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.