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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Jun 4, 2018 11:03:23 GMT -5
LvP episode 16: Well, it's not a bad episode, but it's definitely my least favorite episode of the show right now. The Good: That final showdown is the best part of the episode. The best thing any show can do is to resolve a conflict in a surprising way, and this show definitely did that. Kairi shooting Touma's body, but taking the shot in his hand like that is nothing short of badass. It might be the most badass thing any red ranger has done in recent sentai. There's no way Kairi is not making a list of favorite sentai reds when this show is over.
I also appreciated the scene with Kairi telling Touma that the monster isn't gonna part with his body, and Touma telling him to do whatever he can, and what's more important is that they get the collection pieces back so that Kairi and Umika can get their loved ones back. Personally, I'd like to think that Aya would still accept whatever body Touma was in, but I guess we'll never know for sure.
I also have to give credit to Touma's actor. I think he's the best actor in the show, and I think he does a great job playing such an obnoxious character.
I also liked the scene at the beginning with the Patrangers discussing how the safes work. I didn't expect this show to get into that. I thought that was all interesting. Doing this scene felt deliberate, as if it had to be for a reason. I hope there's some kind of payoff to it. I would love to get more details and information on this.
As for the action, besides the fight with Kairi and Touma's body, I liked the fact that they used both Cyclone and Blade and scissors. Who knew the male ranger's arm could be swapped out?
I also liked the last scene, with the Patrangers getting on Touma for "pretending to be sick and going out with girls". I thought that was funny... The Bad: ...which is ironic, because I thought the scene with the Patrangers coming in to tell them about Touma was just straight up bad. It just felt like silly, unfunny shenanigans. Also, I do not like this monster. I thought his voice was just annoying. He's like the male version of Eris. I also don't understand why the monster in Touma's body had the power to change them back. The monster's power should be in the monster's body. Final thoughts: We went from having 2 of the best episodes of the show, with the best monster of the show so far, to having one of my least favorite episodes of the show, with the worst monster so far. There's still some good here, though, which is why it's not a bad episode. This is why I think 17 episodes is the perfect sweet spot for 6th rangers. It marks the 1/3 point in the show, which is the perfect time to switch things up a little. It's not so early that it feels rushed, but not so late that it feels slow. It boggles my mind that Kyuranger, with all of those rangers, felt the need to force so many characters as early as possible, but this show is stretching to introduce Lupin-X/Patren-X. Because of that, we're still in filler territory, and that's not exactly a good thing. Hell, whatever happened to Zamigo? That all being said, next episode looks harmless, but also pointless. Next episode: Some girl has a crush on Keiichiro, and the monster has the power to trap people in a dream world. That's fine I guess, but then we do more Tsukasa plushy jokes. "Yippee", he said, unenthusiastically.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 26, 2018 15:50:56 GMT -5
^ I meant that thing episode 32 about the ship Orion. The show never made it clear that the ship is sentient. They hint at it once, in episode 4, and it doesn't come back again until that episode, when Raptor says she's being delusional. Then the ship sacrifices itself, and it comes out of nowhere, and the show acts like we were supposed to care, and act like Raptor learns some profound lesson. I thought that whole Uncle Orion thing and that whole episode in general just mindbogglingly stupid.
By the way, what did you think of that baseball episode?
On another note, have you seen episodes 14 and 15 of LvP yet? I know some people fell off of it because of the filler, but episodes 14 and 15 are a 2-parter, Patranger-focused character development pair of episodes, and are some of the best episodes in the show so far, and are worth watching as soon as possible.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 26, 2018 13:55:57 GMT -5
^ You finally finished it. I've been waiting to get your thoughts. You said a lot of thing I agree with and a lot of things I disagree with, but I've more than said my piece on this show, so I'm not gonna touch on everything, and I'm not gonna harp on it too much, but there are some things I want to mention and ask.
1) You like Eris? I know you complain about Raptor, and I agree, I don't like her either, and she was a complete waste of Mao Ichimichi's time and talent, but Eris, to me, was just obnoxious.
2) I shouldn't be surprised you like Tsurugi as much as you do, because when that show was airing, he was the character that was starting to bring everyone back and give them hope for the show, but I was on an island, because I found him very unlikable and annoying, and I hated that first arc. He did slowly start to grow on me eventually as the show went on, once he stopped being an unlikable jerk.
3) As for the crossovers, I liked everything about the Ex-Aid crossover episode except for the actual crossover. I like Ex-Aid, but the Ex-Aid Kyutama thing just doesn't make sense to me at all, and I thought it was pointless. With Dekaranger, I was looking forward to it because Dekaranger is one of my favorite sentais, and the head writer, Naruhisa Arakawa, wrote episodes 17 and 18. I like episode 17, but surprisingly didn't like episode 18.
4) What did you think about that payoff to the Uncle Orion thing? Did you think it was as stupid as I thought it was?
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 25, 2018 16:52:21 GMT -5
LvP episode 15: This. I freaking loved this episode. The Good: I'm almost having a hard time deciding where to start, so I'm just gonna start with the Lupinrangers. I liked how they were used in this episode. Just like with episode 2, we're continuing the thing of the Lupinrangers coming to understand the Patrangers, and seeing how far they're willing to go to bring peace and justice. Kairi sees it with Tsukasa and Keiichiro, and Umika sees it with Sakuya. One thing I always appreciate in superhero movies and shows is the hero moment, the moment a character decides to put their life on the line to show why they are heroes. The scene where Keiichiro comes back and they all fuse and share in the pain in the poison is a Patranger-defining moment, and to paraphrase something a certain character said to another character in a movie that was came out last month, you have my respect, Patrangers. I also loved that they played the Patranger theme, though it's starting to make me think the individual versions of the openings are just gonna serve as the battle theme, which is disappointing. I appreciate Tsukasa a little more in this episode. I feel like my posts read like I dislike her more than I do. I don't hate her at all, but she's my least favorite. I just wish we would get deeper with her character. That being said, I liked how she is headstrong but not reckless, and she takes the time to try to formulate a plan. Togeno is my favorite monster of the show so far. This guy is freaking great. This is how monsters should be in every sentai episode: full of personality and smarts, and I can actually see them as a threat, and not just joke characters that are there to just get beat up. I love how he put the spike trap in his safe I actually kinda feel bad for him for not being able to impress Dogranio, and rarely does a show make me feel that way, and it goes to show that these shows don't always have to go the "not all monsters are evil" route to pull stuff like that off. By the way, did anyone else think of this scene from Captain America: Winter Soldier when Kairi was blocking Togeno's spikes with the Blade and Scissors Dial Fighter? I also like that we're continuing the plotline of the mystery behind the Trigger Machines. When Good Striker was wondering why the Trigger Machines had triggers on them, that blew my mind. That's interesting. If the Trigger Machines didn't have triggers on them before, who put triggers on them and why? It had to have been the Global Police. There's still the mystery of where are they even getting the Trigger Machines from. I hope the show deals with all of this pretty soon. The Bad: I only have 2 minor problems with this episode. One, the way Hilltop shows up to tell the Lupinrangers about what happens to the Patrangers feel forced to me. I think it's cool that the Lupinrangers get to meet Hilltop, and the "Hold Me Tight" thing is hilarious, but he had to show up right then and there, and it just came off as convenient. I can't complain too much because I wouldn't know how to write around it. Maybe it was a necessary evil. My other problem was the scene with Keiichiro and the kid. I hated that joke with the kid running past Keiichiro. Even as much as we took Keiichiro seriously in this episode, I still don't think that joke was earned. Couldn't that have just been a genuine moment? That reminded me of bad Marvel humor, and I thought that was lame. Final thoughts: Despite that, I still think this might be my favorite episode of the show so far. Episodes like this remind me of why I love SS. Next episode: It looks like they're doing a body-switching episode, with Touma switching with a monster. Oh, I wonder what episode this was inspired from? However, it looks like they're mixing it up a little, because Kairi is actually fighting the monster while it's in Touma's body, so maybe they're foregoing dragging out the rangers not knowing for the whole episode, which is a more interesting take, though I imagine the Patrangers don't know, and maybe that's the conflict. It looks like the show is going back to filler, but this could still be interesting. I'm disappointed it doesn't look like Lupin-X/Patren-X is gonna debut in episode 17, which I think is the sweet spot for 6th rangers, so I hope the episodes up until then doesn't feel like it's stalling until then.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 22, 2018 20:35:08 GMT -5
LvP episode 14: After a string of admittedly decent fillers, now the show gets back on point. The Good: The obvious thing to mention is Keiichiro. This was his best episode. There was this debate going around about whether we should get the Patrangers' backstories or not, and I was in the camp that we didn't need it, but as the show went on, and now after seeing it, I'm glad they gave it to us, for the simple reason that the Patrangers are so sidelined in the show, and are sometimes treated as jokes. I think it was due time to get more focus on the Patrangers, and to give us an episode that takes them seriously. Part of the reason I was okay with not getting his backstory was because I automatically assumed it was just gonna be a cliched tragic backstory about his father being a policeman and dying on the job or something, but that's not what we got. The flashback wasn't about what gave him the drive and determination for justice that he has. I like that that was always a part of his character. It was about what I assume was the moment that made him want to become a policeman, and I think it's great. To be honest, during my rewatch, I almost teared up a little because of how heartwarming it was. It does a lot for his character, because now he's more than just Kairi's foil. I'm with him on more of an emotional level, and it totally makes sense why Keiichiro is so black and white. By the way, a cool little tidbit that I found out on the wikia is that the actor who played that policeman is actually Patren1gou's suit actor. That's pretty cool.
We even get backstory for one of the monsters. It somehow manages to be both funny and tragic at the same time. During the mecha battle in episode 4, PatKaiser accidentally steps on Odordo's brother, and he wants revenge. It's funny, because it goes back to that thing people always say about PR/SS, and why don't they ever just get in the mecha and just step on the monster before they grow. It doesn't make sense, but that's one of the things about these shows that I always give it a pass on. That being said, there are some sentai tropes that some seasons manage to come up with a fix for, and this season actually makes it work, because they can't form the mecha without GoodStriker, and the Lupinrangers need to get the Lupin piece before they destroy the monster.
Speaking of mecha, I appreciate that there wasn't any megazord battle. You mean to tell me you don't have to shoehorn a mecha battle in an episode, and the action can just be there to serve the story? We still got a battle with one zord, but still, I'll take that.
Speaking of action, SS almost always does this right, but LvP has been exceptional with it. Rheannan, I might need another gif, for when Tsukasa does her own Black Widow Takedown at 17:18 in the episode. That was awesome. Sakuya was good, too.
I also love the scene with Dogranio doing that one attack that completely demorphed Sakuya and Tsukasa. Now that's how you make a villain feel like a threat. I've been complaining so much about Dogranio just sitting in his chair and doing nothing this whole show, and knowing that this is the same writer as Zyuohger, can you blame me for being skeptical? After seeing that scene, I wish the show did more to build him up properly. "The seat I have doesn't come cheap, capisce?" That's freaking great. I don't need every sentai villain to be as fascinating as Zett, as interesting as Bladerun, or as compelling as Rio, but I do need them to feel like a threat, and play more into the story, and this was a step in the right direction. I hope the show can keep this up. The Bad: I only have 3 gripes with this episode, but they're relatively small. One, I love the idea of Keiichiro loving kids, especially since it's the episode where we get his backstory. However, the idea of the kids not liking him back, I didn't like that joke at all. I'm getting sick of the Patrangers just being the butt of jokes. I think it would have worked better for the story if that got to be a genuine moment. However, I can be less hard on that joke of next episode has a scene where that kid appreciates the Patrangers. If that happens, I can be slightly more okay with that joke. Two, a lot of people seem to see the Lupinrangers not morphing in this episode as a good thing, because of how much focus and pathos they've gotten, and because more of the focus is on the Patrangers. However, I think it's kind of a flaw. If they're having that much trouble fighting the monster, there's no reason for them to not morph. And three, Keiichiro's reasoning for not going back to the surface after he's hit with the poison darts makes no sense. He doesn't think his body will hold out? If that was true, you would think his body would be in more danger going further into the ground. The messed part is that this could have been easily fixed by having Jim and Hilltop somehow find out that that the crane was underground, and just have Keiichiro decide to go get it to keep it away from the Lupinrangers or the monsters. That makes more sense to me. Final thoughts: This is the episode that gets back to the quality of episode 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9. Anyone who stopped watching because of the filler, now is the time to get back into the show. Next episode: It looks like another fantastic episode, with it being the 2nd part to this episode. It looks like we're still getting some more focus on the Patrangers, especially Keiichiro, and it looks like the Lupinrangers are actually gonna morph in this episode. I can't wait.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 16, 2018 21:41:40 GMT -5
I just finished Jetman. I think it's a good show, but not the masterpiece that everyone seems to think it is. The best thing about the show to me are the characters. After watching 6 shows in a row with boring, unengaging characters, I'm glad to say that I really like the Jetman team. My biggest problem with the show is that I wish the show focused more on them. Jetman is melodramatic, but in a way that works for me, and when the show is about the characters and their melodrama, I really like it, but it feels like that stuff is secondary to the episodic plots. I also don't care for the villains, who I just found generic. They try to do some interesting things with them as the show goes on, but I found some of the storytelling decisions with them just baffling, which leads me into the fact that I also think the last 6 episodes are just terrible. Despite that, I still like this show more than Zyuranger. I like Zyuranger more than most people, but my main problem with that show was most of the characters besides Geki and Witch Bandora were generic. Here, the characters are enough to bring it just above Zyuranger, but I can't say I like it more than Goseiger, which it had the potential to top, if it wasn't for that last batch of episodes. Now that I've finished with Jetman, I'm putting both my SS and KR watchthroughs on hold so that I can rewatch Gekiranger and Jungle Fury, then after that, I'm rewatching Boukenger and OO. My ranking:
Current Sentai Ranking: 1) Gokaiger 2) Shinkenger 3) Gekiranger 4) Go-Busters 5) Magiranger 6) Dekaranger 7) Gingaman 8) Timeranger 9) Kyoryuger 10) Boukenger 11) Go-Onger 12) Goseiger 13) Jetman 14) Zyuranger 15) Abaranger 16) Dairanger 17) GoGo V 18) Zyuohger 19) Gaoranger 20) ToQger 21) Kyuranger 22) Hurricaneger 23) Ninninger 24) Megaranger 25) Kakuranger 26) Ohranger 27) Carranger
(1-4: Brilliant) (5-9: Great) (10-15: Good) (16-18: Okay) (19-20: Mediocre) (21-27: Terrible)
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 16, 2018 13:36:53 GMT -5
^ I think it's easier for me to be slightly harder on Build because we're further along in that show. I agree that Build has great momentum, but my problem with Build isn't the pacing so much as the plot itself.
With LvP, I don't deny at all that the show has been fillery the last few weeks, especially because this is a problem I have with every single sentai, where we start out great, then pad things out with filler, and I think how much we enjoy each show depends on how much we tolerate the filler. For example, I remember looking at the Shinkenger thread on the old site, and remember people specifically complaining about the filler, but it doesn't bother me as much in that show.
On the other hand, I imagine it bothers me more with Jetman and Timeranger (shows that I still like, by the way) than it does other people, since people put those shows in such high regard.
In the case of LvP, the filler bothers me way less than it does other people, but I still have my problems with the pacing of this show. I'm just surprised it bothers people enough to stop watching. Episode 11 was a mess, but besides that, I don't think the filler is that bad. This show is Breaking Bad compared to Kyuranger.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 15, 2018 16:49:24 GMT -5
LvP episode 13: I thought this was a pretty good episode. It's always good to get a female-centric episode, especially since we haven't had one in a while, and this is definitely an interesting sentai to do this kinda episode with, for obvious reasons. I still have my problems, but I'll get to that later. The Good: The best aspect of this episode is how much Umika gets to shine. I love the reveal that she went to the amusement park to get the plushy for her friend for when she comes back. I also love the flashback where we see Umika console her friend after she gets scared in the haunted house. I also love how she tries to do the same for Tsukasa. I love the fact that they took what could have been an obvious "Big sister, little sister" dynamic, and turned it on its head. You would think Tsukasa would be the one being protective of Umika, but it's the other way around. I also love the team-up henshin, and the fight with the Gangler in general. I both love and am disappointed by the part where Umika lets Tsukasa take that hit. I don't remember the last time SS made my jaw drop while watching an episode, if ever. It felt like such a bold thing to do, so the fact that it was a ruse was kinda disappointing, at least, the first time I watched this episode. On further viewings, I'm more okay with it because this is an episode about teamwork. I thought Umika was awesome in this episode. Tsukasa, on the other hand... The Bad: ...is still a disappointment. We get 2 Tsukasa-focus episodes, and they're both about her love of plushies. Again, I do think the gag is funny (especially how they pulled a reverse Ant-Man's daughter), but the Patrangers already feel like they're only here to be laughed at, and Tsukasa is still the weakest character in the show to me, so I wish we got to see her in an episode where she wasn't comedy relief. I wish more was done to put these 2 on equal footing, and show why Tsukasa is capable. I do appreciate that we see how determined she is to beat the Ganglers when she fights even though she's in pain, but I wish we got more. As curious as I was to see how they would handle Umika and Tsukasa being tied together, I refuse to believe that the same person that guessed that the Lupinrangers are the employees from Juror just from body language can't tell that Umika is Lupin Yellow when she's chained up to her. Also, when Tsukasa says they've already let too many people fall prey to the Ganglers, I agree with Marisa from the LvP Live Reactions on the Database Ranger channel that I would have liked for Umika to acknowledge that, because it would show to the Patrangers that they're not all bad, especially since this episode is about showing that the Lupinrangers and the Patrangers can work together, which I think is foreshadowing these 2 team's inevitable team-up. Last thing. The Gangler is fine, but her rivalry with Goche served no purpose to the story. Goche doesn't even care about her at all, and barely even acknowledges her. I know they're trying to play Goche as this cool character that's not bothered by anything, but it just makes her look emotionless and even more generic. Final thoughts: I thought this episode had its missed opportunities and its problems, but I still thought this was a really good episode, and I appreciated it more on repeat viewings. Next episode: These last few episodes have been filler. Good filler, but filler nonetheless. It's looking like we're gonna get back into the plot. It looks like it's a Keiichiro focus episode, and it looks like everyone is finally gonna get to meet Dogranio. Finally this guy does something. It looks like it could be a great episode, but we'll have to see. ^ Wow, episode 5 is a favorite in Japan as well! That's amazing! I actually think 3 and 5 are 2 of the best episode in the show so far, so I'm glad they're both the highest rated. I also appreciate that Touma wants to teach this kid a lesson about how he doesn't need the Lupin piece. I like the switcharoo he did with fake piece. Even though he's focused on getting Aya back, I appreciate that he's being patient with the kid. Touma could have easily have been cold towards him, and he wasn't. It goes to show that even though they're thieves, that doesn't mean they don't care about other people. The only thing I didn't like was everybody the story in the book was a fairy tale, even though Kogure said that Arsene Lupin knew the author, and even though the story had the exact same piece in it with the same power. Touma in the flashback not believing it's real is understandable, but all of the other Lupinrangers not believing it, even with all of the fantastical stuff that has happened to them of the last year, is ridiculous. Touma is the most calm and level-headed of the three. It made sense that he took the time to help Yuuki. The scene with the storybook was more to do with ordinary humans probably not being able to use the Lupin Collection items. I think it makes sense. I was just saying that I could see someone like Touma, probably because of his archetype, not being good with kids, so I appreciated that they did that. I liked this week's episode. I won't lie to you guys. I've been steadily losing interest in Lupin vs Pat. So much so that unlike Build where I pounce on the episode as soon as it's out I wait and watch when I feel like it. Actually, I'm the exact opposite. Neither show is as great as when they first came out, because I thought each show started out brilliantly. However, I've still been looking forward to LvP every week, but Build has been losing me ever since the representative battles. It's so disappointing, because I thought this show was so great when it came out, but now it's getting harder for me to muster up that desire and anticipation I used to have, and while I do watch it every week, it's only after putting it off until later in the week.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on May 6, 2018 21:22:09 GMT -5
LvP episode 12: I guess this episode really isn't anything that special, but compared to last week's, it's a masterpiece. This episode is simple, but solid, and that's okay sometimes. The Good: One of my favorite aspects of this episode is the flashback with Aya. I always appreciate it when e get the flashbacks with her because it helps to develop Touma. One thing I noticed was just how good the actress for Aya is. Even with such simple scenes, especially when you look at her facial movements, and in her eyes, you can see how much effort she's putting into them, and for this reason alone, I hope we get more flashbacks with her.
I thought the boy was an okay character. I liked the scene on the roof of the hospital with his friend. That scene kinda reminds me of Puella Magi Madoka Magica with Sayaka and her friend. I thought it was sweet. I also appreciate that Touma wants to teach this kid a lesson about how he doesn't need the Lupin piece. I like the switcharoo he did with fake piece. Even though he's focused on getting Aya back, I appreciate that he's being patient with the kid. Touma could have easily have been cold towards him, and he wasn't. It goes to show that even though they're thieves, that doesn't mean they don't care about other people.
I also appreciate the action, as usual. Rheannan, I might need another gif, because that jump-spin-shoot, or whatever you call it, that Kairi did off of that tree at 16:03 was freaking awesome. I also thought the monster this week, "Jenco Copamino!", was fun. Also, I liked the line from Umika, when Jenco asked who the Lupinrangers were, when she said, "You know exactly who we are." That was badass. I also liked the comedy in the episode, like when Kairi and Touma were trying to distract Jenco by praising him so that Umika can get the piece. The Bad: There isn't anything awful about the episode. It's just simple and by the numbers. The only thing I didn't like was everybody the story in the book was a fairy tale, even though Kogure said that Arsene Lupin knew the author, and even though the story had the exact same piece in it with the same power. Touma in the flashback not believing it's real is understandable, but all of the other Lupinrangers not believing it, even with all of the fantastical stuff that has happened to them of the last year, is ridiculous. Final thoughts: Of all of the LvP episodes so far, this felt the most like a conventional sentai episode. It's alright. Next episode: I know that over the past few years, there are people that were disappointed, at least in the sentais that had 2 female characters, that there weren't any episodes that were just about those 2 together, and I kinda agree. That's why I'm looking forward to this one. Getting a female duo episode would have already been cool enough, but we get the added bonus of the fact that it's in this show, and it's gonna be a Lupinranger Vs a Patranger, and that Umika has a secret identity, and that's gonna be interesting.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 25, 2018 21:59:19 GMT -5
LvP episode 11: I thought this episode was funny, but story-wise, it's the worst episode so far. The Good: Having the characters dress in different gender's clothes is cheap, but what made it funny was some of the character reactions. The look on Keiichiro's face when Sakuya (or should I say, Sakimi... nah, I'm sticking with Sakuya) had him against the wall was priceless. The "It's gone. They're real" thing reminds me of the "Something, Something, Nothing" gag from Magiranger, which I thought was one of the funniest realizations of that type of joke. I also appreciated Sakuya's story about why he wants to finish the movie and how he looks up to Keiichiro and Tsukasa (which, by the way, makes me wonder why Sakuya is ranked above her). I also appreciated the twist of the Gangler not being the director, but being the cameraman. I didn't see that coming. Well played. The Bad: The problem with this episode wasn't the idea of gender-flipping. The problem with this episode was that it served no purpose to the plot. Whenever you have any kind of episode where you change the physiology of one or some of the characters, you would think the story would be about the characters learning something either about themselves, or the creature, person, or gender they changed into, but none of that happened. Aside from Sakuya not being used to having boobs, there was absolutely no downside to the Patrangers from being different genders. I get that they want to let the Patrangers feel more professional, because if they were bumbling, it would have made them look stupid, because being a different gender shouldn't affect them being able to do their jobs that much, but it ultimately just felt pointless. Heck, Sakuya didn't even need to be a girl to tell that story.
In fact, I think there's a glaring missed opportunity here. In the episode where Sakuya admits that he joined the police just to get girls, he turns into a girl. You'd think this episode would be about him learning to appreciate girls more, but nope. The show does nothing with that. When Sakuya becomes a girl, he acts noticeably more girly, but Keiichiro and Tsukasa don't act any differently. There's a missed opportunity there, too. Male and female brain chemistry is slightly differently, and even a show like Fairly OddParents (when it was good) was able to mine that for comedy and character development. How would Keiichiro and Tsukasa's personality change from changing genders? That dynamic could have made for some good comedy, and it would be better comedy, because it would be character-based, and not just cross-dressing jokes or "different stuff" jokes, which did make me laugh, but like I said, even I can admit that it was a cheap laugh.
Also, in any episode where the main character or characters have to make some kind of video, you always show the video they made at the end of the episode. It's supposed to be a payoff. To not show it makes the whole episode feel pointless. Final thoughts: This episode was a disappointment, and kind of a mess. I enjoyed it, but I can't say it's objectively a good episode. I guess you can say it's a guilty pleasure. The Patrangers just feel like they're only here to be joke characters, and it's a shame, because for a few episodes, it felt like they were moving away from that. I'm wholeheartedly team Lupinranger, but that doesn't mean I want the show to make the Patrangers look incompetent to make the Lupinrangers look good. This show started genuinely brilliantly, and I'm surprised by how short of a time it took to get a misstep this big. I hope this isn't indicative of a drastic drop in the quality of the show. Next episode: It looks like a Touma-focus episode. The last one won this character over for me, but this episode doesn't look like much of a game-changer. It looks like we're in the part of the show where it starts to get filler-y until we get to the 6th ranger. Still, it doesn't look like a bad episode, but after these last 2 episodes, I'm sad to say, I'm not as excited for this one as I want to be.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 22, 2018 9:34:58 GMT -5
LvP episode 10: Not a bad episode, but disappointing, given the quality of the show. The Good: The best thing about this episode is Zamigo himself. I love how laid back he is. I even love the music that plays during the scene when Kairi first meets him. He just oozes calm, cool, and collected, and it helps mask how much of a threat he really is. I don't remember the last time I felt this much for a ranger during a fight. Knowing that if he gets hit even once he's dead made that such a tense fight, and one of my favorites of the show. Like I said before, I like the Scissors and Blade Dial Fighter. I like that Lupin Kaiser has the sword and shield, but Kairi uses a giant boomerang. It kinda reminds me of Deathryuger's weapon. The Bad: My main problem with this episode is this line: "It's okay. Kairi was on the same track as us. He didn't give up, and found a way to keep going." What? They finally found they guy who's responsible for killing their loved ones, and everyone is okay with Kairi fighting Zamigo only because he was the only one looking for him the whole episode? Yeah, but it's not like everyone else gave up either. Hell, it was Umika who tried to see if there were remains of the collection piece left, and it was her who thought of the fact that Goche didn't grow the monster after it was defeated. It was probably even Touma's idea to get Umika to tell the Patrangers that. It's not like Touma and Umika weren't being proactive. It felt like the show was trying to force an excuse for everyone to be okay with Kairi fighting Zamigo alone, and they didn't need to. I also don't get why the Lupinrangers think defeating Zamigo will bring back their loved ones. Even if that was true, how would they know that? I thought where they were going was that they want to defeat Zamigo for revenge. All of a sudden, he's their backup plan to save their loved ones if they can't trust Kogure? Why? I don't get it. Final thoughts: This is my second to least favorite episode of the show so far, second to episode 4. It had all of the setup to be a great episode, but weird ideas with the character motivations bring it down for me. Next episode: It's a gender-swap episode. I don't always care for when SS does cross-dressing jokes. I didn't care for it in ToQger, although, admittedly, I did find it funny in Dekaranger, so it's a coin flip. This could either be hilarious or terrible, and I can't tell which. I'm more inclined to want to believe that it will be funny, given this show's track record, but you never know.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 22, 2018 7:11:01 GMT -5
(Favorites) 1) Zeo 2) Wild Force 3) Turbo 4) Lightspeed Rescue 5) Jungle Fury
(Great) 6) Dino Thunder 7) Lost Galaxy 8) Time Force 9) In Space
(Good) 10) SPD 11) MMPR 12) Dino Charge
(Mediocre) 13) Ninja Steel 14) Mystic Force 15) Ninja Storm
(Dislike) 16) Megaforce 17) Samurai 18) RPM 19) Operation Overdrive
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 21, 2018 16:03:37 GMT -5
LvP episode 9: What do I even say? It's another brilliant episode. The Good: I don't know if I'm gonna have much to say here, because this episode speaks for itself. The best thing about this episode is the stuff with Kairi and Ema Goldini. We finally get what the deal is with Kairi and his brother. It's that he felt inferior to his overachieving brother. We don't see exactly what they were arguing about before his brother got frozen, but I think we're gonna get that another time. I like that the lesson isn't about Kairi learning something, but that he teaches Ema to not take her sister for granted. I also like that their conflict was about Ema not trusting Kairi when she finds out he's the thief.
I like that Kairi brings up the thing again about how it's bad enough that he has to do this to get his brother back. I hear people say that this show possibly glorifies being a thief, and I disagree with that, because the show makes it clear that the Lupinrangers didn't want to be in this situation, and that they don't like having to do this to get their loved ones back. I also hear people say that what the Lupinrangers are doing is for selfish reasons, and that's not the word I would use. Selfish implies that they don't care about anyone else, and it's clear that they do, especially when we see Kairi protect Ema, and lure Destra away. The word I would use is "personal". They're doing this for personal reasons.
The action is great, as usual. I don't think SS has ever done a fight in an elevator, and I kinda wish it was longer. I like the Scissors and Blade Dial Fighter. I like it better than Cyclone.
There's even some more good humor with Keiichiro running into Zamigo at the beginning, calling him a weirdo, and Kairi stealing the security guard's uniform. 9 episodes in, and there's not a single bad joke. How? The Bad: My only negative of the episode is that I don't like that we did the thing of making it look like the Lupin Collection piece was destroyed. It's the same kinda problem I had with the last episode: we know the piece isn't destroyed because then there wouldn't be a show. I wish this plotpoint was saved later in the show. Final thoughts: Other than that, this episode was pretty much perfect. Next episode: The Lupinrangers are finally gonna get introduced to Zamigo, and it looks like it's gonna be emotional. This show did a great job building him up, and I can't wait to see what his deal is.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 4, 2018 19:30:46 GMT -5
LvP episode 8: I'm still amazed by this show's track record, and even more amazed that it's an episode that I liked more on a second viewing, because it's usually the opposite. The Good: As usual with this show, there's barely anything to complain about (although I do have a negative), so this post is just gonna be me, yet again, essentially going through plotpoints in the episode and saying "I liked that."
This episode did make me appreciate Tsukasa more. It's weird, because I don't dislike her archetype, but she's so noticeably the weakest character in the show, and I think the problem I'm having with her is that this show is so good, especially with its characters, that I expected more from her, and I haven't really gotten it yet. However, this episode is a step in the right direction. While it's not a focus episode for her, I appreciate that it's her that figures out that the workers from Jurer are the Lupinrangers. I also appreciate that it's not played as too much of a joke that she suspects them, and that she's not looked at as an idiot when she's "proven wrong". Tsukasa is still my least favorite so far, and I hope another episode more focused on her will help flesh her out some more. You know what I think would help? Since Keiichiro has conflict with Lupin Red, and Sakuya has a crush on Umika, who we know is Lupin Yellow, I would love to see Tsukasa have some type of conflict with one of the Lupinrangers, maybe Lupin Blue.
The stuff with Jim was funny, although, oddly enough, I didn't think it was hilarious. I do like the joke with the 3 words, and I do think it was clever. However, my favorite thing from Jim in the whole episode is actually this one line: "Well, I'm talented at everything I do, you see!" The fact that he has an ego like that is funny to me.
I love the fact that Kogure is a master of disguise, and that he pulled a "Spencer". It's funny to me that I compare Kogure to Spencer, because as much as I don't like OO, Spencer is a way better character than his own sentai counterpart. As for Kogure, he's continuing to act suspicious. Knowing how sentai likes to pace things, I get the feeling that we're gonna get some big reveal about him relatively soon. I think it could be sometime around the 12 or 13 mark, 15 max, maybe. I don't think it's that he's Arsene Lupin. My theory is that he's a Gangler who fell off with Dogranio long ago, and he wants to use the Lupinrangers to steal the Lupin collection to get his revenge on Dogranio for some reason. I also think he's either working with Zamigo or using him. If we do get the reveal about Kogure, I suspect it would be just the Gangler thing. I don't think the other stuff will be revealed until later in the show, and even then, I think it will be revealed to the audience before it's revealed to any of the rangers. I'm not usually the theorizing kind of person, but that just came to me, and I wanted to put it out there.
I also find it interesting that there's no monster this week, something I only noticed on my 2nd viewing. Something else that didn't occur to me until I saw the Wikia page for this episode was that the Patrangers never transform in this episode. As for Goche, the show is setting up this thing with human experimentation. The show kinda plays it off as if she just does this for fun in her spare time, but it also feels like something that's gonna come back. This just occurred to me just now as I'm typing this, but could Zamigo freezing those people have something to with her experiments? Did he freeze those people for her, and if so, to what end? The Bad: The reason I liked this episode better on a rewatch is because there really isn't anything this episode did wrong storytelling-wise. I think for the most part, the storytelling in this show is just impeccable. However, the thing that made me lower on this episode the first time around was the fact that I don't love that they did this plotpoint of the Patrangers figuring out who the Lupinrangers are this early in the show. I knew that they weren't gonna figure it out now, so it felt like a waste of an episode. Someone on the Kissasian page for this episode left a comment along the lines of they would be annoyed if we went the whole show without any of them ever suspecting the people at Jurer. I guess that guy has a point. The only way I'm okay with them doing this is if they don't obnoxiously keep teasing the Patrangers almost figuring out who the Lupinrangers are over and over in the show. I also don't love that GoodStriker told Kairi that the Patrangers were on to them. This is the 2nd time that GoodStriker has conveniently moved the plot along (other than when he shows up out of nowhere when they need a mecha battle, which I'm actually okay with), and I don't really care for it, but I wouldn't know how to change it without either not making him sentient (which I wouldn't want), changing his motivation (which would probably have change how the rest of the show plays out), or just make him not do that (which wouldn't be in character given his motivation). This is why I'm not a writer, or even that good of a reviewer. I'm just saying what I feel. Final thoughts: Despite those problems, this is still a pretty good episode. It's not one of my personal favorites, but it's still really good. I don't remember the last time we've had a sentai where every episode felt as important to the overall plot of its show this early on as much as this sentai does, and I hope it keeps it up. Next episode: Now we're talking! We're finally gonna get Kairi's backstory episode. It looks like his brother was a basketball player. I can't really discern from the trailer what kind of conflict he had with his brother that made them argue, and it makes me that much more curious to find out. I can't wait.
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Post by Gokai Gaburincho on Apr 2, 2018 8:53:25 GMT -5
^ I think that's another flaw with the show. I love the idea of if even one of them is still alive, that person will still complete the mission, but the show hasn't really been consistent with it, like in episode 3 and this episode. Either it's an oversight, or maybe they felt like being consistent with that will make the Lupinrangers come off as too unlikable, which is understandable. I'm not complaining too much, though, because I like the fact that they care about each other, and it's a small problem to begin with.
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