We're still a little over a week from
officially declaring Spring but you can totally feel the season in
the air. Birds are chirping, clocks have jumped ahead. Along with
this thrilling renewal we're treated to yet another installment in
the Super Sentai franchise. That's right kiddies, after a brief
hiatus from the subject it's time once again to talk about Japanese
people in spandex.
my original plan was to write this up
after the third episode, which later became the more popular
four-episode test, thanks to a wealth of other topics to cover I've
been able to hold off until episode five and the results are looking
good. In simplest terms this series is already proving to be more
confident and comfortable in its skin than Ninninger, and it may even
have the brains to avoid some of the issues that affected ToQger. I
can hardly believe it but maybe I'll actually be able to cover a
truly excellent Sentai for once. Let me tell you what I'm going on
about.
Storyline: Right at the start of
Episode one we're introduced to Yamato, a young man who serves as a
forest tour guide, loves animals, and carries a strange cube around
for luck. Within minutes he's warped into an alternate realm where
Zyumens (animal folk) live. After a quick series of
misunderstandings, Yamato returns to our world with four Zyumen in
pursuit.
While all those dimensional antics
play out, a strange space vessel belonging to a group known as
Deathgalians marks Earth as the newest target of their death games.
Apparently destruction, agony, and mass extinction are considered the
highest form of entertainment for these buggers.
During the first Deathgalian attack,
the Zyuman use cubes, henceforth known as champion symbols to
transform into Zyuohger, a multicolored hero squad that enhances
their animal based powers. Battle quickly ensues, during which Yamato
becomes the first human to transform in such a fashion. The gateway
between our world and the zyuman's is damaged during the tussle,
causing our heroes to be stranded.
So far that's the main thrust of the
story. The Zyumans crash with Yamato and his uncle while searching
out the missing cube that will allow them to return home and also
defending the world from evil aliens. There hasn't been any major
twists as yet but there have been small hints as to he nature of the
champion symbols along with a Zyuman who helped Yamato as a child.
Theme: As you can probably gather,
animals are on full display with this series. Not only are four of
our heroes animal people, but Yamato's uncle is a strange fellow who
dresses as different species and takes on their mannerisms for the
sake of “cough” science. It's totally not some kind of twisted
role playing. Every episode even has a little post credit bumper
showcasing different beasts for kids to learn about.
The secondary theme is cubes. We're
talking Minecraft style blocks here. From the changeable weapons to
different animal zords, they're all blocks of some kind. I'll admit
I'm not quite sure what this has to do with anything other than the
Japanese catching on to block based gaming, though one of the
villains was likewise composed of blocks and some of their small
aircraft are pyramid shaped. Seems like there's a plan in place for
something but I'll be damned if I know what it is.
Speaking of the villains, they're an
odd sort with a gaming bent to their activities. Not only is global
destruction a fun activity for them but they even give underlings
continues in the form of arcade tokens laced with genes from the big
boss. Perhaps at some point this will serve as a commentary on the
difference between natural and artificial life but for now it's just
a fun splash of flavor.
Characters:
Yamato, Zyuoh Eagle/ Zyuoh Gorilla
(red)
For the past several years, the basic
personality type for red rangers has been stubborn and stupid. Yamato
is a considerable change from that as his defining characteristics
are kindness and affection for all living things. He's may be the
nicest sap on TV today.
When he was a child, Yamato ran away
from home and got injured in a storm until a hawkman helped him out
and gave him a lucky cube which later serves as his champion symbol.
Ever since that moment he's studied animals so he actually has a
little bit of brains to back up his heroics.
In case you're wondering why he gets
a double animal listing it's because in episode five, a gorilla
Zyuman grants his powers to aid in battle. This allows Yamato to flip
a portion of his helmet up and change to his gorilla form which is
really just an inflatable muscle suit. The common belief right now is
that every team member will eventually receive such an upgrade. I
just hope the girls don't turn into muscle monsters too.
Sela, Zyuoh Shark (blu)
Sela is possibly the least developed
member of the team thus far. She's the toughest of the two girls, a
skilled fighter with a slight chip on her shoulder. Most of her
development has revolved around here rivalry with Leo who she
rightfully believes went easy on her during a martial arts
tournament. So far this issue remains unresolved so expect a few more
tussles between these two as the show continues.
I really hope Sela receives some good
developments separate from that sub-plot as there's something just
plain interesting about her. Maybe it's the actress or perhaps it's
that she doesn't quite match any other Sentai heroine from the past
few years. Whatever it is, cute girls in shark tights deserve better.
Leo, Zyuoh Lion (yellow)
Leo may be my favorite member of the
team so far. A chivalrous blowhard whose actor plays him loud and
proud. I imagine his role over time will be both the comedic relief
as well as pillar of strength. Since a portion of his development is
tied up with Sela's rivalry, there's a chance we may see him grow and
start to accept the power of women. Or maybe he'll just continue to
be a fun jackass. Either way, I like this guy.
Tusk, Zyuoh Elephant (green)
Tusk serves the rather thankless role
of the smart and grumpy team member. When the show first started, he
didn't want anything to do with Yamato as he did not wish to owe
anything to a human. That rough, judgmental tone as come down a bit
in the following episodes but I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop
up again sometime. Naturally his stick in the mud nature has already
been used for comedic effect.
Amu, Zyuoh Tiger (white)
Under normal circumstances, Amu would
be the adorable ditsy girl and while she is cute as a pet store
display there's already been hints that's she's got more going on
upstairs than most would figure. I think what we've got here is the
sensible member of the team. While everyone else is driven by pride,
passion, or intellect, she keeps things more balanced and in focus.
It's a smart design for the team dynamic since she's more
traditionally girly than Sela while packing enough brains to serve as
a decent role model.
Review: What stuck out immediately for
me during the first episode is how retro this series feels. From the
costume design to the action end even the theme song, it all feels
like an older Sentai. I consider that a great move as some of the
more recent series have gone for a shiny streamlined style that ends
up washing away some of the franchise personality. There's very
little here that separates Zyouhger from the older Sentai series
other than it not being quite as dark and cruel.
As it stands, the villains are
despicable and provide a real challenge, the heroes have a wide range
of personalities, the action is tight, the girls are cute, and the
whole thing just feels like a more confident production than what
we've been treated to over the past few years. All this could change
over time as every series seems to alter course at one point or
another. For now this feels like a fine upgrade over last years
model. Ninninger was a completely serviceable series but it always
felt like it was holding back. Zyuohger on the other hand feels like
it has so much to cover than it can barely fit it all in to each
episode. That wealth of riches makes for very refreshing viewing.
I'm gonna continue with Zyouhger
recaps and experiment with the format and style until I find
something I like. Right now, I have to go deal with the real world.
You all stay classy.
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