Current music: Koutarou Tanaka - Dead End Game (IM)

sentai_ai - http://www.livejournal.com/community/sentai_ai/

Title: Super Sentai High School No Senshi (2/?): Futari De Nebagiba!
Genre: Alternate universe, shonen ai
Sentai: Hyaku Juu Sentai Gaoranger/elements of Bakuryuu Sentai Abarenjaa
Pairing: Samezu Kai (GaoBlue) x Ushigome Soutarou (GaoBlack)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Toei owns the rights to all Super Sentai characters
banner courtesy of automated_alice



( Super Sentai High School No Senshi: Futari De Nebagiba! )

Current music: Kashihara Nobuhiko - Honoo wo fuke DaiBuster [Blow the fire Daibuster]

This is me making an effort, watch very closely...see, that's my best making-an-effort face. Anyway, I accidentally stumbled across this whilst flipping through scans for PGSM photobooks and thought that at least the sentiment might be appreciated by certain 'ship cliques ~ http://hana-kimi.net/illusions/images/powerrangers/21.jpg. Personally I'm not sure that BanBan and Hoji have any real ability to express anything beyond angry and grumpy but none the less, force feeding one another food does seem to indicate either a.) romance or b.) serious concerns about diet, either way I leave to your judgement.

For more Dekaranger and tokusatsu scans, please visit -[ ILLUSIONS ]- .

In other news, for those of you watching Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, I'm sure you wont' have failed to notice the blindingly obvious potential 'ships going on there and, yes, whilst I'll confess to have a vested interest on the girl front I think there's at least one male couple that steal the show.

Ai no Senshi ~ *SPOILER* for PGSM episode #36 onwards

I am, of course, talking of no other relationship than Motoki x Nephrite. Seriously. I'm sure this is the stuff of a million fansites by now. gah.

Current music: “V–쌎Žq - •ì’ñŽ÷

I've long since reconciled myself to the fact that there are some threads on this community that will never accrue comments. This, children, is indeed one of those posts. The reason for this is the primary subject matter, the 1983 series, Kagaku Sentai Dynaman.

Thanks to a friend in a tokusatsu music trading circle I came across a nice DVD rip of the Dynaman movie subtitled in Portuguese by Brazilian fansub group, [kamikakushi] and lacking any significant forum to mutter my opinions about various things this journal is once the receptacle for my font of opinionated white noise.

As per normal, details and SPOILERS reside below...

It's easy to see why Dynaman doesn't have a raving fanbase ready to defend it against every new 'gimmick' sentai that pops off the Toei production line. In fact it's easy to start taking pot shots at Dynaman simply on the basis of a 26 minute movie, probably not fair but easy none the less. It's also worth noting how unfair it is to really formulate an opinion on 26 minutes but we're going to disregard that for today. Why? Because, no, it's not fear, but again, it's easy.

Dynaman is flawed, at least in the context of the movie. Let's state that right from the start. I'm not saying this to be cruel or in the hopes of damaging the series, I'm saying this simply because in 26 minutes you learn nothing that couldn't be displayed within a normal TV episode. Part of me wants to say 'Yeah, but it's a tradition to have a sentai film every year' whilst the other part of me wants to write abusive letters to retired TV script writers that will reduce their wives and children to tears. Over the course of the film, the five members of Dynaman - Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink - try to invent a flying go-cart, crash it, resolve to find the inventor father of some random children, convince him that perhaps running around with his POWER GUN isn't a good idea and then promptly chin the bizarre visual kei villains of the Evilution empire. Our wayward inventor father sees the error of his ways and the film concludes with his attempts to build a flying go-cart...and resulting failure.

If only the various peoples of the world had gathered together to build flying go-carts then perhaps this troublesome enigma wouldn't have blighted our lives so, perhaps the Dyna-boys and girl could have lived normal everyday lives. Damn you, cruel twists of fate, damn you.

The Evilution empire are, on the other hand, an interesting breed. Not so much the glam rock posturing of their angsty generals but for the traditional cannon-fodder henchmen of the series, the Tail Soldiers, who seem to have the ability to disguise themselves as humans and ride motorcycles...and jeeps...and helicopters. Yes, henchmen flying helicopters and shooting at our intrepid heroes. These guys were obviously the alumni of their respective goon schools. You haven't lived till you've seen a sentai goon on a motorcycle, trust me.

See, it's far too easy to pretend to know better than Dynaman however the most damning aspect of the film is not what it tells you about where sentai was in 1983, but what it shows you of recent series. The characters in the series are incredibly bland, blank slates without any real significant personality - at least not the kind of personality that can be presented in a 26 minute film. Sound familiar?

No, of course it doesn't, because what I'm saying is something that probably isn't going to be appreciated. I'm honestly sorry for that.

"I don't really feel anything for the characters. I don't like them, I don't dislike them, I just feel indifferent." Yes, I have reached a point where I am arrogant enough to quote my own previous points. Since last month the grand total of Dekaranger episodes we have watched number six in total. I didn't mean to stop downloading the episodes after six, I simply failed to click the links because other shows were holding my attention more. Every problem I had with the cast of Dynaman is paralleled in Dekaranger. I honestly don't want to be the guy who flames every new sentai simply because he's failed to let go of his own ideals and I do apologise in advance if this comes across as being overly judgemental. Again, disclaimer: opinion and all that. The fact that the casts for Dynaman and Dekaranger could have been switched made me nervous, the fact that many of the character traditions of the Dynaman characters contained shades of both Hurricanger and Abaranger concerned me even more. Watching Dynablack's fighting tricks and gimmicks was like watching the prototype for all the things that remain a staple of Kouta's style whilst in costume throughout Hurricanger. It's all there, from popping up out of the ground Ninja Terminator style (Reference: Ninja Terminator was one in a million budget Hong Kong ninja films made during 'the ninja boom' in the 80s. Conceivably more sophisticated than the following year's Ninja Dragon despite utilising many of the same actors and costumes) to fighting alongside multiple incarnations of himself. The style crops up again in Kakuranger and has probably been a staple of certain characters since it's inception. I can live with that - just. As long as I remind myself that, at heart, it is about selling toys then I can live with it...and then I remember that despite selling toys, despite having stereotypes, there are some sentai series that have managed to tell an engaging story with an evolving cast. It's easy to see Gaoranger as nothing but a Zyuranger clone with animals instead of dinosaurs and yet still it manages to convey emotion despite having to adhere to a formula.

Please feel free to disregard my opinion. I am more than aware of the fact that I am biased, in fact I wonder what my approach to sentai would be if the initial series I watched were Dekaranger or Goranger, I wonder if I would have been less focused on this supreme ideal of each series telling a story from beginning to end and more interested in other aspects of the show. If it wasn't for my initial experiences would I find the respective casts of Dekaranger and Dynaman more palatable? The answer is probably 'yes', sadly.

In other news, whilst slightly off-topic, I also had the chance to see the opening episode of Space Sheriff Gavan recently thanks to Hero Legends. I've got a lot of respect for Hero Legends if only for the fact that Chirlind and Kouji are such damn nice people. As of writing this they might just be the friendliest fansub group I've ever encountered. If you can get past the atrocious fashion sense, Gavan is quite an interesting show. Whilst the overall presentation is similar to the following year's Dynaman (right down to the attack pattern of the Dynaman movie's Evilution Beast and Gavan's Shako Monster) and the costume design is enough to make even Buck Rogers turn away in shame, the first episode is fairly enjoyable. Gavan's combat suit is especially hardcore even when complemented by his rotoscoped laser blade. Midway through the episode I really began to yearn for a shared Toei continuity, despite how impractical and contradictory it would be. Seeing how Dekaranger could be tied in with the mythos of Gavan and Space Sheriff Sharivan would be really interesting. Get on.

Which brings me almost full circle to almost complaining which I'm going to attempt to avoid doing (again) and if I'm doing that then there's a sure sign that I should probably be quiet. I really can't claim to be so obsessed with older tokusatsu shows as to sweat the kind of blood that certain areas of fandom seem prepared to do but I really do hope some of these shows find a wider audience with the growing interest in live action Japanese TV shows. I recommend Gavan, not because it's an awe inspiring series opener but because there's a genuine sense of adventure present. It might work for you, it might not, whatever the result I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Gah. Worst journal closing ever. I realise I have to tendency to ramble nowadays so today I'm simply going to...stop.

Current music: Tommy february6 - Bloomin'!

Apologies in advance for the fact that I am now going to inflict my opinion upon you, dear readers. We finally made the leap to ADSL which means we've been frequenting the mixed bag that is TV-Nihon and sucking up to monsieur le sushigrade in order to find more excuses to not move from my computer chair. So, without further ado...

THIS IS CALLED A *SPOILER WARNING*



BakuRyuu Sentai Abaranger Episodes #16 - 34 - I can't begin to list the times I've found faults with Abaranger, the acute disappointment and bitter resentment. Watching the later half of the series hasn't really changed that for me but, thanks to Abaranger vs. Hurricanger and some much needed distance I've learnt to accept Abaranger for being Abaranger - in fact there are even elements I've enjoyed. Episode #21 and the ongoing comedy stylings of Yatsudenwani are highlights for me (in fact, I struggled through a vast bulk of episodes prior to Asuka's attempts to win back Mahoro simply on the off chance that the episode might feature a Yatsudenwani scene). Whilst Ranru still strikes me as the most vacant and bland of characters, the three male leads have grown stronger with further characterisation - even Ryouga, despite being prone to moments of manic elation that even the most open minded of physicians would prescribe psychotropic drugs for, has become an stronger character. Selfish, over-indulgent and obsessive in regards to his relationship with AbareKiller but a strong character none the less...at times. Yukito has also changed for the better, becoming less pouty and effeminate and taking responsibility for his decisions and mistakes. I still find it slightly disturbing that, whilst dressed as a schoolgirl he managed to look like a more convincing girl than Ranru but I'm going to very swiftly gloss over that, I think.

AbareKiller comes across a much stronger character in the series than in the versus film, actually appearing to be a character with real motivations, rather than a ponce in an explosive prototype suit. His relationship with Rije is also a worthy highlight of the series - so very, very, very wrong and yet so obviously a 'fic couple...apply here for your own Moonwalker jokes and references.

The most significant disappointment for me is the terrible lapse in portrayal of Jannu/Mahoro. Quite how one woman can go from being a bitter soldier to a laughable sidekick who bangs her head on the table when bowing is beyond me. She can't act but she is at least cute, a statement that probably provides more insight into the casting of recent sentai shows than I'd be comfortable admitting. Perhaps it was because Power Rangers: Dino Thunder failed on so many levels to improve on the source material that I've become more forgiving of Abaranger. I'm certainly not willing to accept it as being anything less than a substandard collection of bad storylines but now and again it does at least show potential - which is more than I expected it of it.

I hereby promise to never, ever talk about Abaranger again, except for...

Lost and Found in Translation - "I hate the Power Rangers. I especially hate the Black Ranger." Oh yes. I actually thought that this was going to be dreadful, I really did and I think that, if they had attempted to be serious, with the obvious constraints of time, distance and money, it would have failed. As it stands I thought the episode was actually amusing, regardless of how people fear they will be represented in future. I've long since given up trying to carve a niche in any fandom, I'm happy to be stubborn enough to like what I like and dislike what I don't. End of story. Anyone who had to grow up with Manga Entertainment's anime dubs should have at least got the joke, shame on you if you didn't.

Denji Sentai Megaranger Episode #1 - I want you to know the following: I love Megaranger. Right here, right now, I want the whole world to know about my love for this series (or at least its opening episode). Whenever I get that sinking feeling that I'm not going to like a series I always try and tell myself that you can't really judge a show on one episode alone but from the opening coin-up face off I fell in love with Megaranger and its characters. Any sentai series that tells you that if you pump enough 20 pence pieces into arcade machines as a kid then you're bound to become a superhero wins for me. Watching this episode was like the first time I watched Timeranger vs. GoGoV or the first episodes of Hurricanger and Gaoranger, it even managed to make a more significant impact that Gingaman. Kenta is the first red ranger who completely won me over from the very first moment he appeared on screen. It doesn't hurt that the quality of the mech seen in the credits is inspiring enough to make me want to search for old toys or that the whole thing has shades of The Last Starfighter in the way Kenta is selected.

It's interesting to note (for me, at least) the trends in which the relationship between sentai shows and Power Rangers have progressed. If I had to pick a fault with Megaranger it would be that Doctor Hinelar looks like my aunt. Seriously. Featuring a human actor as the core villain rather than a immovable beast/entity/deity is something I've always associated with the later PR series (witness The Tit from Power Rangers: Wild Force). I sound like a massive fanboy. I am.

(side note: Yugande owns you. Don't argue.)

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger Episodes #1 - 3 - Here comes the controversial one. *deep breath*:

I'm not sure I like Dekaranger.

Before you decide to flame me into oblivion let me try and explain to you what I do find appealing about the show. First off I adore the fact that the back-story and world of the show is so vibrant and well established. From the opening moments of Episode #1, Dekaranger makes you feel as if it is a very distinct and individual series with its own traditions and plans. It's a step away from the standard sentai formula that certain incarnations of the franchise have become bogged down in. Secondly the mech and component vehicles are mind-blowingly cool. The way DekaRobo moves during the first gattai fight sequence in Episode #2 is one of the best tokusatsu mech sequences I've ever seen - when I was a kid this was the way I wanted a Transformers live action show to be represented. Definitely a contender for one of the coolest machines to have appeared in recent years. Lastly, the concluding action scene of Episode #1 convinced me that guns could work in sentai shows. BanBan's use of the D-Magnums to take down Anaroid fighting goons is brilliant, the kind of action set-piece I'd love to see more of in sentai shows. Combine all this with the fact that the show is very cleverly filmed so as to (so far) avoid showing the same familiar locations from previous seasons and Dekaranger *should* be the best show to date...

But it isn't...

(IMHO, he added hastily.)

Three episodes; 74 minutes and 14 seconds and I don't really feel anything for the characters. I don't like them, I don't dislike them, I just feel indifferent. I'm really itching to write 'I know you can't really judge a show on one episode alone' (or even three episodes) but I'm trying to refrain because it sounds insulting especially in regards to what I've already wrote. All of the characters seem so uniform and traditional, even 'bad boy' BanBan Akaza seems to have been taking extra classes in how to be rebellious (although the screeching, eye popping, vein straining state of emotional instability that every spoken word seems to bring him into is highly reminiscent of GoGo Yellow...it's just that GoGo Yellow also strikes you as the kind of person who would staple his hand to the carpet for no real reason which kind of makes him slightly cooler, at least in my book). Houji seems to be auditioning for the vacuum left by GaoYellow, Sen-chan looks like the missing member of German synth godfathers, Kraftwerk, Jasmine is attractive but very bland and Umeko looks like they've tried to write a character that acts like Azu-chan's Furabijou character from Hurricanger but has none of the charm. Because of this every time I try and gather my thoughts about the series I run into a huge mental barrier that not even the most significant of barrier break schooling could be effective against. I don't know what to say. At the best of times Deka feels like a series that I think should be fantastic but hasn't quite made it yet and probably needs more time to grow. At the worst of times it feels like the most unholy bastard child of Men In Black, Space: 1999 and Space Precinct.

(author's note: I really hated Space Precinct.)

And last but not least:

Kyoryu Sentai ZyuuRanger Episode #1 - Having just recently seen the first episode of ZyuuRanger I am now inclined to believe that all dinosaur themed sentai shows are destined to have shite ending themes. There's a lot in ZyuuRanger that's easy to hate - a mentor with magic ear abilities and a silly costume, a witch on a penny-farthing and the uncomfortable reminder that some of this footage is still raw in your memory from walking past the television set on Saturday mornings as a grumpy, maladjusted teenager, back in the day. In many ways it reminds me of Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman but I think that's just because of the astronaut in danger motif. (That was tongue in cheek. Remind me to never use the word 'motif' in polite company. Again). Mai is very much the kind of pink ranger that Umeko from Dekaranger acts as if she wants to be. The moral of this story perhaps is that it's easy to find ancient, arrow firing princesses cute but much more difficult to find anything nice to say about a young policewoman who spends most of her time in the company of three rubber (I said rubber!) ducks. If ever there was a moral to live your life by then surely that is it.

...and then they all died horrific and uncomfortable deaths! Hah!

So that's when I realised that there's nothing worse than being told a story second hand. Opinion rant over now. I'd like to end this with some quip but I can't think of any so instead here's automated_alice's epic illustrative adaptation of Lost and Found in Translation...

Current music: OLIVIA - Alone in our Castle

sentai_ai - http://www.livejournal.com/community/sentai_ai/

Title: Cloud on my Tongue
Genre: Yuri, angst
Sentai: Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy/Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger
Pairing: Karone x Wendinu
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Toei owns the rights to all Hurricanger characters whilst Saban/Disney (?) own the rights to all Power Rangers elements.

( Cloud on my Tongue )

sentai_ai - http://www.livejournal.com/community/sentai_ai/

Title: Super Sentai High School No Senshi (1/?): Boys Be Ambitious
Author: automated_alice
Genre: Alternate universe
Sentai: Hurricanger/Gaoranger
Pairing: Yousuke/Kouta FRIENDSHIP ONLY
Rating: U (one swearword)
Disclaimer: Toei owns all sentai characters, I've just borrowed them...

( Super Sentai High School No Senshi: Boys be Ambitious )

sentai_ai - http://www.livejournal.com/community/sentai_ai/

Title: Loneliness Is Worse
Author: automated_alice
Genre: Yuri, Shoujo-ai
Sentai: Hurricanger
Pairing: Wendinu x Nanami
Rating: NC-17; some explicit scenes, nothing too bad though, if I recall rightly *squirm*
Disclaimer: Toei owns all Hurricanger characters

( Loneliness Is Worse )

Tokusatsu Dark Horizons - http://www.atpk92.dsl.pipex.com/tdh/

Super Hero Time: All Because of You

The mouth of the brachiosaurus moved but its words were lost. A sudden pain filled his stomach and he keeled over, clutching desperately at his coat. The taste of copper welled up in his mouth and blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. He fell to his knees; sweat running down his face as he struggled to stand once more.

Standing confidently behind him was a hideous beast, as tall as any JaMeiTai. Its flesh was mottled and twisted, composed of rotten leaves whilst vines protruding from its spine, whipping against the decay of pollen and wind that still clung to its form, despite the fact that it had stopped moving. Its head was dwarfed by the star shaped formation of curled petals and in its hands it held a sword composed of bark and vines, the blade only just visible outside of its wooden scabbard.

Asuka twisted, pulling himself up and standing crookedly, his hand still clutching at his side. The evil spirit turned slowly, revealing a pale skinned face embedded in the petals that sprouted from around its neck like a collar of rotting flowers. The face itself was deformed; the eyes bulging like some nightmare beast and forehead lined with wrinkles. A thick smear of liquid that Asuka didn't care to identify blurred its warped infant features.

He looked away, feeling physically nauseous.

"W-What are you.?" He whispered; his voice subdued almost to a whisper.

The creature's bulging eyes narrowed.

"Your ignorance offends me." It responded, its voice like the bubbling up of rotten water beneath dead soil, its eyes danced over Asuka's figure. "Of what significance are you to demand my identity?"

Asuka straightened, forgetting his wound for the moment and clutched at the key about his neck.

"I am the messenger of justice, AbareBlack!" He shouted, snapping the key from its tether and holding it out.

Their eyes met and the creature nodded slowly.

"As I thought...justice." It spat. "These things are...over-rated." A cruel smile spread across its face as it snapped the vine sword out from its scabbard. "My name is Corrosion Aurg Venus Mantrap." Asuka faltered, almost dropping the sacred key from his hand.

"Corrosion Aurg...?" He murmured. "Then you're not an Evorian...?"

The creature remained firm in its stance.

"I am the spirit of corruption, decay and waste born of human excess. I am the first born of the soil, the undying and lost of a corrupt society."

Asuka frowned.

"I-I don't understand what you're saying." He whispered.

A thick gurgling laughter escaped the creature's malformed lips.

"AbareBlack, you are not of the Earth are you?" It questioned.

Surprise registered on Asuka's face.

"N-no...how did you know?"

"Idiot! Have I not told you? I am born of this planet, of humanity's failures. I know every weakness of this parasitic society but you.your weakness are different to me.therefore you cannot be of this world...and if you are not of this world." Its face creased into a warped grin. "Then you are not my equal."

I've commented about how much I dislike people who just appear out of nowhere with stories under the arms and make wild demands of everyone's time so I'm really going to endeavour not to do that *however* I'm afraid that there probably isn't anything else I can offer to this group that may provide an interesting diversion from real life - ah, perhaps the word 'interesting' is a little too strong (listen to me, I'm rambling and this is only my first post here). The following two little character sketches are recent, if brief, forays into Mirinoian territory. I can't claim that they're a hundred percent by the book, nor can I claim that you'll find any worth in them as there were originally meant for an audience of one but I felt I should at least have something to offer as a greeting present (although I fully reserve the right to annihilate this post at a later date and probably won't keep the pieces on my server for long).

Both pieces, especially the second, make a great number of assumptions about the overall events of Lost Galaxy and the nature of the universe they take place. Both protagonists could be seen as out-of-character if viewed in a certain light however, IMHO (and that's all it really it is) this is the logical conclusion of certain themes I picked up during the show's run. The first piece is set after the conclusion of LG - let's say a year in order to put it alongside the Lightspeed Rescue crossover. The second piece takes place shortly before the opening episode.

Apologies where required.

"Fighter"

"Galactabeast Hime"

Current music: Kushida Akira - A Lone Wolf ~Gin No Senshi~

As there have been quite a few enquiries recently about where to find specific series and places to acquire tokusatsu and sentai from I thought it might be useful if someone compiled a brief index of useful sites that can be used should questions arise again. I can't vouch for every site on this list and I certainly can't claim that is exhaustive but it is, IMHO, a good place to start...



(buying sentai):

cdjapan - Welcome to the fallout from the Bubble Economy. cdjapan is a great site that specialises in Japanese CDs, DVDs and other goods. If you're American (or European/Australian using a TV/PS2 that doesn't support feeble NTSC lameness) then you'll be looking at upgrading to some nice multi-region hardware but this, in my humble opinion, is very much a last resort site. Why you might ask? Well, let's try over 50 quid/90 US dollars for the raw Japanese language two disc Mirai Sentai Timeranger volume #1. Painful.

yesasia - Much like cdjapan, only with a broader array of Asian titles - which means that some discs/CDs can be brought slightly cheaper if you opt for the Korean or Hong Kong releases. Having said that, yesasia doesn't seem to carry an awful lot of sentai and what they do have is pretty much the same as cdjapan.

getterdome - Herein lies the Grey Area, that place between legal and illegal releases. A lot of the stuff on getterdome's site is bootlegs, let's get this straight from day one before anyone complains that they ordered something and the quality wasn't what they expected. Some of the discs are of exceptional quality (the first Hurricanger volumes) and have been ripped from Japanese R2 DVDs with pretty good Engrish subs, others have been ripped straight from TV/VCD (early Abaranger, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon). It is a gamble and sometimes, because the cover price is so cheap (the Sailor Moon and Kamen Rider Blade discs are about £2.50 each) you do get what you pay for in terms of quality. On the other hand, it's cheap tokusatsu with English subtitles. Sites such as Anime Toxic and Discount Anime are pretty much the same from what I've heard.

ebay - Believe it or not ebay is your friend. It is the nexus of Grey Area discs. All the various sites from getterdome to Anime Toxic are represented on ebay and easy to find. Just type in the magic 's-e-n-t-a-i' letters into the search engine and you'll find a whole host of stuff.

Anime Toxic - See getterdome.

Discount Anime - See getterdome.

Anime Jungle - Coming straight out of Osaka, home of Chi-Chi's accent. Very good second-hard anime/manga goods sourced straight from the Japanese heartlands, rewrapped and mailed out to us poor foreigners. A wide array of stuff here though it should be noted that if it's only DVDs you're looking then whilst they'll certainly be cheaper than cdjapan and yesasia they're still going to be the Japanese R2 releases. However, if it's photobooks, soundtracks, IDOL discs you're looking for then this site might come in handy. I plan on ordering some stuff from here next month. It should also be noted that the company is making its own series - Evolver - which might be something fun to take a look at.

amazon.co.jp - Same as cdjapan and yesasia with the added 'bonus' of being primarily a Japanese site for Japanese people. Don't expect to get very far if you're only using English search terms. It's definitely advisable to have a working knowledge of Japanese or a neat little trick for translating terms into Japanese. Actually the principle superpchan posted on her personal journal for using the Japanese Tower Records site to translate artist names in order to gather greater results on WinMX might work quite well here. Kudos to her for that one. :)

Henshin Video - Old school distributor of shows on video tape and DVD-R. The site is closing down on the 20th May so if you're desperate to acquire a show that you know might never make it to DVD then I strongly advise you to pay this site a visit.


(downloading sentai):

TV-Nihon - A wide array of fansubbed sentai and tokusatsu available for those with futuristic download speeds. Recommended, especially if you're curious to know what old shows like Zyuuranger and Dairanger were *really* like beyond the footage seen in Power Rangers (and don't try and deny that's where you first see it! ).

Dekaranger Fan Site - A site dedicated to this year's sentai, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger which everyone and their mum seems to be a fan of...except me...because I haven't seen it yet. A respectable site with the bonus of offering raw versions of the latest episodes available via BitTorrent.

Remember's Tokudownloads - French download site offering episodes and music through a slightly awkward process of logging into the site's Yahoo! Briefcase as well as BitTorrent. I haven't actually downloaded anything from here yet but at some point I plan to take a closer look.


(music):

Chirlind's Home Page / The Anything-Goes Anime Lyrics Archive - Chirlind is a great guy I met on WinMX and have traded mp3s with a few times. His site is fantastic for finding out romanji titles of Japanese themes and, in the case of quite a few sentai songs, who the original artist was. The fact that he lists a lot of lyrics in romanji and English is certainly a welcome bonus.

J-Hero.com - Another Thai site with a massive collection of sentai OP and ED themes (from Goranger to Dekaranger) as well as tokusatsu, Kamen Rider and anime themes. There's enough music here to fill a minidisc on LP4 in the sentai section alone!

Tokusatsu Trading Site - Co-founded by my friend, redracer from the tokump3trade yahoogroup, I'm expecting great things from this site. redracer is certainly one of the friendliest, easy-going tokusatsu fans I've met and he deserves big props for helping me get hold of some really rare files. Once this site is fully up and running I advise you to definitely pop in and have a look around.

tokump3trade - A small but helpful community devoted to trading mp3s. Both Chirlind and redracer are in residence and that's good enough excuse for me. :)

dolphin_gurl - Self plug. Sometimes there's even sentai music! *gasp*


(fanfiction):

The Return Of Jetman - A fanfiction sequel to the 1991/1992 sentai Chojin Sentai Jetman. This has been on my 'to read' list for some time and I must admit I'm expecting big things...I just want to be a little more familiar with Jetman before I settle down and read it.

Fanfiction.net TV Shows >> Super Sentai - A small collection of stories mostly of the slash variety. The last time I checked things seemed to be in favour of Abaranger and Megaranger. Sooner or later I'll revisit and see if anything new is on offer.


(community):

Japan Hero - A dedicated and informative site. If you're looking for pictures than Japan Hero is definitely one to visit. There is a broad umbrella of topics ranging from sentai to anime and covering just about everything in-between. Sometimes they're a little slow to update with show/film reviews but considering the sheer scale of the content a little bit of lag is to be expected. Their news page is also highly informative.

alt.tv.sentai Introduction & Frequently Asked Questions - Introduction and links to the alt.tv.sentai newsgroup. This group really is, IMHO, the hardcore elite of the sentai community. I read quite a bit here but I think this is very much a community that is rooted in the time and effort the collection fans have dedicated to sentai and tokusatsu in general.

Sod's PRNS Page - Why is a Power Rangers included in this some of you may cry, well the answer is simple and follows thus: this page has a nice pictorial walkthrough of the changes between Hurricanger and Ninja Storm therefore I thought it might be of interest. At the very least you can relive your old Shortland Street daydreams...er, if you're British...or from New Zealand (is New Zealandish a proper term?).

Jushi Sentai France Five - The peasants! They are revolting! Or at the very least they're filming amateur sentai. Reasons to live in France number one: a childhood of 70s anime and tokusatsu on everyday TV. Reasons not to live in France number one: going to school on Saturday and having Wednesday off? Je déteste!

Tokusatsu Awareness Guild (T.A.G.) - A Go-Gaia community for tokusatsu and sentai. What's Go-Gaia you ask - I have no idea. But I think some members of this list begun the 'guild' so it only seems fair to give them some hype.

Henshin Hall Of Fame - A small but useful little site with a handy appendix of words used frequently in sentai. Essential reading for any budding fanfiction writers. Most of the focus is on older sentai and tokusatsu which isn't such a bad thing. Might not be your cup tea if you've just discovered Dekaranger and Kamen Rider Blade but a worthwhile history lesson none the less.

Henshin!Online - Fantastic news site for sentai, tokusatsu and dai kaiju with lots and lots of news and rumours. The Eastern Front page is especially recommended.

Thai-Toku - An excellent site from Thailand featuring music downloads, e-cards and lots of pretty pictures. There's a fair amount of fanfic and other goodies here but it probably won't do you much good unless you learn Thai and break the third wall down to enter a new frame of linguistic consciousness. Perhaps.

Sentai Sanctorum - A damn good site that, like Sod's PRNS Page, lists differences between sentai and Power Rangers. Joe Rovang's site covers Goranger to Gaoranger and makes for some really interesting reading.

Sentai Spoilers - Vital and revered, Jillun's Sentai Spoilers page is a worthy addition to any set of bookmarks. Back in the day when I'd only just managed to see one episode of Gingaman Jillun's page helped fill in the gaps for me. I can't say enough about the importance of this page. Great stuff and a true landmark for the English speaking sentai fan community.

Sentai Toy News & Reviews - For the hardcore toy collector *cough* sushigrade/ *cough*. Reviews, prices and links. What more could you ask for?

SUPER HERÓIS ON-LINE - A Brazilian fan site listing early sentai from the 70s through the 90s. Contains a multitude of quality scans from photobooks of female heroines who have gone on to become IDOLs in their own right.

Super Sentai Time Capsule - Another good site. I'd place Super Sentai Time Capsule and Japan Hero on the same level. Lots of quality pictures and spot on information. Usefully, especially if you're watching raw episodes and have absolutely no idea of what is going on. Updated often.

Tokuinsider - Relatively new site containing info on Dekaranger and Kamen Rider Blade. Very minimalist looking but informative none the less.

Super Sentai Universe - A fairly new yahoogroup for discussing the year's sentai show. Not many posts here as of yet.

Sentai Otter - geochansey's sentai resource site. I like this site a lot - it's comfortable, familiar and very easy to use. Also kudos for uploading Jetman and Dairanger soundtracks, geochansey!

Sentai_Squadron - A discussion group for sentai, tokusatsu, Metal Heroes and dai kaiju films. The basic rule seems to be that if a man has worn a rubber monster suit within five miles of a film then it's on topic.

Sentai_Squad_FF - Quite literally the 'sister' group of Sentai_Squadron. The focus here is obviously female tokusatsu stars and drooling over them. Not a terribly active list but then again this could apply to any of the sentai yahoogroups really.

Tokusatsu - See Sentai_Squadron.

TokusatsuPlanet - See Sentai_Squadron.



...So now there should be no excuse to not abuse your work computers. As always, links, additions, corrections are welcome. This is only a very basic listing but I figure it should be enough to keep people interested and offering places to explore.

The rest, kids, is up to you. :)