The CD Collection -- Super Sentai Music Collections (1996-1997)

If you were a fan of music from Toei Tokusatsu shows in the mid-90s, you were having the best, or worst, time of your life. On one hand, Columbia went absolutely crazy with the amount of musical treasure they were releasing. On the other hand...these CDs were not cheap and were hitting stores fast and furious. This isn't like how they're putting out DVDs these day, it was an absolute flood. For perspective, here is a list of CD series that began in 1996 and ran into 1998...

-Toei Sentai Battle Music Collections (4 CDs)
-Toei Sentai Robo Battle Music Collections (4 CDs)
-Toei Sentai Heroine Music Collection (1 CD)
-Super Sentai Music Collection Series (19 CDs)
-Super Sentai Complete Song Collections (18 CDs)

...and there were also similar CD series for Kamen Rider, Metal Hero, and other hero shows! On top of these nostalgic releases, Carranger had a whopping 21 CDs released--Megaranger and Gingaman each had 10 CDs. Whatever fire was lit under the asses of the people at Columbia was being fueled by large piles of our money.

Today I am going to talk about probably the most sought after series of the Columbia releases listed above. I will be talking about the Sentai Music Collections! This series of CDs packaged together background music from every show whose music was either out of print or never released on CD. As you will see below, many of these CDs also featured unreleased music--a lot of which hasn't been released since.

Now...before I get into it, I just want to note how much of an investment these CDs are for the wise individuals who bought them new. The 2-Disc sets regularly sell for ¥10,000-¥25,000 depending on the series. That is a pretty decent turn-around considering they were ¥4,800 new. The earlier single-disc sets ran at a more reasonable ¥2,500 and can be found for about that price today...or less when it comes to shows like Goranger, JAKQ, Denjiman, Sunvulcan, or Goggle Five.

OH! Don't be fooled by the 2005-2007 ANIMEX 1200 releases of some of these CDs. I checked after some suspicions, and some of the priced-down re-releases are missing a lot of content on the CDs (notably Battle Fever J). If you're a crazy bastard like me, only the originals are worth getting. The misleading part is that they use similar covers to the 90s Music Collections. Be careful...

Some key terms: A "Bridge" is small piece of music that runs anywhere from 4-15 seconds. It's typically played during a reaction or revelation of some kind. Example: Burai is trapped in a cave an looks up to see a small opening where light is coming in, a short horn note is played. An "Eyecatch" is short piece of music that transitions the show to and from commercials. Eyecatch A plays the show into a commercial and Eyecatch B returns the show from the commercials. Instrumental versions of songs remove the vocals and replace them with an instrument of some kind--usually a horn, synthesizer, piano or guitar. TV size versions are short versions of theme songs that are usually what open and close the shows as you watch them on TV. Music collections typically open and close with TV Size versions while song collections open and close with the full sized versions. Oh, and a Song is a reference to a vocal song. I know that seems obvious, but some people can't tell the difference between music and songs.

One more...absolutely critical point. NO, I WILL NOT SEND YOU MP3s. The point of this article is to shed some light on these CDs since I can't imagine Columbia or Toei having these collections re-released or doing modern versions. It just seems impossible at this point. If you want the music, do what I did and buy the CDs.

After that long winded intro, let's get to it!

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Himitsu Sentai Goranger Music Collection
COCC-13265

Being the third CD released in this series (skip down to Battle Fever J for the first-Heh) it kept the tradition going of giving a lot of content and providing some previously unreleased gems. My favorite track on this disc has to be the S.E. Mix of the TV size opening theme song. The song itself is in stereo, but it has all of the awesome sound effects (MONO) mixed it. It isn't very distracting, either. I kinda wish they could've done this on every release in this series of CDs. Imagine the TV Size version of the Dairanger theme with the opening and closing sound effects? Awesome.

This CD is essential listening when it comes to Sentai or even Tokusatsu music. Joy of joys! This is the release that they reissued in 2005 for the ANIMEX1200 series of priced-down reissues. Very easy to find and definitely worth a grab.

JAKQ Dengekitai Music Collection
COCC-13266

Lots of instrumental versions of vocal songs on this one. It's a good CD, but a little bit on the repetitive side. Fortunately the ANIMEX1200 re-release appears to have a similar tracklist...

Battle Fever J Music Collection
COCC-13211

Weirdly this was the first CD released in this series. Maybe they put this out and then backtracked to accept Goranger and JAKQ as Super Sentai the same way Toei did a couple years earlier. Either way, they got off to a strange start. The cover art is the disco cartoon picture that was featured on the original (and incomplete) music vinyl from the 70s. This lead to confusion later on when the ANIMEX1200 CD was released in 2005 and used the same cover art.

This is the version to get. It features TV size versions and instrumentals that are featured on no other disc. As a starter for this series of CDs, it was a good one in giving a complete package. Just make sure you buy the one with the catalog code COCC-13211.

Denshi Sentai Denjiman Music Collection
COCC-13212

This CD is heaps better than the original music collection. It features far more content than the original (and it's ANIMEX1200 re-issue).

That glorious Denjitiger theme.....it's just glorious.

Taiyo Sentai Sunvulcan Music Collection
COCC-13349

A good CD. I...uhh...am not very familiar with the original release of the Music Collection in 1981, so I can't say if anything is missing or not. It seems complete!

Dai Sentai Goggle Five Music Collection
COCC-13350

I was never a huge fan of Goggle Five or it's music. It's basically like listening to any soundtrack from the 70s, except in 1982. Dated, but decent I suppose.

Goggle Five does have my favorite Eyecatch of the 80s atleast. It's featured here.

Kagaku Sentai Dynaman Music Collection
COCC-13410

I like the Dynaman music, but never realized just how little of it there seems to be. A good portion of this disc is instrumental versions of vocal songs. That isn't a horrible thing, but on a single disc it sure does take up a lot of real estate. I already have these songs with the lyrics they're meant to have on the Song Collection.

Good CD, but surprisingly rare.

Chodenshi Bioman Music Collection
COCC-13411

This is one of the first major turning points for this series of CDs. Beginning with Bioman, and continuing on to most CDs after, there is a "prologue" track to capture your attention and ramp up the excitement to hearing the TV size opening theme song. The Bioman CD features the crazy drum rollcall music. I love that track so much. Setting the tone is what made these CDs appealing to me. Just diving right into the opening theme song doesn't really do anything to excite. It's just lame and expected.

The Bioman music, naturally, is awesome. I especially love the Biorobo music. There isn't too much in the way of Instrumental versions of songs if that's what you're into.

Great disc--right down to their choice of picture for the cover art.

Dengeki Sentai Changeman Music Collection
COCC-13487

This CD...

I love Changeman. I especially love the Changeman music. Naturally I should love this CD, but I just don't. They shoved 31 tracks on to one disc. The selections are very thorough, but the execution is woeful. There is no breathing room between tracks--everything just plays into the next piece. It's not Zyuranger Symphonic Fantasy bad, but it's pretty ugly.

I appreciate how packed this CD is, but I really feel as though they should have given it some more space to stretch it's legs on to another disc. I'm sure there was a little more content laying around that they could have used to fill up the space.

Oh, and they skipped the Prologue this time for some reason. Probably space. It starts off right with the TV size OP.

Choshinsei Flashman Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-13584→85

Mercifully they switched this series of CDs to a 2-Disc format beginning with Flashman. On top of giving ample space for these tracks not to run over each other and have more content, there is a certain coolness about owning a brick of CDs over a single disc. Owning a tactile thing is way cooler than any download will ever be, but owning one of these sets goes beyond even that.

Anywho...

Flashman has some excellent music, so naturally this is an excellent set. Given how much space this set has, it is waaay more thorough than the vinyl from 1986 was. The prologue prior to the TV size OP is probably one of the best put together in this series. Jetman also has a great "prologue" track with "Aozora 360". Highly recommended set.

Hikari Sentai Maskman Music Collection Vol.1
COCC-14504

For whatever reason the Maskman Music Collection was released after the Kakuranger Music Collection. Annoyingly it was also released in two volumes. No sexy brick of CDs!? Ugh! Why they were broken up AND released after Kakuranger leaves me very confused. Rights issue? Forgotten? What was going on?

Maskman was the first series to get the CD treatment in the 80s. Those discs were actually pretty decent in terms of content...but were missing a lot of bridges and alternate versions.

To add to the weirdness, the Maskman Music Collections can command absolutely astronomical prices. I've seen them go on auction for as much as $200 a volume. Some searching and waiting will bring you to a much more reasonable-ish price.

Hikari Sentai Maskman Music Collection Vol.2
COCC-14779

Not much else to say about the rest of the Maskman music. The disc I own is actually a sample pressing that wasn't meant to be sold. The only differences are that a "Not For Sale" sticker covers the barcode and the disc has "SAMPLE" printed along the inner rim. Normally this would bother me, but I found this CD a while back for a pretty low price. Considering how rare the Maskman discs are, I just let it slide and welcomed it into my collection.

Chojuu Sentai Liveman Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-13726→27

Contains a lot of bridge pieces that were missing from the original releases. You're going to see a lot of this going forward since all series after Flashman were given atleast two music collection releases during the run of the series.

Also, it's worth noting that the obi (or spine, or belt--the little paper thing that covers the CD case spine under the plastic wrapping when they're new) from the Turboranger set onward lists this show as "超獣戦士ライブマン" or "Chojuu Senshi Liveman". They sure were committed to this typo!

Kousoku Sentai Turboranger Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-13833→34

Some good stuff here. A lot of the music missing from the original releases made it here. As I will mention later on, this set is worth a purchase if you're a Zyuranger fan as it borrows some music from this series.

Chikyu Sentai Fiveman Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-13932→33

Nothing too exciting. There is a lot of nice bridge music here. I'm pretty bummed about a lot of missing music. The only Fiveman BGM I ever wanted was the wacky synth/bass tune that plays when they make their first appearance in the first episode. That was a pretty badass moment. The "Henshin" music from the second episode is also missing. I really liked that one too.

Good release in general, but a disappointment for CC. : [

Chojin Sentai Jetman Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-13978→79

Jetman had *three* music collections released during it's run. There isn't much new on this set. It's also kind of a given that this is the easiest set to find. It's Jetman...yeah.

As I mentioned earlier, it opens with a great prologue.

Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-14016→17

This set is E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L if you are a Zyuranger fan. Prior to this, all we had were Symphonic Fantasy 1 and 2 and those CDs are AWFUL. I'm not sure what the thinking was behind those releases, but they were all we had before this set came along.

If I had to guess, the basic idea of the Symphonic Fantasy CDs was to release none of the music you wanted...mashed together in the sloppiest way imaginable. It would be like typing a sentence without being able to fini--ddenly you're on the next sentence. Fuck the Symphonic Fantasy CDs. Buy this set.

Missing tracks? Some instrumental tracks like Dragon Caesar no uta (we heard a little bit of it on the Zyuranger Super Action Sound CD) are missing. Any missing BGM can most likely be found on the Turboranger and Fiveman Music Collections since all three series were composed by Akihiko Yoshida.

Gosei Sentai Dairanger Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-14045→46

These last two releases are a little weird.

Eiji Kawamura is my favorite Tokusatsu composer, so this set is right up my alley. There are plenty of little bridge pieces that never made it on to the previous releases along with bizarre alternate versions of some tracks. The subtitle music that plays in the first few episodes is also on here (it's sliiiiightly different--a little more upbeat from the common subtitle that was used for most of the series.).

The Daijinryu music isn't here, sadly. I'm not as well versed in classical music as I'd like to be...but is it possible that Daijinryu's music was sourced from outside of Eiji Kawamura's realm? It doesn't sound like his style...so maybe it's just licensed/stolen? Any help would be appreciated possibly identifying the music.

All-in-all a very important set--lots of little oddities.

Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Music Collection (2-Disc)
COCC-14283→84

Oh boy. I could write an entire article on this set. First I'll talk about the good...

This set is incredible. It is absolutely packed with previously unreleased music. It has a TON of bridge music (four tracks worth!). It has the full sized instrumental version of the ending song (which is probably my all-time favorite instrumental of any Sentai song) along with several other good instrumental versions ('Into Danger Kakuranger' is a great instrumental). There are some great unused and alternate versions of tracks. This set makes me all giddy when I hear it.

Missing stuff: The Nekomaru BGM track from the first music collection is completely missing. Instrumental versions of Junior's song and 'Kiai haku hatsu! Kakuranger' would've been nice since we heard them in the show. The correct version of the outgoing eyecatch would've been nice (the version on this set is missing percussion, the version on the Toei Sentai Heroine set is MONO/recorded off a TV but has the percussion). Some of Junior's guitar abuse would've been excellent. The horn version of the Tsubasamaru theme is also missing.

Bottom line: I love this set...but it really should've been three discs. So much incredible stuff included, but it could've been umm...incredibler! I'm just super picky because I know and love Kakuranger in unreasonable quantities.

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That does it for that second chapter in my CD vault. I will be back next month with a blog about a topic of some sort. Probably a Top 7...who knows!

See ya!

-CC

The CD Collection -- CD Singles!

Welcome to the first in a series of articles detailing and cataloging my Tokusatsu CD collection!

To start things off, I am listing my 3" CD Singles. This list is incomplete as I am posting this. I have more CDs in storage that will be added when I get them out of storage. To be honest, some of the stuff in storage isn't all that interesting. Stuff like singles from Cybercops, 90s Ultraman shows (blah), Japanese dub Power Rangers singles, etc. I'll be sure to update!

Oh, and I might sit down one day and put full tracklistings. I'm not sure if there are any other serious CD collections out there, but I'm sure tracklists would be of some use to someone out there.

So here goes, I will be adding notes to give a little more information. If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

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Between 1989 and 1991, CD Singles were pretty disappointing. They typically contained two songs. If it was a single for TV show themes, it contained just that. For 1989 the formats were still overlapping. Both Jiban and Turboranger also had 7" Vinyl singles, which are actually WAY more common than their CD counterparts.

There are actually a handful of Tokusatsu CD Singles from as early as 1987, but infomation of anything older than 1990 is hard to come by. For now, though, I am just typing about what I own.

1989

10CC-8161 Kidou Keiji Jiban OP/ED
10CC-8162 Kousoku Sentai Turboranger OP/ED

1990

CC-8403 Tokkei Winspector OP/ED
CC-8415 Chikyu Sentai Fiveman OP/ED
CODC-8535 Kamen Rider 99 no uta/Mahou Tsukai Sally 99 no uta
CODC-8536 11 Rider dai sanka/Towa no tame ni Kimi no Tame ni

1991

CODC-8655 Tokkyushirei Solbrain OP/ED
CODC-8663 Chojin Sentai Jetman OP/ED
CODC-8920 Ultraman-Love For Children (25th Anniversary Single)
SRDL-3394 Ultra Q/Ultraman Dance Remixes

-----------------------------------

The first major change to the CD Single format happened around this time. In fairness, the first single on this list to have Karaoke versions of it's featured song would be the "Ultraman-Love For Children" single from 1991. I don't entirely count that, though, since that CD would be pretty lousy if it was just the title track.

Regardless, the CD Single changed to it's current format of featuring two songs along with a Karaoke, or off-vocal, version of atleast one of the songs.

Oh, and I should mention that 1993 is the first year that Forte Music Entertainment reared it's ugly head. The Forte singles begin with FMDC. Sometimes you got Karaoke, sometimes you didn't. I hate Forte.

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1992

CODC-8982 Tokusou Exceedraft OP/ED
CODC-8983 Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger OP/ED (Promotional)
CODC-8983 Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger OP/ED
CODC-119 Kamen Rider SD OP/ED

1993

FMDC-502 Tokusou Robo Janperson OP/ED
FMDC-503 Yuugen Jikkou Sisters Shushutorian OP/Sweet Dreams
CODC-138 Gosei Sentai Dairanger OP/ED
APDM-5001 Kamen Rider ZO Shudaika ED
VIDL-10346 Denko Chojin Gridman OP/ED
FMDC-504 Ultraman vs Kamen Rider ED
GSS-1159 Gosei Sentai Dairanger Kiryoku Disc (Promotional)
APDM-5005 Ultraman Powered OP/ED

1994

FMDC-506 Blue SWAT OP/ED
CODC-383 Ninja Sentai Kakuranger OP/ED
APDM-5006 Kamen Rider J ED
CODC-487 Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Kakuredaishogun/Muteki Shogun

1995

FMDC-517 Jukou B-Fighter OP/ED
CODC-615 Choriki Sentai Ohranger OP/ED
APDA-136 Hitomi Sudo Starlight Fantasy (Ultraman Powered)
FHDF-1464 MODE Wild Side (Jinzoningen Hakaider)
CODC-765 Jukou B-Fighter Black Beet/Mega Herakles
BVDK-1001 Scatultraman/Welcome to Planet M78

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Alright, this is the year that Columbia went off of the deep end. With Forte now out of the way, Columbia now had three out of the four Tokusatsu franchises that aired in 1996 (Guyferd being the fourth...I have to get those CDs out of storage).

You might have noticed that there are quite a lot of Carranger singles. Yes, yes there are. I have them all no easy feat. Every single song from the three (!) Carranger song collections was featured on a CD single. The only Carranger songs not featured are the alternate version of Pegasus Thunder Go!Go!Go! (has only some minor backing vocal differences), the Zokuranger theme (which is a lightly reworked parody of the first Carranger Opening theme), and all songs from Merry Xmas! from Carranger except the title track. So in total, 28/39 songs have a Karaoke version. That's quite impressive!

It should also be noted that as the year went on, the cover art for the Carranger singles got progressively better and more creative. There were some duds, but the traffic safety/Abbey Road mash-up cover was pretty cute. Also the Carranger ONDO single includes a seperate lyrics sheet with a photo guide to the dance steps.

Best year for CD Singles? Yes, absolutely!

After Carranger, all songs from the first Song Collection for each Sentai between Megaranger and Timeranger were featured on a CD Single. So if you own the Singles, you only need the second Song Collection from each series to have them all...plus Karaoke versions!

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1996

CODC-879 Gekisou Sentai Carranger OP1/RV Robo
CODC-880 Gekisou Sentai Carranger ED/Oretachi wa Carranger
CODC-881 B-Fighter Kabuto OP/Ryoute de dakishimetai
CODC-882 B-Fighter Kabuto ED/Wake Up Justice
CODC-922 Choko Senshi Changerion Opening Theme Single
CODC-936 Gekisou Sentai Carranger OP2/CATCH THE WIND
CODC-937 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Signalman/Seishun Circuit
CODC-961 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Zonette/Kokoro no mama ni
CODC-962 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Dap no uta/Kuru! Kurumagic Power
CODC-983 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Carranger ONDO/Pegasus Thunder
CODC-1000 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Utaou! Kotsu Anzen/Dakara Tatakau
CODC-1001 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Gekisou Taisou Carranger/Shoot! Carranger
CODC-1002 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Kumori Sora no yoru dakara/Carranger Kagayaku
CODC-1009 Choko Senshi Changerion Ending Theme Single
CODC-1021 Gekisou Sentai Carranger VRV/Dokomademo, Itsumademo
CODC-1022 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Victrailer/Kazoete Battle da! Carranger
CODC-1046 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Yumemiru LoveLove Rajietta/Red Zone Battle wa Bin!BinBin!
CODC-1047 Gekisou Sentai Carranger Merry Xmas! from Carranger/Gekisou Machine Daishugo
CODC-1048 Ultraman It Was 30 Years Ago (30th Anniversary)

1997

CODC-1166 Denji Sentai Megaranger OP/Install! Megaranger
CODC-1167 Denji Sentai Megaranger OP/Denji Gattai! Galaxymega
CODC-1168 B-Robo Kabutack OP/Super Dream 13
CODC-1169 B-Robo Kabutack ED/Do Up!! Kabutack
CODC-1202 Denji Sentai Megaranger Degitank/Multiweapon
CODC-1203 Denji Sentai Megaranger Cyberslider/Cosmic World
CODC-1233 Denji Sentai Megaranger ED2/Mighty! Megaranger

1998

CODC-1423 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman OP/Chikyu ni hikaru o
CODC-1424 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman ED/Mugendai no yuuki
CODC-1431 Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack OP/Wonder Power Robotack
CODC-1432 Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack ED/Aishuu Wonderful Bow
CODC-1484 Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna OP/ED
CODC-1490 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman Gingaioh/Kiti o muke
CODC-1491 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman Misetsukero Seijuu Tamashii!/Ginga Tensei! jikuu o koete
CODC-1514 Seijuu Sentai Gingaman Unare Juugekibo! Juugekiha!/Gingapink Saya! Hana no Senshi
CODC-1655 Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack ED2/GET HIGH!

1999

CODC-1699 Moero!! Robocon OP/ED3
CODC-1700 Moero!! Robocon ED1/Oozora no tobu youni
CODC-1705 Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogo Five OP/Go! Five Go! Fight
CODC-1706 Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogo Five ED/Kinkyu Gattai! Victory Robo
CODC-1724 Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogo Five Hashire Goliner! Sukue 99 Machine/Tango Psyma
CODC-1725 Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogo Five Yuuki wo nakuseba/Psyma~Hakai no rakuin
CODC-1743 Kyuukyuu Sentai Gogo Five Cho Kyodai Robo!! Grandliner/Kyuukyuu shouka~son bousai kenkyujo uta
CODC-1758 Moero!! Robocon OP2/ED2
CODC-1770 Moero!! Robocon Kitto Daijoubu/The Sound Of The Wind

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2000 was pretty much the end of the 3" CD Single format as it most famously known. 3" CD themselves kept going through 2002, but were sold inside 5" CD slimcases beginning with the final two Kuuga singles. By the time Abaranger started in 2003, the CDs themselves were 5" CDs while keeping the four song format. Eventually they would experiment with the six track single by the time Shinkenger rolled around, but this isn't something they have done every year.

Anyway, I'm rambling. This was the beginning of the end for the golden years of CD Singles.

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2000

CODC-1833 Kamen Rider Kuuga OP/ED
CODC-1837 Mirai Sentai Timeranger OP/ED
CODC-1851 Kamen Rider Kuuga Try&Chase/Power of Soul
CODC-1852 Mirai Timeranger OK! Timerobo/ai taiyo
CODC-1875 Kamen Rider Kuuga Red Desire/Blue Higher
CODC-1876 Mirai Sentai Timeranger Timeshadow~sugatanaku otomanaku/Who Are You?
CODC-1877 Mirai Sentai Timeranger Frozen Beauty/CHI-KA-RA 2000
CODC-1894 Kamen Rider Kuuga Believe in Miracle/Edge of Green
CODC-1895 Kamen Rider Kuuga Bara no okite/Purple Pride
CODC-1896 Mirai Sentai Timeranger Kakusei! V-Rex Robo/T.I.M.E. Timeranger
CODC-1901 Kamen Rider Kuuga It Comes Rain/Beatchaser 2000
CODC-1902 Kamen Rider Kuuga Rising your power to gold/Sokoki Gouram
CODC-1911 Kamen Rider Kuuga Tanpopo no ohana/Say Alright!
CODC-1924 Joe Odagiri "t"/sora e tobu toki (Kamen Rider Kuuga)
CODC-1925 Bricks Carry On/yuuki wo kureta hito e

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So there you have it. This is the basic framework of something I hope to build up to be useful...or atleast a little bit informative.

Thanks for reading. I will be back next time with Sentai Music Collections!

-CC

Ninja de gozaru! 20 Years of Kakuranger! +Top Seven Episodes

On the 18th of February, 1994--twenty years ago today, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger hit the air! Following Dairanger was certainly not an enviable spot to take in Sentai history, but I think Kakuranger pulls it off! In fact, Kakuranger is my favorite Sentai of the 1990s.

I may have done a Top 7 list about my problems with the series, but I have been able to look past these minor issues enough to marathon the show once, and sometimes twice, a year!

In short, I feel that this is the most well-rounded Sentai series ever. It tackles heavy comedy, heavy drama, heavy action and does it perfectly. The part of me that argues that Dairanger is the better show relies on the action and drama that the series has. Sure, Dairanger had some of the best damn fights in Sentai. I would agree that Dairanger is even better production-wise. Outside of the ending and the constant family drama that Kou suffers through, Dairanger had a hard time getting into my heart.

Kakuranger, to me, is emotion set perfectly to Sentai. Every emotion is pulled off perfectly. Let me sum up some of Kakuranger's emotions in photos if I may...

Nothing!

...so cool..

totsuzen!! binbo!

There...uh...sure is a lot of man in that tub. O_o

Glorious mecha fights!

 

So there was tons of genuinely funny comedy, a lot of fantastic imagery, interesting and bizarre situations that the Yokai put them in, bonding within the team...and mecha fights that don't suck! I could go on posting pictures from one of the many great fight scenes or some of the more dramatic stuff...but you really need to watch the show if you haven't already.

 

I could go on and on about how much I like Kakuranger, but it seems to be well documented at this point (or atleast people no longer tell me that Carranger is my favorite Sentai). Also, since the series is still being subbed, I don't want to drop any heavy spoilers in this part of the blog.

tl;dr Kakuranger is excellent in that it isn't only well-rounded, but excels in all categories.

-----------------------------------------

Alright. Usually I tell *spoiler warnings* to go to hell, but I really respect Kakuranger. Hahaa. No, really...I am only putting this out there since I know a lot of people are watching and might not want to be spoiled. As of this writing the subs have only gone up to the 'New Years Hell' episode.

So yeah, turn back now if you don't want anything spoiled.

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Top Seven Kakuranger Episodes!

Honorable Mention: Fuin!! (Episode 53)

I can never bring myself to put finale episodes into my Top Seven proper, but this one does deserve good mention.

The Kakuranger are finally ready to take on Daimaoh as he is the only remaining Yokai, but something steps in at the last moment... Sanshinshou? That's right, the Kakuranger mecha step in and force the Kakuranger to stand down against fighting Daimaoh as his defeat would do nothing but spread his influence of despair and misery among all of humanity. Eventually they are forced to take Daimaoh to task after he goes too far. The only course of defeat is to return him to the very seal that started this series.

Daimaoh is sealed in by the Doron Changers and is trapped with the previously defeated Yokai. The Kakuranger celebrate but hopping into Nekomaru and driving to Fujisan.

As with the previous Sugimura-helmed shows, Kakuranger ends with the villains not exactly being defeated...merely dealt with. I always preferred the Dairanger ending because that shot of them parting ways is beautiful. However, the Kakuranger ending is very solid. In Zyuranger, Bandora was cast off once she lost her powers. Who is to say she won't regain her powers and return? Dairanger pretty much said "See ya in 2043!". Kakuranger had played the whole game and made it to the final boss. Maybe they didn't quite beat the Kunoichi Gumi on their own, but they made their way to the top and did what they had to do to rid the world of his menace.

Yeah, I liked this ending. I'm not sure why they left Hakomenro and Bun in the middle of nowhere, but hey... It was their victory lap!

07. Shinshun Manga Jigoku (46)

This episode came back full-force to show that the series still could be as weird this late in as it was in the beginning.

The Kakuranger are captured in a manga after a boy discovers a manga detailing the Kakuranger's defeat. Seeing as this is a Saizo episode, he seems to get the worst of it.

The sheer weirdness in this episode was great as well as the fights. It's also pretty funny how despite being a Saizo episode it's Sasuke that saves the day. By this point in the series, Sasuke saves the days pretty much every episode, so it's expected.

06. Maken to Pants!! (17)

This is a Saizo episode. It perfectly sums up why I kinda like Saizo (he seems to be pretty unpopular). The dude is a walking disaster. Infact *checks again* YEP! Saizo is actually the one who opened the seal in the first episode. Hahaha. The dude fails every single time, but does so spectacularly.

In this episode, Saizo buys a car. It is almost immediately destroyed by Yokai Amikiri who has a very serious grudge against his ancestor. He is forced to enlist the help of a young boy who happens to be blackmailing him over some unflattering photos.

The fights in this episode are great. As I was saying, I like this episode because it is Saizo in a nutshell. Guy just can't get a break.

05. Ge!! sugoi yatsu! + Akazaru no oni taiji (15+16)

Sasuke, man. Short synopsis since this happens again later. Everyone except Sasuke is brutally captured. He skillfully saves the day.

I could have left this episode off of my list, but it deserves to be here. Sasuke had some moments prior to this, but this is where he really began shine. The same guy who a few months earlier defeated someone by throwing his shoe at them was now sneaking past several very powerful Yokai, while badly injured, to rescue his friends.

04. Dokkiri namachukei (09)

Jiraiya's first real focus episode. Jiraiya has become TV obsessed and faces off against a Yokai who is equally as obsessed. A great episode to showcase Kane Kosugi's great fighting skills. There are also some great cameos by Shiro Izumi (Burai/Dragonranger, Yuma/Change Pegasus) and Rika Ishida (White Swan/Jetman)

03. Cho omono・Rainichi! + Shijo hatsu no Super Battle (28+29)

These two episodes were easily my favorite of the Shinobi no Maki arc that spanned from 23-31. After Sasuke, Tsuruhime, Seikai and Saizo had all gotten their Shinobi no Maki, it was now up to Jiraiya to retrieve his so that he could summon God Gamma. He easily had the biggest trial to overcome.

Waiting for Jiraiya was Gali, the very man who trained Jiraiya to one day become a Kakuranger--but also the same man who killed his father. Gali sold his soul to Yokai Nue to save the life of his daughter after a car accident.

Not only were the fights between Jiraiya (Kane Kosugi) and Gali (Sho Kosugi) great, but I loved getting that glimpse into Jiraiya's life before Kakuranger. It was a little strange having him show up in episode 3 spouting off in English, yet knowing why he was there and what he was looking for the scrolls, you fool. They belong to us. It certainly shed some light on that mystery, plus it was some nice story telling.

Also...Sho Kosugi vs Kane Kosugi....... IRL father vs son. Awesome.

02. Godatsu Ninja Power + Sanshinsho Saigo no hi + Kizu Darake Daigyakuten (42+43+44)

Three-parter. Daimaoh has turned 1200 years old which gives him the ability to create a clone. His clone, Daradara is able to absorb the powers of whatever he comes into contact with and redirect all damage to whoever he absorbed powers from. His first victim is Ninjaman and he eventually captures everyone except Sasuke. Sasuke and Sanshinsho are forced to fight Daradara back or risk him destorying the city despite every blow being directed to his friends.

Hakumenro secretly informs Sasuke of Daradara's weakpoint, which is attacking Daimaoh directly. Sasuke breaks into Daimaoh's hide-out to attack Daimaoh and free his friends, effectively breaking Daradara's link.

This is similar to the 15+16 arc, but it is done in such a more grand way. You are really left wondering what they're going to do to get out of this situation. Sasuke, ofcourse, shines bright here and the wheels for the finale are set into motion. Great arc.

01. Ninja de Gozaru + Abunai Obasan + American Ninja (01+02+03)

This series started off in three episodes. We were given plenty of time to assemble the team and differentiate each member. So Tsuruhime and Jiraiya were the only two that were aware of their destiny going into this thing? Interesting. I mean, this isn't the first time we've had most of a Sentai team going into battle completely unprepared but it was fun to see again.

Oh, and how could you not like their ancestors? Hahaa. None of them had kind words.

Overall, this is one of my favorite Sentai debuts ever. It may be spread over three episodes, but there is so much going on that it hardly feels slow or incomplete.

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There you have it! Here's to 20 years of Kakuranger!

 

-CC

 

P.S. More Top 7 Lists are on this page...

Top Seven WORST Sentai Mecha Designs! [Updated!]

There are a lot of bad mecha out there. Whenever I see a terrible mecha, I can't help but wonder who thought it was a good idea and how it was approved. I felt that the worst mecha needed to be given the proper Top 7 list treatment.

I am going to leave out a few things such as Bases and Carriers. They're kinda low-hanging fruit. Also, apologies for the short blurbs on each one...the mecha kinda speak for themselves on how awful they are.

07. Ohblocker (Ohranger)

This is kind of setting the pace for this list. I don't like a lot of secondary mecha...

Ohblocker is like one of those oversized TV Remotes for the elderly. It takes the theme of detailed mecha like the others in the series and trades it in for a comical mishmash of the Ohranger character symbols. It's just stacked shapes. They tried to save it by giving it two swords.......but no. The helmet is ugly and the body is uglier. No no no.

Atleast it's made up of five humanoid components. That's some solace...

06. Galaxy Robo (Maskman)

This one disappointed me for a lot of reasons. The goofy face. The cartoon hands. The too-bright colors. The bland lines and minimal details...it's a bad mix.

The reason I really, really hate this mecha is that it was the mecha used in the final fight in Maskman. This hideous turd was the last thing we saw rather than the excellent Great Five.

But yeah... This largely unimaginative block of crap really shouldn't have existed.

05. Gogglerobo (Goggle Five)

The blandest of the 80s mecha.

It has a grand total of six colors despite made up of three vehicles. The lazy design goes from "meh" to "BLERG!" when you combine it with that horrible face.

Gogglerobo...the only mecha to have this face: -_-

04. Timerobo Beta (Timeranger)

Timerobo Alpha is pretty damn cool. Timerobo as a concept is actual brilliant with it's three different modes. The weakest link has to be the Beta mode. It's a top-heavy disaster.

Once again...this bad design is ruined by a face. OK, I mean...maybe the face itself isn't that bad, but the hatch hanging down in front of it is pretty stupid. It reminds me of those old-timey longjohns with the trapdoor.

To sum it up, it's all bad here. Stick with Alpha.

03. Jet Garuda (Jetman)

What the hell were they thinking with the Jetman mecha? Jet Icarus was weird looking, Tetra Boy had a funny face too. Jet Garuda was the worst. It's just...all over the place. Claws? Odd lines? A face that looks more like a squirrel rather than a bird? Yes.

It's the definition of unappealing. The details are all over the place with rounded cuff and shoulders with nothing but straight lines beyond that.

The only thing that saves Jet Garuda is Hyper Haken. That's pretty cool, I guess.

02. Daibouken (Boukenger)

All versions.

A lot of the stuff on this list ended up here for being bland or under designed. Daibouken has way too much going on for absolutely no reason. Wheels here, thrusters there, hooks for shoulders, a helmet that has rockets going through it's ears...

What a mess. I really don't give a crap about Boukenger...but what the hell was going on with their mecha? Wasn't their theme treasure hunting? Why is this all construction equipment? The bigger it got, the worse it got. Terrible, terrible mecha.

Also, you gotta love that area completely devoid of any kind of designs on the thighs.

Ugh. Get this thing out of my memory.

01. Gunbiroh (Go-onger)

This one is kind of a shame. I like the three mecha that make this up, but combined...yeah. What a terrible, terrible mess. It has no theme. It has no purpose. Mental Bleach, please!

In all honesty, it's easy to talk about how lousy the Go-onger clusterfuck combinations are...but this is the real shit. Unappealing and pointless.

The face of a church organ, a gun for the right arm, and fin for the left.

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THE BEST EVER. Muteki Shogun (Kakuranger)

So I thought about making a complimentary Top 7 for the best Sentai mecha, but what's the point? Muteki Shogun is the best. I'll even go as far to say that the Top 7 best would be 1. Muteki Shogun 2. Super Muteki Shogun 3. Red Saruda 4. White Kark 5. Yellow Kumaad 6. Blue Rogan 7. Black Gamma

The design is borderline a work of art. It has a full design with lines and elements in all of the right places. There are no flat spots, there are no areas where it's too busy, it breaks down into five equally great looking mecha, and the sword is frickin amazing...enough said. Most of all, however, it is ON POINT. It looks like it belongs to the show probably more than any other mecha out there.

Muteki Shogun is the best of the mecha.

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So there you go...the worst Super Sentai mecha.

Here is a handy link with my other Top 7 Lists!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to disagree with me/post your own list in the comments. If you have a Google account, you can comment.

See ya

-CC

UPDATE You wanted it, you got it. The Top 7 BEST Sentai Mecha Designs now has it's own official list.

Jetman...Part 2...

So last time I established that I liked Vyram. They may have made some hairbrained decisions toward the end of the show, but they worked great as classic Sentai villains. When it comes to the heroes, however, things get a whole lot less rosy to me.

The Jetman team is comprised of five individuals from different walks of life. Ryu, Red Hawk, has a career with the Sky Force and is the only member who was always meant to be a Jetman. Kaori, White Swan, is an heiress with very little going on in her life. Raita, Yellow Owl, is a farmer who doesn't seem to have much interest in fighting yet is the strongest member of the group. Ako, Blue Swallow, is a high-schooler who basically exists to translate the drama to kids who may be watching. Finally there is Gai, Black Condor, who is a bar dwelling loner that has a short fuse.

...so basically as far apart as a group of people could get without bringing race into it. It is usually interesting to see how a group of totally random individuals can band together and over come a dire situation, but this show really plays out like a bad drama... Before I really get into the reasons why, let me do a full character breakdown as I did with Vyram in my last entry...

Ryu

Being the leader and a career soldier you think this guy would the ultimate warrior of the group. Ahhhh...no. He is a hopeless individual who can't seem to connect his words to his actions or his fists to his enemies. Every single time Kaori made a move on him, he would say "We're fighters first and people second.". Five minutes later he would be crying at Rie's headstone. Once he realized that Maria was definitely Rie (I'm pretty sure he noticed early on and the writers kinda whistled and swept that under the rug), he basically turned to putty and let her beat the snot out of him. You know, like a fighter would.

In addition to this, he has to be the most mentally unstable Red in history. When the story got too deep for him, he literally lost his mind. In other shows where there is equal or greater tragedy for the leaders--or any character really, they would use that to fuel their fight and become stronger. Kaori and Gai found Ryu on a swing, where he introduced them to his invisible girlfriend. Ugh.

The biggest bummer to me was the lack of a big rematch between him and Tranza. When Tran became Tranza he immediately started to fuck with the Jetman guys. First he beat the crap out of Ryu, then he stole the girls that were flirting with Gai (which he kinda smiled and shrugged off), and then he beat Raita in a food eating contest (which was probably the most passionate about something Raita ever was in the entire series). Ryu never got a rematch with Tranza. Sure they fought, but there was never a fight. Then Radiguet took out Tranza. Ugh.

Ryu's default face...

Bottom line... Ryu sucked.

Kaori

For someone whose best years were likely behind her, Kaori seemed pretty cheery. Immediately after she broke off her engagement with the rich assclown she began persuing Ryu...hard. Watching her blush over Ryu was just...ugh. As I mentioned before, Ryu constantly told Kaori that they should be concentrating on being Jetman and not on having *ick* feelings. This didn't stop her for about 30 episodes. She pressed Ryu for a relationship until he brought her to his (not dead) girlfriend's grave. This seems to get the point across that not only was she chasing after someone who wasn't interested...but someone who wasn't interested and an asshole.

So how was she as an actual Jetman? Terrible at first, but I guess she improves. In certain publications it's said that she is the best shot of the group. OK, I guess... They have to give her something...

Raita

If there is one member of this group that belongs in a Sentai show...weirdly it's this guy. Of the group he is the most stable...in fact, Raita and Ako are the only two who never quit during the show.

Being a bigger dude from the country, he easily falls into the role of being a bumpkin. For whatever reason he becomes attracted to Kaori (OK, they did give a reason...but it was so lame that I've pretty much forgotten it), which never goes anywhere. Sorry, Raita, but Kaori's sad violin music will never play for you. Beyond this, he is determined and level-headed. Stable...as I mentioned before...

He is a decent member of Jetman. He isn't exactly a skilled fighter, so he relies on his unusual strength and strategy. In episode 15 I think he dresses up as a woman once they discover that Voice Jigen only likes female voices and yells which, ofcourse, saves the day.

lol



Ako

Like I mentioned earlier (and in my last post under Tran's entry) Ako almost exclusively exists to point out the unspoken feelings of other characters (Kaori mostly) to younger viewers in the audience. There isn't too much to her, and mercifully she had no feelings for anybody or anyth...wait. She had a little thing with Dan from the Berserk Senshi. Dammit, they couldn't even keep their grubbing mitts off of Ako's feelings. Though, after Dan is killed Ako didn't lose her mind like Ryu did countless times. Gah...the highschool girl is tougher than the military guy...

Ako was an alright fighter. I can't really think of any outstanding moments she had. She did shed her bratiness rather quickly, which is more than I can for the others.

Gai

Oh boy...

So we have a character who is completely selfish and prefers the setting of a dimly-lit bar to the cockpit of a giant mecha. It takes a very, very long time for Gai to accept that he must accept his role as a Jetman. Why does he have to accept? Besides the fact that he was mistakenly hit with the Birdonic rays...he actually happens to be the most heroic of the bunch. Granted, most of his biggest heroic acts were to win Kaori's wasted affection for Ryu, but for being so selfish...he was quite selfless a lot of the time. He even saved Ryu early on when he was trapped inside Apartment Jigen.

In addition to being the unlikely hero of the group, he was the best fighter. Some people will probably say that Ryu was, but I just marathoned the show and Gai is consistently the best at fighting. I mean, the last *really* decent fight in the show was reserved for him and Grey.

I like him as a Jetman...but he was terribly obnoxious as a character. He had the demeanor of a date-rapist toward Kaori most of the time and when he finally won her over...he had no idea what to do with her. He was a man who was all about the chase when it came to women. Everytime he is seen flirting with a woman, he is determined and passionate. Once he actually lands a woman, Kaori or any of the random skanks he seems to fancy, he pretty much becomes a lethargic lump of clay.

This man is a tough nut to crack. I liked his determination, but he was driven for all the wrong reasons. He is pretty damn annoying for most of the series, but I can't picture him being any other way. In fact, whenever he does that Double Beam attack with Ryu...it just feels out of character.

Odagiri

She's alright as a commander. She doesn't do enough to smack them into shape, though. Sure she puts them through their training exercises (which we rarely see on screen), but she really needed to whip them into shape a little bit better.

She did get to briefly live out one of my fantasies though...

Aim for Ryu's beanbag!

It was cool to see her piloting mecha atleast. Heh.

The Epilogue...

Alright, so the ending of this show is a character of it's own. Once Vyram is wiped out, the Jetman pretty much go their own ways. We join the action three years later when everyone is gathered for the wedding of Ryu and Kaori. I guess Kaori figured out that she needed three years to win Ryu rather than just the better part of one. Gai is late for the wedding as he stops to pick up flowers. He happens to witness a mugging and steps in. After giving the mugger a stern talking to, he is stabbed in the stomach. He stumbles to his friend's wedding where he is spotted by Ryu. They have a nice chat while Gai is literally dying on the bench they're sharing. After having a last look at his friends having a good time, Gai dies.

That........is fucking horrible.

I thought I had bad luck for getting married on Mischief Night, but getting married on the day that your friend was murdered feels like more of a curse than anything. Ryu and Kaori will have to live the rest of their lives sharing an anniversary for the day they exchanged vows and their best friend died...right in front of them no less.

This was a poor move. I really hate whenever someone throws in the defense "it teaches kids that even superheroes can die". No. It is Indie Film 101. Not sure how to end something? Kill off a lead character.

To recap...Ryu and Kaori are getting married. Raita has begun a relationship with his childhood friend Satsuki and Ako has become a pop singer (really??). Gai...atleast made enough money to buy a snappy suit to wear to the wedding. He may or may not have accomplished anything in the time since Vyram was destroyed, we'll never know. I would've been happier to have an ending where he turned his life around and became something thanks to lessons learned during his time as a Jetman. We'll just know him as the man who died at his friend's wedding.

The creepiness doesn't end with that episode, though...

The umm Second Epilogue...

Years after Jetman ended, a video encyclopedia was released by Toei. The special is basically a clip show that went over character information, facts, and stats. However, there was a little bit of plot woven in.

At the beginning Kaori receives a deliver of vegetables from Raita's farm along with a note saying how things are good and that he is expecting a child with his now-wife. I mean, could you expect anything else from the guy? Ryu arrives home and they go through their photo album and recount their adventures during their Jetman days (this is where the gratuitous clips come in).

As the special draws to a close, and before there is a single mention of what the hell Ako is up to, we hear a baby crying. Oh! So Ryu and Kaori have a kid now? Makes sense.

His name? Gai Tendo...

........

So not only do they share a wedding anniversary with their tragically dead friend's death, but they named their kid after him? Loving tribute or not, doesn't that just feel like they're trying a little too hard?

If there is a God, he'll live up to his namesake and give his parents hell...

 



Ryu-Kaori-Gai Forever!......I guess...

------------------------------

So that's the colorful side of the Jetman cast. My overall feelings on the show? Eh. When the show is really good, it's great. Whenever feelings rear their ugly head, I hate hate HATE this show. It is a little bit of a shock watching this show after Dairanger and before Ohranger in my marathon cycle. The drama is too much for a show about five people saving the world.

It is an interesting concept...but it is an interesting concept that constantly needs to remind you how clever it is. "Heh, the characters in the show are all different and they're forced to work together, heh. Watch what happens when they have a love triangle. Heh.". Ugh.

Bottom line...give it a watch. It's acceptance is polarizing, so you might love or hate it.

The ending song is amazing, though.

-CC

Jetman...Part 1...

I just want to start this post by saying...welcome to 2014! The past couple of weeks have been kind of a time for me to decompress. I made a couple of new videos to finish out March (minus Mammothranger) as well as a bunch of videos that aren't on my published list. Basically...I'm just trying to get 2014 videos scheduled. I found that working this way has made my life easier and made working on my channel less of a burden.

So yeah, basically I have been watching some Tokusatsu shows and playing a ton of Gran Turismo 6 since I wrote my last entry. Before I started rewatching Ohranger (which I am currently stuggling through) I tortured myself with a viewing of Jetman for the first time since 2000ish.

...OK, that wasn't fair. Jetman is actually a good show when it's at it's best...but there are times when the show just hurts to watch. I want to reserve my full thoughts for the end of my Jetman posts, so I'll leave it at that for now. In this entry I would like to talk about the show's background menace--Vyram.

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I kind of like Vyram, but at the same time they are almost as bad as Jetman with their ongoing feels. This is especially puzzling seeing as one of them is a robot. Also puzzling is their back story. Maria, as we know, is Ryu's kidnapped girlfriend Rie. So basically, she is a brainwashed human. Radiguet is seen to have a human form that he can willingly switch to later on. Tranza also has this ability and uses it to his advantage after he made the transition from Tran. Juza, who is the closest thing to serious leadership in Vyram, is disposed of in two episodes fairly early on in the series. That leaves Grey.....who is a robot. It's kind of hard to picture how Vyram was formed or even who built Grey. It obviously wasn't Tran since his robotic engineering isn't quite up to scratch after the G2 incident.....

OK, I'm rambling. The point is that Vyram is mysterious in a way that doesn't really gel with me. I can buy villains like Bandora who grew in power over many years, but Vyram just seems to be made up of (possibly) brainwashed people and a robot who made the leap from one dimension to the ours. Their former leader is killed by Jetman and eventually Radiguet...along with the full Vyram backstory.

What is known about Vyram is that they are engaged in a four way fight for control. Whoever is able to defeat Jetman wins the leadership of Vyram (and the front dimension).

--------------------------------------

Now that I got the Vyram story out of the way, I want to take a look at the individual members of Vyram with thoughts on each of them.

Radiguet

While Vyram has no leader for most of the series, Radiguet is seen to be the closest thing they have to a leader throughout (and possibly through the eyes of Jetman). Despite some bouts of powertrippin', he does seem to use careful calculations and dirty tactics to maintain the balance in Vyram until the very end. For example, he uses Jetman twice in the series to despose of members of Vyram who have overtaken him for leadership--the first time with Juza and much later with Tranza. That's right, he doesn't just thwart them and let Jetman handle it...he takes care of them personally.

I like Radiguet for his ruthlessness and technique. He is a classic Sentai villain, so this is expected. When the series starts and 90% of the focus of the show is the team relationship within Jetman, he is more or less hanging around with the rest of Vyram. Once Juza shows up we start to get a real glimpse of what he is like. From there he seems to have bouts of viciousness and paranoia. It's cool to have a villain who must win at all cost but is ultimately responsible for the death (or braindeath) of every member of his crew.

Tran

Tran is a child who seems to exist for the same reason that Ako exists on the Jetman side. Since the story is complex, each side has a character who basically explains what's going on to younger viewers in the audence who might not pick up on such things. Regardless, Tran is a powerful member of Vyram despite doing any fighting on his own, relying on mental attacks carried out through his power glove gauntlet.

I like Tran. The idea of having a child on the other side was new and something that hasn't been done as effectively since. The last minute addition of Kai in Zyuranger sucked and Akomaru in Dairanger really had to struggle to gain what little he could. Tran was already a powerful contender when he was introduced and he had some of the cooler Jigenju designs. Then, all of the sudden, they completely undid his character.

Tran was no more of a screw-up than anyone else in Vyram by the time episode 36 rolled around. All of the sudden he was made fun of by just about everyone for being a kid the same way that Zaidos became up a screw-up at the very end of Dairanger. This anger at the lousy writing being made fun of forces him to undergo one of the biggest meltdowns in Sentai history. Not only does he scream his lungs out for about a minute straight, he becomes.....he becomes............

Tranza

Tran is pushed into a rage and becomes the super powerful (and adult) Tranza. Upon transformation, he immediately takes the throne, angering Radiguet. His new form didn't really add too much to the character outside of now becoming a skilled fighter. On his first appearance, he wastes no time pounding Ryu's head in. He also loves to toy around with the Jetman while leaving Radiguet grinding his teeth being forced to kneel before him. Radiguet thwarts him twice from defeating Jetman, the second being the end of Tranza. After forcing Tranza to kneel before him, he wipes his brain of function. The last we see of Tranza he is drooling and being wheeled around a mental institution.

OK...so for starters a character I like suddenly becomes Yutaka Hirose. This is awesome on paper, but in retrospect...eh. I like how he toys with the Jetman and Radiguet in a way that you can tell he always wanted to as Tran but was never able to, but it kinda got old. Also the plot that lead to his demise was pretty rushed.

Like I said though...the way he toyed with the Jetman, especially Ryu, was pretty damn cool. I mean, come on...how badass is this?

Just off screen Ryu is moping about his not-dead girlfriend...

 

Grey

Now we have a pretty interesting character. Grey is a robot who seems to parallel Gai. He drinks, smokes, has a fondness of music, and has feelings for a woman that he has no business with. Since he is a robot, he is the most logical of the Vyram gang (well, once you look past the feelings-for-a-woman part). He takes his battles seriously and does not rely on cheap tactics, though he did have a steep advantage on Gai during their roullette games. Ultimately he fought Gai one-on-one in his final battle.

Grey is interesting in that he never really seems to want to be in control of Vyram. He is kind of along for the ride for most of the series and doesn't really have the emotional capacity drive him to become leader. During the episode with Tranza's failed robot, G2, he briefly aids the damaged G2 but brushes off every attempt at bonding that G2 makes. His feelings for Maria become a problem within Vyram because *shock* Radiguet saved Rie and brainwashed her to become Maria and be his. Yeah, the love drama was basically the same on both sides and just as annoying.

One thing I notice about Grey is that at some point in the series his suit seems to get altered. Early on he is lighter in color but looks almost black by the end. For the better I say...I thought the suit looked pretty lame early on.

His final fight with Gai was pretty cool. As I mentioned, the characters paralleled each other with the only difference going into that battle being that Grey had nothing to live for as Rie/Maria was already dead. He didn't want his final moments to be seen and he died in a worn down industrial park...............Skynet anyone?

Maria

Another interesting character here. Maria is the brainwashed girlfriend of Ryu. She was originally destined to be part of Jetman but became the very thing that Jetman would fight against. She is very ruthless and as driven to become leader of Vyram as much as Radiguet and Tran are. She does not yield to Ryu, who constantly lowers his guard to her once he determines that she really is Rie. She ultimately reverts back to Rie and realizes that she has too much blood on her hands to ever return to Ryu. She stabs Radiguet in the back, which becomes critical later on as his becomes the weak point they use to kill him. After stabbing Radiguet, she is slashed by Radiguet before being wisked away by Grey...where she died in his arms.

While I can't stand the love aspects of this show, having a lead villain not only being the girlfriend of the leader of the good guys but also someone who was supposed to be a member of the very team she ended up fighting was interesting. I liked Maria for basically slapping around Ryu whenever she could. Despite his preaching about being a warrior first and a person second he sure did get treated like a training dummy by pretty much everyone...

Like the rest of the Vyram gang, she unravelled at the end--though I would say that she maintained her composure the longest of the bunch. Right up until she decided that it would be a good idea and become a weird vampire monster for Radiguet. I think her downfall kind of rubbed me the wrong way. We could have done without that little plot and jumped right to her stabbing Radiguet in the back with no effort.

The fact that she would never return to Ryu didn't bug me, however. She was right. She had done some terrible things during her time with Vyram. Even if she were brainwashed and was finally able to remember everything up to that point, what would stop her from waking up one night and smothering Ryu with a pillow in his sleep? Sure Radiguet is gone...and even if she were powerless, PTSD is a nasty thing. Considering everything she went through I would say she was damaged beyond repair.

One more thing...Maria was portrayed by Maho Maruyama. She did a fantastic job portraying Rie and Maria. Wonderful job playing both of them so convincingly.

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Overall I liked Vyram. If I could change a few things about them it would be that Tranza should have reverted to Tran when he was institutionalized and skipping that whole Maria vampire thing. Other than that, they were a cool bunch of villians with some of the craziest monster designs.

Next time: Jetman.......

-CC