DCD. Srsly. WTF.

(12:21:43 PM) 成二: You got the title wrong, it should read “Kanna Mori feat. Kamen Rider DCD”.
(12:22:32 PM) 成二: Oh, Godai Yuusuke is not Godai but Onodera. ^^
(12:24:29 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: LOL!
(12:24:32 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: Eh?
(12:24:40 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: So he is in the series?
(12:25:16 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: OH! No…I thought you were talking Odagiri Jo…
(12:25:21 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: I don’t know who’s who now…
(12:25:33 PM) 成二: LOL! No, this new kid is not playing Godai Yuusuke really, but someone else (also called Yuusuke though)
(12:26:04 PM) 成二: So he is not the same character Odagiri played -entirely-
(12:26:09 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: …
(12:26:11 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: WTF?
(12:26:17 PM) 域奇 ~ “Stupid Sexy Lockon” ~: That’s shit

Kamen Rider DCD #1 Review (SPOILERS)

Kamen Rider DCD is a bit silly.

It sort of lurches into view with its fanfic premise and then, for the next half an hour, rushes through the spectacle of fitting in as many references to prior series without really going anywhere.

It does however seem to carry on with some of the stylistic tenets of more recent Rider shows such as Den-o and Kiva and the Gackt opening theme is anything but inspiring, but the show does manage to pick up in a few places and when it does, the spectacle is at least passable.

I can’t help but feel that if DJ Diddy Dog KIVA FORM’s Tournament Kamen Rider were official it would be filmed in something of a similar way. In fact, mentioning TKR, one of the biggest threats that series now faces is that it will have to directly compete with DCD from this point on in order to maintain its originality.

Of course, I have no doubt that DJ Diddy Dog is up to the challenge of keeping TKR fresh and exciting but what I’m really hoping for is that seeing DCD will push him into writing an even more dynamic series. I guess we won’t really be able to address these concerns properly until this time next year.

It was interesting to see Kuuga’s Godai Yuusuke once again, albeit not played by Odagiri Jo, but only time will tell if the character can make the transition from the primary Rider of one show to a secondary character in another. I’m not really surprised to see that our raccoon-dog loving friend isn’t involved in this one though.

As well as ‘recycling’ the action/villains/Riders of previous series, one particular problem with DCD is that as it continues the trend of recycling character types it comes across as a lot more contrived than in previous shows. Thus, whilst the character of Hikari Natsumi (played by Mori Kanna) is great she is simply Den-o’s Hana with perhaps a touch of Amami Akira about her…although, considering DCD’s multiple-Earths theory, I’m pretty sure this now entitles me to write terrible fanfic pairing up Natsumi with my favourite girls from the past ten years of Rider shows.

Wow…

Suddenly this show is my favourite. (^_^)

Seriously though, DCD isn’t awful…but it’s really not that much different from the much reviled Kamen Rider World, only on a grander scale.

Perhaps later episodes will change my mind.

God knows that Gackt theme tune won’t.

Not Wakiwaki

The Gekiranger vs. Boukenger really wasn’t very dekadeka. I was kind of hoping for something more wakiwaki, but in the end I was left feeling far from nikiniki.

For a more sensical opinion, please click here.

Bouken vs. Super Sentai Mini Review (SPOILERS)

I don’t think I ever really mentioned this when I first watched this. In fact, looking through the archives, it would appear that the closest thing I made to a mature commentary on the special was this picture.

As before, there isn’t much for me to say here. I’d usually be the first to jump at any project that reunites my Nao-chan and my Azu-chan, especially in their Hurricanger roles, but Boukenger vs. Super Sentai is diabolically poor. Even the things that I have begrudgingly come to love about the Boukenger characters are not present in this movie…in fact, if we’re honest, *no one* is in character during this overrated and badly executed special feature.

I can’t help but think that even the intended audience of 5 – 12 year old boys might have been disappointed by this mix of leftover ideas for Magiranger vs. Boukenger and dull fight sequences.

Even Super Sentai World was more interesting than this.

Moving swiftly on…

Shinjuku Yakuza Violence

Suwa Taro (Coal Orugu) spotted in Miike Takashi’s Ryu ga Gotoku: Gekijo-ban, based on the Shenmue-powered SEGA franchise for the PlayStation 2.

Also some guy named Shioya Shun was in it. Some of you might know him.

Actually, if you’ve watched any Japanese films of TV shows made in the last 20 years or so, I guarantee someone from whatever you’ve watched will have been in this film, not least of all the mightly Aikawa Sho and Endo Kenichi.

The film also features one of the strangest possible Tokyo Drifter homages ever, and speaking of director Suzuki Seijun, should I ever find the words for it, remind me to talk to you about the Odagiri Jo/Zhang Ziyi ‘musical’ Operetta Tanuki Goten.