Saturday, December 8, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
Pre-Images of Super Sentai #2 (2008-Now)
I already had 2000-2013, but I just can't keep adding to it. So here is a new post for the upcoming years.
2008 Go-Onger
This was the first picture we got and nobody liked the helmets, many said it looked like a rehash of other helmets. Confirmations on the title came in October.
-First mention of "Go-onger" name on October 27th 2007
-1st toy catalog cover on December 6th 2007
-Go-Onger cast revealed in promo video on December 29th 2008
-Go-Onger press conference on January 19th 2008
-1st toy catalog cover on December 6th 2007
-Go-Onger cast revealed in promo video on December 29th 2008
-Go-Onger press conference on January 19th 2008
2009 Shinkenger
I remember fans being happy more or less with the illustrations. There were mumbles that they looked like Ohranger helmets but everyone was happy. Rumors and Spoilers began in August. Two rumored titles were Toushi Sentai Gunbaranger (Fighting Spirt Taskforce Gunbaranger) or Gowa Sentai Starranger.
-Series name license revealed on October 2nd 2008
-Leaked concept art of ShinkenOh and Shinkenger team on November 19th
- 1st quarter toy catalog for Shinkenger on December 8th
-Cast confirmed and newspaper flier released on December 27th
-Press conference photos posted on February 2nd 2009
An early sketch in 2008 said to be an early sketch for the 2009 Super Sentai, could be preliminary design for Shinkenger.
-Leaked concept art of ShinkenOh and Shinkenger team on November 19th
- 1st quarter toy catalog for Shinkenger on December 8th
-Cast confirmed and newspaper flier released on December 27th
-Press conference photos posted on February 2nd 2009
An early sketch in 2008 said to be an early sketch for the 2009 Super Sentai, could be preliminary design for Shinkenger.
2010 Goseiger
Title confirmed in September and the picture above was revealed in early of December of 2009.
-Press flyer revealed on December 3rd 2010
-Toy catalog cover on December 6th
-1st quarter toy catalog on December 9th
-Rumored cast becomes the official cast on December 30th
-Cast confirmed on January 1st
-Toy catalog cover on December 6th
-1st quarter toy catalog on December 9th
-Rumored cast becomes the official cast on December 30th
-Cast confirmed on January 1st
These were the rumored sketches in September of 2009, it was debunked around November.
2011 Gokaiger
The title was confirmed in early of September of 2010. We did get this early sketch in September as well, but it resembled the other sketches from 2009 that were not the final designs.
-Series name license revealed on September 9th 2010
-Press flyer revealed on December 2nd 2010
-1st toy catalog pictures released on December 6th
-The rumored cast turned out to be correct on December 22nd 2010
We got this quick sketch from an insider.
We first saw this picture December 1st late night (December 2nd afternoon in Japan). The first drawing we got in September is somewhat similar with minor details that the undershirt is black and the cuffs are silver and boot cuff is different but same basic idea.
2012 Go-Busters
The one above is the "leaked" image for Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters on November 6th. But the final product we saw was in December 1st right below. This is the first image we saw of the final designs.
-Go-buster's series title confirmed on September 9th 2011
-Go-buster's 1st toy catalog is leaked on December 1st 2011
-Go-buster's press flier is revealed on December 1st 2011
-Rumor of cast on November 28th
-Go-buster cast confirmed and newspaper flier on December 31st 2011
-Last week of January 2011 and the press conference/stage show/toy exhibit\bouquet handover from past team
-Go-buster's 1st toy catalog is leaked on December 1st 2011
-Go-buster's press flier is revealed on December 1st 2011
-Rumor of cast on November 28th
-Go-buster cast confirmed and newspaper flier on December 31st 2011
-Last week of January 2011 and the press conference/stage show/toy exhibit\bouquet handover from past team
2013 Kyouryuger
On November 6, 2012 we got the first leaked image. We already knew it was dinosaur related in September.
Blurry image came up December 6th and then some catalog pics (illustrations) December 7th.
A clearer picture came out December 8th with clearer catalog pics.
Of course I must note that many other people have supplied news, spoilers, pics, and etc. other than Dukemon22.
Related Topic: 2010 Sentai Rumors and Speculations #2 | Pre-Images of Super Sentai
NEW! Kyoryuger Toy Images
UPDATED 12/9/12 7:30 PM EST
Juuden Sentai Kyoryuger Dinosaur Mecha Kamitsuki Gattai DX
Comes with GabuTyra, Stegocchi and Dricera
01 Zactor (Green)
02 Parasagan (Black)
KyoryuJin can even sing and say “KyoryuJin, Western! Yeehaw!” when Zactor and Parasagan are connected.
03 Ankydora (Cyan)
Ankydora is based on the Ankylosaurus and it is the first of the auxiliary mecha. Surprise surprise, it is cyan just like GaoElephant, Dimetro, Gougou Shovel, GekiShark and Kajiki Origami. When Ankydora and Dricera are connected, instead of KyoryuJin Western, it’s KyoryuJin Macho!
The Kyoryuger’s have bikes called “Dino Chasers” by combining two JudenRyu. The Kyoryuger’s use a weapon called GabRevolver when it’s in Gun Mode. When it’s used as a sword, it’s called GabCalibur. I like the yellow and black bike.
I am really really loving the Red-Blue-Pink combo of the main robo! I also like that the blue one gets replaced first before pink. With cyan, it looks basically the same.
Info and pics thanks to Henshin Justice:
http://henshinjustice.com/2012/12/07/juden-sentai-kyoryugers-transforming-with-samba-batteries/
The GabRevolver can also change into the sword, GabriCalibur. With this
weapon, the Kyoryugers can use a special attack with Samba Rhythm!
A bit better look at the suits, the arms seem to be a dark shade except for Black who has a greyish tone.
To active a JudenRyu, simply throw a battery into its mouth!
The GabRecalibur is compatible with JudenChi 15, Allomerus. The battery can used to activate the special attack, “Bamora”. While GabRevolver is compatible with JudenChi 1, 14 and 15, Gabutyra, Stymero and Allomerus. It can be used as a machine gun, or as a shotgun.
It also has the special attack, Bamora, just like the GabRecalibur. "Bamora Much" is a stronger attack. The GabRevolver is their henshin device.
Top is the buckle, bottom are GabRecalibur and GabRevolver.
I am really really loving the Red-Blue-Pink combo of the main robo! I also like that the blue one gets replaced first before pink. With cyan, it looks basically the same.
Info and pics thanks to Henshin Justice:
http://henshinjustice.com/2012/12/07/juden-sentai-kyoryugers-transforming-with-samba-batteries/
Pics from Badboystore.com
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Year in Review: Failure of Go-Busters?
(The following is just my theory--not fact to why the series did not perform well with Japanese kids, it has nothing to do with the worth of the series at all. I liked the series, it was a solid show.)
Word is that Bandai president says Go-Busters had low ratings and low toy sales. Initally they thought it was doing great, rumor is probably because of the Ranger Keys sales. Also supposedly they blame the Go-Busters storyline for being too 'Dark.' I personally don't think it was so dark. I think the series just didn't have a lot to go on. I do like Sentai series that concentrate on story, but I just couldn't get into Go-Busters. I don't hate it, I do like it, it just never 'sucked' me in. Go-Busters also served many unconviental concepts such as the monsters not growing but having seperate giant robots fighting the team, no stock footage of transformation, no auxilary robos like most years and also no Sixth member.
The new sentai Kyoryuger has one female and not yellow. I understand the thinking behind one female and 4 males. Because like it or not, it is a boy franchise. And boy toys sell more. And lately, Bandai has only had limited figures of the females so instead of having 3 boy toys to sell, they can sell 4. Most likely they got inspired by Go-Busters' 4 male lineup and decided to do the same with Kyoryuger. I don't see Go-Busters as a failure. But here are some points to review...
No Auxiliary Robos
Most fans would bemoan the use of too many Auxiliary robos or weapons to 'catch them all' (ala Gaoranger), but it has now become a Sentai stable. Not that I don't like the robos of Go-Busters. I did like that they were triple changers: went from animal to vehicle to robo. There was the frog robo from the movie but it wasn't the mass quantity like in Abaranger, Boukenger, Gekiranger, Go-Onger, Goseiger, and Gokaiger. Dekaranger and Magiranger sort of took a break on this concept but Dekaranger had multiple robos and Magiranger had different miscellany. Go-Busters only had one extra mech.
No Collectible Items
In past years like Go-Onger, Shinkenger, Goseiger and Gokaiger, the teams had a item to collect like the Engine Souls, Hiden Disks, cards and Ranger Keys. Go-Busters did not have this. Mostly because Bandai still had the Ranger Key line going on and released multiple versions of the Go-Busters as keys and continued the remainder of Ranger Keys that were missing. The Ranger Keys were so popular with Gokaiger, they decided to conclude it in Go-Busters. I think the lack of both extra robos and of these items lead to low sales. Could the Ranger Keys have hurt Go-Busters?
Long drawn out Storyline
I might not agree but some might see the downer in the show itself was that since there were no collectible items or auxilary robos, the show didn't have much new to introduce so it was slow moving. Maybe kids do need something new to increase viewership. If they had nothing new to obtain, it just gets boring. I was hoping this was not the case but probably now Toei and Bandai believes that to be the case. Granted that back in the day (1975-2000), there wasn't much of these extra things and the storylines did fine. But maybe since kids are so accostumed to it now, it is hard for them to break free.
Dark, not Happy
I don't think Go-Busters was dark. It indeed was serious and wasn't as lighthearted as Go-Onger or goofy as Carranger but it was just as serious as let's say Boukenger or Shinkenger. But this 'last season was dark, this season will be more light-hearted and fun' sounds a lot like what Saban Brands said when they brought along Samurai, saying Jungle Fury and RPM were too dismal. My suggestion to Toei is that change is good but don't change all at once, if you remove something, then don't remove more elements, keep it balanced. Go-Busters having character development and story is great and should continue for the rest of Sentai, but if you want toys to sell, then sell toys. I see Go-Busters as an empty slate, I am sure that Saban and Bandai will add more gadgets and even another Ranger when it comes stateside around 2015.
Most fans would bemoan the use of too many Auxiliary robos or weapons to 'catch them all' (ala Gaoranger), but it has now become a Sentai stable. Not that I don't like the robos of Go-Busters. I did like that they were triple changers: went from animal to vehicle to robo. There was the frog robo from the movie but it wasn't the mass quantity like in Abaranger, Boukenger, Gekiranger, Go-Onger, Goseiger, and Gokaiger. Dekaranger and Magiranger sort of took a break on this concept but Dekaranger had multiple robos and Magiranger had different miscellany. Go-Busters only had one extra mech.
No Collectible Items
In past years like Go-Onger, Shinkenger, Goseiger and Gokaiger, the teams had a item to collect like the Engine Souls, Hiden Disks, cards and Ranger Keys. Go-Busters did not have this. Mostly because Bandai still had the Ranger Key line going on and released multiple versions of the Go-Busters as keys and continued the remainder of Ranger Keys that were missing. The Ranger Keys were so popular with Gokaiger, they decided to conclude it in Go-Busters. I think the lack of both extra robos and of these items lead to low sales. Could the Ranger Keys have hurt Go-Busters?
I might not agree but some might see the downer in the show itself was that since there were no collectible items or auxilary robos, the show didn't have much new to introduce so it was slow moving. Maybe kids do need something new to increase viewership. If they had nothing new to obtain, it just gets boring. I was hoping this was not the case but probably now Toei and Bandai believes that to be the case. Granted that back in the day (1975-2000), there wasn't much of these extra things and the storylines did fine. But maybe since kids are so accostumed to it now, it is hard for them to break free.
I don't think Go-Busters was dark. It indeed was serious and wasn't as lighthearted as Go-Onger or goofy as Carranger but it was just as serious as let's say Boukenger or Shinkenger. But this 'last season was dark, this season will be more light-hearted and fun' sounds a lot like what Saban Brands said when they brought along Samurai, saying Jungle Fury and RPM were too dismal. My suggestion to Toei is that change is good but don't change all at once, if you remove something, then don't remove more elements, keep it balanced. Go-Busters having character development and story is great and should continue for the rest of Sentai, but if you want toys to sell, then sell toys. I see Go-Busters as an empty slate, I am sure that Saban and Bandai will add more gadgets and even another Ranger when it comes stateside around 2015.
When I spoke to one of the Bandai artists (Tsuyoshi Nonaka) at PMC, he said that the color combo of Red-Blue-Yellow-Silver-Gold did great. This was a new because usually Gold and Silver are reserved for the sixth and/or seventh and never for fourth and fifth. They are the first team to have Gold and Silver in the core 5. And that they wouldn't do it a lot because it wouldn't have the same impact. This is probably why Kyoryuger's color scheme is more traditional but also different since it is Red, Black, Green, Blue and Pink. Usually when a team has Black and Green (Liveman and Go-Onger) in the core 5, there is no Pink. But Zyuranger did ultimately have Green, Black and Pink. Also Kyoryuger is the first series since Timeranger to have a single female in pink. Gaoranger, Hurricanger, Abaranger, Gekiranger and Go-Busters all ultimately had one female but none were pink. Also Go-Busters was the first to use leather but Kyoryuger has gone back to Spandex.
It seems after reviewing all the color combos and designs they did in the past with Gokaiger, Toei wants to try different things now. But it is common after an anniversary season like with Gaoranger (2001), the next two seasons of Hurricanger and Abaranger were experimental. Dekaranger and Magiranger were more traditional. Boukenger (2006) was the anniversary and more traditional and then Gekiranger and Go-Onger were experimental. Shinkenger and Goseiger were more traiditional color combos. Gokaiger (2011) was the anniversary and now Go-Busters and Kyoryuger are more experimental, maybe more radically so than before. I think Gekiranger was pretty radical with Purple and White, but Go-Busters threw us with a curveball with having Gold and Silver as 4th and 5th and now no Yellow with Kyoryuger. What is also curious is that Kakuranger (1994) had 5 members, GoGoV (1999) had 5 members, Abaranger (2003) had 5 members, Gekiranger (2007) had 5 and now Go-Busters (2012) have 5. Each around 4 to 5 years apart.
Update: Judd Lynn of Power Rangers Dino Charge at SDCC 2015 says Saban ultimately decided to skip Go-Busters because they wanted to do Kyoryuger and cash in the Dino theme for Jurassic World, Jurassic Park's anniversary and Mighty Morphin. Because of the year gap and 2-year themes, they were able to pick between Go-Busters and Kyoryuger.
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