8/11/2005 - Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto

If you haven't been listening to POLYSICS by now then I give you your final warning. Ever since the band's appearance on Adam and Joe Go Tokyo! a handful of years ago I have had a deep respect and admiration for their particular brand of almost broken indie dance music. In that they remind me of the awesome Add N to (X) who were responsible for the fantastic Metal Fingers in My Body (which I also encountered probably about the same time I first saw POLYSICS). However, if intercourse with robots hasn't perhaps been on your agenda over the past few years and the release of Add N to (X)'s seminal classic has passed you by, Domo Arigato, Mister Roboto by POLYSICS remains a song you deserve to own. Whilst the PV is remarkably different to Add N to (X)'s efforts it is must certainly one of the greatest mech inspired music videos in the history of the world. The PV relates the adventures of a robot who, having become bored with his job featuring in a tokusatsu show, takes to the streets in order to well, be nasty.

It defies proper explanation and no matter how much I tell you of it, or how I insist on the sheer greatness of its sense of humour you still can't appreciate until you actually see it. Go out and download it. Consider it a duty to your poor, unfulfilled ears and eyes. Go. Now.

8/10/2005 - From the Horse's Mouth

"Around ten-thirty, maybe. It was right after Masked Rider ended." 

Masked Rider? That was a children's show. Yoko was the only one in the family who'd have any interest in that.

- 'Ring' (page 139, 2003 Vertical hardback edition) by Suzuki Koji, translated by Robert G. Rohmer and Glynne Walley

8/9/2005 - Three Colours Hurricanger: Three Colours: Yellow

Title: Three Colours Hurricanger (2/3): Three Colours: Yellow
Author: automated_alice
Genre: Het, bizarre love triangle
Sentai: Ninpuu Sentai Harikenja
Pairing: Nono Nanami (Hurricane Blue) x Shiina Yousuke (Hurricane Red), Bita Kouta (Hurricane Yellow) x Nono Nanami (Hurricane Blue)
Rating: U
Disclaimer: Toei owns the rights to all Super Sentai characters

(  Three Colours Hurricanger: Three Colours: Yellow )

8/9/2005 - She Said

Title: She Said
Genre: Shoujo ai, angst, bizarre love triangle, alternate/expanded scene for Act 14
Series: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Pairing: Mizuno Ami (Sailor Mercury) x Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon), Osaka Naru x Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon)
Rating: U
Disclaimer: Takeuchi Naoko and Toei own the rights to all PGSM characters
banner courtesy of automated_icons
many thanks to Genvid's PGSM archives

(  She Said )

8/9/2005 - Twilight

Sainei Ryuuji (Akaza Banban in Dekaranger) appears in the PV for Twilight by the band GOING UNDERGROUND. Fortunately even his presence can't ruin what is fundamentally a good song. The actress who appears alongside him in the video is also familiar though I can't place her for the life. Five squid for the first person who can name her. automated_alice tells me that Sainei apparently appears in another GOING UNDERGROUND PV. I hope for their sake that they haven't tried to have a conversation with him longer than five minutes.

8/3/2005 - Pacchigi!

Pacchigi! exceeds expectations. Starring Shioya Shun (Shiina Yousuke in Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger) as a Japanese high-school student who falls in love with a Korean girl and charting the unrest in 1960s Japan between the native Japanese and Korean immigrants living in Kyoto, the film succeeds on a number of levels, not least of all in regards to the fact that it tells an emotionally engaging story. I can't stress how much (and with no pressure from my dedicated girlfriend, a long-suffering Shioya Shun supporter) Shioya impressed me in this film. Sadly it also confirmed what the making of the Hurricanger film had first made me suspicious of: Toei's directors currently responsible for the sentai franchise push the show's young leads to overact. Fair enough there's always going to be exaggeration in children's television but the marked difference between Shioya's acting in Hurricanger and both Girl's Life: Tokyo Noir and Pacchigi! prove the fact that, despite several years worth of sneering from the English language toku community, he can actually act. That may be a bitter pill for some to swallow but personally I'm quite pleased at this confirmation. What this says about the perspective talents of Abaranger's Nishi Kouichiro and Dekaranger's Sainei Ryuuji is, if the case of Shioya is universal, perhaps kinder than any remark I've made about them in the past two years but sadly I still wouldn't take that as a confirmation of their skills.

Along with Shioya, the film also features Odagiri Jo (who appeared as both Godai Yuusuke in Kamen Rider Kuuga and Mogami Bijomaru in Azumi), Takaoka Sousuke (who featured in the original Battle Royale, Red Shadow: Akakage and alongside Battle Royale II lead, Oshinari Shugo in Blue Spring) and Maki Yoko (another graduate of Battle Royale II who also appeared in the American market remake of Ju-on, Princess Blade and Shimotsuma Monogatari) who looks exceptionally cute in a nurse's uniform.

What Pacchigi! does that is so remarkable for me is tell a story that resonates beyond any notion you may have of the lead actor's skill. It breaks you down in that you warm to the part Shioya plays and, once that is done, you're forced to admit that he can act (and also sing, not well granted, but he can hold a tune...in Korean as well). I strongly recommend this film to anyone with a passing interest in cinema. I don't care if you're unaccustomed to trying to grapple with a film in a second language, I don't care if you only want to watch tokusatsu or have preconceived ideas about how well Shioya Shun can act, this film deserves attention. If there's any justice then this will be picked up and distributed by a Western company with English subtitles but I fear that is sadly unlikely. Irrespective of that I want you to watch this film. It deserves to be a part of your collection now.

Pacchigi (We Shall Overcome Someday) Premium Edition (Japan Version)

Pacchigi (We Shall Overcome Someday) Standard Edition (Japan Version)

Please support this film. Thank you.

7/31/2005 - An Aurg By Any Other Name

Signal Aurg from episode #8 of Gaoranger and Roadjigen from episode #4 of Jetman.

Chojin Sentai Jetman is problematic for me. To date we've watched four episodes and, well, I'd like to tell you that I've enjoyed them but if I'm honest I'd have to say that I haven't. At least two of them have had interesting elements whilst the other two have just been downright awful. The introduction of Yuuki Gai in these four episodes has been the focus of at least eighty percent of my enjoyment of the show to date. As a character he actually seems to have more depth to him than his four co-pilots which, considering Jetman's inspiration, I was really thankful for. I suppose that before we talk about my feelings in regards to Jetman I should first mention Gatchaman.

Battle of the Planets was probably the first anime translation I ever watched and it holds a special place within my somewhat over-defined sense of nostalgia. Just as the two DevilMan OVAs were, along with the release of Akira and several other key Manga Entertainment releases, responsible for rekindling my interest in Japanese anime, so BotP was responsible for placing the first seeds of that interest way back in childhood. Make no mistake, the series is seminal and is awarded a special place by many of us who grew up in the 80s, as is Speed Racer (or Mach Go Go Go to the Japanese). In today's environment when children are exposed to examples of dubbed Japanese anime every half-hour on Cartoon Network or Fox Kids in the shape of the famous Dragonball franchise, Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade, Shaman King or countless others it's hard to imagine just how much of an impact these shows had when they were first broadcast. Several years later when I finally got to watch the original Japanese Gatchaman I was no less impressed with the story, characters and the heart of the series. It remains, to this day, one of the best examples of its genre in my humble opinion. Watching Jetman with its obvious Gatchaman influence, is all the more painful for this. By all means it should be a great series. The style of the costumes and mech in addition to the fact that Kageyama sings both the opening and ending themes should make it just as important as the series that influenced it and yet sadly, within the first four episodes at least, Jetman falls very far short of Gatchaman.

The opening of Jetman, specifically the way in which the relationship between Ryuu and Rie is established works amazingly well and adds a dimension to the show's central character that leads you to believe the opening episodes might be more dramatic than they actually are. This soon falls by the wayside with the successive introduction of Ryuu's peers. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm fully aware that the core of these shows is in portraying teamwork but it can't be denied that the storytelling takes a dip at this point from which it doesn't recover until the eventual introduction of Yuuki Gai. In fact I'd go as far as two say that the two female team members, Ako and Kaori, are all but irrelevant to the story at the time they're introduced. Kaori, especially, is a character for which I have reserved a special dislike. Her role is clearly descended from that of Jun in Gatchaman and yet she is the most simpering, idiot-faced character in the entire series. To see the role of the swan-senshi so degraded truly disappoints me.

The antagonism between Ryuu and Gai rightly mirrors the relationship of Ken and Joe in Gatchaman and yet, in Jetman I spent most of my time wondering why Gai was even bothering to compete. The only character with a strong personality aside from him is the team's commander, the vivacious Odagiri Aya. I honestly can't see how Ryuu managed to win Gai over considering his character is so weak and listless after the initial opening episode.
Ooishi Raita is a brave character to include in the show, again mirroring his Gatchaman counterpart. It's just a shame that every time he transforms you are reminded that the actor who portrays obviously isn't doing his own stunts.

I know the series is treasured by many and often regarded as a classic but after these episodes I can honestly say that I'm willing to pass over it in favour of watching more Liveman. Once upon a time I would have cried out for a live action Gatchaman to put to rights all the flaws of Jetman but after the debacle of the live action DevilMan I want to keep quiet on this matter for fear they tarnish the source material further. Perhaps if there are further episodes based around the characters of Odagiri or Gai then I'd be tempted to watch those should they be recommended but unless that happens I think it's safe to say that my opinion of Jetman is one of resounding disappointment. It should have been fantastic but I simply can't be bothered to waste time trawling through episode after episode in search of some fabled 'good point' where dedicated fans insist the show improves (re: Abaranger). I've seen four episodes and that's more than enough for now.

Perhaps next time I'm tempted to watch something Gatchaman influenced I'll simply watch the live action SMAP/Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation adverts, at least they preserved the dignity of the source material far more than Jetman ever did.

7/29/2005 - 96 min, Japan, Colour, Dolby

1995's Gamera: Guardian of the Universe is one of my favourite dai kaiju films. Part of the appeal of the fillm is undoubtedly in the character of Kusanagi Asagi (played by Steven Seagal's daughter, Fujitani Ayako) and her sense of kaiju-moﾃｩ.

The first of the remake Gamera trilogy is notable in one respect for its cast. Hongo Kojiro plays the role of the captain of the Nojima, returning to the franchise after having appeared previously in The Great Monster Duel: Gamera vs. Barugon (1966), Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967) and Gamera vs. Outer Space Monster Viras (1968). Nakayama Shinobu, who played Nagamine Mayumi in all three of the new Gamera films but also in 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Hasegawa Hatsunori, who played Colonel Satake, begun his career as Yamato Takeshi in Ultraman 80. Kubo Akira, who played the captain of Kairyumaru, appeared in the seminal Godzilla films Invasion of the Astro-Monsters and Destroy All Monsters, which are two of the Godzilla films I remember most fondly from my childhood (we won't mention Kubo's role as the narrator of 1965's School for Sex, whatever that is). Honda Hirotaro, who played Saito in both Gamera: Guardian of the Universe and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, appeared alongside popular singers, Tsuchiya Anna (formerly of Spin Aqua) and Fukada Kyoko in last year's Shimotsuma Monogatari, where he played a mob boss.

Finally, Hotaru Yukijiro played Inspector Osako in all three films. Originally I had mistaken him for the detective father of Ichikawa Yui's character in Ju-on: The Grudge but he's not. Instead he's been in both Zeiram films, as well as Boogiepop wa Warawanai: Boogiepop and Others (with Miwa Asumi and Takano Hassei, see yesterday's post), Stacy (with Hinako Saeki and Kato Natsuki, again see yesterday's post), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, once more with Hinako Saeki and Cross Fire, which featured a cameo from Fujitani Ayako, who played a waitresses in one scene and Honda Hirotaro, who played Kogure.

Kaneko Shusuke, the director of the modern Gamera trilogy began his career as a staff writer for seminal anime Urusei Yatsura and also wrote Cross Fire. His directing credentials also include a segment of the Lovecraft inspired American anthology film, Necronomicon as well as Cross Fire, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and the forthcoming Azumi 2: Death or Love. The writer, Ito Kazunoir, also started his career as a writer for Urusei Yatsura and, as everyone knows, was the writer for Ghost in the Shell. Ito also worked on the Dirty Pair anime, both Patlabor features and Avalon. He collaborated again with Kaneko on the Necronomicon film. It's important to note, however unrelated to Gamera it may be, that both Shusuke and Ito also would have know the director of Urusei Yatsura, the awkward Oshii Mamoru, who worked with Ito on many projects, including both Patlabors, Ghost in the Shell and Avalon.

7/26/2005 - The A-Z of Uzumaki

Half of the cast of 1999's Uzumaki appear to have been in at least one Ju-on film. Denden appeared in both Ju-on: The Curse and its sequel whilst also featuring in Toei's 2001 Red Shadow: Akakage remake and Godzilla 2000 (appearing in both these films alongside Denden is Matsushige Yutaka, who also puts in appearances as Yoshino in both The Ring and its first sequel, Iida Joji's understated Rasen). Suwa Taro also appeared in both Ju-on: The Curse films and in Tomie: Re-birth alongside Kikawada Masaya (Battle Royale II, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and soon to be seen playing Ichigo in the forthcoming Kamen Rider: The First film). Suwa also featured in the two Nakata films, Ring 2 and Sleeping Bride but is probably better known in tokusatsu circles for his roles in Gaoranger and Abaranger.

Miwa Asumi appeared in the first Curse film and also voiced a character in Boogiepop wa Warawanai: Boogiepop and Others which also starred Takano Hassei (Raia in Kamen Rider Ryuki) who featured in Kairo (alongside Aso Kumiko of Red Shadow: Akakage) and, again, Uzumaki (although for Boogiepop Phantom trivia, the 2000 series also features the voice talents of Tochihara Rakuto who plays Asumu in Kamen Rider Hibiki).

Relating further to the Ring franchise, the role of Chie in Uzumaki was played by Korean actress, Eun-Kyung Shin, who appeared in the Korean remake Ring (or Ring: Virus to the rest of the world). Hinako Saeki, who played Sekino Kyoko in Uzumaki, featured not only as Sadeko in Rasen (with Matsushige Yutaka) but also in the TV series Eko Eko Azarek and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (which also featured cameos from the Maeda sisters, Ai and Aki of Battle Royale and Battle Royale II fame) and Stacy (with Kato Natsuki, who played Femme in Kamen Rider Ryuki and also featured in Battle Royale II.

Also amongst the cast was Osugui Ren, who has been in films with everyone. In fact most of the cast seem to have appeared in Love Letter together, Osugui included. It's also worth mentioning that Osugui was in Space Travellers with Ando Masanobu (again, Red Shadow: Akakage), Kaneshiro Takeshi (The Returner (with Murata Mitsuru from Battle Royale II and Kamen Rider Hibiki) and House of Flying Daggers/LOVERS amongst others) and Takada Seiko who played Oboro in Hurricanger. Incidentally another co-star of Hurricanger, Miwa Hitomi (who played Gozen-sama) was also in Ju-on: The Curse and is also the sister of Miwa Asumi (they were joined in The Curse by Kuriyami Chiaki, who played the lead role, and also stars in Battle Royale and probably deserves a whole entry to herself).

One of the popular questions on the old sentai LJ was "What happens to sentai actors when their respective shows finish?" This is just one such example of how very much interrelated tokusatsu is with the wider Japanese entertainment industry.

Of Uzumaki, Ukrainian born director, Higuchinsky says "If you want a story, read a book." This equates for the terrible acting on behalf of the film's two actual stars (who shall remain nameless for now until they turn up in something more worthy of mention). Wonderful visuals, shame about the lack of substance. Remind me to one day read the manga.

7/24/2005 - Shin Kamen Rider

Shin Kamen Rider is one of the most unusual versions of the Rider franchise I've had the good fortune to see. That's not to say it's bad but for all those who have a problem with the structure and presentation of Hibiki as a hero series they should perhaps pay attention to 1992's 90 minute straight-to-video reinvention of the franchise along with Ishinomori's cameo appearance in it. If anything Shin-chan proves that the Rider franchise can be about more than cyborgs and vengeance, at least in the eyes of its now-departed creator. Personally, I'm of a differing opinion, one that would probably bundle the first two or three shows together (Kamen Rider to Kamen Rider V3 or Kamen Rider to Kamen Rider X) as being the sole canon of true Rider-hood but that's certainly far from being a popular idea. If you regard the franchise at face-value then there is a clear line of deviance from Amazon to Shin to Hibiki. There's an accepted myth that states that Ishinomori apparently showed his son several designs for the original Rider character and, of all of them, the boy chose the grasshopper design which Ishinomori duly submitted to Toei. The assumption is that the other designs later found their place in the Skull Man manga and, if Tristian Day's review of Shin at Japan Hero is to be believed, the concept for Shin-chan. As to the authenticity of this, I can't claim to know either way. I'd certainly like to find some truth in it, however.

Within the style of Shin there are several things that instantly bring to mind the preceding two shows, Black and Black RX, not least of all the actual style of Shin-chan's costume, which is remarkably similar in design to that of Black's nemesis, Shadowmoon, at least in his most horrific mutant form episode #2 of that series. However the most striking aspect of Shin is the manner in which it is presented. From the opening escapades of a mutant bug creature tearing through civilians and police alike, Shin Kamen Rider soon establishes itself as having more in common with the new wave of straight-to-video, late 80s/early 90s Western B-Movies like X-tro than any previous Kamen Rider show. This is where the majority of the film's charms lay and if you're not a dedicated fan of that genre's head-severing merits than Shin may very well leave you cold. The score for the film also deserves a mention as well, having been composed by Uzaki Ryudo and Wada Kaoru it is one of the greatest examples of B-movie angst/action that I've heard in a long time.

Like Hibiki, Shin-chan is a Rider in name alone. That doesn't mean it's any less deserving of your time though. Shin Kamen Rider demands to be seen, even if all it can offer you is a more complete view of the franchise.

7/22/2005 - iToku

http://www.livejournal.com/users/automated_icons/

Consider this my attempt at promotion: automated_alice recently uploaded some tokusatsu themed iPod icons for livejournal. I'm not completely sure of just how much interest this will be to those gathered here but I thought it worthy of note hence my post. She wishes to inform you that she has only just started the journal so there isn't much more to see than the four icons on display but it doesn't matter, IMHO, as she's far too modest and doesn't need such disclaimers anyway.

7/17/2005 - Love Me Chain

sentai_ai

Title: Love Me Chain
Genre: Shoujo ai, angst, bizarre love triangle, alternate/expanded scene for Act 12
Series: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Pairing: Aino Minako (Sailor Venus) x Tsukino Usagi (Sailor Moon)
Rating: U
Disclaimer: Takeuchi Naoko and Toei own the rights to all PGSM characters
banner courtesy of automated_icons

( Love Me Chain )

7/16/2005 - Old Shows, New Adventures (as in 'Dog, New Trick')

This is what it comes down to: there is a wide proliferation of original character sentai and Rider fiction to be found in the English language online. There's also a fair amount of fiction that take the name and concept of a series and throw in new characters to the already established roles. Almost every English language tokusatsu forum I've encountered has a sub-section devoted to these kind of stories. That's not what I'm looking for.

There are very few stories devoted to expanding or detailing the depths of established Toei sentai shows. What I would be interested in establishing takes the shape of two specific things: the first aspect is a simple, no frills archive for these stories, slash or no. Want to write a character piece where AbaRed broods over the image of being struck by the image of HurricaneRed in Dekaranger vs. Abaranger? Or do you want to write a piece about what would really happen if the Ozu siblings were to encounter the Hakase family? This would be the place for that to happen. Any well-written sentai and Rider stories would be welcome and preserved in one place in order to garner the attention of a wider audience rather than appearing solely on one lone's author's backwater website.

The second part is my dream project. The construction of a shared universe that unites several different series as part of a single fibre and expands these stories beyond the 51 episodes of their series and towards their logical uncanonical futures. I want this. More than I have proper words for, I want to see this occur and be successful. Even if I am to be a single writer with only myself as the audience I will keep on noting down ideas for this and drafting what I think of as plausible storylines for an expanded universe. If recent sentai shows hadn't been so poor in quality perhaps I wouldn't have to fill the gap. As it is though I feel this is the only thing I can do to express how much certain characters mean to me.

But such things take time and I recognise that first like minds are required and secondly an archive needs to be made to house the stories that do not relate to the expanded continuity of a shared universe. In many ways sentai_ai has been a blueprint for this idea. Having spent a year, along with the mighty automated_alice writing relationship fic (hint: if you can't see more than her stories listed on the site it's because I'm shy and need to hide my fic behind friends only posts. Join the group and you're welcome to witness the depths of my lack of credibility with the full listing of eleven stories at your own leisure) I feel this is the honest next step in developing sentai fiction.

To do that I need your help. Please, if you have anything to say I'm willing to listen. Suggestion, critisicm, fic recommendation, volunteers , anything. I'm all ears.

7/13/2005 - "...So I must seduce one of them to a private place."

7/11/2005 - Vous Arrivez un peu en Retard

If anyone ever tries to persuade you to watch Goggle V, don't. More over, if anyone ever tries to persuade you to watch Goggle V dubbed into either Portuguese or Italian, then seriously don't. Whatever you might wish to believe about 'the rich history of the super sentai franchise' the opening episode of 1982's Dai Sentai Goggle V is still awful. I'd like to say that it was the dub that put me off (I also had problems enjoying the opening episode of Kamen Rider Black RX when we watched it a while back, a chance find on a nameless P2P programme that had been ripped from a video recorded from Brazilian television and dubbed by painfully unsuitable voice actors) but it was more than that. I can live with poor quality files, I can even live with badly dubbed footage (you learn to expect these things growing up in the shadow of Manga Entertainment and their shoddy releases of anime titles such as Fist of the North Star and the awe-inspiring DevilMan OVAs) but dear God, there has to be a reason for enduring such sufferings. Goggle V episode #1 simply does not provide that. In fact the most interesting aspects of the episode were the central bad guy (Fuehrer Taboo, according to Joe Rovang's ever useful Sentai Sanctorum and the fact that Aoyama Saburou (GoggleBlue) bears a striking resemblance to Hurricanger's Bita Kouta.

The disparate chopping and looping of music adds nothing to the atmosphere of the episode. In fact, when coupled with the dubbed voices, it serves as a nightmarish combination rendering the story almost unwatchable. I always tend to add these disclaimers about my feelings whenever I write an entry about disliking any certain show which makes me come across as some sort of apologist for the tokusatsu genre in general. Not anymore. Not after the travesty of Nasu Hiroyuki's DevilMan film (which, like Casshern is an entry by itself).

Also viewed recently was the Kousoku Sentai Turboranger movie which was, ah, a mixed bag to say the least. The premise of the villains, in particular the infanticidal movie villain were really interesting, as was the diminutive faerie character, Seelon but sadly the actual design of the senshi really brought the series down. The mecha sported strong Transformer and Voltron motifs in the way they were designed and the central characters were fairly engaging yet despite all this there was something missing. Perhaps it's simply that the designs and style of Turboranger's predecessor, the awesome Choju Sentai Liveman, were so good that the details of the following show were bound to be lacking in some manner or another. Despite my reservations about the actual senshi costumes, bikes and buggies, I wouldn't completely rule out Turboranger, not just yet anyhow. Warts and all, I'd be curious to see more, if only the opening episodes. Another merit of the movie was the quality of [hnd-fr]'s encoding and subtitling, which sadly doesn't stop me from laughing when normal, every day French words that have adopted a different meaning in English crop up.

I'm going to tokusatsu hell and I'm taking you all with me.

So, in brief: Goggle V = no, Turboranger = maybe. Decisive, eh?

7/8/2005 - 繧ｦ繝ｫ繝医Λ繝槭Φ繝槭ャ繧ｯ繧ｹ

Ultraman Max debuted last week on CBC. The show is the second of the newer Ultra-shows I've seen and well, I can't say I was terribly impressed. Not that it was necessarily bad, simply that it was overwhelmingly familiar. Sometimes this can be a really good thing but in the case of Max I felt a bit, well, indifferent, to be honest. Perhaps it's simply because if I'd wanted to watch a classic Ultraman series then I would have gone back and watched a classic Ultraman series. Based on the first episode alone (yeah, yeah, I know how there are a million unspoken rules about speaking out about a programme based on a single episode), if you strip away the nostalgia and references from Max then the whole package is revealed as being overwhelmingly shallow and devoid of content. You may think that sounds like a harsh thing to say and I think I'd probably agree with you in that and yet the past three years of lacklustre, poorly written and badly acted sentai shows have really tried my patience when it comes to tokusatsu openers. Again, I'm sure there's a very specific unspoken rule about drawing too much of a comparison between Toei's Super Sentai and Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra franchises but tokusatsu has hurt me recently (more on this later). No more kid gloves.

One of the chief points of interest, and one of the reasons that caused me to have more than a passing interest in Max was the presence of Folder5's Mitsushima Hikari as Team DASH窶冱 resident android, Eri. I'm not a particularly huge fan of Folder5 (although I have to admit to having a soft-spot for some of Miyazato Akina's solo songs) but I feel that it's part of the duty of this journal to record the post and prior appearences of the various singers, actors and actresses who have appeared in tokusatsu to the best of my abilities so as to provide some kind of record of their passing. In the case of many of the female actresses this means trying to find substance and background beyond the endless aidoru discs and photo albums released to try and keep their careers afloat. Again, please note the bitterness.

Another striking thing about Max's debut, for me at least, was just how much it felt like a Toho film. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. There's always going to be some degree of familiarity between Tsuburaya and Toho works but it's kind of dissapointing when there are enough Godzilla films on my shelf to fill my interest in such matters if that's what I was looking again. Again, we're back to the 'if I wanted to watch 'show/film x' then I'd watch 'show/film x'' realisation. And a saddening realisation it is. I'm certainly not trying to pan Max before it's out of the stable, already it has shown infinitely more of an interesting premise (regardless of how many times I've seen said premise before) than a show like Magiranger but there's got to be more than this. I'm looking forwards to seeing how Miike Takashi handles his scheduled guest episode (especially seeing as how everyone in Max seems so nice and happy) but I'm more than inclined to think that the episode (or however many it is) will be a way for him to show that he can still retain his individual approach and not break all the toys in the playground (re: Quentin Tarantino's E.R. episode several years back). But despite these good points I can't see me trying to keep up with the series on a weekly basis, not with something significantly more than what's on show in the first episode The final result? Resounding indifference, sadly. Hopefully things will change for Ultraman Max but until then, here窶冱 a shot of an almost familiar pose from Halcali窶冱 Ongaku no Susume.

7/8/2005 - Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

7/3/2005 - Kitchen & Hardware Needs

No flashy html or shining pretty graphics, however ::spaceterrapin powered!:: has moved. I spent a couple of hours uploading the old, dated posts to their new home so all of you reading the blog (all two of you! *waves*) will have noticed the sudden splurge of old posts cascading over your friends list. Sorry about that. This time though all the code and pictures are intact as there are more options available with the new server so that's at least something to smile about, yeah? I must admit that I will be sad to leave the oddsentai behind. I'm not sure that I ever completely fitted into the shape of the community but I really enjoyed posting there and met some genuinely nice people. Yet as that site begins its announced winding down and the posters migrate to a specific, primarily Power Rangers site I felt, in a move of stunning emotional attachment, that I had to do something to preserve dear old ::spaceterrapin powered!::, thus the new feed and the new url from an old site. None of this helps change the fact that I'm still feeling somewhat lost within the tokusatsu community. I don't know if I can continue to support toei's super sentai franchise, especially not if next year's iteration of the franchise is as dire as the previous three years. It kind of makes me sad to think that there may be a time when I really have to admit that there are seldom few tokusatsu series that I actually enjoy. This revelation, on top of an absence of so many former friends within the fandom and seeing such hardcore former sentai LJ community posters as Kuina-chan selling off their stuff to finance new interests has left a somewhat bittersweet taste in my mouth. It's odd that, at a time when Hong Kong cinema has found such a strong foothold in the western market, Japanese tokusatsu, despite the best efforts of films such as Casshern has failed time and time again. Ah, but I have a whole different rant about the shortcomings of Casshern that is perhaps saved for a later day.

Still, there is yet a wealth of past programmes to turn to and that at least offers some hope. Whilst there are still new episodes of Choju Sentai Liveman and KyuuKyuu Sentai GoGo V to uncover there's still interest for me in the genre. Even the opening episode of Chorike Sentai Ohranger provided some interest (again, more on this later). There's still life in the old dog yet, apparently. So as long as we have that then you have a reason to visit ::spaceterrapin powered!::. For all your kitchen and hardware needs: ::spaceterrapin powered!::!

God, I really am bad at this promotion lark. Sorry.

6/23/2005 - Tomokazu Seki

6/21/2005 - Gaoranger to Hibiki

Gaoranger doujinshi arrived today! Yay! It almost hurts to see how well put together the comics are. The content is fantastic and primarily GaoYellow oriented (yay!) ~ there are also a few really fantastic full page illustrations featuring Gaku vs. Rouki and an awesome picture of both Yellow and Red Falcon from Liveman circa Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai. What I would give for art skills! *weeps*

Seeing how well these two books are done makes me consider tracking down Hurricanger and Hibiki volumes, speaking of which: the Hibiki soundtrack arrived yesterday (like Christmas come early). The disc in itself is amazing, styled after the Blue Wolf Disk Animal. The actual music is completely different from previous OSTs due to the unique way in which it is arranged and played, the most striking feature being the excessive use of the xylophone. The way the variant versions of the title theme, Kagayaki are splintered throughout the soundtrack is another interesting choice on behalf of Toei and avex rather than using the complete, digest version of the theme released as a single earlier in the year (which is probably destined to turn up on the second OST along with the forthcoming Rin' and m.c.A.T movie theme and Todoriki's super guitar playing skills). I do really wonder if this series will turn up character singles ~ as mentioned to automated_alice earlier I'm kind of scared of the idea of Hibiki and Zanki singing a duet together.

Whatever happens I'm really looking forwards to the next volume. Now I just need more doujinshi to tide me over. ^_^