Ultraman X Review

The next show on the Ultra kick is Ultraman X. Like Orb, this was a show I originally decided to check out earlier this year because some friends of mine kept raving about it. I had a lot of fun with it. Yeah I don't really have much to say beyond that. Lets get down to it, but first...Unite!

Premise: 15 years ago, a strange solar flare (dubbed the Ultra Flare) covered the earth and caused objects called Spark Dolls to come to life resulting in the appearance of giant monsters. At the same time, a young boy lost his parents in a freak accident caused by the flare. The organization Xio was created to deal with them the rising threat of monsters. During a monster attack, Xio officer Daichi Ozora gets caught in the path of a fireball and gains the power to turn into a being known as Ultraman X in order to combat the monsters.

Characters:

Daichi is a cool protagonist. He strives to actually understand the monsters and wonders if humanity can coexist with them. It was that drive for coexistence that caused him to dedicate himself to studying spark dolls. He also does this in order to make cyber monsters as a way of completing his father's work. He got kinda overzealous with studying them at one point and he not only fell into an aliens trap in one episode but he also ignored his own health in the process during another episode. He is so dedicated to understanding monsters that its revealed in episode 16 that he recreated their natural habitats as model sets for the Spark Dolls to live in so that they'd be happier. Thats a small detail and it only shows up in that episode but it really says a lot about Daichi.

Xio is a pretty neat team. I quite like the Three Musketeers angle with Asuna, Hayato, and Wataru. Those three get some pretty cool teamwork episodes together, usually when there are multiple enemies involved or X is out of commission. Episode 15 is a really good episode for Captain Kamiki because we see just how much his job has strained his relationship with his family due to it requiring him to put his duties at Xio before anything else. Lieutenant Tachibana gets an episode to herself and its pretty good. Like Kamiki she wrestles with her duties at Xio and worrying about her daughters. Its makes for a pretty cool parallel with Kamiki's episode due to how each of them ends up being able to handle the situation. I quite like how the vehicles are handled in this show. They basically just plug into one set of jet wings for different 3 configurations: The Sky Musketty (a jet formed by combing with a car called Athos), Land Musketty (a tank formed by combining with a truck called Porthos), and Space Musketty (a spaceship formed by combining with a van called Aramis). Its a really neat way to handle it because even tho only one vehicle can be plugged in at a time, it still gives their arsenal a nice variety of options. Plus it continues the Three Musketeers allusion since Hayato (Athos), Asuna (Porthos), and Wataru (Aramis) pilot them. The science team of Dr Gourmand, Rui, and Mamoru are fun and they provide a nice bit of comic relief. Rui's episode is pretty good since Alien Knackle praises her on her ability to build weapons but Rui immediately shuts him down by telling that she joined Xio to help people with her inventions. I would've liked to learn more about Mamoru and Gourmand but ah well, its to expected with a 22 episode show. Hayato also didn't really get an episode to himself so it feels a little odd to me since Asuna and Wataru got one (though you could argue that Wataru's episode sort of doubled as one for Hayato). I just would've like to learn more about him.

Effects: This section is probably gonna be shorter than my past reviews, mostly because I'm starting to sound like a broken record after covering R/B and Orb's effects. As usual the effects are good and everything is nicely detailed and the city destruction looks great during the fights. With that being said, unlike R/B and Orb there wasn't a simple effect that blew me away.

Action: The action is fantastic as usual. The fights have a lot of weight to them and they always manage to be interesting. The MonsArmor is a pretty cool touch and it makes X's action feel totally different compared to the other Ultra shows I've seen. Each armor changes how X has to fight and they give him a nice variety in regards to what he can do. If I had to pick my favorite MonsArmor, it'd either be Bemstar or Zetton since I tend to love defensive powers. The action gets even better when they eventually succeed in realizing Cyber Gomora so we get some sweet two-on-one and even some two-on-two fights. The Ultra cameos also add to this and there is a stellar three-on-one fight in episode14 that shows off Ginga and Victory really well.

Favorite Episode: 

Its a really tough call since I'm torn between the Gargoron episodes (episodes 6 and 7)  and episode 16 (as usual, I'm not counting the show's finale for this section because it would require spoilers). The Gargorgon episodes are a pretty intense two parter and they're a good example of the show's theme of coexistence and understanding. It was also the first time the show put this theme in the fore-front imo and it just kept emphasizing it from then on to the finale. Gargorgon in general is just really cool concept for a monster. This thing looks and feels like a force to be reckoned with. Basically the plot is that an amnesiac refugee from Planet Gold fled to Earth looking for a Spark Doll with enough power to stop Gargorgon. Everyone is afraid and suspicious of him because they think he is initially trying to invade Earth. Gargorgon finds its way to Earth and the refugee has to team up with X and Xio in order to stop it.

Episode 16 is one of the most unique episodes I've seen in toku in general and its one I'd absolutely love to see something like it happen again. The whole thing feels like an episode of Cops. Its basically a tv crew getting permission to follow Xio around for a day, get interviews, and giving civilians a look inside their day-to-day operations. The whole on-the-ground feel works fantastically. On top of that, it manages to be plot relevant too. I've never seen an episode of toku that feels quite like this one.

Final Thoughts: It handles its theme of trying to coexist and understand each other rather well. Its got some pretty meaty episodes with some punch to them that encapsulate that theme perfectly. I legitimately felt sad in episode 19 when it looked like they might actually have to kill Gomora. I find it funny that even though Exceed X gets its power from a rainbow, it somehow has the darkest color palette of any Ultra I've seen so far, barring Belial of course. The defense team and dogfighting kind of threw me off briefly because the most recent Ultras I had binged prior were R/B and Orb. I had gotten used to a smaller cast and a more personal style of Ultraman story. I didn't expect to see so many Ultra cameos in this show but they were welcome additions. My personal favorite cameo was the Nexus episode because I'm a big fan of Ultraman Nexus in general. I geeked out when that good ol' Nexus bgm played and the music started swelling during the fight. It was also good seeing Komon's actor so long after seeing Nexus itself. Overall, its a solid show even if it doesn't quite hit R/B or Orb levels for me.

Ultraman Orb Review: Lighting The Dark Night

I'm on an Ultra kick after binging all of Ultraman R/B in only a few days so I've decided to go back to the New Gen Ultra shows I started but never finished. First up: Ultraman Orb. I originally started watching Orb earlier this year because a friend of mine was raving about it and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I should note this review is only going to cover the series itself, not Orb Origin Saga or the Orb movie. Also, I will probably have to spoil some stuff in this review. Without further adieu...Fusion Up!

Premise: A wanderer arrives in town inside a refrigerator truck. Soon the town is besieged by tornados seemingly caused by a mysterious giant bird. A group of friends investigating these occurrences get caught up in a monster attack and are saved by a strange giant. The giant is revealed to be the wanderer, Gai Kurenai, and from then on he protects the town from various monster attacks.

Characters:

Gai Kurenai is a wanderer initially unable to stay in one place as he travels the world fighting monsters. This is mostly because he lost someone he cared about in a battle. He blamed himself for it and started drifting from place to place to avoid getting attached to people again. Gai kind of feels like a lone cowboy to me with the way he enters to save the day complete with that awesome yet sad harmonica tune. Even his musical cues make him feel like he stepped right out of a western. I'm actually rather curious if Gai is an homage to Kaiketsu Zubat because I kept getting a similar vibe from him here and there. Thunder Breaster's arc leading straight into Orb Origin's debut was the perfect choice. The entire time we get to see Gai struggling with the fact that Juggler might be right about him. It basically sums up Gai as a whole while being perfectly touching once he truly accepts himself. I'll be going into more detail in the favorite episode section.

The SSP are basically a group of friends (Jetta, Naomi, and Shin) who investigate stories of seemingly supernatural/alien events for their website. They're a pretty fun group and they play off each other rather well. Naomi is the leader of the group and tends to work other jobs to keep the group funded since their website doesn't exactly bring in the money. She started the group due to strange dreams about a giant of light she had as a child. I can't get into the specifics around her because it requires a rather large spoiler that I'd really rather let people experience on their own. I'll just say that she effectively becomes Gai's rock. Jetta is the driver and camera guy. Jetta starts out as if he is just in it for the scoops and potential popularity but episodes 3 and 9 show he is doing it because at his core he really wants to help people. Shin is the tech guy and a self-proclaimed genius. The Galactron episodes reveal his dream is to basically build robots that help people and thats why he is always trying to discover new things.

Ittetsu Shibukawa is a member of the show's actual investigation/defense team VTOL and he is Naomi's uncle. He worries about the SSP when they do their own investigations and he'll accompany them when he can just to make sure nothing happens. He tends to get played for comedy for the most part and he works well for that but episode 18 is a really good episode for him that shows off his skills as an investigator and as a fighter. Its a rather touching episode that centers around his daughter thinking he is useless and then getting to see him in action when she falls into an alien's plot. Its was a surprisingly tense episode overall and it kind of gave me Dekaranger vibes.

Villains:

Jugglus Juggler (I absolutely love that name) is just plain creepy. I'm not kidding, when I say that the dude kinda scares me. From his choice of words to his mannerisms and movements, the dude sends a chill up my spine. Every single thing he does is to attempt to prove that Gai isn't the hero he says he is. He took great joy in seeing Gai go berserk when he was forced to use Thunder Breaster for the first time. It really felt like Juggler might have been right about them being the same in the Galactron episodes. Him saying that takes on a whole new meaning by the time the final episode rolls around. Takaya Aoyagi plays the role really well and gives every single line the right amount of menace while getting across a hint of underlying sadness. His exasperation and frustration at always losing to Gai somehow makes him seem even scarier.

Favorite Episodes: 

There will be some spoilers in this section. This is going to be cheating a bit but I'm picking episodes 11,12, and 14-17. These six episodes cover Thunder Breaster's debut, the Galactron episodes, and run right into Orb Origin's debut so they basically feel like one big multipart episode to me (I didn't include episode 13 because its a clip show). Its the main arc of the show and one of the hardest hitting stories of desperation that I've seen in toku. Gai's desperation hits a heartbreaking point starting from Thunder Breaster's debut. The Galactron episodes just push that knife in deeper when he goes nuts again from Thunder Breaster's power to the point where Naomi ends up in the hospital. He legitimately begins to question if Juggler is right about the darkness inside him and even begins to think that his very presence is causing the people around him to suffer. Its a pretty heartbreaking moment and it straight up lasts until Naomi tells him that she believes in him and to stop blaming himself. I was on the verge of tears by that point and Gai breaking down after finding a picture of the person he thought he lost and finding out what actually happened to her was enough to break me. Its a great moment because thanks to Naomi, that guilt gets lifted off his shoulders and he is finally able to accept himself for both the good and bad. Its a fantastic arc that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time from the sense of dread around Thunder Breaster to the hopeful acceptance that is Orb Origin.

Effects: The effects are top notch as is to be expected from this franchise and the sets are fantastic. The model cities are insanely detailed. They even added in the sound of car alarms when Orb gets slammed into the ground and its brief but the cars' lights go on and off. The city destruction during a few episodes is mesmerizing to look at, particularly in Thunder Breaster's initial episodes before Gai gets a handle on its power. One of my favorite simple practical effects in the show is from episode 18. Bemular slams Orb into the ground and the street under him just shatters. It was such a beautifully done effect that I had to rewatch that shot a few times. It completely sold the weight of that impact.

Action: The kaiju action is pretty good as usual and the show gives them the appropriate heavy feeling needed to make them work. The fusion angle gives Orb a nice variety of powers and abilities. The show keeps every fight interesting whether its the monster of the week or Orb using his powers in cool and unexpected ways in the early episodes, like having Specium Zeperion make a polished shield of light to reflect a strong laser or using Burnmite's explosions to snuff out a fireball. Thunder Breaster's early fights give a great sense of dread given the sheer amount of power that form has. Orb Origin's elemental abilities are pretty cool. The ground level fights between Gai and Juggler are great. They're pretty energetic and nicely choreographed.

Final Thoughts: My favorite line in the show is from episode 15..."You can't snuff out the darkness. You have to embrace it and shine within it. So no matter where you look, there will be no darkness". It sums up the Thunder Breaster arc pretty well as well as Orb's theme as a whole. It also puts a new angle on Gai and Juggler's relationship. Everyone has darkness inside them, its all a question of whether or not you let it consume you. In the end, Juggler was actually right about him and Gai being the same, just not in the way he thought. I also really like the message behind the episode "Imposter Blues". Its rather fitting that Orb Origin's bgm is a cheerier sounding version of the harmonica tune. That tune sounds so sweet yet sad when played normally so hearing a cheerier version of it alone made it feel like Gai had overcome what was holding him back. Orb Origin is a pretty neat take on the idea of an ultimate form since its not technically an upgrade, its actually Orb's original form. Overall, Ultraman Orb is a pretty good show. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. I'd also say its a pretty good entry point if you're new to Ultraman as you don't need to know much about the past Ultras that show up as cards.

Mirai Sentai Timeranger Review

Imma go ahead and give my verdict on the show right here because I kind of somewhat have to go into some spoilers to talk about these characters: I enjoyed this show a lot and I can't recommend it enough. Its got engrossing drama and great characters all around. Without further adieu...Go over time and space!

The show opens with a group of Time Protection Bureau cadets being given orientation in the 30th century. While this is happening, a mafia boss (Don Dolnero) is being transported to the building's cryo-prison. Dolnero and his crew stage an escape and actually tricks the TPB into accidentally sending him back in time to the 20th century. Four of the cadets are assigned to chase after him in order to keep him from changing the past. They run into a man from the 20th century and enlist him to help them track down Don Dolnero.

Characters: This cast is pretty good and all of them are compelling characters in one way or another. Their actors also give great performances all around. Its a tough call to pick who my favorite character is.

• Tatsuya/TimeRed: Tatsuya is pretty cool. He comes from a rich family but gets very noticeably uncomfortable around his father and in his interactions with his family's rich associates at a party in one episode. He tends to be light-hearted and jovial. His plot basically involves trying to get out of his family's shadow and live his own life as his own person and not who his father wants him to be. Masaru Nagai really captures Tatsuya's drive to prove there is more to him than just the name Asami as well as his frustrations with his father. 
• Ayase/TimeBlue: Ayase is the calm and collected type. He dreamed of being a racer but had to give up his dream when he was diagnosed with an incurable disease known as Osiris Syndrome. His plotline basically involves him dealing with this and living his life while a lot of his focus episodes end up dealing with death in different ways. Due to this disease, he developed a relatively reckless streak shown early in the show to the point of willingly throwing himself in front of an enemy's attack because he thinks the danger doesn't matter because is basically living on borrowed time anyway. Ayase's episodes are usually pretty nice and tense with his best episodes being episodes 39 and 40. Yuji Kido manages to play him to the point where he is very stoic but also manages to get across the idea that dying is always in the back of Ayase's mind.
• Domon/TimeYellow: Domon is the team's easy-going strong guy with some pretty cool goofy and serious moments. Shuhei Izumi plays this role really well and gives him a very nice amount of likeability. He starts out really relatable in his first focus episode because its revealed he is homesick and is pretty freaked out at first at the idea of them being stuck in the past. Beyond that, his plotline revolves around him falling for a reporter while grappling with the fact that he will eventually have to leave her behind and return to the future. Needless to say, his best episodes are the episodes dealing with his romance with Honami. Surprisingly, this is the plotline I was the most invested in. I'm usually not a fan of the "will they, won't they" romance trope but Timeranger did it really well.
• Sion/TimeGreen: Sion is the smartest member of the team and the tech guy. He is a Hubbardian and the last of his kind. He was raised in a lab so a lot of his episodes involve trying to find his place both on the team and in the world. I like Sion well enough and Masahiro Kuranuki does a good job in the role but his episodes are probably the weakest in the show. Aside from his first focus episode and episode 21, something about his episodes just makes them not hit the way they should. They're not bad as there isn't an episode of this show that I dislike, something about them just feels off.
• Yuuri/TimePink: Yuuri is a tough as nails detective from the Anti-Mafia police division. She starts out really cold and distant at first but the other Timerangers manage to keep her grounded. Her dramatic episodes tend revolve around her having lost her family to Don Dolnero as a child and her drive to beat the Londerz in hopes of recapturing them. The show brings up how this drive is her main reason for living a few times and it gets heart-wrenching near the end of the show. Mika Katsumura plays the role well and brings the right amount of seriousness to her character while capturing the pain of losing her family.
• Naoto/TimeFire: Naoto is Tatsuya's friend from college. He is basically Tatsuya but coming from the opposite direction in life. He tends to be more serious and cynical compared to Tatsuya. Shinji Kasahara plays the role really well and captures Naoto's cynical nature perfectly as well as his thirst for power. He is introduced late in the show but it works perfectly because by that point, we already know who exactly Tatsuya is and so the contrast between the two comes across without needing much establishing on Naoto's part.

Timeranger does something really neat with Tatsuya and Naoto's relationship and it honestly fascinates me. Tatsuya and Naoto are essentially after the same thing, they want to carve out their own futures with their own hands. This is even reflected in their suit designs. TimeRed and TimeFire have similar suits and its really fitting because even their suits tell you about their personalities. Tatsuya has arguably always had the power to forge his own path, he just needed the other Timerangers to open the path for him. He also approaches serious situations with jokes and laughter hence the white highlights on his chest and the silver bands on his gloves and boots. Meanwhile, Naoto has always known the path he wanted to take but didn't have the power to open that path until he became TimeFire. Due to this, he tends to be more serious and cynical than Tatsuya hence the black highlights on his chest, the black bands on his gloves and boots, and his edgier visor. Maybe I'm overthinking it and this whole thing may have been unintentional on the writer's/designer's part but either way it adds a whole new layer to the show.

Villains:

The villains are pretty cool. The Londerz are pretty interesting group imo because their main motivation isn't actually conquest, they just want to make money. Well thats Dolnero and Lila's deal anyway, Gien however is pretty messed up and he has thing for destruction. Dolnero is a lot deeper of a character than I was expecting and its pretty much all tied into his relationship with Gien. Dolnero feels like he owes Gien so much because its his fault that Gien is the way he is now. That reveal kinda puts the episode where he turns on an old friend of his for interfering with the family into a new light. Lila loves buying expensive things and is usually seen going on shopping sprees. The series treats her as if she just hangs around Dolnero for the money but near the end she reveals that she kind of would've liked him even without the money. I'm not going to spoil it here but Gien is pretty tragic. I legitimately felt bad for the guy after finding out how he met Dolnero and what he went through. The Londerz goal of making money is a neat thing about the show imo because instead of going into each episode wondering what powerful foe the Timerangers had to overcome, I went in intrigued as to what the Londerz racket was going to be and how the Timerangers were going to bust it up. It managed to make even the petty criminal Londerz memorable.

Favorite Episode: Given how the show is structured, I actually have a few contenders so I'm going to split them up. First, episodes I think stand pretty well on there own: Battle Casino and Deathmatch City. Battle Casino plays out like an episode from a cop show and I love it. Basically a dude a goes missing after going to an underground fight club prompting his wife to hire the Tatsuya and the others to investigate his disappearance. The rest of the episode plays out like a classic cop show sting operation. The action for this episode handled really well and its cool seeing Tatsuya go toe-to-toe with fighters in the club out-of-suit because all of them are played by suit actors. Deathmatch City is basically the start of Domon and Honami's subplot. It centers around a Londerz basically forcing a city's population to beat each other for an experiment with the intent to escalate things to what would have been likely more fatal outcomes. The whole episode is pretty tense and scary. It feels straight up like a horror movie and I felt bad when Honami got in the way during the episode when the Timerangers have a plan to stop the Londerz early on. Even without the subplot starting there, its a pretty solid episode with some great atmosphere. 

My favorite episodes overall however hands down are episode 39 (A Lie Soaked In Rain) and episode 40 (Ayase Retires!?) as they are Ayase's best episodes in the show. It gets to the heart of who Ayase is, where he stands in regards to his disease, and how he views what time he has left. I won't go much into spoilers for those two episodes but I will say they are the best written episodes in the show. As soon as I finished these episodes, I immediately wanted to rewatch them (which I did shortly after finishing the show itself). They're so good that Ayase is probably my favorite Blue because of them. They're actually on my list of favorite episodes in all of Sentai.

Music: The music in this show is pretty great. The opening theme has this ominous epic feel to it. As soon as it starts you get the vibe that you're in for a grand adventure that will decide the fate of the world. The ending theme is pretty good and its got some nice energy to it. Its actually a more addictive song for me than the opening theme. The episodes Battle Casino and Pink Temptation feature a nice saxophone cover of the ending theme during their montages.

Mecha: I like TimeRobo and the show makes it feel cool. Its a pretty nice looking mecha and it even has 3 seperate modes. Timerobo Alpha is meant for melee combat with its sword and shield combo, Beta is designed specifically for long range combat, and Jet Gamma is built for speed and maneuverability. Having these modes gives the main mecha a nice degree of variety and utility. I wish the franchise would do another mecha like this.

TimeShadow is pretty cool and I quite liked its introduction episodes. Its debut in the show is pretty ominous. Its got this cool summoning scene where it basically bathes the world in a solar eclipse then flies out of the moon. I just really wish it got more time to shine by itself. Sadly, only a few episodes after its debut, it gets relegated to being add-on parts for Time Robo for the most part. It does get some more use as a solo mecha in the last handful of episodes but thats about it.

V-Rex is nice. I love its design and it fights like a wild best before Naoto takes control of it. Its robot mode is pretty cool and its interesting that for the most part like Dragon Caeser and Delta Mega, Naoto does not need to be inside the robot to control it since its operated by his voice. Thats actually a pretty good Achilles heel for it too since a Londerz manages to take control of it by copying Naoto's voice and stealing his brace. It has a surprising variety in the number of weapons it uses. Its got the fangs and tail in Rex Mode and blaster, missile launchers, and a rocket punch in Robot Mode.

Final Thoughts: Timeranger is a weird case for me because while Domon and Honami's romance is my favorite plotline, Domon is not my favorite character. Its a tough call but if I had to choose, I'd say Ayase gets that award, with episodes 39 and 40 being the reason. I wasn't actually expecting the show itself to confirm that Domon and Honami had a kid. I might have to rewatch Gokaiger's Timeranger tribute to see if it hits any differently. Masaru Nagai plays a dual role later in the show but I like the show so much that all I'm gonna say is that he is able to play two vastly different personalities really well. A neat little aspect about the show that I didn't catch until the 40s is that for the most part each episode is dated in-show with the date the episode aired (minus the multi-parters). Overall the show well written, well acted, and I enjoyed it a lot. Note: I didn't talk about the suits because the review was getting kind of long and I plan on covering them in the 2000's Sentai suit post.

Denji Sentai Megaranger Review

Another of the 90's Sentai. I went in knowing this was gonna be really episodic and I'd heard a lot of praise for this show. It was well worth my time and I ended up having a lot of fun with it. Yeah I really don't have much to say for the introduction. So lets get down to business...Install Megaranger!

The show opens up with  high school student Kenta Date playing a video game in an arcade called Megaranger. After showing off his skill at the game, he is approached by INET to assist with their research project. Meanwhile 4 of his classmates show up to find out more about INET just as Nezirejia launches its first attack. Having no other choice, Dr. Kubota hands them their Digitizers so they can become the Megarangers.

Characters: I like this team a lot. The main five are one of the most believable groups of friends I've ever seen. Sure they all have their differences but they still mesh well together. It really helps that their personalities don't really conflict to the point where I can't buy them being friends.

• Kenta/MegaRed: Kenta is a love-able goofball while being a bit reckless. I quite like that he isn't as tech-savy or as smart as the other members of the team. He can be a bit lazy but he has a big heart and will fight tooth and nail for his friends. He is also pretty driven to make up for his failings when he screws up in battle. A great episode for him is the one where Gurail tricked him into injuring a kid mid-fight.
• Kouichiro/MegaBlack: Koichirou is the leader of the team and the one who takes being a Megaranger most seriously. He pretty much keeps his teammates on their toes and tries to make sure they're training. He can be a little uptight at times and there are one or two episodes where the main message is that he needs to chill out and relax. He also tends to overdo his role as leader a bit and in an early episode, he outright blames himself for the team falling into a trap. Episode 16 in particular shows a rather vulnerable side to him.
• Shun/MegaBlue: Shun is the smartest one on the team. He is usually pretty calm and collected while being quick to react and figure out some of the science behind Nezirejia's plans in a few instances. A prime example of his intelligence is the episode where he comes with a trap within a trap to throw off the Nezirangers. He is also kinda oblivious to Miku's feelings for him.
• Chisato/MegaYellow: Chisato is more serious and mature compared to Miku and she is probably the most resourceful team member next to Shun. She is smart and able to think on her feet, especially when she has to risk revealing her identity to stop the MOTW or save someone. Her dream is to be professional photographer and the show actually shows her dabbling into that hobby a few times. She and Miku feel like they're the closest out of the whole group of friends. She has some pretty cool focus episodes.
• Miku/MegaPink: Miku is adorably upbeat most of the time while being goofy like Kenta. She is without a doubt one of the kindest characters I've seen so far. I liked her so much that Shun being oblivious to her feelings kinda made me a bit sad. Its a tough call but Miku is probably my favorite character in the show. Her best episode is the Super Miku episode cuz Chisato helps talk her through her insecurities and short-comings so she feels like less of a burden on the team.
• Yusaku/MegaSilver: Yusaku is a goofball. When he first showed up, he felt a lot like an older more tech-savy Kenta. He tends to do stuff behind his boss' back in order to do projects that will help out the team. Despite being the oldest and a researcher for INET, he acts just like the Kenta and Miku. Its a pretty cool dynamic and he feels right at home on the team. The suit's time limit after his debut was a good way to use him effectively and I do like that you actually get to see him fix it.

Dr. Kubota is easily one of my favorite mentors, if not my overall favorite mentor. He is wound a little too tightly at times but he is constantly sticking up for the kids and believing in them. He even hopped into Galaxy Mega in an early episode when it was close to being destroyed just to show the higher ups how important it was that the kids be the ones allowed to pilot it. He showed that he really cared for them and understood that they had their own lives to live to the point of not wanting to disturb Kouichiro and Chisato's entrance exams unless he absolutely had to. Yusaku makes his job harder by doing projects behind his back but he does genuinely appreciate the guy's work in helping the team so long as he can stay on task. I think a lot of his concerns about Yusaku doing that comes from the seeming death of his friend Samejima who he failed to stop from transporting himself into the Nezire dimension (he finds out later what really happened to the guy).

Villains:

The Nezirejia villains have some nice presence and style to them. They have one of the best debuts I've seen in Sentai. In the first episode, they manage to absolutely decimate INET's earth base forcing them to flee into space. That introduction felt like something you'd see in a series finale. Their plans over the course of the series have this insane level of danger to them. The designs for the main three Nezirejia villains are pretty good. Dr Hinelar has this mad scientist vibe and an otherworldly look to him and the actor (Tetsuo Morishita) gives him quite a lot presence and that hairstyle is absolutely splendid. He also has a large ego and a lot of ambition and the actor portrays that rather well. He was originally one of Kubota's friends while working at INET and he defected to Nejirezia because he felt like he wasn't given his due. He also really despises Kubota because INET chose Kubota's project over his own. The final episode adds something that says quite a lot about his character and adds a whole new level to his relationship to Shiborena. I'm not going to spoil it in this review because man its a doozy. Its not mentioned in the show but given his righteous fury and malice toward Gurail for using Yugande like a tool, I wouldn't be surprised if he has the same sentimental attachment to him that he has with Shiborena. Yugande has this neat wire-frame look to him and he is a pretty good power-house villain. I think its pretty cool that he upgrades himself after being the times he takes the Megarangers on himself. Its a good way to keep him feeling like a threat. He is also extremely loyal to Dr Hinelar. Shiborena's armor looks great and has some nice detail to it. The shade of blue is pretty nice. Her plans always seemed to have this mind control component to them. Like Yugande, she is extremely loyal to Dr Hinelar.

Gurail is a powerhouse, really sadistic, and deliciously evil. I don't really have much to say about him other than him bringing a nice amount of threat to the show. He is basically brought in by King Javious because Hinelar and the others are taking too long to take the Megaranger's out of the picture conquer earth. He also carries out King Javious' will but mostly he is there for world building. His appearance also leads to a stronger breed of Nezire beasts being created.

The Nezirangers are nice and intimidating. They're pretty powerful villains while also being nicely dysfunctional as a group. They are sadistic and have tunnel vision when it comes to fighting their specific Megaranger. The best part about this is the second the Megaranger's realize this, they immediately start hammering on this weakpoint. Its a nice instance of them having to out-think an opponent as opposed to simply over-powering them. NeziPink and NeziYellow actively took pot-shots at each other in one episode and the rest of the team felt nothing when NeziPink and NeziBlue were destroyed. I love it so much and its a good example of Hinelar's ego and arrogance being carried over to his creations since they are made in his image. They see each other purely as a means to an end. Despite them being so monstrous, I legitimately felt bad for them when they found out they were gonna die. It takes a lot for a show to make me feel that way about monstrous characters like them.

Favorite Episode: My favorite episode is episode 16, the aptly named "Very Bad! Will We Die?". The basic plot of the episode is that Moth Nezire is sent out to spread powder that places a moth shaped mark on people when it touches them. Those with the mark will die within 24 hours and naturally all 5 of them get hit by it. While Kenta, Shun, and Miku decide to try to live out their dreams in the one day they have left, Kouichiro and Chisato desperately try to find the cure. Over the course of doing their things, those 3 run across people around town going on about their plans for the next day while noticing that every one of them have the mark. It dawns on them that if they don't do something, more people will die. The desperation on Kouichiro and Chisato's side hits when they're having no luck on finding a cure and Kouichiro breaks down looking at a picture of his family. The resulting fight against the monster is the most tense fight in the show imo because not only is it a race against time, the suits stop functioning because they're dying. They fight tooth and nail despite that. Its a great episode and its the first time that it really sunk in for me that at the end of the day, they're still kids while at the same time the episode proves that they have what it takes to be heroes. I was close to tears throughout this episode. This kind of thing is the reason I watch superhero stuff. Even though I knew they'd obviously survive and win the day, this episode was so effective that it actually made me think they might not survive. This episode is a prime example of why I like this team so much. It is easily one of my favorite episodes in all of Sentai.

Mecha: This review is already getting kind of long so I'll just talk about the mecha briefly. Galaxy Mega is pretty cool. Its a nice starting mecha for the show and there is an early episode thats a good example of how much the team needs it. Delta Mega is a nice solo robot that gets a surprising amount of use even after it becomes able to combine with Galaxy Mega. Its operated entirely by pumping Kenta's voice through the Battle Riser. Voice controls are just a cool control scheme imo. Now with that being said, my favorite mecha in the show is probably Mega Voyager since its episodes are extremely tense. Its a pretty cool 5-part mecha housed in a base on the moon. Its powerhouse and its debut really ramps up the steaks since its made pretty clear that the Megarangers might not stand a chance without from here on out. MegaSilver has his own mecha called the MegaWinger. Its an alright mecha but it shows up kind of late and its pretty much stated in its debut that it exists to combine with Mega Voyager. This is mainly just done by passing its glider wings to Mega Voyager. I would've like to see more of what it could do on its own.

Music: The music is pretty good. The opening is nice and energetic. It really helped build up the hype for every episode. I couldn't help but get up and dance while singing along with the song. The ending theme is a nice closer to each episode. Its pretty mellow while at the same time sounding uplifting. It pops up throughout the show a lot because a slowed down instrumental version is used for the slower more dramatic scenes and it sets the mood for scenes pretty well.

Final Thoughts: Without a doubt, my favorite part of this show is the high school setting. Seeing these kids try to balance their school lives with being Megarangers was fun and the high school angle had me pretty interested. It actually showed the consequences of them having to fight, especially the episode where Kouichiro and Chisato had to choose between their entrance exams and saving the civilians. Seeing them miss their exams because of Nezirejia made me tear up. The show kept making that dynamic clear and it helped reinforce that they still had their own lives to live after being Megarangers. All of that is in addition to them having to keep their identities a secret even from the villains of the show. Oh boy does it hard when that shoe drops in the final few episodes. Its one of the most crushing moments in Sentai for me because the villains do not hesitate to destroy their personal lives when they find out and I felt just as bad as the characters did. The episodic nature of the show made for some really great and memorable moments while also making it easy to binge. The final 2 episodes made me tear up and it hands down one of my benchmarks for how to do a mecha fight as well as probably being my favorite finale in all of Sentai. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this show and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. Note: I didn't cover the suits here because I already gave my thoughts about them in the 90's Sentai suit post and the review was already rather long.

Ultraman R/B Review

I decided to check this show out on a whim not long ago because I thought it would be a fun distraction. I ended up getting a lot more out of this show than I was expecting to and I had a lot of fun with it. I tend not binge shows these days to avoid burnout but this show had me hooked pretty early on. I ended up watching four episodes a day instead of my usual two a day. Without further adieu...Color me with your power, R/B!

Premise: Ayaka City is a peaceful city funded by a mega corporation called Aizen Tech. On the 15th anniversary of their mother's disappearance, a monster appears while two brothers are investigating strange vibrations. The brothers, Katsumi and Isami Minato, are saved from certain death by the R/B Gyros and granted the power to become Ultraman Rosso and Ultraman Blu. From then on they protect their city from monsters that seem to be popping up mysteriously.

Characters: The main characters are the Minato family consisting of: Katsumi, Isami, Asahi, and their father Ushio. Their mother, Mio Minato, mysteriously disappeared 15 years ago. They still run the clothing store they ran back when she was around. The whole family overall is pretty likeable. Katsumi and Isami play off each other well and their bickering is pretty believable. Katsumi tends to be more serious and careful, always looking out for Isami and taking his role as older brother seriously. Isami is pretty smart and carefree while being able to think quickly in an emergency. Asahi is wonderfully upbeat and is always striving to keep Katsumi and Isami from fighting too much while bringing them back together when they storm off. I kinda see her as the glue holding the family together. Ushio plays the goofy dad pretty well and cares deeply for his children. He also gets a pretty good and touching episode to himself. Not gonna lie, I would totally buy his gag shirts cuz I like weird stuff like that. While they have moved on, her disappearance does tend to weigh on Katsumi, Isami, and Ushio from time to time. Asahi has this whole other thing going on with her but I'm not really gonna get into it cuz it would result in me giving away a big spoiler.

Villains:

Makoto Aizen is a joy to watch on-screen. The dude is pretty much a quirky tech genius as well as being a massive fan of Ultraman Orb. He can be rather overzealous in his views of what an Ultraman should be and how they should act. He isn't actually evil, he just has misguided views on Ultras and goes overboard. In fact, the dude is so misguided that he managed to twist the power of the Orb Origin crystal to the point where it made him into a dark version of Orb. He goes so far that he will prioritize taking down a monster over protecting the city and even people. Dude causes a lot of collateral damage in his fights. He also kinda likes to use Ayaka City to play out his little hero fantasy. Motoki Fukami plays the role well and its amazing how fast he can go from quirky and eccentric to dead serious and scary. He also gets pretty hammy in his introduction and I love him for it. Seriously, Aizen is practically made of  ham before he reveals what his deal is.

Saki Mitsurugi is such a great villain. In fact, her story is so good that I'm going to do my best not to spoil a big revelation about her. She is cold, distant, and unattached due to the pain of losing someone close to her. She is completely driven by this pain and is willing to do anything to fulfill a vow she made to the ones she lost. Her actress (Ayane Kinoshita) perfectly portrays the sense of desperation and callousness that the character needs to work while also giving her that nice amount of humanity when her facade cracks to make her seem more real and complex. Its usually really hard for me to like villains like her since some tend to just ignore the human aspects of pain and loss and just what they can drive a person to do. While Aizen is the quirky fun villain, Saki is pretty much the serious driven villain who is fundamentally broken as a person.

Favorite Episode: 

Aside from the endgame stuff (not talking about that because it delves into stuff I don't want to spoil), my favorite episodes are episodes 10, 11, and 12. Its where the show has a major shakeup and the stakes just get higher after these episodes. These are pretty top notch episodes and they introduce a new monster to the franchise that quickly became a favorite of mine: Horoboros. Horobos straight up feels like a force of nature and its design is fantastic. They way it fights just feels me with so much joy, its like a watching a wild animal ruthlessly hunting its prey. It completely wipes the floor with the Minato brothers and Aizen at one point during this arc. It makes the brothers finally overcoming it feel so amazing. I finished these episodes before watching Horobos' episode in Ultraman Z so I was really hyped to see this monster again.

Effects: As is the usual with Ultra shows, the effects are pretty good. All the miniatures are fantastically detailed as is expected from Tsuburaya. One episode features a really good effect where a sinkhole appears in the model city and the roads crumbled so well that I was kinda of awestruck and had to rewatch it three times. The show also has them interact with the model sets a lot and its pretty cool each time it happens. Whether its pole-vaulting over a building for a drop kick, ripping a tree out of the ground to smack a monster, or even Aizen washing his hands in a lake mid-fight, it all looks fantastic.

Action: Since there are two Ultras from the get-go, just about every fight is a two-on-one fight. It leads to some pretty cool combo moves between the two brothers. The show manages to keep the action nice and tense each episode despite the two-on-one odds. Some fights even feel unwinnable if only one of them is fighting. The show handles the elemental aspects of Rosso and Blu's powers rather well. The powers work differently depending on which brother is using which crystal. It leads to a nice variety of abilities between the two so they don't feel same-y despite the crystal swapping. It also lets them use some sweet looking combo attacks.

Final Thoughts: The show is rather small scale in terms of the setting with each episode taking place in this one city making it feel comfortable and cozy. At the end of the day, Ultraman R/B is a story about family and it handles that theme really well right down to the bickering and arguments. Like I said in the introduction, I wasn't expecting this show to draw me in the way it did. I also wasn't expecting it to go as deep as it did with the villains. I was legitimately crying by the time the final episode came around because I didn't want it to end. Overall, its a pretty solid and well made show with a lot of love poured into it. My only complaint is that the crystals being themed after Ultramen doesn't really come up in the show but thats a pretty minor complaint and the Ultras chosen for each crystal were nice choices. If you haven't seen yet, I recommend it. I'm hesitant to rank this show at the moment because at the time of this post, I've only finished Ultraman 1996, Ultraman Nexus, and this as far as this franchise goes.

Ultraman 1966 Review

I'm going to approach this a little differently compared to my other reviews. This is because its purely an episodic MOTW show with no overarching plot so you can pretty much pick up any episode after the first episode and not be lost. Due to this, I'm mostly going to go over the premise, my favorite character, the effects, and episodes that stood out to me.

Premise: SSSP officer Shin Hayata is sent to track two odd glowing spheres flying over Lake Ryugamori. While trying to keep up with them, the red sphere collides with his plane, killing him. The being known as Ultraman merges with him, bringing him back to life and grants him a device that will allow him to turn into the being in order to fight monsters.

Favorite character: 

The main cast is perfectly fine and they play their roles rather well but due to the nature of the show, they don't get a lot of development. Hayata is probably the least developed imo but its not that big a deal given the show is sort of being a scifi anthology with kaiju fights. My favorite character is definitely Mitsuhiro Ide. He pretty much steals the show for me and his actor (Masanari Nihei) gives the best performance out of all of them. He is the team's scientist as well as the comic relief in certain episodes while also managing to give a good dramatic performance in other episodes. The episode "My Home Is Earth" has the man's best performance in the entire show.

Effects: The effects hold up pretty well all things considered. Very few of them look out of date and even the kaiju suits look pretty good. The miniatures are fantastic and pretty realistically detailed. There are a lot of varied sets and the show makes great use of them. Given the time the show was made in, it goes without saying that every single major effect in this show that can be done practically is done practically. They aren't even afraid to light a really expensive looking model city on fire in a few episodes. The only effect that doesn't hold up imo is the side-view of the Jet Vtol flying but thats mostly because its a rather simple looking model and it looks better from an overhead-view so I'm not really gonna hold that against the show.

Favorite Episodes: There really isn't a single episode I dislike as most run the gambit between pretty good to ok for me. Whether its the episode scenarios or the kaiju themselves, there is always something at the very least interesting about each episode. The kaiju fights are handled pretty well and the kaiju all have some pretty interesting and memorable designs. Every episode is pretty much self-contained so you can really jump in anywhere imo. Here are some of the ones that stood out to me.

Episode 2: Shoot the Invaders!

This episode is great because of how well it presents the Baltans and they are its main strength. The plot of the episode is that the Baltans show up to invade colonize Earth after their planet was destroyed by their own dependence on nuclear energy. They have this mysterious and unsettling vibe to them. It makes them feel appropriately alien, creepy, and really dangerous. They feel like alien ninjas to me and they honestly kind of scare me. They're pretty much my favorite monster in the show and potentially my favorite out of the whole franchise. I was so glad to see them return in episode 16.

Episode 12: Cry of the Mummy

I love this episode a lot. Its pretty heart-wrenching and tragic. Basically the plot of this episode is that a group of archaeologists dig up a mummy and it wakes up and goes on a rampage. Once Mummy Man dies, that causes Dodongo to wake up and goes on a rampage forcing Ultraman to put it down. This episode stood out to me because its ending pretty much outright says that killing those two was not a good thing because it was humanity's fault they woke it up. The kaiju fight doesn't even have that triumphant feeling to it. Dodongo's defeat had me holding back tears precisely because the episode focuses on the tragedy of it having to die by lingering on its death wails and it doesn't even explode.

Episodes 26 and 27: The Monster Highness

The Monster Highness is the only two parter episode in the show and its pretty cool. The plot is basically that a scientist wants to capture a live Gomorasaurus and bring it to Japan as an expo exhibit. They put it to sleep so they can capture it and transport it. The anesthetic wears off along the way allowing Gomora to escape and it goes on a rampage. What makes Gomora so great in these episodes is that its a normally docile monster that ends up being a powerhouse and it even manages to beat Ultraman in its first fight. The rematch is pretty brutal because Ultraman is quite literally ripping Gomora apart. Its not as tragic and sad feeling as Cry of the Mummy as this whole episode has the "Don't poke the giant multi-ton bear" vibe to it due to the sheer scale of damage Gomora does.

Final Thoughts: Its a pretty solid episodic scifi show. It holds up pretty well as far as I'm concerned. It was cool seeing Ultraman's look get more refined over the course of the show. The type A helmet (episodes 1-13) made him look kind of creepy given how roughly it was sculpted so I was glad to see them switch to a smoother one. They also made the suit look more muscular as the show progressed. Like I said earlier, pretty much every episode is self-contained, even the final episode, so you can jump around the show if you feel like it and not worry about feeling lost. Overall, I really do recommend the show if you want some good old episodic kaiju/scifi fun.

Sentai Suits Through The Ages: The 90's

The 80's were a pretty strong decade for suit designs so now lets move on to the 90's.

Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman:

The big Vs going across the torso look pretty cool and without them the design might be a little too simple. The yellow highlights work well on all five suits. Its also really rare to see them on a yellow suit as normally they'd be replaced with black so they can be seen more easily. The helmets look nice and I like each one has its own emblem on the forehead. The white stripes going down the middle looks good alongside their respective colors. Its a nice touch and it keeps the helmets from simply being one solid color. Red's has a nice little extra bit of flair since his stripe enters the visor of his helmet. It even ends in a little arrow that matches the shape of his visor. I like the segmented visors but I kinda think they went overboard on Yellow and Pink's. They don't look bad per say, more so that they are segmented in a way that looks unnatural given with the visors' shapes. The yellow bands looks good on the white gloves and boots. Overall while not one of the first designs I think of when it comes to this decade, its a perfectly fine design.

Chojin Sentai Jetman:

The bird insignia on the chest looks pretty cool and I love how it wraps around the shoulders. The helmets on all 5 suits look pretty cool and they get the bird motif across really well. They also sort of complete the bird insignia on the chest. The silver mouthpieces look alright on each helmet. The yellow highlights on every Jetman besides Yellow Owl look pretty good with all their main colors. In Yellow Owl's case the highlights are black and they were rather well with the his color. Blue Swallow marks the first time that this shade of blue has been used and it works well with her overall design. The white portions of the suits work well for the ones that they're on. I think they look pretty good and compliment their main colors rather well. I think they look the best on Blue Swallow as there is just something about how that shade of blue mixes with the white and the accompanying yellow highlights. Its probably because its a nice light shade of blue as opposed to all the standard blues the franchise has had before now. It makes the suit feel like it has this sort of shimmer to it. Due to white being her main color, the bits on White Swan's chest and legs are pink instead. The bird emblem on the belts is the icing on top of these designs. Overall these suits are one of my favorites of this decade and Blue Swallow is probably my fav design on this team.

Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger:

They're rather simple but pretty distinct. The white diamond pattern on the main five's chests looks pretty good. The diamond patterns on their boots and gloves are a nice contrast to that since its in their main colors. The white trim on PteraRanger's skirt is a nice touch.The Dino Bucklers on the belts really ties the main five's suits together. The sculpting on all six helmets is great and there is a nice amount of detail on them. I particularly like the sculpting on MammothRanger's trunk/tusks and TigerRanger's fangs. MammothRanger's trunk even goes into his visor. PteraRanger's helmet looks nice thanks to the mixture of white and pink. Most of her helmet is actually white and I love it because it give the pink portion a sort domino mask or faceplate-esque look. Her Pteradon head even extends down into her visor. Its notable because unlike PteraRanger and MammothRanger, the other four's visors are the mouths of their dinosaurs. DragonRanger's suit looks cool. Its a tweaked Zyuranger suit obviously which is to be expected because its a sixth ranger suit after all. His gloves and boots have gold bands on them and a spike pattern instead of a diamond pattern. The chestplate looks cool and the center replicates the diamond that the other Zyuranger's have. The gold on the suit makes the green pop really well and the gold Dino Buckler brings his look together.

Gosei Sentai Dairanger:

The helmets get their mythical beasts across nicely. All six stand out pretty well and I think my favorite helmet might be RyuRanger's due to how well the black on the forehead works with the gold and red. The silver mouthplates look cool and each one has a slightly different design. I think HououRanger's mouthplate looks the best and works with her phoenix motif since it resembles a bird's beak. The white torso on the main five's suits balance out their colors really well. It really captures the martial artist look and gives the suits a very classic vibe. The white bands with gold outlines on the boots and gloves look cool and that color combo really makes their main colors pop. The gold trim on HououRanger's skirt is a nice touch. I particularly like the Dairanger emblem because of how well it uses all 5's colors and its neat that it looks a little bit like a fist. Kibaranger's suit is cool cuz its just a Dairanger suit with a chestplate added. The gold and black works well on the chestplate and I like the emblem in the center but I do think its a little too big. The gold bands on the boots and gloves being outlined in black looks pretty good and all the gold in his suit in general really makes the white pop.

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger:

The suits look exactly how you'd expect a ninja team to look. They're pretty much a perfect example of the "less is more" approach and there is a lot of beauty in that. The gold headbands look pretty cool on all 5 suits and each one has a different symbol on it. The gold belts on Red, Blue, Black, and White work well with their colors. NinjaBlue is a nice light shade of blue which is interesting as its the only time that I know of that a male blue ranger has used that shade. Yellow and Black's suits probably make the best use of the black and white bands on the gloves and boots out of the whole team. For Yellow, its probably because the bands match his belt and it completes his look rather well. The V's on the torso work well to break up the simple design. The black around the necks is a nice touch and I especially like that the tips of the V's are gold (well black in Yellow's case).

Choriki Sentai Ohranger:

The suits have this ancient vibe to them. The helmets look alright and the visors on the main five look good outlined in white. The sculpted mouth-pieces matching each one's respective colors is cool and it kind of reminds me of those Easter Island statues. The weathered gold on the main five's torsos looks pretty good and there is quite a lot of detail on that portion. It looks almost like its engraved metal even tho its still spandex. The gold bands compliment the white gloves and boots rather well as does the white neckline on the torso. The gold trim on Pink and Yellow's skirts is a nice touch. KingRanger's suit looks the best to me, mostly cuz its an Ohranger suit with extra gold armor added to it. The sculpting on his chestplate is great and there is some nice detail in there. His visor looks good outlined in gold. The white gloves and boots really compliment the black spandex and gold armor. The gold belts on all 6 suits look pretty cool and even include all of their shape symbols.

Gekisou Sentai Carranger:

Ignore White Racer for the moment as I couldn't find a decent looking pic without her and hers isn't really a suit per say. These suits look pretty stellar and I love the car panel designs going down the sides. The helmets capture the car motif pretty well and the chrome molding around the visors looks amazing. The helmets even have headlights on them and I just find that to be really cool touch on top of the chrome molding. The sculpted silver mouth pieces look pretty cool when paired with the chrome molding and they look like they're almost sunken into the helmets. The yellow around the neck and on the chest pairs well with the black surrounding them. The black bands on the gloves and boots look good and contrasts nicely with the white. I like that the Carranger emblem is a patch on the arms as opposed to a patch on the chest as it doesn't distract from the rest of the torsos' design. The headlight belt buckle really ties these suits together nicely.

Denji Sentai Megaranger:

These suits are pretty sleek and stylish while being just simple enough. The white on the main five suits helps their main colors pop really well and the white gloves and boots look cool. The yellow around the neck is interesting as you don't usually see that on a team with a Yellow on it. The main five's suits also have little squares going across the white stripe on the chest that match all five of their colors. Its a rather neat detail and it looks better than it would to have them all simply incorporated into an emblem. The white highlights on the main five's helmets work well with their colors and look pretty cool with the silver mouthplates. This Sentai marks the first introduction of a Silver. The gold highlights on the suit look great alongside the silver. His suit includes gold bands that look pretty good alongside his gloves and boots. The green squares look pretty good on the gold stripe going across his chest and if you look closer, they have this sort of wire-frame pattern on them. Its a rather cool and fitting small detail since in-show the suit is a prototype. The glass domes on all six helmets look pretty cool and make them look hi-tech. The domes can actually light up as well which is a really cool touch. The Megaranger emblem on the helmets and belts is a neat detail and it helps bring the overall look together.

Seijuu Sentai Gingaman:

The sculpting on all 5 helmets looks pretty cool and they show off their animals rather well. GingaRed's helmet has these cool looking yellow streaks to match GingaLion's mane. Its a nice touch and it looks pretty good with the red. The silver portions on the other four's helmets look pretty good and the silver works well with their colors. The animal eyes on top of the visors is a nice touch and they make the visors look like wide open animal mouths. The silver mouthpieces look pretty good and the way they're sculpted gives the helmets this tribal war mask vibe. The tribal pattern on the chest, arms, and boots looks pretty good. These suits have the best color balancing I've seen so far. The white portions of the suits are used in a way that perfectly balances out their main colors without overpowering them. Other suits so far have done that too but its more noticeable on these suits for me. The white portion on the chest look like tunics which fits pretty well with the tribal aesthetic. The black tribal patterns really make all 5 colors pop. Overall, its a pretty stellar look.

Kyuukyuu Sentai GogoV:

These look pretty dynamic while being rather sleek and streamlined. The white portions on the torso look cool and work well with their main colors. They also really make all 5 colors pop. None of the colors on any suit overpower the others. I like how their visors are each shaped like a badge belonging to each sibling's profession. Yellow's visor actually makes his helmet look a little slimmer than the others. Maybe its because the visor is kind of square-ish and the bottom corners lineup with where it slopes into the jawline. The gold belt looks good and a nice small detail is that the team's emblem isn't just on the belt, its also on the gloves and boots. The emblem being blue really compliments the gold surrounding it. The gold bands look pretty good paired with the white gloves and boots.

Man this decade sure loved gold highlights/accents. Half of the suits in this decade have them in some capacity. If I had to pick my favorite suits out of this decade, it'd be either Jetman or Dairanger. With that being said, I think Carranger has the best helmets this decade. Overall, its another pretty solid decade for Sentai designs. You may have noticed Ninjaman, Signalman, Hyuuga, and a few others are missing, I'll be covering those and any others that I miss in this series in a later post once I'm caught up to the present.