Great episode. I enjoyed the sweet unmorphed fighting, how
the plot was adapted and Troy being separated from the others. While
morphing into Megaforce first is still stupid, it does force them to do
more of their own stuff which I like.
The season intro is actually pretty good this year. Great shots of Samurai, the Wind Rangers, original Mighty Morphin and Wild Force teams.
As usual the Rangers are on their own and report to Tensou and Gosei who is shown not saying a word. Geez.
Tensou must've done some serious morphing grid hacking to create the
database. I loved it when they used RPM and finished off with SPD.
"Mastering" the power and earning the zord for it is pretty reasonable
to me now that we're past that these aren't season tributes. I'd take
this over when they "earned" the cards last year. And I was relived
"Carzord" was just a dumb nickname, not official.
As I expected, Vekar throwing a hissy fit all season has begun. Plus the use of the mall and extras was great. This would've been near
perfect if it wasn't for the awkward DaiRanger part and replacing a name
with Gia's "Bring on the new powers!" (or much explanation). But this
episode did set Megaforce records, so it still gets a good 4/5.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Super Mega Dino Charged Weekend
What a double-whammy THAT was - the Dino Charge press release breaking the same day Nick.com uploaded the Super Megaforce premiere. My reaction to the news was similar to when word originally broke that Goseiger was being adapted, but this was heightened by the fact we had never had a new season announcement quite so early or that a sentai would be skipped over (though of course the Go-Buster suits could still get used).
I've never liked the suits on the core 5 Kyoryugers, the samba theme or goofy looking villains, so I hope Saban does put in some originality as is implied (but we all know how much Tzachor's prefers ripping the sentai). I do like the name and the logo is a welcome change after the bland (Super) Megaforce. Also I wonder if they'd consider adapting the teamup for MMPR nostalgia and since DinoThunder is specifically mentioned in the press release.
Now onto the premiere...
Knowing that we were gonna have "real" villains this year, I was excited when the episode started with Vekar and gang inside the ship. I miss the dragon symbol as a segue into the opening, otherwise it looks good with some sweet unmorphed fighting in the cast shots. I like that they spaced it out more and put the girls back-to-back. Nice touch having White Ranger start the helmet animation.
I hoped the Rangers would still be out there when we'd see them again, instead of just cutting to Emma in the mall. Noah finding Mr. Burley and then Burley thinking back to what Blue Ranger said to get inspiration to teach again at the end of the episode would've made more sense to me than how they did it. It left the callback to "MEGA MISSION" kinda empty without seeing Burley prior to it and so little of the school. I did like the Rangers coming in the command center after one another - I just wish we had seen more beforehand and helping civilians.
I loved the way they did the ADR for the weapons swapping, so it didn't come off as weird to me that they're suddenly gonna be switching all the time (plus the Gokai footage is always fun to watch). But it got outta hand with rushing through all the mode changes. They could've done more to show they were having trouble controlling the powers or had a quick line to setup how powerful using Super Mega Mode would be. Also I like that they say the morph call and I see why they might sometimes skip it mid-battle (or in the case of Ninja Storm not doing the Ninja Storm/Thunder Storm calls).
Despite the how much "Super Mega" will be thrown around I'm just glad we don't have to put up with the cards and sentai weapon/zord names being used anymore. Using Gokaiger will automatically make the episodes better so I'll probably lean more on the generous side this year, however it's still Megaforce so I doubt the Rangers have learned much or Gosei will stop leaving them on their own most of the time. But to start the season this gets a good 4/5.
I've never liked the suits on the core 5 Kyoryugers, the samba theme or goofy looking villains, so I hope Saban does put in some originality as is implied (but we all know how much Tzachor's prefers ripping the sentai). I do like the name and the logo is a welcome change after the bland (Super) Megaforce. Also I wonder if they'd consider adapting the teamup for MMPR nostalgia and since DinoThunder is specifically mentioned in the press release.
Now onto the premiere...
Knowing that we were gonna have "real" villains this year, I was excited when the episode started with Vekar and gang inside the ship. I miss the dragon symbol as a segue into the opening, otherwise it looks good with some sweet unmorphed fighting in the cast shots. I like that they spaced it out more and put the girls back-to-back. Nice touch having White Ranger start the helmet animation.
I hoped the Rangers would still be out there when we'd see them again, instead of just cutting to Emma in the mall. Noah finding Mr. Burley and then Burley thinking back to what Blue Ranger said to get inspiration to teach again at the end of the episode would've made more sense to me than how they did it. It left the callback to "MEGA MISSION" kinda empty without seeing Burley prior to it and so little of the school. I did like the Rangers coming in the command center after one another - I just wish we had seen more beforehand and helping civilians.
I loved the way they did the ADR for the weapons swapping, so it didn't come off as weird to me that they're suddenly gonna be switching all the time (plus the Gokai footage is always fun to watch). But it got outta hand with rushing through all the mode changes. They could've done more to show they were having trouble controlling the powers or had a quick line to setup how powerful using Super Mega Mode would be. Also I like that they say the morph call and I see why they might sometimes skip it mid-battle (or in the case of Ninja Storm not doing the Ninja Storm/Thunder Storm calls).
Despite the how much "Super Mega" will be thrown around I'm just glad we don't have to put up with the cards and sentai weapon/zord names being used anymore. Using Gokaiger will automatically make the episodes better so I'll probably lean more on the generous side this year, however it's still Megaforce so I doubt the Rangers have learned much or Gosei will stop leaving them on their own most of the time. But to start the season this gets a good 4/5.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Megaforce Mega Wrap-up
As the season winded down I kept hoping for something excellent (and I realize with "DREAM SNATCHER" I was really pushing it, giving it a 5), but the episodes just continued to be below the mark for one reason or another...
"THE HUMAN CONDITION" was a good intro to Metal Alice and Vrak's underwater base. I loved the footage matching later in the episode. 4/5. I just wish the robots had come sooner.
In "RICO THE ROBOT" I was glad they finally gave Malkor something to do and verification he was waiting for "the others." I really liked the spot on ship recreation when he entered the cocoon. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there. Going back to In Space, I've never liked episodes where the monster (or robot) of the day turns good. The message in this was confusing, no thanks to a couple questionable lines and I cringed everytime Rico spoke, and him being treated like a child. Not even a comment from Tensou. 2/5
"STAYING ON TRACK" was on track for most of the episode, despite some superfluous. Great scenes with the Rangers in the beginning and Robo Knight trying to learn. In PR's world I can buy that trains are relied on more. I just thought it was funny - the NZ kid with the American-speaking parents, and RK wrapping his head around the concept of "missing someone."
Vrak and Metal Alice make a much better team than the mutants and Insectoids, plus it's nice having more originality with him still in his normal form. And I didn't mind the Rangers wasting time staring at their cards with the train coming so much as another case of the U.S. name not matching the card. 4/5
"THE HUMAN FACTOR" started out pretty good. I enjoyed the last few original scenes on the ship, while RK went around to the Rangers. The people being afraid of him was kind of lame but I liked how he went to the school and the library. It was about the most decent plot RK's had and following cell phone procedures as a means for him to not have his morpher worked well.
Also I loved how only Gosei knew who Malkor was. The fight could've been awesome if they had done a new shot of the Rangers briefly using Ultra Mode or if he had taken it offline with an attack (which is something a Kalish season wouldn't have overlooked). But no. Not even a demorph?! And he's supposed to be all-powerful? 3.5/5. I wouldn't call it a bad episode, just a poor choice to directly translate the fight with Malkor, when they knew it was an earlier Goseiger episode.
"THE MESSENGER" was weakened early by Troy's usual brooding over his dreams, excessive dialogue and the Rangers (as usual) looking like they don't know anything. Gosei shoud've warned them Alice could still be a threat instead of them just writing her off. I felt like the little celebration in the command center (with the team recalling some of the villains) and freaking out when Cyborg Vrak appeared could've gone differently.
The episode did pick up. I liked how Vrak regained his alien voice once he remembered who he was, though I kind of wish it hadn't been resolved so fast. Just dismissing the Rangers to clear the armada to come in was great. This is why he's awesome. Also I thought it was cool they (much like the Rangers) thought Vrak had perished. I hope we'll see Veker's reaction, assuming they had planned on going on without him. Half of this was pretty standard Megaforce, but the rest was pretty good. 4/5
I went into "END GAME" wondering if it'd be rushed but it was pretty much what I expected. I loved how the Messenger came out and parted the sea and I liked how RK used himself to powerup the morphers (which I thought was a nice end for the character this year), but eh... Messenger was restored pretty fast and the sky vortex was odd.
The final morph was one of my favorites in 20 years. I enjoyed the creative shots for the end of the season, as well as the explosions throughout. And almost thought Metal Alice would live to see another day, and though it was quick I did like that her death showed how cold-hearted Vrak is.
Since PR is normally a toy commercial, I'm glad the zords weren't shown for the last 2 episodes. Now I just hope they bother to explain the Super Mega zords being more powerful, since they should still be able to use the Mechazords. Also, very nice transition of footage at the end. I wonder how long they'll be out there before they get the new powers. It probably won't happen but original footage of an armada general telling Troy to stop looking for RK would be rad.
Last but not least, Gosei yelling at the Rangers to morph was awesome, though they really should've had a command center scene earlier in the episode (and there was enough they could've spared to include it). The fact they left the invasion as something Troy (and presumably Gosei) knew about but never shared is the biggest problem. But as for the episode, it raised the stakes for the season premiere (which will probably default back to Megaforce-level after) and was definitely one of the better episodes. 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS
After dealing with two years of Samurai, I honestly didn't think it could get worse - even after being so sure Gokaiger was being adapted suddenly vanished when news of the change to Goseiger first came out. While some aspects were improved on, the season introduced new problems. The team has a much weaker foundation in the underused Gosei, and Troy (who doesn't count), than Mentor and Jayden. On multiple occasions they've looked incompetent and the writers totally blew it with Troy - dropping his background from script and keeping the dreams. But the rest of the cast has shown they can actually act and there were several fun unmorphed scenes, especially at Ernie's. They could've done a lot more with Mr. Burley and the school as well but at least having him, and Ernie, was an improvement.
Although Samurai was closer to the sentai, there were more creative moments making for some great episodes that stood out. Here, it didn't happen. I did enjoy a lot of the footage matching, set recreations, repurposing Goseiger's robots footage and the armada arrival, but most of the originality was limited to the Halloween and Christmas specials. "THE ROBO KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS" did a great job of focusing on an original story for RK and made the season look better than it even was. The rest was pretty much long fights and plots pulled from Goseiger, which weren't adapted as closely but didn't always look that good either. The toxic mutant arc was tough to get through at times and Robo Knight's journey of becoming a decent "RoboCop" 6th Ranger was long and pretty rocky early on. And I didn't care that Malkor never did much since this wasn't another Xandred - just holding down the fort for the armada. Vrak meanwhile, kept things interesting and was one of the few savings graces.
I'll give Megaforce a slight grade above Samurai/Super Samurai but in terms of individual episodes it would be on the bottom. And it's doubtful that'll change much as Super Megaforce is looking like it'll have the same problems with dialog over everything and directly adapting scenes instead of reshooting or editing. The footage will at least be fun to watch and I'm looking forward to Silver Ranger's extended intro and the final episode mega war, which I'm sure will continue to be leaked by JDF in the coming months. I'll remain optimistic that a few tribute episodes won't be bad and I'll trust Jason Smith's writing ability over most others.
Ranger Bar's finale discussion:
"THE HUMAN CONDITION" was a good intro to Metal Alice and Vrak's underwater base. I loved the footage matching later in the episode. 4/5. I just wish the robots had come sooner.
In "RICO THE ROBOT" I was glad they finally gave Malkor something to do and verification he was waiting for "the others." I really liked the spot on ship recreation when he entered the cocoon. Unfortunately it was all downhill from there. Going back to In Space, I've never liked episodes where the monster (or robot) of the day turns good. The message in this was confusing, no thanks to a couple questionable lines and I cringed everytime Rico spoke, and him being treated like a child. Not even a comment from Tensou. 2/5
"STAYING ON TRACK" was on track for most of the episode, despite some superfluous. Great scenes with the Rangers in the beginning and Robo Knight trying to learn. In PR's world I can buy that trains are relied on more. I just thought it was funny - the NZ kid with the American-speaking parents, and RK wrapping his head around the concept of "missing someone."
Vrak and Metal Alice make a much better team than the mutants and Insectoids, plus it's nice having more originality with him still in his normal form. And I didn't mind the Rangers wasting time staring at their cards with the train coming so much as another case of the U.S. name not matching the card. 4/5
"THE HUMAN FACTOR" started out pretty good. I enjoyed the last few original scenes on the ship, while RK went around to the Rangers. The people being afraid of him was kind of lame but I liked how he went to the school and the library. It was about the most decent plot RK's had and following cell phone procedures as a means for him to not have his morpher worked well.
Also I loved how only Gosei knew who Malkor was. The fight could've been awesome if they had done a new shot of the Rangers briefly using Ultra Mode or if he had taken it offline with an attack (which is something a Kalish season wouldn't have overlooked). But no. Not even a demorph?! And he's supposed to be all-powerful? 3.5/5. I wouldn't call it a bad episode, just a poor choice to directly translate the fight with Malkor, when they knew it was an earlier Goseiger episode.
"THE MESSENGER" was weakened early by Troy's usual brooding over his dreams, excessive dialogue and the Rangers (as usual) looking like they don't know anything. Gosei shoud've warned them Alice could still be a threat instead of them just writing her off. I felt like the little celebration in the command center (with the team recalling some of the villains) and freaking out when Cyborg Vrak appeared could've gone differently.
The episode did pick up. I liked how Vrak regained his alien voice once he remembered who he was, though I kind of wish it hadn't been resolved so fast. Just dismissing the Rangers to clear the armada to come in was great. This is why he's awesome. Also I thought it was cool they (much like the Rangers) thought Vrak had perished. I hope we'll see Veker's reaction, assuming they had planned on going on without him. Half of this was pretty standard Megaforce, but the rest was pretty good. 4/5
I went into "END GAME" wondering if it'd be rushed but it was pretty much what I expected. I loved how the Messenger came out and parted the sea and I liked how RK used himself to powerup the morphers (which I thought was a nice end for the character this year), but eh... Messenger was restored pretty fast and the sky vortex was odd.
The final morph was one of my favorites in 20 years. I enjoyed the creative shots for the end of the season, as well as the explosions throughout. And almost thought Metal Alice would live to see another day, and though it was quick I did like that her death showed how cold-hearted Vrak is.
Since PR is normally a toy commercial, I'm glad the zords weren't shown for the last 2 episodes. Now I just hope they bother to explain the Super Mega zords being more powerful, since they should still be able to use the Mechazords. Also, very nice transition of footage at the end. I wonder how long they'll be out there before they get the new powers. It probably won't happen but original footage of an armada general telling Troy to stop looking for RK would be rad.
Last but not least, Gosei yelling at the Rangers to morph was awesome, though they really should've had a command center scene earlier in the episode (and there was enough they could've spared to include it). The fact they left the invasion as something Troy (and presumably Gosei) knew about but never shared is the biggest problem. But as for the episode, it raised the stakes for the season premiere (which will probably default back to Megaforce-level after) and was definitely one of the better episodes. 4/5
FINAL THOUGHTS
After dealing with two years of Samurai, I honestly didn't think it could get worse - even after being so sure Gokaiger was being adapted suddenly vanished when news of the change to Goseiger first came out. While some aspects were improved on, the season introduced new problems. The team has a much weaker foundation in the underused Gosei, and Troy (who doesn't count), than Mentor and Jayden. On multiple occasions they've looked incompetent and the writers totally blew it with Troy - dropping his background from script and keeping the dreams. But the rest of the cast has shown they can actually act and there were several fun unmorphed scenes, especially at Ernie's. They could've done a lot more with Mr. Burley and the school as well but at least having him, and Ernie, was an improvement.
Although Samurai was closer to the sentai, there were more creative moments making for some great episodes that stood out. Here, it didn't happen. I did enjoy a lot of the footage matching, set recreations, repurposing Goseiger's robots footage and the armada arrival, but most of the originality was limited to the Halloween and Christmas specials. "THE ROBO KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS" did a great job of focusing on an original story for RK and made the season look better than it even was. The rest was pretty much long fights and plots pulled from Goseiger, which weren't adapted as closely but didn't always look that good either. The toxic mutant arc was tough to get through at times and Robo Knight's journey of becoming a decent "RoboCop" 6th Ranger was long and pretty rocky early on. And I didn't care that Malkor never did much since this wasn't another Xandred - just holding down the fort for the armada. Vrak meanwhile, kept things interesting and was one of the few savings graces.
I'll give Megaforce a slight grade above Samurai/Super Samurai but in terms of individual episodes it would be on the bottom. And it's doubtful that'll change much as Super Megaforce is looking like it'll have the same problems with dialog over everything and directly adapting scenes instead of reshooting or editing. The footage will at least be fun to watch and I'm looking forward to Silver Ranger's extended intro and the final episode mega war, which I'm sure will continue to be leaked by JDF in the coming months. I'll remain optimistic that a few tribute episodes won't be bad and I'll trust Jason Smith's writing ability over most others.
Ranger Bar's finale discussion:
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
PRM Roundup: "MAN AND MACHINE" through "RAISING SPIRITS"
The season has continued on pretty medicore, and we finally got the best episode this year I thought -- followed by the worst.
Coming off the hiatus, "MAN AND MACHINE" definitely would've made a better stopping point.
Shadow Serpent put up a good fight against the Rangers which I enjoyed but the timeframe went on too long.
Some of RoboTroy's lines were bad but I'd take that over channeling his inner-Alata. >_>
Vrak working with the mutants and developing his own agenda that Malkor's not privy to is one thing I'm really liking as well as the fun moments at the end between the Rangers. But a lot of the dialogue bogged the episode down, especially with Robo Knight learning the value of teamwork. And the ADR looks like a mess when you have the Rangers, RK and Gosei all talking during zord summoning. Not to mention hearing "Vulcan Cannon" again and again.
I'd go with a 3.5/5. Action was good and Vrak's easily one of the most interesting characters since RPM.
"ULTRA POWER"
The fight with Distractor would've made a lot more sense if it had actually been an illusion, which was never stated. RK's big mode was cool but obviously it'll never been seen again. And it was funny how incompetent the team looked, while RK has to guide them basically (since most of the time Gosei isn't).
The Rangers and Vrak trying to control the Wild Sword was pretty good. And with some decent moments in the Command Center I'd say this did enough for a 4/5.
"LAST LAUGH"
I was glad to have a break from zord/weapon intros and this episode handled the character focus pretty decent. I thought Noah and the plot worked with the GoseiBlue/Knight footage pretty well.
Before NoJoke met with Bigs and Bluefur I wondered if he was even a mutant himself or if we'd only seen with with Vrak. And most of the jokes were just OK but I did chuckle a few times late in the episode.
I'll never get used to hearing "Ultrazords" in a team powerup.
So Gia morphed inside the pod with all the people? It would've been cool if she had gotten a solo morph afterwards instead.
Bonus points for finally showing that Troy is human and can make faces -- even if he still has horrible line delivery. 4/5
"DREAM SNATCHER" was a very enjoyable episode. Good scenes between the team and pretty decent extras. Plus I gotta hand it to the effort to match footage.
Dream Snatcher being a latino monster was odd but helped make for a fun episode. Did anyone else wish he had said "Pasta la pizza, baby!"? And I loved the disco trick.
Thought it was cool seeing RK and Emma work together and some of his deadpaned responses.
The ending was perfect and I enjoyed the song playing through. Yeah, they really hammered the dreams lesson but the episode otherwise had a lot going for it. At last, the best one this year and the latest in a season I've ever given a 5/5.
Now "GOSEI ULTIMATE" was a weird episode.
Adapting a plotline from multiple sentai eps into a half-hour is nothing new but here I felt like it really didn't work. Too much dialogue between the mutants and their going on about the box being powered from the toxic ooze.
Bigs taking over the top of the building was just awkward. I woud've liked it better if the Rangers had killed him sooner and the fight just with Bluefur had been longer. Loved that they slipped in the bigfoot reference.
Also I did like that Tensou had to prepare the Command Center and all we saw were parts flying everywhere. But aren't civilians going to notice when the mountain goes into space?! Imagine if Zordon's Command Center had been a shuttle.
Gosei Ultimate Megazord is a refreshing change not being on any cards and it's easily the only Megazord name I care for this year.
Gotta say I was never much of a fan of the mutants being created from the toxic waste and man-made pollution so you could call it poetic justice that the end of their arc I consider Megaforce's worst episode. Not to mention the cast was barely in this. 2/5 -- one of the most lopsided excellent-to-terrible episode turnovers I've ever seen.
"RAISING SPIRITS" was a fun episode and better than I expected for a clip show, with more originality working around Goseiger and fewer clips. They could've given Glytcher a special power like ruining machines around the city or creating the crystal ball, and less bouncing around. Decent 3/5, about on par with "PARTY MONSTERS."
Looking forward to the introduction of Prince Veker and the armada coming up, and hopefully a good finale to lead us into Super Megaforce. But I know with this show I can't be too optimistic no matter how good it sounds.
Coming off the hiatus, "MAN AND MACHINE" definitely would've made a better stopping point.
Shadow Serpent put up a good fight against the Rangers which I enjoyed but the timeframe went on too long.
Some of RoboTroy's lines were bad but I'd take that over channeling his inner-Alata. >_>
Vrak working with the mutants and developing his own agenda that Malkor's not privy to is one thing I'm really liking as well as the fun moments at the end between the Rangers. But a lot of the dialogue bogged the episode down, especially with Robo Knight learning the value of teamwork. And the ADR looks like a mess when you have the Rangers, RK and Gosei all talking during zord summoning. Not to mention hearing "Vulcan Cannon" again and again.
I'd go with a 3.5/5. Action was good and Vrak's easily one of the most interesting characters since RPM.
"ULTRA POWER"
The fight with Distractor would've made a lot more sense if it had actually been an illusion, which was never stated. RK's big mode was cool but obviously it'll never been seen again. And it was funny how incompetent the team looked, while RK has to guide them basically (since most of the time Gosei isn't).
The Rangers and Vrak trying to control the Wild Sword was pretty good. And with some decent moments in the Command Center I'd say this did enough for a 4/5.
"LAST LAUGH"
I was glad to have a break from zord/weapon intros and this episode handled the character focus pretty decent. I thought Noah and the plot worked with the GoseiBlue/Knight footage pretty well.
Before NoJoke met with Bigs and Bluefur I wondered if he was even a mutant himself or if we'd only seen with with Vrak. And most of the jokes were just OK but I did chuckle a few times late in the episode.
I'll never get used to hearing "Ultrazords" in a team powerup.
So Gia morphed inside the pod with all the people? It would've been cool if she had gotten a solo morph afterwards instead.
Bonus points for finally showing that Troy is human and can make faces -- even if he still has horrible line delivery. 4/5
"DREAM SNATCHER" was a very enjoyable episode. Good scenes between the team and pretty decent extras. Plus I gotta hand it to the effort to match footage.
Dream Snatcher being a latino monster was odd but helped make for a fun episode. Did anyone else wish he had said "Pasta la pizza, baby!"? And I loved the disco trick.
Thought it was cool seeing RK and Emma work together and some of his deadpaned responses.
The ending was perfect and I enjoyed the song playing through. Yeah, they really hammered the dreams lesson but the episode otherwise had a lot going for it. At last, the best one this year and the latest in a season I've ever given a 5/5.
Now "GOSEI ULTIMATE" was a weird episode.
Adapting a plotline from multiple sentai eps into a half-hour is nothing new but here I felt like it really didn't work. Too much dialogue between the mutants and their going on about the box being powered from the toxic ooze.
Bigs taking over the top of the building was just awkward. I woud've liked it better if the Rangers had killed him sooner and the fight just with Bluefur had been longer. Loved that they slipped in the bigfoot reference.
Also I did like that Tensou had to prepare the Command Center and all we saw were parts flying everywhere. But aren't civilians going to notice when the mountain goes into space?! Imagine if Zordon's Command Center had been a shuttle.
Gosei Ultimate Megazord is a refreshing change not being on any cards and it's easily the only Megazord name I care for this year.
Gotta say I was never much of a fan of the mutants being created from the toxic waste and man-made pollution so you could call it poetic justice that the end of their arc I consider Megaforce's worst episode. Not to mention the cast was barely in this. 2/5 -- one of the most lopsided excellent-to-terrible episode turnovers I've ever seen.
"RAISING SPIRITS" was a fun episode and better than I expected for a clip show, with more originality working around Goseiger and fewer clips. They could've given Glytcher a special power like ruining machines around the city or creating the crystal ball, and less bouncing around. Decent 3/5, about on par with "PARTY MONSTERS."
Looking forward to the introduction of Prince Veker and the armada coming up, and hopefully a good finale to lead us into Super Megaforce. But I know with this show I can't be too optimistic no matter how good it sounds.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Week of Ranger Bar Roundup
As July 1 came upon us, I was excited for what was promising to be Ranger Bar's biggest week ever, and coincidentally just over a year after Rangers vs Ninjas (what would be one of the last events at the Ranger Bar Apartment). But with Ranger Bar located at a house currently, thinks were sure to get crazy. And I wondered how closely we'd stick to the schedule and menu for the week that was prepared.
Monday Day 1: I arrived in Federal Way and BatZilla98 (aka Batz) picked me up in the Batzmobile just before 3. First off, we swung by a couple stores for groceries and supplies (including one that felt like we had driven to Mexico). After getting back, hung out and eventually got ready for the nights event: Master Vile's Monsterous Ball. Batz would be Finster, our buddy Tron (who had flown in from New Orleans) as a human version of Eyeguy and myself as the made-up Masked Marauder. The festivities kicked off after 9:30, and for the most part it was just us hanging out with Batz's brother, his girlfriend and a few of her friends late into the night. Of course I'm the lone non-smoker but I never care if others do.
Tuesday Day 2: Once we got going in the afternoon, Batz made breakfast and we soon headed out to look for deals on Power Ranger toys to line the Hall of Legends with. After browsing Lily Pad, Batz's best friend met up with us at Tricky's. Then Tron wanted to see the Bridge of Glass so we went over to the Dale Chihuly Museum for awhile. After we got back I had to leave to go to work Wednesday morning and Batz spent the night playing board games with people, while Tron was passed out.
Wednesday Day 3: The days event was a tribute to Paul Reiser, in the form of watching My Two Dads and The Tower. Batz had also planned on launching Ranger Bar Radio Live, but ran into website trouble. That night the guys had a party, a sort of precursor to things to come.
Thursday the 4th: The big event was a purple ooze party in honor of the 1995 Power Rangers movie. Proving to be no easy task, the guys got underway making the ooze and picked me up about 7:30 on the way to the store to restock the supplies to make it (It consisted mostly of pudding, cake mix, food coloring and dozens and dozens of corn starch).
The party got underway after 10:00 as more and more people started showing up. The drinks were flowing, fireworks booming and snacks going (which ran out hours before the party ended). Batz horsed around with the ooze outside at one point, but not as much of it was used then what was expected. And one mishap occurred with an explosive which resulted in the house filling with smoke for a few minutes. I was perfectly comfortable staying inside the entire time and ended up taking 4 shots with the guys over the night, in addition to enjoying Batz's loaded fruit punch. After midnight Batz's brother eventually tried multiple times to shut down the party to get some sleep but it'd past 4 am by the time we wrapped it up. We settled in Batz's bedroom as he put on some Power Rangers on a small TV.
Friday Day 5: A pretty lazy afternoon hanging out. We put on My Two Dads again and The Tower (which I practically fell asleep to). Later, Batz restocked the fridge and made a couple pizzas, while Tron and I started playing Super Smash Bros Brawl on my Wii. The 3 of us had a long 99-lives challenge and then put on a Dolph Lundgren movie. We also had a ice cream social with all the fixings around 4 am.
Saturday Day 6: Batz and Tron had come up with ideas for our own fanfilm so we started recording a bunch of video for it after we went back to Tacoma. The days event was an old school arcade tour so we headed over to B & I Amusements for awhile and then Dorky's. When we got home most of the time was spent doing fanfilm scenes and Batz fixed us spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread.
Sunday the Finale: No lounging around today - Batz had planned a spray paint challenge at The Garages in Tacoma beginning at 1. Though it was pretty quiet and the contest didn't happen - We instead spent about an hour working on fanfilm scenes. Afterwards we stopped by Jack in the Box and continued to work on scenes when we got back. An evening of watching Saban's Beetleborgs (sister show to Power Rangers) while enjoying baked goods had been planned but was cancelled. Batz then dropped me off to catch the bus at 8:30 and took Tron to the airport.
It was definitely a fun week. I kinda wish I hadn't had to miss part of it but it worked out better than if I had taken an entire suitcase (instead of a backpack) and been gone an entire week (whereas with Morphicon I'd be gone about 5 and a half days). And since I don't smoke or drink really, a whole night of partying can start to get boring. I gotta say though, Batz knows how to entertain and fed us well. I probably will stay the week off when we do it again in 2 years and hopefully we'll get another person or so. In the meantime, Ranger Bar's annual trip to the fair and Halloween Haunted House will be coming up and I look forward to playing the morphinominal 20th anniversary monopoly.
Check out my pics here and head over to Ranger Bar for more.
Monday Day 1: I arrived in Federal Way and BatZilla98 (aka Batz) picked me up in the Batzmobile just before 3. First off, we swung by a couple stores for groceries and supplies (including one that felt like we had driven to Mexico). After getting back, hung out and eventually got ready for the nights event: Master Vile's Monsterous Ball. Batz would be Finster, our buddy Tron (who had flown in from New Orleans) as a human version of Eyeguy and myself as the made-up Masked Marauder. The festivities kicked off after 9:30, and for the most part it was just us hanging out with Batz's brother, his girlfriend and a few of her friends late into the night. Of course I'm the lone non-smoker but I never care if others do.
Tuesday Day 2: Once we got going in the afternoon, Batz made breakfast and we soon headed out to look for deals on Power Ranger toys to line the Hall of Legends with. After browsing Lily Pad, Batz's best friend met up with us at Tricky's. Then Tron wanted to see the Bridge of Glass so we went over to the Dale Chihuly Museum for awhile. After we got back I had to leave to go to work Wednesday morning and Batz spent the night playing board games with people, while Tron was passed out.
Wednesday Day 3: The days event was a tribute to Paul Reiser, in the form of watching My Two Dads and The Tower. Batz had also planned on launching Ranger Bar Radio Live, but ran into website trouble. That night the guys had a party, a sort of precursor to things to come.
Thursday the 4th: The big event was a purple ooze party in honor of the 1995 Power Rangers movie. Proving to be no easy task, the guys got underway making the ooze and picked me up about 7:30 on the way to the store to restock the supplies to make it (It consisted mostly of pudding, cake mix, food coloring and dozens and dozens of corn starch).
The party got underway after 10:00 as more and more people started showing up. The drinks were flowing, fireworks booming and snacks going (which ran out hours before the party ended). Batz horsed around with the ooze outside at one point, but not as much of it was used then what was expected. And one mishap occurred with an explosive which resulted in the house filling with smoke for a few minutes. I was perfectly comfortable staying inside the entire time and ended up taking 4 shots with the guys over the night, in addition to enjoying Batz's loaded fruit punch. After midnight Batz's brother eventually tried multiple times to shut down the party to get some sleep but it'd past 4 am by the time we wrapped it up. We settled in Batz's bedroom as he put on some Power Rangers on a small TV.
Friday Day 5: A pretty lazy afternoon hanging out. We put on My Two Dads again and The Tower (which I practically fell asleep to). Later, Batz restocked the fridge and made a couple pizzas, while Tron and I started playing Super Smash Bros Brawl on my Wii. The 3 of us had a long 99-lives challenge and then put on a Dolph Lundgren movie. We also had a ice cream social with all the fixings around 4 am.
Saturday Day 6: Batz and Tron had come up with ideas for our own fanfilm so we started recording a bunch of video for it after we went back to Tacoma. The days event was an old school arcade tour so we headed over to B & I Amusements for awhile and then Dorky's. When we got home most of the time was spent doing fanfilm scenes and Batz fixed us spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread.
Sunday the Finale: No lounging around today - Batz had planned a spray paint challenge at The Garages in Tacoma beginning at 1. Though it was pretty quiet and the contest didn't happen - We instead spent about an hour working on fanfilm scenes. Afterwards we stopped by Jack in the Box and continued to work on scenes when we got back. An evening of watching Saban's Beetleborgs (sister show to Power Rangers) while enjoying baked goods had been planned but was cancelled. Batz then dropped me off to catch the bus at 8:30 and took Tron to the airport.
It was definitely a fun week. I kinda wish I hadn't had to miss part of it but it worked out better than if I had taken an entire suitcase (instead of a backpack) and been gone an entire week (whereas with Morphicon I'd be gone about 5 and a half days). And since I don't smoke or drink really, a whole night of partying can start to get boring. I gotta say though, Batz knows how to entertain and fed us well. I probably will stay the week off when we do it again in 2 years and hopefully we'll get another person or so. In the meantime, Ranger Bar's annual trip to the fair and Halloween Haunted House will be coming up and I look forward to playing the morphinominal 20th anniversary monopoly.
Check out my pics here and head over to Ranger Bar for more.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Super Mega Trainwreck and Cameo Surprises
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):
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):
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... >_>
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