For a first episode, I thought it was alright. Great to have something filmed in L.A. again. Although I've never been a fan of Japan's Kamen Rider, I feel like I could get into this.
Theme isn't bad. Yeah, the lyrics could've been better (or removed altogether), but the rock fits.
Decent establishing of the characters, especially Kit. Didn't care for the bookstore and supporting characters, but maybe when the show gets going in January...
I really like the CGI effects and design of Wing Knight. Pretty likely he'll be my favorite Rider. Going to take some getting used to not seeing pyrotechnics all the time.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
S-8.09 "Abyss" and 8.10 "Bride"
The abyss that was Chloe's mind made for the best episode all year, trumping even "Bloodline."
Wow, I love how they did Brainiac erasing Chloe's memories. Awesome seeing old clips and the "Dark Thursday" re-creation.
Holy crap! I almost thought this would be another surprise last second transformation of Brainiac into Marsters.
This felt like it could've been the last ep until January, so I'm even more psyched for "Bride."
And speaking of which...
I thought watching the video camera was a decent way to start the episode.
Felt like Lois was in her campaign manager days.
Yeah, the random lackey of Oliver's was lame. Did they seriously have no time to come up with anything better after Victor was removed?
And of course Doomsday was awesome. Interesting that Brainiac must've commanded him to take Chloe to the Fortress so he could reinfect her.
Wow, I never would've imagined they'd show Lex on-screen, at least not this soon. I have to say I wasn't blown away by it though... It kinda felt like the episode was building up to it, with the sudden reveal from Oliver he's alive and then thinking he had got him when it was a dummy. Hopefully this means they've worked out a deal for Rosenbaum to return at the end of the season.
Wow, I love how they did Brainiac erasing Chloe's memories. Awesome seeing old clips and the "Dark Thursday" re-creation.
Holy crap! I almost thought this would be another surprise last second transformation of Brainiac into Marsters.
This felt like it could've been the last ep until January, so I'm even more psyched for "Bride."
And speaking of which...
I thought watching the video camera was a decent way to start the episode.
Felt like Lois was in her campaign manager days.
Yeah, the random lackey of Oliver's was lame. Did they seriously have no time to come up with anything better after Victor was removed?
And of course Doomsday was awesome. Interesting that Brainiac must've commanded him to take Chloe to the Fortress so he could reinfect her.
Wow, I never would've imagined they'd show Lex on-screen, at least not this soon. I have to say I wasn't blown away by it though... It kinda felt like the episode was building up to it, with the sudden reveal from Oliver he's alive and then thinking he had got him when it was a dummy. Hopefully this means they've worked out a deal for Rosenbaum to return at the end of the season.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
S-8.08 "Bloodline": Farewell Kara, Hello Destroyer
Very good episode.
Yeah, Clark could've done a better job of lying to Lois in the Phantom Zone. Nice touch with the sea of blood.
I liked that Kara wasn't held captive this entire time and could've left, but didn't after all the zoners had escaped last time.
Yay, the GA is back. I was kinda surprised Tess didn't recognize him. >_> Would be nice if they gave him a new apartment set one of these days...
Erica was awesome, as always. Best acting from her since... "Exposed." <_<
Wow... The reveal of Davis being the son of Zod and Faora was a heck of a curveball.
And Brainiac's power over Chloe continues to increase. Although Marsters doesn't have to return just because Brainiac does, to see him again on the show for a final battle with Clark would just be the icing on this season.
Nice send-off for Kara, leaving the possibility she could return, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Yeah, Clark could've done a better job of lying to Lois in the Phantom Zone. Nice touch with the sea of blood.
I liked that Kara wasn't held captive this entire time and could've left, but didn't after all the zoners had escaped last time.
Yay, the GA is back. I was kinda surprised Tess didn't recognize him. >_> Would be nice if they gave him a new apartment set one of these days...
Erica was awesome, as always. Best acting from her since... "Exposed." <_<
Wow... The reveal of Davis being the son of Zod and Faora was a heck of a curveball.
And Brainiac's power over Chloe continues to increase. Although Marsters doesn't have to return just because Brainiac does, to see him again on the show for a final battle with Clark would just be the icing on this season.
Nice send-off for Kara, leaving the possibility she could return, but I'm not getting my hopes up.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
"TO EARN YOUR STRIPES" (PR-1630): Dai Shi vs Jarrod
This episode is a fine example of what I've loved about this season: The Rangers felt like a B-plot to the villains.
Nice to see Pai Zhua again. Pretty good martial arts fight for a Disney season.
Casey has to go and spoil the episode. -_- I don't like the bikelizer to begin with, but the way he just left it was even worse. Only time this year I would've preferred a longer sequence.
Although I wish Jarrod's struggle with Dai Shi had been touched on a bit sooner, I enjoyed how it was done here. The mirror scene was pretty cool. Jarrod never meant to hurt anyone? Yeah, right. I'd look at it as either the writers trying to make him look like a good guy now, or he was just lying to Dai Shi. And nice work making sure to remove the voice alteration.
Well, that was a quick way to finish off the Phantom Beast Warriors. I wasn't real surprised they had to skip over giving an episode to a Beast and that it was Osiris. If it was a matter of picking a Geki battle to use, fat chance they were gonna touch episode 44.
4/5, just barely 5, but gotta take off points because (at least as of this episode), Casey has learned NOTHING.
**Check back later when I'll be doing something different for the final 2 episodes.**
Nice to see Pai Zhua again. Pretty good martial arts fight for a Disney season.
Casey has to go and spoil the episode. -_- I don't like the bikelizer to begin with, but the way he just left it was even worse. Only time this year I would've preferred a longer sequence.
Although I wish Jarrod's struggle with Dai Shi had been touched on a bit sooner, I enjoyed how it was done here. The mirror scene was pretty cool. Jarrod never meant to hurt anyone? Yeah, right. I'd look at it as either the writers trying to make him look like a good guy now, or he was just lying to Dai Shi. And nice work making sure to remove the voice alteration.
Well, that was a quick way to finish off the Phantom Beast Warriors. I wasn't real surprised they had to skip over giving an episode to a Beast and that it was Osiris. If it was a matter of picking a Geki battle to use, fat chance they were gonna touch episode 44.
4/5, just barely 5, but gotta take off points because (at least as of this episode), Casey has learned NOTHING.
**Check back later when I'll be doing something different for the final 2 episodes.**
Monday, November 3, 2008
S-8.06 "Prey" and 8.07 "Identity"
The detective-style mystery about who killed the Prey made it a pretty good ep.
Nice to see Clark be more pro-active and using powers not seen in years.
It's kind of a nice change that more women seem to be working for Luthorcorp with Tess in charge.
~*~
Clark should really keep working on crafting his hero identity.
Anyone else feel like they're using the special effects more often these days?
Clark seemed a bit careless just breezing into Chloe and Jimmy's. Good thing Lois was in the next room. >_> It's cute he was jealous of her going out with someone else, but hesitating so long to zip her up was a bit childish. And everyone always oogles over Chloevage, but how come no one mentions Lois cleavage?!
Funny how it just came to Jimmy looking at the Kent family pic.
To recap: Lois fortune has told her before she'd fall for a guy who flies a lot and wears tights. Clark wouldn't wear a cape in this lifetime and Metropolis new hero is "Faster than a Speeding Bullet." Good times.
Nice to see Ollie wanna get back to the hero thing. Yeah, I knew when we saw him in the plane it was death for his old pad.
You know, I love the term "Brianiac ability." As each episode goes by, I feel like we're that much closer to James Marsters return.
A pretty good episode overall.
Nice to see Clark be more pro-active and using powers not seen in years.
It's kind of a nice change that more women seem to be working for Luthorcorp with Tess in charge.
~*~
Clark should really keep working on crafting his hero identity.
Anyone else feel like they're using the special effects more often these days?
Clark seemed a bit careless just breezing into Chloe and Jimmy's. Good thing Lois was in the next room. >_> It's cute he was jealous of her going out with someone else, but hesitating so long to zip her up was a bit childish. And everyone always oogles over Chloevage, but how come no one mentions Lois cleavage?!
Funny how it just came to Jimmy looking at the Kent family pic.
To recap: Lois fortune has told her before she'd fall for a guy who flies a lot and wears tights. Clark wouldn't wear a cape in this lifetime and Metropolis new hero is "Faster than a Speeding Bullet." Good times.
Nice to see Ollie wanna get back to the hero thing. Yeah, I knew when we saw him in the plane it was death for his old pad.
You know, I love the term "Brianiac ability." As each episode goes by, I feel like we're that much closer to James Marsters return.
A pretty good episode overall.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
"MARYL AND THE MONKEYS" (PR-1629): Attack of the Clones
Funny that Bruce was credited, although it was supposed to be by "Sal. N. Mitchell." >_>
It was nice to see Dominic get some focus and Fran's jealousy was cute.
Dom getting stalker-ish got annoying, but at least he morphed. I was about to throw the remote at the TV if he hadn't. -_- The Rangers' secret identities have almost never been this irritating.
Nice to see the Spirit Rangers again, but I don't really like how Casey, Lily and Theo can so quickly summon them. Great seeing all 3 call and use their spirits just like earlier in the season.
The pretty lake battle would've been perfect had they not inserted Ken's Christmas Special.
Where the heck's Flit? He could at least pop up and say something like he's too scared now that Camille and Dai Shi are powered up.
3/5. The plot and parts of it certianly could've gone better. Points off just for using the bikelizer on Rinishi in a freakin' parking garage. Yeah, the Christmas ep was an odd choice, but since it was about (to put it in Bruce terms), "Japan's White Ranger," I highly doubt they considered anything else.
It was nice to see Dominic get some focus and Fran's jealousy was cute.
Dom getting stalker-ish got annoying, but at least he morphed. I was about to throw the remote at the TV if he hadn't. -_- The Rangers' secret identities have almost never been this irritating.
Nice to see the Spirit Rangers again, but I don't really like how Casey, Lily and Theo can so quickly summon them. Great seeing all 3 call and use their spirits just like earlier in the season.
The pretty lake battle would've been perfect had they not inserted Ken's Christmas Special.
Where the heck's Flit? He could at least pop up and say something like he's too scared now that Camille and Dai Shi are powered up.
3/5. The plot and parts of it certianly could've gone better. Points off just for using the bikelizer on Rinishi in a freakin' parking garage. Yeah, the Christmas ep was an odd choice, but since it was about (to put it in Bruce terms), "Japan's White Ranger," I highly doubt they considered anything else.
Monday, October 20, 2008
"THE SPIRIT OF KINDNESS" (PR-1628): Rat Trap
I really liked this one. Props for doing something completely different than having Whiger related to Casey.
RJ proved again why he's the man (even if it was because the others are a bunch of pansies). Naming the rat "Maurice" and thinking he's French had me LOL.
Rammer and Badrat were basically ripped right from Geki here. The rat cages worked just fine. I was a bit afraid how'd they handle the two zord battles with the ground fights, but it was paced pretty well. And despite how annoying the monsters were, I really liked the fights (the dual rooftop/mecha battle and then switching is one of my favorites Geki did).
Casey's reasoning for saving Whiger was pretty lame. I was kinda surprised they killed him off already, but it makes sense with the limited time left. Nice touch with the White Tiger spirit.
Great seeing all the zords used and not bastardize the battle as much.
And here comes the long awaited betrayal... :D
RJ proved again why he's the man (even if it was because the others are a bunch of pansies). Naming the rat "Maurice" and thinking he's French had me LOL.
Rammer and Badrat were basically ripped right from Geki here. The rat cages worked just fine. I was a bit afraid how'd they handle the two zord battles with the ground fights, but it was paced pretty well. And despite how annoying the monsters were, I really liked the fights (the dual rooftop/mecha battle and then switching is one of my favorites Geki did).
Casey's reasoning for saving Whiger was pretty lame. I was kinda surprised they killed him off already, but it makes sense with the limited time left. Nice touch with the White Tiger spirit.
Great seeing all the zords used and not bastardize the battle as much.
And here comes the long awaited betrayal... :D
Sunday, October 19, 2008
S-8.05 "Committed": Lois and Clark Adventures
I gotta say, I love being Committed to Smallville. ^_^
Loved the Lois and Clark stuff. I was nearly cracking up half the time. It really made up for the rest of the ep.
Lois cleavage is always a plus. <_<
Jimmy's confession? Weak. The obvious evil jeweler who just happens to be wearing a kryptonite bracelet? Weaker. The interrogation was okay, at least. It was a little awkward seeing Jimmy and Chloe free all the sudden after the dude had fired the gun at them.
Lois really does love Clark. Yay. And Clark has super-breath? ....Oh yeah. >_>
Loved the Lois and Clark stuff. I was nearly cracking up half the time. It really made up for the rest of the ep.
Lois cleavage is always a plus. <_<
Jimmy's confession? Weak. The obvious evil jeweler who just happens to be wearing a kryptonite bracelet? Weaker. The interrogation was okay, at least. It was a little awkward seeing Jimmy and Chloe free all the sudden after the dude had fired the gun at them.
Lois really does love Clark. Yay. And Clark has super-breath? ....Oh yeah. >_>
Monday, October 13, 2008
"TIGERS FALL, LIONS RISE" (PR-1627): Spiritless
Not a bad episode -- which is good when you know it's about Casey. Despite his Kung Fu class coming outta nowhere, I thought the episode played out pretty well.
While most plots with kids are forgettable, this was kinda better than "GOOD KARMA BAD KARMA." I liked how Jimmy saw the Rangers training and how he was able to help them. And Mr. Secret Identity's still an idiot.
Pretty cool seeing Dai Shi (That's who he was this week) and Camille power up.
Boy, when I saw the Geki counterparts to this episode, I knew JF would half-ass the mecha battle. Although I gotta give points for the original cockpit and first helmetless Ranger all year.
I'm kinda surprised JF continues to do all their own battles, but hey, it's a nice change.
4/5. Horrible dialogue (especially during the zord battle), but at least they're not totally copying sentai. This episode easily could've been worse.
While most plots with kids are forgettable, this was kinda better than "GOOD KARMA BAD KARMA." I liked how Jimmy saw the Rangers training and how he was able to help them. And Mr. Secret Identity's still an idiot.
Pretty cool seeing Dai Shi (That's who he was this week) and Camille power up.
Boy, when I saw the Geki counterparts to this episode, I knew JF would half-ass the mecha battle. Although I gotta give points for the original cockpit and first helmetless Ranger all year.
I'm kinda surprised JF continues to do all their own battles, but hey, it's a nice change.
4/5. Horrible dialogue (especially during the zord battle), but at least they're not totally copying sentai. This episode easily could've been worse.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
S-8.04 "Instinct": Maximus Hotness
My Instinct was that this would be a hot episode.
So how many eps until Lana returns? What's the point on making Lois and Clark believe she won't be back?
Clark getting it on with Maxima didn't last as long as I thought it would. Looked like he was about to get all Red K on us. Great reaction by Lois. Clark sure has something for her to turn down sex like that. >_>
Ugh, Clark having to lie whenever he talks to Tess is really getting old. At least have her find out soon. And why is she so evil to begin with?
Maxima suddenly disappearing via portal back to Almerac felt poorly written... Like it was just the shock of being turned down by Clark that did it. Would love to see her return someday if that's what they were hinting at.
Who are you Mr. X? I could go with it being Lex who took the crystal or is inside it. Knowing that Victor/Cyborg is returning, he came to mind as well.
So how many eps until Lana returns? What's the point on making Lois and Clark believe she won't be back?
Clark getting it on with Maxima didn't last as long as I thought it would. Looked like he was about to get all Red K on us. Great reaction by Lois. Clark sure has something for her to turn down sex like that. >_>
Ugh, Clark having to lie whenever he talks to Tess is really getting old. At least have her find out soon. And why is she so evil to begin with?
Maxima suddenly disappearing via portal back to Almerac felt poorly written... Like it was just the shock of being turned down by Clark that did it. Would love to see her return someday if that's what they were hinting at.
Who are you Mr. X? I could go with it being Lex who took the crystal or is inside it. Knowing that Victor/Cyborg is returning, he came to mind as well.
Monday, October 6, 2008
S-8.03 "Toxic": No Mercy
Good episode. The flashbacks to Oliver on the island, mastering the bow and arrow and then being held hostage with Tess were very nicely done.
So Tess became the Luthors' biggest fan as a means to get back at Ollie? Interesting. Can't wait until we get the full story about what happened after they escaped.
Yeah, Clark was basically a tool in this ep. How could Tess not put it together now, that Clark has powers beyond those of mortal men?
And boy, Clark got served by Ollie. Love it.
Great end to the episode as well, with Tess pulling out the flower and using it on scary black dude. Nice touch with the "NOMERCY" license plate.
So Tess became the Luthors' biggest fan as a means to get back at Ollie? Interesting. Can't wait until we get the full story about what happened after they escaped.
Yeah, Clark was basically a tool in this ep. How could Tess not put it together now, that Clark has powers beyond those of mortal men?
And boy, Clark got served by Ollie. Love it.
Great end to the episode as well, with Tess pulling out the flower and using it on scary black dude. Nice touch with the "NOMERCY" license plate.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
S-8.02 "Plastique": Time Bomb
This episode was kind of average for me. I can't appreciate the comics villains as much as others do, since I'm pretty unfamiliar with them.
Have to get used to Smallville's own Adventures of Lois and Clark. I thought she used him a little too much. The phone booth scene was pretty funny.
It's been over 7 years, yet Chloe and Clark are still anal about meteor freaks?
If this episode's any indication, Jimmy's disappearances are gonna make even less sense now that he's higher up on the show.
Wow, Tess is quickly becoming quite the badass.
And on the subject of Lex, no matter what an interview says, I can't imagine a last episode without him.
Have to get used to Smallville's own Adventures of Lois and Clark. I thought she used him a little too much. The phone booth scene was pretty funny.
It's been over 7 years, yet Chloe and Clark are still anal about meteor freaks?
If this episode's any indication, Jimmy's disappearances are gonna make even less sense now that he's higher up on the show.
Wow, Tess is quickly becoming quite the badass.
And on the subject of Lex, no matter what an interview says, I can't imagine a last episode without him.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
15 years ago...
MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS: 15TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE
As I've mentioned before, I didn't start to watch Power Rangers until '94, let alone really be a fan of the show until '96. I just wasn't motivated one way or another to watch it until my sister turned it on (Even today, a show like Heros, I've never been encouraged either way).
With Tiny Toons ending in '94 and Animaniacs clashing with the "Disney Afternoon" cartoons, I had no reason to watch Fox Kids then... (After checking wikipedia, I do recall switching over to watch TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, for awhile Goof Troop and of course DuckTales and Chip n' Dale -- which were essentially the beginning of it all.) Simply put, I'd love watching my cartoons every afternoon. ^_^
Fast-foward to '95, when casually turning on MMPR became part of my afternoon since, I had not much else to do after school.
The two-month break between "Return of the Green Ranger" and "Storybook Rangers" really had me wondering what was up with the show, until I heard about the movie. Soon my sister bought the soundtrack, turned it on and the orchestrated main theme played for the first time ever.
I remember liking what they did with season 3 more and being fascinated by the Ninjazords. I'd imagine White Ranger fighting Lord Zedd and defeating him, should the series end or to make way for new villains. >_>
With "Master Vile and the Metallic Armor" things really started to get interesting. Soon the Rangers became powerless kids, Zedd and the gang made themselves grow and I could only wonder -- If the show wasn't over how the hell they'd ever get out of it (Of course, what followed was my favorite story-arc ever and years and years of taping the show). Then MMPR ended its run, the Zeo "It's Coming" teasers started and it wasn't long before I was getting up around 10-11am to catch the Saturday episode on tape. Ah, those were the days. And we didn't even have AOL yet.
Years later... Meeting Jason David Frank, Austin St. John, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, Tony Oliver, Steve Cardenas, Johnny Bosch, Karan Ashley... finally owning Power Morphers, collecting new exclusive figures and putting together my long-imagined tribute has been spectacular.
As I've mentioned before, I didn't start to watch Power Rangers until '94, let alone really be a fan of the show until '96. I just wasn't motivated one way or another to watch it until my sister turned it on (Even today, a show like Heros, I've never been encouraged either way).
With Tiny Toons ending in '94 and Animaniacs clashing with the "Disney Afternoon" cartoons, I had no reason to watch Fox Kids then... (After checking wikipedia, I do recall switching over to watch TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, for awhile Goof Troop and of course DuckTales and Chip n' Dale -- which were essentially the beginning of it all.) Simply put, I'd love watching my cartoons every afternoon. ^_^
Fast-foward to '95, when casually turning on MMPR became part of my afternoon since, I had not much else to do after school.
The two-month break between "Return of the Green Ranger" and "Storybook Rangers" really had me wondering what was up with the show, until I heard about the movie. Soon my sister bought the soundtrack, turned it on and the orchestrated main theme played for the first time ever.
I remember liking what they did with season 3 more and being fascinated by the Ninjazords. I'd imagine White Ranger fighting Lord Zedd and defeating him, should the series end or to make way for new villains. >_>
With "Master Vile and the Metallic Armor" things really started to get interesting. Soon the Rangers became powerless kids, Zedd and the gang made themselves grow and I could only wonder -- If the show wasn't over how the hell they'd ever get out of it (Of course, what followed was my favorite story-arc ever and years and years of taping the show). Then MMPR ended its run, the Zeo "It's Coming" teasers started and it wasn't long before I was getting up around 10-11am to catch the Saturday episode on tape. Ah, those were the days. And we didn't even have AOL yet.
Years later... Meeting Jason David Frank, Austin St. John, Paul Schrier, Jason Narvy, Tony Oliver, Steve Cardenas, Johnny Bosch, Karan Ashley... finally owning Power Morphers, collecting new exclusive figures and putting together my long-imagined tribute has been spectacular.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Smallville Season Premiere "Odyssey": Letting Go
Only 4 weeks since Lex and Clark went missing after the Fortress collapsed. I was kinda afraid it was gonna be a few months.
Great to have Oliver back as a regular and nice to see AC and Dinah again too.
Clark without his powers again felt kinda last-resort cheap, but I can't blame Michael for moving on after 7 years. I look forward to the whole "Where's Lex?" plot of the season.
Pretty good introduction for Tess. Even Ollie agrees she's worse than Lex.
Crystal of Knowledge, eh? Interesting.
Damn, it really wasn't looking good for our heros there -- especially Clark. Nice brief nod to the past when his life flashed. Why didn't they include anyone saying anything when Martian Manhunter showed up? I'm confident he'll get his powers back. It would be nice to see him be a big part of an episode later.
Loved the ending. Clark's attitude towards Lois was perfect for the situation and it's cute how they smile when the other isn't looking. ^_^ Although Clark did get the desk job awfully quick. Looking forward to all the situations they get into...
This Odyssey ended pretty nicely. Between Clois and GA, I'm gonna get real biased this season.
Great to have Oliver back as a regular and nice to see AC and Dinah again too.
Clark without his powers again felt kinda last-resort cheap, but I can't blame Michael for moving on after 7 years. I look forward to the whole "Where's Lex?" plot of the season.
Pretty good introduction for Tess. Even Ollie agrees she's worse than Lex.
Crystal of Knowledge, eh? Interesting.
Damn, it really wasn't looking good for our heros there -- especially Clark. Nice brief nod to the past when his life flashed. Why didn't they include anyone saying anything when Martian Manhunter showed up? I'm confident he'll get his powers back. It would be nice to see him be a big part of an episode later.
Loved the ending. Clark's attitude towards Lois was perfect for the situation and it's cute how they smile when the other isn't looking. ^_^ Although Clark did get the desk job awfully quick. Looking forward to all the situations they get into...
This Odyssey ended pretty nicely. Between Clois and GA, I'm gonna get real biased this season.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
"ONE LAST SECOND CHANCE" (PR-1625): Action, Satisfaction
Concluding the best three-part story arc since the Kalish era began, this episode just nudged two eps ago to be the best of the season.
Liked how RJ modified the claw cannon to use the Masters spirits. Nice focus between him and Finn.
Flit saving the day again was cool, even if it was pretty cheap to have Unihorn throw the crystal eye into the ocean.
I thought it was funny how easily RJ and Finn found the room and rescued the Masters, when you've got a whole mess of villains around -- but only Rinshi actually seem to be guarding the pathway. >_> And RJ vs Jarrod (That's who he was this week) was great, but why'd they have to hold on him so long while the room was falling apart?
Woohoo, the complete 8 Ranger roll call! Loved the fight and how the Spirit Rangers finished off Unihorn. The rockin' BG music added a nice touch.
I couldn't be happier this was our teamup, instead of seeing those Overdrive guys. <_< Well done, Jungle Fury -- and a great way to end the continuous run of new episodes.
Liked how RJ modified the claw cannon to use the Masters spirits. Nice focus between him and Finn.
Flit saving the day again was cool, even if it was pretty cheap to have Unihorn throw the crystal eye into the ocean.
I thought it was funny how easily RJ and Finn found the room and rescued the Masters, when you've got a whole mess of villains around -- but only Rinshi actually seem to be guarding the pathway. >_> And RJ vs Jarrod (That's who he was this week) was great, but why'd they have to hold on him so long while the room was falling apart?
Woohoo, the complete 8 Ranger roll call! Loved the fight and how the Spirit Rangers finished off Unihorn. The rockin' BG music added a nice touch.
I couldn't be happier this was our teamup, instead of seeing those Overdrive guys. <_< Well done, Jungle Fury -- and a great way to end the continuous run of new episodes.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
"BLUE RANGER, TWIN DANGER" (PR-1624): Brotherly Love
Good seamless continuation, taking a bit of s step down, but still not bad at all.
I like how the Masters control their Ranger spirits. When they were taken away to "recharge" I didn't think they'd fight again this episode, so I was somewhat surprised they were suddenly back. Pretty decent fight scenes, although they really overdid the motion-stop.
Yep, it's pretty obvious Scorch will turn on Dai Shi/Jarrod soon...
The B-plot with Theo's brother was alright and Dynamir with his power to trap our heros was pretty cool. Funny how he confused Luen for Theo.
How'd Casey and Lily form Jungle Master Megazord without Theo? A little explanation would've been nice. Cool seeing Theo and RJ teaming up in Wolf Pride.
I like how the Masters control their Ranger spirits. When they were taken away to "recharge" I didn't think they'd fight again this episode, so I was somewhat surprised they were suddenly back. Pretty decent fight scenes, although they really overdid the motion-stop.
Yep, it's pretty obvious Scorch will turn on Dai Shi/Jarrod soon...
The B-plot with Theo's brother was alright and Dynamir with his power to trap our heros was pretty cool. Funny how he confused Luen for Theo.
How'd Casey and Lily form Jungle Master Megazord without Theo? A little explanation would've been nice. Cool seeing Theo and RJ teaming up in Wolf Pride.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
"FEAR AND THE PHANTOMS" (PR-1623): Dai Shi's 'Dark Wish'
Now this is what I had been waiting for all year.
Nice debut for the Phantom Beasts and 8 warriors. Introing a bunch of villains at once is always interesting. "That one sounds familiar." "Who was that?" "I dunno about THAT name." Liked how they turned on Jellica and quickly killed her.
Great focus on Lily, unmorphed and morphed. The dancing was vintage MMPR, although I didn't care for the actress much. What's Antonia Preeble doing these days? >_>
So the Rangers have been paying regular visits to their Masters? Would feel a little less outta left field if we had actually seen this on-screen more. Nonetheless, nice to see the Masters again and their kidnapping was pretty good.
Master Phant especially looked like he was in pain when they were getting infused with the Rin Sin power. Liked the desperate plea from Swoop to get Jarrod to resist Dai Shi's influence. Our heros regroup and... POOF! Spirit Rangers! Yeah, Elephant Ranger is pretty much perfect, while Shark and Bat look more funny with the large helmets.
Just where is The Temple of Dai Shi?
5/5. Best damn episode of PR (non-teamup anyway) since "ONE GETS AWAY."
Nice debut for the Phantom Beasts and 8 warriors. Introing a bunch of villains at once is always interesting. "That one sounds familiar." "Who was that?" "I dunno about THAT name." Liked how they turned on Jellica and quickly killed her.
Great focus on Lily, unmorphed and morphed. The dancing was vintage MMPR, although I didn't care for the actress much. What's Antonia Preeble doing these days? >_>
So the Rangers have been paying regular visits to their Masters? Would feel a little less outta left field if we had actually seen this on-screen more. Nonetheless, nice to see the Masters again and their kidnapping was pretty good.
Master Phant especially looked like he was in pain when they were getting infused with the Rin Sin power. Liked the desperate plea from Swoop to get Jarrod to resist Dai Shi's influence. Our heros regroup and... POOF! Spirit Rangers! Yeah, Elephant Ranger is pretty much perfect, while Shark and Bat look more funny with the large helmets.
Just where is The Temple of Dai Shi?
5/5. Best damn episode of PR (non-teamup anyway) since "ONE GETS AWAY."
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
"ARISE THE CRYSTAL EYES" (PR-1622): Casey and Cop-Out
As much of a Jungle Fury supporter I've been, this show isn't suckering me. I was happy about this ep at first and was surprised by Grizzaka getting killed off before Jellica. Then I realized what happened and how it could've been better...
Nice little briefing about the Beast War by RJ. At least they bothered to show Fran, but give the poor girl a line or two! And scenes like this only get my hopes up more for future eps... >_>
Casey should've been morphed when he went to see Dr. Jennings, easily gotten the crystal eyes and then ambushed by Rinshi and Camille (Just as well, would've been funny if they had randomly met up). And since they had absolutely no time, Camille happens to see a pic of Dr. Jennings while doing the crossword. The Ranger Productions staff member who wrote this couldn't even bother to give Casey a last name?!
Casey didn't know the Booster/Rhino Morpher combo would work and just did it? -_- Why couldn't, I dunno, RJ have suggested it or something? Boy, it's getting more and more difficult watching this and trying to imagine what Jan is saying. Won't have that problem anymore after a couple weeks of reruns and I finally get ahead.
Best part of the episode was definitely the end. LOVED the zord battle. Flit's afraid of powered up Dai Shi, eh? And with Grizzaka's big, tough, all-talk attitude, it made his defeat that much sweeter.
3/5, for something that potentially could've been great, instead gets one of the biggest time-saving cop-outs.
Nice little briefing about the Beast War by RJ. At least they bothered to show Fran, but give the poor girl a line or two! And scenes like this only get my hopes up more for future eps... >_>
Casey should've been morphed when he went to see Dr. Jennings, easily gotten the crystal eyes and then ambushed by Rinshi and Camille (Just as well, would've been funny if they had randomly met up). And since they had absolutely no time, Camille happens to see a pic of Dr. Jennings while doing the crossword. The Ranger Productions staff member who wrote this couldn't even bother to give Casey a last name?!
Casey didn't know the Booster/Rhino Morpher combo would work and just did it? -_- Why couldn't, I dunno, RJ have suggested it or something? Boy, it's getting more and more difficult watching this and trying to imagine what Jan is saying. Won't have that problem anymore after a couple weeks of reruns and I finally get ahead.
Best part of the episode was definitely the end. LOVED the zord battle. Flit's afraid of powered up Dai Shi, eh? And with Grizzaka's big, tough, all-talk attitude, it made his defeat that much sweeter.
3/5, for something that potentially could've been great, instead gets one of the biggest time-saving cop-outs.
Monday, July 28, 2008
"RACE TO THE NEXUS" (PR-1621): Zokado and Zord
Great continuation from last episode with different episode titles to boot.
I thought the roll call shots thrown in during the Overlords talking was cool, but apparently Grizzaka wasn't on the same page. If anything he could've saved the formal intro for the Rangers.
Sure, PR has been stripping away any emotion the sentai has (especially in the Kalish years), but I thought it really kinda stood out this episode, namely when Casey had to pick which Carnisoar was the real one -- something I can only imagine (until I watch the episode) was longer and deeper in Geki.
Finishing the zord battle AFTER the last break? Hmm, I almost thought this would end on a cliffhanger, with Carnisoar surviving and quickly knocking Dominic outta the Megazord or something.
"Rhino Steel Warrior"?... "Rhino Steel Megazord"?... "Rhino Pride Megazord"?
...WHICH IS IT?!
Grizzaka suddenly coming out at the very end felt odd. Did the "sand snakes" really keep him trapped longer than the others? And why guardians of the Nexus? Why couldn't they be, ya know, created by the Overlords (or just Grizzaka)?
Despite the crappy writing in places, a 4 it is. The action with the Overlords was pretty good and I really liked the first (and only) battle with Carnisoar. Kudos for Casey not using the bikelizer!
I thought the roll call shots thrown in during the Overlords talking was cool, but apparently Grizzaka wasn't on the same page. If anything he could've saved the formal intro for the Rangers.
Sure, PR has been stripping away any emotion the sentai has (especially in the Kalish years), but I thought it really kinda stood out this episode, namely when Casey had to pick which Carnisoar was the real one -- something I can only imagine (until I watch the episode) was longer and deeper in Geki.
Finishing the zord battle AFTER the last break? Hmm, I almost thought this would end on a cliffhanger, with Carnisoar surviving and quickly knocking Dominic outta the Megazord or something.
"Rhino Steel Warrior"?... "Rhino Steel Megazord"?... "Rhino Pride Megazord"?
...WHICH IS IT?!
Grizzaka suddenly coming out at the very end felt odd. Did the "sand snakes" really keep him trapped longer than the others? And why guardians of the Nexus? Why couldn't they be, ya know, created by the Overlords (or just Grizzaka)?
Despite the crappy writing in places, a 4 it is. The action with the Overlords was pretty good and I really liked the first (and only) battle with Carnisoar. Kudos for Casey not using the bikelizer!
Monday, July 21, 2008
"DASH FOR THE DAGGER" (PR-1620): Dawn of Destiny
This was a good, rather comical episode. I'm enjoying the build up to the Phantoms and crystal eyes. Bonus points for throwing Dai Shi/Jarrod in HIS OWN dungeon and him (nor Camille) finding out the plans.
Kinda nice seeing things that are pretty rare on the show -- a restaurant (besides JKP or Pete's), laundromat, taxi...
Good thinking on Camille's part to get the dagger, by disguising herself (with black hair this time) to spy on Theo and Dominic, then fighting them in battle.
I wouldn't normally care for roll calls outside of a premiere/finale/teamup, but this was one of the best PR has done/imported in years. Awesome team attack on Whiricane too, with Dom delivering the final blow.
Obvious Geki two-part mash-up, but it worked out pretty well. 4/5.
Kinda nice seeing things that are pretty rare on the show -- a restaurant (besides JKP or Pete's), laundromat, taxi...
Good thinking on Camille's part to get the dagger, by disguising herself (with black hair this time) to spy on Theo and Dominic, then fighting them in battle.
I wouldn't normally care for roll calls outside of a premiere/finale/teamup, but this was one of the best PR has done/imported in years. Awesome team attack on Whiricane too, with Dom delivering the final blow.
Obvious Geki two-part mash-up, but it worked out pretty well. 4/5.
Monday, July 14, 2008
"PATH OF THE RHINO" (PR-1619): White Ranger, Rhino Power
This episode was sorta like....what if Nova Ranger had joined SPD for the last quarter of the season, or if Omega had been something more besides a prop.
The premise of the episode wasn't bad. Dominic's an old buddy of RJ's from the academy and had left to go search the world and find his place. He comes to Ocean Bluff for a visit and wants to join the team after seeing our heros in action. The way it was written and that they had very limited time constraints was another matter. More time before Dom's first morph probably would've been better.
The Rangers didn't even use weapons against Crocovile in the first fight. They could've done more to show he was too tough for them, before the fight was halted and the darn skateboarder got in the way. I thought they would show the rhino spirit. -_-
No team roll call for once, but the bike is used yet again. And yeah, playing double-duty as this years battlizer, appearing in every scab episode thus far.
I liked how Dom warmed up to Fran pretty quick and how she was worked into the ep. Casey's change of heart about him felt too rushed. And Dom has a cool personality, but his joking around was a bit over-the-top, I thought (considering he was trying to get them to LIKE him).
JKP has some sweet rides, but how many times can Tommy's jeep be repainted?! <_<
Another episode just missing a 5/5.
The premise of the episode wasn't bad. Dominic's an old buddy of RJ's from the academy and had left to go search the world and find his place. He comes to Ocean Bluff for a visit and wants to join the team after seeing our heros in action. The way it was written and that they had very limited time constraints was another matter. More time before Dom's first morph probably would've been better.
The Rangers didn't even use weapons against Crocovile in the first fight. They could've done more to show he was too tough for them, before the fight was halted and the darn skateboarder got in the way. I thought they would show the rhino spirit. -_-
No team roll call for once, but the bike is used yet again. And yeah, playing double-duty as this years battlizer, appearing in every scab episode thus far.
I liked how Dom warmed up to Fran pretty quick and how she was worked into the ep. Casey's change of heart about him felt too rushed. And Dom has a cool personality, but his joking around was a bit over-the-top, I thought (considering he was trying to get them to LIKE him).
JKP has some sweet rides, but how many times can Tommy's jeep be repainted?! <_<
Another episode just missing a 5/5.
Monday, July 7, 2008
"TRUE FRIENDS, TRUE SPIRITS" (PR-1618): Fly by the Side
Interesting episode. I liked how Grizzaka used the evil spirit to get RJ to change into the wolf and how he ended up saving Flit from under rubble. Nice character focus, although the whole "my friend" thing was a bit overdone.
Wolf Pride Megazord is pretty sweet. Like how RJ controls it better than the others in Jungle Pride.
Hmm, Fran playing the role of Cam? I'd kinda like to see them go with this.
Pretty funny when Flit came in JKP and the last scene, with the gang trying to swat the fly.
4/5
Wolf Pride Megazord is pretty sweet. Like how RJ controls it better than the others in Jungle Pride.
Hmm, Fran playing the role of Cam? I'd kinda like to see them go with this.
Pretty funny when Flit came in JKP and the last scene, with the gang trying to swat the fly.
4/5
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
"NO 'I' IN LEADER" (PR-1617): Whine of the Tiger
Yeah, Casey's a little whiner, but otherwise another good episode.
It's great having RJ -- the best character of the entire season -- much more involved now.
I have to say, I'm very happy with the way the opening credits have turned out this year. The new scenes they put in, flow of the Jungle Master/unmorphed/Megazord shots and the new solo pieces of RJ and Fran mesh very well. I'm glad they've still kept in the CGI helmets, which SPD eventually took out.
Go figure the battle (from Geki) takes place in a completely destroyed area, despite the guards (Deja and Vu) doing NO damage whatsoever on-screen. At least they tried to make the new footage match -- kinda.
Dai Shi/Jarrod wants to gain the power from the Nexus... the Rhino Nexus. Oh boy. Master Org should be suing. Although "Nexus" is a general term, it's hard not to think of the Org Nexus... And thank god Dai Shi has something else to do, besides defeat more footsoldiers in hopes of gaining the Zokado powers. -_-
Gotta love RJ, always the funny man enjoying Fran's chocolate-anchovie special. >_>
It's great having RJ -- the best character of the entire season -- much more involved now.
I have to say, I'm very happy with the way the opening credits have turned out this year. The new scenes they put in, flow of the Jungle Master/unmorphed/Megazord shots and the new solo pieces of RJ and Fran mesh very well. I'm glad they've still kept in the CGI helmets, which SPD eventually took out.
Go figure the battle (from Geki) takes place in a completely destroyed area, despite the guards (Deja and Vu) doing NO damage whatsoever on-screen. At least they tried to make the new footage match -- kinda.
Dai Shi/Jarrod wants to gain the power from the Nexus... the Rhino Nexus. Oh boy. Master Org should be suing. Although "Nexus" is a general term, it's hard not to think of the Org Nexus... And thank god Dai Shi has something else to do, besides defeat more footsoldiers in hopes of gaining the Zokado powers. -_-
Gotta love RJ, always the funny man enjoying Fran's chocolate-anchovie special. >_>
Monday, June 23, 2008
"FRIENDS DON'T FADE AWAY" (PR-1616): Monkey Business
Despite the usually weird/confusing scenes with Dai Shi/Jarrod and the Overloads, I did like the feuding with Grizzaka. The shot of the RinJuDen from Geki (that has no chair or carpet) felt out of place. -_-
Oh look, RJ has a small box in the closet with something glowy inside. I wonder what it could be... >_>
Poor RJ, thinking he was the one causing havoc with the sharp claws.
Kinda wish the morpher had been mentioned/hinted before this episode.
All around great focus on RJ and Fran as well, which was a bit of a surprise. Although it's kinda sad she considers RJ and the Rangers her family.
I dig RJ's fighting style and the weapons built into the suit/morpher. LASOR KNEES FTW. And nice to see the episode that this behind-the-scenes footage came from:
Funny scene at the end with the dog Nikki and the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" bit prior.
4/5. Felt like a "6th Ranger" intro ep even though it really wasn't. Ranking intro eps since SPD, I'd put this second to "SHADOW, II" with "MAN OF MERCURY, II" below it and "LONG AGO" fourth.
MID-WAY MUSINGS
Now that we're halfway through the season and underway in "scab" episodes, I thought I'd go a bit further. One thing I was hoping for, that ended up not working out too well, is staying ahead in GekiRanger, so I can see what happens there first. But with all the multi-part arcs, I'll have to wait for Jetix's obligatory block of Aug-Sept reruns to get ahead.
Seeing PR's adaptations first does take some fun out of watching the original, but I'm still enjoying Geki pretty well. I've enjoyed the Masters the most and the introduction to Kageki (I'm up to episode 21). While Jan can be pretty over-the-top, I'm used to that sorta thing in sentai and at times it can be funny. And it's obvious Jungle Fury is trying to do for Dai Shi what Geki did for Rio, but since they can't do the whole deep hatred/despair thing, they DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY'RE DOING. >_<
As we go further into the season, I'm most looking forward to the Phantom Beast arc that'll feature the Bat, Shark and Elephant Rangers, as well as how they'll handle the Geki animal suits (most likely to be in the finale and a flashback). Hopefully the intro of Dominic/Rhino Ranger won't be TOO bad, but after RJ's Ranger debut it more that likely won't compare.
Oh look, RJ has a small box in the closet with something glowy inside. I wonder what it could be... >_>
Poor RJ, thinking he was the one causing havoc with the sharp claws.
Kinda wish the morpher had been mentioned/hinted before this episode.
All around great focus on RJ and Fran as well, which was a bit of a surprise. Although it's kinda sad she considers RJ and the Rangers her family.
I dig RJ's fighting style and the weapons built into the suit/morpher. LASOR KNEES FTW. And nice to see the episode that this behind-the-scenes footage came from:
Funny scene at the end with the dog Nikki and the "No shirt, no shoes, no service" bit prior.
4/5. Felt like a "6th Ranger" intro ep even though it really wasn't. Ranking intro eps since SPD, I'd put this second to "SHADOW, II" with "MAN OF MERCURY, II" below it and "LONG AGO" fourth.
MID-WAY MUSINGS
Now that we're halfway through the season and underway in "scab" episodes, I thought I'd go a bit further. One thing I was hoping for, that ended up not working out too well, is staying ahead in GekiRanger, so I can see what happens there first. But with all the multi-part arcs, I'll have to wait for Jetix's obligatory block of Aug-Sept reruns to get ahead.
Seeing PR's adaptations first does take some fun out of watching the original, but I'm still enjoying Geki pretty well. I've enjoyed the Masters the most and the introduction to Kageki (I'm up to episode 21). While Jan can be pretty over-the-top, I'm used to that sorta thing in sentai and at times it can be funny. And it's obvious Jungle Fury is trying to do for Dai Shi what Geki did for Rio, but since they can't do the whole deep hatred/despair thing, they DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY'RE DOING. >_<
As we go further into the season, I'm most looking forward to the Phantom Beast arc that'll feature the Bat, Shark and Elephant Rangers, as well as how they'll handle the Geki animal suits (most likely to be in the finale and a flashback). Hopefully the intro of Dominic/Rhino Ranger won't be TOO bad, but after RJ's Ranger debut it more that likely won't compare.
Monday, June 16, 2008
"BAD TO THE BONE" (PR-1615): Yellow Rebel
Classic Kalish footage burning episode. Two Geki Rinrinshi battles? Check. Roll calls? Check. "Ranger Up" and a crazy leap off a flying motorcyle? Check Check. The other stuff going on -- Lily in leather and werewolf RJ running around helped make the episode be pretty tolerable, I think.
Would've been nice to have continued with the Rangers, RJ and Fran in the loft. The gap between that and everyone going about their business in JKP later felt odd. I'm glad they didn't do much with the fact Fran could blackmail our heros now and I like how she's getting assertive with them.
A pig monster? Who was he -- Pudgy Pig's brother? O_o And prank calling? That's a new one. Cute delivery vehicle.
Lily playing the bad girl worked pretty well. I liked how the last quill stuck in her caused it.
Interesting verification that Jarrod is "human Dai Shi" and is therefor responsible about what happened in the "beast war" and why Grizzaka is apparently not happy to be revived. And Grizzaka hates humans. Oooh, this should be good.
4/5. Looking forward to RJ the Ranger and just where the wolf morpher is coming from...
Would've been nice to have continued with the Rangers, RJ and Fran in the loft. The gap between that and everyone going about their business in JKP later felt odd. I'm glad they didn't do much with the fact Fran could blackmail our heros now and I like how she's getting assertive with them.
A pig monster? Who was he -- Pudgy Pig's brother? O_o And prank calling? That's a new one. Cute delivery vehicle.
Lily playing the bad girl worked pretty well. I liked how the last quill stuck in her caused it.
Interesting verification that Jarrod is "human Dai Shi" and is therefor responsible about what happened in the "beast war" and why Grizzaka is apparently not happy to be revived. And Grizzaka hates humans. Oooh, this should be good.
4/5. Looking forward to RJ the Ranger and just where the wolf morpher is coming from...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
"GHOST OF A CHANCE, I and II" (PR-1613-1614): Facing Fears
This two-parter was great for half then pretty much sunk.
After watching "ONE MASTER TOO MANY" again, I was teetering on giving it a 5, but now I'll finally do it with the first part here. Yeah, overconfidence can be annoying (especially from Superboy Blue), but I'm not at all surprised the Rangers got that way. I liked how the used all 3 weapons and zords because, heck, THEY CAN. Mog never had a chance.
Nice to see Dai Shi/Jarrod wanna get out there and kick some ass. I really felt the "OH SHIT" factor. Pretty sweet battle between him and RJ. Poor Camille just disappeared briefly. >_> Bonus points owning the bike. I liked how the non-speaking temple guards were used too.
Nice to see Master Mao and the forbidden room again. Great to see Michelle Langstone back on the show too.
And then, there was Part II...
Instead of any sort of training with Rilla, Guin and Lope our heros have to....face their fears. Lily's was pretty decent, Theo's was lame and Casey's fear of something in the closet was clearly just the writers catering to the young kids, who may believe something is in their closet. -_- Meh. This could've been done a lot better.
How could the spirit Masters not know anything about Dai Shi escaping or anything? Geez.
Finally, Fran finds out. I liked how she went up to the loft to turn off the TV and saw the Rangers and the action on the screens, since they probably never would've told her otherwise.
The laser-jets just look....weird. It was obvious they milked them to death. The Geki footage certainly looked better. SWAT and Legend Modes had better intro episodes than this. :\
Loved Fran's line at the end: "Hello Rangers. Power....Rangers..." The Rangers and RJs reactions were great.
Based on this season individually, Part I was awesome -- everything I'd expect. Part II gets a 3, for not being TOO bad, but enough that could've been done differently. And RJ was great as always in both parts. Totally the best written character with the best lines. :D
After watching "ONE MASTER TOO MANY" again, I was teetering on giving it a 5, but now I'll finally do it with the first part here. Yeah, overconfidence can be annoying (especially from Superboy Blue), but I'm not at all surprised the Rangers got that way. I liked how the used all 3 weapons and zords because, heck, THEY CAN. Mog never had a chance.
Nice to see Dai Shi/Jarrod wanna get out there and kick some ass. I really felt the "OH SHIT" factor. Pretty sweet battle between him and RJ. Poor Camille just disappeared briefly. >_> Bonus points owning the bike. I liked how the non-speaking temple guards were used too.
Nice to see Master Mao and the forbidden room again. Great to see Michelle Langstone back on the show too.
And then, there was Part II...
Instead of any sort of training with Rilla, Guin and Lope our heros have to....face their fears. Lily's was pretty decent, Theo's was lame and Casey's fear of something in the closet was clearly just the writers catering to the young kids, who may believe something is in their closet. -_- Meh. This could've been done a lot better.
How could the spirit Masters not know anything about Dai Shi escaping or anything? Geez.
Finally, Fran finds out. I liked how she went up to the loft to turn off the TV and saw the Rangers and the action on the screens, since they probably never would've told her otherwise.
The laser-jets just look....weird. It was obvious they milked them to death. The Geki footage certainly looked better. SWAT and Legend Modes had better intro episodes than this. :\
Loved Fran's line at the end: "Hello Rangers. Power....Rangers..." The Rangers and RJs reactions were great.
Based on this season individually, Part I was awesome -- everything I'd expect. Part II gets a 3, for not being TOO bad, but enough that could've been done differently. And RJ was great as always in both parts. Totally the best written character with the best lines. :D
Monday, May 26, 2008
Smallville Season Finale "Arctic": Lex's Last Stand
This was a classic case of me getting my hopes up a little much. It was a good season finale, but the lack of sheer doom seen in the past and Lex in the Fortress only being a few minutes long (SMASH! And there goes the Fortress!), kinda left me wanting more. I remember reading John Schneider and John Glover were going to appear again, so I was kinda letdown that never happened.
Laura played evil Kara nicely. Just when did Brainiac take her form? Clark assumed she never made it back from Krypton, but I'm thinking a confrontation happened after she got the headache and fell to the floor. Otherwise, why would Brainiac need to pretend to be her at night when Clark wasn't around (if she had in fact never returned)? I just knew Brainiac would do something nasty. Either it'll take Clark all of next season to get her out, or she'll finally get out on her own (with or without someone else) in time for the last episode. Miss you, Kara. :(
I really liked Brainiac's "What the hell are you?" to Chloe. A little confusing what happened to him. Was he just weakened? Hopefully it's not the end...
Lana's dumping-via-DVD was weak, but when you consider the pain she went through during the coma, I'll let it slide. Good riddance -- until she returns for a guest appearance anyway.
Geez, even if I hadn't known Chloe would be arrested, you could practically hear the guards approaching the place. >_>
Damn, we got jipped on Lex outside the Fortress from the promo. >_< Very nice final scene. Michael played it well... I just wish (as I'm sure everyone else does) that it would've been a little longer. I liked how he really thought he was helping to save humanity and despite becoming more and more darker, kept his cool and told Clark he loved him like a brother. I would've expected more dramatic rage, but perhaps he was so relieved to know the truth that the one final outburst was enough. Calling Clark by his Kryptonian name was just the icing on the cake and made up for the fact he didn't say Krypton, despite hearing the latter on-screen. I really hope they don't pull a "3 months later" thing.
It'll be interesting next season with the intros of Doomsday and Tess, Lex missing and probably more time for Jimmy and Lois. Will Erica finally be in a full season? I expect more and more Clois moments like the one we had here.
Laura played evil Kara nicely. Just when did Brainiac take her form? Clark assumed she never made it back from Krypton, but I'm thinking a confrontation happened after she got the headache and fell to the floor. Otherwise, why would Brainiac need to pretend to be her at night when Clark wasn't around (if she had in fact never returned)? I just knew Brainiac would do something nasty. Either it'll take Clark all of next season to get her out, or she'll finally get out on her own (with or without someone else) in time for the last episode. Miss you, Kara. :(
I really liked Brainiac's "What the hell are you?" to Chloe. A little confusing what happened to him. Was he just weakened? Hopefully it's not the end...
Lana's dumping-via-DVD was weak, but when you consider the pain she went through during the coma, I'll let it slide. Good riddance -- until she returns for a guest appearance anyway.
Geez, even if I hadn't known Chloe would be arrested, you could practically hear the guards approaching the place. >_>
Damn, we got jipped on Lex outside the Fortress from the promo. >_< Very nice final scene. Michael played it well... I just wish (as I'm sure everyone else does) that it would've been a little longer. I liked how he really thought he was helping to save humanity and despite becoming more and more darker, kept his cool and told Clark he loved him like a brother. I would've expected more dramatic rage, but perhaps he was so relieved to know the truth that the one final outburst was enough. Calling Clark by his Kryptonian name was just the icing on the cake and made up for the fact he didn't say Krypton, despite hearing the latter on-screen. I really hope they don't pull a "3 months later" thing.
It'll be interesting next season with the intros of Doomsday and Tess, Lex missing and probably more time for Jimmy and Lois. Will Erica finally be in a full season? I expect more and more Clois moments like the one we had here.
Friday, May 23, 2008
"ONE MASTER TOO MANY" (PR-1612): Shark and Wolf
Another good Master/zord intro episode. Good father/son focus between RJ and Master Finn. Great action sequences with Master Finn and the shark sabers too.
Isn't Jellica training Jarrod and Camille getting jealous just being overly redundant now? How long is this gonna go on??
Casey sure got the real sabers quickly when he morphed, after he had just been training and told he would get them when we had mastered it.
Nice character development with RJ as well and to see the wolf spirit.
Once again, a 4. These episodes just need that extra oompfh for me to give a 5.
Isn't Jellica training Jarrod and Camille getting jealous just being overly redundant now? How long is this gonna go on??
Casey sure got the real sabers quickly when he morphed, after he had just been training and told he would get them when we had mastered it.
Nice character development with RJ as well and to see the wolf spirit.
Once again, a 4. These episodes just need that extra oompfh for me to give a 5.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
"PUSHED TO THE EDGE" (PR-1611): Conflicted Camille
You know what I love about this season? Actual villain focus. If you can't figure out how to write the Rangers, write the evil guys! This is what I used to enjoy about the old days so much, except there'd me more eps to work with obviously.
Lily can defeat Carden -- who didn't even have to return -- by herself (with a seldom used GekiYellow attack no less) and Casey again uses the bike on Rinshi. Oh boy. -_-
I liked how Camille, feeling down after being told how useless she was for the zillionth time, morphed into a normal blond and tried to lay low in JKP. Would've liked to see her keep up the disguise longer.
Camille said Jarrod? Oops. And she said she had no good in her, but couldn't kill Lily and helped Casey and Theo... >_>
Jellica was a pretty interesting villain right from the start. Good intro. Carnisoar was sure quick to quit the training after she took over.
Wow, the last scene was straight outta MMPR.
4/5
Lily can defeat Carden -- who didn't even have to return -- by herself (with a seldom used GekiYellow attack no less) and Casey again uses the bike on Rinshi. Oh boy. -_-
I liked how Camille, feeling down after being told how useless she was for the zillionth time, morphed into a normal blond and tried to lay low in JKP. Would've liked to see her keep up the disguise longer.
Camille said Jarrod? Oops. And she said she had no good in her, but couldn't kill Lily and helped Casey and Theo... >_>
Jellica was a pretty interesting villain right from the start. Good intro. Carnisoar was sure quick to quit the training after she took over.
Wow, the last scene was straight outta MMPR.
4/5
Smallville 7.19 "Quest": Clock and Clues
When Tess takes over Luthor mansion next season, I hope she'll have much better security than Lex. -_-
Good to see Clark finally want to resolve the mess by telling Lex who he is. Nice moment before he finds out for himself.
I liked how Edward Teague left hints for Clark to get him to come to the church. Interesting reasoning he had about wanting to destroy him. I was surprised they let Teague live.
Bah, Chloe practically came outta nowhere to save Clark. Oh how I wish Oliver would make one more appearance every time they mention him.
Lex's "quest" to put the clues together, ending with the sphere pointing to the Fortress of Solitude, was very nicely done. Pretty nifty how the castle/Luthor mansion tied into it. I liked how the cryptograph Lex had fit inside the grandfather clock too, done as a side project by Virgil Swann.
I was a little disappointed Kara was nowhere to be seen, otherwise it turned out to be a good episode for the second-to-last. It's always hard to believe when we reach this time in the season, but especially when you realize it's episode 19.
Looks like we'll be in for hopefully a great Kara vs Clark fight. Since Brainiac now has control over her it seems, I hope he's back next season.
I won't be surprised if Lex does end up in the Phantom Zone and do wonder if Jor-El will have any hand in his fate (not to mention what he will and won't remember when he returns).
Good to see Clark finally want to resolve the mess by telling Lex who he is. Nice moment before he finds out for himself.
I liked how Edward Teague left hints for Clark to get him to come to the church. Interesting reasoning he had about wanting to destroy him. I was surprised they let Teague live.
Bah, Chloe practically came outta nowhere to save Clark. Oh how I wish Oliver would make one more appearance every time they mention him.
Lex's "quest" to put the clues together, ending with the sphere pointing to the Fortress of Solitude, was very nicely done. Pretty nifty how the castle/Luthor mansion tied into it. I liked how the cryptograph Lex had fit inside the grandfather clock too, done as a side project by Virgil Swann.
I was a little disappointed Kara was nowhere to be seen, otherwise it turned out to be a good episode for the second-to-last. It's always hard to believe when we reach this time in the season, but especially when you realize it's episode 19.
Looks like we'll be in for hopefully a great Kara vs Clark fight. Since Brainiac now has control over her it seems, I hope he's back next season.
I won't be surprised if Lex does end up in the Phantom Zone and do wonder if Jor-El will have any hand in his fate (not to mention what he will and won't remember when he returns).
Monday, May 5, 2008
"BLIND LEADING THE BLIND" (PR-1610): Batman and Theo
With Theo trying to be Superboy again, I wondered how this would turn out. Aside from his absolutely unneeded cocky "I-can-do-everything" attitude, it turned out to be a pretty fun episode.
The fight sequences were pretty cool. I enjoyed Carden and Bai Lai double team on the Rangers.
Master Swoop was awesome. The training was very nicely done. Nice job trying to make the same old forest look different too.
Flit appeared, but didn't comment on the Bat Powered Megazord? It's like the writers knew we'd find him annoying, so they went ahead and phased him out!
Always love a zord battle that takes to the sky.
4/5
The fight sequences were pretty cool. I enjoyed Carden and Bai Lai double team on the Rangers.
Master Swoop was awesome. The training was very nicely done. Nice job trying to make the same old forest look different too.
Flit appeared, but didn't comment on the Bat Powered Megazord? It's like the writers knew we'd find him annoying, so they went ahead and phased him out!
Always love a zord battle that takes to the sky.
4/5
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Smallville #150 "Apocalypse": Not in Kansas anymore
Well, that was an interesting "It's a Wonderful Life" style episode.
Nice AU story for Lana and Lois as the ace reporter she eventually becomes. It was different to see Chloe with someone of say a little more higher quality than like Jimmy.
And damn, it was different to see Brainiac win and Clark bite the bullet (literally).
Brainiac had some great lines too. Loved the look on his face when Kara defeated him like he was saying, "YOU CANNOT KILL ME!" James is so awesome. ^_^
And on that, I couldn't help but cringe when Kara, not once, but twice, was sure she destroyed him. >_>
Brainiac must've grabbed baby Kal-El after Jor-El and Lara sent him off and left, which is why he was in the same exact place. I really like the way the scene played out and to see Krypton explode.
Can't wait to see what Brainiac does now and Lex getting his suspicions answered at last.
4/5
Nice AU story for Lana and Lois as the ace reporter she eventually becomes. It was different to see Chloe with someone of say a little more higher quality than like Jimmy.
And damn, it was different to see Brainiac win and Clark bite the bullet (literally).
Brainiac had some great lines too. Loved the look on his face when Kara defeated him like he was saying, "YOU CANNOT KILL ME!" James is so awesome. ^_^
And on that, I couldn't help but cringe when Kara, not once, but twice, was sure she destroyed him. >_>
Brainiac must've grabbed baby Kal-El after Jor-El and Lara sent him off and left, which is why he was in the same exact place. I really like the way the scene played out and to see Krypton explode.
Can't wait to see what Brainiac does now and Lex getting his suspicions answered at last.
4/5
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Smallville 7.17 "Sleeper": Olsen, Jimmy Olsen
I was pretty much set for this to be another "Noir" filler, but it turned out to be pretty cool. In terms of Jimmy eps, I'd probably go with this. I liked the secret agent thing he had going and how the feds busted Chloe after all her satellite hacking.
God Clark is funny. Jimmy wasn't talking about YOU, doofus. -_- And sheesh, enough about Lana!
The control center being next door to the night club felt a bit odd.
Jimmy defeated Vanessa (the fed agent) WAY too easy. Although it was nice to see someone other than Clark save the day for once. Now that he basically sold his soul to Lex (to get the feds to forget Chloe), what will he have to do later? Why do I get the feeling Jimmy won't be around much longer...
Lex obtained the box WAY too easy. I didn't think it would even happen in the episode after he got held up by the government.
So Brainiac went back to Krypton in '89 to stop young Clark from coming to Earth? Love the S.O.S. from Kara and the Back to the Future feel to this.
4/5
Also, I finally watched the shows first episode. It was great to finally see the first meteor shower and Clark saving Lex. And wow....Lex trying to be Clark's friend. ^_^ Although I don't intend on watching anymore season 1 until the show ends next year (I joined in season 4).
God Clark is funny. Jimmy wasn't talking about YOU, doofus. -_- And sheesh, enough about Lana!
The control center being next door to the night club felt a bit odd.
Jimmy defeated Vanessa (the fed agent) WAY too easy. Although it was nice to see someone other than Clark save the day for once. Now that he basically sold his soul to Lex (to get the feds to forget Chloe), what will he have to do later? Why do I get the feeling Jimmy won't be around much longer...
Lex obtained the box WAY too easy. I didn't think it would even happen in the episode after he got held up by the government.
So Brainiac went back to Krypton in '89 to stop young Clark from coming to Earth? Love the S.O.S. from Kara and the Back to the Future feel to this.
4/5
Also, I finally watched the shows first episode. It was great to finally see the first meteor shower and Clark saving Lex. And wow....Lex trying to be Clark's friend. ^_^ Although I don't intend on watching anymore season 1 until the show ends next year (I joined in season 4).
"GOOD KARMA, BAD KARMA" (PR-1609): Stealing and Slimey
This was another very mediocre, kinda strange episode. The "stealing is wrong" moral was alright, but I didn't care for it much.
Carnisoar going into the past with Jarrod to change the goodness in his memories potentially could've been good. Instead, it was done pretty lame. Oooh, cheating on a test... Very watered down school kids fighting... If Jarrod was "good" as a boy (and he seemed very good), exactly when and why did he become such a jerk? And he'll never reach full power if he still says "... but cheating is wrong." >_>
This episode messed up the whole Dai Shi possessing Jarrod too. It had seemed like Dai Shi had been in control and Jarrod was just the vessel. Now, they're leaning towards it's still Jarrod... Yet, Camille still refers to him as Dai Shi and should have no idea who Jarrod is.
Would've been nicer if Casey had gone ahead morphed in front of Josh and "borrowed" the kite, instead of taking it and sending him away.
And hey, Camille and Flit weren't around during the zord battle for once.
3/5
Also...
WOO-FREAKING-HOO!
Carnisoar going into the past with Jarrod to change the goodness in his memories potentially could've been good. Instead, it was done pretty lame. Oooh, cheating on a test... Very watered down school kids fighting... If Jarrod was "good" as a boy (and he seemed very good), exactly when and why did he become such a jerk? And he'll never reach full power if he still says "... but cheating is wrong." >_>
This episode messed up the whole Dai Shi possessing Jarrod too. It had seemed like Dai Shi had been in control and Jarrod was just the vessel. Now, they're leaning towards it's still Jarrod... Yet, Camille still refers to him as Dai Shi and should have no idea who Jarrod is.
Would've been nicer if Casey had gone ahead morphed in front of Josh and "borrowed" the kite, instead of taking it and sending him away.
And hey, Camille and Flit weren't around during the zord battle for once.
3/5
Also...
WOO-FREAKING-HOO!
Friday, April 18, 2008
No foolin'
April Fools in this fandom (especially on Rangerboard) is always weird and this year was no different.
However, thanks to Poweranimals and his source, two bits of news have come up within the past couple weeks that are NO joke. A Go-onger adaptation is in the works and Jungle Fury will be teaming up with Ninja Storm.
As much as I don't like Go-on's mecha, I'll at least give it a chance next year. It sounds like it's more of a parody of sentai, along the lines of CarRanger and doing something different than the past couple years. So whether or not it's produced in Canada and by a new team, they probably won't be able to use a lot of the footage. Also according to Poweranimals, they don't really like that the mecha talks, but won't be able to get around it. It'll certainly be an interesting year to see what happens with this. One thing that's pretty likely is that next years PR will have to be GREAT (in other words, Kalish will have to leave), otherwise I'll be through with the commentary.
For the teamup, I'm happy we'll at least get to see the Wind Rangers together again over the OO Rangers. Whether or not they didn't want OO back because they didn't like Benta or they'd rather do something with NS and their powers -- who knows. Hopefully the person who helped RJ tap into the morphing grid was in fact Sensei, not Hartford. ^_^
However, thanks to Poweranimals and his source, two bits of news have come up within the past couple weeks that are NO joke. A Go-onger adaptation is in the works and Jungle Fury will be teaming up with Ninja Storm.
As much as I don't like Go-on's mecha, I'll at least give it a chance next year. It sounds like it's more of a parody of sentai, along the lines of CarRanger and doing something different than the past couple years. So whether or not it's produced in Canada and by a new team, they probably won't be able to use a lot of the footage. Also according to Poweranimals, they don't really like that the mecha talks, but won't be able to get around it. It'll certainly be an interesting year to see what happens with this. One thing that's pretty likely is that next years PR will have to be GREAT (in other words, Kalish will have to leave), otherwise I'll be through with the commentary.
For the teamup, I'm happy we'll at least get to see the Wind Rangers together again over the OO Rangers. Whether or not they didn't want OO back because they didn't like Benta or they'd rather do something with NS and their powers -- who knows. Hopefully the person who helped RJ tap into the morphing grid was in fact Sensei, not Hartford. ^_^
Sunday, April 6, 2008
"WAY OF THE MASTER" (PR-1608): Phantastic
This was another one I enjoyed. As much as I would've liked Elephant Ranger, Master Phant being a cranky old guy worked just fine. I liked his story about being too old for the academy and basically forced into retirement. And how it took a surprise attack on Lily to get him to unleash the elephant.
"Jungle Pride with Elephant Power?" Meh... Should be "Elephant Armor" or "Elephant Mode."
I enjoyed how the Jungle Mace was used by Lily and then with the Megazord.
Ooooh, the Kenma Bracelet! Why wasn't it hinted at sooner? That's right, Dai Shi... Get out and DO SOMETHING.
The break from JKP was good too after the past few episodes.
Even Flit isn't so bad now. I'm more annoyed by the fact he's not being used to give the play-by-play to Dai Shi or RJ.
Sounds like Master Phant will return again as Lily told him they may need his help again someday. I'm expecting all the Masters will be involved in the final battle if they really are gonna have a big finale.
The "Go-onger" bike is still crap, but it was small compared to rest of a well done episode. 4/5
And, one point I thought I'd mention that Chris Funaro recently talked about on Rangercast is that Dai Shi basically morphs by channeling his Black Lion spirit. No morph call or anything. Therefore, if the Rangers hadn't received their morphers, they too should be able to morph without anything. I kinda feel like Dai Shi should say "Black Lion Power!" or "By the Power of the Black Lion!" when he morphs. As for Camille, I like her new morph, but why are we just getting it now? She too should say something like "By the Power of the Chameleon!" or just insta-morph like before.
"Jungle Pride with Elephant Power?" Meh... Should be "Elephant Armor" or "Elephant Mode."
I enjoyed how the Jungle Mace was used by Lily and then with the Megazord.
Ooooh, the Kenma Bracelet! Why wasn't it hinted at sooner? That's right, Dai Shi... Get out and DO SOMETHING.
The break from JKP was good too after the past few episodes.
Even Flit isn't so bad now. I'm more annoyed by the fact he's not being used to give the play-by-play to Dai Shi or RJ.
Sounds like Master Phant will return again as Lily told him they may need his help again someday. I'm expecting all the Masters will be involved in the final battle if they really are gonna have a big finale.
The "Go-onger" bike is still crap, but it was small compared to rest of a well done episode. 4/5
And, one point I thought I'd mention that Chris Funaro recently talked about on Rangercast is that Dai Shi basically morphs by channeling his Black Lion spirit. No morph call or anything. Therefore, if the Rangers hadn't received their morphers, they too should be able to morph without anything. I kinda feel like Dai Shi should say "Black Lion Power!" or "By the Power of the Black Lion!" when he morphs. As for Camille, I like her new morph, but why are we just getting it now? She too should say something like "By the Power of the Chameleon!" or just insta-morph like before.
Monday, March 31, 2008
"PIZZA SLICE OF LIFE" (PR-1607): Vicious Villains
Still behind on Geki, I had no idea what would happen in this episode and I was pleasantly surprised to find out.
We hadn't had an episode focusing on the villains with the Rangers as a B-plot in quite sometime... Not since Kalish took over anyway. Naja's betrayal -- fighting Camille, realizing they were going nowhere with Dai Shi and wanting to kill him -- was excellent.
The Rangers and Fran at JKP was decent too and quite humorous. Although Theo's attitude and the Rangers lack of being able to work together is getting old.
Outside Dai Shi's base is bright and IDENTICAL to the Pai Zhua Academy? Give me a fucking break. I thought it was supposed to be in another dimension or something?
Nice to have a break from Flit and a zord battle.
4/5
We hadn't had an episode focusing on the villains with the Rangers as a B-plot in quite sometime... Not since Kalish took over anyway. Naja's betrayal -- fighting Camille, realizing they were going nowhere with Dai Shi and wanting to kill him -- was excellent.
The Rangers and Fran at JKP was decent too and quite humorous. Although Theo's attitude and the Rangers lack of being able to work together is getting old.
Outside Dai Shi's base is bright and IDENTICAL to the Pai Zhua Academy? Give me a fucking break. I thought it was supposed to be in another dimension or something?
Nice to have a break from Flit and a zord battle.
4/5
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
"DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY" (PR-1606): All Filler, No Thriller
Jungle Fury has yet to really redeem itself after "A TASTE OF POISON." This was just a weird episode. Do I blame Geki for doing this originally or JF for straight ripping it? I haven't seen Geki's version yet (which I'm sure is a little better anyway), so probably both is to blame but more so our writers complete lack of doing anything but a translation. -_-
Monsters getting character development. Oh boy. Of course we'll never get anywhere with the Rangers but monsters hooking up is okay! o_O GAH... Do they have to keep in EVERYTHING?!
The "Thriller" dancing Rinishi were cool. I did like that.
Disney must love being able to use the pop tracks as background music. I really don't mind it, actually. But I can't help but wonder who the artists are.
I liked how Lily had to practice the dance moves with the guys, but I really wasn't feeling their rivalry. These fillers are getting old fast and I'm awaiting the Master Phant episode coming up after the next one.
Yet again, 3/5.
Monsters getting character development. Oh boy. Of course we'll never get anywhere with the Rangers but monsters hooking up is okay! o_O GAH... Do they have to keep in EVERYTHING?!
The "Thriller" dancing Rinishi were cool. I did like that.
Disney must love being able to use the pop tracks as background music. I really don't mind it, actually. But I can't help but wonder who the artists are.
I liked how Lily had to practice the dance moves with the guys, but I really wasn't feeling their rivalry. These fillers are getting old fast and I'm awaiting the Master Phant episode coming up after the next one.
Yet again, 3/5.
Monday, March 17, 2008
"CAN'T WIN THEM ALL" (PR-1605): Blue Wonder
For Theo's first focus episode, it was alright.
The episode was a bit superfluous, but I did like how they made Theo out to be a whiz at JKP.
Him just giving up and really having to regain his confidence was dumb. But hey, great speech by RJ -- still the shows best character.
Some deja vu with the Five Fingers was inevitable, but at least it's early (not late) in the season and Dai Shi is still very in control, not one of the Fingers.
Gacko was cool. I enjoyed the battle scenes and how they took place on the side of a building.
3/5
The episode was a bit superfluous, but I did like how they made Theo out to be a whiz at JKP.
Him just giving up and really having to regain his confidence was dumb. But hey, great speech by RJ -- still the shows best character.
Some deja vu with the Five Fingers was inevitable, but at least it's early (not late) in the season and Dai Shi is still very in control, not one of the Fingers.
Gacko was cool. I enjoyed the battle scenes and how they took place on the side of a building.
3/5
Monday, March 10, 2008
"A TASTE OF POISON" (PR-1604): Strike Rider Strikeout
It's that time again. Time for -- THE BIKE.
First though, I enjoyed the introduction and debut of the Five Fingers of Poison. I wish the Rangers meeting Jarrod had happened later, but you really can't expect much from the 32 episodes.
The tower formation was pretty cool, although the return to more wire-fu wasn't. I was kinda starting to get used to not having so much of it. And I'm really enjoying the emphasis on kung-fu and martial arts, even if it is straight ripped.
More fight scenes between Casey and Jarrod would've been nice. A little weird seeing the Geki battle be a dream sequence that was never brought up.
The Five Fingers aren't getting along? Rantipede goes off on his own? (Leading to a battle from the next episode of Geki) Here we go again! -_-
That was absolutely ones of the worst bike sequences the show has ever done. Bad CGI, unnecessary armor and the eyes make it look like it belongs in a Go-onger adaptation, not GekiRanger. o_O They could've at least had Casey use it on Rantipede, not just a horde of Rinshi mostly. I'll give props to Nick for having the better bike at least.
Casey and Lily? Eh, why even bother hinting at a romance? And what was the point of the poison if all it took was a good nights rest?!
3/5. Yeah, I see more 3's coming whenever the Strike Rider is used. -_-
First though, I enjoyed the introduction and debut of the Five Fingers of Poison. I wish the Rangers meeting Jarrod had happened later, but you really can't expect much from the 32 episodes.
The tower formation was pretty cool, although the return to more wire-fu wasn't. I was kinda starting to get used to not having so much of it. And I'm really enjoying the emphasis on kung-fu and martial arts, even if it is straight ripped.
More fight scenes between Casey and Jarrod would've been nice. A little weird seeing the Geki battle be a dream sequence that was never brought up.
The Five Fingers aren't getting along? Rantipede goes off on his own? (Leading to a battle from the next episode of Geki) Here we go again! -_-
That was absolutely ones of the worst bike sequences the show has ever done. Bad CGI, unnecessary armor and the eyes make it look like it belongs in a Go-onger adaptation, not GekiRanger. o_O They could've at least had Casey use it on Rantipede, not just a horde of Rinshi mostly. I'll give props to Nick for having the better bike at least.
Casey and Lily? Eh, why even bother hinting at a romance? And what was the point of the poison if all it took was a good nights rest?!
3/5. Yeah, I see more 3's coming whenever the Strike Rider is used. -_-
Saturday, March 1, 2008
"WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, I and II: Spirit Unleashed and "SIGH OF THE TIGER": The Next Karate Kid
Between the toys, the Ranger promos (albeit short) and the fact it's the last year (at least in New Zealand), I couldn't help but feel excited for the new season this year. I was a little afraid it would go unwarranted, but it didn't. For the first time, I watched the premiere knowing exactly what happened in the sentai. It makes GekiRanger more fun for me and (at least in this case) didn't take away from it. Another reason I was ready to get this underway -- I absolutely love Geki's story theme and the suits. Yeah, Jungle Fury is basically a straight rip, but there should be enough new and re-done fight scenes to keep my interest in both than to feel like deja vu. Can't get any worse than some of MF and OO's weird footage adaptations/character development -- or Ten Terrors eps. >_>
Now let's break it down:
Turning on the premiere, it was great to hear the theme for the first time (which hadn't happened since the "DAY OF THE DINO" ABC Family premiere). Reminds me of sort of a lighter mix of the Ninja Storm theme. Sounds much more like something Disney would do than the power-pop rap.
I like how the show began with Lily, Theo and Jarrod honing their kung-fu skills before being chosen to go up to the next level by Master Mao. And then Jarrod gets expelled and Casey the cub is chosen to take his place. A little more focus on Jarrod being a bully would've been nice, but I liked it. And great to have a Red who's there right from the start.
Interesting how the great evil spirit was sealed by warriors over 10,000 years ago. Couldn't they have made the box say, have a lock? -_-
I like how it was setup that the Rangers met RJ at Jungle Karma Pizza and the command base is a simple loft up and behind it. Now of course they work there. Fran joining the staff so quickly was pretty silly, but for the most part I thought the humor was well done (especially when they thought the old Asian guy was their master). The "12:32 lunch rush" reminds me of the high school lunch rush at the grocery store I work at.
Really liked when RJ gave our heros the morphers. Yeah, I'm sure that ol' what's-his-name had something to do with it, but that name doesn't need to be mentioned in the show ever again. As for the sunglasses, I wasn't sure what to except at first, but it's kind of a new spin on morphing and I like how the helmets are formed out of them. The transformation sequence is pretty cool.
Right away RJ reminds me quite a bit of Toby. Barnie Duncan doing this role wouldn't have worked because of that obviously, so I'm glad they have someone who seems they'll do a good job with it (not to mention becoming a Ranger when that episode happens). Also, nice to see a tough Blue Ranger this year in Theo -- a total change from Dax. Lily's ditzy attitude was kinda lame. Gotta say she looks pretty good though, especially in the work clothes and normal attire. As for Fran -- How funny. Ya know, it's fun to be a regular of Rangerboard sometimes. <_<
I liked how Casey couldn't figure out how to morph at first. Of course they gotta do something to make Red go last and this was a nice change from always showing up to save the day when the others are in danger.
I don't mind Bae so much in Geki, but having to listen to Flit will be more annoying it seems. They better give him something later on.
It would've been cooler if they had waited until the third of fourth episode to reveal Jarrod as Dai Shi, but at least they waited until the end of the premiere. Great job making his voice deeper. And wow! Holly as Camille is totally different than Leelee! NICE! Also, I rather like that they kept the name Rinshi and how they can be powered up to create the MoTDs (even if getting the power ups does seem to be random).
Hopefully this will be a year I like the villains for the ENTIRE season, but they do always seem to mess SOMETHING up (i.e. As much as I liked the underworld villains for much of MF, we all know what eventually happened). The villains(s)-of-the-week theme in OO wasn't too bad, but at this point I'm really digging Dai Shi and the gang. Nice job recreating the RinJuDen too.
Going into "SIGH OF THE TIGER" the first thing that came to mind was whether Casey would be cleaning the floor. I enjoyed the flow of the episode and how RJ had him do various things that tied into training to fight Bullalord. Unlike past Reds, Casey wanted to get BETTER, not quit. Good job.
Camille breaking into the museum was pretty OO-ish, but it was okay. I figured they'd use part of and/or redo some of the Rinirinshi stuff from Geki.
Poor Fran. She really got it. Jungle Karma Pizza = Best use of the Rangers hang out/employer and extras since DinoThunder BY FAR.
Not surprised Casey did clean the floor, but I would've thought they'd use the Geki battle footage.
LOVIN' the one minute instrumental.
4/5 for all three episodes. I'm pretty much ready to write-off Operation Overdrive altogether. <_<
Now let's break it down:
Turning on the premiere, it was great to hear the theme for the first time (which hadn't happened since the "DAY OF THE DINO" ABC Family premiere). Reminds me of sort of a lighter mix of the Ninja Storm theme. Sounds much more like something Disney would do than the power-pop rap.
I like how the show began with Lily, Theo and Jarrod honing their kung-fu skills before being chosen to go up to the next level by Master Mao. And then Jarrod gets expelled and Casey the cub is chosen to take his place. A little more focus on Jarrod being a bully would've been nice, but I liked it. And great to have a Red who's there right from the start.
Interesting how the great evil spirit was sealed by warriors over 10,000 years ago. Couldn't they have made the box say, have a lock? -_-
I like how it was setup that the Rangers met RJ at Jungle Karma Pizza and the command base is a simple loft up and behind it. Now of course they work there. Fran joining the staff so quickly was pretty silly, but for the most part I thought the humor was well done (especially when they thought the old Asian guy was their master). The "12:32 lunch rush" reminds me of the high school lunch rush at the grocery store I work at.
Really liked when RJ gave our heros the morphers. Yeah, I'm sure that ol' what's-his-name had something to do with it, but that name doesn't need to be mentioned in the show ever again. As for the sunglasses, I wasn't sure what to except at first, but it's kind of a new spin on morphing and I like how the helmets are formed out of them. The transformation sequence is pretty cool.
Right away RJ reminds me quite a bit of Toby. Barnie Duncan doing this role wouldn't have worked because of that obviously, so I'm glad they have someone who seems they'll do a good job with it (not to mention becoming a Ranger when that episode happens). Also, nice to see a tough Blue Ranger this year in Theo -- a total change from Dax. Lily's ditzy attitude was kinda lame. Gotta say she looks pretty good though, especially in the work clothes and normal attire. As for Fran -- How funny. Ya know, it's fun to be a regular of Rangerboard sometimes. <_<
I liked how Casey couldn't figure out how to morph at first. Of course they gotta do something to make Red go last and this was a nice change from always showing up to save the day when the others are in danger.
I don't mind Bae so much in Geki, but having to listen to Flit will be more annoying it seems. They better give him something later on.
It would've been cooler if they had waited until the third of fourth episode to reveal Jarrod as Dai Shi, but at least they waited until the end of the premiere. Great job making his voice deeper. And wow! Holly as Camille is totally different than Leelee! NICE! Also, I rather like that they kept the name Rinshi and how they can be powered up to create the MoTDs (even if getting the power ups does seem to be random).
Hopefully this will be a year I like the villains for the ENTIRE season, but they do always seem to mess SOMETHING up (i.e. As much as I liked the underworld villains for much of MF, we all know what eventually happened). The villains(s)-of-the-week theme in OO wasn't too bad, but at this point I'm really digging Dai Shi and the gang. Nice job recreating the RinJuDen too.
Going into "SIGH OF THE TIGER" the first thing that came to mind was whether Casey would be cleaning the floor. I enjoyed the flow of the episode and how RJ had him do various things that tied into training to fight Bullalord. Unlike past Reds, Casey wanted to get BETTER, not quit. Good job.
Camille breaking into the museum was pretty OO-ish, but it was okay. I figured they'd use part of and/or redo some of the Rinirinshi stuff from Geki.
Poor Fran. She really got it. Jungle Karma Pizza = Best use of the Rangers hang out/employer and extras since DinoThunder BY FAR.
Not surprised Casey did clean the floor, but I would've thought they'd use the Geki battle footage.
LOVIN' the one minute instrumental.
4/5 for all three episodes. I'm pretty much ready to write-off Operation Overdrive altogether. <_<
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
"Wild For... Wild Force!" Revisited
During PR's off-season I was revisiting Wild Force -- looking back 5 years later. The days of playing back the most recent season during the winter are LONG over and as the years go by it's fun to look back on the older stuff.
Over the years the thing I hear most about is how awful the acting was. Yeah, Ricardo was no TV actor, Alyssa was a little too cheerful... Danny, Princess Shayla... eh. I've never really let the acting bother me much though and everything else Wild Force had going pretty much made up for it. It was close to the sentai but not a totally straight rip like the latter part of Time Force.
One thing I realize much more now is how BEAUTIFUL Wild Force was in terms of directing (Gotta hand it to Koichi and Taro for that). "THE MASTER'S LAST STAND" is still one of the most unique eps the Production team did and easily the best time I had (since revisiting Lightspeed in 2005) watching an episode I hadn't seen in a couple years. I always enjoyed the villain dynamics the show used to have (especially towards the end) and Jindrax/Toxica were fun to watch progress.
As we all know, Wild Force was a huge end of an era. It was a great 10th anniversary for the show and a nice final hurrah for MMPR Productions.
**All-new episode commentary begins soon!**
Over the years the thing I hear most about is how awful the acting was. Yeah, Ricardo was no TV actor, Alyssa was a little too cheerful... Danny, Princess Shayla... eh. I've never really let the acting bother me much though and everything else Wild Force had going pretty much made up for it. It was close to the sentai but not a totally straight rip like the latter part of Time Force.
One thing I realize much more now is how BEAUTIFUL Wild Force was in terms of directing (Gotta hand it to Koichi and Taro for that). "THE MASTER'S LAST STAND" is still one of the most unique eps the Production team did and easily the best time I had (since revisiting Lightspeed in 2005) watching an episode I hadn't seen in a couple years. I always enjoyed the villain dynamics the show used to have (especially towards the end) and Jindrax/Toxica were fun to watch progress.
As we all know, Wild Force was a huge end of an era. It was a great 10th anniversary for the show and a nice final hurrah for MMPR Productions.
**All-new episode commentary begins soon!**
Thursday, January 24, 2008
In the jungle, the mighty jungle...
Although I got a little worried when it was reported Jungle Fury has a smaller budget, I'd say it's looking good so far. We have a nice batch of actors and among them the return of Holly Shanahan. I'm still very glad this'll be PR's last season premiere and hope it'll be done better than "KICK INTO OVERDRIVE." I dunno how I'll feel about another story with a training academy, but if the show does its own thing well enough and makes sense, I'll be happy.
The most I'm excited about as we wait for the premiere is definitely the toys. The main and PR-exclusive Rangers look great and I really like the Jungle Pride Megazord. I don't own very many zords and only have the TF and WF Rangers (and the non-articulated anniversary Reds), but I can't pass these up. It sounds like the exclusive Rangers will be in the show too, so this should be a good way to go out. And we have the new Lord Zedd and original Green Ranger coming in March. Good times.
The most I'm excited about as we wait for the premiere is definitely the toys. The main and PR-exclusive Rangers look great and I really like the Jungle Pride Megazord. I don't own very many zords and only have the TF and WF Rangers (and the non-articulated anniversary Reds), but I can't pass these up. It sounds like the exclusive Rangers will be in the show too, so this should be a good way to go out. And we have the new Lord Zedd and original Green Ranger coming in March. Good times.
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