I had high hopes for next year using Gokaiger footage to pay tribute to PR's 20th but that all went downhill with how things have gone. It's quite mind-boggling how poorly the whole invited/uninvited and "budget restrictions" thing has gone when they had so much time to prepare, and were talking to former cast at PMC. Among the names that were rumored then, only JDF is back at this point.
Among the others coming back, I'm glad to see Melody Perkins will be part of it (I'm guessing they'll make her LG Pink) and Danny Slavin is a surprise. Also PJL alongside Selwyn Ward as Space Rangers is pretty sweet. Though I would've guessed Selwyn as Turbo Red, it makes sense that they represent In Space, especially if CKL doesn't return and it doesn't leave Patty as the only one. Turbo and possibly Zeo probably won't have anyone, though Roger Velasco may be there and we could be in for another surprise. It seems they're trying to have a mix of colors among the cameos (in addition to the 4+ Reds) which I like.
Even if we may not see JDF and most of these guys until a huge war in the final episode, I look forward to cast being in-suit, with Tommy leading the charge. Hopefully not just Jason Smith will get screentime in other episodes. The cast on-set does have me excited again, but knowing that some Samurai writers returned is a bit worrisome. Plus the lack of confirmation from just anyone from the Disney Era could mean the season-specific zords may be given to the Megaforce team in a matter close to the mechazords.
Ranger Bar's discussion (news/cameos as of May 17):
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
PRM #07-#08: "ROBO KNIGHT"/"PRINCE TAKES KNIGHT"
Between the Guardian of the Earth motif and the toxic mutants created from human pollution, they should make a connection to Wild Force. But they won't, even with the anniversary.
Malkor coming upon the mutants felt random. I thought they could've cut down on their scenes with the Rangers and maybe put in Robo Knight "awakening" or a longer scene at the command center. I didn't think his voice fit that well either. And Troy doesn't say anything about his dreams?! Give me a break.
Besides the brilliant Spongebob placement, the best part was Gia leading the charge into the command center to get answers. I really don't get why they don't make Gosei more like Zordon and interact with the Rangers more. On one hand they want the MMPR nostalgia but then they basically limit Gosei to weapons and zords.
I'll still give "ROBO KNIGHT" a 3/5 since I wasn't terribly offended and the end was awesome. But it was just OK otherwise.
Now "PRINCE TAKES KNIGHT" was a good episode.
Great to see Troy finally mention the dreams and I liked Jake's response. Emma and Noah, not so much.
Loved the group morph. Kind of an old school vibe. So much nicer without "Go Go Megaforce."
I liked this better without the mutants in it and instead Vrak teaming up with Kelson's Psychotick was pretty cool. With Malkor still in charge I hope we get more original villain scenes but for now Vrak's armor transformation isn't a bad place to start.
Thought it was funny when the Rangers hustled out of the command center to begin looking for Robo Knight, while as we all know, MMPR would've had Zordon and Alpha take care of it.
Unmorphed fighting! Bonus points for Gia leading.
Pretty decent focus for Robo Knight - a solid 4/5. Still waiting to give a 5 this season. Perhaps if we had a Red Ranger who was an actor... >_>
Malkor coming upon the mutants felt random. I thought they could've cut down on their scenes with the Rangers and maybe put in Robo Knight "awakening" or a longer scene at the command center. I didn't think his voice fit that well either. And Troy doesn't say anything about his dreams?! Give me a break.
Besides the brilliant Spongebob placement, the best part was Gia leading the charge into the command center to get answers. I really don't get why they don't make Gosei more like Zordon and interact with the Rangers more. On one hand they want the MMPR nostalgia but then they basically limit Gosei to weapons and zords.
I'll still give "ROBO KNIGHT" a 3/5 since I wasn't terribly offended and the end was awesome. But it was just OK otherwise.
Now "PRINCE TAKES KNIGHT" was a good episode.
Great to see Troy finally mention the dreams and I liked Jake's response. Emma and Noah, not so much.
Loved the group morph. Kind of an old school vibe. So much nicer without "Go Go Megaforce."
I liked this better without the mutants in it and instead Vrak teaming up with Kelson's Psychotick was pretty cool. With Malkor still in charge I hope we get more original villain scenes but for now Vrak's armor transformation isn't a bad place to start.
Thought it was funny when the Rangers hustled out of the command center to begin looking for Robo Knight, while as we all know, MMPR would've had Zordon and Alpha take care of it.
Unmorphed fighting! Bonus points for Gia leading.
Pretty decent focus for Robo Knight - a solid 4/5. Still waiting to give a 5 this season. Perhaps if we had a Red Ranger who was an actor... >_>
Friday, March 29, 2013
Recapping PRM first 7 episodes
When the season started, it felt good to be excited for PR again... to actually WANT to talk about it. Besides RPM (which is pretty much in a league of its own) it was the most decent start to a season since Jungle Fury.
The MMPR references got to be a little much but "MEGA MISSION" was night and day to Samurai. And I enjoy the theme. Yeah, the cut to the Samurai portion in the beginning is bad and the roll call is stupid but I feel like they did enough with the new parts. I like how MEGAFORCE is emphasized throughout and "Go Go Power Rangers" works better being the 20th anniversary. "Rangers Forever, Megaforce Altogether" is an improvement and has more bite than the Samurai Forever tagline. I like the way they incorporated shots of the war & other clips and I can forgive the blandness of the logo for dropping the gold lightning bolt. It still pumps me up for the episode, even now that we're well in the season.
With "HE BLASTED ME WITH SCIENCE" I liked the approach they took with the focus on science and the Insectoids wanting to study the human race. Goseiger footage was utilized pretty well. Enjoyed the return of the sentai cockpit footage. Also this had some great foreshadowing. Finally, the writers seem to know what they're doing and (presumably) where they're going.
"GOING VIRAL" further continued to make the Rangers look like real high school teenagers and had one of my absolute favorite moments ever, when Emma asked Gia about Jake's crush. I thought Jake with the axe at school felt very PR-ish to me and there were some great lines, especially at the end. Also I liked the original footage and the matching.
It was kinda weird when Noah tore down the cement block and the civilians just casually walked away. And a quick line from Gosei about how they'll earn new zords would've been nice.
4/5 for all 3 episodes. It seemed like we were on a roll, until things started to take a turn in "STRANGER RANGER" with fight scenes than began to get closer to Goseiger.
Troy vs Creepox was good but I couldn't get past how watered down this was from Alata's training and pushing himself to master the bars. I did like that Troy got the group training going, however learning to use their senses was just OK. I felt like they kinda pushed it when the Rangers could tell Jordan was approaching and they had time to morph. And with Jordan acting like he was a Ranger, you'd think someone would've asked to see his morpher. Also I liked we still got some Gia/Jake in the episode to setup the Land Bros intro.
"UNITED WE STAND" got weird in parts between Beezara making the guys her slaves and some odd Goseiger moments, otherwise it was a decent episode for the girls. And the Sky Brothers got the best intro so far.
I looked forward to "HARMONY AND DIZCHORD" to see how they'd recreate the plot from Goseiger but I wouldn't have expected it'd become Samurai-level translating. I liked Emma's song and it was an improvement over Eri's I thought. Having Troy and Emma have a stronger reaction than the others made no sense since they haven't really touched on the Rangers elements.
Things got better in "WHO'S CRYING NOW?" which had some pretty awesome fight scenes with Creepox. Troy facing the bullies should've happened sooner but it was still a decent plot to go with the action. The morphing got excessive and they could've cut back on the action a bit, and done more with bullies. Why were Troy, Emma and Jake so late to the fight?
3/5 for the next couple episodes (which kinda hurts) and 4/5 for "WHO'S CRYING NOW?". I wanted to be generous but there is a decline in episode quality. Plus there have been no command center scenes since the premiere, Troy is pretty emotionless and Emma looks like is taking after Emily in Samurai. Ciara Hanna is easily the best actor since RPM and the Gia/Jake plotline is a saving grace.
Check me out on Ranger Bar Radio for more in-depth discussion on all things Megaforce.
The MMPR references got to be a little much but "MEGA MISSION" was night and day to Samurai. And I enjoy the theme. Yeah, the cut to the Samurai portion in the beginning is bad and the roll call is stupid but I feel like they did enough with the new parts. I like how MEGAFORCE is emphasized throughout and "Go Go Power Rangers" works better being the 20th anniversary. "Rangers Forever, Megaforce Altogether" is an improvement and has more bite than the Samurai Forever tagline. I like the way they incorporated shots of the war & other clips and I can forgive the blandness of the logo for dropping the gold lightning bolt. It still pumps me up for the episode, even now that we're well in the season.
With "HE BLASTED ME WITH SCIENCE" I liked the approach they took with the focus on science and the Insectoids wanting to study the human race. Goseiger footage was utilized pretty well. Enjoyed the return of the sentai cockpit footage. Also this had some great foreshadowing. Finally, the writers seem to know what they're doing and (presumably) where they're going.
"GOING VIRAL" further continued to make the Rangers look like real high school teenagers and had one of my absolute favorite moments ever, when Emma asked Gia about Jake's crush. I thought Jake with the axe at school felt very PR-ish to me and there were some great lines, especially at the end. Also I liked the original footage and the matching.
It was kinda weird when Noah tore down the cement block and the civilians just casually walked away. And a quick line from Gosei about how they'll earn new zords would've been nice.
4/5 for all 3 episodes. It seemed like we were on a roll, until things started to take a turn in "STRANGER RANGER" with fight scenes than began to get closer to Goseiger.
Troy vs Creepox was good but I couldn't get past how watered down this was from Alata's training and pushing himself to master the bars. I did like that Troy got the group training going, however learning to use their senses was just OK. I felt like they kinda pushed it when the Rangers could tell Jordan was approaching and they had time to morph. And with Jordan acting like he was a Ranger, you'd think someone would've asked to see his morpher. Also I liked we still got some Gia/Jake in the episode to setup the Land Bros intro.
"UNITED WE STAND" got weird in parts between Beezara making the guys her slaves and some odd Goseiger moments, otherwise it was a decent episode for the girls. And the Sky Brothers got the best intro so far.
I looked forward to "HARMONY AND DIZCHORD" to see how they'd recreate the plot from Goseiger but I wouldn't have expected it'd become Samurai-level translating. I liked Emma's song and it was an improvement over Eri's I thought. Having Troy and Emma have a stronger reaction than the others made no sense since they haven't really touched on the Rangers elements.
Things got better in "WHO'S CRYING NOW?" which had some pretty awesome fight scenes with Creepox. Troy facing the bullies should've happened sooner but it was still a decent plot to go with the action. The morphing got excessive and they could've cut back on the action a bit, and done more with bullies. Why were Troy, Emma and Jake so late to the fight?
3/5 for the next couple episodes (which kinda hurts) and 4/5 for "WHO'S CRYING NOW?". I wanted to be generous but there is a decline in episode quality. Plus there have been no command center scenes since the premiere, Troy is pretty emotionless and Emma looks like is taking after Emily in Samurai. Ciara Hanna is easily the best actor since RPM and the Gia/Jake plotline is a saving grace.
Check me out on Ranger Bar Radio for more in-depth discussion on all things Megaforce.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Putting Samurai to Bed and Powering Up For Megaforce
Now that I've thought back on 2 years of Samurai, it's definitely the worst ever from Power Rangers. At first it was alright and picked up somewhat when Antonio joined. Then Super Mode was stalled and it only got worse as the show dragged
on and on with Super Samurai in mostly translated episodes. It started to get frustrating as a fan and rock bottom for the entire legacy was reached with "TRICKSTER TREAT." There was some good though... "HE AIN'T HEAVY METAL, HE'S MY BROTHER" and "THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MUNCHIES" were the biggest and only real creative gems, while "TEST OF THE LEADER," "THE TENGEN GATE" and "THE SEALING SYMBOL" were also really good I thought. There were enough decent plots for several 4/5s I gave out. But for over 40 episodes, it was a fairly small amount, compared to other seasons.
In that regard, I'd put Turbo just above Samurai, which I've always considered the low point that also only had a few episodes I thought were really good (and "CHASE INTO SPACE") out of 45. It got to the point I stopped caring for awhile and missed a bunch of fillers in a second half (something I wouldn't do now unless I stopped watching completely).
Another difference is that it's not fun to hate the show anymore - unlike say, during Mystic Force and Overdrive when Rangercast would go on about how bad the episodes were and bitching about the show was sort of new territory for the fandom (though both seasons did have some really good 2 parters and fillers within the shorter seasons).
Even Disney's worst never had some of the problems Samurai had. Often times the Rangers talked down to the audience and nearly every episode had a flashback from the season. It seemed like the writers never communicated with eachother, the cast was never told how to act properly and so on. Plus all the pre-season hype 2 years ago from the trailer was lost when the third episode aired first and the actual premiere (a direct translation of Shinkenger #1) came later. And Bulk and Spike were utilized badly, especially after the Pink Ranger crush was dropped and they disappeared. I'm glad they at least got to finally meet the Rangers at the end of it all though.
After suffering through all that, I'm optimistic that things can only get better with Megaforce. It won't be as close to the sentai as we've had but a lot of improvement has to be made if this year is gonna be much better. Looking forward to how the villains play out, going back to a high school setting and how exactly burning through the entire Goseiger this year ends up. Hopefully the MMPR nostalgia doesn't get too out of hand and it'd be nice if we find out how Skull became rich and Bulk with practically nothing. I'd say it'll really get interesting when we get to the legend war (maybe as another Nick movie special) and then all the anniversary stuff and cameos in 2014.
In that regard, I'd put Turbo just above Samurai, which I've always considered the low point that also only had a few episodes I thought were really good (and "CHASE INTO SPACE") out of 45. It got to the point I stopped caring for awhile and missed a bunch of fillers in a second half (something I wouldn't do now unless I stopped watching completely).
Another difference is that it's not fun to hate the show anymore - unlike say, during Mystic Force and Overdrive when Rangercast would go on about how bad the episodes were and bitching about the show was sort of new territory for the fandom (though both seasons did have some really good 2 parters and fillers within the shorter seasons).
Even Disney's worst never had some of the problems Samurai had. Often times the Rangers talked down to the audience and nearly every episode had a flashback from the season. It seemed like the writers never communicated with eachother, the cast was never told how to act properly and so on. Plus all the pre-season hype 2 years ago from the trailer was lost when the third episode aired first and the actual premiere (a direct translation of Shinkenger #1) came later. And Bulk and Spike were utilized badly, especially after the Pink Ranger crush was dropped and they disappeared. I'm glad they at least got to finally meet the Rangers at the end of it all though.
After suffering through all that, I'm optimistic that things can only get better with Megaforce. It won't be as close to the sentai as we've had but a lot of improvement has to be made if this year is gonna be much better. Looking forward to how the villains play out, going back to a high school setting and how exactly burning through the entire Goseiger this year ends up. Hopefully the MMPR nostalgia doesn't get too out of hand and it'd be nice if we find out how Skull became rich and Bulk with practically nothing. I'd say it'll really get interesting when we get to the legend war (maybe as another Nick movie special) and then all the anniversary stuff and cameos in 2014.
Friday, January 4, 2013
2012 Wrap-Up: Reality Check
Once that nostalgic timewarp of 2011 fell apart, it was pretty much back to reality in 2012 - one in which several things ended or got cancelled - many of them around the end of the year. And it didn't help the awesome Thundercats update was among the casualties.
I gotta say, one of the worst downward spirals I've ever seen on TV has been the end of G4. I used to like watching Attack of the Show sometimes and they're E3 coverage was great. But then the channel was dropped from DirecTV just over 2 years ago and that was the beginning of the end. Now the network is shutting down and becoming the Esquire Channel. Meanwhile, Gossip Girl ended it's 6 year run and the final season of Merlin is starting on Syfy. December also marked the end of the long-running Nintendo Power magazine, which I'll get to later.
2013 will have more nostalgic fun, as I'll begin watching the MMPR DVDs and The Secret World of Alex Mack season 1 DVD (followed by encodes I'm obtaining). And with the Wii U buzz going on, it's probably going to be the first Nintendo console I won't own, partly because I plan on soon starting the GameCube version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. But I'll definitely get on the bandwagon for Nintendo's next-gen system in 5 years or so (and maybe by then be caught up on games I intend to buy)...
I gotta say, one of the worst downward spirals I've ever seen on TV has been the end of G4. I used to like watching Attack of the Show sometimes and they're E3 coverage was great. But then the channel was dropped from DirecTV just over 2 years ago and that was the beginning of the end. Now the network is shutting down and becoming the Esquire Channel. Meanwhile, Gossip Girl ended it's 6 year run and the final season of Merlin is starting on Syfy. December also marked the end of the long-running Nintendo Power magazine, which I'll get to later.
2013 will have more nostalgic fun, as I'll begin watching the MMPR DVDs and The Secret World of Alex Mack season 1 DVD (followed by encodes I'm obtaining). And with the Wii U buzz going on, it's probably going to be the first Nintendo console I won't own, partly because I plan on soon starting the GameCube version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. But I'll definitely get on the bandwagon for Nintendo's next-gen system in 5 years or so (and maybe by then be caught up on games I intend to buy)...
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Power Rangers Samurai Finale "SAMURAI FORVER"
The unmorphed fight was perfect, getting to see cast do actual stunts, then a pose.
What happened to Xandred going to kidnap Lauren? I could buy if they had stopped him before he got to the Shiba House but it wasn't even brought up. Really enjoyed the fight against Xandred and Shogun finally getting used as a battlizer, among a few refilmed parts beforehand. Awesome... And then Jayden thinks Xandred's gone for good. Oh brother.
Good zord fight and great to see the cast in the crumbling cockpit. Xandred's final speech seemed to allude to what we the fandom already know - the Nighloks and Samurai Rangers will definitely be back.
Bulk and Skull's reunion was kinda over-the-top and Skull acting like a dick was odd. Still, best moment of Samurai. I'm still wrapping my mind over the fact that Bulk BECAME Skull at some point, which completely explains his behavior now. I have a good feeling we'll see them next year but hopefully written better than Bulk and Spike, and not forgetting storylines like Spike's crush.
Lauren leaving made as much sense as when she arrived. And as far as Mentor's gift, past seasons would've tied it in with an interest shown before. Also, liked that they decided to callback Mike/Emily but it's one of the things that could've been hinted at more over Samurai's run.
This was also the first finale without any sort of attack on the Rangers headquarters. It definitely had its good, long-overdue moments but was sloppy in places as well. "THE SEALING SYMBOL" was the better of the 2 but this still earns a 4/5. A pretty fitting end to Samurai.
What happened to Xandred going to kidnap Lauren? I could buy if they had stopped him before he got to the Shiba House but it wasn't even brought up. Really enjoyed the fight against Xandred and Shogun finally getting used as a battlizer, among a few refilmed parts beforehand. Awesome... And then Jayden thinks Xandred's gone for good. Oh brother.
Good zord fight and great to see the cast in the crumbling cockpit. Xandred's final speech seemed to allude to what we the fandom already know - the Nighloks and Samurai Rangers will definitely be back.
Bulk and Skull's reunion was kinda over-the-top and Skull acting like a dick was odd. Still, best moment of Samurai. I'm still wrapping my mind over the fact that Bulk BECAME Skull at some point, which completely explains his behavior now. I have a good feeling we'll see them next year but hopefully written better than Bulk and Spike, and not forgetting storylines like Spike's crush.
Lauren leaving made as much sense as when she arrived. And as far as Mentor's gift, past seasons would've tied it in with an interest shown before. Also, liked that they decided to callback Mike/Emily but it's one of the things that could've been hinted at more over Samurai's run.
This was also the first finale without any sort of attack on the Rangers headquarters. It definitely had its good, long-overdue moments but was sloppy in places as well. "THE SEALING SYMBOL" was the better of the 2 but this still earns a 4/5. A pretty fitting end to Samurai.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Catching up on Super Samurai comments
"STROKE OF FATE"
Good episode written by Amit Bhamuik and a nice end to the Serrator arc.
Antonio's moral dilemma over not finishing off Deker worked
Liked how they combined Deker with the same scene from Shinkenger since it's basically the same character.
Wish Bulk and Spike had been more involved and they had included the interaction with Antonio but for what we did have the bubblegum parts weren't bad.
Awesome zord fight and one my favorites out of all of Samurai. This episode did enough for a 4/5.
"FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE"
Episode started out pretty good. I really liked Fiera and how she used the fire attack against Jayden. But then things got too Japanese I thought, when the team went to battle at the park and we got mostly Shinkenger footage with the cast cut-ins. Jayden firing the bullzooka in a demorph was pretty sweet at least.
I liked Lauren's intro and how she defeated Fiera. But by the time she and Jayden had their talk it all lacked any soul and the last part was the nail in the coffin. I'm not bothered by Jayden leaving - It's just the way it was presented. :\ 3/5
"THE GREAT DUEL"
Better episode this time. Jayden fighting Deker unmorphed was awesome and I enjoyed Lauren's interaction with the others, especially the training scenes. Liked seeing her lead the team in battle and that shes uses a shodophone.
The beginning and end of the episode still kept things a little painful but the rest was still good enough for a 4/5.
"THE SEALING SYMBOL"
After suffering through almost 2 years I was happy to at last reach this point.
Dayu's "sacrifice" reminded me a bit of when Queen Bansheera absorbed Vypra. Kinda different for PR and a nice departure from the villainess-turned-human.
I had less of a problem with Jayden taking back leadership even though he never actually gave it up. All-around better scene with Lauren than when he left.
Bonus points if Xandred did send out the entire Mooger army (I always appreciate references like that). Also for no zord battle, which I liked having a break from.
Remember back when Red would USE the battlizer? It's obvious what Jayden has to do as a final attempt to defeat Xandred, since nothing else has worked.
Most of this episode worked for me and with the bonus points I'll give it a 5/5.
Good episode written by Amit Bhamuik and a nice end to the Serrator arc.
Antonio's moral dilemma over not finishing off Deker worked
Liked how they combined Deker with the same scene from Shinkenger since it's basically the same character.
Wish Bulk and Spike had been more involved and they had included the interaction with Antonio but for what we did have the bubblegum parts weren't bad.
Awesome zord fight and one my favorites out of all of Samurai. This episode did enough for a 4/5.
"FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE"
Episode started out pretty good. I really liked Fiera and how she used the fire attack against Jayden. But then things got too Japanese I thought, when the team went to battle at the park and we got mostly Shinkenger footage with the cast cut-ins. Jayden firing the bullzooka in a demorph was pretty sweet at least.
I liked Lauren's intro and how she defeated Fiera. But by the time she and Jayden had their talk it all lacked any soul and the last part was the nail in the coffin. I'm not bothered by Jayden leaving - It's just the way it was presented. :\ 3/5
"THE GREAT DUEL"
Better episode this time. Jayden fighting Deker unmorphed was awesome and I enjoyed Lauren's interaction with the others, especially the training scenes. Liked seeing her lead the team in battle and that shes uses a shodophone.
The beginning and end of the episode still kept things a little painful but the rest was still good enough for a 4/5.
"THE SEALING SYMBOL"
After suffering through almost 2 years I was happy to at last reach this point.
Dayu's "sacrifice" reminded me a bit of when Queen Bansheera absorbed Vypra. Kinda different for PR and a nice departure from the villainess-turned-human.
I had less of a problem with Jayden taking back leadership even though he never actually gave it up. All-around better scene with Lauren than when he left.
Bonus points if Xandred did send out the entire Mooger army (I always appreciate references like that). Also for no zord battle, which I liked having a break from.
Remember back when Red would USE the battlizer? It's obvious what Jayden has to do as a final attempt to defeat Xandred, since nothing else has worked.
Most of this episode worked for me and with the bonus points I'll give it a 5/5.
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