Vamola! Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger: First Impressions and Thoughts (By Thomas Ledbetter/Ozu)

                           

          So, after watching the Raw of the first episode of Jyuden Sentai Kyoryuger...I have to legitimately say I was not expecting to like it as much as I do. Just so you know, before the series aired, I thought this show was just going to be a flashy bad comedy filled show with no depth or characterization. So far, it is hard to tell if that will be the case, but if this premiere episode is just like the best 45 or so episodes, I think it will be nothing like any of my past anticipations for this show. So, to put it blunt...I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!

So, to start off with, I absolutely love the theme song "Vamola! Kyoryuger!". It has a lot of energy to it and really represents the show well in its style and, quite frankly, its awesomeness.

                           

I also really like the Devoss Army so far, especially the menacingly awesome Hundred-Faced Priest, Chaos. I also like the Zorima foot soldiers as well, even though they look somewhat silly. I will say though that I like that the Devoss Army is attacking all parts of the world right off the bat, including America! There are even some people that talk in the scenes in America. YES! FINALLY! Toei will be avenged for what Saban did to Shinkenger!!!! xD xD xD

Anyways, I also love the chemistry everyone on the team has with each other, especially in the restaurant that Amy Yuuzuki, KyoryuPink, works at. It's a funny scene, but since I still don't know much about what they said because I cannot understand Japanese well, I will leave my comment at that.

I think the place where I have the most praise is in its theme and style. Somewhat like Go-Busters, they are going somewhat on the Kamen Rider side, the biggest similar series for me being like Kamen Rider OOO, which is my favorite KR series. I say this because this WOULD be a mistake, but for Kyoryuger, it is NOT a mistake. The mistake that Go-Busters made was incorporating too much of Kamen Rider to the point where it didn't feel like Sentai anymore. In Kyoryuger however, they put slight elements of Kamen Rider in like the type of Henshin for example. The thing that Kyoryuger does right though is also add traditional Super Sentai elements into the mix as well. It brings the uniqueness of Kamen Rider into the mix, but it doesn't over-abuse it like Go-Busters did, and having that makes the series both traditional and unique all at the same time, which gives a nice flare to the series's style as whole.

                          

Speaking of traditional Super Sentai elements, Kyoryuger brought back the eyecatches between the commercials, which they have not done since Tensou Sentai Goseiger in 2010. They are also using katakana for the text for the episode names instead of kanji which they haven't done in a while with a Sentai series. 

                           

They are also bringing back the mentor who turns into a ranger, with Torin turning into KyoryuGold (which we will probably see later in the series), which we haven't had since Doggie Kruger as DekaMaster in Dekaranger and Hikaru/Sungel as MagiShine in Magiranger. It's also nice to see the more standard roll call back like we had in other Sentai series in the past. I also love that for the mecha, they aren't using nearly as much CGI as they have been using in other series, and it works much better for the giant robot fight scenes. I think going back to Sentai's roots while also bringing unique elements is what the kids truly wanted that they didn't get with Go-Busters; they wanted a middleground, and I think this one is the perfect middleground for both the western fans of Tokusatsu and the little ones in Japan.

Another element of Kyoryuger I like is the designs of all the suits and arsenal. I think the GabuRevolver and the GaburiCalibur have some great style to them with both organic and mechanical detailing that give them a unique flare to them. I can also say that I absolutely love the designs of the suit, especially with the simple but effective design on both the chest and the helmet. I also like the scaling pattern used for the arm sleeves of the suits, which looks more dino-esque, but still resembles the gray sleeves used for the Hurricanger suits in 2002.

                        

I also really like the fighting style of the show as well, especially with the huge attacks used with the GabuRevolver, the GaburiCalibur, and the combination of the two weapons, the GaburiCannon. I would like to give loads to credit to Koichi Sakamoto, who directed the fight scenes. His work on Kamen Rider Fourze was astonishingly good, so its nice to have him part of this series to spice the scenes up a bit, especially with that finishing blast from KyoryuRed:

                        

This next part is the biggest surprise for me; The Ending Theme. Usually, I hate the ending theme because it is either too silly (ex: Go-Onger) or too GOD AWFULLY ANNOYING (ex: Magiranger, Abaranger, Dekaranger, etc.), but this ending theme surprises me. It's energetic, but not so much so to where it annoys me to the ends of the earth. It also has a nice Hawaiian beat to it and it really soothing but awesome at the same time.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I just really like the cast, they fit the role they play very very well, which is just fine with me. And besides, KyoryuPink is BEAST!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

The more and more I see her, the more and more I fall in love! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

All in all, I now have really high hopes for Kyoryuger! The action is great, the style is great, the designs are great, the characters are great! Everything is great, and I will be following this series all the way! Toei, DON'T SCREW THIS UP! Thanks. xD xD xD