Sunday, July 19, 2009

Updates to RangerCentral and SuperSentai.com

Just to let you guys know of a few new updates to our sites:

Power Rangers Central (www.rangercentral.com)
RPM Episode Guide
All the episodes that have aired.

Super Sentai Time Capsule (www.supersentai.com)
Shinkenger
Arsenal
Secret Discs
Origami
Monsters

By the way, the Episode Guide of Shinkenger is being slowly updated as we speak.

UPDATED 7/21/09
The Episode Guide for Shinkenger has been updated.

Friday, July 17, 2009

No New Episodes of RPM and Dragon Knight until August

UPDATED August 1, 2009
Sorry, repeats once again. Episode 18 does not air until August 1st! So I can not make an episode come out of thin air. Well, to give you a nibble, here you go with some descriptions.

Sat Aug 1 - Belly of the Beast (18)
The rangers must return to the factory and destroy the Venjix Doomsday Bot that is being built. Dillon attempts to find his sister. Dr. K sends Gem & Gemma on a secret mission to reprogram the Doom Bot enabling it to fuse with their zords and create a new Megazord formation, the Mach Megazord.

Sat Aug 8 - Three's A Crowd (19)
Gem & Gemma’s “blow things up and ask questions later” motto is getting quite out of hand. They follow a trail they think might lead to the Venjix Palace and end up walking right into a trap. They learn to work together with the other rangers as a team and in turn form a new megazord configuration.

Sat Aug 15 - Heroes Among Us (20)
In an effort to impress his father, Scott makes a reckless trip out to the wasteland. He and Gem stumble upon human prisoners and their field trip turns into a rescue mission. Venjix test drives his new and improved robotic form. His new body doesn’t hold very well against rangers.

Sat Aug 22 - Not So Simple (21)
For the first time, Gem and Gemma disagree on something. Gemma believes in what Flynn can do and they work together on a wheelzord project. With all their resources used up, Dr. K has to trust the untested technology and they use it to destroy the latest attack bot.

August 29 - Pre-empted
Pre-empted means the show will not even air because of a sporting event.

Sat Sep 5 - The Dome Dolls (22)
No date yet. Summer, Gema, Vasquez, Dr. K, and the rest of the women of the city must step up against Venjix when all the men are put to sleep.

Sat Sep 12 - And... Action (23)
For the first time ever join Ziggy as he takes you behind the scenes of Power Rangers. See how explosions and stunts are really done. As well as the funny moments that don’t make it into the episode, but keep the Power Ranger set a lively place to work as a ranger.

Sat Sep 19 - Ancient History (24)
Untested technology is found in an Alphabet Soup dumping ground. Truman tries to keep the technology from Venjix but instead stumbles upon a video log that pins Dr. K responsible for the start of Venjix. Truman wants to arrest Dr. K. But if he does, she won’t be able to help the rangers with the dangerous Paleomax technology.

Sat Sep 26 - Key to the past (25)
It dawns on Dillon that the two keys to his watch fit together to play another song. It’s the same song that Tenaya 7 sings! Tenaya 7 is hit by memories of her past. She does some investigating on her own and finds out what really happened to her.

UPDATED JULY 26, 2009
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight also starts anew with new episodes in August. These new summaries I got and updated JULY 26, 2009. SPOILERS abound.

Sat Aug 1 - 11:00am EST - The Hero of Gramercy Heights (16)
Kit and Len meet JTC and discover that he is actually Kamen Rider Strike. Meanwhile, Maya tries to get Chris to help Kit and Len in their fight against Xaviax's forces. Kamen Rider Strike appears and fights against Chris. Len and Kit fall into a trap and have to fight a Mirror Monster.

Sat Aug 8 - The Power of Three (17)
Chris fights Kamen Rider Strike but after Kit and Len appear and they stop fighting. Chris joins forces with Kit and Len. Meanwhile, Xaviax recruits Danny and Albert Cho, two brothers who steal bike parts and just want a piece of the 'American dream.'

Sat Aug 15 - The Brothers Cho (18)
Len fights the Cho brothers and wins easily. Kit and Chris fight a Mirror Monster, but Chris wants to fight it alone. Kit goes to the hospital where his father is, and discovers that his father was kidnapped by Kamen Rider Strike.

Sat Aug 22 - Semper Fi (19)
Kit, Len, and Chris are fighting JTC and the Cho brothers, who have Kit's dad hostage. During the battle, Len is almost Vented by Strike.

Sat Aug 29 - Letter from the Front Line (20)
Kit, Len, and Maya read an important letter. Xaviax orders the Cho Brothers to watch for Dragon Knight. JTC tells Kit where his father is.


Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Dairanger influences in Power Rangers

Gosei Sentai Dairanger (1993) was the series after Zyuranger, the original series that they adapted in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The Dairanger suits were not used, but they were planned to be used for Power Rangers Lost Galaxy as the 'Ancient Rangers' but when Varlie Vernon (Kendrix) fell ill and had to replaced by Melody Perkins (Karone), those plans fell through. I am covering every little thing from Dairanger that was used in Power Rangers.


Chi Beasts and Kibaranger (1993) / Thunderzords and White Ranger (1994)
These things were obviously used in the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Also, the monsters of course, except for a choice few... a Birdcage monster, a jug monster, and a Joker (cards) monster.


Aura Changer (1993) / Manga Morpher (1999)
The henshin device of the main five Dairanger was modified for the Mike when he morphed into the Magna Defender in Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. As you can see, they scratched out the red engraving on the flat part and painted over the part that said 'Aurachanger.' As for the toy, they replace the Aurachanger label with the Lost Galaxy logo and kept the red engraving but had it in black.



Gorma Emperor (1993) / Master Org (2002)
Master Org of Power Rangers Wild Force, his outfit came from the main villain who ended up not being the main villain, the Gorma Emperor. The only addition was a horn on his helmet and veins on his face. There were some differences in the costumes as well.

Homoerotism in Super Sentai and Power Rangers

I decided to mention a couple of cases of homoerotism or Hoyay in Super Sentai and Power Rangers. What that means is innuendo or hints at a character being same-sex orientated. I am sure there are a lot of people who pair other same-sex Rangers but these are some that seem more 'out there' than others.

Kazu/Kirinranger of Gosei Sentai Dairanger
Because he was a hairdresser and of his feminine behavior, many thought he was gay. But other than not having a female love interest (nor any type of love interest--if you count Kameo, but I don't) like his other male team members, Kazu didn't really demonstrate proof that he was attracted to men.

Yousuke and Ikkou of Hurricanger
Yousuke was Hurricane Red and Ikkou was Kabutoraijer, no one else mentioned this but if you re-watch Hurricanger carefully, there are gentle hints. I am not suggesting the characters nor the actors were actually gay or that they were written like that, but there is a underlining innuendo between the two. Ikkou had no female love interest and Yousuke's only female interest was a girl in the movie. They were rivals, but slowly their relationship blossomed as Yousuke cared and looked out for Ikkou when he got infected with a life-threatening alien bug. They later had a playful rivalry.

There have been a lot of feminine monsters and feminine villains, but it is not say that they are necessarily gay, it's just that they were feminine. Japanese producers usually do this to make their characters interesting. The majority of these feminine male monsters became female like Carranger's ZZ Zeri became the female Delisha Ennivel. Feminine villains include Gaoranger's Ura (Wild Force's Nayzor), Magiranger's Memmy (Mystic Force's Imperious--whose personality stayed in tact), and Go-Onger's Hiramechimedes (RPM's Venjix) to name a few.



Kelsey and Nancy of Lightspeed Rescue
It has been joked between fans for so many years about the episode "Riding the Edge," where there was chemistry between Kelsey the yellow ranger and Nancy the astronaut. Kelsey saved her dog and then she had to save her from a monster. Kelsey had no male romances, well Dana didn't either, but anyway she was pretty much a tomboy and fans believe it a stereotype for a lesbian. Hence there has not been a female Ranger like her ever again. I like the existence of Kelsey. Taylor of Wild Force could be considered butch, but she had a thing for Eric the Quantum Ranger.

Tyzonn and Mac (Operation Overdrive)
When Tyzonn first appeared in "Face to Face" Part 1 and 2, there was a quite hinted innuendo between the two characters Mac and Tyzonn. It no longer existed after that, but fans noticed. When Mac was later revealed to be an android, fans joked that he was reprogrammed to not have feelings for the alien Tyzonn. Tyzonn was also later revealed to have a fianceƩ.

UPDATED AUGUST 5, 2009
A lot of other ones have been brought to my attention. Some I agree with and some I don't (Hikaru for instance).

Gunpei and Hanto (Go-Onger)
I totally forgot about these guys! They were thrusted together by fate and didn't really have an established relationship until around Episode 19, that it showed Hanto's concern for Gunpei. And Hanto did cross-dress twice, but I don't believe in stereotypes, just because you crossdress, it doesn't make you gay. But the bathhouse scene in Episode 47 was curious. And also that Gunpei had shackled Hanto with handcuffs in the last episode and never took them off. Hanto was the younger one, childish and flaky but had that gun-ho spirit. He loved flirting with girls and once fell for Kegaleshia. Gunpei, on the other hand, was smart enough not to fall for women's wilds, but did fall for Saki's sister.

Ziggy and Dillon (RPM)
Even though I did not think about them being a 'bromance' before but in the episode "Brother's Keeper," Dillon was taken over by a virus and Ziggy grabs him, Dillon stops and Ziggy thinks it is because of their friendship. With Ziggy and Dillon, the bad boy and the fan boy relationship comes to mind. Ziggy certainly wants Dillon's friendship and searches for it more than Dillon would want to admit. Dillon did ask for Ziggy's freedom when he became Ranger Black, which could indicate something. And even though Ziggy does annoy him, Dillon does trust him. RPM definitely developed their relationship earlier than Hanto and Gunpei's. Actor Daniel Ewing has said in an interview with No Pink Spandex that he didn't like the pairing, and not because he is homophobic but because he would quote 'crush him.' He found a pairing with Scott or Flynn more feasible physically.


Saturday, July 11, 2009

More Voting Results

I decided to end these polls because I think there is so far these polls could go.

Which Kamen Rider series should be adapted for the United States next?
The number one was 177 out of 565 voted for Kabuto, but you could vote more than once. Second picked was Faiz (555), which aired after Ryuki in 2003. The one people didn't like much was the most hated of all... Hibiki at 6%. I wrote KMDK accidentally instead of KRDK, meaning a second season of Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. It got 129 votes out of 565.

Do You Think Kamen Rider Will Get a Second Season in America?
Fans believe yes, it will get a second season. 363 out of 546. We still don't know if there will be a second season or series. Kamen Rider Dragon Knight has been licensed again for 2010 and a video game has been planned but no production of episodes have been ordered. It is still a mystery.

Would it be cool to have a female 'Decade' Rider the represents the 3 girl Kamen Riders?
This was made before the debut of Kamen Rider Amaki, it seems like there will be no new female Kamen Rider as Kamen Rider Decade is coming to an end and we are hearing more about Kamen Rider W. My heart swells in warmth to find out 222 out of 268 agree with me. We'll see, stranger things have happened, we didn't get word of Deka Bright back in 2004 and Kamen Rider Amaki wasn't mentioned either in early stages.

Power Rangers RPM - Episode 17 - "Prisoners"

Summary

The twins explain there is a factory where human prisoners build the Grinders and they were prisoners there and they want to blow it up. Scott wants a plan first, the twins race off. Dillon listens to his musical watch and tells Summer he knows the tune by heart. Dr. K tells the Rangers there is a giant ball of yarn (through the garbage chute) they need to fight. Flynn and Ziggy discuss what they need to fight the yarn, a funny zord and then they get in an argument if it needs to be an animal or not, Flynn explains it has to be half animal, half vehicle.


The Rangers arrive and discover there is no yarn, it's a trap by the three generals, a new attack bot that can copy their moves and has them on the ropes. Dr. K tells them to stop attacking. Gem and Gema arrive and save the five. The bad guys disappear. The twins seem to be making something, that Ziggy thinks it is pancakes... it is neturonic detonating putty, that Ziggy puts in his mouth. The twins are humming and Dillon recognizes the tune. They heard from a blind prisoner girl in the factory, who they couldn't see but hear and she never used her real name.


The tune came from an old family heirloom carried by her brother. Dillon wants to go to the factory, the twins wanted to blow it up, Dr. K and Scott are against it because it might be a false memory again. Dillon says the watch is real, the twins are real, so it must be real. Later, Flynn and Scott plan to take out Dillon's spark plugs, his car races off and they find out that their spark plugs were taken out. Ziggy and Dillon are back in the car, he brings up how things have changed... and find out they really haven't.Ziggy looks at the map the twins gave him and they are like a kid made them... rainbow, flower and arrows and unicorns.


They get attacked by Grinders. They are saved by Summer. Summer can read the map and calls shotgun. Back at the lab, Dr. K reads a butterfly note from the twins that they left on a 'super secret mission'. Scott asks Flynn if he was to disobey him as well as everyone else has, he says he is good and then the Saw Bot attacks the city and the two Rangers go there. Meanwhile, Ziggy, Dillon and Summer arrive at the factory and see humans going in. They disguise themselves as workers and sneak in when the Grinder guard looks west for 26 seconds (reliable robots). Inside, the place looks like the Venjix headquarters with flowing red lights. The Grinders are guarding a door that might have info and files.


Ziggy is left to make a distraction, Dillon and Summer tell him to keep it low-key. He says he is Mr. Finesse, they then take off his hood and pat him on the head. Ziggy throws a bolt, the grinders go to it, he throws a glove at one's head and the two enter the room. There is no keyboard on the computer but Summer 'plugs in' with a device but the files are going too fast, but not too fast for Dillon, he can read it because of his upgrades. Ziggy makes noise and the intruder alarm goes off. Dillon is about to get his info when the Grinders blow the computer up and attack them.


The two fight. Ziggy makes shadow puppets of intruders leaving and the Grinders follow them. The other two shake it off. Outside, Ziggy falls on the sand. The two pick them up and they go in the car--Summer gets front seat again. Dillon races off in his car. They turn on the radio and hear Dr. K advising Blue and Red fighting the Saw Bot. Summer says they are fighting alone. Dillon says it is not for long. Ziggy asks how he knows, we discover he is all squished up in the back seat as there is no back seat. Gem and Gema join in the battle with Blue and Red and blow the monster up.


The other three arrive and morph and the monster becomes big and they destroy it with Zenith Megazord and the other two zords (as backup). Back at the base, Scott scolds Dillon. Dillon is still on the fact that he has a sister. Dillon says he has to go back. Summer says they all do. Summer reveals that they are building something else in that factory... a giant whale-like blimp... a doomsday device.


Review
Sorry, no new episode next week. Yes, reruns once again. Two weeks of reruns, sorry guys. I know ya'll are impatient but there is nothing ya'll can do.

Anyhoo, we all thought when twins said they needed to go on a super secret mission that they were going to the factory, but that was not explained. They then appeared to fight with Blue and Red in the city. So, maybe we will find out next week what happened. Good episode, very smart as always, organized, and good all together. Also, the twins are so cheery for being had stripped from their parents, being constantly shot at, and being prisoners. One thing is that why they left the factory, but I can answer that, they only got 30 minutes. And spoilers... we all know that the giant blimp is a zord and it is gonna combine with gold and silver's zords. How we know? Um.. Go-onger and the toy too.