Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - Series Review

For those unaware, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is the 35th Super Sentai series, and as such, was used as part of that celebration. To incorporate the old with the new, it was done in the excellent fashion of having the current team (Gokaiger) using and looking for the powers of the old Sentai teams, and even interacting with former members.

I absolutely loved the series, I might as well say that right now. I went in to it briefly in my about section at the top of the page, and to sum it up again, Gokaiger was the first Sentai series I ever watched, with no previous knowledge of Sentai other than it was what Power Rangers was always adapated from.

I actually thought about watching some Super Sentai for a while, but was never sure where to start. Then one day I asked that question on Twitter, and was recommended Gokaiger by someone there who told me how it was the absolute best way to get in to Sentai, and told me the basic premise of the show. I was certainly interested enough to give it a try, and so I went and started getting some episodes downloaded to watch.

I honestly had no idea what to expect, but the series blew me away in terms of quality. Having been used to the incredibly corny plots and acting from the Power Rangers cast for all those years in my youth, it was so refreshing to see that in a Sentai series, they don't just aim at young kids, they make it enjoyable for you regardless of age. That's one of the many great things about Gokaiger in particular - there really is something for everyone.

For the kids who watch the show, it has the typical Sentai story of the good guys fighting the villains and having all these amazing powers and mecha etc, and for the older audience, it's still enjoyable as it is far more mature than what most people would be used to from watching Power Rangers. I know so far this post has made it sound like I hate Power Rangers and want to run it down, but that's not my intention at all, it's just that Sentai outdoes it all the way.

I can easily picture a young kid watching this with his/her father or even grandfather, and the kid will love it for the reasons I listed above, and where this is a celebration of the 35 Super Sentai series, there are plenty of nods (and even episodes) focused on the older Super Sentai teams, so the father/grandfather could watch it and probably get a really nice feeling of nostalgia seeing the Sentai teams who they grew up with.

Even with that aside, I couldn't help but just fall in love with Gokaiger as a whole. I do love the fact they can transform in to the older teams and use their powers, the Ranger Keys are a nice idea (and probably pretty lucrative on the merchandising front haha) and the series itself has taught me a lot about past Super Sentai. Before I probably couldn't have told you more than a couple of the series names to be perfectly honest, but thanks to Gokaiger (and of course the awesome ED that runs down all the teams certainly helped) I know them all, even down to the suits.

The cast are brilliant, as are the characters. It's impossible not to like the leader - Captain Marvelous (aka Gokai Red) - and all the Gokaigers have a certain charm and charisma about them. They work brilliantly together and it really does show, and as for the characters themselves, where they all have differing personalities you are sure to take a liking to at least one of them. I do want to give a particular mention to Marvelous though, as he really is the strongest team leader I have ever seen. He has charisma oozing out of him and definitely has that "cool" factor too. I don't care if you're a kid or a grown man, I can guarantee that anyone who watches this series will wish they could be like Captain Marvelous.

I don't just want to make you think everything good is Marvelous though, as all the Gokaigers are brilliant. Everyone from the former princess Ahim to the silly Hakase are great in their own way, and can be really funny or play things for the emotion with no trouble. The villains are also quite good, though (without wanting to spoil anything) Basco is easily my favourite, and he is definitely one of the standout things in the series, with his rivalry with Captain Marvelous being very enjoyable and always leaving you wanting to see more as we find out more about the characters and their past.

I have wrote all this and I honestly don't even feel like I have scratched the surface, so my best advice is to just go and watch the series and see for yourself, as I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. I know a few people (myself included) who had never seen so much as 1 second of proper Sentai, but after watching Gokaiger became hooked.

This series is special, there is no other word for it. The heroes, the villains, the story and the references to the older series all make this special. Whether you are brand new to Super Sentai or a series veteran, there is something in Gokaiger for everyone to enjoy, and almost every episode was fantastic to the point where I could easily sit through an entire afternoon just watching episode after episode, because it really had that indescribable thing about it that made a connection somewhere deep inside.

Do yourself a favour and watch this series, it will be some of the best 25 minutes (per episode) you could possibly spend watching a show.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 2 - The Activation of a Bizarrely Decorated Vehicle Summons a Full Blast of Red Delusion - Review / Thoughts

As those of you who read my previous review will know, I had a lot of praise and good things to say about episode 1 of Akibaranger, and while not quite as enjoyable as that, episode 2 was still a lot of fun.

This episode focuses a lot on Akagi (aka Akibared), who, when he finds out that they are not really Sentai heroes but are really just having delusions of fighting the villains etc, decides that it's a waste of time and that he doesn't want to do it anymore.

Despite Akagi walking away, Moegi and Mizuki continue to be Akibarangers, as Mizuki thinks it's a good way of practicing her martial art skills even if it is fake, while Moegi just agrees to keep doing it because she thinks it's really fun. Later, they both take on the newest villain created to cause trouble, this time by using his powers to remove other people's clothes. Despite their best efforts however, they both take a beating from the monster, despite him triggering his flag that would usually be the sign he was about to lose.

They realise that they need Akagi back, and so the doctor decides to get someone to dress as one of his heroes - Dekared - to convince him. Akagi is moping about and is just about to throw his morpher in to a river, when all of a sudden he notices Dekared across the street from him. Akagi follows him, and eventually, after taking a drop kick from the guy to "bring him back to his senses" like Dekared actually did to his real partner in the Dekaranger series, Akagi decides that he will continue to be Akibared afterall after being inspired by the actions of a former red Sentai hero like Dekared.

We also get to see the new mecha for the Akibarangers in this episode, which is a car with some Aoi-Tan decals on it. The car looks pretty awesome, and it of course transforms in to a robot much like the official Sentai teams would. However, they don't get to use it because it runs away from them as soon as they get near the enemy as apparently "they aren't deluded enough yet". The Akibarangers end up taking on the monster anyway, but even with Akibared now involved are having a tough time of it. Luckily for them though, Dekared appears and helps them defeat the monster.

The only thing is, the person who pretended to be Dekared earlier was still in the cafe, so it wasn't him or anyone they actually knew for it to be a setup, so the doctor is naturally wondering just what on earth happened and what is real and what isn't now after seeing Dekared appear from nowhere like that.

This was another fun episode, albeit not quite as much as the first episode. Moegi (Akiba Yellow) always makes me laugh with the way she adds "nya" on to loads of words, and when the cat ears fell off and she started talking in the deep voice it was hilarious.

Akagi is definitely my favourite character at the moment though, his fanboy ways and reactions are always awesome and often hilarious, and so it's always good when he's on screen. I don't know what's going to end up happening with all the delusion stuff, as it does seem pretty silly for none of it to be real, but at the same time that's kind of what the show is aiming for, so it would definitely fit with it.

While there weren't as many laughs as the first episode, by normal standards this was pretty hilarious and it was a really fun way to spend 24 minutes or so. Judging from the next episode preview that looks like it has the potential to be really funny too, so Akibaranger overall has so far definitely delivered when it comes to the comedy aspect it's trying to get across all the time.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 1 – Pain is Power – Review / Thoughts

For this post as you can see, I am reviewing the first episode of the new Super Sentai series – Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger.

I have actually been looking forward to this for a while now, pretty much ever since I saw a short 30 second clip a month or two back someone showed me. For those unaware, Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger (translated as Unofficial Squadron Akibaranger) is the latest in the long line of Super Sentai shows. However, as the name suggests, Akibaranger isn’t considered a true Sentai series, so it is not technically classed as what would have been the 37th series.


But yes, after waiting a long time for this to come out (and again having to wait for the good folks over at Over-Time to sub it), Akibaranger is finally here, and I can say that it was awesome. This unofficial Sentai series is focused around the 3 new heroes, dubbed Akibarangers, with Akibared (Akagi Nobuo) in particular being an Otaku. Akagi loves Super Sentai, and at the same time loves the Anime character Aoi-Tan.  The picture at the top is one example of this, where Akagi is initially excited when he notices a rare Sentai mecha for sale in a shop window. Despite the ridiculous price, he goes in to purchase it, only to see his beloved Aoi-Tan at the front of the store as part of an advertisement for her new movie coming out. In the end, Akagi resists buying the Sentai merchandise and apologises to them, and then, well, you can see the quote above haha.

Anyway, this first episode unsurprisingly is about him and two other people becoming super heroes by gaining the Akibaranger powers. The episode is hilarious from start to finish, and I think whether you’re an Otaku yourself, or indeed just a huge Sentai fan, you will love it too. Super Sentai obviously doesn’t make much sense and has numerous tropes, and it’s hilarious seeing super fan Akagi telling his two fellow Akibarangers all about them as the episode progresses. An example being at the end when they defeat the monster by using their blasters, but when the other two Akibarangers are about to walk away, Akagi tells them that it’s not over yet, as it’s a rule in Sentai that whenever you first defeat a monster, they have to come back in giant form so you can battle them in your mecha.

It’s all very funny and I really like the way this series pokes fun at itself and the other Sentai series, with Akagi himself doing a great job of pulling it off while remaining likeable. The other two Akibarangers are Mizuki Aoyagi (Akiba Blue) and Yumeria Moegi (Akiba Yellow). While they have at least some knowledge of the old Sentai teams, they certainly don’t have the same enthusiasm for it as Akagi does, and it’s pretty amusing watching him telling them about the old teams and trying to get them to strike poses and act like a regular Sentai team would.

There are plenty of hilarious moments throughout, and as I said, for both Otaku and Sentai fans there is definitely a lot here to like and to keep you happy. I still don’t really feel as if I have scratched the surface on this, but it truly is best you just watch for yourself so that you can enjoy and appreciate it for yourself, as words can’t really describe why it’s so great, it’s something each individual needs to experience for themselves.

Overall I think this was a brilliant start to Akibaranger, full of hilarious moments and never afraid to make fun of itself. If the rest of the series keeps to this standard, it truly will be a must watch series.