes sense as these Jetmen were not chosen out of choice, but rather random chance. They end up being one of the most memorable teams in Sentai history, but it just happens to be written that way. And written quite well.

Stop Super Megaforce has a Change.org site

Saban has screwed up every Power Rangers team since repurchasing the franchise. The shows have been absolute disasters in the history of television. Seriously, I cannot think of a show(s), no- any medium that is worse. (No wonder Nickelodeon does not want to promote their show.)

"But there's going to be a massive teamup with Tommy in it! Tommy, PRPHD! Tommy!"

• Is JDF going to be another boring palentologist again?
• Operation Overdrive had a massive teamup and we still remember how terrible that was.
• They're already using Gokaiger footage and the show is still crap, despite copying from Mighty Morphin.

Here is the site. https://www.change.org/petitions/saban-brands-stop-power-rangers-super-megaforce-from-being-aired

Best Super Sentai films

In homage to the release of Pacific Rim, I am doing a list of best Super Sentai films.
I am excluding Goranger-JAKQ since there were no giant robots in those series.

Most of these get on the list for aesthetic reasons.

Super Sentai World aka Kakuranger vs Dairanger vs Zyuranger vs Jetman vs Fiveman
We actually get to see mechs fight each other. No old teammates really come back, but it brought interest back into the teamup.

Dairanger
It was a little early for a film, but we got to see 4 baddies against 5 rookie good guys. Good intro.

Dekaranger
Ban gets a cool girlfriend who is way too good for his annoying self. At least, we get Doggie Krueger in a helicopter sniping.

Boukenger vs Super Sentai
Was actually one of the worse Boukenger episodes, but Boukenger was full of so many great moments that this film just had to be included on the list.

Magiranger
Kai finally gets the girl.

Boukenger
The beginning of the movie begins with a great Lord of the Ringish CGI fight pre-Ranger War.
The fight is a supposed great threat that is worse than all the others, but not really.
Oh we also get a new Boukenger mecha formation.

Hurricanger vs Gaoranger
Two teams fight although it is really Jakanja in disguise and in command of the Gaoranger's powers.
They win a bit cheap, but both teams are featured pretty well.

Gaoranger vs Super Sentai
It was a first time seeing a mixed teamup of this sort. JAKQ still was unpopular unlike Big One.

GoGoV vs Gingaman
Really well executed. A demon spirit attacks Ryoma. However, he friggin uses fire so off course the undead spirits lose!
They weaken him a lot during the film though as he tries to warn  of GoGoV.
The film ends with a combined effort by Gingaman and GoGoV against the demon thanks to GoGoV's mechs and Gingaman's fire.

Magiranger vs Dekaranger
It's a theme about family that leads from Magiranger into Dekaranger. Also, Ban is less annoying.

Does Tommy Oliver have the Shining?

The Native American origins of Tommy Oliver bother me. Was seriously anyone a big fan of this origin? It was never bad per say, just a bit odd like a few of the storylines in Power Rangers: Turbo. It never really seemed to be related to anything. Power Rangers was very multi or even a cultural when it came to its characters. They never spoke much about of their culture. If they did, there would normally be for comical stupid effects, wow and culture.
They never show his parents, so who can care what his ancestry is?

However, watching Stanley Kubrick's the Shining recently, I cannot help but notice the similarities the film has to Power Rangers: ZEO and that Lost Galaxy made a 2001: A Space Odyssey reference in its opening space scene. Also, there have been countless accounts of the film's connections to Native Americans from the hotel's marking origins to that of Wendy Torrence's outfits.

We never see Tommy's parents. However, there is no indication that his parents had not mistreated him while he was younger.

The opening scene of the Shining opens with Jack Torrance driving all the way to the Overlook hotel through lush green scenery. Tommy has become the Red Zeo Ranger in the series. Red as in Red rum? Also in ZEO, he goes from the White Ranger to the Red Ranger. A white man to a red man?

Tommy in one episode of ZEO goes back to attack his former friends, just like he had to the entire city of Angel Grove in Mighty Morphin like nothing had happened, so much to the fact that it seems like a Stanley Kubrick plot discontinuity.

Happy July 4th everybody!

MMPR fan film aka Project_Ranger Con appearances

The MMPR fan film facebook has mentioned on June 30th 2013 that they would appear at Wizard Con NYC.
They also mentioned that they might appear at NYCC 2013 and have their own table!

The Potential for Dan Southworth's Divergence X/10

Popular Uprising's Divergence episode 9 finally revealed what the antagonists of the series are up to tying both to Mark's past and the future of the series.
The next episode can potentially make the series very memorable if the right steps are taken.
I have been hearing rumors about something big happening the last episode. Possibly a lot of sci fi disappearing based action. Mark finally uses the technology against those using it perhaps? Will their be multiple dimensions of Marks, Tys and whoever to encounter a la the Star Trek: Next Generation episode Parallels?
However, let us just take it one step at a time.
While I question Mark's line about the war being over in one line, to science fiction paranoia in the next, there is no doubt episode 9 finally got everybody talking about what was next for the bad guys in Divergence.

Episode 9 helped us tie in the fact that the main baddies are associated with Mark (or at least they of a different dimension are associated with another dimension's Mark, I think. It's in the episode. Watch it!) Anyway,

In episode 10, we can get to learn more about Ty, alternate reality or not as well as the girls of the series. We may even get to know their commanding officers and what happened to the rest of their troop based on this Ty's dimension dopplegangers in the show, giving us an idea or foil of what this Mark's troop may (or may not) have been like.
Potentially, Mark can be made a militaristic army bad guy if taken the wrong side in episode 10 in there is enough of their mission that is similar to his original mission that we never actually knew about in the series before.
Perhaps something even more devious, like the rumored Venjix-Dillon personality of RPM rumor lore.

Also, what about Mark's doctor?