Team Kaiju Grab Bag Vol. 2

     The holiday season is coming to a close and New Year's Eve is right around the corner. Many things have happened that I feel the need to discuss. Much like the last Grab bag though, I have not fully dedicated time to fully articulate my thoughts, nor am I sure I will put enough energy towards some of these topics. They are Still Nonetheless fun topics that deserve at least some attention.


New Ultraman and Gamera movies

     After seeing the trailers for both of these I was as hyped as many Tokusatsu fans likely were. As the year got closer and closer to its end, I began to wonder what became of these films. I did some research and I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is; the Gamera film is still happening! The filmmakers are hard at work as the film was in very early developmental stages when that trailer was released. As of now, The film is likely to happen we just need to wait. The bad news, however, comes from Ultraman. It seems that movie is not happening as that was only a test short made for the anniversary. There is no solid evidence saying that Ultraman movie will be out at all, but Ultraman Orb is doing well and the more we support the franchise, the more likely such a thing could exist in our lifetime!

Power Rangers Movie updates

     I have been keeping intentionally silent about the last updates to come out. Anybody can read recent blog posts and see that I am hyped for the movie and most of the article would be more me expressing my hype. I am still looking forward to the upcoming Power Rangers movie. I am opening up a little more to Rita's design now that I know what is being done with her. I like the Zords, but I would like to see them in motion before I make a final judgement. All in all, I still cannot wait for this movie to come out. That Alpha 5 concept art looks....weird though....

Uchuu Sentai Kyuuranger 

     Pretty much all of us were surprised to hear that thew newest Sentai team was going to consist of nine members. There is a part of me that is skeptical, but not all the reasons are shared with many I'd wager. Without a doubt, Writing for all 9 characters is going to be a challenge. I spoke of this in my last post, but they may have to focus on full serialized writing to keep the story in motion and all the characters active and in focus. I do genuinely like the costumes and concept, unfortunately that puts me in a weird position. I have loved costumes, but found the series weak. (*cough cough* Ninninger *cough*) I have also didn't like certain costumes but loved the series. (ToQger) I am just worried that after Zyuohger, which is really good so far, we will get another meh series. I am keeping my hopes high, though! A good cast has been gathered and that calms my fears big time.


     2017 is going to be a big year for Tokusatsu! Fans are getting stuff, not just from Japan, but from America as well. I sincerely hope that everybody has a wonderful New Years. Remember to respect your fellow Kaijuphiles and Tokunuts. See you next year!

(Side note: I am totally trademarking Tokunut here and now)

How Writing has Evolved in Tokusatsu

              When many people, outside of the fandom, think of Super Sentai or power rangers several clichés and tropes come to mind. Things like “Monster of the week” and the rarity of two part episodes is very frequently attributed to early Tokusatsu. Over the years though Tokusatsu has adapted more to a serialized approach to writing as oppose to an episodic one. Does this mean that Tokusatsu is changing for the better? Was it broken and cliché to begin with? Personally, I believe that the changes in writing are very welcome, but they cannot be considered a “fix”. The writing in Tokusatsu was never bad, it just changed styles over time.

              The first thing to understand is the difference between serialized writing style and an episodic one. An episodic writing style has either no greater story arc or a very loose one. There can be an end goal, but the episodes do not follow a linear path. They act like random events along the timeline. Some great examples of this are old shows on Cartoon Network, like Kids Next Door. It was made clear the kids were trying to stop the “adult menace”, ergo we have an end goal. The show, however kept its episodes as their own contained story. They related to each other in theme, characters, goal, etc., but rarely did the events of one episode directly lead to the events of the one right after. This method can work if the individual stories and characters are memorable. In the case of Tokusatsu, Japanese drama has a way of making good characters that are easy to connect with so it wasn’t a challenge at all.

              Serialized writing is often considered better and preferable by most viewers of any genre, even lovers of Tokusatsu. The best way to think of Serialized writing is to think of a scripted narrative. Every episode connects. They are either lead directly into by the previous episode, lead directly into the next episode or they contain an element that becomes vastly important later on. Almost everyone thinks of Avatar: The Last Airbender when they think of a good serialized story. The simplest way one can explain this writing style; Every episode has a purpose. Nowadays, in Tokusatsu, most series take this writing approach. Kamen Rider, in particular, took this approach strongly when the series returned from its hiatus with Shin Kamen Rider, Kuuga, Agito, etc.

              Over time the writing in Tokusatsu has evolved to be a blend of both, in a manner of speaking. Modern Sentai, for instance, is usually episodic at first. Time is taken to introduce and lightly develop the characters in episodes that are one-time events. It is common for the first fleshed out “arc” in Sentai to be either a major play of the villains or the reveal of the next member of the team. Once the series hits this point, it feels more like a fully fleshed out drama from that point on. Now that we know the characters, almost every episode directly follows the previous in tone, setting and plot. There are still episodes that are very much filler that have that episodic feel, but in an odd twist, it is filler with a purpose. This purpose can be anything from much needed levity before or after a battle, to establishing a minor detail that will become very important later on.

              Other shows have blended the two styles in other ways beyond that. Some shows even continue to resort to a fully serialized approach. Modern Tokusatsu has very much prioritized serialization when it comes to their writing, though many writers still throw in some episodic elements. In older Tokusatsu shows, it was very much the opposite. The original Kamen Rider is well known for having one of the most timeless plots of any Tokusatsu, or many other shows for that matter. That being said, many seem to forget that while the beginning and end were very serialized and focused, a lot of the series was episodic. There were always a lot of “monster of the week” episodes between important events. This is in no way bad, but it does serve to show why modern writers are prioritizing serialization. The viewers remember the broad story. The majority of viewers do not remember, say, Abugomens and his needle spray or arm launch gimmick.

              If it is true that serialization has the better fit for telling a story, then why do many modern Tokusatsu still rely on episodic writing styles for things like filler, character development or just for fun? I believe there are two main reason for this. First would easily be anime. In the last few decades’ anime stories are less about a broadened story for everyone, and have become much more divided by dozens of categories. Since anime and Tokusatsu are known to draw influence from each other it was likely inevitable for creators to start singling out anime categories that relate more to what their product is. For most writers, this tends to be Shounen manga and anime. To draw in girls, writers drew influence from magical girl anime and manga. The other genres and categories and far from forgotten but are very seldom used compared to the similar demographic of what is commonly found in Shounen Jump.

              To me, anime only explains why certain stories are going a certain way but does little to help influence an episodic writing style. The biggest influence for this, in my opinion, was none other than Power Rangers. This show was a game changer for a long list of reasons, and truthfully one day I’d like to write about everything good and bad Power Rangers has done for its counterpart across the sea. One important thing it absolutely did, though, is get western audiences fascinated with Tokusatsu. Mighty Morhpin Power Rangers was to America; what Kamen Rider was to japan in a sense. In the 90’s it became a cliché in Power Rangers, and arguably where the term originated, that “monsters of the week” were the only thing the show had. Fans of the show argue to a point, but cannot deny just how episodic the series was before Power Rangers in Space. Over time the fans of Power Rangers began to become aware of the Japanese Sentais that came before it.  The fan base of Tokusatsu had grown, and the reasons why were clear.

              Creators of Tokusatsu began to realize the power episodic writing actually had. Smaller stories could help the viewer to understand and relate to characters. To put it simply, episodic writing made it easier for more people to tune in and understand their characters. I believe this is the reason many modern writers of Tokusatsu use an episode by episode format in the beginning. A strong base is made from the episodic approach and helps to reinforce the story as they build a larger serialized drama.

              It truly is amazing how much the writing of this genre has evolved over time. Though many would be unable to notice the difference, the writing style of modern Tokusatsu has changed what it emphasizes drastically. It can, arguably, be considered a complete change in direction. In any event I believe this mixing of styles has only made the already underrated writing of Tokusatsu even more great.

              I hope you all take some time to appreciate some great Tokusatsu stories. I have another grab-bag in the works for you, to be posted before New Year’s eve. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays my fellow Kaijuphiles

Godzilla (2014) or Shin Gojira???

     Many Godzilla fans, myself included loved the new Shin Gojira film. As I mentioned in my review, it was a very well acted, well-shot and just wonderfully dark film. There is another common trait among Godzilla fans regarding new films, however. There is a compulsive urge to compare the most recent ones. The rivalry has never been more prominent than between Legendary Pictures' Godzilla or Toho's Shin Gojira. As a fan I wanted to look at each film and see what each did right and figure out which one "wins". After re-watching Godzilla (2014) and rereading my review/going off memory of Shin Gojira, I believe I know my stance on this issue.

     First thing to mention is without a doubt the acting. I am hard pressed to remember a single bad performance in Shin Gojira. There were a small handful of over-the-top bits, but that doesn't translate as bad. If I were to give any negatives to the acting of Shin Gojira, it's that there are so many characters that I would understand if somebody lost track of what was going on between a few of them. I'm hesitant to use the word "cluttered" though. I believe the acting was still done in it's best efforts and was still relatively easy to follow, but if I put myself in the shoes of somebody who is not as familiar with Japanese media as myself, I can understand if they lose track of few things. Full disclosure, that was an important factor in making my stance about how I view these movies. I must look at these in the eyes of not just me personally, but other Godzilla fans who may be more hardcore as well as people who are not fans of the franchise at all. I used this approach to the acting of Legendary Pictures' Godzilla as well. When I look at the acting for that movie, I am not so sure that it's bad all around, but it was more complicated to figure a few things out.
     I do believe there is a common misconception with how we view some of the characters in Godzilla (2014). Mostly we falsely identify characters as "main protagonists" when they are not. The main characters are the character(s) we follow throughout the movie as it is told through the perspective or from a perspective that focuses on them. The main characters in Godzilla (2014) were: Joe Brody, Ford Brody and Dr. Ishiro Serizawa. Aside from, arguably, Admiral Stenz, no other characters were a primary focus that moved the plot forward. The biggest offender of this misconception is Elle Brody. For some strange reason many want to see her as a main character despite her only having two or three major scenes. Her Role was give Ford something to fight for and to let the audience relate to a worried wife and mother. We wanted Ford to be reunited with Elle so they could be happy. Those actions did not depend on Elle though, as she was a nurse in the city with no way to stop, or in some cases, reach Ford. The truth is Ford is the primary protagonist
that should be the focus of character discussion when talking about this movie.
     The problem, everyone can agree on though is that Ford Brody, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, was not acting well in that movie. I 100% disagree. The problem is not that Ford was not portrayed well, the problem is that Bryan Cranston was TOO good. Joe Brody was a charismatic father with nothing to lose and everything to gain, and it didn't hurt that he was played by a dam good actor. We compared Ford Brody to Joe Brody and saw Ford as more bland and uncaring and therefore a bad actor. Did anybody stop to consider that Ford Brody was a military man from a family that fell apart, and being somewhat jaded to everything revolving around his father as well as being serious towards anything outside the home is what his character was? Yes, there were some reactions to the MUTO's that I felt were slightly not genuine. Even with that, however, I still consider the performance good. It's not like he never showed emotion. The scene with Ford and Elle at home in the beginning is, although short, very pleasant as it shows that Ford is a caring family man fully capable of showing a wide range of emotions.
     The acting in Godzilla (2014) is not terrible, but it is not as good as Shin Goji most of the time. There are moments where characters really shine, but it varies so much.Shin Goji tried to have the audience follow the story of how the nation will respond while Godzilla (2014) was very much following the events of one character. There is nothing wrong with either, but I would say that Shin Gojira pullled off its method a bit better.
     One key difference I noticed in the movies is how Godzilla, is written into them. In Shin Gojira, he is meant to be an animal yet treated as a force of nature for its sheer destructive power and uncontrollable and unpredictable nature. Legendary's Godzilla is portrayted much more as a character in his own right. Everything from showing facial expressions, to just experiencing battles through his perspective offer depth to Godzilla as a character. Neither approach is wrong. Godzilla has been portrayed as many things in the past, including a father. Choosing to give the Big G somewhat of a personality is something that Toho has been doing for years. By that same token, portraying the big G as a force of nature as oppose to a character is another thing Toho has done many times over, and is in fact how Godzilla was portrayed in his original film.
     Truth be told, both films are really good in there own way. In some regards, Godzilla (2014) can even be seen as a better representation of certain aspects of Godzilla. Shin Gojira was meant to portray Godzilla as a monster, an unstoppable force. The movie did this in spades, but that was not how Godzilla always was. In fact, I'm willing to bet that most fans were introduced to Godzilla through a more light-hearted film than the original. Legendary Pictures' Godzilla more closely represented a Godzilla based around spectacle and action that we are all very familiar with.We don't keep watching Godzilla because he is a dark representation of nuclear war. We watched Godzilla movies because they were good, because the monsters look amazing, because the effort behind them was real and most of all because they were fun to watch. That is important.
     Many fans blam Godzilla (2014) for not showing Godzilla enough, yet conveniently fail to remember how much hes not in most of the Showa era films he supposedly stars in. It is a common trope in older Godzilla films, even the original btw, to spend time focusing on the people, then focusing on the monster in the third act. Shin Godzilla changed the formula and did it well. Legendary pulls an homage to that trope and gets criticized for "not showing enough Godzilla".
I could go on but I honestly believe that there is an unfair bias against the 2014 Godzilla. The reality is, both films are good.
     Shin Gojira is better at portraying the dark side of Godzila. It re-imagines the story that brought the legend to life in an honorable and respectful way. Godzilla (2014) is better at catering to the fans of the series and having fun. The film goes off it's own original story yet pulls easter eggs and tropes from past Godzilla films while giving fans, not only of Godzilla, but of blockbusters in general, some really awesome fights and visuals. The more I think about it I am sure that Shin Gojira is technically a better movie, but I still had a lot more fun watching Godzilla (2014) for the first time than I did Shin Goji.
     Everyone enjoys movies for different reasons. It's high-time we start understanding that even movies we personally don't like may have a lot going for them and movies we love may have a lot of negatives. We can't declare "Only Japan can make good Godzilla movies" lest we forget Godzilla's Revenge is a thing. We also cannot declare "any giant monster movie, or anything remotely similar to Japanese media, made in America is bad". King Kong Gypsy Danger and Lord Zed have a few things to say to that.
     Both movies are good and deserve your time. Which is better depends solely on preference and nothing more. The last thing our fandom needs is stupid infighting about whether or not a film is a poor bastardization or whether a portrayal of Godzilla is too scary/ stupid looking or not. I am the Kaiju Kidd and I think it's time for this fandom to chill out

Shin Gojira Review

     This Godzilla movie probably had the most expectations to be good than any other Godzilla movie I've seen. People would argue that the 2014 Godzilla had pretty high expectations, but as a mass we did not assume it was going to be good from the get go. People expected to hate it and generally the movie is received as okay. Shin Gojira was assumed to be good before they even started filming. So many spouting about "Japan will show us how it's done" or something else to that effect. After Japan had given the movie such praise, many people collectively decided it was good and made way to the theater with somewhat of a Bias. Truthfully, I think this movie is great. Objectively speaking, it is among the best Godzilla films to date in terms of acting and cinematography. Despite the movie being great, it is not without flaws.
     To start, the acting was amazing. The stand out stars being: Rando Yaguchi (played by Hiroki Hasegawa) and Kayako Ann Patterson (played by Satomi Ishihara). Both of them had worked together before under director Shinji Higuchi on the recent Attack on Titan film and it shows. These actors work well off each other and the camera seems to love them. The film did not rely on the strength of these two alone. There were many colorful characters, all of them very welcome additions to the Godzilla series. I really think anybody who aspires to be a leader needs to watch the performances of Rando Yaguchi and Prime Minister Seiji Okochi. These two exemplify the types of leaders we all should aspire to be. They are Decisive, yet open to all options. They are Stern, but have a genuine concern for all people of the country. Most importantly, they are active and assertive enough to do exactly what needs to be done.
     While the acting was superb, there were times where the writing left something to be desired. The script, itself, wasn't terrible, but there were times in the movie where people were talking too fast, too much was happening on screen, or just scenes that droned on for too long. To be fair these were very few and very far between, but I feel affected the pace of the movie just a bit and kept it from being the best it could possibly be. The best example of this is all the meetings in the beginning. Too much time is spent teasing that Godzilla is coming ashore and having board meetings. After Godzilla's tail flapped around and they had those meetings, the spectacle of seeing Godzilla emerge from the depths lessened just a bit for me. Credit where credit is due though. That whole sequence simultaneously displayed the tedious retardation as well as the organized effectiveness of the bureaucracy and its role of keeping things together in a time of crisis.
     Now we come to the big guy himself. I hate to say this but most of the flaws of the movie are centered around Godzilla himself. Yes, there are problems with the design, but there is an in-movie reason for why he looks the way he does. This is excusable to an extent. I can't quite give a pass on when Godzilla makes landfall for the first time. I understand they were trying to show what a realistic Godzilla would look like. The thing that comes on land is clearly of aquatic or amphibious origin, but frankly, it looks silly. So many in the theater laughed when the saw Godzilla make landfall, and I do not blame them in the least. This design was quickly saved however. Even before Godzilla changed for the first time, it was made clear that this was an unnatural and dangerous thing. Blood everywhere, buildings demolished. Many people went from "Teehee" to "...oh shit..." by the time Godzilla changed.

     From here I must say it gets better for a while, Godzilla just seems to be walking and before they start firing on the potential threat (side note: I just realized how many movies name Godzilla as a "potential" threat and its hilarious) Godzilla turns around and heads to the ocean to, as the scientist discern, cool off the rising temperatures of his body. After a while of the Japanese government planning and mobilizing, Godzilla emerges in his "final" form, or at the least the form we are most familiar with for this movie. Once the Military tries to fend off Godzilla, greatness begins. Everything from the pacing, to the way Godzilla is lumbering around, to the camera angles wonderfully encapsulates the terror that is being unable to kill Godzilla. After much Struggle, American allies hit the back of Godzilla with some bombers and hit a sweet spot. I will allow this considering most of Godzilla's flesh is exposed, especially on the back and neck area so it stands to reason that it would be the most vulnerable. Once Godzilla senses the danger, He lets out his atomic breath. The way Godzilla charges his breath is marvelous. The heat from his mouth is condensed from smoke, to fire, to laser and it is crazy powerful.
     The scene is then made weird when Godzilla launches lasers from his back. I still don't get why that is a good idea over a good old fashioned nuclear pulse, or why Godzilla couldn't just use his normal breath to get the planes. This notion is made weirder when Godzilla launches his breath from his tail later on. I can't think of a way to describe it, other than weird. The weirdness continues with the last scene but, I feel this review has enough spoilers in it. I wont go in to detail about how they bring down Godzilla, but it is very clever and very well executed. I know I said no more spoilers but...train bombs are awesome and I love everything about them.
     At the end of the day, this was a very good Godzilla film. I see an argument for this standing alongside the original as one of, if not the best films from this series recently or even ever. The beautiful cinematography, excellent acting, and dark tone really raise this film up to great heights. This movie is flawed, but I recommend it to everyone. Godzilla fans will love this addition to the franchise and new fans will have a great dark monster movie to watch.
     Now, unfortunately this film does have to be compared to the 2014 Godzilla. Many have viewed Shin Gojira as the "proper way to do a Godzilla movie", but I don't think it's that cut and dry. I plan on comparing the pros and cons of both to see which movie is the definitive Godzilla movie.

BIG Power Rangers movie update

     Just as I was thinking of my next topic to right about....this happens...

     This came as a pleasant surprise to see not only new posters, but ones that show off, to some degree, the zords, no less! I will say now, the posters themselves, look great. All of the posters for this movie have been simple, in a good way. The people running the PR department for this movie are doing a very good job at showing very little and telling even less. Whenever something is leaked, most of the reaction is positive. partly due to their great advertising and partly due to the fact that most of what we have seen is true to heart of the series! (except for Rita, see here )  The zords are no exception to this!

    While we don't see everything about the zords, we can confirm some very reassuring details: First of all, the primary colors of the zords will be the color of their respective ranger. Secondly, The zords are getting more streamline designs but still keeping major design ascetics. We can more or less confirm that the T-rex will stand at least somewhat upright based on the picture, and assuming that is his tail in the background. Finally we can confirm that the zords will be massive, as they should be. I have seen some worry that the zords were going to be the size of the transformers roughly to put things in a more human scope. I never thought this would be the case and now these people can rest easy. Honestly the fact that these things have to be piloted and can combine should be the give away that the megazord is going to be potentially bigger than a jaeger. 

    All in all, I am happy with the surprises that were supplied to us. I am eagerly awaiting more news surrounding this movie and keeping my hopes high that this will be good. Now if you will excuse me, I must paint Billy like one of my french girls.  

Kamen Rider Hibiki review

     Tackling Kamen Rider Hibiki for a review was a little more difficult than I anticipated. I have strong feelings for this season that, to my knowledge, don't mesh with other's opinions of the show. When I first started this adventure of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, many of the people I knew who watched all pretty much agreed that Hibiki was not good. Opinions varied from meh to terrible. I was admittedly not super pumped about going into this season but many seasons have surprised me so I decided to give it a chance. Unlike my friends, I really enjoyed Hibiki. I can see why people can dismiss this though. After finishing the series and watching later specials I have pretty much made my stance. Kamen Rider Hibiki is a good show....but it is not a good Kamen Rider show.
     Right away I did notice two problems with Hibiki: The camera was so darn blurry, and many of the early settings were so dang dreary. I suppose the latter isn't so bad since it was for the particular introduction they went with and settings very quickly became more vibrant. All season long...nobody cleaned that camera lens. though. Despite these problems, the opening two-parter introduces us to quite a few vital characters, and does it well. Everything is paced nicely. The main protagonist, antagonist and goal is made clear. The characters are all worth talking about as they all range in performance from bland to kinda pleasant to unbelievably awesome.

Characters 

     There are so many characters to list but I will only talk about the vital ones in detail

Hibiki - His name is Hitoshi Hidaka but simply goes by Hibiki after gaining the power of the oni. Hibiki is main protagonist of the show.  He transforms into Kamen Rider Hibiki using the, before mentioned, power of the oni to fight the Makamou (basically yokai) that run rampant in this world. He fights with the aid of the Takeshi group, who provides Intel and weapons to aid the oni. This particular Oni's weapons of choice are two fiery drumsticks, not the delicious kind. Hibiki as a character is delightful and simple minded. He loves his oni training and treats his duties with all seriousness despite his cheerful nature. As he boasts often, he is "well - trained".

Asumu Adachi - Asumu is a young boy who is very conflicted about what should be done in his life. He doesn't know what we wants to be, and the few things he does want he is not assertive enough to fight for in the beginning. Upon meeting Hibiki, he is provided with words of encouragement and is able to get through many things causing him distress. Asumu is taken in by Hibiki, who acts as his mentor from time to time, while he works with the takeshi group.

Ibuki - Iori Izumi is part of the family that runs the takeshi group in Yoshino. Upon becoming an oni he simply goes by Ibuki. His primary weapon is a gun that transforms into a trumpet (Ill explain the instrument thing soon). Cool and caring would be the best words to describe him, though Ibuki can be a little dim-witted and clumsy at times. Ibuki strugges with having an apprentice of his own, Akira Amami, that goes through her own troubles and Ibuki must grow up to be a good sensei to her and teammate to his fellow oni.

Akira Amami - Ibukis disciple. She is cold but considerate of everyone around her. At first she does not accept Asumu helping Hibiki, since she doesn't see Asumu as worthy or competent enough for this job, but eventually develops a friendship with him.

Todoroki - Tomizo Tadayama is the third main oni in the series and, just like the others, abandoned his name upon becoming an Oni. Todoroki is a newly independent oni who recently was released from the tutelage from his master Zanki (played by Kenji Matsuda). Todoriki fights the makamou with a guitar that is also a blade because reasons. He is always looking for guidance and often sticks with Hibiki and Ibuki to keep learning. Todoroki often struggles with being an independent warrior while simultaneously wanting to repay and please his sensei.

Douji and Hime - The primary villains of the show. In this world the makamou frequently arise, though it is usually based on ancient patterns and times of the year when certain makamou will appear in what locations. Douji and Hime irritate that speed up the process to keep the makamou a constant threat for the oni while they use the makamou to further their own goal, which we eventually find out is to revive the yamato no orochi.

     Hibiki does something that few other Rider series replicate. Most of the villains that Hibiki and the other oni fight, are not human sized. They are fighting monsters, demons, etc. Most of the things they fight are several times larger than any human. Though the CG can be a little bad at times, it strangely works pretty well. The only problems with the villains are Douji and Hime. Later in the series it is revealed that they wish to create homunculi that look like themselves so that in case they die, somebody will be there to continue trying to revive Yamato no Orochi. These homunculi turn on them and it is eventually revealed the Douji and Hime are homunculi themselves created by another pair of Douji and Hime that keep them alive the same way that they kept their homunculi alive. In a way it kind of ruins the sporatic randomness of the villains as it implies that they have always been and will continue to be and are not in fact a random force agitating the makamou as was stated early on.

     Fortunately the Heroes are much, much more interesting than the villains. whenever we see a call to action, there is no alarms or anything to call them out. Everything from newspaper articles to calling sources all across japan to looking at news stories helps them find what they are looking for. The Takeshi group is prepared for everything. Time is taken out to show that whenever a makamou is starting to cause trouble, people at Takeshi research any weaknesses and immediately relay that info to a team on the field that helps the oni. The Protagonists are organized, informed and strong.

Plot Details

   The oni are gathered all across Japan to keep the makamou at bay and protect civilians from the terror that comes with them. conventional weapons will not typically work on makamou but the oni have adapted a way to fight them off by utilizing pure sound to weaken and destroy them. The oni use special stones that can emit this pure sound to fight these creatures. The ends of Hibiki's drumsticks are large oni stones and his buckle is a part of a drum that can enlarge and attach to any makamou. he heats the buckle like a taiko drum and emits the pure sound directly into the body of the creatures to destroy them. Ibuki does the same by shooting oni stone bullets with his gun then turning his gun to a trumpet to make the stones vibrate and emit pure sound from inside the beasts. Todorki peirces the makamous hide with the blade on his guitar and plays sending the sound directly in. While this can be considered very unconvneitonal, it is very creative.
   Hibiki was on a job when he saved a child on the boat ride to his destination and met Asumu. Hibiki took a liking to Asumu as the boy reminded him of himself as a child. Unfotunately Asumu was thrown into the world of the Oni when we saw Hibiki transform. Asumu then met some others from the takeshi group who operate in a small tea house. The members of the Takeshi group eventually agreed to let Asumu into their affairs as long he kept the oni a secret and helped out around the shop and with research if needed.
     Most of the series from there is random stories of the oni fighting off the makamou and Asusmu learning about life from Hibiki and the others who work at Takeshi. Strangely enough this worked for the show since they built up more and more that Asumu was going to either become an oni himself or be a full time member of the takeshi group. At least that would have been an ending that made sense. Later we meet another characater named Kyosuke Kiriya. Kyosuke goes to the same school as Asumu and Akira and is very competitive. Eventually Kyosuke learns about the oni and wants to train to become one himself since he wants to be strong.
     Kyosuke served as Adachi's rival as they both trained under Hibiki. Kyosuke eventually becomes Hibikis only disciple and learns to become an oni himself after Asumu comes to the "decision" that he wants to be a doctor after all but still occasionally goes to Hibiki for life advice. This was a horrible decision. It would have been fine if Kyosuke was knocked down a peg and was sent to train under Todoroki for his oni training. The problem with Kyosuke is that he was somewhat of a prodigy but was too full of himself. if anybody could teach Kyosuke that, it would be the light-hearted Todoroki.

Final Thoughts

    I said before that Kamen Rider Hibiki was a good series but not necessarily a good Kamen Rider series. Most Rider series have a certain flow to them that Hibiki just does not have. The main difference is that the episodes of Hibiki don't quite feel as serialized as much as they do a collection of mini stories with a greater story that pops up now and then. Another main difference is the number of heroes in the show. It is not unheard of for multiple riders to appear in a season (see Ryuki), but it is unheard of for there to be a country-wide organization of riders who we don't hear about hardly. This series is quick to remind you that the oni and the Takeshi group are all over Japan. we see other oni appear now and again. The head of  The branch of Takeshi  that Hibiki associates with often speaks with other branches. Kamen Rider Hibiki didn't just tell the story of a lone hero, It created a world where Oni protect the people from terror.
     imagine for a moment that there was no "Kamen Rider" before Hibiki in the show. Would you tell the difference? I would wager not. Hibiki is not ever referred to as a Kamen Rider except once jokingly. Throughout most of the season he doesn't even know how to operate any motor vehicle. Imagine if the series was not tied with Kamen Rider at all was called something like "Oni Hibiki" or something. It reminds you of shows like Garo. It simply has more in common with those kinds of shows.
     Hibiki is a very good show with a meh ending. The world of Hibiki was reworked, so to speak, in Kamen Rider decade for bettor and for worse. I will talk more about that at a later date but even with that, I recommend Kamen Rider Hibiki to anybody who is a fan of tokusatsu. I do not recommend it, though, as the first toku series you watch.

Team Kaiju Grab Bag Vol.1

     As many of you know, plenty of amazing things happened over the course of the past week. I wanted to make a topic about a few of these individually but I feel I must address the ones I simply can' t dedicate an entire blog post to as of yet. Eventually once my feelings fully form about certain things, a new post will appear, but until then I decided to just touch briefly on a few things that really caught my attention. Thus, I present the first edition of my Team Kaiju Grab Bag!

Comic-Con Trailers:

     Just.....WOW!!! A large handful of great trailers came out of Comic-Con this year. As you can figure, I am the most excited for the Kong: Skull Island trailer, but there was just so much! I love the Kong Trailer for its amazing buildup. I love the comedy in the Lego Batman Trailer. I love the acting and character set-up for the Justice League Trailer. For the first time in my life I am actually hyped to see a full length Wonder Woman movie! Everyone has seen these trailers and Everyone should watch them again. I can't say much about the trailers beyond this because so much has already been said, and I can't quite bring myself to really analyze some of these trailers until the hype dies down. (give me a few more days) For sure I am re-watching the Dr. Strange trailer one more time. I can't wait to get high from watching that movie in 3D!

Pokemon Go

     Full disclosure; I love Pokemon Go. Though exhausting I have had so much fun walking around town with my friends and loved ones to catch and evolve Pokemon. I do believe that the game is good and doesn't deserve a lot of the bad press it's getting. Most stories of people being getting hurt are because people are being generally stupid doing things like: playing while driving, walking into live traffic, stopping their car in live traffic, etc. This is of no fault of the game. This is the fault of the players. On the other hand Niantic is being kind of weird and dumb with updates as well. The location tracker is still not working, and there are still occasional crashes. Even with this, I can't understand why people are demanding refunds for their free game. The only option to pay money is if you buy coins. The only people who deserve a refund are those who bought coins and didn't get them. Everyone is just being ridiculous and greedy.

Shin Gojira


I'll make this brief. Who cares if Godzilla's breath is purple? Godzilla's breath has been white, blue, orange, red, yellow and green at some time or another. Yes, blue is the more traditional and preferred color. No, purple breath will not ruin Godzilla. If it bugs you that much when you buy the DVD just mess with the colors until its not purple anymore. There are for more offensive and stupid things to focus your rage towards.

Those topics I may go into detail in the future but for now that is what is on my mind. Expect more of these grab bags in the future in times when I either have too much stuff to write about, or moments where I feel I need to rant about silly things. That reminds me....I haven't done a toku review in a while.........Why do I hear drumming?

Movie Spiders Aren't As Scary As They Could Be

               As a monster movie fan, I enjoy seeing all kinds of monsters. It really is a delight to see what many filmmakers can think up. whether it is a new and original monster or a "monstrous" form of a creature we are all familiar with. Sometimes the latter of the two leaves much to be desired. there is usually something "off" about these kinds of monsters. They either look slightly wrong or act in a way that goes against it's base instinct. To me the most notorious offenders of these, are spiders in movies.

               Spiders are Terrifying. They are Tiny hunters that, in many cases, have a bite that can either severely harm or outright kill a human many times their size. Many eat in gruesome ways and capture their prey using equally cruel methods. Human's innate fear of them has made them perfect catalysts for horror movies. Filmmakers use them to show horror in a scene, establish tension or make them the antagonist in monster movies. Despite this, spiders are not quite as scary as they could be in movies. Most monster movies featuring spiders can be eerie and have a few scares but they could be so much scarier if they portrayed spiders differently.

               Truth be told, my friend was the one who pointed this out to me and I 100% agree with him on this regard. the primary reason spiders are not as scary in movies vs. real life is simple: Spiders rarely, if ever make any sounds. In many movies spiders make plenty of sounds ranging from their skinny limbs tapping on the floor, to loud screeches and roars. Sometimes it is excusable, but not often at all. One prime example is a comedy called "Eight Legged Freaks". The movie makes it known very early that, while there are some scares, this is a comedy and you should not take it seriously. in this case it is excusable to hear the occasional roar or cartooney sounds coming from the spiders. sadly most other movies don't have the excuse of having levity in their comedy to explain this.

               There are two examples of good spiders in movies, in my opinion, where they make little to no noise whatsoever. The first is the short film that inspired Eight Legged Freaks known as Larger Than Life. In this film, the main character is constantly spotting spiders in her new house that seem to get bigger every time she sees them. Eventually she calls an exterminator who gets killed by a rather large spider that begins to hunt her down as well. what makes this short work is the tension is left to the music and the reaction of the actress to show how scary the spider is. There is only one instance of the spider making a noise itself. When the woman kills the spider it lets out a fading screech. It really amazes me that this director has made two underrated giant spider films; one being eerie and tense while the other is silly stupid comedy.

               The other example of a spider done well in cinema isn't even in a movie where the spider isn't the focus at all. This may sound like cheating but considering the scene I believe it counts. It was this scene that my friend pointed this idea out to me with in the first place. The spider from The Fly is scarier than so many movie spiders. We all know the scene when David Hedison is in the web screaming "Help me! Help me!" and nobody can hear him since he is the size of a fly. Think back to the spider. That spider, despite the effects, was scary. It acted just as a spider would, keeping him in his web, slowly creeping towards him to feed with no regard for his life or for the large humans around him. That spider was scary, not only because of situation and accuracy of its behavior, but because it was silent and you didn't know when it was going to sink it's fangs into Hedison.

               Truth be told there are other factors to why spiders aren't quite as scary as they could be. Some would argue that once they become bigger they enter an unrealistic realm and our minds cope by laughing at the absurdity. That just seems subjective to me. It is up to filmmakers to make their creatures as scary as they can be. For spiders, the first step is to close thir fangs shut and keep them quiet until its time for the kill.

Power Rangers Casting: Yay or Nay?

    Recently some interesting news came out. Bryan Cranston has been cast as Zordon in the upcoming Power Rangers film reboot. This prompted two things from me. First, it prompted an excited response. I was, and still am, very happy to see such a good actor in that role. Secondly, it prompted me to look through the cast list one more time out of excitement. While I am still cautiously optimistic about the film, I feel I must point out some really good casting choices as well as strange character additions for the movie
    First and foremost, Bryan Cranston as Zordon. As hard as it is to believe, not everybody can play the role of a giant head in a tube. You need somebody that can bring the right presence. You need an actor that can present himself as intimidating and powerful with the appearance of his head alone, yet inspiring and kind when he talks. Anybody who has watched Breaking Bad knows Bryan Cranston can look insanely intimidating without doing much. The man has that certain air about him, while at the same time everyone wants to talk to him because of how much of a cool guy he seems to be. I remember the huge backlash towards the 2014 Godzilla film regarding how little screen-time Cranston actually got vs. what we wanted to see. He has played father figures so many times that he's almost perfected it. That is what Zordon is to the rangers. He is an inspiring mentor and father figure for the team. I, without a doubt, believe Cranston can pull that off.   
     Secondly I noticed something that is rather fitting for this adaptation. The main 5 rangers are being played by actors that very few people have heard of. Quite frankly, that is the perfect move to make. Some would argue that they want to see the original rangers return or cast A-list actors to breath new life into this series. I simply have one thing to say about that. IT'S FUCKING POWER RANGERS. It doesn't need "new life" so much as it needs to reevaluate what its life in media is, which is what they are doing with the movie. Not to mention, part of the charm of Power Rangers is the fact that we fell in love with characters we have never seen before. We grew to admire people we never heard of and watch them grow into even greater characters.
    For the people who really want to see their favorite actor in a power ranger's suit, just search the internet. Something is bound to show up. I do not want to go into this movie thinking "Oh I know that Actor, he can play a good ranger". I want to go in ready to learn why these people will make good rangers. This leads into another aspect of the casting that has me curious. It seems that the families of the rangers have been cast, to a degree, and that leads me to believe we are going to know more about the rangers personal lives and how being power rangers affects their family.
    This decision isn't one I hate. much like the movie as a whole, I'm eager to see where it goes, but I'm keeping my distance somewhat in case I get disappointed. I believe the correct way to handle the family is by keeping them as side characters and not devote too much time to them. Their purpose should primarily be to help develop, and help the viewers to understand, the five rangers. I'm sure the filmmakers understand that, but I am just nervous about the whole thing. you know what I would like to see though? Robert Axelrod doing voice work or making a cameo. same goes for the original rangers.



P.S. I LOVE the new poster

So this is the new Rita...

     Today I had the pleasure of seeing what the new Rita Repulsa looks like. When I first heard that the design was revealed I was excited. I do believe that Elizabeth Banks is a good actress who can pull of the character of Rita, so I jumped at the chance to see her in costume. I think I got overexcited though, as the suit only serves to deeply annoy me.
     When I first saw this design, I was in an extreme state of disbelief. I tried to tell myself that this was for some other character or that this was fake hype for a fake picture....we all know that is not the case, though. I had to accept that this was the new look, but I simply could nor cannot. I care a lot about the design, probably more than I should, because I grew up with these characters I want to see their core values brought back to some degree for the modern audience to see. This costume, to me, represents everything that this character is not.
    
     The first and obvious problem is that she is portrayed as "edgy" and "sexy". There are a LOT of sexualized female villains in both power rangers and super sentai. Rita Repulsa is a standout villain because she got by with her attitude and powers alone. Rita was over the top and funny to watch despite the fact that she was a lingering and dangerous threat, like her headdress and the thought of it falling off. If you have any doubt that her character was designed to be over the top and dangerous, look at her breastplate. those things will poke your eye out from twenty yards away. I would also like to challenge everybody to find somebody legitimately sexually aroused by those things. I guarantee you, anybody that is, is not well in the head.
     Secondly, and probably my biggest problem with the whole thing, is that it looks like so many characters that are not Rita. I should make it clear now I do not hate the design, but I hate that it is on Rita Repulsa. I am going to put four pictures below and you tell me which one looks the most like the picture above.

      I am willing to bet that a good majority of you looked at the bottom two pictures. The woman in the green is Dulcea, a one-off heroin from the Power Rangers movie from the 90's whose personality was, she had tits and she knew how to work that stick. The woman on the bottom right is Scorpina, a villain in the power rangers series who battled alongside Rita Repulsa, due to their preexisting friendship. The woman in the top left it Divatox, the primary villain from Power Rangers: Turbo. Her personality is in her name. Divatox was a Diva. Finally if it wasn't obvious the top right character, who looks nothing like the picture above it is the actual Rita Repulsa.
    My final problem with the look is that it looks too...."earthy". The armor forms the shapes of spikes and things resembling leaves, and it has snakes and scales imprinted on the arms. The armor itself is a vibrant green and there are brown spots all over her that I can only see as dirt or mud. These are things that point to a very "natural" villain. They point to somebody who fights using the forces of nature for dark and nefarious things, which Rita Repulsa very rarely does.
    Rita Repulsa is a witch who uses spells and enchantments to enhance herself and form the basis of her schemes. Most of her minions are born from magic and are themselves magical beings. From a monster made of eyeballs, to a spartan pig that eats everything and even the sphinx, Rita is clearly somebody who uses magic and the occult over nature. I don't see Rita fighting to save the trees anytime soon is all I'm saying
    At the end of the day, I wish this was the design for somebody else. It really isn't bad. The design does make her look menacing and otherwordly, two very important things for most power rangers villains. I see what the designers were going for in an effort to give Power Ranger villains an edgy redesign. I support the idea, but not at the cost of forgetting some of the core aspects of our iconic villains.

Shin Goji and the monster movie uprising

     Well this has certainly been a week. A Skull Island spot Sunday night and in the days following, trailers for Dr. Strange and Shin Gojira. I was going to give my thoughts on the trailer but a friend of mine gave his thoughts and they pretty much match up to my own. The only difference is, they are typed a lot more eloquently than I could ever hope, so please check out his review on the subject. It is a worthy read.

The Gryphon's Lair

     I would like to talk about the uprising in monster movies and tokusatsu remakes that have blessed us recently. Between now and 2020 we have: 1 new Ultraman movie, 1 new Gamera movie, 1 new King Kong movie, 2 new Godzilla movies and 1 remake of King Kong vs. Godzilla. That is just what is confirmed to happen as of right now. I don't include Pacific Rim 2, due it's funky production record as of late, but regardless big budget monster movies are coming out of nowhere.
     Monster movies are getting darker and more realistic yet staying true to source material and inspired works. Despite it's flaws, I could go on for days about how much I love Legendary's Godzilla film, partly because this was a long time overdue for fans. We, fans, have endured direct-to-video-schlock and SyFy channel original movies for almost two decades before getting an honest to goodness, big budget, good giant monster movie.
     The question that has riddled my mind is; Why so many? Well my first theory is that audiences learned to let go a little bit and be less serious as comic book movies became more popular. In turn, fans became louder about what they wanted and Hollywood listened. I have two problems with this theory: first, nerd rage got even louder than anything else causing many to overreact. second, Hollywood has a record of not doing things for the benefit of the consumer.

     My second theory is that TOHO and other companies, both here and overseas, wanted a curve-ball to compete with the modern super hero movies and remakes. This seems likely since monster movies were a very underutilized and, at the time, untapped market for the masses. Pacific Rim was the preliminary test and Godzilla (2014) sealed the deal. Giant monsters and heroes that many of us grew up with are rising again! Does this mean that they are here for good, though, or is this the last hurrah of a dying generation?
    The Staying power of all of these franchises really depends on their success. I firmly believe that if the new Gamera movie and Shin Gojira are good, the box office will respond in kind and the monsters will be back for another decade of destruction! In America, sadly, I do not think it will last as long. I want to be proven wrong but knowing the modern American audience, the King Kong vs Godzilla reboot may the last giant monster movie for a while. Believe me I want to be proven wrong. I want new and interesting monster movies to arise and much like how the horror and slasher films had an uprising between the 70's and early 90's.
     I mentioned before that monster fans had this coming for a long time. It is ultimately up to us, however, to see these movies and support the filmmakers as much as we can. New monster movies ARE happening. It is up to us to turn this sudden spike into a full blown monster renaissance. I implore everyone, keep spreading the word about these movies. It is up to us to give many new and young fans the one thing they may never experience again, a true monster movie age.

I am the Kaiju Kidd and I'm really looking forward to Shin Gojira.

Skull Island Spot and what the future of the American Godzilla may look like

     I will admit I did not even know that Legendary was to release a spot or trailer or anything regarding Skull island until recently. As such, I did not know what to expect. I am both happy and sad that we got a TV spot as oppose to a trailer. With the Movie about 1 year away, it does make sense that we would get an early behind the scenes look. We get to see the actors in costume, a feel for the era and a look at locations. It only makes me sad because I am reminded of the trailer for Godzilla that was presented at comic-con. How cool would it be if they hyped this movie, similarly to how they hyped Godzilla, but I digress
     We get to see Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson the most and honestly all I can say is they look the part. There cant be any flashy character designs like in the marvel comics since Legendary's Godzilla series is clearly going in a slightly darker and more serious direction. I am confident that the two of them will do well. They both have done good work and it will be interesting to see Tom Hiddleston in a such a grounded role.
     The thing in the spot that caught my attention the most was the setting. The island looks great but the established setting is the Vietnam war era, even part of it taking place around Vietnam and the surrounding islands. Above all else this leaves me wary. anybody who is a fan of monsters knows what happened when somebody tried to re-imagine King Kong in a different time. Let's just say the 70's were no the best years for the big ape. The most successful incarnations of King Kong always reference or recreate the original story and for good reason.
     I would like to believe that if any company can do this series justice, it is Legendary right now. They did so good with Godzilla and I would imagine that producers would take just as much care when approaching America's most iconic monster. Re-imaginings can work if done right and I am more than willing to give them a chance with these new ideas.
     So what does this mean for the big G? All I can say for certain is I'm pretty sure that whatever has been waking up MUTO's and keeping Godzilla active must be playing a part in how big King Kong will be in the movie. Prehistoric monsters are going to be on the island so as far as we know...these creatures could be from the same era as Godzilla? In fact, what if Kong is not as friendly as he was before and is instead playing the menace in the upcoming film?
     I believe Godzilla 2 will have the final answer to what the stakes of that fight are going to be. by the end of Godzilla, the united states viewed Godzilla as a savior. If that mindset remains, what if they do a complete role-reversal to Toho's King Kong versus Godzilla? instead of King Kong being lead to the mainland to fight an ominous threat, it is Godzilla who seeks out Kong for disturbing the natural order and running amok? Just a thought I had, but it makes me excited
    All in all, I am happy yet wary about what I saw. I would like to see more of the movie before I say if this new setting is a good idea or no. Aside from that, I am excited. I'm excited to see what the monsters look like, excited to see what Kong looks like and excited to see how this connects into a greater universe. I cannot wait for the next big piece of news about this movie.

Doubutsu Sentai Jyuuouger first impressions

    I will admit I am going into this sentai similar to how I approached ToQger and Kyouryuuger. I’m not in love with the design choices but there are some that I don’t necessarily hate. It doesn’t help that I just marathoned the last 10 or so episodes of Ninninger and my feelings for that season can be summed up as such; At firt I laughed, then I was slightly intrigued but then…. meh. I will post a full review later but needless to say I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece from Jyuuouger, though I was admittedly hoping for writing on par with ToQger or Go-busters. Fortunately, I see a lot of good potential from the first episode.
    Right off the bat I must say I like the theme song. While not among my favorites it is catchy and has a slight triumphant feel to it. Right after the intro the series takes its first steps correctly. No time is wasted to establish our main characters and paint the rough picture of the world they are in. Our main protagonist is Yamato Kazakiri, a zoologist who is working as a field guide for some tourists. Right away we see that above all else, Yamato loves animals and nature, and unlike most other characters built with this personality, he loves humans just as much because, as he puts it, humans are animals too.
   

   Upon losing an important charm, a crystalline, cube, down a hill he chases after it and stumbles upon another, larger cube with a convenient slot to fit his own cube. Yamato’s curiosity gets the best of him as he inserts his charm into the key slot and is suddenly transported to another world where there are animals that walk on two legs and talk like humans. Imagine a furry convention in ancient ruins just with a lot more cubes. The citizens there, who refer to themselves as jyumans, are confused and stunned by the sudden human appearance. 4 jyumans reveal themselves as guardians of their land and the jyuman treasures; a lion man named Leo, an elephant man named Tusk, a tiger woman named Amu and a shark woman named Sela. The jyumans track down the cube he used to enter this world and accuse Yamato of being a theif for steeling one of 6 jyuman treasures, showing that they each have their own.
    Upon cutting to space we see an oddly shaped space ship carrying really odd looking villains has its eyes on earth. These “Deathgaliens” see earth as their 100th “battle ground” for some sick game they play. I will admit it seems they simply wish to destroy the earth but the intentions are far from clear. I suppose I like that the villain’s intent is somewhat vague in the beginning but they did it in a way that’s kind of confusing. They send a monster down to start this “game” and wreak havoc. Back in the jyuman world, the cube that brought Yamato here starts going crazy, being understandably freaked out and concerned for his home, he takes back the cube and heads back home, taking the four jyuman guardians with him.
    Upon seeing a clear threat of the deathgaliens, the jyuman guardians stand up to fight and the treasure cubes in each of their possession turns into their morpher, a rubix cube phone. The quicker you accept that is a thing, the better. Yamato sees this and wants the power to fight as well so he can protect his home and the forest around him. The guardians tell him it’s impossible for a human to use jyuman powers but are quickly surprised when he is able to morph into the red eagle. The 5 of them fight, defeat the foot soldiers and eventually the monster
    The method in which the monsters grow is odd. The head villain Genis (heh, genes – species, get it? It’s a bad joke) takes a part of him and offers it to the fallen monster as an “extra life” which he inserts into the monster via coin slot. Fortunately, the cubes that allow the jyuuougers to morph also is able to summon their zords; giant blocks that form into animals. I’m not going to go into great detail about them since I wish to save that for the full review but so far I don’t hate them. Cube lion is best cube. Anyway, the jyuuougers defeat the monster but are unable to go home since the cube that brought them there was damaged and they are missing one of the 6 treasures. Yamato offers to take them in but we end the episode as Tusk tries to refuse his offer

    It is clear that there is going to be an environmentally heavy message in this sentai but I pray that they don’t focus on pollution like Go-onger did or focus on human ignorance and evil like gaoranger. I believe sticking to a “humans are animals too” niche while not instilling any awkward guilt trips is the way to go. Oddly another prevailing theme that may cover the more serious stuff is racism of all things. I was honestly surprised but there is a lot of talk about “what only jyumans” can do. I can’t say for certain yet until the next episode is aired but it seems like prejudice between humans and non-humans may be just as prevalent as the environment-based stuff.
    The designs are all around weird. I haven’t seen anything bad but I haven’t seen anything really good either. I just see many weird design choices in this sentai that leave me curious about what other monsters, and the 6th jyuuouger is going to look like. I am going to call it now. Red eagle gets an upgraded form that is armor that folds out from a cube. I will be legitimately shocked if a cube isn’t incorporated into the powered up modes for these guys, even more so if they don’t have any upgraded form at all. All in all I am looking forward to watching this sentai.