V for Verdict: Guardian Sentai RoboMan #13 by Adrian J. Watts (SPOILERS)

Without commenting too much on an eventual weekend and all the excitement of ‘RoboGate’, I figure it’s time to start looking at the way these reviews are distributed, albeit not just yet because, as mentioned before, the idea is to stay roughly concurrent.

So without further ado…

RoboMan #13:

The direction taken with the two villains Miko and Jinsei – particularly Jinsei – is incredibly disquieting. I’m not yet certain if it was Mister Watts’ intention to portray Miko in such a sympathetic light during the course of this issue but, possibly more so than the issue’s ’star’, Kiko, Sorceress Miko is the real attention holder.

Speculation suggests that we might be in for a ‘villain and hero team up to fight an even bigger villain’ special but it seems that every time I hazard a guess, Mister Watts pursues a very different avenue.

I’m beginning to like Cog a lot for the fact that (again I’m going to use a Liveman comparison) she seems and acts, despite her diminutive size, in a similar fashion to Colon. Which is very good when you consider the more recent alternatives (*cough*MandoraBoy*cough*).

This issue also presents us with another contender for the team in the shape of Kiko’s brother. I must confess to feeling mildly saddened that it was a brother figure who turned up and not an angsty father. This is just personal preference of course but, of the two archetypes that tend to show up in these situations, I’ve always favoured the angst-ridden-old-men over the angst-ridden-but-strikingly-attractive-older-kin.

Two characters I’m having a hard time with right now are Trick and Kageki, a situation that seems to parallel my difficult with aspect’s of Toei’s current series.

Hant from Go-onger and Kageki have a similar youthful exuberance which fails to win me over. Trick, on the other hand, is too mysterious. Patience may will be a virtue but somehow his enigmatic nature hinder scenes rather than enhancing them.

The rest of the cast are holding out fine but, as said before, despite everything this really is Miko’s issue.

It’s amazing how far this series has come over the time since Mister Watts began working on it, all the more impressive for the fact that this is both a creative venture as well as venture in maintaining a work ethic.

Once again, Mister Watts, I salute you.

[tokusatsu & sentai rah]

Rah, rah, rah.

Site change…for the third time since 2005-ish. Seeing as mishicorp’s hosting services seem to be constantly in flux the plan was always to let this journal die once mishicorp actually rolled over and passed on properly. The advent of Royama Saki and Mister Watts’ Roboman have slightly changed that plan.

So instead here’s the new ::spaceterrapin powered!::, complete with archives for all the older entries:

01 – 25/05/05 – 26/05/05
02 – 26/05/05
03 – 26/05/05
04 – 26/05/05 – 17/06/05
05 – 21/06/05 – 11/08/05
06 – 13/08/05 – 18/10/05
07 – 23/10/05 – 20/12/05
08 – 21/12/05 – 19/02/06
09 – 19/02/06 – 21/06/06
10 – 21/06/06 – 25/07/06
11 – 25/07/06 – 07/08/06
12 – 15/08/06 – 23/12/06
13 – 23/12/06 – 13/02/07
14 – 13/02/07 – 10/03/07
15 – 10/03/07 – 25/12/07
16 – 25/12/07 – 23/01/08
17 – 23/01/08 – 21/02/08
18 – 21/02/08 – 04/03/08
19 – 04/03/08 – 13/03/08
20 – 13/03/08 – 20/03/08

The first thing you’ll notice is that my archives aren’t actually as streamlined as this list might lead you to believe…but, well, I have faith in you, dear reader. I know you’ll get by somehow. (^_^)

Happy (or not) reading!

Mini Review: Guardian Sentai RoboMan #12 by Adrian J. Watts

Cog is a cheeky sod, although, thanks to Mister Watts’ channelling of her in the new ‘Cog’s Special Report!’ segment, we’re given our first, obviously stated glimpse of any real information relating to the future issues in the series.

So we should say thank you: thank you, Cog! (^_^)

This issue continues the whole ‘myth arc’ feeling of the previous piece and has me only slightly vexed as to the fact that I can no longer work out who I definitely believe is going to join the team next and who isn’t. Time will reveal all, I’m apparently assured.

If I were to find fault with this issue it would be in the handling of the robot scene. Whilst the build up to the exchange is perfect – especially Sei’s confrontation of Ikku – the actual conflict with Buki Robo is a little too short for my tastes.

Granted this is in keeping with certain older shows in the genre that really do treat the robot segments as additional, 30 second fight scene epilogues (Liveman in particular is certainly guilty of this) and in this respect I am perhaps spoiled by some of the post-Zyuuranger shows. Possibly this is me expecting too much detail at the expense of the atmosphere but I would certainly like to see a blow-by-blow account of Gattai Robo’s combination and a more detailed robot confrontation.

(What’s that you say? I should be reading Gundam fic if I’m looking for such things?)

None the less, the solution to the fight is brilliant.

Sei is definitely the favourite this issue and I’m looking forwards to the next release.

Keep up the good work, Mister Watts.

Mini Review: Guardian Sentai RoboMan #11 by Adrian J. Watts

A slight change in style for Mister Watts this issue as the events concentrate solely upon peripheral characters and villains. If this were the X-Files, we’d probably be calling this one of the ‘Myth Arc’ episodes. But it’s not, so we won’t.

The one image that I took away from reading this is Mister Watts’ depiction of the change in Doctor Nagura. The phrasing and explanation of what exactly has happened to the good doctor since last we met him is truly chilling and serves to reinforce just how evil the villains truly are.

Suddenly Roboman seems a lot bleaker than when the series began.

Regardless of the bleakness, this issue really does belong to Rose Brachis, a character whom I initially wrote off as a villain but have now come to actually quite like as one of the only upright characters in this issue.

Stay tuned for Rose Brachis/Sorceress Miko fic later (*joking*). (^_^)

Again, I am at odds with the author, as Mister Watts apparently didn’t care much for this issue. I, however, feel that the change of pace and focus really made this a lot more powerful than if these scenes had interspersed with action from the main storyline.

Highly recommended and, again, a personal favourite.