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StarTopic Tokusatsu |ST| Forum Squadron FamiRanger, Combine!


Reader mode
Started Go-Busters and this first episode is pretty wild. Love the sci-fi theme and more serious tone. Definitely looking forward to more.

Also I was really thrown off by the henshin jingle being IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME
 
Amazon (and Toei) "Don't fuck up an international Kamen Rider release"-challenge [Impossible]:

  • KR Amazons: Not available internationally until wayyy later and only the first season
  • Black Sun: Not accesible through search because they didn't have non-japanese descriptions and titles until like a week after release, people were sharing direct links they got from Amazon Support.
  • Shin Kamen Rider: Listed as "Shin Masked Rider" and won't show up in search for Kamen Rider.

Meanwhile Tsuburaya and Ultraman:
  • Here's the latest Ultraman with legal subs, enjoy! Of course, it's free on Youtube :)
  • We apologize that the first episode of Blazar dub wasn't available at launch day on Youtube, it's fixed now!
 
oomoepoo said:
Amazon (and Toei) "Don't fuck up an international Kamen Rider release"-challenge [Impossible]:

  • KR Amazons: Not available internationally until wayyy later and only the first season
  • Black Sun: Not accesible through search because they didn't have non-japanese descriptions and titles until like a week after release, people were sharing direct links they got from Amazon Support.
  • Shin Kamen Rider: Listed as "Shin Masked Rider" and won't show up in search for Kamen Rider.

Meanwhile Tsuburaya and Ultraman:
  • Here's the latest Ultraman with legal subs, enjoy! Of course, it's free on Youtube :)
  • We apologize that the first episode of Blazar dub wasn't available at launch day on Youtube, it's fixed now!
Click to expand...

Tbf that shin ultraman bluray really really really makes me appreciate the slow but steady sentai dvds/KR BR approached

How tf did those subs ends up with html tags in them

Speaking of hurry up and announce Turbo Rangers shout! They released the peak of the newer post 2000’s sentai so it’s all the retro stuff i’m in for now
 
Krvavi Abadas said:
this part in particular is really unusual, as i remember hearing Toei outright stopped using that name in thanks to the poorly received western localization of Black RX which used it.
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I really don't know whose bright idea it was. I just noticed because I couldn't find the movie on Prime... then googled and found an article mentioning the actual used title. Like... why associate with that abyssmal attempt at a localisation of a completely different show?

SeafoamGaming said:
Tbf that shin ultraman bluray really really really makes me appreciate the slow but steady sentai dvds/KR BR approached
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Those box sets are neat... if you're in the US 🥲
Would love to see proper international releases.
 
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Ultraman Blazar 1

Right off the bat this is structured pretty differently as a first episode compared to the other New Gen Ultras, throwing us right into the middle of the action as it focuses on introducing the titular Ultra first and foremost. And while I almost wish we got the second episode paired with this to properly introduce us to the rest of the cast beyond Gento, I still like how they approached this as almost like a “cold opening” to the series as a whole. The more grounded atmosphere presented here has got my Nexus-loving self giddy, even if it’s still doing things pretty differently from that series.

Blazar himself is wild in all the right ways, leaping off buildings, shoving his fist into kaiju’s mouths, and getting in shouting matches with kaiju to drive them away from people. And how about that first shot after his transformation? Already memorable as hell.

Bazanga was also fun and makes me all the more excited for all the new kaiju we’re getting here. Really liked its fireworks projectiles.

Ultraman Blazar 2

Fantastic follow-up to the first episode in how it decides to go with a different kind of atmosphere this time around. We get to see how our team come together and how they play off each other, and it leads to a lot of funny moments; Gento and Emi in particular make for a stand-out duo.

That finishing move was also hilariously unexpected, haha.

Ultraman Blazar 3

Earth Garon finally makes its debut, and actually put up a pretty good fight against Taganular; was certainly a lot nimbler than you’d expect a giant mecha dinosaur to be! Makes me want that DX figure all the more…

I always love me a good insect kaiju, so Taganular has been my favourite of these first three episodes. Loved Blazar struggling to touch it without burning his hands, haha.


In short: if you've got an interest in Tokusatsu, you should give Ultraman Blazar a shot!
 
Ultraman Blazar 3
You know having an adult somewhat together team is a really nice pace changer. Especially with our lead being the somewhat seasoned together guy instead of the reckless rookie. Although it’s pretty obvious at some point he’s going to let his personal team in on the secret. Especially since he can’t keep disappearing when piloting Earth Garon . Which is rad and had a great first showing… tho it made me think more of Moguera in action than a mechagodzilla. I hope they give us a kit. Also with most the enemies being terrestrial or from legend, it’s going to be pretty hype when something extraterrestrial with intelligence shows up(honestly especially if it’s a classic one, this feels like the show where they can use that effectively). Tho considering how Blazar hasn’t been communicating with Genzo yet, I look forward to the team being trolled by a human sized intelligent monster shows up(as teased by the OP). Those can be the most fun, especially when we have a seemingly competent human team. Especially if it’s speech capable and tries to play on Gento’s lack of communication with Blazar. (Tho it can do that without being actually hostile. That would be the ultimate twist).
 
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I was mixed on Ultraman Blazar's first episode but it's really picked up after that, love that it's in line with Shin's style focusing on logistics and bureaucracy.

Speaking of, here's proof that you should watch Shin Kamen Rider:

 
I just finished watching Shin Kamen Rider with a few friends and I loved it so much. Anno basically created his AU-version of 70s Rider with a bit of updated tech and I'm all here for it. No cynism, no big deconstructive shenanigans, just Karate Bugmen fighting the good fight vs Scientology :D

My only gripes with it are the first half's pacing feeling a bit odd and NO TOEI QUARRY 😭
 
Shin Masked Rider(movie)
Really fun watch overall, cool reimagining of the original show, far more bloody than I anticipated. Did a great job making both halves of the original shows bio-mutant cyborgs concept mesh instead of just having the Riders be drastically different appearance wise which was a great choice. First one of these Anno shin movies I’ve watched and it was a good time. Kind of curious how they’d choose to continue this universe. The Hongo Hayato chemistry was great and I loved how much more they fleshed out Ruriko.

Whistles

KR Fourze 3
Chameleon hunting a queen bee. Fun build up for a 2 parter, pretty obvious things will be a slow burn as Gentaro builds his crew
 
Ultraman Blazar 4

Really great Emi-focused episode with a really creepy kaiju. Gento trying to hide the Blazar Brace made me laugh, as did Blazar being so grossed out when Leviera tried to eat his face. And Earth Garon was so happy to have helped Blazar out!
 
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Kamen Rider Fourze 5-6
JK is the greatest villain to appear in this show yet. They may be reigning him in but I don’t trust him at all. Also Elec form is rad and makes sense
 
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I’m gonna be so sad when Geats is over. this has been the first Rider series I’ve watched as it aired and it is definitely one of my favorites of the handful I’ve seen, even if it’s run out of steam a bit. these shows really are structured so strangely to accommodate the toy sales and constant back-to-back series lol. perhaps they should be ~2/3 as long with a couple months' break in between...

i'm looking forward to Gotchard because alchemy is cool I guess but I think I might watch 555 or Zero-One next and then catch up on it
 
slide's said:
I’m gonna be so sad when Geats is over. this has been the first Rider series I’ve watched as it aired and it is definitely one of my favorites of the handful I’ve seen, even if it’s run out of steam a bit. these shows really are structured so strangely to accommodate the toy sales and constant back-to-back series lol. perhaps they should be ~2/3 as long with a couple months' break in between...

i'm looking forward to Gotchard because alchemy is cool I guess but I think I might watch 555 or Zero-One next and then catch up on it
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Pretty much every one of these year-round shows really struggle to fill out a whole season's worth of plot - you can see this in other similar merch-driven series like Gundam, Digimon, etc. (I say this as a huge fan of these kind of series.) It doesn't help that some of these shows are written mostly if not entirely by one person. It's just the nature of the industry while also juggling the expectations of advertising merchandise for parent companies.

I have enjoyed Geats but I feel it's been one of the biggest victims of stretching a plot out for a 50 episode run that I can think of. I was considering taking a break from weekly Rider (I watched all of Revice weekly as well) but I can't deny I am intrigued by Gotchard. I'll probably end up tuning in because I can't help myself.

Which Rider shows have you watched?
 
Mekanos said:
Pretty much every one of these year-round shows really struggle to fill out a whole season's worth of plot - you can see this in other similar merch-driven series like Gundam, Digimon, etc. (I say this as a huge fan of these kind of series.) It doesn't help that some of these shows are written mostly if not entirely by one person. It's just the nature of the industry while also juggling the expectations of advertising merchandise for parent companies.

I have enjoyed Geats but I feel it's been one of the biggest victims of stretching a plot out for a 50 episode run that I can think of. I was considering taking a break from weekly Rider (I watched all of Revice weekly as well) but I can't deny I am intrigued by Gotchard. I'll probably end up tuning in because I can't help myself.

Which Rider shows have you watched?
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the single-writer thing is really interesting to me. in general, I'm fascinated by how these shows are constructed, like they're pretty well-produced for an effects-heavy series that is airing 20ish minutes of content per week plus multiple movies per year etc., but there's also a pretty clear and constant feeling of being budget-restrained despite how much money they must rake in lol

i've seen all of Kuuga (still my favorite), Den-O, Build, and Black Sun, and varying amounts of the original series, Black, and Ryuki
 
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Kamen Rider Fourze 5-6
JK is the greatest villain to appear in this show yet. They may be reigning him in but I don't trust him at all. Also Elec form is rad and makes sense
Kamen Rider Fourze 7
Talk about cruel teaching methods. Egotist football player causing issues(and it seems his father is the big bad? ). Definitely enjoying this
Ultraman Blazar 5
We took this here ancient earth Kaiju and outfitted them with these 2 railguns on top of the energy beam it already had, you betcha. Was great to get an Anri focused episode, like that we've been giving the team time to shine. Also anyone else thinking the security cam footage alien in the op looks vaguely baltan ish? An obvious amp up for this show is if we have a group of intelligent aliens show up.
Recap next week, but it being from a civilian perspective should be fun. Wonder when Gento's family will show up. Definitely nice having a show where the host isn't suffering anxiety over hiding his powers/is high enough up to cover it up. Tho I'm sure the team will figure it out at some point
 
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Finished Go-Busters. Overall... kind of a mixed bag for me. Dug the sci-fi stuff, the mechs, and the ending arc was really good. But the story was definitely stretched too thin and I felt the characters weren't as interesting as they could have been. Especially Enter, who spent so much of the show talking to Messiah on his computer screen, it got old fast.

Usually dig Kobayashi's toku stuff but wasn't as into this one unfortunately.
 
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Ultraman Blazar 6
Yazunobu's focus episode and a great one at that! Our first alien and it's a human sized schemer! Herbie was awesome and I question its death for sure. Also a question if that was a race name or title as I'm sure we'll see more down the road considering it's a race of refugees from a war torn world. Maybe this series' Baltans? Plus projections and teleportation makes escape easy. Could definitely see a friendly one pop up later overall a great episode with a fun plot and an excellent execution! Love when we get trolling aliens
 
Got both Kamen rider black blurays last week. Enjoying the first season so far! Kinda surprised shout hasnt announced a release in a while but if Kamen Rider ends up primarily with Discotek, I’d not complain.

Also the Sentai movies. Someone has to license them! I wanna see the ohranger movie in particular lol
 
SeafoamGaming said:
Got both Kamen rider black blurays last week. Enjoying the first season so far! Kinda surprised shout hasnt announced a release in a while but if Kamen Rider ends up primarily with Discotek, I’d not complain.

Also the Sentai movies. Someone has to license them! I wanna see the ohranger movie in particular lol
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I would jump at any opportunity to own the Carranger vs Ohranger movie on Blu-Ray. It’s probably my number one favourite piece of Sentai media.
 
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Been watching Magiranger and it's really good, the family dynamic is fresh and fun

Enjoying this a lot more than Go-Busters for sure
 
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I gotta be honest TokuFami: I have been out of toku for a bit. Just haven’t watched anything. I think I’m gonna try to watch through something soon though. I’m thinking I‘m gonna give Gingaman a shot. It’s one of the very few 90’s shows I haven’t watched yet, and I’ll say 90’s Sentai tends to hit for me a lot more than it misses.
 
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And that's a wrap on Geats.

Overall I think it was solid, but never really exceptional. I liked the more grounded tone, Ace was a fun protag and the action was fantastic, but the story's start-and-stop and sprawling cast really made it hard to get invested in it. Probably the best Reiwa Rider by default, still. We'll see how Gotchard turns out.
 
I can't believe that after Zenkaiger and DonBrothers, King-Ohger is shaping up to be another favourite of mine. Three fantastic shows in a row is a new for me when it comes to Sentai :D

Even though the overuse of Greenscreen landscapes really hurts it at times, I just love the unashamed campiness and anime-ness of it. The cast is super fun and the suits and zords are super cool. Just hope it doesn't run out of steam in its second half.
 
oomoepoo said:
I can't believe that after Zenkaiger and DonBrothers, King-Ohger is shaping up to be another favourite of mine. Three fantastic shows in a row is a new for me when it comes to Sentai :D

Even though the overuse of Greenscreen landscapes really hurts it at times, I just love the unashamed campiness and anime-ness of it. The cast is super fun and the suits and zords are super cool. Just hope it doesn't run out of steam in its second half.
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Yeah Sentai has been on a roll for Reiwa, starting with Kiramager. DonBros hit my top 5 and depending on how King goes it could easily get there as well.

In a way I feel like Sentai is thriving creatively when Rider feels mostly stagnant the last few years, when Rider toy sales are as consistent as they are though there’s little incentive to change. And I say this as someone who usually prefers Rider to Sentai.

I will say watching Magiranger has me convinced the 2000s is Sentai’s strongest era. Timeranger, Dekaranger, Magiranger, Gekiranger, Shinkenger… all classics.
 
I've been doing a Kamen Rider weekly group watch with friends for a long while, not a big Toku head but I've really enjoyed the series. I joined when they were 5 episodes into Zero One, since then we've finished Kuuga, watched Shin, and gotten to Ex-Aid's last 10 episodes. The 2000s feeling of the image quality and camera work combined with the darker edge def makes Kuuga #1 but Zero One is a close #2. I was honestly starting to mentally write off Ex-Aid after the first major arc (the unique dynamic of the main cast being at each other's throats was a big thing keeping my interest), but it gets substantially better the further in you go, very interested to see what the end of it will look like
 
Paxie said:
I've been doing a Kamen Rider weekly group watch with friends for a long while, not a big Toku head but I've really enjoyed the series. I joined when they were 5 episodes into Zero One, since then we've finished Kuuga, watched Shin, and gotten to Ex-Aid's last 10 episodes. The 2000s feeling of the image quality and camera work combined with the darker edge def makes Kuuga #1 but Zero One is a close #2. I was honestly starting to mentally write off Ex-Aid after the first major arc (the unique dynamic of the main cast being at each other's throats was a big thing keeping my interest), but it gets substantially better the further in you go, very interested to see what the end of it will look like
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This is the part where I politely ask you to watch Kamen Rider Build

But more importantly I am glad you are watching KR at all
 
Mekanos said:
Yeah Sentai has been on a roll for Reiwa, starting with Kiramager. DonBros hit my top 5 and depending on how King goes it could easily get there as well.

In a way I feel like Sentai is thriving creatively when Rider feels mostly stagnant the last few years, when Rider toy sales are as consistent as they are though there’s little incentive to change. And I say this as someone who usually prefers Rider to Sentai.

I will say watching Magiranger has me convinced the 2000s is Sentai’s strongest era. Timeranger, Dekaranger, Magiranger, Gekiranger, Shinkenger… all classics.
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Yeah, I usually like Rider more too but I can't deny that it has been kind of a mixed bag for me in Reiwa. Really liked Zero One but didn't vibe much with Saber or Revice, did enjoy Geats a lot though (haven't watched the finale yet). Meanwhile I enjoyed Sentai more consistently since Kiramager (although there was a drought between that and Kyuranger ending).

Mekanos said:
This is the part where I politely ask you to watch Kamen Rider Build
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Seconding this! Build is one of my all-time favourites!
 
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Paxie said:
I might bring it up when we're finished with Ex-Aid
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As someone who's been following tokusatsu for over half of my 30+ year-old life at this point: Kamen Rider Build's probably the best Rider show Toei's made in the past decade or so
 
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Less than 10 episodes left in Magiranger and this show is sooooooo good

In many ways this is the platonic ideal of Sentai, the costumes, the fights, the team and villain dynamics, the mix of recurring and episodic storylines, it's just sublime
 
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Not long before new Kamen Rider starts, really curious what Gotchard will bring to the table for this year.
 
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the first episode of Gotchard is currently legally viewable for free on Toei's youtube channel. (no region locking from what i can tell)


no official subtitles, but you can translate the auto-generated ones for a unique experience.
image.png

image.png
 
Finished Magiranger earlier. Been gushing about it earlier in this thread but safe to say I loved it! It's a must-watch for any Sentai fan. My nitpicks are pretty minor; I felt the dad breaking free of his mind control happened a bit too easily for my tastes and the show leaned a lot on "getting a power-up because of courage/magic," but god... the suits, the action, the characters and emotions, it was all really, really good. The final arc especially has one of the best Sentai arcs I've ever seen, the show overall does a really good job continuously escalating the stakes.

Definitely entering into my top 5 Sentai as of now, we'll see how KingOhger ends up but I think it will get there as well.

Outside of ongoing shows I'm gonna take another break from toku, not sure what I'll watch when I come back. Should probably watch more Ultraman or Garo for a change of pace.

Also watched the Gotchard premiere earlier (without subtitles). I thought it was pretty decent but definitely was more impressed with Geats's first episode. Will rewatch it with subs and probably keep up with it for the time being.
 
Krvavi Abadas said:
the first episode of Gotchard is currently legally viewable for free on Toei's youtube channel. (no region locking from what i can tell)


no official subtitles, but you can translate the auto-generated ones for a unique experience.
image.png

image.png
Click to expand...

Well. Seems like Toei decided that making their content available outside of japan was a mistake and region blocked the video again :LOL:

Was alright for a first episode though. Will see where it's going. Kinda feels like a wild mixture of OOO, Build and maybe Fourze?
 
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Ultraman Blazar 9
Oh man, that was the perfect use of Garamon. Just a great episode overall Using a plundering race as a returning pick is pretty solid with how few aliens we’ve gotten(this being number two). Love the irony of them plundering music resulting in them losing their will to conquer. Would love if they popped back up since hopefully they’ll be granted asylum of some sort. Nice we can establish aliens are capable of empathy too nice spotlight episode for Anri too

For anyone who hasn’t started this show yet, watch it!
 
Caught up on KingOhger and yeah this shit is peak Sentai, incredible stuff happening

Also posting this for self reference later, but also for anyone else who might be interested

capesandcoolscarves.wordpress.com

Return of “So You Want To Watch Ultraman”

Last Updated: 6/27/23 I first published my guide to the different series of Ultraman over two years ago, when Tsubaraya was just starting to experiment with online streaming to bring the franchise …
capesandcoolscarves.wordpress.com capesandcoolscarves.wordpress.com
 
Ultraman Blazar 7-8

In a series that’s already introduced some memorable kaiju, Nijikagachi especially left one hell of an impression—you will believe a rainbow can blow you the hell up. Really liked the clash of ideologies with Gento’s professor throughout these episodes, and how Teruaki got the spotlight. What Blazar did at the end there also caught me as off-guard as it did the cast, loved it.

Ultraman Blazar 9

Really touching episode with some really wacky visuals; that's Ultraman! Liked how we get some more sympathetic alien invaders this time around, and there is something a little funny about how Anri's old friends so far have turned out to be psychics or aliens. What's going on with Gento and Blazar really had me curious, leading into...

Ultraman Blazar 10

Fantastic episode, possibly my favourite of the series to date. We finally get to meet Gento's family, and learn that his drive to terminate all rampaging kaiju to protect them and the rest of humanity may not necessarily gel with what Blazar wants... The show's crew did a really good job with representing SKaRD and the rest of the GGF as the "bad guys" this time around; I never thought I'd be hoping for Earth Garon to get an ass-kicking, but here we are!

Really excited for the next episode now and what's going to happen with this rift beginning to develop between Gento and Blazar. A human host who's more gung ho about destroying kaiju than the Ultra is an idea I really dig and a pretty different angle to take from most of the recent Ultra series.
 
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Blazar’s been going all out on these new designs, can we get a dlc pack for Monster Rancher Ultra Kaiju please? Also when we eventually get a model kit for earth Garon it’ll be a must get for me. Great episode overall, really showed how space Kaiju are another level entirely. Also wonder when we’ll get a full explanation on how Blazar’s chest lamp works this time, it doesn’t seem to be either of the classic types

Kamen Rider Fourze 18
Meteor continues the whole Tsundere act XD. Tag team up was pretty rad, tho Sonoda getting sent to the shadow realm I mean the dark nebula was dark as heck. Wonder why they haven’t tried that on Kisargi yet? Ironically Fourze has probably been as much a catalyst for strengthening the bad guys as he has a thorn in their side which has been a fun twist
 
Ultraman Blazar 11

Gebalga rocks in both design and how good its fight scenes are, I think it's now my favourite of Blazar's kaiju to date. Love how shapeable that costume is, from rolling up into a ball to looking like a giant set of monster jaws rushing at Blazar.
 
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Looks like they're prepping for Gaim's 10th anniversary next month. This is still one of my all time favorite toku series and largely responsible for me getting into the genre, crazy to think it's been 10 years.
 
Mekanos said:


Looks like they're prepping for Gaim's 10th anniversary next month. This is still one of my all time favorite toku series and largely responsible for me getting into the genre, crazy to think it's been 10 years.
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Gaim remains one of the all-time greats!!

I hope they announce some S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou releases of the Gaim Riders
 
Kamen Rider Fourze 19-20
The infighting and whimsical toylike nature of the switches work for me due to the highschool setting, I know a genius guy who was a bud of mine who was always making weird stuff(we made a remote firework launcher one year that he rewired a rc car into). Meteor’s past keeps haunting him, the art of the team members was adorable, and we get that run reveal that Meteor can use normal switches(albeit sans form change). Looking forward to the truth behind Tachibana. Also his power up sequence riffing off Gavan always cracks me up. the director keeps being pure unadulterated evil here is super dark considering he’s using high schoolers as disposable assets. Tho the principle and teacher being on board makes them just as twisted. I’m expecting a forced switch usage by a KRC member at some point here
Derachi said:
Gaim remains one of the all-time greats!!

I hope they announce some S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou releases of the Gaim Riders
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There’s a rumor about a Gaim character figure rise getting announced this weekend
 
Derachi said:


It got announced! It looks really nice, but nothing beats the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line for me.
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Also teasing Kiva. I may have to grab Kuuga’s when I finally get around to watching it. That or Ryuki. Also this just possibly confirmed a major kit leak
Oh man I hope HG Layzner and Granzon are real
 
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Ultraman Blazar 12

That was FLIPPIN' AWESOME. The Tilsonite Sword is already one of my favourite finishers in the franchise, and I loved Blazar's giddiness at getting it; I was right there with him after that final attack on Gebalga! It really felt like a mid-season finale with all of the guest appearances by returning characters, and I also really liked how the inner turmoil between Gento and Blazar got resolved; that was some great character work, bringing together a lot of Gento's characterization up to now. All in all, I'm now more excited for the second half of the series than ever. Such a tremendously great show.

Also a shout-out to the dub, which is still as good as ever; JYB's performance in this episode was aces.
 
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