Monday, April 6, 2009

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight: Vented Score Card


Major Spoilers if you haven't seen the latest episode


For those keeping track at home, episode 15 of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight will air Saturday (or Sunday, depending on your local station) and out of 8 Riders, 4 have been vented. I don't know how spoilery I am getting now if you haven't seen episode 14.

So far, Richy/Incisor was vented by Wing Knight in Episode 4, Grant/Camo was vented by Torque in Episode 9, both Brad/Thrust and Drew/Torque were vented by James/Strike on Episode 14. And if you want more statistics, Incisor appeared at the end of Episode 2 and lasted 3 episodes. Camo appeared in Episode 8 and only lasted 2 episodes. Thrust appeared at the end of Episode 8 and lasted 7 episodes. In Kamen Rider Ryuki (the source), Strike/Ohja didn't kill the original Torque/Zolda, Zolda lasted much longer. The original Zolda died of his illness and his replacement died at hands of Ohja, so in a way Ohja did kill Zolda but much later. So what we saw between Strike and Torque was new footage. Incisor and Camo we could love to hate, they aren't missed. Keith Stone (Thrust) seemed to go to Matt Mullins School of Acting, his character Brad seemed like a dumb jock, so I'm not gonna miss him either. As for Torque, many liked him but he got what was coming to him and I didn't see him lasting the whole series anyway. Who's next? I dunno, but I think I am gonna feel more sorry for the next one.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Super Sentai Color Personalities

UDPATED 5/16/10 9PM EST
What is a 'Color Personality'? It is a fan term for the common factor of personalities attached to one color a Ranger has. For example in Power Rangers, the original Blue Ranger is a serious team member and represented "the smart one", subsequent Blue Rangers have been pushed to the position of "comic relief". So I decided to review the recent years of Super Sentai of what common personality has been used. I decided to only cover the past ten years or so, but what I say goes for all years.

Basic Personalities used frequently
Reckless or Childish Leader - Geki Red, Magi Red, Deka Red, Abared, Mega Red, Red Racer, etc.
Stalwart Leader - Bouken Red, Go Red, Oh Red, Ryuuranger, Tyranoranger, Red Hawk, Aka Ranger, etc...
Bad Boy/Stubborn one - Shinken Green, Go-On Black, Geki Blue, Bouken Black, Magi Yellow, Deka Blue, Abare Blue, Kabuto Raijer, Gao Yellow, Gosei Black, etc.
The 'Kid' - Go-On Green, Magi Red, Gao Blue, Time Green, Go Yellow, Kiba Ranger, Tiger Ranger, etc.
Fun-loving one - Geki Chopper, Bouken Blue, Time Yellow, etc.
Girly Girl - Go-On Yellow, Bouken Yellow, Magi Pink, Deka Pink, Hurricane Blue, Gao White, Ginga Pink, Mega Pink, Pink Racer, Oh Pink, Pteraranger, Gosei Pink, etc.
Serious Girl - Shinken Pink, Bouken Pink, Deka Yellow, Time Pink, etc.
TomBoy - Geki Yellow, Abare Yellow, Yellow Racer, Gosei Yellow, etc.


Yellow (31--Goranger to Goseiger)
There was a shift since some teams the only female was yellow, so some of the Yellows took the place of Pink as the girly girl. Before 2003, Yellow was male most of the time. The male Yellows are usually the one to butt heads with Red. Shinken Yellow is the sweet girl, but she goes down on herself because of her upbringing; Go-On Yellow and Bouken Yellow were the girly girl; Geki Yellow, Abare Yellow and Yellow Racer (Carranger) were tomboys; Deka Yellow, Mega Yellow, and Oh Yellow were serious girls; Magi Yellow and Gao Yellow were serious and butted heads with Red; Time Yellow and Ninja Yellow were mostly comic relief; Hurricane Yellow, Ginga Yellow, Kirinranger (Dairanger), and Yellow Swallow (Jetman) were a basic good guys; Go Yellow and Tiger Ranger (Zyuranger) was the kid trying to prove himself. Gosei Yellow is hard to peg, she is tomboy-ish but feminine, stubborn and doesn't give up.

Green (19--Goranger to Shinkenger)
Green is mostly used as comic relief and the reliable one. Very rarely is green the 'bad boy,' as for example Shinken Green. Shinken Green butts heads with Red, Go-On Black and Bouken Black have butted head with Red too; Go-On Green and Time Green were the kids, Time Green was the smart one though; Magi Green and Deka Green were used for comic relief, but they were both serious; Shurikenger and Dragon Ranger were both sixth Green Rangers, which had been done in one episode of Maskranger with Mask X-1. Shurikenger was fun-loving while Dragon Ranger was serious and revenge-filled; Go Green, Ginga Green, Oh Green and Shishiranger (Dairanger) were responsible ones; Green Racer was purely comic relief.

Black (20--Battle Fever J to Goseiger)
Black, very similar in personalities to Green like in Power Rangers because in most teams (except for Liveman, Zyuranger, Ohranger, and Go-Onger), it is either green or black. Go-On Black was semi-serious, sometimes used for comic relief, he butted heads with Red; Bouken Black and Gosei Black are the bad boys, butted with Red; Deka Master was technically black and teal, he was the boss, serious; Abare Black was serious, but sweet and kind; Gao Black was the sweet one; Bull Black (Gingaman), Mega Black, King Ranger, Ninja Black, Mammoth Ranger (Zyuranger) and Black Condor were the serious ones--Black Condor more serious than any other; King Ranger, Bull Black and Deka Master were additional rangers; The first Black Ranger in Sentai technically was Battle Kenya as he was black but the second was Goggle Back, who looked more like a Ranger to how we consider them.

Blue (34---Goranger to Goseiger)
Blue recently has been used as the one to but heads with Red, like Geki Blue, Deka Blue, Abare Blue and Time Blue. If Blue is female, she usually takes Pink's place as the 'lone girl' except for Magi Blue and Blue Swallow since a Pink/White was present. Gosei Blue is serious, calm and sometimes prone to have fits; Shinken Blue is a fanboy, he can be serious but is used for comic relief (very complex character); Go-On Blue was the 'smart one' and the reliable one; Geki Blue was stubborn, butting heads with Geki Red and his brother Geki Violet; Bouken Blue was the flirty one, he was used for comic relief but he was serious character, a fun-loving one; Magi Blue was unique in that her personality is not used much: a shy girl but tough when she needs to be. Maybe Shinken Yellow is a bit similar to her; Deka Blue and Abare Blue were serious and stubborn, they butted heads with Red; Hurricane Blue was the 'girly' girl, since she was the only girl; Gao Blue was the kid trying to prove himself; Time Blue was the serious quiet bad boy type that had a secret; Go Blue, and Ninja Blue were serious; TriceraRanger (Zyuranger), Ginga Blue and Tenra Ranger (Dairanger) were sometimes used for comic relief; Mega Blue, Oh Blue and Blue Racer were sometimes shy but nobel.

White (11--JAKQ to Gekiranger)
After further thinking, I decided to cover white, there are few but I thought it would be to showcase the white rangers of Super Sentai. Geki Chopper had orange and black in his suit too, he was fun-loving and a bit flaky; Magi Mother was a mother like any other, sweet, caring, and strict; Deka Swan had orange and black in her suit too, but she is considered white. She was the brains and concerned for her fellow teammates; Deka Break was your standard sixth ranger, a soloist, stern at first but really sweet inside; AbareKiller (Who I forgot to put in the picture) was a psycho; Gao White is a teenage high school girl and the heart of the team; Ninja White was the responsible and caring tomboy leader; Kiba Ranger was literally a little boy; White Swallow and Change Mermaid were girly girls; and finally Big One was cool and collected and a showman. There has been more women (6) in white then men (5). And only 3 out of the 11 have 'White' in their name--and might I add they are all female. All males in white haven't had 'white' in his name.

Pink (25--Goranger to Goseiger)
In most cases in the 90's except for now of course, Pink is the lone girl and she has to represent everything girly and sweet, except for Time Pink and Bouken Pink. Shinken Pink is tough but wants to be a bride, she dresses sort of girly; Bouken Pink is super tough, everyone thought she was strict and stern, due to the fact that she never showed emotion, didn't know how; Magi Pink, Deka Pink, Ginga Pink, Pink Racer (Carranger), Oh Pink, and Pteraranger (Zyuranger) were girly girls; Time Pink is tough as nails, super serious, not letting emotion out; Go Pink and Houhouranger (Dairanger) were the lone girls, but a bit tomboy-ish; Mega Pink was a typical high school student, girly and bubbly. Gosei Pink is bubbly, responsible, and understanding but prone to girliness.

Red (34--Goranger to Goseiger)
Left for last because from 2004 to 2007, there was a complaint that Red leaders were childish, well, except for Bouken Red. Shinken Red seems to be a return to the valiant Red Rangers of the 70's-90's, but some twists. He doesn't show his true emotion to his own team... yet; Go-On Red is unique in that he may seem like DekaRed or GekiRed on the outside but he is a go-to leader, a bit goofy but reliable; Geki Red is super goofy 'wild boy' childish, he was only serious for the big arcs; Bouken Red is the reliable, responsible and serious Red from the 70's to the 90's; Magi Red is a teenager, childish but had lots of courage and butted heads with Yellow; Deka Red butted heads with Blue, he is the most disliked personality wise by fans. Reckless, childish and nuts; Abared and Gao Red were a do-gooder, they saw the best in everyone; Hurricane Red was run-of-the-mill; Time Red was optimistic and was the team's support and rallier, he saw a greater tomorrow, pun intended. Ginga Red, Mega Red and Red Racer were a bit childish or naive but came through in a pinch; Go Red, Oh Red, Ninja Red, Ryuuranger, and Red Hawk were responsible leaders. Gosei Red has a new personality, he has a rare combination of the kid and mediator, he seems aloof but he isn't dumb.

I am not covering gold, silver, and other assorted colors because they are so few.
Silver: 5
Crimson: 1
Orange: 1
Gold: 3
Navy: 1
Violet: 1


Additional Auxiliary Mecha

Gaoranger/ Wild Force
17 original Power Animals (even though GaoBear and GaoPolar are the same); 6 re-colored Power Animals (Gao Kong and the Gao God Power Animals)
Highest Mecha combination: (6) The robot with the most mecha was GaoKnight and GaoKing Sword and Shield Mode, which had six.


Hurricanger / Ninja Storm
17 Karakuri Balls/Power Spheres, 14 actual animals or weapons
Highest Mecha Combination: (8 to 17 or 22) The highest mecha combination would be when TenraiSenpuujin would climb on top of Revolver Mammoth and shoot out Karakuri Balls.


Abaranger / Dino Thunder
13 Bakuryuu / 13 Bio Zords (even though 2 were not seen loose but together as the Copyzord)
Highest Mecha Combinations: (7) The highest amount of mecha combination would be OoabarenOh, that had Tyranno, Triceratops, Ptera, Top Galer, Stegosraidon, RhanphoGolds and SpinoGold (helmet and weapon).


Boukenger / Operation Overdrive
18 GouGou Vehicles / 18 Zords
Highest Mecha Combinations: (10) The highest mecha combination was Ultimate DaiBouken, that had 10 mecha at one time.


Gekiranger / Jungle Fury
11 Geki Beasts and 2 Rin Beasts / 13 Zords
Highest Mecha Combinations: (7) The highest mecha combination was SaiDaiGekiRinTouja, that had 7: GekiTiger, GekiCheetah, GekiJaguar, RinLion, RinChameleon, SaiDain, and GekiWolf.


Go-Onger/ RPM
15 Engines / 12 Zords (Don't know if the three from the movie will appear)
Highest Mecha Combination: (12) The highest combination was Engine-Oh G12, which has Speedor, BearRV, Bus-On, Triptor, Jetoras, Birca, Gunpherd, Carrigator, Jum-bowhale, Kishamoth, T-Line, and K-Line.

Shinkenger
9 Origamis so far

Power Rangers 2010 Toy Line Possible but doesn't mean there will be a show

Many fans don't want to accept the fact that there will not be a live-action 2010 Power Ranger TV series next year, but they got to face the facts. Shooting wrapped in New Zealand for all Power Rangers and prop/costume shipping from Japan to New Zealand usually happens around this time and it hasn't as of yet. I have been told by one of my insiders, told from a reliable source that Bandai America is releasing a 2010 toy line for Power Rangers in the United States. Parents would want to buy new Power Ranger figures for their kids for Christmas, which is when the new line is usually released. So just because we might see a new toy line, it won't mean there will be a series.

Bandai America released that statement that the show will not end and that according to my very reliable source, it made Disney angry. Bandai America doesn't have the final say! One rumor is that the only reason we have the RPM series is because they released the toy line. But according to my source, most likely, this is not gonna happen again. I mean, they closed up shop in New Zealand. Basically the reason Disney has canceled Power Rangers is because of costs and they wanted to go animated, because they want to be in control of everything. This same source says that they want to cut Toei and Plex out of the equation of the toys. Plex and Toei designs the toys. Disney wants their own people to design the toys so they get their own money. Toei is part owner of the Power Rangers so they have final say and have been against an animated series. We won't know what will happen for a couple of months.

Sidenote: The above picture of Shinkenger toys.

Since Disney took over the franchise back with Wild Force, it has been prohibited Power Rangers material being exposed in Japan. Power Rangers used to air in Japan, for example: Lightspeed Rescue, etc. It is said that Disney bought the rights to Goranger to Jetman, so another company would not release them on DVD subtitled or dubbed to avoid competition and confusion. It is a Disney company decision to cancel the show and they don't want to do it anymore and if they don't want to release an official statement, then they won't. When the majority of television shows are canceled, no statement is ever released, only a few lucky shows have had that pleasure to have a statement about cancellation. I guess no one will be convinced until there is nothing on the airwaves in next March. Maybe people think I don't want the show to continue. I don't want it to end, in my personal opinion, it will come back in some form. I just want people to face facts.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Namihei Koshige's Blog

I found Namihei Koshige's Blog and he has interesting pictures from the Power Rangers RPM set. He is a suit actor and has been since 1995, he has done most of the female rangers.


These are from November and December, it seems one of the Rangers is gonna be in a wedding dress. And here is a delightful post on how he has doubled for the Rangers in non-suit like Max (Wild Force), Cassie (Space), Syd (SPD), Trip (Time Force), and Ethan (Dino Thunder).

Here is an interesting post from Namihei Koshige, the suit actor for most of the female Power Rangers for the past 15 years. This picture includes him (in middle), Adelaide Kane (Tenaya 7) and some of the crew, I do not know who exactly. The post is about the wrap-up party for Power Rangers.

This is picture has Koichi Sakamoto, stunt director and producer of Power Rangers receiving a card and flowers at the wrap-up party for Power Rangers RPM. This was posted March 30, 2009, Namihei reflects on his 14 years being on the show since 1995. I can not translate it, but I got most of this from a google translator, which isn't 100%.

Here is his YouTube channel, which has only videos of him and two on the set, but not in Power Rangers outfits so we will not know what it is from until we see the episode. The above picture is a Jungle Fury set. He does great work and I am an admirer of his work.

Shipping of Ranger and monster costumes and props usually happens in March and April from Japan to overseas and it has not happened as of yet an insider says.

Starting with a team of three

It has happened seven times in Super Sentai, six series have started with three Rangers: Sun Vulcan, Liveman, Kakuranger, Hurricanger, Abaranger, Gekiranger, and Go-Onger. Kakuranger started with three rangers (red, white, and blue) in the first episode but in the opening theme and all merchandise, Kakuranger had 5 rangers. Go-Onger started with three Rangers (red, yellow, and blue) in the first episode but in the opening theme and all merchandise, Go-Onger had 5 rangers. Commercially and merchandise, Sun Vulcan, Liveman, Hurricanger, Abaranger, and Gekiranger started with 3 Rangers; they were five shows that did that. Those five shows that started with three Rangers, they all had the primary colors of Red, Yellow and Blue. Only two cases, blue was female and yellow was male. Kakuranger is unique in that it is not remembered for starting with three Rangers. Go-Onger started with three, but quickly was made five.

Three shows in Power Rangers started with three Rangers; Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, and Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Like Go-Onger, Power Rangers RPM started with 3 and officially became 4 in episode 3 and 5 in episode 4. While with the Aquitar Rangers, it was always five.