#they would all balance each other out really well i think...Yamato clearly loves playing ''the sole remaining braincell'' in a group

[mokutone]

OMG ok so sorry for the spam but ur ART!!!,!!,!:&: yamato n kakashi r two of my fav characters and i NEVER see any yamatos fans like this 😭 u draw yama so fuckin well ima cry yo

but like seriously ur art is SO GOOD and so so so cute i LOVE the way u draw all the characters so much! i havent stalked ur whole blog yet (doin that after i submit this Lmfaooo) but i hope to see iruka in ur style sumtime!

idk who u ship in naruto yet lol so im curious do u ship yamakaka or kakaruka?? ima cry if u do cus that means ur beautiful style is gonna draw those beautiful babiessshdksk but obviously no worries if not LOL my bad for this super weird message tho im sleep deprived but also so so happy over ur art. thank u for existing :,-) <3

thank you!!! i’m glad you like my art so much! i’ve drawn a couple irukas then that you might like! (and i plan to draw more, he’s very fun to draw, and i’ve got a strong vision of him sdkghdskgh, the only reason he doesn’t come up much is bc this is mostly a yamato centric blog and he and iruka haven’t interacted much yet) I’m honestly not a very shippy person! Most of the stuff I have on my blog is very platonic and focused on friendship and/or found family dynamics, because that’s the kind of content I like and am interested in creating! That said, i don’t dislike those ships, they can be very well done! I’m just incredibly picky about what kinds of content I consume and how the relationships within it are portrayed. A lot of romantic content tends to drop the platonic bonds, or relegate them to lesser importance, and i don’t care for that much—my ideal content is honestly “casefic” or mission-fic. i want the drama...the intrigue...the bonding, but with professionalism and difficult decisions...also i like plots that feel dangerous and high stakes...

[amisbro]

If UtaPri had/gets a 5th season...

What would it look like? So this is a question I have thought about for a while because of the fact that I think a lot of people (Myself included) believe there is more of a story to tell in the world of UtaPri.  I think with enough time we could get a very interesting idea for a season and honestly I think WHATEVER this project we got coming up actually IS could be an interesting testing ground for something. Let me explain

So if we think about how Season 4 ended it seemed rather definitive.  Like the way that message was wrote made you believe ,to a degree, that the series had ended as far as an Anime project.  Then we got the end card AFTER that and that kind of made things turn on its head cos no one knew what that was supposed to be until 6th stage happened right? One thing that always stands out to me is the fact that Season 4 was a bit of a mess and I say that in the most objective and neutral way possible because...when you have an Anime that is based on a Manga we typically get a story based around that in some fashion.  It might not be panel for panel and word for word but we get one and that is always fun to see how certain scenes get animated for sure.  When you do an Anime based on an Otome game you almost always do whomever is considered the “true route” or just leave it open ended so people will want to play the games (which is what I think DiaLovers did when it had its run). UtaPri has a very interesting situation because the series DOES have an idol component (and the Anime made sure to really focus on that mostly) but it is also an Otome game so the studio (A-1 Pictures) had that to work off of for the most part.  The problem is that when they were done with the material they DID USE it created a problem because Season 4 was a mess if I am being as objective as possible about it. So here was the problem You had 3 groups in play here STARISH QUARTET NIGHT HEAVENS Forget whom your group was for a second...this was going to be a problem because 2 of the 3 groups had content that was used in the first 3 seasons but Season 4 was going to be a problem.  How this would have been remedied I have no fucking idea!  Like if Broccoli knew they were going to do this season they needed to get something out BEFORE IT so people would have had something to go off of for HEAVENS so we could have had 7 episodes that made sense instead of episodes where it felt like they didn’t know how to have the HEAVENS member that was being featured in it not look like a complete ass!  If we are honest this is what happened and its frustrating to remember One of the biggest issues with the season was that you had a group that HAD been Antags during Season 2.  I said HAD because I genuinely believe that the marching orders for A-1 was to write a season where STARISH was still THE focus but HEAVENS could be rehabbed into a group that was more “likable/marketable” so when the time came to sell CDs and merch that they would fly off the shelves and could be a contender to at least QN if not both them and STARISH.  As we saw during the Oricon charts it was a puzzling time because the duet CDs sold like garbage in the sense that only TWO our the 7 actually charted in the top 10 Ren/Van - Lovely Eyes Syo/Yamato - Justice Impulse This was the most puzzling thing I ever dealt with because I tried to figure out WHY and to this day the best thing I could come up with is the fact that the CD releases were slated to come 10 days after the episode aired which seemed like the dumbest thing to do (IMHO) because when I looked at Season 3 all of the releases charted in the top 10 and a big reason for that was the gap between CD/Episode was only 4 days...well we got to QN and HEAVENS’ CDs they did VERY WELL in Season 4 and its because of how close they released them (I think) to the episodes...funny how that works! What was really weird also was during the “Duet Project” episodes the writers didn’t know WHO to make the focus of the episodes and that was weird BUT ,looking back on it, this whole season was gonna be weird because of how quickly the season was coming in the turnaround vs. its normal time for a season.  Typically a UtaPri season gets a 2 year window and this time they were going under that...about a year and 4 months so this was going to cause a crunch and also a mess of a message as to what the writers wanted to do!  I personally believe that the writers wanted to make HEAVENS all the more sympathetic and they were able to get SOME of the backstories in that they could for certain characters but a few others (Nagi and Eiichi for example) “kind of” tried to show you the “why they were acting the way they were” but it felt (at least Internationally) that the episodes didn’t register or if they did not as well as they hoped.  I do wonder if a big reason that the content is as out of sorts in terms of balance for HEAVENS vs. the other two groups is because of how jacked up that season got.  I genuinely wish I could sit down and discuss that season with someone that was in the room when they were given the orders on how that season was supposed to go vs. what actually happened after the fact! So this brings me back to the “What would a 5th Season look like if we got/get one in the future?” The weird thing is I think A-1 already knows but they have to get the reference materials FIRST before they start writing it.  I genuinely think they saw/heard about what happened Internationally when it came to the “NEXT DOOR” saga and they didn’t want to see that happen again so NOW they want to work on these projects to get the idea other there right now that all the groups are separated as first we have STARISH and then no doubt QN but the big question of course is HEAVENS...can they do a concert with them at some point with hopefully more songs under their belt OR will Broccoli start to really consider them a lost cause and that the fandom just doesn’t want them.  You can only go with the “Round peg/Square Hole” philosophy so much before people get mad and don’t want to deal with the series (or at the very least HEAVENS) anymore. The other big issue is HEAVENS’ role in Dolce Vita because, As of this writing, we still don’t know ANYTHING about that game...like we don’t know if its a straight up VN or is there going to be something similar to the original La Corda back in the day which ,fun fact time, had Kishou and Mamo in it.  Like if anyone would know how a game like that worked it would be them (And they ARE in the new game “Starlight Orchestra” btw) so they HAVE to have had given some input about how the mechanics worked and all that...right?! (Oh and unrelated but Kishou’s original character in Len Tsukimori is a special character in that game.  He was unlocked through a campaign we had in that fandom a bit ago) So again...what would Season 5 look like? Well my guess is that it would have to be a STARISH/HEAVENS season again but with new duets unlike last time.  The other possibility (And I think they were teasing this at the end of Season 4) is that it would somehow be a HEAVENS/QN season which could be interesting especially if they did something like how Season 2 was probably supposed to go...and in a way didn’t because of how the story worked. The thing is its been almost 5 years since we had a proper season...FIVE! Let’s assume that the “Anime Project” as we know it is over alright?  STARISH and QN’s brand is already established so what do you use to help HEAVENS’ get on the same level?  That’s a big reason why I don’t think they could/should end the “Anime Proper” because to do that you literally would be cutting off a way to properly market a group that actually needs it vs. the groups that clearly don’t.  I won’t go so far as to say that the STARISH/QN Animated concerts are going to be “Vanity Projects” because they aren’t.  They are clearly something that Broccoli believed in as far as a project to do for the series BUT I will say that having 7th Stage so close to this project is a bit...weird?! Like okay to be fair this probably was planned well in advance and the Pandemic fucked everything up because it was supposed to be announced at 7th stage in 2020...okay cool fine but let’s say it was right?  What stopped them from revealing it at 10th Anniversary when it would have been a bigger “Holy Shit” moment?  What was really so important that they had to do EVERYTHING ELSE and not that?  Just seemed weird to me. But anyways HOLY SHIT did we go around the block here...I need to stop If you were going to script out a proper 5th season when would you do it and how?  The thing to remember is we have a 3 group scenario and now HEAVENS is trying to become an even better group to finally beat STARISH and QN so do you have QN and HEAVENS do a thing together or do you do a 3 cour season where each is dedicated to a particular group? Love to hear your answers on this and take care

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

DMC Oneshot: Prove It

Dante makes fun of Vergil, but when Lady dares him to try... can he really best Vergil at something like this?

This was a collab I worked on with @kusodart ( @vergil-is-so-hot  ). I wrote the fic and she made the lovely art to go with it. Thanks Koko for the beautiful, beautiful art you made to go with this fun fic. It makes my heart so happy. ❤️❤️❤️

Prove It:

Dante was already a few drinks in when he brought up something Vergil knew was about to lead his younger brother into teasing him endlessly.

“Did you know,” he drawled, leaning over his glass of whiskey, looking straight into the eyes of Lady—who was sitting across from him nursing her first glass. “When we were kids, Vergil took… ballet.” He could hardly contain himself. Here we go. Vergil frowned, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. Dante was wheezing, trying to play it cool to gauge Lady’s reaction by taking a sip of his whiskey, but he only ended up spluttering on the fiery drink, trying to contain his laughter. “Ballet!” He said again.

Vergil glanced over at where Lady sat, her hand on her glass, her eyes following Dante’s movements, and then turning to meet Vergil’s gaze. She smiled softly, taking a sip of her drink. “Hmm. I think it suits you, Vergil,” she said, “Ballet is a difficult dance.”

“It’s…. ballet,” Dante emphasized the word once more, “Don’t you think that’s hilarious?”

“I think you couldn’t even come close to being able to do it,” Lady huffed, “I took one month of ballet when I was very little, and it was very complex even for that age group. I think you tease Vergil because you know you could never beat him at something like this.”

“Please,” Dante snorted, downing his drink. “I can dance.”

“I didn’t say dance,” Lady said, crossing her arms. “I said ballet.”

There was a moment of quiet. Vergil felt warmth in his heart at Lady’s words. He had fully expected that she would have laughed, and then brushed the topic aside. But… was she defending him? What a strange thing… after everything that he’d done to them, after all the hurt he’d caused her…. She was defending him.

Dante scoffed, pouring himself another glass of whiskey, “Puh-lease,” he said, “I don’t need to prove myself.”

“Are you worried your skillset isn’t compatible with ballet, Dante?” Vergil asked.

“Is that a challenge, Vergil? You know I’m a quick learner. You know if I really wanted to I could do ballet, easy peasy.”

“Prove it,” Lady said, taking the last sip of her drink.

“Wha—”

“I said,” she glanced over the rim of her glass, eyes glinting like steel, “Prove it.” She set the glass down hard at her words, and Dante hesitated, blue eyes flicking between his brother and their friend.

He let out a low laugh, and then shrugged his shoulders, “Why not? After all, if Vergil can do it…”

Vergil felt a twinge of delight at the prospect that his brother was about to try something impossible, and he would get to witness him fail miserably.

⁂

“Are you serious? I have to wear this?” Dante groaned from the bathroom. Vergil tried to hide his smile, but Lady met his eyes and she saw it, he could tell by the way her lips turned up in a soft smile of her own.

“If you don’t wear the proper attire you fail,” Vergil said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the sofa.

“Come on, Dante,” Lady purred, crossing one leg over her knee. “Don’t keep us waiting. Or is it too hard for you?”

“Do you admit defeat, Dante?”

There was a moment of quiet before the bathroom door slammed open, and Dante stood in full ballet attire: white leotard under pale tights, and of course Vergil’s ballet slippers.

“I hope you’re satisfied,” he said, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms. Lady put a hand over her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

“No, I’m not,” Vergil said, “You haven’t danced yet.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting to that.” Dante waved his hand, “Putting on the … dance belt… thing… was the worst part. And why does it have to be a thong anyways? Whose idea was that?”

“Are you going to dance or not, Dante?” Lady snickered, taking another sip of whiskey.

“FiNE.” The younger of the two brothers took a breath and then raised his hands. He had seen Vergil dance ballet enough times that he was pretty sure he could replicate the dance well enough. This was called a pirouette right? He spun, leg outstretched. It was sloppy. His balance was off. Maybe it was the multiple shots of whiskey.

“Hmm…” Lady mused, finishing off her drink and standing. “Something’s missing.”

Before Dante knew what was happening, his record player was blasting Christmas music—was that The Nutcracker?—and he was stumbling through dance moves that he thought were maybe… close enough to be ballet…

Lady couldn’t hide her laughter, clutching her stomach, tears at the corners of her eyes. Vergil was smirking, arms crossed. He felt a laugh tickling at the edge of his throat. Perfect. Dante looked as ridiculous as he thought he might under the circumstances. The younger of the twins attempted to do a pirouette once more, but tripped on his own ballet slippers, stumbling, trying to catch himself on his desk but he ended up falling hard to the floor.

Lady wiped her eyes, still trying to quell her laughter. Dante groaned. “I’m done…” he mumbled, closing his eyes, not moving from where he had fallen onto the floor. Vergil smirked, straightening his coat as he stood, crossing the room to stand over Dante. He put his hands on his knees as he leaned over close.

“I’ve bested you, Dante,” he smirked, “Say it.”

Dante groaned again, “Can’t a man in ballet shoes rest in peace, Verge?”

“Say it.” Vergil insisted.

“Fine, only if you let me sleep. You’ve bested me at ballet. Fine thing to be bested at.” He shook his head, and then lay still. Vergil stood up straight. Victory at last.

Lady wiped more tears from her eyes, “Let him sleep it off,” she said, standing and turning off the blaring ballet music. She turned and met Vergil’s eyes across the room, in a moment of quiet.  

“I didn’t know you danced,” she whispered, studying him with a small smile. “Do you know anything else besides ballet?”

Vergil glanced back down at his younger brother, who was now clearly passed out, sleeping off the alcohol. And then he glanced back up at Lady. “I would offer you a demonstration, but I’d need a partner.”

Lady held out her hand, “I could fill that position for you…”

Vergil’s lips twitched, turning up into a small, warm smile. He crossed the room to her, but instead of taking her hand he carefully selected a record and set it to play. A soft, slow song spilled from the speakers, and Vergil held out his hand.

Lady’s heart skipped a beat. She took in a breath and set her hand in his. His palm was warm, rough with callouses from holding tight to the Yamato. He raised her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles—something she wasn’t expecting at all—before he gently pulled her close, resting his free hand on her hip.

Vergil, Dante’s brother… she had admired him since she had seen through his emotionless exterior, to the slowly kindling heart within. That flame was so small back then, hardly a spark. She had wanted to press her hands on either side, to block the winds… to help it grow. Now, he smiled at her, as he pulled her into the gentle sway of a slow dance. And the smile made her melt. Was she the only one who ever saw it? How soft Vergil could be… did he only ever show her?

She felt drawn to him, leaning closer, soaking in his warmth, feeling the gentle beat of his heart as she rested her hand on his chest. She closed her eyes, succumbing to the magnetism between them, touching her forehead against his, their noses brushing. They danced in silence for only a moment more, before she whispered, “So you can do more than just ballet.”

He smiled again—and her knees felt weak. “Not many people get to see these skills put to use.”  

“Ah, I see,” Lady teased, “So, I’m special,” But Vergil’s expression was serious and he paused in their dance. The music played on, but they stood still, in each other’s arms, eyes locked. He gently nosed her cheek, tilting his head.

“Yes,” he murmured, perfectly serious, “You are paramount… to me.”

Lady felt warm all over, letting out a soft breath, lips turning up in a smirk. She felt like she was melting under his warm gaze, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity, leaning closer their lips practically brushing. “Paramount? Me?” she smiled. “Prove it.”

Vergil didn’t seem surprised at all, and he hardly hesitated before he closed the very short distance between them to kiss her. Their lips met and she took in a breath through her nose, eyes fluttering closed, and hand reaching up to cup his cheek. She pulled away only to kiss him once more, tugging him closer by his coat. The taste of whiskey on her lips and now his tongue. Hips taught against hips as his hand rested against the small of her back. He kissed her again, and then once more, each deeper than the last. The moment ended all too soon. Vergil pulled away, thumb brushing softly against her cheek.

Quiet, all but her racing heart. There was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, as if he had always wanted to do that.

“You can dance with me anytime you’d like,” Lady finally whispered, her cheeks hot, her heart racing.

Vergil smiled, resting his forehead against hers once more. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Number 1333

Chapter 12/??

Summit: What happens if a mysterious prisoner joins the chaotic Cell 13? He is perfect for the Nanba Prison, his name is synonym of terror and cruelty; each time he was sent to a new prison, he broke out in less than an hour. Will the Nanba Prison succeed to keep him jailed or not…?

---

When the night falls, the chaotic Nanba Prison finally calms down, as always, Ayu gets out from his cell to go only-god-knows where, while his friends are all sleeping, or at least, that's what he thought. After Number 33 left, Jyugo sits up on his futon and looks outside the window, thinking of what happened. It was a nice day, he played a few new games and he saw a breathtaking performance with the piano, and he learnt how to play a little melody, that it's still inside his mind repeating in loop. He was really happy that Ayu taught him that, it took him a while to learn it, but Ayu was patient and kept encouraging him to try one more time...

After a little conversation with Uno, Jyugo goes in the roof to look at the stars thinking of what curious and crazy things will happen tomorrow, but suddenly...

<<What's so funny?>> a creepy voice comes from behind, a strong grip on his shoulder and a dangerous aura is pressing his body, <<Tell it to me too, Jyugo!>>

<<W-who the hell are you?!>>

---

Meanwhile, Ayu goes back to the cell and greets whispering Yamato, thanking him to have spent some time with him even when it's very late. After he closed the door, he walks direct on his futon, but Uno caught him.

<<Sorry, did I wake you up?>> whispers Number 33.

<<I was already awake.>> replies Uno with a worried voice that his friend immediately notices, <<You don't make any sounds, so it's impossible for you to wake someone up.>>

<<Something wrong?>> ah, this boy is straightforward as always, <<You sound worried.>>

<<Did you see Jyugo on your way back?>> says Number 11, <<He went out but he isn't back yet.>>

<<I didn't. How much time has passed?>> "Strange. Usually, Jyugo is always back around this hour of the night."

<<A while; I would say almost an hour. I'm a little worried.>>

"Something is happening here..." Ayu's instincts are warning him about a danger, <<I'll look for him. Don't move from here, okay?>>

<<Got it. Be careful to not get caught.>> Uno watches his friend's back disappearing in the dark; making his anxiety grows bigger and bigger.

"...I better hurry up, something I don't like is happening."

  ---

On the roof, Jyugo is immobilized to the ground by that blonde strange man. Apparently, he knows something about the man with the scar, but Number 15 couldn't do anything to him, he... disappears and appears like he's teleporting... He doesn't even understand his tricks with the knives, he feels the pain, the blood and the blade going deeper in his flesh, but when he checks, the wounds are gone.

When something happened faster than a bolt...

In an amount of time shorter than a blink of an eye, Ayu is topping him and the blondie is gone. Moving his eyes to his side, Jyugo sees Ayu's fingers have pierced the concrete of the building... How the hell-

<<Ah, that was close.>> that voice again, <<It's been a while, Unnamed Number 33.>>

<<You should know...>> Ayu protects Jyugo from the enemy blocking his knife with two fingers, <<Illusions don't work on me, Elf.>> using the weapon, Number 33 twists Elf's arm and hits it very strongly with his knee, breaking it.

<<Ugh... Cool, you still remember what we taught you...>> the man walks backwards holding his arm, and thanks to his good reflexes, he dodges the knife that Ayu throwed precisely at him aiming on his head, <<Your aim is majestically precise as- Oh-ho, this is bad...>> he lost the inmate.

"Ayu knows him? How?" thinks Jyugo seeing the man looking around himself uncomfortably and anxiously, "What he wants from him? But, how did he find me, he was following me?"

Number 15 notices his friend standing still on one of the containers on the roof, he scratches his fingers, and thanks to the moonlight, Jyugo can clearly see Ayu's nails becoming longer and longer, even sharper... But because of his gaze, Elf could understand from where his ex-agent attack and his life is safe, since Ayu's nails scratched the wall. Those seem more like claws, not nails...

<<You know, when you burnt those prisons, a lot of our data were destroyed.>> Elf doesn't seem that scared though, <<Do you know how many problems we had due to that? Without minding, Jyugo's escape and our clients were killed, what a bad child you are, Unnamed Number 33.>>

<<Those are your last words? Very well->>

<<Oh, now I remember!>> somehow Ayu is killing his own desire to erase that man because Jyugo is there, and Elf notices it right away, <<That lovely woman was really happy to have a work, she finally could live a peaceful life with his beloved son. Her smile was killed by the terror, and her body couldn't move, only tremble in fear. Ah, what a wonderful show that was.>>

Before Jyugo could realize what's happening, Ayu and Elf are fighting each other, and the blond man is losing, the killer is too skilled, soundless and invisible, he goes near the target trying to kill it without regrets or second thoughts. The roof is slowly incised by the fight, traces of blood are painting the ground, and Elf is laughing, enjoying the match, praising the assassin to be a perfect killing machine, that was what they wanted.

In the quiet night, only the loud sounds of Ayu's kicks are audible, he keeps kicking the blond man so strongly that at each attack, a bone is broken, and finally, Elf is trapped inside Ayu's hand. Number 33 lifts him like a feather and glares at him so terrifyingly that even a monster would be scared to death by those horrific eyes.

<<Fucking die.>> the grip is stronger and stronger that the man that was invincible for Jyugo, is now beaten up, full of wounds, bruises and covered in blood, <<That fucking bastard will come with you as well, don't worry.>> that harsh and scary voice... Every time Jyugo listens to it, it sends thrills of terror down his spine.

<<Heh, aren't you forgetting something?>> the suspicious smile adverts the inmate that his friend is in danger and when he turns to check on him...

"Nothing is hurting... That blade hit me, right?" thinks Number 15 with his eyes closed, "There's no way that Ayu could move so quickly..." checking what happened to himself, he sees Elf sit on the bars of the terrace, and in the other side, Ayu is crouched with an arm pointing at him, inviting Jyugo to follow it. "W-what?" the knife he saw coming towards him a few seconds ago, now is stuck in the ground with another knife near it, "A-Ayu did this?"

<<Mh, efficacy as always.>> comments Elf calling everyone's attention towards him, <<I came here to find new toys to play with, and this place is full of them; plus, this place's defenses are so weak man!>>

"They'll hunt me and the ones near me..." Jyugo thinks trembling in fear to lose his dear friends, "It's my fault if someone will be killed... I can't let it happen!" he stands up with a hand turned into a blade and walks near Ayu to support him, "I can't..."

<<Oh, you learnt to activate only a blade! Splendid!>> Elf claps his hands and stands in balance of the bar looking at the two inmates.

<<I dare you to try to pick those toys from here.>> Ayu's replies shocks his cellmate, <<I'll protect everyone, will you be able to defeat the monster that you created with your own hands?>>

<<Oh-ho!>> even with all those injuries, the blond could dodge another powerful attack, <<I should go now, but remember, I'll come back.>> he bends backwards and smiles amused with his teeth covered in blood, <<Be prepared, a few presents are ready, look forward to them.>>

He jumps off the building before Number 33 could hit him, the bar is destroyed while the man keeps falling. Jyugo runs to see what insanity Elf did, but he's gone... Not a sound or anything, just gone, just like how he came.

<<God fucking damnit!!>> the cellmate's scream scares him, <<I was so close!!>>

"He looks so angry... It's the first time that I see him closing his teeth so strongly..." Jyugo questions if it was his fault that Ayu failed to have his revenge, "I understood that Elf killed his mother, it's from then that he knows him? Should I say something?" he looks the surrounding and sees that the rood is marked with fight signs, the walls and the ground are marked with Ayu's nails, the bars are destroyed like if a monster bit them, "....It's a bad idea, right?"

<<Oi, you two escaped once again, fucking brats- W-what the hell happened here?>> Hajime notices all the mess and becomes serious, <<You two fought each other? What the fuck are those claw signs?>>

<<Hajime, bring me to the monitory room!>> Ayu drags the guard along while he runs down the corridors, <<The cameras must've caught him, for sure. You're not disappearing under my fucking watch, you piece of shit. I'll make you pay for what you did.>>

 Since Ayu seemed monstrously upset, and Jyugo really scared, Hajime agreed to escort them to the monitory room and check the camera footages. Yamato is called too, while Seitarou gets the computers ready to show the records, but since the boy is slow minding the procedures, Ayu pushes him down from the chair and takes his place.

<<You're too fucking slow. How the fuck people work here?>> he shouts taping on the keyboard extremely rapidly, <<The most secure prison in the world my ass! I can escape easily from this shitty hole, and now, even strangers can get inside! What the fuck, c'mon!>>

<<Number 33-kun, you should calm down a little.>> comments Yamato, but the prisoner is too irritated to obey as he always does, <<Being so upset would not resolve the problem.>>

Ayu shows the tapes of the cameras on the roof, proving his fight and that another person was there, and he wasn't an inmate. Making the tape slower in the end, Ayu scans every single monitor to see and understand where Elf went, but nothing shows up.

"He used an illusion..." <<Fuck!!>> he hits his head on the table and grabs his hair hardly, almost to rip them off, <<I was so fucking close!! Fuck, fuck, fuck me!!>>

<<That's enough, Number 33. Get yourself together->> Hajime's shirt is grabbed in a second with the inmate right in front of his face, "His eyes are sad and furious at the same time. That's a new thing he showed."

<<You better show this shit to that fucking bitch who directs this shitty place, and make her reinforce every single building with a stricter surveillance.>> roars Ayu, but Hajime will not show that footage to anyone, the others will discover that not only Ayu, but even Jyugo can escape easily, <<As a guard you have the duty to protect everyone, right?>>

<<And so?>>

<<The lives of all the prisoners are in danger. I can protect only a bunch of them, I'm not a superhuman, I can't save the ones that I can't reach. You'll be there.>> even if the rage is still inside of him, Ayu can think rationally in every situation, he doesn't let emotions take too much control, it's amazing, <<His main target is Number 15, but before of him, he'll make something to create a monster that can fight equally with Jyugo; this is a hint, we have to find the man with the scar.>>

<<Why should I help you to get your revenge?>> Hajime too, he doesn't let emotions get better of him, and he doesn't give up in front of the propose of the killer, <<It's stupid.>>

<<You're not helping me at all; everything in this place works too slowly, you're just a bother.>> replies Number 33, <<I'm doing this because I don't want more people being involved with this issue, or being tortured for fun. I, Jyugo and Musashi are more than enough. The man with the scar will not stop with just a prisoner, he'll keep kidnapping prisoners as many as he needs to succeed. Before me, another 3332 children died to reach my level; keep that in mind. Is this a right thing for you? A man who kills and uses inmates as he wants because they're the trash of society, and though them he achieves his crazy goals, is justice for you? I just want to quit killing people and live peacefully until my last breath, but I need to kill those two first. To revenge my mom, myself, all the people died before me and the ones like Jyugo and Musashi.>>

<<........>> Yamato and Seitarou looks at their superior who is thinking hardly at that propose, in fact he didn't say a lie, this time there's a lot on the line, a single wrong step and everything is over.

<<I modify the footages and you report what happened. Deal?>> Ayu lets the guard go and offers his hand waiting patiently that the officer takes his decision. "This time I'll protect the ones who cares for me, no matter what I must do or what form I must assume. The lives of my friends worth more than mine and than anything else."

<<Do it, I'll arrange a meeting.>> Hajime shakes Ayu's hand and moves immediately, <<Yamato, you stay here with Number 33 and guard him; Seitarou, escort Number 15 back to his cell. I'll be away for a while. How long it would take you to complete the work?>>

<<A day and the footages are ready.>> Ayu is determinate as hell, while Jyugo is still scared and confused, <<I don't need water, food or anything, a whole day without breaks and you have what you need.>>

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

[adventure-hearts]

tri. Chapter 5 - Recap, Review, Analysis [part four]

(part one ) (part two ) (part three)

Phew! This took way longer than I expected and my thoughts are still convoluted, but this movie was packed. I don’t think it was perfect by any means, but the themes are given a lot of depth, pacing was good, the plot is advancing, and the characters (especially Taichi) had some memorable moments. Above all, it worked far better after a (close) rewatch.

I think it’s up there with Kokuhaku in terms of quality. My faith in tri. continues to be justified!

We have months of speculation ahead of us, so I won’t bother you with a lot of predictions for what’s coming next. I’m sure I’ll come back to some of these ideas until the summer :)

Raguelmon and Jesmon fight each other, and at one moment Raguelmon protects Meiko. This only reinforces the Chosen Children’s belief that there's still a connection between the Meiko and her partner, further strenghtehing their resolve to protect Meicoomon against Jesmon, even if it means going against Homeostasis.

Of course, Homeostasis isn't happy about this, so it takes over Hikari and tells them to stop interfering.

At this point, Homeostasis straight-up threatens the Chosen Children. Moreover, it’s essentially telling them they failed. Homeostasis picks human children to fight its battles to keep balance, but it has no qualms in pushing them aside if they don’t serve its purpose.

No more Mr nice guy! Daigo is done with Homeostasis, and he knows he has been played as well. When he was a Chosen Child, he had to make a sacrifice that resulted in Maki’s partners death, and it destroyed Maki in the process - and (if you believe Hackmon’s words) this was seen as a failure by Homeostasis. This time, Daigo decides to protect his friends. He has been fond of the Chosen Children from the start, and he’s firmly on their side now.

As Homeostasis goes on about how it can do what it wants and how sacrifices are needed, the Chosen Children fight back -- including, significantly, Hikari: the ONE kid who's literally been used by Homeostasis. This is a tremendous character moment for Hikari -- she’s standing up for herself and for her beliefs, and against a supernatural entity at that! We know that behind her sweet, passive attitude Hikari has plenty of courage (surrendering herself to Vamdemon was another defining moments), but it’s so rare for her to actually show that this tiny scene ends up being really significant.

To be fair, this is a pretty weird line, considering their past history. You’d think the Chosen Children are aware that sometimes sacrifices are needed, since it has happened a million times before.

Hikari then accuses Homeostasis of being selfish, which has to be unfair. Homeostasis is hardly doing this for its own benefit, but only to keep the stability between the worlds. Sure, it’s a cruel, impersonal decision, but human morality and concepts of “good”, “evil”, and “justice” clearly do not concern Homeostasis.

Is this another example of how the Chosen Children’s idealism sometimes blinds them to the harshness reality? Are the kids forgetting the lessons from past, or are they just being obtuse? It’s one of the moments where tri.’s ambiguous position to what came before (what its critics describe as cherry-picking) can make it difficult to interpret what the characters are thinking.

However, I think the point here is that there’s a clear difference between choosing to sacrifice yourself (like Wizarmon, Oikawa and so many others) and being sacrificed for the sake of the “Greater Good”, which is Homeostasis’ MO. One is selfless; the other a forceful, unilateral decision. Clearly, the Chosen Children are willing to risk the worlds collapsing in order to protect their friend, Meicoomon, from being sacrificed by Homeostasis, whatever the reasons that may justify this execution. You have to admire the strength of the Chosen Children’s principles – they aren’t willing to watch a friend get destroyed to keep the balance of the world, and are ready to go against Homeostasis to uphold that principle. This isn’t just a moral standpoint -- they choose the team (i.e. love) over The Bigger Picture.

But again, it’s hard to argue that Homeostasis is being evil or even irrational. Taichi and the others being so surprised and conflicted shows how their deep-set beliefs can fail when confronted with though choices.

Generally speaking, I think this is a very important theme in this Chapter: idealism vs. pragmatism in the Chosen Children’s decisions.

*

Once they get to the Digital World, though, Taichi's mind is made – they will protect their friends no matter what, regardless of right or wrong. This hits a cord with Daigo, who's reminded of his own partner, Maki and Bakumon, and how he used to be a goggle boy. He knows what it’s like to be unwillingly sacrificed for the Bigger Picture.

Alphamon shows up again (apparently, he's aligned with Ygrasil) and proceeds to fight Jesmon. A four-way battle of conflicting loyalties ensues between Raguelmon, Omegamon, Alphamon, and Jesmon, which if anything illustrates how complicated the plot of this series is, and how it’s characterised by the lack of a clear, single antagonist.

*

And then it comes the moment half the fandom expected. The Dark Ocean’s comeback!

Somehow, in her despair and a less than balanced mental state, Maki found her way to the Dark World and is looking for Bakumon there. I don't know if she went there through a distortion (as in 02) or if Dagomon's minions called her there - remember, like Hikari, Maki was also a vessel for Homeostasis. Depending on how we read this, parallels with Ken or Hikari become apparent.

(And Maki holding a DARK D3 back in Chapter 3 suddenly becomes even more intriguing!)

Maki is swallowed by the dark ocean, Daigo somehow senses something is wrong. maki drowns further.

*

Hikari's words seem to have an unecpected effect because it's Meiko who hears them. Meiko decides she can't make Meicoomon suffer anymore.

So Meiko makes the bravest, toughest, and probably more logical decision - she realises that destroying Meicoomon would not only stop the problem at hand, but it would ALSO stop her partners suffering. meiko realises there's nothing left to do. The Chosen Children's strategy has failed. She can't handle this anymore, and she wants to put an end to it.

As Sora realises, this isn't a coward's way out: this is a brave, necessary decision. The alternative is for Meicoomon to kill more people, be killed anyway, or end up destroying the world. Ultimately, destroying Meicoomon can also be seen as an act of mercy. Meiko is her partner’s only hope - she makes the “rational choice”, but her decision is made out of love for Meicoomon.

Taichi remembers her words at the school, and he understands that Meiko’s decision is the right one. Remember, Taichi is the only one who knows what is like to have his partner gone bad, and he’s had to face a similar choice before. tri. never references the events in 02 where Agumon was controlled by the Kaiser and Taichi allowed his friends to fight against him, but the parallels are there. 

However, the other Chosen Children don’t get it yet. They're all too blinded by idealism and afraid to hurt one of them, even if it's the only way. They contest Taichi’s decision, but he’s calm and determined.

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A TRUE LEADER.

Like Meiko, Taichi realises that if they end Meicoomon themselves, they'll put an end to this and neither Homeostasis nor Ygdrasil will win. In this context, killing Meicoomon (with Meiko’s blessing) means protecting Meicoomon.

Yamato’s negative reaction here is very interesting. Apparently, his refusal to kill Meicoomon seems to contradict a lot of his previous actions. 

After all, back in 02, it was Yamato who convinced Taichi that “Agumon would rather die than to become a slave”, and was willing to fight him. Moreover, since the beging of tri., he’s been chastising Taichi for running away and for refusing to take a stand. In Chapter 3, he was even the one who pragmatically stated that if one of the digimon partners became infected, they would have to fight them, much to Takeru’s horror.

I don’t quite understand this development, unless they just want to inject the mandatory opposition between Taichi and Yamato. I suppose you could read it this way: Yamato didn’t really mean what he said earlier, or at least he was fooling himself about his ability to go through with this though decision. 

 Although for most of tri. Taichi and Yamato’s roles have often been inverted (more on this later), we know that Taichi is actually the more pragmatic of the two, while Yamato is a very emotional person who makes decisions based on feelings. When Taichi suggests killing a friend, it goes against Yamato’s most important values -- friendship and loyalty – and he’s so emotionally upset by the idea he can’t stop to reflect that this is actually a mercy-killing, and lashes out at Taichi, which is usually a symptom that his feelings are in turmoil. Koushirou intervenes and tells that he should already know it. Yamato seems to see the other side of the issue, but the conclusion is so painful that it causes him to howl in frustration. 

Meiko thanks them for doing something so difficult... And then she makes a terribly stupid decision and runs off to the middle of the battle, after Meicoomon. We’ve seen some indication that Meiko’s will to live (and her belief that “she shoudn’t have been born) are pretty strong, and now it seems she intends to share her partners fate. Yamato, Taichi, and Daigo go after her.

Jesmon's attack fails somehow and the ground starts crumbling, opening a chasm that separates Taichi from Yamato and Meiko. In a selfless move, Taichi orders Omegamon to protect Yamato and Meiko and faces the danger on his own.

Taichi and Daigo disappear into the crumbling rock, and Jesmon and Alphamon are gone as well, leaving behind a battered Raguelmon and Taichi’s goggles.

*

Hikari watches the loss of her brother and enters a sort of catatonic state. Her powers start acting up, and Nyaromon becomes Ophanimon FallDown mode. When prophecy spoke of going through darkness to reach power, I’m not sure if this was included. Anyway, it’s hard to argue that this is Hikari’s normal Ultimate evolution in any way - it’s clearly powered by sorrow and pain, that is, (metaphorically) darkness. This darkness now causes the world to go crazy and envolves a battered Raguelmon.

Mystery Man’s words seem to echo that old line: “The brighter the light, the darker the shadow”. Inflicting this sort of trauma on Hikari has consequences that are beyond normal. Was this the plan all along, or happy collateral damage? Either way, I don’t think it’s coincidental that we keep seeing Mystery Man’s reactions to everything that’s happening.

When Hikari gives the order “Take Over”, Ophanimon FM and Raguelmon fuse into a monstruous being with dark wings. The parallels between Tailmon and Meicoomon finally mean something. As Mystery Man talks about destruction, Hikari speaks cryptic words.

The being disappears into a hole in the sky and emerges in the real world. The harmony between the worlds is in collapse. As Ygdrasil planned, the human world will be swallowed by the Digital World.

*

Yamato picks up Taichi's goggles and remembers his words.

He understands that Taichi was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. I don't know if this is what Yamato meant when he said he “expected too much of him”, but I like to think that it is. Yamato accepts and supports Taichi’s decision. 

In Taichi's absence, the group needs a leader, and this time Yamato realises there’s no time for crying. He’s gone, but the group still has work to do: they can lick their wounds later. Yamato   steps up to the responsibility: he gives an inspiring speech, proving what he has learnt from Taichi as well.  Yamato’s got tough words for his friends, but they are willing to follow him. 

So we have come full circle. Taichi has finally decided to stop running away and has sacrificed himself for his friends. Yamato has decided to honour Taichi’s sacrifice, and lead the others as Taichi would have done. As he puts on the goggles, Yamato symbolically takes over as leader and they get ready to fight on.

[couragesun]

Out of the original 8 chosen kids and their digimon can you rank your favourite digimon child partnerships?

You bet I can! 

Disclaimer: I really do love all of them, this is just my interpretation of which partner pairs I think compliment and support each other the best. I’m more than open to a discussion if there are disagreements 

1) Jou and Gomamon #partnergoals

2) Yamato and Gabumon

3) Takeru and Patamon

4) Taichi and Agumon

5) Hikari and Gatomon

6) Mimi and Palmon

7) Koshiro and Tentomon

8) Sora and Biyomon

More details under the cut!

Jou and Gomamon are my FAAAAVS. They genuinely feel like friends: they tease each other, challenge each other to be better, and are supportive and encourage each other. I honestly think they have the most true and authentic relationship. These two are family; there for each other for the high points and the low points (and during those low points, Gomamon is there with a hug and a smile!). They balance each other out and bring out the best in each other and I absolutely love it. (*buries head under blanket*) I have so many feelings about these two cuties I don’t think I can articulate it. They’re so much more than partners and I wish all the Chosen had a relationship like theirs.  

Yamato and Gabumon are so perfect and awkward it makes me squeal on a regular basis. Like, they understand each other on such a spiritual level, and yet they are still so awkward around each other; almost like they don’t know what to do with the amount of love and loyalty that they have for each other. I think Gabumon is the one character in the series that truly understands Yamato, and you can see it so clearly in their bond. When I was younger, I was always a little confused as to why Yamato got the Crest of Friendship, but his relationship with Gabumon really helped him understand what friendship is and what it can be. I really believe that Gabumon helped Yamato become a better person.

Takeru and Patamon also have a beautiful relationship. Even when I wasn’t a huge fan of Takeru, I always appreciated the bond these two shared. Takeru is the only digidestined who has watched his partner die in battle, so I think that he really loves and appreciates his partner in a way that is different than the other digidestined. UGH! And that scene in tri when Patamon was infected!! I was IN TEARS. How DARE they make me FEEL EMOTIONS!!

Taichi and Agumon have a relationship that I find fascinating. It’s a strange combination of Taichi treating Agumon a bit like a younger sibling and also like a trusted battle partner. I’ve rarely seen Taichi have long heart-to-heart conversations with Agumon, and I think that stems from Agumon’s emotional immaturity. Agumon is great, but he’s not on the same level as Gabumon or Biyomon in terms of awareness. When Taichi is uncertain, Agumon’s instinct is to say “We got this cuz we’re friends, and friends can do ANYTHING!” He trusts Taichi to a degree that makes him seem almost infallible – if Taichi asked him to step into traffic, I think Agumon would do so with very little hesitation. He doesn’t have the same role that Gabumon plays in Yamato’s life, where he helps Yamato grow. Agumon’s role is to be more of a safety net – Taichi can screw up, and Agumon will still be there (i.e. SkullGreymon). He is a loyal solider to his general, and will always be there to support Taichi. I think this makes them the best partners in battle, because they trust each other so much, but I don’t think they’ll ever have the same relationship that the former three have. And maybe they don’t need to – maybe Taichi has enough advisers through the other Chosen that he DOES need someone whose response will always be “I will go wherever you go”. 

Hikari and Gatomon! Okay, this ranking is completely because I’m the worst. I really need to re-watch 02, because I’m drawing a blank on Hikari and Gatomon’s relationship. I mean I know that they have a really solid partnership AND friendship, but I can’t really think of many specific instances to draw from. Part of this is because they came into the series so late in 01 and Hikari and Gatomon haven’t had too many scenes together in tri (although that mall scene nearly KILLED ME), so I just don’t have much to work with since it’s been so long since I’ve watched 02. Thus, I’ve placed these two comfortably in the middle because the scenes that DO come to mind are pretty great: when Angewoman and LadyDevimon are having their cat-fight and Hikari is on the sidelines cheering like a lunatic, the tri scene at the mall, the entire lead-up to discovering Hikari was the eighth child. Yea, these two are pretty great together.

Mimi and Palmon are kind of the opposite of Taichi and Agumon… Palmon and Mimi LOVE each other the way that besties do, but I think their relationship is different than Gomamon and Jou because Palmon’s role is to bring out Mimi’s genuine self and humility. I’ve always found it appropriate that Palmon is a plant-type digimon because she is so down-to-earth and she balances out Mimi’s over-the-top nature. I always imagine them at a sleepover, braiding each other’s hair (it’s not a perfectly accurate scenario..), while Mimi gushes/rages/gossips about someone or something, and Palmon being that little angel on her shoulder reminding her to slow down and consider all of the facts before making snap decisions. They are friends first, and everything else second. Palmon has helped Mimi grow up a lot, and has no problems calling her out on her bullshit (the Numemon castle episode…), but I don’t see the same level of trust and understanding that the above partnerships have. Mimi and Palmon are awesome for each other, but I’ve never found myself wishing I had their type of relationship.

Koshiro and Tentomon!! I love my nerdlings!!! UGH! Individually I think these two are perfect, but as I was thinking about each of the partnerships I even surprised myself how low I rated these two because I really do love them. And the problem, unfortunately, is Koshiro. I KNOW that Koshiro adores Tentomon, but I have seen enough moments where Koshiro treats Tentomon more like a business partner than a friend. Which, if this situation were like Mimi and Palmon, wouldn’t be so bad if that’s what they needed, but it’s not. Koshiro NEEDS someone to keep him in check, someone to drag him out of his cave every once in a while, someone to remind him that oolong tea can’t be the ONLY thing someone consumes to stay healthy… The other Chosen (Jou, Mimi, and Taichi especially) I think do a pretty good job at this, because they are hard to argue with. I feel so bad for Tentomon because you can see him TRYING to help Koshiro, but Koshiro often ignores him. And that… doesn’t always sit well with me. I think Koshiro can forget that Tentomon is his friend and confidant, instead of a partner on a research project. And then Tentomon has to do something drastic (like the cave of curiosity where he had to devolve until Koshiro snapped out of it, or when he had to sacrifice himself in tri to prove a point) and then Koshiro remembers “Oh no! That’s my friend and partner!”. So yea, they’re great, but Koshiro needs to get his priorities straight…

Biyomon and Sora. Yea, I feel like I might get some hate for this one, but I’ve never liked Biyomon. These two have had the most tumultuous relationship throughout all of the seasons, and while I’m glad that they eventually came to an understanding of each other before the reboot, watching them come to terms with each other was almost painful. For the longest time they didn’t trust each other, and I often got the feeling that Sora didn’t even LIKE Biyomon at the beginning. It wasn’t until Sora’s crest glowed for the first time that I saw anything resembling a friendship between the two of them. Which is okay, everyone develops friendships differently, but I don’t think I ever saw proof of this ‘amazing, loving’ friendship that they supposedly had after that moment. For example, When Yamato was in his depression cave with Gabumon, Gabumon was the one who pulled him out of it by talking to him and showing how much he cared about Yamato and by telling him he didn’t have to be alone anymore. I BELIEVE their friendship, because I saw it! I saw Gabumon fight for Yamato’s friendship and it was beautiful. Sora was in the exact same situation, and Biyomon was unable to pull her out of the cave of sadness. I just don’t see the same level of trust and understanding that the others have with their partners – I’ve been told it’s there, but I didn’t get to really watch the evolution. They just suddenly understood each other, and it felt forced and fake. And THEN we get to tri and the reboot and Biyomon is SUCH a jerk! And, believe me, I’ve read enough “in defense of Biyomon” posts to try and understand the other side, but there was a point where Biyomon was just being intentionally hurtful. I get it, you don’t know her, but how can you rebuild a friendship unless you TRY, and if you’re not willing to try then why are you still there?? I’m glad I got to watch their relationship form throughout that episode, but it still felt a little forced and rushed. I think that these two are just rarely what the other needs, and instead of pushing each other to be better they force the other into a standstill. It’s very frustrating for me to watch. So yea, they’re one of my least favorite partnerships, which is such a shame because I love Sora!!    

[garrettsthings]

Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger Episode 1 Review

As promised, the subs are out, so here’s my review of the first episode. I don’t know if I have more than one episode review in me, but we’ll see how much people like this review and if I have enough spare time when future episodes come out. If you like this review, please don’t hesitate in letting me know!

Anyway, our highly anticipated story begins by immediately following up on one of this season’s most ambitious promises: the scale. We get a brief scene of Earth being invaded by our villains, the Jark Matter Shogunate, but we immediately pull out to see that our little blue planet is just one of many planets in need of a saviour, and it’s left ambiguous whether or not we will ever see it again in the course of the series.

With no time to dwell, we are then taken to another planet that Jark Matter is invading, and we are introduced to three of our nine heroes: Hammy/Chamaeleon Green, Champ/Taurus Black, and Sparda/Dorado Yellow. These three are all well acted (to those of you who saw my earlier first impressions post, yes I appreciated Hammy’s actress more on a second viewing), and play off each other well with great chemistry. I would have loved to see them be the focus of the episode.

Unfortunately, tradition dictates that we need a guy dressed in red to be the leader, which brings us to our first negative of the show. Enter Lucky, another successor in the proud tradition of screaming, hot-blooded red rangers, here to assault your eardrums with his catchphrase “YOSHA LUCKY!!!” Honestly, on paper, the catchphrase sounds like such a minor thing to complain about, and really as far as catch phrases go, it’s really not that bad. Except that he says it nine times in the first episode. And he always screams it at the top of his lungs. No exceptions. Not only that, but he can also be a bit of a jerk, calling characters who don’t want to risk their lives cowards who don’t deserve to fight. Don’t worry, this attitude gets him punched later.

Now I’ve read some people comparing Lucky to Ninninger’s Takaharu, and I really don’t feel that’s a fair comparison. Takaharu’s actor (while really not a bad actor by any stretch) was clearly not at his best when trying to play up the character’s hot-blooded nature. Lucky’s actor is, and so his moments of screaming and rushing off seem less forced and generally make him an easier pill to swallow than Takaharu was. That being said, those of you who found Yamato from Zyuohger to be a breath of fresh air might be lamenting having to deal with another hyperactive leader for the next year.

Anyway, having crashed into the middle of a fight between the three Kyurangers and Jark Matter, Lucky immediately decides he wants to join their crusade against evil. The problem? Lucky doesn’t have a Kyu Tama, the magical device that allows the Kyurangers to transform. The “solution”? Lucky immediately sets out on his broken space scooter with absolutely no idea where to look or what he even need to do to earn a Kyu Tama, leaving the other Kyurangers to scramble after him before the poor sap gets himself killed.

*sigh* Only 49 more episodes of this guy to go.

Anyway, I’ll stop the plot synopsis there before this gets too long, let’s instead talk about what didn’t work. Like almost every modern Sentai before it, Kyuranger feels the need to rush everything into one episode. Spoiler alert: we get 5 Kyurangers assembled this episode, as well as a megazord fight. And while I don’t think it was as rushed as Ninninger’s premiere there was a lot to shove into twenty-five minutes. So much so that there was no sense of world-building. We know absolutely nothing about this vast universe except that Jark Matter is taking over everything and that’s bad. But the Kyurangers are here to stop them and that’s good! Oh... and there’s apparently a space-weather station on the radio. That’s all we get, we don’t learn anything about what the Kyu Tama really are or where they come from, or how the Kyuranger got the equipment to harness their power, or anything about the culture or mythology of the universe we are supposed to care about our heroes saving.

On top of that, we know even less about the villains. We know the names of two of them, Don Almage and Eridron, but not much else. We know Almage is kind of a jerk who blasts his underlings with psychic power via hologram (not sure how that works) and Eridron is kind of a jerk who... is not as high ranking as Almage which probably means he’ll try and betray him later. With Zyuohger’s premiere, we knew Ginis was a lackadaisical conqueror who clearly thirsted for some real entertainment, Naria was his stoic second-in-command, Azald was the boisterous warrior, and Kubar was the scheming intellectual. None of those are very much I grant you, but it’s still more than what we got from Jark Matter. We never even hear the names of the enemy mooks or the elite mooks, making the battlefield look like a hodgepodge. Even during the megazord fight, when an elite mook is grown to giant-size to fight Kyurenoh, he comes completely out of nowhere with no explanation for why he’s giant.

So with all of this in mind, it probably sounds like I hated this episode, doesn’t it? Was there anything good to find here?

Oh, goodness, yes.

The special effect for this season are most certainly on point. For anyone afraid that this would be an Earth-bound season that just happened to have a space-them just because, fear not. We get fights on three different planets and in space itself, and the show makes sure we know it. Not once did I look at a planet the Kyurangers were fighting on and think to myself, “this is so clearly Earth”. No, this show is about world hopping, and it makes sure you know it. Either through impressive uses of CGI (though I would have liked to see more practical effects for the zords other than Leo Voyager) or practical effects and set designs, this show will definitely be visually distinctive.

And then there’s the fight choreography. While Zyuohger’s first episode still has me wowed the most for most impressive fight scenes, Kyuranger comes in close second with some incredible looking stunts and weapons. There are some obvious stock-footage scenes of special finisher set ups, but unlike in Zyuohger, the actual execution of these attacks is integrated into the episode footage rather handily, making the fights dynamic and eye-popping.

And then there’s the megazord fight. My goodness, the megazord fight. One of my concerns with Kyurenoh’s limb swapping ability was “Okay, if you’re going to have that, then each limb should have its own ability or function so you have a reason to choose a certain formation over the others.” Short version: they do. I won’t spoil the specifics, but there is no component of Kyurenoh that does not feel useful in some way, and the mech utilizes all of them to provide a deeply satisfying, eye-catching battle. Not only that, but the mecha fight takes place on a small ice-planet/moon, giving a welcome change of scenery from the usual cities. Those who look carefully will also see a tiny research facility on the planet, adding yet another impressive detail and adding a nice sense of scale to the fight.

And a final note: while I did criticize the show for rushing things, I do want to point out that, in a show where the selling point was nine rangers, it could have been much worse. Instead we get Lucky, Garu, Champ, Hammy, and Sparda joining the team this episode, with Raptor serving as mission control and Balance and Naga making a cameo at the end. Stinger didn’t even show up and while he is one of my most anticipated characters this season, I appreciated the show of restraint.

Overall, I complain a lot, but this really was a good episode all things considered. I’ve come to expect that the first episode of a modern Super Sentai be a half-hour toy commercial at this point, and as far as those toy commercials go, this one was pretty good. The second episode is usually the one that introduces the plot, so it will be the best judge of whether or not we have a good show on our hands. As it stands now though, I have no reason not to tune in next week to find out.