Lupinranger vs Patranger: Episodes 26-29

Despite still being in the grip of hot & steamy Summer weather my household has taken on a project mindset, making improvements wherever possible. After all the trouble with school these tasks have been a welcome reprieve though I caught myself slipping in one key area, Between all the phone calls, furniture moving, and cleaning I found myself getting behind on vital Sentai viewing. Seeing as we're not far from kicking-off Halloween season articles I'd say this makes a fine time to catch-up on all the colorful heroics of Lupinranger vs Patranger. The series has officially moved into it's second-half with an odd bundle of episodes, one is a concept that should have been an easy knockout yet fails to inspire, while another that should never work proves to be surprisingly entertaining. Just goes to show you can never expect the obvious from this show.

With the threat of the Lymon gang eliminated by the first unification of the teams, Episode 26 returns to working on character-pairing storylines. For this outing we're treated to Noel and Umika infiltrating criminal underworld auctions to reclaim a statue once belonging to the Lupin collection. Given how any tale focused on the adorable yellow thief has been top-ten material I figured this was another guaranteed hit. Not so however as we ended up with a pretty middling affair.

In short, Noel enlists Umika to accompany him to a the auction, and gets Kogure to cover the bill. The pair attend the event and win the auction only for the object to be stolen by a Gangler and the auction house to demand payment. The two thieves create sketches of everyone they can remember from the showcase and gather them all at a fake auction to reveal which is the Gangler is disguise. That's pretty much it. There's no real added depth to the larger narrative or characters. Plus the episode itself doesn't really have much of a tone. It's not a wacky caper, or crime drama, just basic Sentai formula. If you're a Patranger fan this one is all the worse as they get maybe two small scenes.

About the only thing gained from this adventure is how Noel and Umika look at money. For him it's infinitely disposable but she's very old-fashioned and protective of it, to the point of fainting if too much is spent.

From the moment I saw images of episode 27 I figured we were in for one of the worst installments yet. Let's be honest; both Touma and Sakuya have a tendency for lackluster adventures so the idea of a comical pairing seemed like the perfect recipe for failure. Somehow the opposite proved true and putting these two lesser elements of the show together allowed them to shine just a little bit in one incredibly goofy tale.

We begin with the Lupinrangers right in the heat of battle against a weird birdlike Gangler who at one point tells Touma not to chase after him, an order which the blue ranger oddly follows. Later that day after buying some groceries, Touma encounters a pushy martial-arts instructor who convinces the cook to somehow join his dojo. During the first lesson it is revealed that the head-student of this academy is none other than Sakuya and that the martial-arts in question are really just tacky aerobics complete with spandex and leg-warmers.

No matter how much Touma wishes to quit, the master keeps talking him into continuing as a student. Possibly worse than that is dealing with Sakuya on a daily basis as the young officer wishes to be called Senpai, then Bro, and even has the nerve to ask for advice with ladies like Umika. Eventually Touma manages to catch the master convince Sakuya to bring a bomb to the police station. Having figured out that this is the same Gangler as earlier and that his collection piece allows him to command people, it becomes a matter of sealing his mouth shut.

The Lupinrangers take the baddie out on the ground, while Patranger handles the gaint-robot duties. Here we discover that for all his daffiness, Sakuya has a massive temper which is in full-swing as he takes command of the robot and slaughters the enemy who extorted tons of cash from him.

While a bit over the top in parts with a few jokes that don't quite land, this was still a surprisingly fun outing that proved there can be some merit in Touma-centric stories. I can't help but wonder why the character is constantly placed in more comical fare rather than using the loss of his fiancee for more dramatic outings. There's still enough time for one solid emotional tale if the writers are wise enough to put one together.

After two relatively lite outings the show gives us a rich adventure with Episode 28. A middle-aged man shows up at the bistro only to quickly fly into a rage and chase after Kairi for hitting on his little girl. Yes, Umika's dad has come to reconnect with his daughter on her nineteenth birthday. The pair haven't spoken since she dropped out of school after her friend died.

It's not a full-scale reunion however as Umika and Touma are busy tracking down the newest Gangler who goes around aging people for fun. While investigating the enemy hideout the two discuss the protective nature of fathers and each open up a little to each-other. Meanwhile Kairi watches out for her dad and assures him how strong and competent his daughter has turned out to be. All the actors knock it out of the park with this one, especially Haruka Kudo who once again proves to be a very natural performer. Her worked has elivated her character throughout this entire series.

One issue I did take with this installment is that when it comes time to take down the Gangler, Noel gives his newest tool to Kairi who shows off and saves the day. It seems really out of place for a story about Umika who at only gets the blade and scissors weapons as something of a hand-me-down.

Patrangers mostly sit this one out though there's a part of the larger narrative where Tsukasa wonders why Noel isn't using his newest creation, opting to only let the other thieves play around with it. She's been the most speciousness of his activities thus far and now it seems she may be developing a theory about his true goals.

Last up on the block we've got that thing so many fans dread, a clip-show. Look, I get that it's good business to make these installments as they offer young viewers a refresher on events while potentially offering a fresh point of entry for those late to the party. That being said they're an enormous speed-bump in the series pacing and since there's nearly always a recap around New Years this could be one of two separate clip-shows.

Sad as it may be that we have to deal with these sort of stories every year, Episode 29 makes an effort to actually matter. Remember way back in the early days of the series when it was revealed Gauche was conducting experiments on humans? She's still at it, and her current test involves a modified grunt who can strike the memories from your mind, turning them into photographs. This attack is used against Keichiro who loses most, but not all, of his memories. Out of all the gathered photos the ones of the phantom thieves triggers the largest emotional response which leads Noel to believe his friends are the ones who must restore the supercop to fighting shape.

It takes some reflection for the Lupinrangers to decide the benefits of their red rival outweigh the risks. A showcase of their abilities in combat reminds him of his dedication to justice and just how much he despises any criminal behavior. He regains his memories, and gets a new weapon in the process. Both groups gather later to celebrate Obon.

Nothing much to say here. A clip-show will never be all that special but there are a some decent interactions and character moments. Those small touches make the whole affair much easier to deal with. While it was nice to get a reminder of Gauche's activities the series still has yet to explain her interest in human physiology.

With September just around the corner, our next update will be ushering in Halloween content. I've actually got a little bit of a head start this time around so look forward to a variety of articles over the next two months. I'll probably sneak some more Sentai coverage in the mix since it's got enough monsters and goofiness to count. Right this moment I want to honor the coming of spooky season with the nifty storm that's rolling in. You'll probably see the next update over the weekend. Stay cool everybody.

Mega Mall Adventure

Long ago the great wise-man, Ferris Bueller stressed the importance of a day off. As a follower of his teachings I am a firm believer in the value of bookending challenges with a little adventure. As you’re all well aware I have been swamped with responsibilities of late and only recently gained the chance of taking a few days to relax. This time-out just to happened to coincide with a monthly outdoor flea-market at the Mega Mall in Dewitt, Michigan. Having craved a good outing of this kind for a while I set out with full intent to report on the experience. Little did I know that this small outing would mark something far different than my return to college, more on that later on.

Despite it having been in business for decades I had zero knowledge of the Mega Mall. Seeing as my fascination with thrift stores and the like didn’t kick in until I was well into my twenties, I suppose it’s forgivable. Not to mention nobody in my household ever goes to Dewitt. When I came across it in a search for flea-markets I was officially awestruck. The place looked massive on its own, making the occasionally addition of outdoor activity into something deserving of a day-trip.

We arrived about an hour before the official close of the outdoor market though some vendors stay until the mall itself closes shop. It didn’t take long to uncover the sheer variety of items on hand. Tools, toys, advertising, old photographs, furniture, plants, magazines from the 1920s. Even antique rubber condoms, and cans of Billy Beer! There was something for any interest and I had to resist the temptation to blow my spending cash on beer signs and old action figures from my younger days. I finally caved at spot filled to the brim with toys and video games at pretty decent prices, not mind-blowing mind you but good enough to make you feel comfortable with the purchase. My sister likewise found herself finally caving at a spot loaded with scrap-booking materials.

Having popped our cherries we decided it was time to head into the building proper. Little did we realize just what a trip through this place would be like. Every single inch of the Mega Mall was filled to the brim. Some of the vendors offer classy antiques, others just some junk leftover from a yard sale, but such an endless selection threatens to blind the shopper. In fact by the end of our journey I was largely operating on autopilot, no longer capable of processing the sheer quantity of items to choose from.

The atmosphere inside is frankly bizarre, not only because of the mixture of items but the owners and customer base are from so many corners of life. Some are just eccentric old farts who like looking through junk, others are daffy hipster, families looking for a way to spend the day, and a few dedicated hobbyists hunting for specific treasures. The building itself is vast, aging, and is fully equipped with the smell one associates with flea-markets or thrift stores but not overwhelmingly so. Most of the items are clean enough to keep things from smelling too rough. Climate control is in place but hardly has enough output for such a large structure, making fans an occasional blessing. If you're just shy of needing a shower, you may as well wait until after a trip here.

I left behind so many odds & ends not only from my usual interests like video games, books, and records, but oddball items like light fixtures, and promotional art. Take for instance this video store standie for the VHS release of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. It took so much effort to walk away from this one that I was practically dragging myself away by the ear. It checks off so many boxes from my love of old rental stores, Star Trek fandom, love of William Shatner, and I could have afforded it, but I’ve still gotta keep the spending under control. If I'm able to return with a fatter wallet and find it’s still there I’ll likely remedy that decision.

Something far less affordable and much more offensive was this wall lamp. This sort of outdated, overproduced, and downright strange décor always sinks it’s claws into my mind. Is this thing offensive and off-putting? Absolutely, but it’s a remnant of another time and place. For me the story behind something so unique and crazy far outweighs the social stigma attached to it. That's just part of my inner preservationist/crazy old man.

So what did I actually buy? Not much admittedly as I am keeping spending very limited but what I brought home still managed to surprise and entertain. The showcase item was a serendipitous find indeed. Just a few days before heading out on this spree I had been viewing a series of retrospective reviews on the Alien franchise. During the fourth part the reviewer mentioned the somewhat ambivalent reaction to the newborn, an opinion I'll never understand as I loved that ugly bugger from the moment I saw it on a theater screen in upstate New York over a bitterly cold Thanksgiving weekend. He mentioned how he was unsure if any figures had ever been made and a quick trip to ebay informed me of a few. An original action figure from Hasbro and some super-expensive model are the two primary offerings. Shipping costs being the way they are for toys made the old figure more expensive than he should be but I knew one day I'd like to have him. Unbelievable coincidence as it may be, an outdoor vendor mainly stocked with Star Wars toys and Nintendo/Atari cartridges had this lil monster in box for ten bucks. I've yet to remove it from the packaging as I'm currently content to stare at it and wonder if this toy would have ever existed had the director left in the original hermaphroditic genitalia.

Within the endless halls of the building was a vendor that only sold overstock DVDs and Blu-rays which allowed the chance to complete my Insidious collection for a mere five bucks. Sure it's not the most prestigious find nor is it that great a movie but it'd be pretty foolish to walk away from an inexpensive way to fill-out a series.

After wondering the halls of excess we went in search of food and took a detour to Horrocks, one of the best places in the Lansing area, in order to procure beer and gelato. I thought that would mark the end of a fine outing before starting school. Then shit got all screwy, the school I was going to be taking classes at this semester in order to transfer credits in the spring became virtually unaffordable thanks to a financial-aid trick trick I knew nothing about. Now I'll just be doing everything at the school I was transferring too and starting in October.

On the one hand I'm pissed as I could have just done this from the start and already had a few classes under my belt. At least this gives me another month-and-a-half to work on game designs, Halloween decorations, and a new bout of house-cleaning/ebay selling. For you all this means the Halloween season stuff should kick-off without issue since I won't be buried under fourteen credits of coursework.

Back to the main topic, I will absolutely add Mega Mall to my list of regular haunts. If you're going to be anywhere in the area I'd suggest giving it a try as well. It just might give you the opportunity to reclaim a bit of your past or point in awe at some racist old-timey art. Either way you get a story to tell.

Kirby's Adventure

Being the youngest of five kids you get used to hand-me-downs. Cloths, school supplies, even your room is all dependent on your elders. This often factors into electronics which is how in the early nineties, I ended up as the main caretaker of the original NES after my older siblings bought the Super Nintendo. This is where some of my favorite memories with the systems were forged as I had more time hooked up to the leftover 12 inch TV while the main gaming action was happening on the 32-inch display in the living room. I even garnered my own stash of games such as one Christmas when my parents slipped in a new game for me in the form of Kirby's Adventure.

Up to that point I'd had zero experience with Kirby. Certainly I knew of the character and had thought of adding the original Dream Land to our anemic Game Boy collection a task I never achieved until luck provided a $2 copy at Goodwill which was soon beaten in a single session. That Christmas morning not only served as an introduction for me and that pink puffball but spawned some of the happiest gaming memories of my life.

A few weeks ago my brother and I were lucky enough to come across some restocked NES mini classics. For him this meant he could relive the glory of Punch-Out. For me it presented an opportunity to revisit an all-time favorite rather than write about it only through the filter of nostalgia. It's one thing to hold a fondness for a game but as life gets more complicated, there are less opportunities to go back for another round. Of course there's always the risk that revisiting an old favorite might change your outlook on it. Seeing as this is one of my favorite games posts, you can safely assume I still this game.

I was shocked fairly early by how much worse I am at the game now. I recall being able to blast my way through mini-games, rack up extra lives without challenge, and uncover nearly every damn secret. This time through was a little more rocky. Let's be clear Kirby titles are never all that difficult but I found more than a few cheap areas that can irritate without posing a tremendous challenge. I guess that's all just a part of growing and changing as I'm now a far better player at Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.

Aside from the the change in my skill-level everything else was just as I remembered. Music is still catchy & upbeat, mini-games are quick treats, There's the whole plethora of enemy abilities to goof around with. It's like a heaping mug of coca on a cold day, simply pure comfort. The are few joys quite like being able to go back to an old piece of entertainment and be just as enchanted as your were decades ago.

An element that stayed with me through the years is how cinematic Kirby's Adventure could be. Sure most of the game is simply moving from on stage to another but the developers created a few set-pieces that really set the game apart from the pack. Consider the boss fight against Metaknight. A thorn in the players side and occasional helper, Meta challenges you to a sword duel by moonlight with the conclusion revealing that he's another kirby. Another outstanding special scene is the final traditional level. It's a straight love letter to the first Game Boy title with players given a greatest hits style tour of that first black and white adventure. Then there's the final boss rush. You reach the end and defeat king Dedede only to find yourself soaring through the starry skies, utilizing shoot-em-up style gameplay against a living nightmare. These bits of heightened presentation are standard-issue gaming these days but back in the 8-bit era such scenes were few and far between, especially in cute platformers.

For as much as I adore Kirby's Adventure, I've sadly spent a rather limited amount of time with the franchise with only two other titles, Dream Land and Epic Yarn under my belt. Largely this is due to skipping more than a few Nintendo systems. On the one hand it's nice that newer games in the series haven't had the chance to dethrone this treasured experience. At the same time there's a little bit of melancholy due to the large backlog of Kirby games I'd love to play if I had the time and cash to do so.

What about you all out there? Is there a big enough reason for you to set aside some time to play Kirby's Adventure? Absolutely! Why else would we be talking about this? Even in the crowded platformer market there are few titles as well-rounded as this one. The difficulty is low enough that damn near anyone can finish it yet there's still enough secrets for more demanding players. The presentation is as good as you'll likely get from an 8-bit title. Most importantly the gameplay is still topnotch, easily eclipsing the glut of indie-made retro titles of this day and age. You really can't make an excuse for not picking up a copy either as this game is available in all kinds of methods. Beyond the original NEW cartridge being decently affordable, there's a Game Boy Advance Remake, digital download options, a Kirby collection on the Wii, and of course the NES Mini Classic. I'd say that gives you all plenty of opportunities to use this game as a final hurrah of Summer.

Speaking of Summer's end, sorry for the gap between posts. I've been swamped with efforts to get ready for school along with working on my game designs and house cleaning. The biggest energy suck has definitely been the school stuff but I'm pretty confident that's all settled. This means a couple of things for you all. For one it means August will still get a proper number of posts. It also means we'll be ready to enter into the long haul of Halloween coverage with our first topic ready and waiting. I've gotta cut and run for tonight. You all have a fun weekend.

Star Wars Book Club: Most Wanted Review

Impossible as it may seem, it's time for another Star Wars book review. It's been an eternity since we've had two of these in such close proximity but I told you all I'd buckle down and catch up. Now here we are with a fairly new novel that ties into an overlooked portion of the series, we're talking about Solo prelude, Most Wanted. Does this Dickensian tale of a youthful Han Solo help to rekindle my interest in these novels? Or is it a flabby disappointment? Come along and find out. Given how the film wasn't insanely successful there's a good chance some of you didn't watch it which means there could be some potential spoilers. Just letting that be known.

Most Wanted begins an unspecified amount of time before Solo though clearly pretty close, let's say months. As you can see from the cover this one focuses on both Han and his future heart-breaker Qi'ra. When we first meet them however their relationship is far more distant as they're part of a group of four urchins in competition for a head position among the white worm gang. The other two potentials are a rodian named Tsuulo and some turd called Rebolt. Life is pretty terrible for these kids so the prospect of gaining just a slightly better position is all they have to look forward to.

One night the gang leader, Mother Proxima offers both Han and Qi'ra their own extra special tasks. Each of them hopes this could be the very thing to earn them the head position so they gleefully accept even if something seems off about the whole affair. While the girl is granted some fresh cloths and sent off to a high-end hotel, Han is directed to a massive factory where he luckily has a contact of his own. Little do the pair realize how interconnected each of their tasks are as she is meant to deliver a bid for an illegal auction and he is meant to pick-up in the item in case of a win. Everything soon goes wrong and the pair find themselves pursued by pirates, police, stormtroopers, and their own gang.

What we have here is a classic “on the run” story like a teenage sci-fi version of The Fugitive. Thankfully there's a strong sense of pacing which help tremendously given the unpleasant setting. Corellia is a fairly gross place to read about for three-hundred pages so a nice and focused adventure really helps to keep the reader moving forward. I know pacing is brought up a lot in my reviews for this franchise but it really is an important issue. Too many entries are weighed down by glacial pace which makes it all the more difficult to ignore other issues. A title like Most Wanted can rise above the pack simply by keeping the story moving.

One thing any reader should know before diving into this book is that while it may be a Solo tie-in this is definitely more Qi'ra's journey. The narrative does an excellent job of shining a light on her upbringing, beliefs, and thoughts which makes her actions in the film much easier to understand. Her counterpart receives far less development though we gain a deeper understanding of Han's reluctance to believe in religion and causes. During this adventure he learns of them as something closer to excuses and cheap comforts.

As for the supporting cast, they're a colorful bunch but only a few carry much weight or meaning. Tsuulo gets the most attention as he's drawn into the adventure. The Rodian offers a mixture of technical skills and a surprisingly deep dedication to his friends. Other than him the most important character is easily a later addition who has a deep effect on Qi'ra that we can see influencing her actions in the film.

Sadly there are some issues with dialogue and characterization. Obviously these are younger versions of these characters, even more so than we've seen on film. That being said, they're behavior and attitudes seemed more in line with someone around 13 rather than the 17 or 18 year-old's we're supposed to be reading about. This seems all the more unbelievable when you consider the harsh realities of their day-to-day existence. Not helping matters is the bland and sort of stilted dialogue that rarely feels natural. It's nothing as egregious as that found in Cobalt Squadron but it suppresses the urgency of the tale and lessons emotional impact overall. The weak dialogue also damages Han's characterization as he doesn't even match up to his younger film persona.

An item that I found oddly missing from this adventure are Han's golden dice. Given their resurgence in The Last Jedi everyone assume they'd receive some sort of additional meaning in Solo. He already had them in that film with no explanation given to their value. Unless I simply glossed over it there was zero mention of the little charm during this whole novel. Likewise we hardly gain any Intel on his parents beyond what was on screen. His dad was a drunk factory worker and he doesn't talk about his mom. These remain as two strangely mysterious elements to the franchise that I assume would have been covered in a sequel film, who knows where they might end up now.

Not unlike our last review there's some uncertainty on where this title falls in the overall rankings. Most Wanted is better than most of the books we've reviewed so far yet it definitely doesn't reach the heights of the absolute best novels. Beyond that is the generally fascinating nature of anything related to Solo. Being the newest film in the franchise coupled with it's relative lack of financial success or hype makes everything around into a sort of enigma. This story aids in fleshing out the motivations of Qi'ra along with Han's past but we've little idea where these elements are headed or if they really matter in the long run. Taken on its own merits it lacks the depth and character moments of Tarkin yet it has the edge on pacing and insight over Thrawn.

1. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

2. New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

3. Bloodline by Claudia Gray

4. Guardians of the Whills by Greg Rucka

5. Ashoka by E.K. Johnston

6. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden

7. Tarkin by James Luceno

8. Most Wanted by Rae Carson

9. Thrawn by Timothy Zahn

10. Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed

11. Moving Target by Cecil Castelluci and Jason Fry

12. Before the Awakening by Greg Rucka

13. The Legends of Luke Skywalker by Ken Liu

14. Catalyst by James Luceno

15. Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig

16. Smuggler's Run by Greg Rucka

17. Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne

18. Lords of the Sith by Paul S. Kemp

19. Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein

20. Aftermath by Chuck Wendig

21.The Weapon of a Jedi by Jason Fry

Apologies for the slow start to August, folks. I've been caught in a web of college busywork, game-design, and seasonal allergies. Fairly confident I'm past most of the hurdles by now so we should be able to get through the remainder of the month in fine form. I've even found a little time to prepare some items for the September/October Halloween coverage so I won't get behind during tests and term papers. For any of you Star Wars junkies I'm gonna try and get another review in before the month is out. Fingers crossed.