What is an Anniversary Year? [Super Sentai Edition]

Welcome to my post on the weird world of Tokusatsu Anniversary years. Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai all have their anniversaries in the same year for different reasons. I talked about Ultraman and Rider in the previous post, so check that out. Super Sentai is a different story. Let's get into it...

Super Sentai Series

Ohhhh boy. This one legit makes my head hurt...until it finally doesn't.

Himitsu Sentai Goranger debuted in 1975 and was followed by JAKQ Dengekitai in 1977. I feel like the magician who says "I am holding a green ball" as they show the audience their green ball, but bear with me...

Battle Fever J debuted as the first Super Sentai in 1979.

Through much of the 80s and 90s Ishinomori's creations were not Super Sentai series according to Toei....but there is one official sliver of dissent.

In 1982 Columbia released an awful, awful disco single called Super Sentai Banparaban / Stars on Kamen Rider. Both songs are medleys of theme songs from their respective franchises. The weird thing is that Super Sentai Banparaban, as the name suggests, is framed around the theme songs from Goranger and features a bit of the JAKQ theme song. 

An argument could be made that Sentai was still new by 1982 and needed some padding from Goranger and JAKQ (and Gavan...and Kikaider.........and Daitetsujin 17). That logic kinda falls apart when you get back to the "Banparaban" framing of the song. 

There is also the Ninja Captor debacle. I never quite pinpointed how Ninja Captor started making it's way into Super Sentai lists, but I can guess. The series aired in 1976 and somewhat mimicked the Sentai formula entirely in-house (i.e. Saburo Yatsude...no Ishinomori this time). The similarities were pretty blatant. You had a theme song duet with one half of Goranger theme (Mitsuko Horie) in addition to a group of asymmetric, color-coded characters of varying stature. The toys were pretty similar as well...with the Chogokin figures sometimes ending up in lists of Sentai figures.

1988

The reality is that Super Sentai didn't have it's first anniversary until Chojuu Sentai Liveman in 1988...as the 10th Super Sentai when you count back to Battle Fever J.

1989

This kinda gets torpedoed a year later when Kosoku Sentai Turboranger kicked off with a 10th Anniversary Special ahead of the series premiere.

Super Sentai Logo from 1992

1993

Dairanger is given the distinction of being the fifteenth Super Sentai series. This wasn't heavily promoted, but I did spot some Toei crew jackets marking the occasion. It did have a bespoke "15" logo, but it really wan't heavily promoted.

1994

Here we go again...Kakuranger is the fifteenth anniversary of Super Sentai. Again, there isn't much fanfare outside of Toei.

1995

Choriki Sentai Ohranger, the seventeenth Sentai Series becomes the ninteenth Super Sentai series AND twentieth anniversary. 

Almost overnight both Goranger and JAKQ become the debut series' of the franchise after years of being cast-off to Ishinomori world. This didn't really mean much for the series itself other than *perhaps* the casting of Hiroshi Miyauchi (BIG *perhaps*) and the whacked out Toei Hero Fair '95 movie...which seemed to be more of a bespoke project rather than an over-glorified filler episode.

Being around in 1995, this was a big deal. Seeing that massive "20" logo and the Ohranger trailer that rattled off the names and accomplishments of the franchise was definitely a cool thing. Beyond the movie, though, there was nothing. Though we did come incredibly close to Super Sentai having it's first JPOP ending song for the series...

2000

So you think Timeranger would be the big twenty-five, huh? NOPE. This was the debut year of the Super Sentai "V" logo, though.

2001

So here is kinda where we are today. Gaoranger, being the twenty-fifth Super Sentai gave the definitive middle finger to Ninja Captor and defined what a Super Sentai Anniverary year is. We were given a really cool movie and the rest is history... Anniversary years going forward would have special numbered Sentai "V" logos that were themed on the series.

2018

OK...there was a minor debate with Lupinranger vs Patranger. How are these being counted? I've seen some materials that count the teams separately, while the series overall seems to have the distinction of being the forty-second Super Sentai. 2021 having the forty-fifth anniversary festivities absolutely confirms that.

That brings us up to date...

I'm somewhat confused at why Toei wouldn't want to stick with xxx0 and 0005 as their anniversary years after the big splash in 1995. What we're left with is the situation we're currently in. Every five years Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman have a big anniversary. It's a big year for Bandai, but why wouldn't Toei want to spread the glory over different years with Rider and Sentai? Especially when both franchises have a different set of rules on how they count anniversaries. If Kamen Rider did it like Super Sentai...imagine the mess that would be considering how many one-offs there are. How do you count movie Riders? 

This is something that's bugged me for years. It's a bit strange to think that the 50th Anniversary will be whatever series is airing in 2026 rather than 2025, but that's Toei's call...

Ultraman and Kamen Rider did it right, so we're having a big celebration this year.

Anyways...I have some more anniversary stuff in the pipeline. See ya there!

-CC

P.S. I'm kinda surprised that this year's Sentai isn't called Key Ranger. You know why... .  .   .

PREVIOUSLY...

What is an Anniversary Year? [Ultraman and Kamen Rider Edition]
2020
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX
Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya

What is an Anniversary Year? [Ultraman & Kamen Rider Edition]

This is quite the busy year for anniversaries! Kamen Rider turns fifty! Ultraman turns fifty-five! Super Sentai...continues! I wanted to make these posts to kinda catalog how anniversaries were handled in the past and to also kinda tackle Super Sentai's lazy history in a separate post.

I guess the first place we can start is the most consistent of the lot...

Ultra Series

By all accounts the Ultra series have followed a pretty linear history. Outside of a 25th Anniversary Charity CD Single in 1991, there was never a huge Anniversary push until 1996 when we given *all* of the Ultraman.

The floodgates seemed to open following Noboru Tsuburaya's untimely death (this family is cursed... I kinda love the baffling world of Tsuburaya pre-1996...more on that in a future post I'm guessing). Think of everything that happened with Ultraman... Ultraman Tiga was the first full-blown live-action Ultraman series since Ultraman 80 left the air in 1981, the Tunnels-helmed Ultraman Zearth made it's debut after being shunned from Toei in their attempts to bring legitimacy to their Rider parody, and we even got that Super Fighter Legend OVA that year. To top it off, we got the ultimate stamp of approval...an official theme song from Hironobu Kageyama called It Was 30 Years Ago.

The anniversaries since have been pretty standard. There have been some minor deviations like Ultraseven getting it's own anniversary (sure!), but they've mostly stuck to xxx6 and xxx1. Now that Tsuburaya has *finally* rid itself of the menace known as Chaiyo, we're being hit with the good stuff outside of Japan. Did I mention that the Chaiyo deal went down in 1976...? Yeah, that's how Ultraman spent his tenth anniversary. It's insane how it's taken this long to finally get things back on track.

This being the the year of the fifty-fifth anniversary we will be getting Shin Ultraman. I can't say I'm all too interested in it, but there is no denying that it's a massive celebration!

Yeah, the trailer for Shin Ultraman didn't really rub me the right way. That, ummm, POV shot from the remote control is utterly ridiculous... I know the plot will be different, but I feel like I've already seen this movie in Shin Godzilla.

😒

As for the Ultraman design... I agree with it. It's definitely more in line with what Ultraman was designed to be...a lanky alien. I was always a little confused why Ultraman made the switch from Ultra Act to SHFiguarts. The thing that Ultra Act got right is the scaling. If Ultraman were scaled down to "human size" he would be like seven feet tall. Of course...he's an alien... The lack of a timer is also a smidge cleaner, but otherwise it's the look that we're all used to. No overbearing armor or overly alien features. It's basically Ultraman.

The new figure kinda looks goofy, though.

Kamen Rider Series

Much like Ultraman, there are large swaths of time where the franchise was devoid of new content, but anniversaries were kinda followed throughout.

The franchise had it's first relaunch in 1979 with Kamen Rider. It featured Skyrider as the hero followed by Kamen Rider Super 1 as the ninth Kamen Rider in late 1980.

The tenth Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider ZX made his radio (and theme song) debut in August of 1982. The TV movie didn't have it's debut until January of 1984, which kinda puts it nearer to the fifteen anniversary, but that doesn't seem to be an issue. It was the Tenth Rider Special, not the ten-year anniversary. You've probably noticed that Rider was more about team-ups than anniversaries. Unless you're talking Kamen Rider Black...

Kamen Rider Shin was the new Rider in the official twentieth anniversary project Shin Kamen Rider Prologue. Granted, the new V-Cinema was released direct to stores in 1992, it hit the mark better than ZX did before it. With the revival of Kamen Rider in 2000 we were finally given a timely anniversary with Kamen Rider Agito: Project G4. It was nice of Hiroshi Fujioka to drop in this time around.

No expense spared on this title screen from Shin Kamen Rider

From there...it's kinda been a free-for-all. Toei just seems to throw a Kamen Rider party whenever they damn please. We have Kamen Rider Decade, the tenth of the Heisei-revival era Riders in 2009, but we can't forget the random Kamen Rider: The First franchise re-imagine of 2005.

Once you get to the 2010s, the Rider crossovers are so numerous and redundant that if you can keep track of them...please seek help. If there is a difference between Kamen Rider Decisive Heisei Battle! Burning Hearts +α and Kamen Rider Heisei Battle MAX Heisei VS Neo Heisei, you're just wonderful.

As we're just entering the definitive fiftieth anniversary of the franchise, I'm sure we'll be seeing loads more.

Check out my post on Super Sentai. That's where things *really* get wacky...

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

What is an Anniversary Year? [Super Sentai Edition]
2020
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX
Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya

2020

What else can be said about this year?

I know that everyone everywhere is scraping together what little happened during the course of the year, so let me get the content bit out of the way before I talk about some shit.

January

Song Collection: Jukou B-Fighter
Song Collection: Choriki Sentai Ohranger

February

Song Collection: Jikuu Senshi Spielban
Kakuranger Ball!!! (UPDATE: I own two now...the newer one is super minty)

March

Song Collection: Uchuu Keiji Shaider
Song Collection: Kosoku Sentai Turboranger

April

The CD Collection--Mashin Sentai Kiramager Shudaika Limited Edition [Amazon Japan]
CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Seven

May 

It's Been a Year, 'Bro (Hasbro 1-year Anniversary)
The CD Collection--Gattai Tamashii ~Super Sentai Robot Song Perfect Collection~

June

Song Collection: Chojin Sentai Jetman
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop

July

CCLemon99 Magazine Issue Eight
The CD Collection--Cho Robot Seimeitai Transformer Theme Song Collection

August

The CD Collection--Ultraman 80 / Andromelos Music Collection [2020]
K2 - That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Mountain Climbing Movie

September

Ghost Warrior - That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Fish-Out-Of-Water Samurai Action Thing
REVISED--Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop

October

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman

November

Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder
Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya

December

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX
--You Are Here--

I enjoyed digging into unfamiliar waters with the Transformers theme song collection and being able to review two odd movies that featured Hiroshi Fujioka. The only real decent CD release of the year was the Ultraman 80/Andromelos Box Set. Song Collections are my bread and butter and I'm happy to have continued to build up the library.

Beyond that, deleting my instagram account because 'fuck you, Facebook', and a few tweets that people seemed to like...that's my entire year as CCLemon99. 

I can't say that I've even gotten too much swag in the past year. SHFiguarts Toei Spider-man definitely gets the nod as figure of the year based on the fact that the only other figure I got this year was that funky Metalder Hero Action Figure. Yeah...it's alright, but it didn't really inspire me to pick up up the Gridman figure from the same company. I'll still with the ULTRA ACT...

Kiramager had some weird Henshin Items. I covered that in both issues of my stupid magazine. Again, I didn't think there was too much cool stuff in 2020. I picked up a few items from the past...so more Henshin Items from the 90s, etc.

My plans for 2021?

Get back into full series reviews. I have a bunch of them on the site, but really haven't been able to do many more recently. They're a lot of fun, but also a TON of work. Even with series that I'm very familiar with (Jetman-GoGo Five) it took a rapid rewatch (whole series in three-four days) to refresh my memory and take screencaps. I've struggled with Timeranger since...well, I'm not the most familiar with that one. I kinda dread going beyond that with Gaoranger and...well...the other one they put out on DVD.

They'll be back. I've had a lot of false starts. I'm really tired of watching the first 3-5 episodes of Timeranger before some real-world thing pops up and I'm forced to bail.

I've been pulling tons of books out from storage. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I've been posting some fun and unusual images as I skim through. Yeah...you thought I was just about toys, CDs, and DVDs. I have books too. Lord help me.

I have a banger of a post coming up very soon that spawned from something I noticed in one of my books. It's a decade-old Sentai prop that could and still can be had for a few dollars on ebay. Are you curious? It's available *right now* and you'll just have to wait to see what it is. Unless I buy them all up first. I now have many, but the guy just keeps getting more... I'll stop now. You're gonna dig the post.

I also have a VHS mystery (oh yeah, I have a bunch of those too) that I'd like to move on. I've had this tape for decades and it involves (IIRC) an American band playing in a bar with a TV showing an episode of Fiveman. Does this sound familiar to you at all? Once I get the tech situation fixed I'd love to post the whole thing to Youtube if my memories of it are as bizarre as reality. My obsession with the commercial breaks of Tokusatsu really keep my VHS collection safe. There are tons of CMs on Youtube, but there are much, much more that aren't archived.

Beyond all that, I'm looking forward to getting that Hakaider Bluray and the Goranger manga early in 2021. Getting more Rider on Youtube is also on the agenda! Check out this press release from Toei. It may not seem like much, and it probably won't cover what we already have from Shout, but after a lifetime of "Piss off" from Toei, it's delightful to hear that they're going to be dipping their toes in the water a little more with a couple episodes from each series. If we watch it, we'll get more.

Yep, I was Toei's third subscriber to their Youtube Channel

Other than that...I do have a fun chronology post in the pipeline since I have questions about the legitimacy of what exactly is an anniversary series.

2021 will be fun on CCLemon99.com. It's going to be the 10th anniversary after all.

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

On a personal note, it should really come as no surprise that 2020 was an awful year for me. As much as I love writing about Song Collections, I kinda had to out of necessity. They're quick and easy. 

I've had a lot of problems IRL. I guess my "2020" really started right before Christmas in 2019 when I watched a man drop dead in front of me. Not two weeks later I went up to NYC and came back home with a *nasty* cold. Was it COVID? I don't think so...I didn't have the loss of smell or anything...but it also could've been. 

As soon as I got better I went on a trip to see some family...which would be the last time I saw one of my relatives...and a trip I'll definitely cherish. I went on another trip in late February/early March to Las Vegas and was kinda caught off guard by some of the ramblings from the local news about "What IF we have to shut down the strip??". The stank of weed and drunken British chavs moaning things like "they want fifty quid for what??" would be the last time I really saw any kind of the touristy hell that I kinda took for granted. I don't miss crowds...what am I saying? I had fun in Vegas, though.

I was working in Pennsylvania the day that State shut down and had my last restaurant meal to date at IKEA on the way home. The neighboring State that I live in shut down not long after. Time has been kinda fuzzy ever since. My life is work, home, and secluded hikes. Minus the traveling that I'm accustomed to...this is kinda what I've been doing this whole time. My wife has adapted to her whole thing as well.

I know it all sucks, but when you stop with the selfish bullshit and adapt...life isn't so bad. I don't want to wear a mask either, but I understand that it's the price I have to pay to live in this time. It's investing into a future that will happen sooner if everyone stops being fucking children. You can think this thing is a hoax and that it is *only* killing people who were old anyway (alarming sentiment...but OK), but the hospital admissions don't lie.

It's up to you to carve out a little bit of normalcy without bringing everyone else down with you. In spite of the other things that happened to me that I'm not even mentioning here, I've managed. You can do it too. 

So let's make an effort for making 2021 a better place to be.

tl;dr I had every problem *except* COVID this year...but I also may have had COVID...

Anyway...that's all for this year. 

Fuck you, 2020!

-CC

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black RX

Welcome to yet another Song Collection post. I feel the need to complete the circuit when it comes to both Kamen Rider Black and 1988 in general. This time I'll be giving a listen to the classssssic Kamen Rider Black RX Song Collection! This one has always been a favorite of mine for a few reasons, so I'm happy to listen to it once again for this review. Is it as good as I remember, though?

For this review I'll be listening to the song collection via the Kamen Rider Black RX Song & BGM Collection from 2015. I previously talked about this here.

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01. Kamen Rider Black RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

What is there to say about this theme song? 

I can't say that this is my all-time favorite Kamen Rider theme song, but it truly is up there among the best. Takayuki Miyauchi's bold voice cuts through the entire song like butter. The song itself is almost the polar opposite of the Kamen Rider Black opening theme song. With that one you had a novice singer with this weird herky-jerky beat going on. Sure it had some smooth undertones, but the RX theme is 100% smooth.

It's kinda unconventional, but I think it's a wonderful theme song.

02. Unmei no senshi / Takayuki Miyauchi

Here we have the first of many action songs on this song collection. It isn't my favorite, but holy hell this is a great theme song. This one would chime in when RX got the upper hand. The cool guitar part would kick in when he's bludgeoning his enemy with the Revolcane...and then the song would end just as the explosion would. 

While he did an awesome job on the slick theme song, THIS is Miyauchi's bread and butter. Force and soul together. If you take Miyauchi away from this song, it's almost generic. The guitar part near the close is awesome, but otherwise this song is pretty generic. Miyauchi makes this one...

03. Senjo no Rider RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

I've always been a little perplexed by this one. It sounds likes it was the first thing they recorded for this series. It name drops RX's equipment and attacks like any good Tokusatsu song...but it has one glaring omission. 

Black.

Yeah, this song refers to RX as "Kamen Rider RX" during the entirety of the song. As far as I've been able to work out, this is really the only time he's ever referred to as such. I mean...everyone in Crisis called him "RX", but nobody ever said "Kamen Rider RX".

The song itself reminds me of a song from the Winspector Song Collection called Yume no hitotsu o nakamatachi. Weirdly that was one of the handful of non-Miyauchi songs there.

04. Kuroi Yuusha / Tetsuo Kurata

Oh no. They gave him a song again.

This is the lone song on the Black RX song collection from Kotaro's actor Tetsuo Kurata. His two songs from the Kamen Rider Black song collection were...dismal. And one of them was the series theme song! 

His singing is still bafflingly awful, but at least the rest of the song is great. The music is good and the background singers save his ass at some of the more critical moments. I appreciate it for the novelty...this probably would've been kinda boring as another Takayuki Miyauchi song. Maybe this should've been an Ichiro Mizuki song. THAT would've made it special.

05. Subete wa kimi o aisuru tameni / Takayuki Miyauchi

Ehhhh this song is a little too strange for it's own good. The synth is a little too artificial and the backing vocals are...haunting. Miyauchi sells the song, though. It's a ballad, but it feels more like an endurance round. It's just under four and half minutes, but if you told me it was seven I would absolutely believe you.

Yeah, I don't rock this one often...but I also don't always skip it over.

06. Hikari no senshi / Takayuki Miyauchi

This is another banger of an action song. RX gets the upper hand...and they fire up this song. It too ends when the explosion ends. 

Much like Unmei no Senshi, this isn't my favorite action song on this song collection...but it's still amazing! I could go on and on about how perfect everything is, but considering this song collection is pretty much legend-tier, there is a good chance you already know how great it is.

07. Gekishin RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

This one is good, but nothing to write home about. 

I wanna say that this is another early song. Miyauchi doesn't call him "Kamen Rider Black RX"...but he also doesn't quite call him "Kamen Rider RX" again. Give it a listen and you'll hear what I mean.

It may verge on generic, but it has some nice guitar work and really has some great singing.

08. Battle oh! RX / Takayuki Miyauchi

Another great fight song, but not quite up there with Unmei no Senshi or Hikari no Senshi. It does have some really great percussion and bass work, but is a little wacky for me. It's a shame because this is the only one that REALLY has series composer Eiji Kawamura's fingerprints all over it. 

It's also really short. Not even three minutes!

09. Towa no tameni kimi no tameni / Ichiro Mizuki

This...THIS is the best song on the song collection. I may be very biased in this assessment, but hear me out.

I'll talk more about it in my assessment of this song collection, but this song is something of spark to me. Kamen Rider Black RX is one of my earliest Tokusatsu experiences. Plenty of people just consume television...but this song is what awakened me. I was introduced to the world of Tokusatsu songs and music from this song. It's likely my first experience with Ichiro Mizuki, or at least the first that I remember. Episode forty is when I first flipped the switch and I think I fully woke up to this song...and the music of the series in general. It's just such a great jam.

So yeah...totally unbiased.

If you're unfamiliar with this song, I really recommend checking it out. Eiji Kawamura did an amazing job on the music. I mean...no duh. He has this amazing talent of capturing the sound of fire in his compositions. Emotion! That's the word. Whatever happened to emotion in Tokusatsu music??

Even if I remove my bias from this one, it's a great action song from a singer who was at the peak of his powers.

10. Darekaga kimi o aishiteru / Takayuki Miyauchi

The series ending song. I love it. It may not be as memorable as Kamen Rider Black's Long Long Ago 20th Century, but it's the one I prefer. Yep. I said it. I like this more than Long Long Ago 20th Century. 

It's a great song on it's own, but it also spawned some great BGM variants. The instrumental version with the horn is one of the best instrumental Tokusatsu themes out there. It has a great beat, what can I say?

I even like the video that went along with it. Sure, the ending video to Black was way more iconic, but the static pose and slow motion walk down a damp runway from RX was so baffling that it was almost funny. No Acrobatter in sight...it's just RX walking toward you like Jason Voorhees for no reason after spending a wacky day of hijinks with the Sahara family.

Great song, though. What a great year for theme songs...

Bonus 1: 11 Rider Dai sanka / Ichiro Mizuki

So this isn't *officially* part of the Black RX song collection, but there is literally nowhere else to talk about this song. It wasn't even included in this three-disc set! It did end up on the Complete Song Collection from the 90s, so it has seen some love at least.

I kinda love this song. It's a bit on the bland side, but it's one of those recap epics covering the history of all eleven Kamen Riders to date. Yeah, suck it Kamen Rider Black. You don't exist. Haha

I wouldn't call this a masterpiece...I really have to be in the mood to listen to all eight minutes (!) of it, but it is a decent amount of fun when he acts out a lot of the calls and sound effects.

Bonus 2: Kamen Rider 99 no uta / Ichiro Mizuki

This is another one that isn't part of the Black RX song collection, but is included in certain sets due to it's proximity to the series. It was released as a single with Maho tsukai Sally 99 no uta. 

This is basically the multiplication table in Kamen Rider-flavored song form. It's...bizarre...and funky! If you want to read a little bit more about this single and the 11 Rider single, check out this post.

Perhaps the title to this is the true origin of the 99 in CCLemon99...perhaps.

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

OVERALL: I have very few unflattering words to say about this song collection, I really don't feel at all weird about saying that this is one of the best Tokusatsu song collections out there. Largely in part due to the amazing combination of Takayuki Miyauchi and Eiji Kawamura. The clutch assist by Ichiro Mizuki really cemented it into legendary status. 

It really should come as no surprise that this was the very first Tokusatsu song collection I purchased. I had some singles earlier, but this is where my obsession really kicked off. All the stuff you see in my CD Collection was spawned by my young hands getting ahold of this. Hearing the crisp CD quality full size version of Towa no tame ni kimi no tame ni for the first time... It's all a big part of the CCLemon99 story.

If this CD does one thing really well beyond my story, it's immortalize the amazing Takayuki Miyauchi. I know he's in poor health these days, but we have to remember that his name in the credits is as good as any quality guarantee. I ragged on his Bioman songs a bit (which wasn't even his fault really), but when you look at every other Tokusatsu song collection he appears on, it's easy to see the pattern. Flashman, Winspector, Solbrain, Exceedraft, Kakuranger, Gingaman, GoGo Five...all made so much better thanks to contributions from Takayuki Miyauchi.

Rock on you handsome devil!

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

Thanks for stopping by once again for my thoughts on this song collection. Like I said in my Jiraiya review, I'm sorry I don't have something of more substance this time. I have something awesome planned for early 2021, though!

Bye for now!

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya
Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder
Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop REVISED

Song Collection: Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya

Welcome back to my series of documenting Tokusatsu song collections through the ages. This time around I am going to listen to the song collection from Sheriff Skyfire Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya! I guess I'm just picking things up from where I left off. All last month I was listening to all of the song collections from 1987 (Hikari Sentai Maskman, Kamen Rider Black, and Chojinki Metalder) so why not join my Chojuu Sentai Liveman review with another from 1988? 

For this post I'll be listening to the Jiraiya Song Collection through the Superhero Chronicle Metal Hero Vol. 2. I previously talked about this set here.

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01. Jiraiya / Akira Kushida

This is the series opening theme song. It's so slick and smooth that it almost feels like it could be from the 90s. Akira Kushida returns to Metal Hero after sitting out '86 and '87. He even sounds a bit refreshed. Honestly, I think he did a great job matching the vibe that this song has. 

While I loooove this song deeply, I can't really say it's the most memorable Metal Hero theme song. It's a great song to chill to, but it doesn't really have too much memorable bite to it. Sure it has that great guitar part, but it's missing out on that crazy hook like "MAYDAY! MAYDAY! SOS!".

Fun fact: In addition to being the opening theme song to this series, it's also considered an IN song to Shuriken Sentai Ninninger. How about that??

02. Jiraiya Sanjo! / Akira Kushida

A great action song that kinda picks up the slack from the opening theme song. It has the "Sanjo!" drops and a really memorable guitar lick. It's hard to describe... Songs like Seigi no tame ni from Tokusou Robo Janperson are the same way. 

03. Hikaru Kaze / Akira Kushida

This is something of a prototype for a lot of songs we would hear in Metal Hero song collections going forward. You'll hear synth-heavy songs with some chill singing well into the Excreedraft days. I like this song. It has energy, but it's almost anti-action. 

I think the only thing I can knock on this one are the irritating background singers. It's not even Koorogi '73 this time! I don't know, they're a bit distracting in their over-singing.

04. Yami no Karyuudo ~Yoma no tema~ / Akida Kushida

The villain's theme song if you weren't able to tell from the title...or the opening notes. 

Maybe we were spoiled by the wacky Koorogi '73 villain songs from Maskman and Metalder...hell, even Shaider. This is kinda generic in terms of evil theme songs. If you can't make it stand out, why do it at all? 

It's not a bad song, I just... *sigh* I just miss Koorogi '73. Just this once. I want some funky ninja jam for this one instead of a generic rock song.

05. Kagayake! Jiraiya / Takumi Tsutsui

This is Toha's theme song by Toha's actor Takumi Tsutsui and a gaggle of brats. Yeah, this song is incredibly lousy. I haven't listened to it in years, but man...it's unforgettable how bad this is. 

The only nice thing I can say is that Tsutsui isn't as bad of a singer as Kamen Rider Black/RX's Tetsuo Kurata, but he is just about as flat. They at least had the sense to give the theme song to Akira Kushida instead for this series. Thank heavens.....

06. Unare Jiko Shinkuu ken / Akira Kushida

This is *the* song from this song collection. It represents the series on the Metal Hero Karaoke Collection Vol.1, so you know that this is held in decent regard. While Kushida is borderline lethargic in the rest of his song on this collection, he comes at us in full force for this one. It has pace and energy. Really, I challenge you not to at least dig this one a little bit. 

The title of the song is in reference to Jiraiya's sword, which also has some fantastic BGM during his finisher. I miss the days of awesome finisher music... Bimotion Buster... Howling Cannon... Rolling Vulcan... 

10/10 I love this song the most out of all of the Jiraiya songs. This is actually probably my favorite 80s Metal Hero song *fullstop*. 

07. Kei to Emiha ~Emiha no tema~ / Megumi Sekiguchi

The second of the two character songs on the Jiraiya song collection. This one is by Emiha actress Megumi Sekiguchi and...no brats to hide her skillz. Yikes. This is some really bad singing on top of a generic sweet track. It's not a song I listen to often for obvious reasons. I can't say I'll give this one more of a chance in the future either.

08. Sora kara Hibiku Koe / Akira Kushida

This is pretty much the lone ballad of the series. Kushida isn't the greatest choice for something like this, but does a serviceable job. Really, I wish I had more to say about this, but this is the most standard ballad ever.

09. Soko ni Paradise / Akira Kushida

This is a pretty bland song. It isn't a ballad. It isn't an action song. It's just a song. It exists. It fits in with a lot of the other chill songs on the song collection, but this is definitely the least memorable of the bunch. 

10. SHI NO BI '88 / Akira Kushida

The series ending song. As subdued as this is, I actually like it a lot. Not only is it pretty catchy, but Kushida does a great job matching it. I know I said the same thing about the opening theme song, but fast forward a year to Jiban and listen to that ending theme song. Kushida sounds...off compared to the music. 

This is a great and chill song to close the show out to every week.

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OVERALL: There are a handful of terrific songs on this song collection...but there is one thing sorely missing. I don't know what it is about the song collection and the BGM from this series, but there is not a shred of Japanese-style flair. The ending theme song is titled in a way where you think it may have something, but no. It really took composer Eiji Kawamura to bring a little specific flavor to shows like Dairanger and Kakuranger with their respective series BGM collections. 

I guess Jiraiya was so ahead of it's time that they didn't really know how to handle it the songs and music. In this case, I would check out the songs I highlighted, sure, but definitely check out the BGM. I've always found that to be a bit more engaging than the song collection on a whole.

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Thanks for swinging by once again for another song collection review. I really wanted to have some more in depth content for this post, but life is pretty complicated in 2020. Anyway...I hope you enjoyed the post. I have at least one massive post on the horizon to kick off 2021. Stay tuned...

Take care!

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder
Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop REVISED

Song Collection: Chojinki Metalder

Hey! It's another song collection from 1987! You thought I was done with this year after my listen to Hikari Sentai Maskman and Kamen Rider Black? Well, no. In fact, I may have dropped a little fib when I mentioned that the only reason I was checking out the Black Song Collection was due to it's upcoming third SHFiguart attempt. The *real* reason I started reviewing 1987 was due to this...

When was the last time you saw a Toei label like that? 1999ish???

Yeah, this brand-spankin' new Metalder figure that was released last week! My thoughts on it? .....eh! It's alright. I would have MUCH rather have gotten the SHFiguarts Metalder that they previewed eons ago, but there are Marvel variants that are way more critical. This figure is too big to scale with SHF. It's more Ultra Act size if you remember those things. Also Springer is missing...and the eyes are too shiny...and it's pretty expensive...but the severed arm is included! Just sayin'...

Anyway...

For this post I'll be listening to the Metalder Song Collection through the Superhero Chronicle Metal Hero Vol. 1. I previously talked about this set here.

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01. Kimi no seishun wa kagayateiru ka / Isao Sasaki

The un-opening theme song-theme song to this series. The tone is a clear message that the interstellar adventures of past Metal Hero series are gone. The song and the series are the result of the realities of life. There is a lot of humanity here. The music is militaristic and grim, with Isao Sasaki performing his lone Metal Hero song. The lyrics are actually quite motivational, though. 

Despite it's dour presentation, this song has endured in popularity over the years. I can only imagine the thoughts of someone encountering this song for the first time in 2020. Would they like it? I know I've loved it over the years! It has a great start with those pounding drums similar to the (outstanding) Macross opening theme but continues on with a monotonous and retro melody. I think that Isao Sasaki was the right choice, but I don't think he delivered his best performance. Speaking of Macross, this would've been a great song for Makoto Fujiwara. I think the only Tokusatsu songs we ever got out of him were the two IN songs from Kyodai Ken Bycrosser.

Sore wa hitori no Ningen no kokorooOoooooOooo!

02. Fighting Shoot da! Metalder / Koji Kaya

The first action song by future Liveman/Turboranger songster Koji Kaya. I used to be kinda warm on this, but it's actually pretty great. The beat is a little generic, yet it serves the energy of the track well. Everything leads up to that "Ikaru! Ikaru! Ika-ru!!". 

Kaya is truly an underrated gem. This may not be my favorite song of his, but it's pretty damn good.

03. Hoshikara no Tegami / Da Capo

This weird little generic ballad is a little bit of a mystery to me. This sounds like the type of off-soundtrack song you would randomly hear in an episode (it did play in the final episode). It's even by a legitimate married Columbia folk group called Da Capo. 

Part of me thinks this was a grab for an older audience...but I also think the fifth track kinda invalidates that theory. Hmmm...

04. Isshun no Chance / Ichiro Mizuki

This is something of a rehash of the opening theme song in tone. It kinda carries on without becoming anything big. It has some grumbly guitar work and sedated horn bits, but never carries on to become an action song. It isn't a ballad either. Still...I like it. Mizuki's voice was just perfect in this era. Even Koorogi '73's uncredited backing vocals are good.

Speaking of Koorogi '73......

05. Neros Tekoku 4 Gundan / Koorogi '73

This song is utter madness. 

This is the same year that they performed the crazy Ungler song from Maskman. This time around we have another spooOooOooky villain song with a dash of 1987 thrown in for good measure. See...this is the sort of thing I enjoy Koorogi '73 for. The Fushigi Song from Uchuu Keiji Shaider is their wheelhouse, not invasive backing vocals in otherwise decent songs.

For added fun, I would try to track down the Karaoke version of this from the 2-Disc Music Collection. The music is a lot of fun on it's own.

06. Voltage Up / Koji Kaya

Another awesome action song. Once again...Koji Kaya is the man for this. Less questionable is that we say more of him in 1988 and 1989. More questionable...why didn't we hear more since then?

Regardless, this is a great song. You'll definitely not mind having this one as an earworm.

07. Never Give Up / Koji Kaya

Koji Kaya gives us a ballad this time around. He isn't really made for this type of song. This should've been a Mizuki song. He does the "Never Give Up!" well, but yeah...

OK, so maybe the man isn't a jack of all trades...but I stand by how good his action songs are.

08. Shunten! Yume no senshi / Ichiro Mizuki

Rumor has it that *this* is what the theme song to the series was meant to be. It kinda makes sense with the "Motor Heart" lyric and overall safe, peepy feel of it. It even name drops the name of the series right before an obvious cut point for the TV size version. The fact that Ichiro Mizuki sings this with an uncredited Koorogi '73 assist kinda backs this up as well since it's the same gang that did the ending theme song.

Rumors are rumors, though, no matter how real they may feel. Hahaa.

This song does rule, though. If this really was the proposed theme song, it would've worked perfectly well to carry in the show each week. Is it incredible? Nah. Should it have been the theme song over the one they went with. Nah again...but I can see it. The biggest thing that it does share with Kimi no seishun wa kagayaiteiru ka is that it scraped away the space-adventure mystique of the previous Metal Hero themes. No whimsical opening like Spielban. No funky beat. NO COW BELL. Yeah, this is Earth in 1987. Haha

09. Dash! Side Phantom / Koji Kaya

One more belter of a song from Kaya. This is the theme song for Side Phantom and Metal Charger. What series would be complete without a vehicle theme song? Even if the vehicles are a sidecar motorbike (perfect for the solo hero man) and grandma's flying Mazda Familia.

Love the song. I would say that this is my favorite Koji Kaya song of this set.

10. Time Limit / Ichiro Mizuki, Koorogi '73

We're at the series ending song. I...love this song. It's my favorite Metal Hero ending song. The urgency 100% lives up to the name of this song. I would best describe the energy as frantic... Once again we have some nice backing vocal support from Koorogi '73. Come to think of it...this song collection is probably my favorite use of them. Reviewing these songs has kinda opened my eyes to how weak they are, but they're actually pretty solid this time around.

More than an ending song...as a song in general this is awesome!

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OVERALL: Outside of a few little bumps, this is an incredibly solid song collection. 1987 in general was a great year for Tokusatsu songs and music ('cept Maskman BGM). We got the lone Isao Sasaki Metal Hero song, but more importantly we got some great songs from the rare Koji Kaya and some excellent final Showa songs from Ichiro Mizuki (he did one song for B-Robo Kabutack). Even with it's unusual theme song, this is a textbook song collection.

Yeah, I definitely recommend checking this one out. It's a very easy listen!

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Thanks for checking out the last of the 1987 Tokusatsu Song Collections! Who knows...maybe I'll take it a step further sometime and talk about Sukeban Deka III songs. Hahaa. Be sure to check out the CD Collection page for more!

Maskman, Masked Rider, and Masked YOU. Stay safe!

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman
Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop REVISED
Ghost Warrior--That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Fish-Out-Of-Water Action ThingK2--That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Mountain Climbing Movie

Song Collection: Hikari Sentai Maskman

Welcome back to the Song Collection. This time around I'm reviewing a song collection that I could've sworn I reviewed already. Alas, no. I wrote a scathing take on the incredibly poopy BGM, however.

Yeah, so the theme of my dual-posts this month is "Two Song Collections from 1987 that I was certain that I covered, but really haven't...yet...". Be sure to check out my 100% Hironobu Kageyama-less review on the Kamen Rider Black Song Collection!

For this review I'll be listening to my copy of Hikari Sentai Maskman Complete Song Collection from 1997. I previously talked about this disc briefly here.

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01. Hikari Sentai Maskman / Hironobu Kageyama

The series theme song. While Hironobu Kageyama still brings it with the energy, he does so while somehow matching the somewhat glum tone of the music. It's upbeat, but the emotion is driven by the horn. The little bursts of action with somewhat jazzy little riffs smattered in that have a tinge of tragedy. I know I say this a lot in these reviews, but it's really important for the theme song to be memorable and tolerable. Once it's out there, it's the song everyone at Toei is going to be living with for an entire year. It'd better be good.

It's also a great beat to run to...just FYI...

02. Moeru ze Fire / Hironobu Kageyama, SHINES

Ehhhh let's get the sole stinker out of the way.

This song is early 80s cheese in 1987. I'm hard-pressed to think of a song like this that existed after. It's a peppy little thing that really would feel more at home on the Bioman Song Collection. Sure, we've had these soft motivational songs in shows since then, but they at least sounded contemporary. I feel like the Turboranger song collection did a better job of this type of song.

03. Oretachi Ungler / The Unglers

The Unglers = Koorogi '73

If you've been following along with my series of posts here, you know that I have an odd relationship with Koorogi '73. They've been around forever, but only through writing these posts I've noticed that I really, really don't care for them.

This is one of those rare situations where I actually love the damn song.

It's a mess in all the right ways. My complaint about the previous track being out-of-date? This song is extremely OF the date. The beat is chaotic and the singing is suitable for the rare grunt theme song. This one will definitely have you wondering what the hell you listened to the first time around, but man is it a fun track to periodically revisit.

Really, the few times that I do get along with a Koorogi '73 song, I really do get along with it.

04. Lady Action Kimetara Oshare / Satoko Yamano

This is heroine track of the series. I've been kinda hit or miss on the genre, but this one gets a solid 'hit' from me. It's VERY catchy and Satoko Yamano, who had a previous Toei earworm with Pink Pink Pink! from Dokincho! Nemurin, delivers the goods.

I think the pace is the biggest strength this song has. It kinda simmers for a bit and then BAM. It really gets to the fun chorus. 

05. Shot Bomber Zenryoku Shuuchuu / Hironobu Kageyama, Koorogi '73, SHINES

This weirdness is the opening theme song to the Maskman movie. It has a very similar feel to the OP, but it's the fairly silly theme song the the Shot Bomber weapon. The odd backgrounds provided by Koorogi '73 and SHINES really heighten the weirdness.

Even if it was a one-off, this has to be up there with one of the strangest Sentai opening theme songs...that's for sure.

06. Action Fantasy / Miracle Bombers

I think this very well be the final Super Sentai Disco song. Yeah...in 1987. Whoever said disco died in 1980 forgot about the world outside of America.

This isn't much more than a rollcall of all of the Maskman equipment and attacks performed by "Miracle Bombers", which is a super group of basically everyone who performs on this song collection. Koorogi '73 kinda pads the whole thing out with the lead male vocals by Kageyama and lead female vocals by..... I have no idea, to be perfectly honestly. If I really listen to the song like fifty more times than the hundred or so times I've heard it over the years I could probably I.D. the mystery woman from the Columbia team.

Either way, it's a fun song...and the end of an era.

07. Aura ni kagayake! Great Five / Hironobu Kageyama

From: The CD Collection-- Gattai Tamashii ~Super Sentai Robot Song Perfect Collection~:

"This is Hironobu Kageyama's second Sentai mecha theme song and probably his most forgettable. I know I said I wasn't very impressed by his Changerobo theme from Changeman, but this one is just bland. My criticisms with that one were only magnified with this one. Well, he does sound like he was just a little bit closer to the microphone, but it's still distracting how low his vocals sound versus the music."

08. Telepathize shite kure / Katsuya Miura

A pretty solid ballad. I know this song is quite popular, and I can't really argue with that. I will just say that the vocalistic stylings of Katsuya Miura are pretty lacking. The music is quite good, though. The moody bass along with the backing vocals are the main feature.

Otherwise, I remember spending nights aimlessly cruising the streets of Havana in Driver 2 with this playing. Is it a fitting song for that situation? No, but...it happened.

09. Dashitemiyo ze! Aura Power / Hironobu Kageyama

I like the dreary optimism in the music. 

On the surface it's a pretty standard rock song (with a pretty long intro for some reason) but I always dug this the most on this song collection. This is the type of song that Kageyama can do perfectly in his sleep (I almost wrote with his arm tied behind his back...). The structure is just so damn good...the whole package is just great. 

This is the closest link to Kageyama's outside work than any other anison, IMO. If you pick up any of Kageyama's solo music from the 80s, this is pretty much what it sounds like. Yes, there was a point where his career became anison, but there was that fun era where he sang corny love songs. I kinda really like that Kageyama in a weird way...

Here's a random link to his cover of Jon Parr's St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion).

10. Ten Eyes ~5nin no hitomi~ / Hironobu Kageyama, Koorogi '73, SHINES

Weirdly they saved the action-hype song for the end of this tracklist. This is the only real action song of the series, to be perfectly honest. 

It's alright. I used to be hotter on this one, but really it's just another rollcall song...this time hyping up each character. Koorogi '73 is sparsely featured, which is acceptable, and SHINES cover the Yellow Mask and Pink Mask segments.

11. Ai no Soldier / Hironobu Kageyama

The series ending song. I know that Kokoro wa Tamago from Jetman is the best of the four Kageyama ending themes, but this is a close second. 

Personally...it also saddens me quit a bit. I don't know why I remember this, but this is the last song I listened to before starting my day on 9/11. That has always kinda haunted me, especially since it has the same underlying bleakness of the other Maskman songs, but it hasn't stopped me from enjoying the song in the years since.

It's definitely not bouncy, but it does carry along briskly. For extra fun, be sure to check out the Karaoke version. I almost prefer it that way...it's a different experience. 

12. Hikari Sentai Maskman [Original Karaoke]

13. Oretachi Ungler [Original Karaoke]

14. Lasy Action Kimetara Oshare [Original Karaoke]

15. Shot Bomber Zenryoku Shuuchuu [Original Karaoke]

16. Aura ni kagayake! Great Five [Original Karaoke]

17. Dashitemiyo ze! Aura Power [Original Karaoke]

18. Ten Eyes ~5nin no hitomi~ [Original Karaoke]

19. Ai no Soldier [Original Karaoke]

20. Shot Bomber Zenryoku Shuuchuu Type B -Bonus Track- / Hironobu Kageyama, Koorogi '73, SHINES

This is an alternate version of the Shot Bomber theme that replaces "Fire~! Shot Bomber!" with "Fire~! Jet Cannon!" in the lyrics. I guess that's the easy way to double your weapon theme songs.

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OVERALL: If you've been following my site long enough, you might be wondering what I'm smoking. How can the guy who utterly trashed the music collection from Maskman two years ago sing it's praises about it's song collection?

*shrug*

I'm just as baffled as you are. Don't blame me, though. The song collection is strangely 100% competent while the BGM, you know...the fuel and lifeblood of the series, is so weak. The BGM is just...so bad. Haha. Meanwhile, we basically have a pretty solid Hironobu Kageyama album with a few guest singers for the song collection. 

This is Hironobu Kageyama's second outing as Super-Sentai-Series-Songster...Superior (?) and he definitely had a pinch of maturity snuck in since his Changeman songs in 1985. He may have started with Changeman, but I think his Maskman songs are really where his anison career kicked off. The same year he basically did the whole song collection for The Headmasters, Saint Saiya was the following year, and was CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA'ing the year after that and beyond.....

So, yeah, I can safely recommend this one. It has some minor flaws, but it's otherwise an easily enjoyable album. 

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That's it for now. Please stay safe and I'll be back soon with more posts!

-CC

PREVIOUSLY...

Song Collection: Kamen Rider Black
Song Collection: Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop REVISED
Ghost Warrior--That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Fish-Out-Of-Water Action Thing
K2--That Time Hiroshi Fujioka Was In a Mountain Climbing Movie