I can’t believe it took me until episode #8 of Turboranger to realise that Hama Youhei (BlueTurbo) is in fact Mogami Souta (BoukenBlue)…but you’re going to have to trust me on this as I’m too lazy to screencap.
Also: Shishido Masaru (Hoshino Gorou/OhRed) playing BoukenSilver’s father? If so, I need to know how the child of MegaPink and OhRed could grow up to be such a waste of space?
Choriki Sentai Ohranger: The Movie
Amongst the many reasons why Ohranger is great are the awesome monster designs and fantastic instrumental music. The Ohren film is one of those great run-throughs of all the things that make the series so endearing – nothing amazingly outstanding and a decided lack of anything more than a cameo from the Big One Captain Miura, but still a fun 40 minutes none the less.
The storyline, like much of the series, manages to walk the line between absurdity and genuine emotional impact. The concept of the Baranoia populating a ‘film’ with actual human combatants geared up with plastic masques in a struggle against their own machine footsoldiers is oddly effective and moving at times. The scenes involving the death of these soldiers and the reaction of the Ohren-tachi is very powerful – as are the sequences in the prison camp and the execution of masqued human soldiers by machines.
I seem to have completely negated my earlier statement of this just being an average Ohren story…perhaps that’s because the topics for this series were always this well done and this moving. That’s right, kids, there was a time when Toei could balance its humour with an actual progressive storyline and character development.
Bonus points for the last minute Sailor Moon references as well.
In other news, one of these days I will write my thoughts/feelings on Keitai Sousakan 7 — either that or I’ll simply write fic for sentai_ai/kissearly‘s Summer or Rock Encore.
But first…
Engine Sentai Go-onger #18
Go-onLegs still isn’t a patch on Saki, not that a pairing couldn’t work between them (if there was any kind of chemistry between the two, which the story thus far hasn’t presented) but Saki remains the premier Go-on girl…at least in my humble opinion.
This episode sees Go-onGold take a further step towards becoming Guile from Street Fighter II, we can but hope that his hair will get bigger as the series progresses.
Also: muuuuuh, Go-onSilver has a ‘gold card’ (yes, I am childish enough to find this funny). It’s interesting that, only one episode after her introduction, Miu is devalued into being the helpless captive of the monster-of-the-week. I can’t imagine this ever having happened with an extra Senshi before therefore, there’s only two possible options:
1.) the extra Senshi concept is not what it was and, mostly as a result of the president set by Dekaranger, the additional heroes are now indistinguishable from the five standard heroes.
or
2.) Miu is a girl and therefore the writers/developers don’t want to afford her with the prestige often given to the extra Senshi.
Personally, I think it’s a combination of both scenarios.
And Miu doesn’t even get crucified like any other self-respecting hero! Shame on you, Toei! (Although her legs are quite wide apart when she’s chained to that post…I’m sure there’s a whole realm of possibility there that no one wants to see explored)
Other things to file under Do-Not-Want during the course of this episode: Miu/Sosuke – you’re not even trying, Toei. Talk about your arbitrary possible love interest set ups. Give me a break.
The new Engine-o mech formation looks like the messiest clusterfuck since, well, the Carrygator formation.
So…the shine of Go-onWings lasted less than two episodes. That’s got to warrant some kind of all time low record, I’m sure.
