#while doing what he thinks are super sentai poses with his arms

[achrom-maticism]

posting one random quote from my flight rising lore notes that is unnecessarily snarky or slightly amuses me or makes no sense without context every day because i don't have anything else of value to contribute: day 15

All this to say that they're all fucked, because Frei's falling for IN! UNIVERSE!

PROPAGANDA!

[reversemoon255]

Don Onitaijin

This was probably the most antsy I’ve been for a Sentai Robo in a while. Firstly, we had to wait until the second quarter which is much longer than normal. Then there were a lot of rumors surrounding it that turned out to be true such as its size. Lastly, it’s specifically designed to be posable which is a first for DX releases. It had a lot of build-up, and I know I wasn’t the only waiting to see if it lived up to expectations.

The Good: I believe this is the largest single combining Sentai Robo we’ve ever gotten, standing as tall as many Carrierzords and combos, including Zenryoku Zenkai-Oh. And then they went and made it posable, with very posable arms as well as neck, waist, hip, knee, and ankle joints.

I believe I saw a quote from one of the heads of toy design for Bandai saying his son was disappointed he couldn’t get Zenkai-Oh to do the poses from the show, and that led to the turnaround. Don’t know if it’s true, but it’s a nice story.

Also, it’s a fun transformation. InuBrother is rather simple, and Momotarou is as well outside of his automorphs, but Oni, Kiji, and Saru all have very interesting transformations. And it’s confirmed to be getting a combination, with dedicated C-Clips under the feet and the back of the hip skirts, and possible connection points on the hands, shoulders, and if you dismantle the chest plate.

The Bad: There’s some minor balance issues with both Momotarou and Onitaijin that you don’t usually see from Sentai Robos, even with skinny legs. And while I think the arms and neck are very cool and would like to see them continue to use those joints in the future, the legs feel like they have joints for the sake of having them. There’s definite room for improvement there, but I could see future Robots not needing or having them.

Also, the swords aren’t great. They spin when on the back, can only be held in specific hands, can’t be held in reverse, and have a ton of gaps on the backside. I wish the handles were squared so they wouldn’t move as much, and had grips so either hand could hold them. That way you wouldn't always have to pose him with them pointed inward to look good.

Overall, this is a very different, very interesting, and very cool release from Super Sentai. I think some of its issues are them attempting to tackle big and posable at the same time, but it definitely makes a statement. I’m looking forward to seeing this guy get even bigger, and also the next few years where we’ll learn from this and maybe see some posable robots at a smaller size.

v Also, guess what I’m reviewing next! v

[matt0044]

“Morphin’ 101″ with Zayto

Actually, him becoming a YouTuber would a really fun episode.

Really though, the opening scene was delightfully self-aware with the Red Ranger actually coaching Amelia and Ollie through the Morphing pose. Apparently, they really DO have to practice it before engaging in battle. The way Amelia swung her arms too hard while Ollie let his key slip was just deliciously meta. I feel like those were ad-libbed outtakes that they just kept in.

Zayto also introduces the Boost Keys which can grant them new powers temporarily much like the Dino Chargers. They even have the base protected by a force-field so they won’t have Void Knight on that little goose chase and even teleportation that they ACTUALLY USE. Yeah, what a concept. Solon has even found Void Knight’s Energy Tracer that he had used to localize the Sporix.

Ollie suggests combining it with his mother’s drone in order to sweep the city for any Sporixs still unhatched. However, Zayto is concerned of how alien tech will interface with what humans currently have and the attention it might draw. It’s not like Doctor Akana’s working for Grid Battleforce. Well... not yet at least.

The Rangers teleport into Pine Ridge where Zayto’s taken aback by the Earth’s advancement and lack of dinosaurs. Somebody clearly arrived in the wrong dimension. They head to Warden Garcia who blows off their report of Void Knight unleashing the Sporix. I’ll grant him that all that crazy, ��You had to be there,” stuff would be hard to believe without seeing it himself. Cops’ll be cops.

Doctor Akana is thankfully more open to the story as Ollie explains his idea. Amelia takes Zayto to Buzzblast to get his message out only for Jane to unveil her android assistant fresh from... Hartford Robotics?! I guess that explains Andrew’s fortune as well as how Mack was perfected. Plus, it is nice to see them acknowledge past seasons however maligned they might have become.

J-Borg is revealed and put to work signing off on paperwork. Instead of a comic relief duo, it seems we get Mack’s younger sister instead. I suppose hyper-competency would be amusing more than hyper-incompetency. I’ll allow it. Amelia’s about to warn Jane about the Sporix Beasts when a video is uploaded displaying one becoming a Mushroom monster. Anyone know a good plumber?

Ollie is making headway with his mother on the drone when he gets the call to action and needs to teleport away, unaware that Void Knight and Shockhorn have been still staking out Dinohenge. At a hydro-electric dam, the Rangers confront Mucus and even do their pose right this time. Their morph’s so good that the monster gives them a round of applause. Like I say, delightfully meta.

The Rangers and Mucus have a cool battle in original footage before Shockhorn arrives, leading into Ryusoulger footage complete with power lines. Zayto engages his Boost Key to activate an armament on his right arm and produces a stink attack, marking our first fart joke of the season. Well, no one can say that Super Sentai was highbrow to begin with either. What can you do?

Shockhorn brings in the Hengemen to gain some distance and brings Mucus back to Void Knight. The Rangers give chase back to Dinohenge where Doctor Akana is under threat to hand the drone over. However, she manages to pilot it away and rams it right into Shockhorn. That’s cool for a bystander but then it EXPLODES and sends him flying Team Rocket style. What was in that scanner?

This cues our first giant monster battle since Ninja Steel where Amelia and Ollie actually manage to hold their own until Zayto comes along with his T-Rex Champion Zord. Seriously, Amelia uses a Gravity Boost Key to weigh down Shockhorn while Ollie jumps off a building with a powered up slash. I don’t think we ever got something like this since Turbo where they just forgot their Zords. :/

Zayto busts out his Zord and engages its Battle Mode much like with Devon’s Racer Zord. I know that it’s largely CGI mixed with practical effects but I love how agile it is and how Zayto’s movements are show to influence the Zord’s. Naturally we get a new American-only Weapon for the American-only cockpit.

Shockthorn revert to a Sporix egg that has far more power than before. Void Knight strikes while the iron is hot in order to nab it for himself. I love that this adds a bit of tension for the rest of the season since unlike the Energems or Ninja Stars, we don’t know if the Rangers can get the egg in time or not. Even in victory, they can lose. Think Evox’s Morph-X thefts but with tangible results.

Ollie agrees to help put the city on red alert with Buzzblast actually creating a video of Zayto explaining that the Rangers has a legit hotline like they’re the Powerpuff Girls. Here’s hoping Amelia got a major raise for that one. All the while, Void Knight brings Mucus to an abandoned research facility called Area 62 where he intends to harness the Sporix’s power for his own mysterious end.

[crowned-rider-blanc]

♬

♬ - a friend/best friend memory

“We control life, Winston... at all it’s levels... You are imagining something called human nature... which will be outraged by what we do... and will turn against us.” Ren took a deep breath, “But we create human nature... humans are... infinitely malleable....” 

Gasping for air, the boy closed his book application. George Orwell’s works were hard for him to read, with all of their complicated words, but he found them greatly enjoyable. Besides, if he struggled with a character reading, he was able to look it up online, and write the furigana in the notes. And though he struggled to read aloud, he found it fun... even if Goro was the only one willing to listen. 

“...He’s right, though... people will so easily just... put up with terrible things, if society tells them to... all so we don’t have to deal with our problems... it’s sad, huh?” 

Goro sighed, “I know you love these books, Ren, but can’t we read something a little lighter for once?” 

“Like what...?” 

The boy’s eyes lit up. Clearly, he had ideas. 

“Like, something with heroes and dragons! Or superheroes!” 

Ren looked through his books. He had over 100, but most of them were classical literature. Not much that would appeal to Goro’s tastes... 

“I’ll see if I can get something...” He said quietly, “Sorry... I know the stuff I like is... really depressing....” 

“It’s okay! I don’t mind... just, sometimes, let’s read something fun, okay?” 

“Y-yeah...” He smiled weakly. Sometimes, he got so wrapped up in his interests-- the only thing he really had, other than Goro-- that he would ramble for too long and bother people. 

“You wanna watch featherman?” 

“Sure!” 

Ren didn’t particularly care for sentai shows, but he definitely enjoyed watching featherman with Goro. The boy got so into the show, even copying poses... it was entertaining to see him so engrossed, even if Ren didn’t share his interest. 

But today, he found himself thinking aloud as the boy cooed over the newest episode of his favorite show. 

“...Goro, do you wanna be a hero?” 

“Huh?” He turned to face the boy, clearly taken off guard from the vacant expression on his face. After a moments thought, he nodded. “It’d be nice, if I could! But...” 

He shook his head. Somehow, despite saying nothing, Ren felt like he knew what the boy was going to say. 

But heroes don’t really exist.  

“I bet if anyone could be a hero, it’s you...” 

“Huh? Why me?” He pouted, “I’m just crazy. I wouldn’t be any good as a hero. I bet you could, though!” 

He said both of those things with such certainty... 

“I can’t be one, I’m too sick...” Ren coughed, “No way I can beat up bad guys and stuff. You’re... super strong and cool...! An’... an... charismatic!” 

There was the word! A word that was probably a bit much for a kid who hadn’t reached double digits yet (and who looked like he had barely started elementary school). Still, it felt right. There was something about the way the boy smiled and his energy that Ren thought was incredibly charming... even if others didn’t see it. 

“Well, if you weren’t sick, maybe...” He thinks for a moment, “But you can still do super cool stuff! Like that lady who helps Batman... um, Oracle. She can’t walk, but she still is like, super helpful to everyone!” 

Ren would really have to read more comics. Sometimes he had no idea what his friend was talking about. 

“Hehe... maybe. But I’d wanna be like, one of those scary heroes. Like Hellboy.” Who let this child read Hellboy?! “Or Hyakkimaru-- Hyakkimaru! That’s it! Hehe...” 

The boy coughed, while Goro looked at him, confused. They evidently didn’t read the same comics. 

“He’s, like... even worse than me... no eyes, or nose, or limbs... nothin’! But he’s super strong... he’s got fake arms that’re like... swords... and missiles in his legs....”  Ren was surprisingly excited about the concept. “An’ he kills all the demons that stole his body. His thief friend is cool too...” 

“That’s kinda scary...” Well, it was a pretty gory comic. Unsurprising that Goro lacked interest... “But maybe you’ll get some like, super cool power that’ll make you all better, an’ you can do awesome stuff! That’d be cool, right?” 

“Mh... but I don’t wanna... be a hero by myself...” The boy frowned. “You gotta be one too... ‘kay....?”

“Sure.” He chuckled. “Promise!” 

The two both smiled for a moment. They probably both knew it was nothing but a fantasy, but it would be nice, if they could do something together to change the world... 

Ren thought about that as another action scene began in Featherman, and Goro’s focus went back to it. Maybe someday, they’d be able to change things... but Ren knew he only had so much time... still... was it wrong to dream about it? 

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 140

Episode: Futari wa Precure Splash Star 42 - “Welcome Back! Michiru and Kaoru!” Date watched: 3 July 2019 Original air date: 3 December 2006 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/xgCNJSJ Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

The title kinda spoiled it

Another excellent episode! We left off with Saki and Mai in a bind because the Fairy Carafe was stolen and Dark Fall’s agents were revived and now more resistant to Precure’s attacks. Dark Fall holds all the cards and Saki and Mai are stranded in the Land of Fountains. It’s a good setup! Where do we go from here?

The Plot

Princess Filia reveals to the girls that the Fountain of the Sun is in the Land of Greenery and uses her own power to transport the girls, their fairies, and herself there... but she loses her corporeal form and ends up as a sphere of light that possesses Korone, Saki’s cat. Meanwhile in Dark Fall, Gohyaan has revived the rest of the generals, but Akudaikaan chews him out for not kidnapping the Princess when he had the chance, as she knows the location of the Fountain of the Sun, so Gohyaan dispatches Karehaan and Dorodoron to track her down.

This is the only time all 6 of these characters are together

Back at the Sky Tree, Filia explains that she needs the Fairy Carafe to return her body, but the villains appear before she can tell the girls more. Saki and Mai transform into Bloom and Egret but their power isn’t enough to defeat the enhanced warriors. Filia pointedly comments that the two spirits (Flappi and Choppi) alone aren’t enough, so she, Korone, Moop, and Foop gather their power and wish for a miracle. In a very emotional sequence, they connect with the slumbering Michiru and Kaoru, who receive the last remaining energy from the Fairy Carafe, and then revive and rush to the Sky Tree to save their friends. It’s a touching reunion, and some words are exchanged between both the sisters and their friends, as well as the villains who were eliminated before they changed sides. Ultimately, words aren’t enough, and Michiru and Kaoru fight Dorodorn and Karehaan.... and they’re winning! The power that Moop and Foop especially lent them, combined with their powers of darkness, are the perfect counter to the blend of dark and light that the villains possess, and the sisters are able to negate Gohyaan’s powerup (Dorodoron flees instead). This allows the Precures to perform Spiral Heart Splash and destroy Karehaan, who dissolves into a bunch of mini-Gohyaan heads that bounce off.

The four girls finally have a moment to take in their reunion, and Saki and Mai cry tears of happiness as the camera zooms out and the credits roll.

(speaking of the credits, stick around at the end for my take on Ganbalance de Dance finally)

The Analysis

What a great episode. I could probably write pages about Michiru and Kaoru’s revival scene, the dialog and music and visuals all come together to make an emotionally powerful sequence. Bloom and Egret are overpowered, Michi and Kao feel so helpless and they can’t move, but they can tell their friends are in danger and they struggle their hardest, so their feelings connect with the energy Filia is trying to send and create a miracle. I love it. Also, you can really tell that Nishio Daisuke worked on Dragon Ball prior to this series because the sequence of the two powering up and emerging from the water is EXTREMELY evocative of something DBZ would do. Joke’s on me, he only worked on FW and MH and had no hand in this series, he was tapped for Powerpuff Girls Z instead. Still very Dragon Ball, I wouldn’t be surprised of some of the other staff had their hands in that before working on this.

Karehaan proves to be his own worst enemy. He doesn’t like working together, believing he’s strong enough on his own to dispatch the girls. He does make a better team with Dorodoron than with Moerumba though, as they don’t butt heads so much as Doro just kind of goes along with that Karecchi says, until it’s in his best interests to run. However, Karehaan’s arrogance and ignorance about Michiru and Kaoru’s betrayal allow him to overestimate himself and the threat the sisters pose. Together with Dorodoron, they actually do have the Precures on the ropes at one point, they could have defeated them there, but they hesitated too long and allowed the Kiryuus to save them. Ah well.

Princess Filia posessing Korone is..... weird, to say the least. For some unexplained reason, beyond simply habitating in his body, her power allows him to speak as well, independently of her, so you have this tiny cat talking in a pretty deep voice. Not the first time an animated cat has talked, of course, but since it’s not Filia speaking through Korone, it’s odd. I don’t remember how long this lasts, presumably up until the finale of the show... in fact I must have blocked it out of my memory completely because I forgot about it happening at all. Korone was portrayed as an intelligent cat up to this point, of course, but now he’s standing on his hind legs and talking like a middle-aged guy and it’s all so strange.

Last thing I want to touch on: animation. It’s uh.... not great here. Close-ups are passable, although the shading is often minimal. The faces may be a little off-model but it’s nothing extreme. Anything further out than a close-up is pretty bad though, especially for human faces.

I guess it’s the usual conserving budget for the finale syndrome but it’s still pretty laughable.

The Opening and Ending

Okay it’s time I finally talked about these.

The opening theme is called “Makasete★Splash☆Star★” or “Leave it to Us★Splash☆Star★”. While the FW/MH opening was a drama, the SS opening is more of a poppy, light rock number. The composition features lots of strings, bowed and plucked at key moments providing both the melody and the bass line. Some high brass comes in here and there and I think there’s some kind of synthesized percussion providing the rhythm. It could be an electric guitar, though, I’m having trouble picking it out. There’s definitely some guitar towards the climax of the song. Mayumi Gojo has been swapped out for Uchiaye Yuka on vocals, and she sings about how there’s strength in life and to use that as inspiration. All together, it’s a nice uplifting tune, and the visuals give us a good idea about what Saki and Mai are interested in, the fairies, and some action sequences. There’s even a scene of the Tree of Life glowing with energy that might be foreshadowing the end of the series? For the revamped intro starting with episode 31, they add a few scenes of Bright and Windy, as well as Moop and Foop, and impressively they edited all shots of Boom and Egret to replace the Mix Communes with the Crystal Communes.

Now, the ending!

“Ganbalance de Dance” is a little bit notorious for being used, and reused, and re-reused. Yes 5 and GoGo both used reversions of it for their second ending themes, and I kind of get it, because it’s a cute tune, but there’s another more important aspect: this is the first dance ending in all of Precure. Why a dance ending? Well, there was a rather popular anime that aired in Spring of 2006 that featured a dance ending, and the world would never be the same. That show was “The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi” and the dance, the “Hare Hare Yukai” took the world by storm. It’s speculated that Precure adopting dance endings was a copycat move. The timing lines up, Haruhi started in April and ended in early July of that year so Toei had time to say “Hey this is really popular, let’s do that in our show.” Dance endings were already commonplace in the contemporary Super Sentai shows as well, so there was precedent. (although somewhat ironically, the Sentai of that year didn’t have a dance) Whatever the reason, they did it again and again but the cell animation was not always the best, so they switched to CG with Fresh and never looked back. However, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

The lyrics to “Ganbalance de Dance” are half instructions for doing the dance, and half general uplifting messages about positivity and believing in yourself. The dance itself is fairly simple, due to limited animation most of the movement is in the upper body, so the girls twist their torsos and extend their arms while keeping their legs mostly still. when they move their legs, it’s only to stick them out and then back in, or to do some small marching. None of the more energetic moving around that later shows will use, again, probably a byproduct of the animation. Notably, since it’s cell animation rather than more expensive CG, they draw the girls in all three of their outfits: school uniform, Bloom/Egret, and Bright/Windy. The villains also dance a little, and I should point out that the text behind them reads “Uzaina” with only one “a” at the end. Suffice to say, I understand but I’m sticking with two. Also look at these guys.

Kintolesky is not present because he hadn’t been introduced in the show yet, and sadly they never update it to include him. This also marked the first reappearance of Michiru and Kaoru, only to segue into a shot of Bright and Windy and then they’re never seen again, but hey, it’s something.

Anyway, it all comes together to make a fun ending song. I’m sorry it took me so long to write about it.

I may revisit this if I think of more things to say about the episode, but for now I think that concludes it. Next time, everybody celebrates Michiru and Kaoru’s return....... but first it’s time for We Are Splash Gays: The Movie. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Zekkouchou Nari!

No more miracle drop count

[madamhatter]

hokke and chiaki? ??

IF THEY HAD A KID MEME / acpt!

@aoikonpeito​ && this loser.

Name: Taisei Morisawa-HidakaGender: He/him ; Cis maleGeneral Appearance:

Towering over most of his peers since the age of 7, Taisei is the tallest at his family at a walloping 5′11′ and tends to try to shrink his size over anything he can do. He is usualy the one who would slide behind either his superhero dad or well-composed dad as he doesn’t want to be the main picture in anyone’s view. However, despite his usual body language reading to be that of a crustecean ready to retreat in its shell, he admittedly has a contagious smile that he gotten from Chiaki. It’s quite embarrassing for him that whenever he smiles, others tend to easily smile back and get easily smitten. He often seen bowing apologetically about this strange “quirk” about him.

In terms of looks, Chiaki’s hair is once again dominant in terms of its wild styling and its darker shade of brown. However, the night-light bright eyes of Hokuto are ever so present in the irises fo Taisei. His usual resting face can usually be interpretted as him in constant thinking or him being overall busy. It isn’t a negative or positive feature, but, people to overthink his intentions and view him as this philosophical type, when in reality, he’s just trying to figure out if he left his keys at home.

Much like his father, he also needs to wear glasses but he generally has terrible sight and needs them on at all cost. He actually had an accident when he was younger when didn’t know he needed glasses. He had a terrible slip and fall, permanently injuring his knee. It isn’t at bad, but, he really needs to be careful with his kneecaps, and so, he tends to lag behind and walk slower since he’s quite overcautious.

Personality:

Referenced in his general appearance, Taisei is a very reserved individual that really wants to avoid from implying or alluding to anything his heart doesn’t mean. Unfortunately, he was cursed with the charismastic aura of Chiaki Morisawa and the mature appearance of Hokuto Hidaka, meaning, he is quite used to winning over hearts easily without trying much. Now, Taisei recalls any idea of his personal appearance winning him favors, since, he finds it too artifical and void of any real emotions about who he is as a person. Because of this, Taisei is a person super honest and doesn’t like speculation to exist in a relationship between him and anyone else. He knows when it hold back his tongue, but, he may be a push-over that rubs his arm and agrees with someone if their personality is too strong. 

Now, he isn’t one to shy away from the problems of others, following in the footsteps of “defending justice” in his own way as he’s very empathetic. He would be the “father friend” that would listen to the problems of his friends and lay out suggestions for them and be the shoulder for them to cry on. However, he isn’t overemotional and wouldn’t usually cry along. He’s really trying to keep himself in place and be the rock for everyone because he really likes being relied on. Though, this does mean he can be a little bit coddling to anyone who does show on his radar of “they need my help!” Definitely not the touchy-feely type since he’ll be too unsure of how the other person will take it and he’ll just make air gestures to someone like patting their shoulder with like a solid two inches away.

Usually cutting himself sort of his accomplishments, Taisei does look down on himself and tries his hardest to make up for it. Both of his dads are quite confident, showing off in their own ways. Even Chiaki would be the guy to kick his son into the right direction, just like Midori (but this child doesn’t want to die, thankfully!) 

Besides that, Taisei tends to keep notice of how things are arranged and enjoys keeping things to how they usually are. He isn’t a big fan of change and can be overwhelmed by the thought, but, he hides it on the inside. This makes him quite tense and he usually goes to Hokuto and Chiaki about something bothering him after it’s been several weeks. He is slowly getting out of the shy shell he developed as a kid! 

Special Talents:

*Despite the injury on his knee, Taisei is a double-jointed contortionist in hiding. He hasn’t realize how peculiar his skill has been since he’ll bend fingers and twist his arms in strange ways while he’s alone or waiting around like at the doctor’s office. It probably freaked out his parents (or made them really happy) when they found out about this. He can do party tricks, but, he’s fine with copying his dad’s poses by pretending to be the orange Ranger.

*From his mind’s eye, he swears he can find a pattern in anything and would usually be sketching in his notebook. While he isn’t an extradionary artist, he actually does pretty damn good in editing software and excels in graphic designing. From the rough sketches he has and the photos he may find around the internet, he would careate graphics. He probably contributed to his parents’ old communities by making this extradionary graphics and hides behind anomity. – Basically, Taisei is probably your favorite gif maker and you don’t even know it!! 

Who they like better:

It’ll be a solid BOTH. Taisei might be indecisive on several matters but he will never say he prefers one parent over the other. It hurts him to dare think about what one exceeds in without considering the other there to support them. He is highly conscious of the family dynamic and wouldn’t have it any other way. Surprisingly, he isn’t quite embarrassed of the traditional and exuberant ways his parents contrast and has grown to embrace them. 

Who they take after more:

Taisei takes on Hokuto on the levels of maturity and carefulness that he shows among his classmates and relatives. He doesn’t really turn up as cold, however, as he’s quite the lukewarm person between the “Sun and Moon” pair his parents make. But, those self-dobuts are definitely a factor that Chiaki exists with because he already has issues with abandonment and really wants to be relied in. His own father sees this, but, who is he to break from his “can do it” mold to break his son’s illusion that he is the brightest sentai the world has ever seen? 

Personal Headcanon:

*The best way he boosts his confidence is humming old RYUSETAI songs like this one because he feels like he’ll carry on his father’s fire from his teenage years on with him. He doesn’t ever sing it out loud, but, Chiaki can tell a fucking mile away whenever his unit’s songs are being hummed and he bursts out into pose and introduction for his son. He probably made up one for his husband and son because he’s that extra parent and I love my stupid boy Chiaki Morisawa.  Actually, this moron really likes the songs that his parents made and even practices dancing to them like this BOP from Trickstar: x. He can’t dance all too fast since he fears he’ll mess up his other knee. 

*Small candies are always on his person, especially konpeito. This makes him look a lot older ut, he usually nibbles on it in order to keep himself relaxed. However, he thinks Chiaki has low blood sugar and usually slides them to his dad like a “please be careful.” He slides konpeito to his Hokuto whenever he can and has been doing it since he was a kid. He frequents a local candy store and has even befriended the shop owner! What a friendly boy! 

Face Claim: Yukio Okumura from Blue Exorcist 

[darkspellmaster]

Voltron Season 4 thoughts part 2

So to continue on my thoughts of Season 4/second half of season 3…

Episode 11 –The Voltron Show!

One thing I really want to point out here is all the nods to Super Sentai, Toei and Japanese and Korean stage shows in this episode. This one, while it’s certainly funny for anyone growing up watching the Power Rangers (or Sentai), it’s doubly amusing for fans who know about the workings of Japanese and Korean Tokusatsu (or Masked Hero shows –aka Kamen Rider and the Ranger series) and how the shows actually put on live performances in amusement parks.

For me it was hard not to die laughing at Coran as well, since he’s playing a stereotype of both the American Agent, and the Japanese Agent rolled into one. But I suppose I should get into it before I babble too much without explaining why this episode is beyond the normal entertaining for me.

So we open with Shiro explaining why the show of arms is actually helping to inspire people to join the coalition. This actually is a historically proven strategy to win over people to your side. Much like a campaign the idea of these events during a war boost peoples moral and proves to them that the side that is hosting the event is the better one to join with, or continue to support. In the case of WWII for example, famous stars would go touring around the country selling War bonds to people to raise funds for the troops overseas and supply them with money for food, medical supplies, entertainment and other important aspects in the war (armor, ammunition, etc.).

In the case of Voltron Shiro notes that the planets and systems that have joined them are areas that they went to visit, meaning that the visit by Voltron has helped in making the planets feel more secure about Voltron’s effort. Unlike earlier in the season when there was still questions of “Can we win this?” now it’s “We can win this” attitudes.  On top of that, as Allura noted to Keith, Voltron has become a symbol, and something people can and will rally around.

It’s also important to note that Lance is correct with the Razzle Dazzle idea. The more memorable the performance the more bang for your buck the audience will get and remember who to join up with. Having the show stand out to the people watching it makes them feel like joining up, as well as being a strong selling point to the viewers about their mission. Something that Lance, whether he realizes it directly or not, seems to get. Even if a bit of it is for his own Ego.

So when Coran has them doing a show before an audience in a hospital, this is something that actually goes down in Japan from time to time. Much like performers that come to visit sick kids, you’ll have idol or Sentai characters come to entertain the patients at the hospital. 

Another interesting point is the whole “Don’t want to confuse them with Keith not being here” thing actually comes from some people’s view points on replacing a character in a show and, in some cases, just having a new actor take on the old character’s role and it’s never mentioned why they changed.

The earworm…. just…um screw that scene. It reminded me way, way, WAY too much like Checkov getting his ear wrecked by a weird worm during one of the Star Trek Movies. It was, I think, one of the more uncomfortable, for me anyway, scenes in this series so far. So good job Mir for making me wig out when watching that moment.

Anyway…onto the bigger situation at hand. So the Mall scene. This is actually a common place for life performances to happen for younger idol groups, or for smaller Sentai stage shows to happen for promotion of the show. 

Normally what happens is they’ll have a small crowd and the characters will come on to perform a short skit as you see in the scene that follows. What’s interesting on this one is how well they use the tropes that these Stage shows cover in their acts and the audience that they draw.

So back stage to start with we get Coran’s view point after being taken over by the worm. This very much reminds me of so many characters in movies where you have the “Big time” agent pushing to get the young talent to be noticed. 

The idea of the Work shop isn’t too far off, again, from what’s done in real life stage shows, where the smaller theater or auditoriums are used to test what should or shouldn’t be put on stage for the show, and the reactions from the people coming to see it. (Movies and TV series do this too usually though in different ways, and readily use Focus groups).

Before the stage we get a quick view of people. This, much like Japan, shows a small gathering of people broadly defined gender and age. Typically for an all-girls group you’d see more males, and when it comes to Sentai on the other hand, there are more females (teens who think the young actors are hot, and younger mothers) as well as well nerdy men who just like the show. And a whole lot of kids.

Coran’s Rule number one of Leaping, Rolling, and Exploding onto stage is actually accurate for these types of shows.

 The suit actors will typically come out on stage first in a minor scuffle, having a minor baddy out there for them to take care of. In this case we have the lizard Robeast from the first, or was it second, season coming out. 

Then Shiro and Allura leaping and flipping into place, followed by Pidge and Hunk then Lance. What’s kind of interesting about this is normally for any Sentai related sequence, the girls are normally on the ends where Shiro and Allura are and the second and third in command are normally next to the leader that stands in the middle. 

Typically for a pose shot, like the Flashman style one we have for team here, it would be: Red (or Leader) in the center, Blue, Green, Yellow, or Black are on the left and right sides, and the ends are usually left for Pink, Orange, Purple, Gold, Silver, or White, or whatever specialty Ranger they have on the team.

Poses are designed to stand out, show action and be used as a dramatic entrance that comes from Japanese Theater (I believe either Noa or Kabuki), where the lead must use their body to showcase a sense of control and power against what’s typically a demonic or ghostly being that they have to fight. The fact that Shiro isn’t in the Leader post here and is off to the side right now indicates that he’s, at the moment, not the main appeal here, it’s oddly Lance who’s taken on the role of Leader (as he was second to Keith in the past) which may be giving some hints of him taking on a more leader like role in the future. Also what’s interesting is that they don’t have the normal explosion that they would typically have at that moment to exclaim the “Rangers” are there. I don’t think there are huge explosions in stage shows in malls, but I do think there’s lights going on.

Also what’s important to note is that the noises they make are actually part of the sentai tradition of making sounds to again, showcase a sense of action and speed at which they’re fighting and the importance to the moment. It’s like Saying “We’re here!” to the people watching. Then there’s the fact that it’s the kids that keep stopping people which is again important to the fact that Sentai, much like Voltron, is a kids show in Japan.

Rule number two about the Shouting. This again comes from a mix of things going on in traditional theater. The shouting is really a means of projecting the voice to a larger audience. On the show however, there is no mouths to the helmets that the characters have, so shouting means that they have to cry out to one another to talk, and their body movements are a huge key here. 

Normally bigger motions and head bobs to indicate talking would show up in a show, Mir (I’m guessing budget reasons and we can see their mouths move) didn’t seem to have that showing up, which is kind of sad as the sharp motions are a huge part in Tokusatus’s visual story telling. When on stage it’s more the shouts from prerecorded lines, or the actors are speaking off stage. Again the shouting adds to the idea of immediate danger and action. By shouting and moving in sharp movements, the energy gets kicked up, so the fights look more energetic and thus get your blood pumping more and get you to get excited.

Lance shouting and Allura and Hunk answering that call in almost catch phrase lines is also normal. I think those were the actual lines from the show where the lizard Robeast showed up actually. Which is a plus job done by the team for using that for this episode (Thank you Andrea Romano!).

Rule number three plays a twofold part in a stage show. Not only does everyone like a pose, but also again it connects to the movement of the character and becomes their signature. Poses are ways for kids to remember a character if they can’t remember their name, it translates to others who they are if they know the show.

 Jojo’s Bizzare adventure uses poses a lot for each character to give them a different feel

Kuroshitsuji does the same with a few of the other worldly characters and for dramatic moments for the characters. 

Power Rangers and Kamen Rider does it all the time, while the original Voltron didn’t do it at all. But now we have some as the character’s main images are them in poses. Keith with the Sword out, Lance with the blaster, Hunk with his blaster, Pidge with her bayard grappling hook in motion, Allura’s whips, Shiro’s rushing slash with his hand. Each pose indicates to the viewer something about the character and is used for dynamic and dramatic movement.

Ice shows are more an American thing, I think, although I can’t really say what they do in Japan. However, the staging of the show here pretty much mirrors a large stadium show for a Japanese action series. 

Villains will come out and lay out their plans, usually this is followed by a short bit with the heroes hanging out, out of costume, and we get a sort of subplot to what is about to happen. In this case, due to the way this is more an action packed show, we jump right to Hunk showing up and being all “Dramatic” in his appearance.

 Followed by Pidge trying to help them and getting defeated as well.

I again have to give them credit here for knowing their Sentai. Usually during an episode at least one of the characters will try to take on the bad guy without help, or they’re near the bad guy as the team is on the way, and they get defeated on their own (this it typically the lone wolf like character), and then one of the other team members (anyone other than Red –because Red normally will be the one in trouble at first) will come and try to help, only to be beat as well. This then normally becomes a fight where you have one (baddy) on two (the two rangers) and the bad guy normally has them on the ropes. 

Then, suddenly, the rest of the team arrives. Usually when the two heroes are beat they lose energy and revert back to their non-heroic forms. This gives way to the whole team doing a group transformation. If not, then the trio that shows up will change, and we’ll get them jumping over to join the other two and then a pose.

So having the group end up in the pose in the end, Shiro’s dramatic line reading (how the hell Josh did that with a straight face I have no clue), and the flash bang at the end, yup that’s usually how an episode will go. We didn’t get to see the face off with the monster first without the robot, which was sad, but you’d at least get one fight with the team against the monster and together they normally form a weapon to beat up the monster of the week. 

This then doesn’t work as the main villain will come and force the monster to grow large, thus they need to call on whatever robot they have. Zarkon and Haggar leaving is a mix of several things:

First we have the “I’ll get you next time” which connects to some villains both in Japan and the US. Dr. Claw comes to mind “I’ll get you next time Gadget, next Time!” and witch Bandora from Zyurangers (aka Mighty Morphin Power Rangers).

Added to this we get the throw to the ground, and explosion that the monsters normally get when defeated (only this was smoke and not fireball which is typical).

There’s also a bit of Team Rocket in that moment with the way they’re launched off, and that being one of the more iconic vanishing acts in the states and Japan.

Although, Mir, I’m kind of disappointed in you. Where was the Striking the pose for the Robot moment with Voltron? At least have that with their back to the baddie, as you have that normally for Voltron.

Whooboy, the personas. As anyone who knows anything about idol groups knows, the personalities or personas of the idols actually are a big thing in, as Coran said, connecting the audience deeper to the main leads. For Tokusatsu there is something like that, although not as prominent. Typically the characters will have some sort of traits or quirks that makes them stand out and be well know.

In the case of most Sentai shows it normally goes:

Red –leader, sometimes heroic, typically a good person that wants to do the right thing, traditionally honest and brave, usually optimistic if younger and mature or big brother like if older.

Blue –second in command, normally, sometimes either the science one or the shy one if female. Can sometimes be the moody one and rival, but typically they’re the most mature of the group.

Black –Either they are the oldest of the team and the big brother type, or they’re the rival to the main character and comes off as a bit jerkish or stubborn. Usually it’s either Black or Blue for the rival role.

Green –normally a sweet character, sometimes a goof ball, can be cowardly at times, or if they’re not part of the team at first and come in later, they’re the cool dude or the rival. They’re special.

Yellow –cheerful and optimistic. Typically, if it’s a girl they’re the tomboy of the two girls on the team. Yellow can be cowardly or goofy, or they’re the one that comes up with the more logical options. Sometime the younger or older sibling type. Usually, they’ve known the main hero, along with blue, the longest or are closest to Red.

Pink – is reserved for girls, and there really hasn’t been any pink male rangers. Pink is typically a mix of girly and strong as far as character types are.

Nevertheless, given how the characters are in the show, and what we’re seeing Coran do, I can honestly say they are more prominently Idol personas then Ranger personas.

Lance –Loverboy –typically seen as the playboy of the team, never quite serious, more of the flirt. If this type shows up it normally is more likely in Black then Blue, but if it does show up for Blue it’s when Blue is Second in command, so there’s that.

Pidge –Science wiz –again normally falls under Blue but can fall under green once in awhile or is reserved for the female of the team.

Allura (taking on Keith’s role) –Lone Wolf –Who is normally the rival of the main character and is the broody one, and is typically Black or green over blue or Red.

Hunk –Hilarious –Fits in with the yellow color but normally green gets to be the funny one, as yellow has become more a girl color a lot of the time now. (I want to take a moment to note that it’s clear the others are not finding the Hunk thing all that funny with the farts. But this is, no joke, a thing in Japan and I think it might be part of comedy in Korea too. US has it for kids oddly enough.)

Shiro –the hero –yeah this is normally reserved for Red, but Shiro oddly fits this role far more then Keith does at this point. Although Shiro is way more stoic in nature then your typical Red leader rangers.

When we see the stage for the next show it’s closer to how some larger concerts go in regard to the lights in the stadium. It’s become more of a stunt show then what you see for most of the Japanese stage shows as there’s an actual plot going on, and what we’re getting to see is more the action.

 What follows when Shiro asked to have a speech moment, Coran shushed him. This happens a lot in the idol world where you’re told what to do, how to do it, and really have little say in how you’re marketed.

Congrads Voltron, you hit a large point in regard to Star Trek, Star Wars, and most other Sci-Fi series where the words are made up to suit the story. Coran’s comments on the whole idea that people would be confused either way connects to what a lot of parents say about kids shows and how they tend to talk down to them rather then up. And how Sci-fi shows also do the same thing when they use false terms. It’s kind of interesting to see them address that fact.

We see Allura actually using a lot of the movements I was talking about earlier. Followed by Pidge’s motions with her hands on her hip and her head.

 Seems like they saved the larger body motions for the moment after the dramatic pose scene with fireworks this time (finally).

I have no idea…what is up with Lance and the rope thing. Circ de sole? Maybe a nod to how some shows work in some weird acrobatics for the stage shows, but that came out of left field for me. It fit Lance but again, what is it supposed to be?

The best part was the “Upgrade” aspect that was happening. New outfits and weapons typically happen during a season of Super Sentai, most notably mid-season around the 20th episode mark. Here, it’s amusing because of how very toy driven Sentai series are and the change in costume and weapons means that the buyers need to get the newest item as well. 

Coran’s twitching though was giving me worries. I must say that his melt down was very in tune with, again, how some talent agencies treat their talent in that they feel it’s okay to just replace them as they see fit. 

And the whole fact that Shiro has become the lead over Keith in Toy sales and marketability. (Something I don’t think the Voltron Crew figured on.) is made fun of here in a way.

Extra points for the reference to the Mall Cop and him hugging the plush versions of the characters. We also see more posing and such, which again plays up the whole stage show aspect of this episode. 

Of course we get to see Coran make a huge mistake, the fact that the group manages to beat it and then Bi-boh-bi saves the day (yet still gets yelled at by Coran) is just par for the course of any typical Sentai Series ending.

What I really appreciated on this episode was the time and effort put into showing off the idea of the Sentai shows, and how they really do engage the fandom. 

Given that Toei licensed this show and its connections to Super Sentai (they make the two most popular right now), it’s not surprising that this is a mix between a love letter to Sentai and a warning against how the background of that world works. For all the cool acts, there’s a bit of a dark underbelly to it for the actors at times, especially for idol groups.

That being said I would have to say this is one of my favorites, and it was nice seeing all the references that were there.

 By the way the theme song they used for the ending is supposed to invoke the “Go Go Power Rangers” like tone as well as the upbeat intro songs of the Super Sentai series.

Episode 12 –Begin the Blitz

The fact that we right off the bat have it that Zarkon is so determined to find Lotor is interesting. Again he is not acting like himself. He’s allowed several planets to be taken over, and if it was broadcast as Coran said the Voltron Show would have been seen in several territories. Zarkon not worrying about that is troubling as it shows that he’s more worried about his son, or rather, needing to get rid of him for some reason. The only reason that comes to mind why is because of what Haggar said about him having something Ancient awoken in him, and that might be something that the possessed Zarkon doesn’t want to happen for some reason.

Him forgoing his job and not going to retake territories screams to me that something is up with him. 

Meanwhile you have Shiro wanting to take advantage of this, which makes sense given that he’s not where he should be. His plan is frighteningly sound, which turns out to be a good thing as a huge section of it works. While this may be a Clone of Shiro it’s clear that he at least thinks like him and, outside of not asking for other advice (since none of those aboard outside of Coran is good with planning a military engagement like this) he certainly knows what he is talking about. The fact that they have that much territory is amazing and that there’s a sense of urgency here which (in a longer series would show other worlds being taken) plays up the idea of time passing from the last episode and that they have an opportune moment to strike.

I have to say I love the fact that Hunk takes the initiative in him and Pidge going after the base in space. We also get a sense that this wasn’t completely planned by just Shiro, but probably Kolivar and Matt, along with, probably the unknown leader of the Rebels whom we’ve yet to meet. This entire scene was a great layout to what was going to happen in the near future and how things go wrong later on.

Naxzella (Noxcella? Nexzella?) is an interesting planet in general, set up in the middle of the line that they want to create to cut off a 3rd of the galra empire. The main job by doing this is to inspire a whole new wave of rebellions. What’s interesting is that even with this goal in mind, there’s a reminder of Star Wars and what they were doing way back during the Empire Strikes back and previously. One other thing of interest is that the line that they are creating comes from the far left side of space, in most movies and the like surprise attacks tend to come from the left because that’s normally not where you’re looking at. This, I think, will be a rather interesting location to build a headquarters at for the team.

My mind though goes on the situation with Lotor and the Generals. It’s damn clear that the girls are in the arms of the mecha Sincline Ships, and that Lotor is in the legs. 

What’s also interesting is that they don’t know where they are headed when he sends the coordinates, one can then surmise that none of them were born on Daibazaal, except for Lotor who seems to know about the planet. Question is, how much and when was he born that he knows about it. Assuming that he was born later, as we never see him in the Flashback, we can surmise with all the attention to detail that he has about his “Mother” he may have learned it from someone, or studied the history of it. Given that Honerva didn’t remember who she was until this point in time, I have to wonder if he got the stories from another person.

Ezor and Axca’s communication and Lotor’s attitude is, interesting to say the least. Ezor clearly has no deep connection and, for her part, seems way more worried about keeping herself alive and not on the hit list for Zarkon. I have a strong feeling that of the group she’s probably the one that will more than likely choose to try to save herself by agreeing to do what is asked of her by Zarkon. What’s doubly of concern is how she sets up doubt in Axca’s belief in Lotor. She deliberately breaks communications with Lotor and starts planting seeds of doubt into Axca’s mind about him and what he’s doing by invoking Narti’s death. However, if you notice, she’s not as close to Narti as the other two girls, making me wonder about what she’s actually planning here and if she was planted by Haggar along with Kova to act as a monitor for Lotor. Remember she can go invisible; how hard would it be for her to report to Haggar.

Axca’s reaction is interesting too. She’s not happy about what’s being said, but it’s clear that there is an inkling of something that would make her unsure about the situation. It’s also important to note that she’s the one that keeps insisting that Lotor would protect them. Something neither Ezor nor Zethrid seems to say, though it seems like Zethrid and Acxa are on the same page in regard to overall trusting Lotor.

A nice montage of allies coming together and working as a team with Shiro in the lead,

 although I find it interesting that they don’t have Lance go by the Merpeople,

 but have him with Pidge. But I suppose they would be limited to water fights vs. being mobilized in the same way. Still a good strong set up for what lies ahead for the team and the battle.

When the team of Lotor and his Generals arrive, we’re given a clue that none of the girls know what they are looking at, and Lotor is the only one that has the history of the planet, and –what stands out for me here –is the look on his face. 

He’s clearly distressed about seeing the place and the way his face and tone appear on screen shows that he’s upset over where they are and probably for good reason if my assumption of the story is true and that Lotor was taught about Honerva by someone else over knowing that she’s alive.

One point I want to make is that he set up the gateway in a way that it’s almost like a beacon. While this works visually, I have to wonder if Lotor didn’t realize that other people would see it. Also, what’s important is that when Shiro saw the world this was before Lotor put in the gate, so Voltron has no idea about it. Another thing that’s important is that he also clearly had to have learned of the location of the rift to position it there. Meaning that someone had to have showed him how to locate in the destruction of the planet where the best point would be.

So another thing that’s kind of important. Lotor mentions that Zarkon thought that rift was gone. That Honerva’s work can’t be undone (which doesn’t bode well), and that he had the gate built in secret. This means that the girls had no clue about this, save maybe Axca, who had to go get the minerals to build the lenses for the giant Teludav. What’s interesting here is that we know that the Galra have not built things like this. They don’t have the same warp tech that the Altean’s have. And the color indicates that this wasn’t an item built by the Galra either as all their work is in pink energy. So that means that the group that built this would have had to have been somehow connected to the Alteans, since it’s clear that the ships seem to run on non-altered quintessence, thus the blue screen that shows up.

Two things that are also big in this scene. Lotor doesn’t want to go to the other reality, he wants to go to the in-between, the space between the worlds, and secondly again Ezor doesn’t look impressed at all about this idea, almost like she’s thinking the whole thing is a bad idea to begin with. 

Meanwhile, again, we have Axca looking almost in reverence to Lotor over this, which is troubling too because that means that the whole question of doubt probably will become bigger as the series goes on.

Okay another point, Lotor mentions that they should be able to pierce the barrier between realities, but one thing that he’s not taking into account in this case, is the fact that part of the reason why this worked for Voltron was probably the connection Allura’s magic has to the ablity to cross over. We know that the Lions protected the group, but there’s the fact that the Teludav seems to need the royal family to open up that gate. 

We see the same blue on Lotor’s ship, but he wasn’t able to harness that at all, and it looks like he’s not sure how to do it.  We see him, when they come out the other side, with his eyes closed,

 in the same sort of concentrated look that Allura has on her face when she’s opening a wormhole to get them out of there.

Of note, the gate is a slightly modified version of the Altean worm hole that the castle has. I think that there’s a reason for that, but I can only speculate right now that Lotor has been reading up on the Altean culture and science to get this right. Zethrid’s “Uh did it work?” indicates that, like the other members of Voltron, she can’t feel the things that Allura and possibly Lotor can when changing spaces.

 Axca’s worried look indicates that she’s starting to doubt him, something that she clearly doesn’t want to do, and that she’s worried for him. It’s a moment where you can see on her face she’s conflicted and wondering if Ezor is right on this matter.

Rolo and Nyma return, although, is that Norman Reedus doing his voice again or not (his name is not listed, nor is Lacey’s), and we find out that they’ve been helping the collation, although apparently them giving up the team to Zarkon is an afterthought as Pidge notes to Beezor she can’t stay mad at him, indicating that the team has forgiven the group. 

Something that I think that shows just how this team works, which kind of gives me hope that maybe Lotor will have to change his plans as he comes to the realization that the enemy is not Voltron, but his own father and whatever that black monster is.

If this was a traditional anime show, Allura’s wonderful speech would be the end of the episode and we would have to wait till next time. Thankfully that’s not what happens here. What’s cool about this speech is that while it’s simple, there’s a sense of pride and real authority that Kimberly Brooks gives to Allura at this moment, and it really shines through. Her voice acting here was top notch, as was Andrea Romano’s direction! Just a great dramatic moment over all, and, it’s again rather important to see where people are seeing this. 

Funnily the Space Mall was one of the places that pledged, which makes me wonder about the guard there, if he’s changed sides, and if there are other Galra that have had a change of heart. 

It also shows how strong a leader Allura really is, and that her words carry her message clear as a bell. Is it any wonder that the Allura from the different time line became an Empress? She had the ability to win over the people.

The line of “See you on the other side” reminds me of an homage to something, but I can’t quite remember. One other thing of note here, it’s interesting that Rolo and Nyma represent the non –rebel teams that are fighting along with the Rebels, the Blade and Volton, showing the sweeping size of the group that they’ve managed to mount under their banner.

 Also cute of them to have Matt waving at her like some sort of fanboy.

Hunk’s thought process of being worried yet being determined to do his job is a long way from the first season version of him that was terrified of doing something this big. 

Yet here we are, seeing him and Pidge pull off the first blow is rather nice, and it’s great that the way they pull off all these attacks in the animation is so well timed that you feel the pressure that comes from everyone. 

The fight on the ship was memorable, and exciting. 

Especially where you have Hunk save the day in this case with a great wrestling move, body slamming the Galra Captain.

 Question, did anyone else think he looked like the guy that said “Operation Kuron.” was a go? Or did they use the same model for him for convenience sake?

Moving forward we get our second shot of female Galra that are not our four Generals, and it shows that they’re pretty high up there. Interesting note that the female groups seem to fair a bit better against the incoming forces.

 Nice to hear Bex, I think, provide the voice of Captain Olia (sorry if that’s not how it’s spelled), also her name seems to be a nod to Alia from Megaman X and physically to Star Fox. The other one that caught my attention was the stranger in the weird face cover helmet. It’s short but the moment focuses on this character and they say nothing.

I don’t want to speculate too much about this one as it’s probably no one of importance. However I want to point out a few things about the character. The helmet is designed very much Like the ones that Lotor, Allura , the Voltron Team and the Generals use (which is similar to the design of the Alteans). Secondly, she is female as you can see the curve of her breast. Third the mark on her helmet is very much in line with the V for the Voltron, the colors though flow differently from a light blue to a gray. Something that also caught my eye is the up turned wings on the side that mirror a former character from Voltron’s past, and also the color scheme for him. Prince Advok of Pollux.

The Prince in the original series sported a dark military green roman like outfit, with a yellow and white cape, with upturned collar. This character has a White body suit, that same cape color and yellow and white shoulder pads. She’s completely covered and the last time we saw a character like this…well we got Axca, which lead to us meeting Lotor. So I have to wonder, could this be either Keith’s Mom or Romelle herself being a part of the Rebel forces? Assuming that they keep true to her skills, Romelle was an excellent pilot in the original series and gunner as well. So this could be her in disguise?

But enough of this one lone character, let’s move on to the skirmish; as we see the battle progress, and again we get a shot of this other character with Matt and Olia when we discover that there are force shields up blocking the turrets. 

Also yay for another Star Fox reference with the frog. We also see that the Commander around planet Teck seems to have things under control, and wipes out a large portion of the Rebel forces, forcing the group to change plans and seek out help from the Blades. 

On the opposite side of things, Keith’s Blades easily take over their cannon, and knock the commander unconscious. It’s nice to see him proving to be a leader for this group, and that has me wonder if he’ll eventually come back and take on the Black Lion again?

One of the best money shots in this season was the image of Voltron rising out of the smoke from a defeated ship and the noping out of there by that one Galra officer. 

That made my day.

 Again back to the ships in space, and the helmeted person telling Matt to see if the Blades can take down the shield with their cannon. We hear a female voice being altered, meaning that someone is trying to keep their voice hidden from other people. At the same time, we have Olia ordering the remaining ships behind the asteroid, which is a good move given the blast of the cannon and the protection of the ships.

 We get that the Commander of the main cannon ship in space is rather confident, but clearly less emotional about her job, this is what she’s been trained to do.

Keith’s crew taking out the second cannon was impressive and all together a great and I Loved the fluidity of the animation there. It’s clear that these two episodes and the first one were where most of the money went, which is a pity but it worked so well seeing the full on attack at the base and the following reactions and quick time motions of everyone attacking at once.

The battle on Nexella is beautiful, I must say, in the way Mir gave weight to the destruction of the Galra buildings. Lance helping with pointing out the dangers and taking the lead as field leader in a way, much like his counterpart in the original series did. Lance in this episode really took the cake in how he handled his responsibilities. From helping point out the dangers to assisting Allura and getting her to realize her role in everything that they needed to do to get out of there, Lance, once again, showed why he does have leadership potential when working inside a team.

It was, beyond smart, to put hidden bombs all in the air. Which means that the Galra assumed an attack would come to that planet at some point in time. Also the explosions showed a lot of care and precision because they illuminated the shocking moments perfectly. Props to whomever on the team was doing that moment. Each character using what they know to figure out what to do. Pidge taking point about the option of leaving without getting blown up was a good move, and Allura figuring out to freeze them was even better, and getting kudos from Lance was a nice touch there. After all they are both hearts in the team. The animation and energy the voice actors brought to the scene that followed was amazing, and I honestly feel pumped every time I see that moment after Allura freezes the bombs. Kudos on everyone for that moment, especially the music.

Cutting back to Lotor, we get a moment where he’s standing there looking at the teludav and seems to be wondering what went wrong. His face at least utters that he’s clearly trying to work out the logistics on why it didn’t work, while his body language shows frustration and that he’s clinging to himself. He’s also distanced himself from the girls showing that they’re not a unit and they’ve begun to pull away from him. They know to leave him alone but there’s an emotional gap there as well.

What follows is rather heart breaking when you think about what just went on in the previous episode. Lotor had to kill one of his loyal friends/Generals. He had no choice as he realized, as did probably Narti, that she was being used as a tool for Haggar. So she sacrificed herself under his blade. The problem is that the others don’t know about this, and see it as a sudden shift in his personality. They’re scared of him, and rightly so given the information that they have. So the seeds of doubt that Haggar and Zarkon want cast onto their son are coming into fruition. Not only that, but you have to consider that in this moment there are at least two failures going down for Lotor. One is that he could not get the Teludav to work, the other, is that not only did he have to cut down his companion, but that the plans that he did so for have not worked and now he has nothing to show for it. He’s on the run, and betrayed by his family, even if he doesn’t care about his father, he still hates the idea that they would be willing to kill him. In addition he now has to deal with the fact that he used up their quintessence and nothing came of it. So he feels a bit…upset with himself.

Now keep that in mind as the girls are discussing their options. Ezor points out that she was right. She automatically goes into “All Lotor’s plans fail” meaning this isn’t the first time they’ve followed him and he’s not come up with something that rewards their work. Again, Ezor stikes me as more a selfish person. Then Zethrid automatically goes for the gut saying that they need to strike before he does, ignoring the fact that he could have struck earlier but never did. Ezor notes that the Galra may show them Mercy, and I would have agreed if not for the fact that we have Zarkon the Nuts right now in charge rather than Zarkon the Sane.

 Axca’s face says it all in that moment. She’s torn between being loyal to the man that probably was the first to give her a chance to prove herself, and doing what is best for her fellow Generals to keep them safe. 

Her choice then, to do the deed herself.

When Lotor looks back you have a brief moment of sadness on his face, or melancholy. Almost like he was going to apologize to Axca, and probably tell her to tell the other girls to take the ship and leave. Get away from him, hide, or whatever they could. That Zarkon is after him, and that he will find a way to fix this. 

However that moment was probably cut short by her pulling her gun and saying “For Narti” shooting him to his utter shock.In this moment, the woman who just reassured him that she had never given up on him, probably the person he trusted most in his little group, has betrayed him. This, I think, was the tipping point for him to make his choice to go find Voltron and make a deal with them. I have a feeling that in that moment everything that Lotor feared, that there was no one he could ever trust, came to full realization with that one hit. He falls and the girls stare in shock at Axca’s actions. 

The fact that Zethrid asked, “Did you kill him” means that this wasn’t expected, and Axca goes right into leader mode says a lot about her personality and that she values her men over her leader.

We contrast this with Keith who manages to find the cannon and disable it to save the rest of the Rebels from certain death.

 We can see that there is a gap between the trust that the Rebels put in the Blades and Keith vs how Lotor’s crew distrusts him after his slaying of Narti. Brings up the question of how much loyalty they had with him in the first place. 

Again a great shot with animation of the asteroid nearly being blown up, the pressure of the characters, and the relief they feel at being able to go and get on the ship. 

Once the two cannons are secure we get a great montage of all the different collation groups taking on the Galra, something that I wish they would have animated more, but for what it was worth it was good. 

It’s a nice reminder of all the characters that we’ve met for the past three seasons and how Voltron’s crew has touched them and helped them.

 Coran’s note about almost taking the entire area is important as it shows that this was a big win for the team and the future of the universe.

Contrast that with a captured Lotor.

 Waking up he gets apologized to by Zethrid, and then agrees that she must do what she must do, and he does what he has to.

 Which is to dislocate his arms,

 rip apart his cuffs, 

and eject her.

 Have I mentioned how badass they’ve made Lotor? I mean…damn! That’s gotta hurt. All the while he must be thinking about the fact that they’re choosing his father and the Empire over him and their futures. The moment he does so we see Zethrid land on the other Sincline ship. 

Zethrid notes as Lotor leaves them, that they’re as dead as Lotor, with Ezor questioning what they can do now, and Axca mentioning that they have one option left.

Now there’s a few choices here I can think of:

Either they follow him, and try to recapture him and bring him to Zarkon.

Or they could go to Zarkon and the Galra and plead for mercy

Or they could find Voltron and side with them, hoping that Voltron can and will protect them.

Or they can just run and book it to another location, like where Lotor was first at before he was summoned.

If it’s option one, then next season and the still of Matt and Shiro fighting Ezor probably indicates that they’re trying to protect Lotor and Allura since they made a deal with him, and if anything is clear Lotor is a good thing to have on their side.

If it’s option two, they would have to prove themselves to Zarkon which could again mean capturing Lotor. I have to wonder about that one because we can see that Zarkon has lost it as of this season.

Option three could happen, but the fact that they’re fighting against Voltron tells me this won’t happen until much later in the series. If at all for all of them. I’m guessing Axca probably will be the one to turn over to Voltron, with Ezor and Zethrid possibly not making it out given that they killed Narti.

The last one could bring for some interesting stories, but I don’t think they’d run away like that. So, more likely, option one and two will be their path since it seems like Axca is rather grim about this, and it wouldn’t make sense to have them side with Voltron at this point and time.

We end on the clue that Haggar is up to something, and probably planned this given that the Galra probably already noticed the whole thing with the Voltron Show and the number of people getting excited over them. Clearly a Galaxy wide moment would have gotten their attention, and the fact remains that Haggar isn’t an idiot. This was probably her plan from the moment she realized what was going on, and intended to blow up the planet.

Episode 13 –A New Defender.

So we open with good news from Coran about the fact that the planets have been pacified if not liberated. The question now is, is this going to fall into a case like the Earth Nation where there are mixed families regarding the Galra that have been there for years? 

But we shouldn’t harp on that too much as the main issue right now is that Haggar is coming. It’s interesting that they opened with that moment rather than Lotor or the Generals. Just when we think we’ve won, we haven’t.

In turn we see that the Rebels have cleared their area of ships, and then Matt tries to get a lead on the cruiser that has Haggar. It’s interesting that it’s such a different design, almost like an add-on to breach into other ships, but clearly it’s not for that as we see later. From the ship Haggar is able to shut down the main cannons, and as we know this was part of her plan for using the bomb later in the story. This makes me wonder just how long was she holding onto this plan, and if she was going to use it for another reason at some point. Like if there was an upstart in the Empire and they needed to crush it fast. It also is of importance to note that Voltron is still fighting on the planet and dealing with fire. We know there were Galra soldiers in the planet, so is Haggar so determined to destroy Voltron that she’s willing to kill her own Husbands people for this?

We see Voltron fighting on the planet and hits it with a wave of destruction. 

What’s interesting to me is that again we get another female Commander who’s working with a male officer, so we’re seeing different species as well showing up. There’s the moment when they mention that this level of rebellion hasn’t happened in ten thousand years, meaning that the Rebels haven’t had a strong enough presence to take them on. On top of that, we see that, as the Commander points out, they left themselves open for this by not being alert. She inquires if they should handle it themselves or wait on Zarkon? 

It’s clear that this is not a fight they are ready for, and are nervous about it, meaning that Voltron and the Collation is actually scaring them and their stability as leaders could be falling. One again must point out that the Blade is probably not the only group of Galra that isn’t happy with what’s going on, as Merchants and citizens are probably having to deal with the actions of their leaders. Haggar states they are going for Noxzella, and that Zarkon is busy chasing Lotor. Again, I have to point out that it’s odd that he’s doing that rather than dealing with the rebellion.

As for Lotor himself, we see him trying to get some rest, as he puts his ship on auto pilot and misses a tracker that sounds off where he is. Clearly the boy is in a rather bad state of mind given that he just got turned on by those he allied with and now…he’s going to be chased down by his father. The peaceful scene in space is contrasted by the sudden alert and for a moment we’re trying to release our tension with Lotor.

 A good transition I would say in this moment. When we see Zarkon a second later it’s from behind, much like earlier shots of him, but his body language is so vastly different now. 

Where once we saw someone who was determined, yet noble in various ways, this man is now almost obsessed and sinister in nature. He’s standing ready to fight, and the fact that he needs the suit is again, worrisome to me. 

Again nice to see female Commanders who are actually useful to him.

How does he know it’s Lotor? Probably has to do with the reading off the comet material. After all Voltron was part of that, and it probably is similar in nature, so he may have an old connection to it. Or the evil stuff is feeling the good stuff and wants to kill it.

 Lotor being shocked awake is also done well as the moments of quiet between shots give you a false sense of anticipation for the fall out of Zarkon finding out about where Lotor is. On the plus side we get to see how clearly skilled Lotor is as a pilot and that he can certainly fly just as good, if not better than Keith. What’s really impressive about these scenes are the skills for the animation. The way the legs of the Sincline Ship dances as it moves around, almost like a swimmer and Lotor uses that to his advantage. He can flip over and use them to get the flyers in positions where they smash into one another.

One thing I have to make note of is that Lotor is no idiot. He realizes that he doesn’t have a chance in hell of fighting the fleet that’s following. 

However he gets it in his mind to head for Navier, an unstable star, knowing full well that the sun’s activity will mess with his father’s fleet’s controls and systems, probably cause them to overheat and explode. 

Props for the ship not falling part as well, you can see it heating but clearly there’s something about the comets that make them so rare and unique that even the sun doesn’t damage them. 

Though it’s clear that it does do damage to the pilot as Lotor looks like he’s cooking inside the ship.

 I’d also like to take a moment and commend Mir on the beauty of that sun as well. 

The colors and designs and the flares are rendered wonderfully, I am really really loving the space images in this series.

What makes this scene so utterly important is that it shows the lengths that Zarkon is willing to pursue his son, and, how far Lotor is willing to go to not be taken by his father. His face, the anger, fear and determination are all there in that scream of willpower. 

We see him nearly crash into that sun, and yet his ship can take it unlike Zarkon’s. 

It proves his point about the comet being something really important. Later there’s a moment we see of Keith making the choice to nearly end his life to stop the Galra, and you have to wonder if they put that moment with Lotor in there to show that both are just as crazy in regard to what they’re willing to do for not only themselves but others that they care about.

So into a creepy moment regarding Haggar and Zarkon. We just saw that he’s willing to get his men killed to capture his son, now we have Haggar ignoring the warnings from her two commanders, telling her it’s too far to attack and that they have to get ready for the fight of their lives. She, in turn, simply walks away. We see her in distant and close ups from behind shots, indicating that there’s a sense of control going on there with her own mind and what she’s doing. She doesn’t care what anyone will say, she’s doing this, with or without their approval.

 Upon entry she tells her guard to not let anyone bother her until she’s done, meaning that even if the commanders want to pull out or things go wrong, if she’s not done they’re not leaving. Again, this is showing how far they’ve come from season one where Haggar at least was paying mind to what her men and forces were saying.

 Not only that, but one has to wonder what is going through her mind, as she’s awoken her own memories. Does she want to blow up the world, or is this something out of her control?

So Shiro…why the hell do you want to observe this close up? Seriously? Lance had the right idea, get off ground and then deal with them so you’re not, you know, and pulled back down as you are. 

The generators remind me of a water mine, poles sticking up so that if anything hits it, boom. One has to wonder, again, how long did Haggar have this thing set up? 

Are there more like it out there, if so where? 

We again get a sense that Allura has some sort of connection to the pink power, and it’s hinted again that this is the Sith force magic to the blue Jedi magic in this world. 

Allura can sense it before it hits, and it’s something the others don’t feel. On top of that, it's pulling them down, and, as Hunk mentioned earlier, the situation became dire very fast. Again, I must wonder, what the point was with sticking on the ground. 

Even when they try to escape the first time, the failure is the only option as the pull is way too strong at that point. Smartly though, they leave their lions and come up with a plan to get the wave to go away.

I really like the animation when they’re running the weight of the pull is clear and affecting them to the point they must use their jets to move and hop rather than run. 

Another plus is that we know that at least the robots are still on plant, if the officers have left. One leap of faith later and they’re heading down after Pidge notes about it not being a conventional thing on plant. Makes me wonder if Noxella was a man-made planet, given that the core is a giant bomb. If so, how long ago was it made? 

Upon a lovely animated free fall, we get a moment that I think is one of the stronger ones in this episode. And we’re given a few answers to my questions. 

Firstly this was built by the Alteans, probably years ago, and it’s a terraforming station, meaning that it was once used to alter the planet for others to live on. Now if it was a dead world and just rocks, fine, but if it was something before, that brings up just how empirical were the Alteans here and are they that far from the Alteans from that other world.

Allura’s attempts to shut down the terraformer show something interesting. When the energies merge you can see the blue and the pink at war with one another, at the moment the pink almost overpowered the blue, leading to the team having to pull her away from it. 

This marks the second time that Allura has been affected by the pink magic. Last time she managed to use it due to her anger, this time, she’s not angry and thus couldn’t use the stuff or counter it. 

Great moment too by Hunk figuring out about the Hexamite and the fact that it’s a bomb with Pidge. 

Also we see Lance showing care for Allura when she gets knocked over, asking if she’s okay and both then worrying about Hunk being alright. Realizing the danger the group makes a dash for the exit with Lance and Hunk taking out some of the guards, and Pidge providing help.

Keith’s realization and clearly thinking more so than Kolivar at the moment in realizing the danger Voltron was in and the fact that the fleet stopped shows how much he’s grown since the beginning. He’s using what he’s learned and taking things into account before making a move rather than just making assumptions.

 It’s interesting to note that Keith goes to Matt for help showing that he’s losing that lone wolf viewpoint that he’s had since the first season, and using his wits to protect Coran and the other members of the rebels and collation in case they need to leave. Showing that Keith has definitely grown since Season 3 and season 2. He’s no longer just thinking of himself or just of Voltron’s crew, but of more people and that his actions count for a larger aspect of the worlds that they protect now.

Of interest there’s the fact that Lotor, after hearing about the warning to stay out of the area goes to see what’s going on. Now I don’t know at the moment what’s going through his head. Clearly he’s scanning for word about his father, but the fact that he actually looks disturbed about this information means that he cares about what’s going on and that he, possibly, but not definitively, cares about the planets that could be wiped out. Noting this he takes off to see what could be happening rather than ignoring it and watching out for his dad. He could get into more trouble and yet he goes, showing that, in some ways, he really does give a hell about his subjects.

The falling of Voltron, the voice acting in that moment and the ticking clock, it all added up to making for a moment of desperation for the team, and Pidge’s cry of “we can’t die here!” added to the frustration and fear they were all feeling. When Shiro tries to calm them down and force them all to think, Lance uses his head, and remembers Allura’s powers. 

The fact that he in that moment is thinking clearly again shows how far Lance has come and that he certainly is worthy of the red lion and it’s fast acting, fast thinking, role on the team. Allura’s uncertainty is really honest, she shaken after seeing that she couldn’t fix the problem below, and this is an even larger task, and yet Lance, in all his sweetness, manages to remind her that she’s the heart of the team, that her commitment to them through all that they’ve done, how dumb they were at the start, their triumphs, and failures, has shown that she is what keeps them going and as a family.

The beauty of that simple speech, the simple-ness of “I’ll try.” and “Help me father.” Added to the wonder of seeing Allura pull off a move to save her crew and proves just how powerful and strong she is.

Lance is right on her not being trained but it’s her sheer determination and willingness to try that pushes her forward and makes it so that she has the ability and power to break them through the glass dome that’s keeping them locked there.

 It’s a magnificent shot at the end where we see them rising out from the hole blasted by the red lion allowing them to be free of the pull that is holding them down. 

And the warm feeling you get at hearing Allura thank Lance, who tells her that it was all her, shows that he’s grown from, puppy love crush, to genuinely seeing her as a team mate and a friend. Allura is no longer that object that seems distant, she’s a great person, and one that he’s proud to have on the team.

In contrast we have Keith, who is covered in Red by the way, a nod to his former role I think and his impulsive nature, rushing at the galra ship.

 The Rebels heading for the ship with him and the level of determination that everyone has, it’s amazing how easy this moment is to be on the edge of your seat because it’s hard to tell what’s going to happen.

 Allura and Coran’s short scene shows just how loyal he is to her, even when he’s scared he won’t see her again, he follows her orders and does the right thing by her. Everyone seems ready for a fight, one that they’re not sure they can win.

So about Keith’s realization of what he has to do. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but it’s very much like Axca’s eyes early on previously when she realized that Lotor didn’t pull off the thing he said he would in the gate. There’s a familiarity there that I can’t quite shake. 

Moments later he too makes up his mind and closes his eyes to decide what he has to do for the crew as well as the whole universe at that moment. What no one knows probably because he’s cloaked, is that Lotor is watching all of this, the same way that Voltron was several episodes before when they saw him in the firefight.

When Lotor saves the day, what caught my attention was the choice of color around him. 

Gold, a color that normally is reserved for more heroic characters and typically means wisdom and illumination. It could be a clue that Lotor may have realized just how nuts his father and Haggar are being and has decided, not without his own plans, to actually help out in this fight rather than let others do so. He’s lost a lot in this season and this, again, may change his view on the crew and what’s going to happen in the future. We also know now that his ship is stronger than normal and that it could be a contender against Voltron if things go south for him and them. 

The reaction is stunning from the crew and everyone in the Rebels as Lotor offers to have a discussion, and the look on his face shows that he’s planning something and that this is going to benefit him and them as well, because now…they owe him.

Over all I liked this half of Season 3. I thought the stories were engaging, and parts are fitting together. The fact we have Matt back is nice, but I hope that Pidge doesn’t forget about Sam and where he is. I also like that we have more with the Rebels this season and it shows that they are actually a strong force, and some of their history. The fact that the Studio was willing to kill off not just one character, but two in one season, and one a larger player in Lotor’s side of things shows that there’s a chance that other people in this show could end up dead.

What I didn’t like was the fact that some plot points were dropped. Yay, Matt is back great, now what about your father Pidge. No talk about what was going on with Keith, even a hint of it after he left would have been nice. And what I was kind of hoping for was something to indicate who’s been building the ships for Lotor, but I guess that will come next season.

All and All this series has shown that you can reboot an old series and make it new and enjoyable once more. I’m hoping next season will show more about the rebels, and we finally get Lotor’s past.

[bwprowl]

Not all stuff here is the newest, but there is a freshly-seen cute Gundam mash-up, as well as a statue from a decent new show this season, and an early-reveal Nendo from this season’s sleeper hit! In fact, there are a ton of pre-orders from Tamashii and Good Smile just up, and we’ll be giving at least cursory glances to most of them. Meanwhile, I take a break from those transforming robots to fiddle with a *different* kind of transforming robot. All this and good boys too, here on Tuesday Night Toys!

New Stuff: Fortunate Guy

The Gundam Build Fighters series deserves to have its success milked (are we ever getting a second season of Try?), and among other things, that means more Beargguy variants! The newest spin is the Chara'GGuy, a little version of everyone’s favorite moe-bile suit done up like it’s a chibi costume being worn by one of the anime characters. The first ones, somewhat expectedly, include Fumina (who already has a few kits made in her image), as well as Gyanko. and they look like cute little distractions. It’ll be neat to see if they do Chara'GGuys for the other main characters from this series, to say nothing of branching out to the earlier Build Fighters season, or other Gundam shows altogether!

Toyscity is coming out with this 1/6 scale statue of a ‘working dog’, a German Shepard that can don different military/police body armor and pose alongside your similarly-scaled movable fighting man figures to add a touch of companionship. It’d be nice if it was a fully posable dog (there…aren’t enough of those), but as a display piece it works well, and is a cool idea for something to get a toy at all.

Urara Meirochou is not a series I’m watching this season (I’m going kind of light, currently, though it looks like next season will have plenty of stuff I want to watch), but select members of my readership I know are. It seems like a cute enough show, and at least uguu fortune tellers isn’t a specific corner of moe I think has been covered before. To that end, apparent main character Chiya will be getting this big expensive statue from Stronger out at the end of this year.

I’m also not watching Kemono Friends, though its shocking ascent to popularity has been worth following out of the corner of my eye. Good Smile took notice too, apparently, and wanting to strike while the iron was hot, revealed and put up pre-orders for a Nendoroid of cover girl/cat Serval without even a finished product to show off. Eschewing their usual practices, the page currently just has the in-development prototype, and illustrations of what else to expect from the figure. It is an impressive testament to how FAST GSC can move on these sorts of things, as well as perhaps a meditation on how fleeting this series’ found fame may be, that they want to lock in those pre-orders while people still care.

Wishlist: Aisle Reset

Tamashii’s latest round of Figuarts pre-orders went live in the wee hours of Monday morning. I already threw up pics of the new Shinkocchou Seihou version of Kamen Rider Skull, and he’s way gone already anyway (the pre-orders were closed within two minutes, and AmiAmi doesn’t even have him listed on the front page anymore; I’m really glad I was able to squeak my pre-order through). Definitely one to keep an eye on though, Skull’s always been an impeccable design (full disclosure: seeing pics of this design, specifically the original SHF of it, is what convinced me to first start watching Kamen Rider), and this is the first retail release of an SHF for him, and looks to be the best one ever.

Other SHFs include the next Street Fighter entries, Cammy and Rashid. Now that we’re past the obligatory Ryu and Chun-Li, we can get to the interesting stuff. Cammy’s had plenty of figures before too, but this is, I think, the first of her SFV design, and works well with the SHF design. Rashid, being a brand-new character, gets his first figure here, and it captures the look and movement of the guy perfectly. Rashid’s quickly become one of my favorites to play in the game, and he’s so much fun as a character. I’ll keep an eye on this one.

As well, both Tigers from current long-running franchise wrasslin’ series Tiger Mask W are up for pre-order in SHF form. Tiger Mask himself and his angsty anti-hero counterpart Tiger the Dark are both available, and if they’re the only ones so far from their series, you can easily have them also square off against either the Kinnikuman or WWE Figuarts. SHF wrestling is quickly becoming a subgenre on the level of toku from the same line.

And finally an SHF of Yuki Mori from the latest Space Battleship Yamato series is being made too. I haven’t watched this series at all,  I only know it from pics and, uh, other toys I’ve seen throughout the years. This is mostly of interest to me because I REALLY hope it means they make an SHF of Akira next, since I utterly love her design.

On the figma side of things, Max Factory didn’t want to be left in the fighting-game dust by Tamashii’s Street Fighter releases, so they put up the first two for their King of Fighters series: Kyo and Iori. Both come with great effect parts, though I must admit I’m somewhat concerned about how Iori’s posability will be hindered by his trademark ridiculous pants-strap. You’ll be able to make it work, it seems.

As well, extra Nendo bodies in suits are being made available. You’ll get six in the pack, including a ‘secret’ type complete with a ‘secret’ accessory. They do know their marketing. These look super-cute and cool though, and would definitely be worth it for setting up more fun little scenes if you had a lot of Nendos you wanted to mess around with.

Man, generic figma bodies in suits like this would be a cool idea

Oh and that statue of Jam from Guilty Gear Xrd by Aquamarine is up for pre-order too. The AmiAmi-exclusive version comes with a bonus cute little acrylic standee!

On Desk: Smoke Weed Everyday

I’ve actually got a Gundam kit and some Sentai mini-pla I’d love to talk about, but sadly a recent relapse into Overwatch addiction (finally got my computer to run it properly again) and finally diving headfirst into playing Life is Strange means I just haven’t found the time to put them together. And while I’m super-psyched to have found the Chaos on Velocitron box set over the weekend, I think you all have had just enough of me talking about Transformers Titans Return for a little bit. So instead I’ll go on about a new Go-Bot for a bit!

Blackbird Robo was the latest release for Action Toys’s remade Machine Robo Revenge of Chronos line (and I skipped Mixer Robo since he looked, ah, boring). Blackbird Robo has a lot going for it though: It’s based on a vehicle I think is really cool, it was one of Go-Bots’s female characters (who shamed Transformers in the regularity they appeared with), and her old toy has an arcane, nerdy history in not actually being released in the US originally. So how is new Snoop herself?

Pretty cool, as it were! There’s definitely a bit more polish on this one compared to the original four releases; everything on Snoop is so smooth and easy, there’s a reduced amount of tricky, fiddly bits compared to those more overly detailed toys. Part of this might have to do with Snoop’s quite Basic transformation in the first place, but they don’t skimp just because they can. There are plenty of little details like the way the little bit from the groin flips out for jet mode, to how the arms compress and lock in. And really, being simpler means that unlike Leader-1 or Cy-Kill, Snoop’s actually really fun to just flick back and forth between modes, the way a transformin’ toy should be!

Her vehicle mode is thankfully tidier and more detailed than initial pics made it out to be. The SR-71 has always been a plane that I thought looked exceptionally cool, and it’s represented well at the new Machine Robo size here. Not as niftily undercarriage free as Eagle Robo was, but still impressively sleek, and razor-sharp in places like the nose (which it can get away with, on account of not actually being a kids’ toy).

I really like the weapons in this figure. She comes with two blasters that snap onto her hands, and they’ve got this distinctive, formed-off-of-the-arm look to them. It’s almost reminiscent of the TF Movie weapons, but they still fit in well with the more retro aesthetic here. They look very cool either equipped singularly or with her dual-wielding them.

I don’t know that I’m gonna always go all-in for this new Machine Robo/Go-Bots line, but Snoop here was definitely worth getting, and reminds me to at least keep my eye on the cool-looking ones. I can’t wait to see when we can get Fitor and Spay-C.

You have fun with the rest of your night everyone, and I’ll see you next time!

[dabsplosion]

Kokabuterimon line

So, Kokabuterimon. Tentomon’s often forgotten sibling. I’m starting with this dude for reasons some of you may already know. They were on my first vpet and one of my favourite rookies from it. The vpet itself is quite obscure, the digimon accelerator is a prototype IC/data link with more digimon but fewer features and not related directly to any branch of the franchise besides vpets.

Kokabuterimon is just as obscure, if not moreso, as its older brother, Tentomon. Maybe that’s why I like them so much. Kokabuterimon matches the colour scheme to kabuterimon yet their “canon” evolution line avoids kabuterimon until the final stage. As a virus type, Kokabuterimon fits in more with the kuwagamon species. For those unaware, the Kuwagamon species and Kabuterimon species are blood rivals. This digimon sits on the fence between them, rough shape matching tentomon (the Kabuterimon rookie) but markings matching Kuwagamon.

Given their middling status, Kokabuterimon looks almost like an anti-hero, akin to Kamen Rider. They have bright green lenses for eyes, a scarf blowing in the wind, a symbol on the forehead and an action pose. All of this represents this digimon’s position in between the kabuteri-kuwaga rivalry, doing their own thing for their own purpose.

Blade Kuwagamon

I’m still not 100% sure what’s going on with this one. It has electrical legs which tie it more to the actual Kuwagamon’s Rookie form, KoKuwamon (a bug digimon shaped like a taser bares little resemblance to kuwagamon). You can see the horn from KoKabuterimon has become the blade on this digimon and it almost seems as though this is a chrysalis stage due to any organic or moving parts of this digimon being hidden from sight. It also bears the red gem/cockpit thing on its back that alturkabuterimon possesses, some sort of relationship? The only feature here that relates this to the kuwagamon species are the mandibles.

Overall this digimon is a neat, metallic bug design. Like I said, I prefer to think of it as a chrysallis while the digimon inside grows in strength. The electric legs and ability to fly allowing it to still move and defend itself. A better Kakuna from pokemon.

Oh yeah and it has some of the marks from the kuwagamon line

Metallife Kuwagamon!

This is such an odd line. MK here looks like a combiner mech from many kuwagamon, counting at least 3 kuwagamon sets of horns around the body. And this isn’t surprising considering its first anime appearance was in xros wars where most of the designs are inspired by mecha anime, suggesting there were designers trying to push for this kind of design beforehand.

Often in power rangers and super sentai shows when the mechs combine, the “true” head of the mech is revealed. Here it looks like the head was hidden under kuwagamon’s head all along and now the kuwagamon head has moved out the way to reveal MK’s humanoid face. An odd choice for this line but thematically strong. The face also appears like an expressionless mask, looking almost human but not quite, that alien feeling is perfect for an insect.

I like the splitting arms, keeping with the insect theme MK really has 4 arms (so, 6 limbs) and they twist to appear more humanoid. Love it. Oh and it has those purple kuwagamon marks again! Consistency!

This feels like the wargreymon of kuwagamon, too armoured human/humanoid mech from its species but close enough to its species’ themes to be recognisable

Returning to the Kabuterimon species - TyrantKabuterimon!

The self-proclaimed king of insects. It’s such an odd design for both Kabuteri and Kuwaga species. I believe this was originally a burst mode or “ultra” level for Tentomon but the accel put him in this line so we’ll look at him in that context.

You can see TK has Kuwagamon horns on his arms, these could be absorbed data, remains of dead kuwagamon or purely aesthetic. I personally think it resembles MK’s feet, many insect digimon’s data coming together to create a tyrant. There are more aspects here of multiple digimon’s data creating this guy, he has smaller arms around the waste and...

If you look closely at this guy, you can see 3 faces. Initially I’m sure you were drawn to the decoy face that is in fact its horns, a tactic used by many insects in the animal kingdom to protect its real face and make it appear more powerful. There is also a face on the stomach with the smaller arms. It appears to be biting onto its digicore. I suppose no-one will try to take on TK so its core doesn’t need to be hidden. The final face is in between those last two, its’ just below the horns. This face is also humanoid and follows on nicely from MK. Expressionaless but menacing.

So yeah, I quite like TK. It looks battle-ready and earns its title as the king of bugs.

For the entire evolution line, I’m happy with it. I’d like to see more of all of these digimon in the games and anime to understand their personality more. I’m all for expanding digimon species. The random evolution line fits just enough to make sense but is also random enough to harken back to the original vpets. I like

[sambart93]

2018.01.07 Tomito Sho’s 36th Birthday Event - Second Show [Report]

So I got the opportunity to go to Tomita Sho’s birthday again which I was super happy about! I went last year too! 

If you don’t know Shosan (as I call him), but he’s such a good actor. He’s been in quite a bit of big stuff (Super Sentai, TouStage etc.) but he’s never the main but he is DAMN good at what he does! I highly recommend his Honno no Mirage series and Toei Hero from last year! He’s in the same Ent Company as Aramaki Yoshihiko, Baba Ryoma, Tamaki Yuki etc and he’s SUCH a great guy! Anyway, I’ll stop blubbing. Onto the event!

But first things first:

HAPPY 36TH BIRTHDAY TOMITA SHO!!!

PRE-SHOW

I did kinda feel like I was imposing because it was very obvious a lot of the fans know each other, especially one older lady; I’ve seen her at ALL of the Shosan stuff I’ve been to (Honoo, TokiEnta Events, His Birthday) and I feel like she doesn’t like me. As if she sees me and thinks ‘ugh this casual fan’. It was so strange this day because it was like she was the MC; she was going around and knew and was talking to pretty much everyone! Also I felt really bad because by coincidence I ended up being right next to where the line to go in was by chance and I almost asked if she wanted my spot but I felt she was giving me death stares. 

Also, I always forget how much older (than me) the Shosan fans are… not many early twenties or under 30s here and a few always bring their kids along. It’s so interesting seeing the difference between Sho’s fans and Maki’s fans. Also I much prefer just how small of a group Sho’s fans are compared to the ridiculousness of Maki’s fanbase now (but we’ll save that rant for another day).

Just before the show started, the Shachou (he owns and runs TokiEnta, Sho’s entertainment company) came on stage with Sho’s eye mask on and green wig from the school PE uniform bromides (more about that later) and explained the rules of the show, but because he ahd the eye mask on, he couldn’t see which was he was facing (obviously the wrong way) and Sho came over the speaker and went 'you’re facing the wrong way’ we all cracked up laughing including the Shachou himself.

Also one of the the producers had ALL of Sho’s bromides and chirashi stuck to his jacket, shirt and hands. So he was a walking advertisement for Sho xD also he was the time keeper for the show.

GOODS COMMENT

Unfortunately I had already made the decision to ONLY pay for a cheki but I was super upset when I saw how amazing his bromides and calendars!! Seriously, he’s got a school kids PE uniform on and bright green hair in some of his bromdes! He teased about his bromides weeks ago and it was shots of him in different coloured wigs but damn when I saw he also did a school one! I died! Seriously Sho’s Bromides are amazing! I hope TokiEnta do their (what seems to be an) annual ritual of having an event where the past goods stock is there so I can pick them up! 

THE SHOW

I lost my breath when Sho came on stage because he came on in this Date-like outfit and he looked amazing!!! He had a long black wig and red eye contacts in too! He looked SO DAMN GOOD!

ANNNND this is why I always go to Sho’s stuff! As usual he was absolutely hilarious and I did nothing but laugh the entire time! Also he’s super laid back! The show was only supposed to be 90 minutes but he’s like 'is everyone okay for time? Yeah? Okay! We’ll just keep going!’ and his producer couldn't stop him nor did he mind so much xD

He got so many birthday videos during the second show; Takasaki Shouta, Maki, Baba Ryoma (Alongside Kawaharada who introduced himself as Chanel xD), Tamaki Yuki, Nakamura Seijiro, and Ino Hiroki. And when they just kept coming, he was like 'ANOTHER?! AGAIN?!’ and of course, with most of the videos, he couldn’t take them seriously! 

Baba Ryoma’s was so stupid and was essentially him and Kawaharada promoting their stage to which the video got caught off half way through so we all died laughing, and Sho said ‘what’s he doing now? Mobsaiko 1000? 100? Has anyone seen it? …*no one puts their hand up*… not one hand’ everyone died laughing xD

Ino’s video cracked me up so hard. Ino asked ‘why didn’t you invite me as a guest (to your Birthday Events)? I invited you to mine…… SHO! (no 'san' which makes it super casual and impolite) Let’s hang out next time!’ And Sho was like ‘I can’t invite someone who’s in such a big jimusho (entertainment company)!’ XD

MakiChan’s video was also promoting his stage, Ensemble Stars, and he said 'akemashite omedetou (happy new year)’ instead of 'tanyoubi omedetou (happy birthday)’ xD 

Tamachan’s was ‘lets drink next time’ and Shosan is like ‘I don’t even have your number!!’ XD Nakamaru was like ‘I only know drinking Sho so...’ and Sho was like ‘you went to the TokiEnta event with me last Feb! Did you already forget?!’ XD 

Shouta was DRUNK during his video to him and he got a random (Sho knows him) guy to pretend to be Shouta while Shouta was behind the camera laughing so hard and Sho was just like 'wtf... why would I ever expect anything from you anyway'

ALSO! Jo-ji (they did TouStage together) turned up half way through the event and yelled ‘I went to the wrong venue!!!’ he first went to the event hall in Shinjuku (of a similar name) and then had to track all the way back to this venue. Also Sho was super surprised when he turned up because Jo-ji had been writing on his twitter that he was still in his home town and Jo-ji went 'yeah, I was lying so I could surprise you. I got back to Tokyo DAYS ago!' Also he brought Sho some Date Masamune Sake (apparently it's sake that Date loves and Jo-ji went all the way to Sendai for it -- I want to try it!). Sho was so funny opening his presents; he threw the wrapping and boxes down like a little excited child.

In usual Sho Birthday Event style, we went through his calendar of 2017 and looked at what he did on different days and what his schedule was like and we could just put our hands up and ask questions, because (and I paraphrase Sho) 'this ain't an event if you don't get involved. It's only interesting because you guys are here'. So here are some of the questions and stories:

*(About TouStage) Apparently GingaGekijyo’s Backstage is tiny compared to the stage used for TouStage in Fukuoka, so during the Fukuoka Kouen Sho was running freely backstage because there was space to between his scenes.

*Sho went and saw PuriStage and said he’d like to be in it because he likes to move around but then saw how tired KishiTaku was and was like ‘nah I’m good’ xD

*Also they talked about the one time Jo-ji made him an American Dog and how good it was. Of course us fangirls were going crazy with our imagination on that one haha

*He showed us a VTR of the Gekidan Handsome from last year and Sho asked who hadn't seen this series and there were quite a few of us and he cracked up 'how weird this must look like to you who haven't seen this series,' because it really did look ridiculous. One scene literally had Sho in this skin-type black short jumpsuit with a wind machine in front of him and toilet paper wrapped around him while he sang; what the hell xD

*We also got an exclusive look of the new Game of Laplace visuals, weeks before they were released, when he started talking about GoL from last year and asked the producer if it was okay to show it. Also the producer was like 'we used mannequins this time around and now I have about 30 mannequins in my house! I'll give them out (to fans) if you want one! I'll look like a mad man if anyone comes to my house' xD

*If I remember anymore, I'll add them here.

Some extra things; Whenever someone late came to the event Sho went 'okay... se----no! (after 3) IRASHAIMASE! (welcome!)' and the whole crowd would say Irashaimase to the late commer and every time the fan got super embarrassed but that's what Sho is all about xD

Also at the end, as requested from fans, he recited some lines from plays he's done. So he did some Date lines from TouStage and of course he did the Bai from Honoo no Mirage and a few more lines from Honoo. I think he did a Gekidan Handsome line too. During his Date line, Jo-ji came running back on stage (still with the damn wig on) to join him and continue the scene. And when that finished Sho went 'why are you still here?!' to which Jo-ji replied 'I can't leave until I've taken a picture with you!' and Sho replied 'then pay for a cheki!' XD also a bit later Jo-ji yelled 'lets go drinking already!'

CHEKI

So it came to the chekis, and Jo-ji did sweep in before the fans to get one with Sho xD this time around the poses were set so you could either choose from handing hands, hugging, arm wrapped around the shoulder or this silly o_o/(_)\o_O movement where you make a circle with your hands touching. I can't explain it. It was stupid. It was ridiculous!

Anyway, I got nervous during and before and after my cheki of course. So I got the arm over the shoulder pose with him and he said it was okay if I did it back to him so our arms were wrapped around each other ^_^ and at the end as usual we got a hand shake and he said (HE SAID!) 'またね / see you later' I just effing DIED inside because that means he remembers me!!! SHHH I know I'm crazy but it definitely felt like he remembers me!

And as usual I said thank you to the staff who did the cheki, she always does it, and as I came down the stairs, the Shachou was against the wall next to the door so I did my usual greetings to him too. And then, I left.

GOODS

Sho always makes plaques with his kanji for the year painted on, by him, which we get for free at the end of his event. I almost forgot to it pick up because I was so dang nervous xD

*

It was so much fun! I was so upset when I couldn’t go to his 15th Anniversary last year so I was happy I could make it up to him by coming to this one! I love Sho. He’s such a great guy and he’s so funny and he’s very intelligent too! He’s just the best! And I kinda hope he does a 16th Anniversary Celebration this year so I can go!

Did I persuade you to become his fan?!