Ryusoulger Episodes 1-2

Though there has been a longer than normal gap between updates I swear I have not forgotten you dear readership. In fact I have been busy as the proverbial bee which was topped-off by one infuriating situation. Long-time readers know I like to provide links for pieces produced for other sites. One such article was posted last week and I refuse to guide any traffic that way as it was notably changed without my consent. As you might imagine that situation along with school and a sinus infection has absorbed most of my energy. With different fronts doing their damnedest to suck the fun out of life it’s vital to have good entertainment to seek comfort in. That brings us to our core topic for today, the premier of Ryusoulger. More accurately we’re talking about the first two episodes. During the recap for Strongest Battle I realized a one episode rate wasn’t sustainable so the new plan is to tackle this series in duos. Come along and see if this new show can ease the pain of a stuffed nasal cavity.

Story:

During the dinosaur age there were two tribes that lived on Earth. One was the Druidon tribe constituting of monstrous creatures who fled the planet when a meteor strike kick started the ice age. The other group was the Ryusou tribe, humans who lived alongside powerful dinosaurs called Dinoknights who powers were housed in various temples.

Today the Ryusou tribe lives in secret with a few skilled warriors who receive powers from their nearby trample. Three new guardians are being groomed to replace their masters when the Druidon tribe returns with plans to reclaim this world as their own. Key to their plot is the using negative human emotions to create Minosaurs, dangerous monsters perfectly suited for a weekly show.

The druidon cut off the Ryusou tribe from their temple and kill the current guardians whose soul power attaches to their students allowing them to fight on. Now these three must venture forth to find other temples, more companions, all while defending their home and Earth itself.

The trio is not along however as an odd girl with an archaeologist father is witness to these developments and brings her new friends home. As of the end of episode two her life is in danger with Druidons choosing her as the incubator of their next monstrosity.

Characters:

Thus far we have yet to meet the full cast which is honestly a blessing as it leaves breathing room for the current set of heroes to showcase what makes them unique.

Koh, our red ranger, is on the more inquisitive and energetic side of the red hero spectrum. Thankfully he isn’t nearly as annoying as the likes of Takaharu or Lucky. Instead he seems more like a caffeinated version of Zyuohger’s Yamato in that he comes across as kind and caring only with a dose of over zealousness.

Melt, The blue boy, is meant to serve as the collected and intelligent member of the crew. In these opening adventures he proves to be quicker than his companions while leaving hints of a more selfish and silly personality that he attempts to keep buried.

Asuna, our Pink ranger, is the strongman of the party. She clearly wishes to be more feminine and appreciated for those qualities as she seems embarrassed by her colossal power. Personality wise she strikes a healthy balance between her more hot and cold friends.

Ui, the silly sidekick, makes for an interesting addition to the core cast. She’s obviously lonely and given to flights of fancy which leads to a very silly outer persona. She’s quite different than the usual Sentai girl and I’d appreciate it if she got a chance at joining the team properly one day, though I highly doubt that will happen outside of a specialty video.

Villains:

Only two key villains have been introduced so far with a visual hint of many more to come. Tankjo is the typical strong and stern type who is thankfully voiced by Joji Nakata who has a long legacy of Sentai villainy and has a voice like pure silk. Loved this guy’s work since Escaflowne so it’s always great to have him around. Serving under him is Kureon, a cute but sadistic critter responsible for the creation of Minosaurs.

On the subject of Minosaurs they have a couple of unique features that could serve the series quite well. First is that whole negative emotion angle which lends a certain Quantum Leap/Touched by an Angel vibe to the series since our heroes must find and deal with the issues of normal people. This all ties into a theme of interconnected souls such as the source of their power being their dead masters. It also gives each monster a methodology that must be solved such as a creature that wants to kill the top fencer in Japan so it’s source can be the best. The second topic of note is that the longer a Minsaur exists the more powerful it gets before eventually growing to giant size. So far there has been zero giant resurrection as these beasts simply suck more life-force from their victims and end up large.

Action:

Right off the bat the fight scenes so far are a more flashy and relent on toys and gadgets than I’d prefer though they’re not totally without merit. The core concept is that each heroes sword can accept little Ryusouls that grant powers like stretching or firing off stink clouds. Thankfully there is still enough regular fighting that it keeps these gimmicks to sequences like the one where our team fights a Minsaur without the aid of giant robots.

When the giant robots are involved is when things got surprising. The robot portion of this franchise has always been at the bottom of my priority list but what’s on display here is outstanding, easily the best robo fights since Ninninger and actually eclipsing that work. Reviled to know I can watch these scenes without having my mind totally wander off.

Overall:

As of this moment Ryusoulger is not a great show but it is a solid one. There’s still plenty of depth to be found within the concept and lord knows how the additional characters might benefit or detract from the overall narrative. So far the series strikes an odd balance between more childish elements like the return of the end-credit dance or Ui’s Dora the Explorer styled antics with dark aspects like three deaths in the first episode. Experience has led me to believe this sort of middle-of-the-road beginning has a lot of promise for what we might see in the future. We’ve seen shows like Zyuohger that start sluggish only to become very solid in the end. We’ve also witness series like Lupinranger vs. Patranger that blow their creative energy in the first half and struggle to recover. By forming a solid base without overextending themselves this could form a great show. Especially if the toy gimmick provides enough sales that the writers can work freely towards their end goal rather than changing tactics every few months.

And so we’re off on another Super Sentai adventure. So glad you all come to join in in these articles. It’s a relief to know I have an audience, no matter how quiet they may be, that doesn’t seek to stomp all over opinions and censer thought. Now if you’ll allow it I must write a stern e-mail, a large editorial, and expel about half-a-pound of snot from my skull.