(SPOILER WARNING!!)
You would think someone who keeps saying he doesn't watch Sentai would stop talking about Sentai. But with new seasons for Power Rangers and Super Sentai now airing at the same on both sides of the planet, and both getting a lot of attention from fans, it would make sense to talk about what Japan cooked up after cops and robbers (not really). This year, we now have dinosaur knights and YouTube vloggers... wait what?
Okay, there is more to it then that, so let's break it down. In present day, a trio of... teenagers(?) are chosen after years of training to carry on the legacy of their masters; the descendants of the Ryusoul tribe from 65 million years ago. In the past, the knights of the Ryusoul tribe faced off against the Druidon tribe, only for the asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs to force the the Druidons off planet. The modern day trio, consisting of Ryusoul Red Koh, Ryusoul Blue Melto and Ryusoul Pink Asuna, are more than ready to defend their home from any threat, only for the Druidon to return and wreck havoc, leading to the deaths of the trios masters, the destruction of their original source of power and a giant monster begins attacking their valley. With this threat now looming over them and through the power of their own souls, the new team of Ryusoulgers must find their mechs, the Kishiryu, and reunite with Ryusouls Green and Black so that they may stand a chance of saving the world.
Oh, and Koh becomes associated with a YouTuber named Ui Tatsui who seems to be a mouthpiece for calling out Logan Paul for going into the Aokigahara forest to find a dead body... more on that later.
This first episode already has the makings for a pretty good series; one that focuses heavily on the true valour and nobility that comes with being a knight, with the heroes explicitly said to draw their power from the strength of their souls. And thankfully, unlike Zyuranger, the use of the "super ancient civilisation" troupe doesn't really break the setting (though one could certainly make the case of how it conflicts with Kyoryuger's setting), but instead helps to reinforce the idea of the continuation of a lineage of warriors who swear to protect the innocent like the knights of Arthurian legend.
On a side note, am I the only one who finds it strange that this show is themed around knights while Kamen Rider Zi-O has it's main "hero" trying to become a king at the same time (the latter is dumber in this regard)?
Aesthetics wise, I really enjoy the costumes and effects for this show thus far. The suits take a little while to get used to after seeing them, but they really did grown on me once I saw them in action. I dig how each of the helmets, though differently shaped, still have that same grilled visor look common with medieval knights that helps to sell the idea of this group being valiant heroes. I especially appreciate how the knight theme is carried over to Kishiryu-Oh, being much sleeker and more dynamic than most giant Sentai mechs and using this really cool system that allows endless variety of the design of the base robot. Compliment this with great music and action direction, and the episode already has some pretty strong footing.
With that said, I still feel that some of the characterisation could've used some work. This may be due the writing or it could be how the characters are presented through their performance, but something still feels off. Koh, for instance, is characterised in his bio as something of a genius and a responsible leader. But with the way the character is portrayed in the episode, he seems a bit blunt and forefront with his actions. He's not written to be an idiot, which I am extremely grateful for, but he otherwise present any real leadership qualities, which is often normally established in the first episode of the good Sentai seasons. Sadly, not much is given on Melto or Asuna either, aside from Melto apparently being good with strategy and Asuna being insanely strong (kind of a reversal of Nobuharu and Amy from Kyoryuger, now that I think about). Again, none of the characters are shown as idiots or otherwise incompetent at their duties, which I appreciate, but I do wish more time was devoted to their characterisation so we could understand their pain when their masters are killed.
And this brings us to a massive crux I have with the first episode; Ui Tatsui. From the get-go, she already seems like a bit of an airhead, which is not the best way to introduce a evidently popular YouTuber with their own style of Vlogging. It does not help the fact that when we first meet her, she's faking a trip to the Amazon... by filming in the Aokigahara Forest, no doubt as an intentional parody of the incident with Logan Paul in January 2018. Look, I'm all for calling out either of the Paul brothers for being reprehensible dickheads, especially with a touchy subject matter like suicide. But the way it is presented makes it seem as if they're making a farce out of the whole thing, almost like it's saying "it's okay to film silly internet vids in a forest known for being a suicide hot spot in Japan, so long as you're not Logan Paul, because there won't be ANY consequences either way".
THIS. IS NOT. OKAY!
This is made even worse when you realise that Ui is supposed to be the audience surrogate and moral support for the team in this series. And the first time we see her, she's being a farcical parody of an already farcical jackass who showed a dead body to 12 year old viewers for the sake of getting more subscribers. This scene just made things extremely uncomfortable for me to watch, with how it was played up for comedy, but the cultural context just makes it feel really forced and unnecessary. This scene could be cut from the episode, or even rewritten to have Ui trying to uncover a potential myth of a hidden temple on Mount Fuji, and the episode would have turned out better in my opinion.
As a whole, Ryusoulger's first episode is pretty decent overall. There are plenty of good ideas present within the narrative and I do enjoy the themes of legacy and power through ones determination and spirit. I just wish the characters had more time to shine and the less I saw of Ui in this episode, the better. Much like Beast Morphers, I'm giving this show the "First Five" judgement call, meaning that if I'm not fully hooked by the end of the fifth episode, I won't be regularly checking the show out. I really do hope that the characters get a better chance to shine, especially since this is the writer's first time heading a Sentai series.
Overall rating: 6/10 (pretty decent).
So until next time; this is Callum Lewis, the Media Hood, signing off!
No comments:
Post a Comment