Well that got ugly... and just as it was getting good I thought.
Orion leaving was easily the most unexpected start to a episode they've done. This should've been Act 3 of the finale. I do like how they've been kind of trying to pair Emma with him throughout the season. Also I liked watching Levira get tough but the Megazord fight was over too quick.
As for the New Powers, I just assume it was a mandate to make the Legendary War easier on the kids. And Tzachor must have loved trolling us. I bet only the really early sentai teams will be edited out.
I thought it was cool seeing all the zord attacks get used and I wasn't surprised to see New Powers even be included in it. Why was the Q-Rex flight mode not explained? Hard to buy Noah piloting the damn thing when we saw him with the others in the cockpit. I would've believed it more if Tensou had done it. And come on, millions more ships just appear that fast?
3/5. I had hoped for more right before the end but too many weird things and plot choices on top of no one behind the show caring.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
PRSM #18 "EMPEROR MAVRO": Mavrolous
A photo of Vekar and Vrak inside the ship would've been nice but I get why they didn't do it. I was just glad Mavro said "sons."
I loved how Jake's wacky fighting was explained and the Rangers being confident about the armada not having a leader. It was fun to see the them goofing around with each other, and although they really should've morphed sooner I enjoyed the unmorphed stuff. Odd seeing Mega Blasters get used but I don't blame them if they can't decide on weapons.
Troy being helmetless but blindfolded made sense I thought since we can assume he morphed and lost quickly. It does come off as a cheap way to keep the secret identity, but if his face was shown, we wouldn't have had a crowd reaction to him anyway. Also kind of wish they had kept Green Lost Galaxy that was cut immediately before Jake's Mystic Force change.
So, this was a good climax to killing off most of the villains, and when I look back, I'll remember it as the best episode of the past two years. I'm not even gonna fault it for Antonio and Mia not being acknowledged or credited since it was a very Megaforce thing to do, and I liked the setup to it of Troy and Orion hanging out while Troy got the tickets. Plus the idea of a rock concert being foreign to Orion.
A two-parter of Gokai's episodes would've been spectacular but for a single episode they made it work, even better than I would've guessed. I'll go with just barely a 5/5 and the only episode I'll end up giving it to ("DREAM SNATCHER," which I loved, came pretty close). And as I'd expect from the show, it sounds this will end up better than the finale.
I loved how Jake's wacky fighting was explained and the Rangers being confident about the armada not having a leader. It was fun to see the them goofing around with each other, and although they really should've morphed sooner I enjoyed the unmorphed stuff. Odd seeing Mega Blasters get used but I don't blame them if they can't decide on weapons.
Troy being helmetless but blindfolded made sense I thought since we can assume he morphed and lost quickly. It does come off as a cheap way to keep the secret identity, but if his face was shown, we wouldn't have had a crowd reaction to him anyway. Also kind of wish they had kept Green Lost Galaxy that was cut immediately before Jake's Mystic Force change.
So, this was a good climax to killing off most of the villains, and when I look back, I'll remember it as the best episode of the past two years. I'm not even gonna fault it for Antonio and Mia not being acknowledged or credited since it was a very Megaforce thing to do, and I liked the setup to it of Troy and Orion hanging out while Troy got the tickets. Plus the idea of a rock concert being foreign to Orion.
A two-parter of Gokai's episodes would've been spectacular but for a single episode they made it work, even better than I would've guessed. I'll go with just barely a 5/5 and the only episode I'll end up giving it to ("DREAM SNATCHER," which I loved, came pretty close). And as I'd expect from the show, it sounds this will end up better than the finale.
Friday, November 7, 2014
PRSM #15-17: Farewell to Megaforce's Best Characters
"ALL HAIL PRINCE VEKAR" started out weak. Another day off? Lame excuse to get them on the ship. Why does using it
have to even be such a big deal? Why aren't they allowed to just use the
Sky Ship for fun? Once they got into Vekar and the flashback I didn't feel like I was
watching Super Megaforce for the rest of the episode - straight Gokaiger pretty much. I wondered if they would adapt Mavro having Damaras
look after him and I liked the way they set it up with a mention of
Vrak. I just wish we could get an original flashback with these
characters.
Morphing right to Super Mega Mode worked here I thought since they were facing Vekar and this episode was treated as a big deal. Of course, the effects beat the actual writing. I loved Noah's suit disintegrating and the group morph matching up to the Gokai shot. But "armageddon"? I really thought those scenes were from the finale. And Orion using the Wolf Warrior key was just Jason Smith screwing with us I'm sure.
4/5. The writing may be dumb at times but the footage is great and the glamor shots they did made it a bit more cooler. I'll remember Vekar as forever the best character from Megaforce period.
Despite being a Goseiger burnoff, "VRAK IS BACK" was mostly good thanks to Vrak being awesome and I enjoyed watching his plan unfold. The Rangers got what they deserved for forgetting about him. I didn't mind kidnapping Orion and draining his power as a cheap way to use Cameron Jebo.
Evil Robo Knight kicking Troy's ass was the best thing they've done this season. The fights were great - but then things went south about halfway in Part 2, as Troy wouldn't shutup, and became too much like Alata to save RK and defeat Vrak. What could've been an excellent episode was further dampened by the shows usual weird way of doing things, take the Rangers staring at RK's key and assuming he was destroyed when it stopped glowing. They couldn't even bother to have it with Megaforce or 6th Ranger keys? And I thought it was cool Vrak self-destructed the sea base - I just wish RK hadn't been blown up offscreen saving Orion.
Also, Vrak's body surviving in the footage will make the lack of connection to the next episode even more painful. 4/5 for both parts. Pretty much what should've been the finale last year and James Bates did pretty well for what he had... For sure better than if these episodes had been in the hands of someone else.
Morphing right to Super Mega Mode worked here I thought since they were facing Vekar and this episode was treated as a big deal. Of course, the effects beat the actual writing. I loved Noah's suit disintegrating and the group morph matching up to the Gokai shot. But "armageddon"? I really thought those scenes were from the finale. And Orion using the Wolf Warrior key was just Jason Smith screwing with us I'm sure.
4/5. The writing may be dumb at times but the footage is great and the glamor shots they did made it a bit more cooler. I'll remember Vekar as forever the best character from Megaforce period.
Despite being a Goseiger burnoff, "VRAK IS BACK" was mostly good thanks to Vrak being awesome and I enjoyed watching his plan unfold. The Rangers got what they deserved for forgetting about him. I didn't mind kidnapping Orion and draining his power as a cheap way to use Cameron Jebo.
Evil Robo Knight kicking Troy's ass was the best thing they've done this season. The fights were great - but then things went south about halfway in Part 2, as Troy wouldn't shutup, and became too much like Alata to save RK and defeat Vrak. What could've been an excellent episode was further dampened by the shows usual weird way of doing things, take the Rangers staring at RK's key and assuming he was destroyed when it stopped glowing. They couldn't even bother to have it with Megaforce or 6th Ranger keys? And I thought it was cool Vrak self-destructed the sea base - I just wish RK hadn't been blown up offscreen saving Orion.
Also, Vrak's body surviving in the footage will make the lack of connection to the next episode even more painful. 4/5 for both parts. Pretty much what should've been the finale last year and James Bates did pretty well for what he had... For sure better than if these episodes had been in the hands of someone else.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Super Mega Roundup: "SILVER LINING" through "IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT"
Since Orion's debut, I've had the sense that everyone working on the show has pretty much given up... I can only imagine due to an ongoing battle between the staff wanting to do more originality vs Tzachor only caring about putting out the product. I thought "UNITED WE STAND" made it clear their had to be a lot of issues going on. First off, "SILVER LINING"...
It started off slow, with too much padding. Why did the Rangers never think to ask about Robo Knight?! Part 1 was pretty bland (earning a 3/5) and things got better in Part 2. It was great to see someone on this show actually have a backstory. It reminded me of Tyzonn but without all the buildup like he had. Great unmorphed scenes in this too. It was going so well... until finding out the 6th Ranger keys were on the walls all this time started to ruin it for me. The way Orion was given Q-Rex doesn't sit well with me either since we're supposed to believe it comes from Time Force. They could've done more with the dream footage and had Quantum, MM Green and DT White give Orion their power to help him decide to take on the armada, instead of just randomly having the zord modes connected to MM and DT for no reason. >_<
But I can't fault them for giving Orion an original backstory and giving the cast more to do, which helped make for one of the best episodes of Megaforce. 4/5
"POWER OF SIX" was kind of a step down, back to a 3/5. Orion living in a locker is silly and Jake blaming himself was kind of weak. RPM Gold and Silver combining wasn't written very well. Best part was Jake's line when he used New Powers Prism.
"THE PERFECT STORM" had some great civilian scenes and use of the mall. But the plot revolving around Tensou was forgettable - a waste of time we can't afford with only 20 episodes. Plus having White Ranger be separate from Dairanger, and basically namedropping sentai was just weird. 3/5
"LOVE IS IN THE AIR" was the most ridiculous episode of Megaforce yet. Very amusing I gotta say. Probably adapted because of the Zyuranger change. I love that they did a lot of original footage around it, including recreating the armada ship. But choosing to ignore Orion felt lazy, unless it was a budget thing - and even then they didn't have to ignore him.
The one liners and attention to Jake/Gia were especially great in this. Fun use of Turbo as well. I was kind of surprised the Megazord spinout attack was overlooked, since you'd think that traffic light would've clued them in to reference Turbo and not use Super Mega. 4/5
"UNITED AS ONE"
Between the fact I love me some Christina Masterson (Have you seen her instagram?) and DinoThunder (which had one of the best original transformations they've done), I really liked parts of this episode and wanted to like it after. But reality quickly set in that the translators are just flat out giving up at this point. Plus it feels like they aren't even bothering to fill enough time anymore, which would explain the constant padding with full Megaforce morphs. :T
When Emma went to help the boy, I thought she'd, you know - talk to him, not just use the card for 2 seconds. They could've had her show up at the fight as MMPR Pink - and maybe have her defeat Desolar (since it was her focus episode) - or even just fight X Borgs. It wouldn't have had to be a big deal.
Unlocking the Megazord combination by mastering the DT powers and not making a single attempt at tying it in with the repair work felt extra cheap. It was also weird how they had to associate the Q-Rex with DT here which I'll blame on the fact Orion never should've been given the Q-Rex keys from Troy in the first place. And besides using the DT powers, I did enjoy Vekar with the cold, and Desolar's shrinking and growing being adapted here. Creating an inside for Legendary Megazord was cool. It's good enough for a 3/5 and I'm afraid things won't be much better in the homestretch.
"THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER... OR BLUER" wasn't that bad I thought. On one hand, I hate the lost potential of Gia/Jake switching. On the other hand, I liked how they made the footage work from making it Noah/Jake. The mention of Aquitar was cool and I still appreciate using morph calls as dialog filler during Legendary Ranger Mode.
Unfortunately, mindlessly "unlocking" the Ninja Storm zord (and without so much as even calling it minizord) ruined the episode for me. It wouldn't have made any more sense but they should've at least had Gosei say that Noah/Jake defeating or Noah's determination to complete the cannon unlocked the zord... somehow. I wouldn't have minded New Power Dragon so much if that wasn't clearly a mermaid. And the next minute, Troy is New Powers Blitz?! 3/5
"IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT" had some of the most all over the place ratings for an episode I think we had in awhile. Yeah, it was about as lazy as the past couple episodes have been. However, what I liked about this is how much the Gokaiger footage is fun to watch, which kind of bumps up my grade by default (to a 4/5 in the case). And Vekar has pretty much been the only Megaforce character written really well. I've seen most of Gokaiger by now and look forward to the adaptation of his final fight. :)
Every time they make it clear the Megaforce team are the ONLY protectors of Earth, it sounds like they're talking down to the kids and want them to believe there are no other Power Rangers (Obviously they aren't stupid and they'll see the finale).
I'm used to the Rangers not giving real people responses to anything but a bigger deal should've been made about the wormhole - even simply asking Gosei if it'd be safe. I always love seeing the cast in helmetless scenes and I liked the original footage while trying to capture Turbo Falcon. I'm glad they at least paid enough attention to know RPM zords don't talk but boy, they really started to push it.
Correct attack names would be nice but I look at it as some information simply isn't downloaded to the Rangers when they're using the powers... so I'm fine with letting things like "RPM Grand Prix" and "Dino Rampage" slide. And sure they could've used the Sky Ship but the end scene was still cute I thought.
It started off slow, with too much padding. Why did the Rangers never think to ask about Robo Knight?! Part 1 was pretty bland (earning a 3/5) and things got better in Part 2. It was great to see someone on this show actually have a backstory. It reminded me of Tyzonn but without all the buildup like he had. Great unmorphed scenes in this too. It was going so well... until finding out the 6th Ranger keys were on the walls all this time started to ruin it for me. The way Orion was given Q-Rex doesn't sit well with me either since we're supposed to believe it comes from Time Force. They could've done more with the dream footage and had Quantum, MM Green and DT White give Orion their power to help him decide to take on the armada, instead of just randomly having the zord modes connected to MM and DT for no reason. >_<
But I can't fault them for giving Orion an original backstory and giving the cast more to do, which helped make for one of the best episodes of Megaforce. 4/5
"POWER OF SIX" was kind of a step down, back to a 3/5. Orion living in a locker is silly and Jake blaming himself was kind of weak. RPM Gold and Silver combining wasn't written very well. Best part was Jake's line when he used New Powers Prism.
"THE PERFECT STORM" had some great civilian scenes and use of the mall. But the plot revolving around Tensou was forgettable - a waste of time we can't afford with only 20 episodes. Plus having White Ranger be separate from Dairanger, and basically namedropping sentai was just weird. 3/5
"LOVE IS IN THE AIR" was the most ridiculous episode of Megaforce yet. Very amusing I gotta say. Probably adapted because of the Zyuranger change. I love that they did a lot of original footage around it, including recreating the armada ship. But choosing to ignore Orion felt lazy, unless it was a budget thing - and even then they didn't have to ignore him.
The one liners and attention to Jake/Gia were especially great in this. Fun use of Turbo as well. I was kind of surprised the Megazord spinout attack was overlooked, since you'd think that traffic light would've clued them in to reference Turbo and not use Super Mega. 4/5
"UNITED AS ONE"
Between the fact I love me some Christina Masterson (Have you seen her instagram?) and DinoThunder (which had one of the best original transformations they've done), I really liked parts of this episode and wanted to like it after. But reality quickly set in that the translators are just flat out giving up at this point. Plus it feels like they aren't even bothering to fill enough time anymore, which would explain the constant padding with full Megaforce morphs. :T
When Emma went to help the boy, I thought she'd, you know - talk to him, not just use the card for 2 seconds. They could've had her show up at the fight as MMPR Pink - and maybe have her defeat Desolar (since it was her focus episode) - or even just fight X Borgs. It wouldn't have had to be a big deal.
Unlocking the Megazord combination by mastering the DT powers and not making a single attempt at tying it in with the repair work felt extra cheap. It was also weird how they had to associate the Q-Rex with DT here which I'll blame on the fact Orion never should've been given the Q-Rex keys from Troy in the first place. And besides using the DT powers, I did enjoy Vekar with the cold, and Desolar's shrinking and growing being adapted here. Creating an inside for Legendary Megazord was cool. It's good enough for a 3/5 and I'm afraid things won't be much better in the homestretch.
"THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER... OR BLUER" wasn't that bad I thought. On one hand, I hate the lost potential of Gia/Jake switching. On the other hand, I liked how they made the footage work from making it Noah/Jake. The mention of Aquitar was cool and I still appreciate using morph calls as dialog filler during Legendary Ranger Mode.
Unfortunately, mindlessly "unlocking" the Ninja Storm zord (and without so much as even calling it minizord) ruined the episode for me. It wouldn't have made any more sense but they should've at least had Gosei say that Noah/Jake defeating or Noah's determination to complete the cannon unlocked the zord... somehow. I wouldn't have minded New Power Dragon so much if that wasn't clearly a mermaid. And the next minute, Troy is New Powers Blitz?! 3/5
"IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT" had some of the most all over the place ratings for an episode I think we had in awhile. Yeah, it was about as lazy as the past couple episodes have been. However, what I liked about this is how much the Gokaiger footage is fun to watch, which kind of bumps up my grade by default (to a 4/5 in the case). And Vekar has pretty much been the only Megaforce character written really well. I've seen most of Gokaiger by now and look forward to the adaptation of his final fight. :)
Every time they make it clear the Megaforce team are the ONLY protectors of Earth, it sounds like they're talking down to the kids and want them to believe there are no other Power Rangers (Obviously they aren't stupid and they'll see the finale).
I'm used to the Rangers not giving real people responses to anything but a bigger deal should've been made about the wormhole - even simply asking Gosei if it'd be safe. I always love seeing the cast in helmetless scenes and I liked the original footage while trying to capture Turbo Falcon. I'm glad they at least paid enough attention to know RPM zords don't talk but boy, they really started to push it.
Correct attack names would be nice but I look at it as some information simply isn't downloaded to the Rangers when they're using the powers... so I'm fine with letting things like "RPM Grand Prix" and "Dino Rampage" slide. And sure they could've used the Sky Ship but the end scene was still cute I thought.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
ShyRanger's Top 10 Red Rangers
10. Jack (S.P.D.)
He was kind of a jerk, bringing character and personality to a good, diverse cast.
9. Eric (Time Force)
Eric still has one of best 6th Ranger story arcs to date and rightfully deserves to be counted as a Red Ranger.
8. Rocky (MMPR)
He just wants to have fun and knows how to do it while still kicking butt.
7. Tommy (Zeo)
Way back when Tommy was still my favorite Ranger and I enjoyed the arrowhead storyline.
6. Scott (RPM)
Taking orders from Dr. K and his father, while facing the death of his brother and the apocalypse - Scott had a lot going for him.
5. TJ (Turbo)
He was only a leader for a short time but TJ took on the position with a fun attitude and will forever be the true Red Turbo Ranger. (And who else can say they got baked into a giant pizza?)
4. Leo (Lost Galaxy)
Leo saved Earth and Mirinoi, and basically self destructed the battlizer to defeat Trakeena. And to think he started out as a stowaway on Terra Venture.
3. Jason (MMPR)
Besides being the original - putting up with Rita and fighting Goldar in the Dark Dimension gets my vote any day.
2. Andros (In Space)
He was the original Space Ranger with a huge Megaship and would have some of the best storylines ever. HELL YES.
1. Wes (Time Force)
Fighting to save the future and let go of his fathers wishes while a relationship bloomed, Wes is the man at #1.
He was kind of a jerk, bringing character and personality to a good, diverse cast.
9. Eric (Time Force)
Eric still has one of best 6th Ranger story arcs to date and rightfully deserves to be counted as a Red Ranger.
8. Rocky (MMPR)
He just wants to have fun and knows how to do it while still kicking butt.
7. Tommy (Zeo)
Way back when Tommy was still my favorite Ranger and I enjoyed the arrowhead storyline.
6. Scott (RPM)
Taking orders from Dr. K and his father, while facing the death of his brother and the apocalypse - Scott had a lot going for him.
5. TJ (Turbo)
He was only a leader for a short time but TJ took on the position with a fun attitude and will forever be the true Red Turbo Ranger. (And who else can say they got baked into a giant pizza?)
4. Leo (Lost Galaxy)
Leo saved Earth and Mirinoi, and basically self destructed the battlizer to defeat Trakeena. And to think he started out as a stowaway on Terra Venture.
3. Jason (MMPR)
Besides being the original - putting up with Rita and fighting Goldar in the Dark Dimension gets my vote any day.
2. Andros (In Space)
He was the original Space Ranger with a huge Megaship and would have some of the best storylines ever. HELL YES.
1. Wes (Time Force)
Fighting to save the future and let go of his fathers wishes while a relationship bloomed, Wes is the man at #1.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
PMC Week Recap
The convention happening every two years offers plenty of time to keep things fresh and exciting, depending on what's going on with Power Rangers and the fandom at the time. With this PMC I looked forward to switching things up a bit by driving down and back with Batz and Ryland, and having the hotel room one less night. Though there weren't as many people from Mutant Chat I'd know, there'd be folks going I've gotten to know within the last 2 years I'd want to chat with, or had seen at a previous PMC I had yet to talk to.
The trip to Los Angeles began Tuesday evening after Batz and I ran a few errands and got dinner. It was getting late by the time we picked up Ryland in Olympia so we didn't really stop for more than 2 hours overnight. After Batz had to had to take care of a few things it was midnight Thursday by the time I was dropped off at my sisters place, while the guys headed to the Pasadena Sheraton Hotel.
Thursday, my sister and her boyfriend took me around Little Tokyo followed by Central Market for a very late lunch. Later, while they were busy, I caught up on Twitter and Facebook as people were getting ready for the convention, and hungout in Mutant Chat almost as if I was home.
Friday we had lunch at Beachwood Cafe on the way to Pasadena and it was about 3:30 by the time I checked into the hotel. As the doors officially opened at 4:00, I got my badge and swag bag, dropped it off in the room, grabbed by holder for autographs, and ventured out onto the convention floor. I took in the sights of the Bandai Booth and tables upon tables of dealers toys for sale, and I got underway with meeting first-timers to PMC - Danny Slavin (Leo, Lost Galaxy), Kevin Duhaney (Ethan, DinoThunder), Ari Boyland (Flynn, RPM) and Melody Perkins (Astronema/Karone, In Space and Lost Galaxy). At 7:00 I saw a small Turbo/Space Panel, followed by one with various villains from the show. At 9:00 was "The Night Zero Show with Eric Francisco" - a fun, intimate chat with folks from the fandom - and featuring Ron Rogge (Captain Mitchell, Lightspeed Rescue) and Richard Brancatisano (Xander, Mystic Force). Pretty much anyone with a podcast and/or popular web site in the fandom was in the room, usually with their posse. It was interesting all being in the same room, sort of reminding me of the RangerBoard party from the original PMC in 2007 (but under different circumstances of course). Afterwards, Batz and some of the guys prepared to head over to the local theater for a comedy thing Ryland was doing. I had yet to even have dinner, so I stayed behind, grabbed a smoothie and bagel, and caught up on social media for the day.
Saturday I got going around 9:00 to check out the line for the exclusive Ranger Key Pack and get a shirt they had ran out of on Friday (but to no avail, which instead is supposed to be getting mailed). I said hi to Richard Brancatisano before settling into the 10:00 Mighty Morphin/Zeo Panel, followed by the Samurai Panel at 11:30. As the crowd grew (and with it, the line at the concession stand), I hustled back to my room for a high protein bar, to get back in time for Saban's Super Megaforce Panel at 1:00. Judd Lynn, returning as Executive Producer after previously stepping in to finish RPM (who's also best known some amazing classic seasons way back 13-15 years ago) hosted a Q&A with the current cast, which was followed by a trailer for Dino Charge in 2016 and the cast reveal everyone had been waiting for.
Later, I met first-timers Sean Cw Johnson and Keith Robinson (Carter and Joel, Lightspeed Rescue) and snapped a quick photo of the Super Megaforce limited cast autograph signing, I missed out on. I checked out a panel with a couple of longtime writers making their PMC debuts at 3:30, then caught Jason Narvy (Skull, seasons 1-7, 10, 19) entertaining the crowd at his panel with Felix Ryan (Spike, Samurai/Super Samurai). I then met Valerie Landon (Kendrix, Lost Galaxy), first-timer and sweetheart Kimberley Crossman (Lauren, Super Samurai), as well as Matt Mullins (Len/Wing Knight, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight). I saw the S.P.D. Panel at 6:30 and then metup with Batz as he got preparations underway for Ranger Bar's Pink Dolphin Party. I enjoyed a much needed iced latte and sandwich in our room before we went back to the convention for Night 2 of The Night Zero Show. Back at our room, the party eventually got going and the night took a very interesting turn after reports came out of Hector David Jr (Mike, Samurai/Super Samurai) getting into an altercation with PMC staff... and it was all downhill from there. Eventually, Ryland and Evan (who came to stay in our room overnight) and I got some sleep, while Batz was busy keeping an eye on the action.
Sunday morning we tried to use free passes for the gold membership breakfast but couldn't get in. Meanwhile, Hector was passed out outside our door, having likely crashed on the carpet on the way down the hall to his room a few hours prior. I killed time on the convention floor, meeting first-timers Jeff Parazzo (Trent, DinoThunder), Rhett Fisher (Ryan, Lightspeed Rescue) and Brad Hawkins (Ryan, VR Troopers and Gold Ranger voice in Zeo). I grabbed a hot dog and frappuccino before checking out the Lost Galaxy/Lightspeed Rescue Panel at noon, followed by Time Force/Wild Force. In between panels I said hi to two of my favorite cast members - Jason Faunt and Erin Cahill (Wes/Alex and Jen), as well as first-timer Michael Copon (Lucas), all from Time Force. Crunch time was on for final autographs/photos, as I met first-timers Alison MacInnis (Dana, Lightspeed Rescue), Steven Skyler (Antonio, Samurai/Super Samurai), and in a surprise, Erika Fong (Mia, Samurai/Super Samurai), who had come in for the last 2 hours of the convention after I missed her on Saturday. As the weekend was reaching the end, the line for Austin St. John (Jason, the original Red Ranger and Gold Ranger in Zeo), dwindled down (after being pretty extensive throughout the weekend), so I took the opportunity to meet him and I saw a Goldar cosplayer having some fun with him, Walter Jones ("The Original Black Ranger!") and Kerrighan Mahan (the voice of Goldar). At 4:30 was the Closing Ceremony and announcement of Power Morphicon 2016.
This years PMC was a wrap, and Batz, Ryland and I soon headed over to Barney's Beanery for Brad Hawkins After Party. We ran into others along the way as we walked a couple blocks, and eventually the three of us sat down for some food. Brad held an auction for charity and we pretty much hung out for a few hours. Back at our room, the night was way less eventful and more chilled than the night before. We left Pasadena Monday afternoon and the trip back went smoother I thought, since we didn't need to run any errands before or after (other than food for the road), so It didn't feel as dragged out and we stopped to rest in a car for a good couple hours. My favorite part was stopping by Voodoo Doughtnuts in Portland I had never been to. And checking out the beautiful west was pretty cool too. ^_^
One thing I expect to improve on next time is go to the panels on Friday and Saturday that have full or near-full casts, rather than wait until the second panel when more of the cast is likely to have left already. The panels with a variety of cast (all villains, all females, all Blue Rangers, etc) can be watched online at home after. I don't think I made the best decision with that this year. Also I'll consider ordering breakfast during registration in a year from now and skipping the t-shirts (may not be a bad idea after how I was nearly skipping meals at this PMC). If the convention floor concessions got busy, I was expecting to run across to the grocery store, but turns out it was gone.
There will definitely be certain cast members I'll want to see first thing at PMC5 who I've missed out on and I'll except to go back to flying down and settling in the hotel room on Thursday to get a head start Friday that I'm more accustomed to doing. As I told almost everyone I got an autograph from, the convention just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It was clear the moment I stepped in on Friday when it was already getting busy, and unless there was a big panel going on, the floor pretty much stayed busy. With the big Power Rangers movie coming July 22, 2016, PMC will get only bigger and it's sure to coincide at or near the movie premiere. They'll probably have the Dino Charge cast for a limited time (like they did with Megaforce this year), and I look forward to what they do with the currently unknown movie cast.
Thanks to Batz, Quispy, Evan, Dan, Shamus and everyone else I chilled with/talked to for a great weekend! Check out my photos here.
The trip to Los Angeles began Tuesday evening after Batz and I ran a few errands and got dinner. It was getting late by the time we picked up Ryland in Olympia so we didn't really stop for more than 2 hours overnight. After Batz had to had to take care of a few things it was midnight Thursday by the time I was dropped off at my sisters place, while the guys headed to the Pasadena Sheraton Hotel.
Thursday, my sister and her boyfriend took me around Little Tokyo followed by Central Market for a very late lunch. Later, while they were busy, I caught up on Twitter and Facebook as people were getting ready for the convention, and hungout in Mutant Chat almost as if I was home.
Friday we had lunch at Beachwood Cafe on the way to Pasadena and it was about 3:30 by the time I checked into the hotel. As the doors officially opened at 4:00, I got my badge and swag bag, dropped it off in the room, grabbed by holder for autographs, and ventured out onto the convention floor. I took in the sights of the Bandai Booth and tables upon tables of dealers toys for sale, and I got underway with meeting first-timers to PMC - Danny Slavin (Leo, Lost Galaxy), Kevin Duhaney (Ethan, DinoThunder), Ari Boyland (Flynn, RPM) and Melody Perkins (Astronema/Karone, In Space and Lost Galaxy). At 7:00 I saw a small Turbo/Space Panel, followed by one with various villains from the show. At 9:00 was "The Night Zero Show with Eric Francisco" - a fun, intimate chat with folks from the fandom - and featuring Ron Rogge (Captain Mitchell, Lightspeed Rescue) and Richard Brancatisano (Xander, Mystic Force). Pretty much anyone with a podcast and/or popular web site in the fandom was in the room, usually with their posse. It was interesting all being in the same room, sort of reminding me of the RangerBoard party from the original PMC in 2007 (but under different circumstances of course). Afterwards, Batz and some of the guys prepared to head over to the local theater for a comedy thing Ryland was doing. I had yet to even have dinner, so I stayed behind, grabbed a smoothie and bagel, and caught up on social media for the day.
Saturday I got going around 9:00 to check out the line for the exclusive Ranger Key Pack and get a shirt they had ran out of on Friday (but to no avail, which instead is supposed to be getting mailed). I said hi to Richard Brancatisano before settling into the 10:00 Mighty Morphin/Zeo Panel, followed by the Samurai Panel at 11:30. As the crowd grew (and with it, the line at the concession stand), I hustled back to my room for a high protein bar, to get back in time for Saban's Super Megaforce Panel at 1:00. Judd Lynn, returning as Executive Producer after previously stepping in to finish RPM (who's also best known some amazing classic seasons way back 13-15 years ago) hosted a Q&A with the current cast, which was followed by a trailer for Dino Charge in 2016 and the cast reveal everyone had been waiting for.
Later, I met first-timers Sean Cw Johnson and Keith Robinson (Carter and Joel, Lightspeed Rescue) and snapped a quick photo of the Super Megaforce limited cast autograph signing, I missed out on. I checked out a panel with a couple of longtime writers making their PMC debuts at 3:30, then caught Jason Narvy (Skull, seasons 1-7, 10, 19) entertaining the crowd at his panel with Felix Ryan (Spike, Samurai/Super Samurai). I then met Valerie Landon (Kendrix, Lost Galaxy), first-timer and sweetheart Kimberley Crossman (Lauren, Super Samurai), as well as Matt Mullins (Len/Wing Knight, Kamen Rider Dragon Knight). I saw the S.P.D. Panel at 6:30 and then metup with Batz as he got preparations underway for Ranger Bar's Pink Dolphin Party. I enjoyed a much needed iced latte and sandwich in our room before we went back to the convention for Night 2 of The Night Zero Show. Back at our room, the party eventually got going and the night took a very interesting turn after reports came out of Hector David Jr (Mike, Samurai/Super Samurai) getting into an altercation with PMC staff... and it was all downhill from there. Eventually, Ryland and Evan (who came to stay in our room overnight) and I got some sleep, while Batz was busy keeping an eye on the action.
Sunday morning we tried to use free passes for the gold membership breakfast but couldn't get in. Meanwhile, Hector was passed out outside our door, having likely crashed on the carpet on the way down the hall to his room a few hours prior. I killed time on the convention floor, meeting first-timers Jeff Parazzo (Trent, DinoThunder), Rhett Fisher (Ryan, Lightspeed Rescue) and Brad Hawkins (Ryan, VR Troopers and Gold Ranger voice in Zeo). I grabbed a hot dog and frappuccino before checking out the Lost Galaxy/Lightspeed Rescue Panel at noon, followed by Time Force/Wild Force. In between panels I said hi to two of my favorite cast members - Jason Faunt and Erin Cahill (Wes/Alex and Jen), as well as first-timer Michael Copon (Lucas), all from Time Force. Crunch time was on for final autographs/photos, as I met first-timers Alison MacInnis (Dana, Lightspeed Rescue), Steven Skyler (Antonio, Samurai/Super Samurai), and in a surprise, Erika Fong (Mia, Samurai/Super Samurai), who had come in for the last 2 hours of the convention after I missed her on Saturday. As the weekend was reaching the end, the line for Austin St. John (Jason, the original Red Ranger and Gold Ranger in Zeo), dwindled down (after being pretty extensive throughout the weekend), so I took the opportunity to meet him and I saw a Goldar cosplayer having some fun with him, Walter Jones ("The Original Black Ranger!") and Kerrighan Mahan (the voice of Goldar). At 4:30 was the Closing Ceremony and announcement of Power Morphicon 2016.
This years PMC was a wrap, and Batz, Ryland and I soon headed over to Barney's Beanery for Brad Hawkins After Party. We ran into others along the way as we walked a couple blocks, and eventually the three of us sat down for some food. Brad held an auction for charity and we pretty much hung out for a few hours. Back at our room, the night was way less eventful and more chilled than the night before. We left Pasadena Monday afternoon and the trip back went smoother I thought, since we didn't need to run any errands before or after (other than food for the road), so It didn't feel as dragged out and we stopped to rest in a car for a good couple hours. My favorite part was stopping by Voodoo Doughtnuts in Portland I had never been to. And checking out the beautiful west was pretty cool too. ^_^
One thing I expect to improve on next time is go to the panels on Friday and Saturday that have full or near-full casts, rather than wait until the second panel when more of the cast is likely to have left already. The panels with a variety of cast (all villains, all females, all Blue Rangers, etc) can be watched online at home after. I don't think I made the best decision with that this year. Also I'll consider ordering breakfast during registration in a year from now and skipping the t-shirts (may not be a bad idea after how I was nearly skipping meals at this PMC). If the convention floor concessions got busy, I was expecting to run across to the grocery store, but turns out it was gone.
There will definitely be certain cast members I'll want to see first thing at PMC5 who I've missed out on and I'll except to go back to flying down and settling in the hotel room on Thursday to get a head start Friday that I'm more accustomed to doing. As I told almost everyone I got an autograph from, the convention just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It was clear the moment I stepped in on Friday when it was already getting busy, and unless there was a big panel going on, the floor pretty much stayed busy. With the big Power Rangers movie coming July 22, 2016, PMC will get only bigger and it's sure to coincide at or near the movie premiere. They'll probably have the Dino Charge cast for a limited time (like they did with Megaforce this year), and I look forward to what they do with the currently unknown movie cast.
Thanks to Batz, Quispy, Evan, Dan, Shamus and everyone else I chilled with/talked to for a great weekend! Check out my photos here.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Countdown to a Morphinominal Morphicon
As the countdown to Power Morphicon 4 winds down this has been a very enjoyable couple of months with guest updates almost every Monday (a system I hope continues in 2016), in addition to the pretty big news like details on next season, and the 2016 movie - making this a pretty awesome time to be a Ranger fan. The last convention was huge and this will for sure be even bigger, with 120+ guests, a bigger space and apparently three panel rooms going. Do I get autographs? Go to panels? Studying the schedule (once it's finally online) will make a difference more than ever, plus figuring out who I must see and who I've met before (and would like to again). Carrying an old zip up leather holder I've never used should make autographs transportation easy, which always gets difficult amongst the chaos running around.
Times have changed in two years and there aren't as many from the chat room going this time. Tyler (BatZilla98) and I will be doing a lot more with Ranger Bar for the first time, with After Hours events pretty much set, and plans for the video room and fanfilm contest. Having press passes should also be a lot a fun and result in lots of great photos. But first the road to get there begins Tuesday afternoon when the drive down from Seattle gets underway.
Times have changed in two years and there aren't as many from the chat room going this time. Tyler (BatZilla98) and I will be doing a lot more with Ranger Bar for the first time, with After Hours events pretty much set, and plans for the video room and fanfilm contest. Having press passes should also be a lot a fun and result in lots of great photos. But first the road to get there begins Tuesday afternoon when the drive down from Seattle gets underway.
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