M•U•S•K -- The Exclusive Anison Club

It's been awhile since I've written something music-related that has nothing to do with my CD Collection. There isn't a whole lot to write about outside of CDs these days, but I have a few Tokusatsu Music related articles in the pipeline (including a Top 7...maybe next month). This is one that I briefly mentioned in my last post without getting too much into it. It's finally time for me to put together an official list of what I stupidly call...M•U•S•K!

What is M•U•S•K? It is another lame CCLemon99-ism to describe an anison singer who has sung at least one theme song from a Metal Hero, Ultraman, Sentai, and Kamen Rider feature and/or series. It's an incredibly difficult feat, so the list is fairly short. There are some near-hits, and some of the singers here have made it in by the skin of their teeth.

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In The Club...

Ichiro Mizuki 

M-Jikuu Senshi Spielban OP, ED1, ED2 • Chojinki Metalder ED
U-Ultraman Monogatari ED • Ultraman Orb OP
S-Gaoranger vs. Super Sentai ED • Juken Sentai Gekiranger ED
K-Kamen Rider V3 ED1 • Kamen Rider X OP, ED • Kamen Rider Stronger OP, ED2, ED3 • Kamen Rider (1979) OP, OP2, ED1, ED2 • Kamen Rider Super 1 ED2

-Not only is Ichiro Mizuki the most prolific member of the club, but he is also the first name you would think of when asked to name someone who would be in the club. Until very recently, though, his status was pretty murky. Until Ultraman Orb in 2016 his only true Ultraman entry was the ending theme song to the 1984 feature Ultraman Monogatari (as pointed out to me by this helpful chap). Ichiro Mizuki also sang the opening and ending theme songs to Andromelos...which technically could fall under Ultraman, but really doesn't have to. He's in the club...so there.

The rest of his catalog makes him a pretty obvious member of the club. It is a little peculiar that he didn't perform a Sentai theme song until 2001 (he had some songs on the Battle Fever J and Sun Vulcan song collections, but no themes) but they did him right by giving him the ending song for Gekiranger.

Hironobu Kageyama

M-Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack OP
U-Ultraman vs Kamen Rider ED • Ultraman Dyna ED2 (w/LAZY) • Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna OP
S-Dengeki Sentai Changeman OP, ED • Hikari Sentai Maskman OP, ED, Movie OP • Chojin Sentai Jetman OP, ED • Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger ED
K-Kamen Rider SD ED • Ultraman vs Kamen Rider ED

-Another obvious member of the club, but is he really? You really have to dig deep in Kageyama's catalog to find his membership credentials. His Super Sentai, Anime, and Video Game work make him this massive presence among modern anison singers.

-For Kamen Rider you have to go to the 1992(CD)/1993(OVA) Kamen Rider SD OVA. He provided the ending theme song. It's enough to put him in the club, but man...couldn't he have done the ending song to Kamen Rider J or something instead? I know that Rider really wasn't a thing when he was with Columbia (and when Columbia provided music for Rider). He kinda fell through the cracks. For extra credit I suppose you can count the Tsuburaya-produced Ultraman vs Kamen Rider. I file that one under Ultraman, though.

Speaking of Ultraman, Kageyama's Ultra-cred is pretty solid. The most popular theme song of his is the second ending song that he did with LAZY. Technically it's a LAZY song...but why not count it? Kageyama is a singing it, no?

Kageyama really didn't have much to do with Metal Hero outside of a handful of songs for Janperson and a duet with Masaaki Endo in Robotack...which he also provided the theme song to.

Shinichi Ishihara

M-Jukou B-Fighter OP, ED
U-Ultraman USA ED
S-Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five OP
K-Kamen Rider AGITΩ OP1, OP2, ED3 • Kamen Rider 555 ED1

-The only credit that really comes into question when it comes to Shinichi Ishihara's qualifications are Ultraman. Sure, he HAS done some Columbia-cover versions of Ultraman theme songs, but his only true theme song was the ending theme to the 1987/1989 Ultraman USA feature. It's good enough to get him into the club!

The rest of his catalog is pretty obvious. It was kinda weird that it took them as long as it did to give him a Sentai theme song (he still managed to get one before Ichiro Mizuki, though). He does have the very rare distinction of being the only singer to have a theme song in both Columbia and avex eras of Kamen Rider (another CCLemon99ism...forget Showa and Heisei...Riders are either Columbia or avex in my book).

Isao Sasaki

M-Chojinki Metalder OP
U-The☆Ultraman OP
S-Himitsu Sentai Goranger OP, ED1, ED2 • JAKQ Dengekitai OP/ED • Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger ED, Movie 2 ED
K-Kamen Rider (1979) Movie OP

-Yet another member of the club who barely made it in. Isao Sasaki's Rider theme song is his version of the song Kagayake! 8nin Rider. It's kinda of a strange credit since the more memorable version of the song was sung by Ichiro Mizuki. The Mizuki version was used as Skyrider's second ending theme...but the Sasaki version seemingly only existed to be the theme for the 8 Rider movie.

His Metal Hero and Ultraman credits are sparse, but they are opening theme songs to full-blown TV series. I absolutely love both of them...

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Honorable Mentions...

Akira Kushida 

M-Uchuu Keiji Gavan OP, ED, 2012 Movie • Uchuu Keiji Sharivan OP, ED • Uchuu Keiji Shaider OP, ED • Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya OP, ED • Kidou Keiji Jiban OP, ED
U-N/A
S-Taiyo Sentai Sunvulcan OP, ED1, ED2 • Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger ED • Boukenger vs Super Sentai ED
K-10gou Tanjo! Kamen Rider zenin shugo!! OP • Heisei Rider tai Showa Rider Kamen Rider Taisen feat Super Sentai TM

-I have to put Kushida at the top of this list as he is someone who could join the club tomorrow if Tsuburaya threw a damn theme song his way. The most difficult credit to obtain on this list is Metal Hero for obvious reasons...but Ultraman also seems to be a tough nut to crack. Come on, Tsuburaya...make this happen! He hasn't even done an IN song!

The rest of his credits are pretty obvious. Even though Dragon Road was used once, the song is kinda immortal. It was made even more immortal a few years back when a 2014 version (featuring the terrible Rider Girls) was used for one of those idiotic Rider crapfest films. I guess Akira Kushida can be considered Columbia and avex...but should it count if it's for a ruined version of the same song? Nah...

Masato Shimon

M-N/A
U-Ultraseven Hawaii Dub OP
S-Seijuu Sentai Gingaman OP, ED
K-Kamen Rider OP2, ED1, ED2, ED3 • Kamen Rider V3 ED2 • Kamen Rider Amazon OP, ED • Kamen Rider Stronger ED1

-His prolific work on Rider isn't enough to earn him a spot in the club. Fun fact about the Kamen Rider Stronger ending he performed... It was used for the first two episodes before it was replaced with the same song with Ichiro Mizuki singing the lead. There is a lot to say about Kamen Rider Stronger's theme song weirdness...but that's for another day...

Shimon's work on Ultraman is limited to his weird dub of the Ultraseven theme song that was meant for the Hawaiian English dub. His Super Sentai credit is actually uncredited. As he formally retired in 1993, he was forced to sing the Gingaman themes under the credit Ryo Kisami. Seeing as Shimon is done with the business and Metal Hero isn't a thing anymore, His membership is virtually impossible. Forever S•U•K...

Takayuki Miyauchi

M-Tokkei Winspector OP, ED • Tokkyushirei Solbrain OP, ED • Tokusou Exceedraft OP, ED
U-N/A
S-Chodenshi Bioman OP, ED • Boukenger vs Super Sentai ED
K-Kamen Rider BLACK RX OP, ED

-Another singer you probably expected to be on the list thanks to his prolific career. Takayuki Miyauchi *did* have a Columbia cover of Ultraman Tiga's ending theme song Brave Love, TIGA (w/Ichiro Mizuki) as well as a cover of Ultraman Gaia's theme song (w/Masaaki Endo). The only official Ultraman credit Miyauchi has is being part of the sea of people that made up the Ultra Choir in 1991's Ultraman charity song Love For Children.

Tatsuya Maeda

M-Blue SWAT OP, ED
U-Ultraman Powered OP, ED • Ultraman Chotoshi Gekidan OP • Ultraman Dyna OP • Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna OP
S-N/A
K-N/A

-Credit where it's due...Tatsuya Maeda has the two most difficult credits to obtain. He even did an IN song for Super Sentai (Carranger). It's not enough to make it into the club, though. He still needs those Sentai and Rider themes...

Rika Matsumoto

M-N/A
U-Ultraman Neos ED
S-N/A
K-Kamen Rider Ryuki OP

-Unless you're a Pokemon fan, you may be thinking "Who??" on this one. Rika Matsumoto is a prolific seiyu who managed to sneak in a rare Tokusatsu credit here and there earlier in her career. You may remember her as the voice of Arthur G6 in Fiveman (she subsequently sang his theme song as well). I know her mostly as the voice of Dora Reiga in episode 33 of Zyuranger (one of my favorite episodes).

She may not have many Tokusatsu singing credits to her name, but she did songs for three out of four of the categories...two of which were themes. Not bad...

Mitsuko Horie

M-N/A
U-N/A
S-Himitsu Sentai Goranger OP • Gaoranger vs Super Sentai ED
K-Kamen Rider Stronger ED1, ED2

-It's kinda obvious why there aren't any female singers in the club. Like I said before, that Metal Hero credit is the toughest to get. For someone who has been there through it all, Mitsuko Horie probably should have been tossed some songs...the Blue SWAT ending theme......something! She seemed largely into Anime songs in the 80s and 90s, so I guess it wasn't meant to be.

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It's a tough club to get into, but a few have made it! Are you really surprised at who made it in, though? I think the more surprising thing is those who haven't made it in. You would think Akira Kushida would be there, right? Takayuki Miyauchi...??

So what did you think about this post? Did I miss anyone? Do you think I have too much time on my hands to think up such things (this post may seem well-researched, but I pulled 95% of it from memory)? Let me know either in the comments below or on Twitter.

I'll be back soon with a brand new entry in the CD Collection. Hint: Box Set. One that blows.

-CC

Toy Story: The Time I Loved A Power Rangers Toy...

...because it's been so long since I did one of these Toy Story posts...

Welcome to the series where I tell the story behind the toys you see on my Youtube Channel. This story is wildly different from ones in the past for several reasons. So far I have only covered Super Sentai toys that I acquired during my collecting years. This time around I'm actually covering a toy from my youth...and it isn't even a Super Sentai toy!

My Birthday is one of the worst you could possibly get. The 19th of September just...sucks. When I was a kid it meant the touchy first weeks of back-to-school. In college it was always the first week of exams. These days it means a dramatic jump in workload at my job. I've never been a fan of my Birthday or Birthdays in general. Call me cold, but unless your Birthday falls within a few weeks of say...Christmas, you don't know how easily you'll be left in the dust by the more important things.

Outside of my recent 9th Anniversary post, I rarely shed a light on my personal life. Even more rare is for me to go back to being a youngster. The story actually takes place on my ##th Birthday. 19th of September, 1996. Here goes...

By the time I reached this particular age I had grown fairly weary of Birthdays in general. I had just come off of a particularly lonely Summer and had a big move looming in the near future (one that took nearly six months). On top of that, my Grandmother had a major stroke earlier in the year that left her largely unable to speak or use her right hand for the remaining eighteen years she lived after. I spent a lot of time watching the old Sentai tapes I had accumulated over the years (this is the Summer that my undying love of Dairanger and Kakuranger were born out of repeated viewings).

This was all kind of saved with a trip to Toys R Us after school on my Birthday. Being 1996 Power Rangers Zeo was in full swing. This was the era of Bandai America releasing the major Sentai toys largely unmolested poor, poor Shogun Megazord and adding a ton of weird localized toys. I didn't dig a lot of the localized stuff (and still don't) but enjoyed a good nugget whenever I spotted one. On this particular trip to Toys R Us I found what is to this day my favorite Bandai America exclusive Power Rangers toy.

Sitting on the shelf was three rows of these curious looking Power Rangers Zeo toys. It was the mecha for all of the male Power Rangers that year...but the box art showed photos of figures of the characters. What the...? On closer inspection I noticed that these were both! Figures that somehow transformed into their mecha?? How in the world did they pull this off???

I could only really afford one so I ended up buying Zeo Ranger V, naturally. I was really curious to see how the hell this thing worked. I mean, could you really trust the photos on the box? They always use more detailed-looking prototypes, or the Japanese version in a lot of cases for Bandai America (very misleading IMO). I couldn't wait to get into this one...

You know what? This toy did not disappoint! I was genuinely impressed by how well done it was. Sure there were a few signs here and there that gave away that there was more than meets the eye to this toy, but they did a fantastic job. I'm not sure what fever-dream these toys were born out of, but I'm glad whoever came up with these was able to get them made. There is no reason for them to exist...but I'm really glad they do. I absolutely loved the Zeo Ranger V figure...it was something that I really enjoyed for many years. I never did get a chance to get the other two, but it didn't matter. The red one was badass.

For some hair-brained reason I thought it was a good idea to sell this toy about ten years ago. There are plenty of other toys I've owned for longer that I really need to get rid of, but I *had* to sell this one for some reason... It didn't really hit me how much I missed it until I was cruising the excellent toy guide of GrnRngr.com and was hit with a wall of regret. Why did I get rid of that one? It was a legit good toy that really brightened my mood for a solid bit of time. I sold it before I even started my Youtube Channel...so I never even had the opportunity to make a video of it.

So I bought one. Yep. Not only did I buy Zeo Ranger V, but I bought the other two. I have the full set! It's been exactly twenty years and not only am I bringing the nostalgia back, but I'm discovering what I have been missing out on all this time.

The only thing different is that I didn't buy them from Toys R Us this time. I still swing by TRU on my Birthday every year, though. The same exact TRU since 1996, in fact (it helps that they haven't remodeled...just like the good old days). These days I usually buy a Hot Wheels car (or nothing)...but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking for the next impressive surprise every year. I came close to buying this weird Power Rangers/Toyota transforming thing a bunch of years back...but it wasn't the same.

So now the big question...will there be a video (or videos)? Yes! The final Sunday of September will have all three Zord Morphin' Zeo Rangers! I can only speak to the awesomeness of the red one so far...so I'm just as curious as anyone out there at how the other two turn out. [UPDATE] Check the video out here: https://youtu.be/gg5DTzP2XN0

Thanks for reading my latest Toy Story. I will be back soon with a long-form article about Tokusatsu theme songs that you won't want to miss. Stay tuned!

-CC

P.S. Expect me to reference this post whenever some dumbass says I hate all things Power Rangers and am a blinded Sentai fanboy Power Rangers and Sentai are the same, afterall!. I give credit where it's due...however rare that is... It's not like all Sentai toys are winners either. Hahaa.

Previous Toy Stories...

Toy Story: Masking Brace [Hikari Sentai Maskman]
Toy Story: Prism Flash x2 [Choshinsei Flashman]
Toy Story: Super Liverobo [Chojuu Sentai Liveman]
Toy Story: King Brachion/500th Video [Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger]

The CD Collection--Super Sentai 8cm CD Singles [GoGo Five & Timeranger]

It's T.I.M.E. for the thrilling conclusion of my series of articles on the 8cm CD Singles from Super Sentai! I am finally up to the fourth and final part... Part 1 covered Liveman-Ohranger, Part 2 covered *just* Carranger, and Part 3 covered Megaranger and Gingaman. To finish things off I'll be looking at the ten singles from GoGo Five and Timeranger! Did it finish strong, or sputter to a halt?

Enough of the blahblahblah, lets get right into this!

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Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five OP c/w Go! Five Go! Fight!
CODC-1705
1999.02.20

The 90s are my favorite decade for Super Sentai theme songs. The last one of the decade is easily one of the best. Shinichi Ishihara *finally* gets the Sentai theme song credit on his resume...and boy does he bring it! I really couldn't think of a better singer to bring this one to life. Ishihara's theme songs (He is certified M•U•S•K--Metal Hero, Ultraman, Sentai, Kamen Rider theme song singers) all have a different personality and he is one of the few singers that can mold himself into any type of song. This song: Action. It's excellent.

The coupling song here is an insert song call Go! Five Go! Fight which complements the theme song perfectly. It's another upbeat action song from Shinichi Ishihara. This song collection is largely devoid of action songs as the shift to character songs was starting to take place this year. I'll take ones as good as this any day.

I'm not going to be clever or witty in this entry with the following statement...so this is what you're going to see on the rest of the CDs in this article... Ready?

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five ED c/w Kinkyu Gattai! Victory Robo
CODC-1706
1999.02.20

The ending song, Kono hoshi wo, kono machi wo is very good...but maybe a little too similar to the Megaranger ending song. I like it, but I would probably like it a little bit better if it were a little more unique. At least it is the return of Naritaka Takayama.

The Victory Robo theme song is...OK. It isn't all that exciting or majestic, just kinda there. I do like Yukio Yamagata quite a bit, but he was an odd choice for this song. Then again, the blandness of the music track doesn't really have a flavor for any particular singer. I guess he brought some life to it. Spirit!

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five Hashire Go Liner! Sukue 99 Machine! c/w Tango Psyma
CODC-1724
1999.04.21

Now this is what a mecha theme song should sound like! After a boring Muteki Shogun theme song, Takayuki Miyauchi absolutely nailed the Gingaioh theme song. The streak continues with the Go Liners theme song. I absolutely love this one. It is themed correctly, is upbeat, and just has that grandness that the Victory Robo theme lacks. It is catchy enough to think about and whistle along to later on, but doesn't touch the catchiness of Gingaioh's theme song.

Then it all comes crashing down. This throw-away IN song is sung by Pierre seiyuu Taiki Matsuno. It's not like villain song never existed, but GoGo Five has three of them. Ugh. Remember what I said about the move away from traditional IN songs? It was like an overnight change. Oh, and I should note that the title is stylized as Tango Sa•I•Ma, but let's call it Tango Psyma for simplicity's sake.

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five Yuuki wo Nakuseba c/w PSYMA ~Hakai no Rakuin~
CODC-1725
1999.04.21

This one is a true shock. Not only is Yuuki wo Nakuseba a great IN song (probably my favorite of the series) but it is sung by MICKEY. You know Mickey, right? Supreme Butcher of English Versions of Sentai theme songs...yeah...THAT Mickey. Given the opportunity to sing in Japanese, she is pretty good. The only downside to this one is that it's a little dated sounding...that and she managed to sneak some English in. Bah. Great song, though...I listen to it often.

Another Psyma song? Eh. This one is at least a little bad ass sounding. I'm not sure I care for Norio Sakai's imitation of Mikio Katsumata's song for Junior in Kakuranger, but it's an interesting choice. I don't care much for this one, but at least it isn't another character song.

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo Five Chokyodai Robo!! Grand Liner c/w Kyuumei Shoka -Tatsumi Boukai Kenkyusho uta-
CODC-1743
1999.05.21

The Grand Liner theme song...good stuff. I honestly don't give this one enough credit. It's kinda weird that a mecha has more than one theme song, but when you have a mecha heavy show like GoGo Five I suppose it works. Do I prefer the completed mecha theme song (this) over the song about it's individual pieces (Go Liners)? I like them both. Shinichi Ishihara did a good job on this, but I think I like the Go Liner theme better. Fun Fact: The last time Shinichi Ishihara did a Sentai mecha theme song was the Turbo Rugger song in Turboranger...it was also his Super Sentai debut.

If you've been paying attention to the color of the discs, you'd notice that all of the GoGo Five colors have been represented...something Megaranger tried and failed to do...

The coupling track, Kyuumei Shoka -Tatsumi Boukai Kenkyusho uta- is a borefest anthem song. It did show up later in the series, but in th...zzzzzzzzzz

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Mirai Sentai Timeranger Shudaika
CODC-1837
2000.02.19

For the first time since Ohranger both theme songs to the show were joined together on one CD Single! The OP, JIKU~Mirai Sentai Timeranger is a good song with a lot of problems. I enjoy it overall, but it's hard to ignore all the jerkiness in it's structure...particularly in the vocals. There are moments where the song is great and all the sudden entire lyrics are blurtedoutinonequickbreath, I'm glad that they gave their most unique backing vocalist not only their own song, but the keys to the series theme song...but Kumi Sasaki deserved better...or at least more. Credit where credit's due, though, they definitely pulled off the dark sound for the theme song.

Ending song? Yep, that's here too. I actually kind of prefer it over the opening theme song. Toki no Kanata e is equally as broken in structure, but manages to sound more like a solid song. It certainly makes up for the lack of uniqueness in GoGo Five's ending theme song.

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Mirai Sentai Timeranger OK! Timerobo!! c/w Aitai yo
CODC-1852
2000.04.21

Of the Timeranger mecha theme songs, Timerobo's theme is probably my least favorite. It sounds like a mix of random weapon theme song and a much, much, much watered down version of the Galaxymega theme song. I guess it's nice to hear Naoki Takao again...

Aitai yo is a pretty good song, actually. It's the lone solo character song on the good side of the characters and I listen to it quite a bit. Mika Katsumura's vocals aren't half bad (though they are kind of obscured by the kinda in-your-face music during a good portion of the song). Heroine songs were something to look forward to once upon a time...

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Mirai Sentai Timeranger Timeshadow ~Sugatanaku, Otomonaku~ c/w WHO ARE YOU?
CODC-1876
2000.06.21

A jazzy mecha theme song? Yes...I'll allow it. Yukio Yamagata is back to sing the Timeshadow theme song. It might not be excellent as a mecha theme song, but I really dig the smoothness. It kinda reminds me of the Red Puncher theme song a bit...and I love that one!

The coupling song, WHO ARE YOU? is, what feels like, one of the few true IN songs of this series. It's Kumi Sasaki back with a much more traditional song. This is the jazz single from the series I guess. Another smoooooth song. I actually prefer it over the theme song...but it definitely wouldn't work as a theme song. So I guess it all worked out. Listening to this again I noticed that she sound a lot like Norio Sakai. Their styles are almost identical...

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Mirai Sentai Timeranger Frozen Beauty c/w CHI•KA•RA 2000 ~Owaranai mirai no tameni~
CODC-1877
2000.06.21

I can't say I'm a fan of Frozen Beauty. It works better as a Karaoke track to be perfectly honest. This is Lila's character song so naturally it is sung by her actress, Kuru Asami. Her singing is just...dead. Maybe it would work with one of those droning songs that they usually gave to the female villains...but this semi-upbeat tune is a strange combination.

CHI•KA•RA 2000 is another great IN song from the series. I would probably say it's my favorite, but there is another song that I am not talking about today that is a strong contender...so maybe it's a tie. This song is sung by NAT'S who also sang the ending theme song (just noticed I forgot to give her credit when I was talking about the ED...oops...). It's pretty upbeat, has great singing, and gets regular play from me.

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Mirai Sentai Timeranger Kakusei! V-Rex Robo!! c/w T.I.M.E. Timeranger!
CODC-1896
2000.08.19

I would have to say that the V-Rex Robo theme song is my favorite of the series. It has a great combination of fitting music and Yukio Yamagata. This one was good enough that when it came time to put the commercial together they used a slightly modified version of this song instead of a new composition (unheard of at the time).

Timeranger got the colors right too!

The song that it's coupled with...was an odd choice. T.I.M.E. Timeranger! is.....bleh... I really don't have much to say about it. It's the Timeranger cast a long with a bunch of brats singing about time. Hattori Hanzo gets a shout-out...that's cool at least. It's extra awful when the kids are singing on their own, though. I definitely prefer the Karaoke version of this.

There are four tracks on this CD--two are vocal and two are Karaoke.

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Recommended Pick: Easy! This time around I have to recommend the GoGo Five OP/Go! Five Go! Fight single. It's back-to-back Shinichi Ishihara incredibleness and the only truly solid CD Single on this list. Sure there are some with two good songs...but this is the only one with two awesome songs! Even the cover art is cool...

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That does it for Super Sentai! I would love to say that I ended on a high note, but they definitely made some odd selections when it came to what songs made it to the single. Replacing NEVER END from GoGo Five or 1000 nen Senshi from Timeranger with a lesser song that they selected would have made these singles more interesting...but it's all in the past now. Carranger, Megaranger, and Gingaman were truly the golden years of collecting Sentai CD Singles.

Be sure to check out my CD Collection page! Hoping to update it soon...but I probably won't. Lots of good stuff on the way, so my ears are the real winner.

See ya soon!

-CC

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Previously...

Super Sentai 8cm CD Singles Part 1 [Liveman-Ohranger]
Super Sentai 8cm CD Singles Part 2 [Carranger]
Super Sentai 8cm CD Singles Part 3 [Megaranger-Gingaman]

Toy Story: King Brachion! [500th Video Special!]

Check out the video here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3kZROq64J0

Welcome to the fourth installment of my ongoing series where I tell the interesting stories behind some of the toys in my collection. 99.9% of the stuff I own is acquired through a basic transaction...but every once in awhile either something strange happens or I make an amazing score. Today's story falls under both, I'd say...

I've been in the market for another King Brachion for quite some time now. Since the 90s I have owned a King Brachion (loose, not working, worse for wear) and Titanus (loose-ish--box w/out styrofoam, working) as well as a Legacy Titanus (ebay bound, for sure). Neither one of those felt right for a video. I'd definitely want one as complete as possible to get the job done right. So with my 500th video on the horizon, I set out to get a worthy specimen for to mark the occasion.

If I may, I would like to backtrack a little bit on why I felt the need to at least try to make King Brachion my 500th video. My 100th, 200th, 300th, and 400th videos were all Zyuranger specials. It actually started further back than that, though. For my one year anniversary I reviewed an unopened Dragon Buckler. There was no reason other than it being one of the last Sentai Changers I had left to review and that it's very, very shiny. Later that year I did my very first Sentai Mecha video, Daizyujin, which coincidentally fell right into the 100th video slot (it was so much of a non-occasion that I later did a Part 2 with little fanfare).

Coincidence would strike again as I landed an incredibly clean Dragon Caeser just in time to not only be my 200th video, but to close out 2010. By the time my fifth anniversary had come around, I was pretty self-aware of what was going on. I dug deep into my collection and made a video of the screen-used prop Dragon Buckler (and Ranger Stick) that I own. I was able to not only bring another piece of Zyuranger forward, but I got to revisit my first anniversary video at the same time. Maybe my 300th video was a little underwhelming, but it definitely fit in. For that, I looked at Super Robot Chogokin Daizyujin. My 400th video landed at the end of 2014. I had been reviewing the Zyuranger SHFiguarts for the entire year leading up to that but never managed to put them all together for a video. I especially dig the Howling Cannon bit...that was a ton of fun to shoot and edit. Last year I made a video on the odd, but cool Nendora (which had a story of it's own) for my eighth anniversary and this year I reviewed the SDCC2014 Black Ranger SHFiguart.

As you can see, the history runs deep. It started as a random thing and kinda snowballed into a running joke. It's a good thing Zyuranger has some really neat toys.

I typically take January off from work every year, which gives me a great deal of time to not only get my life on track, but plan out the year ahead of me. I knew that my 500th video was going to be here before I knew it (back then I noticed it would fall in September, but thanks to weeks where I upload multiple videos it has moved up to August). I began my search for a solid King Brachion. Almost immediately I found a suitable one up for sale. Very clean, complete, and at a reasonable starting price. Toward the end bidding got kinda out of control and the thing went for over ¥70,000. Mind you, this was JUST King Brachion...no Daizyujin or Dragon Caesar included. I was stunned. When the hell did this toy get THAT expensive? Needless to say I kinda went "meh" and decided that another special Zyuranger toy I have would take the spot for #500. That was pretty much the end of the story...until two weeks ago...

I went to check out what was good for sale and found the usual slog of Ranger Keys and useless gimmick toys that clog up the internet. On a lark I decided to check out prices for King Brachion and found a very good one for a very reasonable sum for sale by a BOOK OFF branch. At first I kinda stuck with my "meh", but after really thinking about it for a day I decided to go for it. After some miscommunication and general slowness on their end, I managed to miraculously pull off the deal (the toy was also for sale in their store and on YJ Auctions...which someone actually won...whoops). The long wait for them to ship it began.

By now I was slowly changing my mind on the previous videos I made for #500 and #501. Maybe I would have King Brachion on time to make a video? Should I skip a week? Maybe re-upload some deleted videos? I was kinda stressin' the whole situation. This is my final year, I don't want to miss a week. I would rather save the re-uploads for later, too.

I am writing this article on the 13th of August in the afternoon. King Brachion arrived at my house on the afternoon of the 11th and I did the entire photo shoot over five very, very hot hours in the sun on the 12th. Then I got all of the editing (including the painful music selection--Zyuranger is a tough series for music) done by this afternoon. Way to get it done under the wire...

So...I made it! A goal I planned at the beginning of the year actually worked out after I abandoned it pretty early on. The video turned out great in my opinion, and I even have enough left over for a Part two, which is coming up next. Despite the fast turnaround, I did spend much longer than I usually do on the photo shoot, so I did end up with some quality photos. I can only spot one teeny mistake. Did you catch it? It's so small that I didn't warrant a re-shoot of the particular photo.

With that I finally have a worthy King Brachion and my 500th video down in the history books.

Thank you so much for reading and watching all of my videos to this point. I think I can FINALLY put the Zyuranger inside joke to rest as King Brachion it the ultimate punchline!

-CC

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Toy Story: Masking Brace [Hikari Sentai Maskman]
Toy Story: Prism Flash x2 [Choshinsei Flashman]
Toy Story: Super Liverobo [Chojuu Sentai Liveman]