This has to be my favourite issue thus far.

Firstly I should start by mentioning one of the small, little things about this series that I haven't made comment on but really feel adds to the atmosphere: all of the henshin phrases used by the Robo-team correspond to the colours of those who speak them.

 

This might just seem like a silly little thing to you but to me, it's one of the ways in which the series excels at remaining true to its genre whilst still, as this issue and the developments on Science Island show, pushing at the boundaries and adding something of the author's own personal tastes.

 

It's little things like this that really contribute to this series being in my top ten of online serials, issue after issue.

 

As mentioned above, this issue begins to show a bit more of Mister Watts' scope and influences outside of the genre, especially in the elaborate Science Island subplot and the way traditional genre events are reinterpreted. The most significant of these moments, in my mind, is Curtis' regret and the powers of Kiko's Lightning Jet.I'm sure this issue also contains grounds for Miko/pixie subtext but, being amongst polite society, I'm going to refrain from talking too much about it.

 

The issue ends with a cameo from Mister Watts' Timeranger-related OC, Trick. Considering that the young man in question has a habit of wearing black and was in the company of an unnamed colleague specifically stated as wearing green, I'm guessing we're going to be seeing a lot more of these two individuals in future issues. (^_^)

 

So, to sum up ~ another sterling effort from Mister Watts. I'm really looking forwards to seeing the first proper robot sequence.

http://www.night-jaeger.net/fiction/roboman/roboman-05.htm

Mister Watts, in correspondence, admitted displeasure with the finished result of this issue. I'm going to suggest that this might be a case of not seeing the forest for the trees as issue #5 certainly holds its own against earlier instalments.

 

I will say that it's something of a shame that some of the wit exhibited by Curtis/Shellshock in the previous issue isn't played on during his fight with the Robo team but that's just my weird preference, I fear.

 

Despite himself, Sei is very much the star of this issue, regardless of the brevity of his appearances thus far. One of the things that I'm found of in sentai as a genre, is the conviction of the characters - even when doing something that may not exactly win over the audience - Sei acts as a really good example of this principle.

 

He spends what few scenes he appears in acting like arsehole but he pulls through in the end, not in contradiction to his conviction but because of it.

 

There's not more than I can say about this other than, despite Mister Watts' fears, this is another solid issue.

 

Thumbs up!

 

I don't think I've stated enough just how visual the scene setting in Roboman really is and that's something that deserves comment. The prose style Mister Watts has adopted for the series really does the genre credit. I'm specifically talking about this because, amongst comic fanfic circles, the visual gimmick often degenerates into almost script-like lines of description -

 

 

- Roboman rises above that and manages to keep the prose descriptive without over-embellishment, making it a true example, perversely enough, of how a lot of comic fanfic should be done.

 

Whilst at times, I must confess to wanting to know more about a scene, Mister Watts manages to give just enough to set up the situation and then uses the colourful cast to fill in the remaining details. Honestly, I urge you to read this series if you're in any doubt as to how to translate a primarily visual genre into a prose one whilst still keeping the original flavour.

 

It should also be noted that there's not much Kiko in this issue which means, despite the lack of any thus far and the sensible nature of Mister Watts' style, there isn't really even any grounds for fanservice. What there is however, is another strong storyline for Ian.

Sei is kind of negligible at present due to how restrained both his character and story set-up are but Ian's traditional Red appetite and his need to 'right wrongs' are classic. The subplot involving the kidnapping of his father adds a note of poignancy to his character without overstepping the boundaries and descending into the man-angst of early 00s era Kamen Rider.

 

Mister Watts should also be rewarded on just how regularly these issues are appearing...although one fears for his spare-time.

 

Beyond that, there's little more I can say...aside from the fact that I'm looking forwards to the next episode.

 

Secondly, I almost considered resurrection my old SOPHISM column for this, at least for the title of these reviews, anyhow.

 

Roboman #3 clarifies a lot of the disjointedness I felt in issue #2 and, as I seem to have only recently remarked about the third episode of Go-onger, this is the story where the team start acting like a team ~ which is an indication of just how well Mister Watts knows the genre.

 

The pixies are revealed as part of an overall plot of a very different villain and not the cannon-fodder/'putties' I had initially mistaken them for, and the issue is a lot clearer on just what is at stake.

 

Current villain Jinsei seems a lot like a traditional Rider kaijin and there's a striking similarity between his description and the initial way in which Sei is described.

 

Doctor Nagura remains my favourite character, however, and plot points in this issue make me wonder if we're going to see a Jetman style villain-or-not theme emerge in the ranks of Roboman's adversaries.

 

I'm really pleased to see that this series is generating good responses as, in many ways, it feels like a justification for the fact that since 2002/2003, I've been convinced that such a series could thrive in the 'fanfic' serial format in more traditional circles. For that alone, Roboman is worth the price of admission.

 

The first issue of Roboman by Adrian Watts (he of the authentic Australian knowledge) sets the tone for a series halfway between the traditions of Toei's Super Sentai franchise and the established style of shared universe fanfic groups.

 

The characters are all likeable and true to their archetypes. If I had to criticise anything in the portrayal, it would be that Nagura Ian/RoboRed is a little *too* true to form ~ but I'm biased in my opinions on this matter.

 

 

 

All in all, this is a solid first issue that stays true to the genre whilst hinting at some of Mister Watts' other influences.