Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - Talk Up!

[Blade Dancer]

Well, the big bad Gedoshu dude did something to him a couple episodes ago... Something that didn't work quite right because he's half human. It's possible he's recovering from that, still.

 

[Yilei]

- Hiroki Aiba overacts. Does not anyone else notice this?

Noticed it and that's why I don't like him. Most of my friends don't particularly care because they think he's cute with the exception of one that hated him in the Tenimyus also. She's just staying the hell away from Shinkenger just because Aiba annoys her too much so she's not sure she can enjoy the show with him being one of the five leads. I've been trying to persuade her to give the show a chance for everything else.

- Is it just me or do all the Chiaki episodes repeat the same thing over and over? Chiaki is rebellious, learns his lesson, then reverts back to his old self in time for the next focus ep.

In general, they do and they don't. Chiaki's just a very..."jibun rashii" character and consistently goes at his own pace. It's not just being rebellious, but trying to balance himself with group synergy. While 15 was a focus episode on him, the end lesson was less for Chiaki than it was for Ryuu, Mako, and Kotoha since real Chiaki didn't really do anything wrong this time. Like he was kind of a dick at the beginning, but then he just went to go train by himself and cool off. If the Gedoushuu wasn't screwing with them, he probably would've just gone back to the mansion after he figured out how to do shirahadori and that would've been the end of it. 15 was more of a test of the others' trust and their view of Chiaki than anything else since they kind of...still didn't really respect him -- especially Ryuu. Character development-wise too, it's not like Chiaki's actually bonded with the other characters that much with the exception of Kotoha and Takeru. He has an actual rivalry with Takeru and he and Ryuu are on different planets. Mako is just on the side, so while 15 was a filler, it kind of fluffed up their relationships just a bit more.

Shinken 16 comments:
- The fuzzy yellow things on the ship are starting to lose their effect. Aren't they supposed to appear when Doukoku is in a great rage?

Whatever gave you that idea? They've appeared at other times when Doukoku wasn't in a rage. They're just sprites that show up when there's spiritual goings on, to state the obvious, or a bit of both where they point out things that for some reason the characters aren't realizing immediately. For instance, this time Dayu is hiding something, but as the suzukodama are sprites, they can "tell" that she's hiding something, so they're pestering her.

This whole episode seems like a contrived way to shove the "appreciate the thankless work of those who do everything for you" lesson in the audience's faces. But I will admit the scene of Ryuu shoving a Kuroko aside at 7:55 provides some cute amusement.

You could view it that way, but it's not *just* that. As was mentioned just a few pages ago, the main point of showing the Kuroko was showing the alternative to being a Shinkenger because the Kuroko are also people that want to help save people, but can't fight because they can't use mojikara. Takeru and Mako actually literally state this in the episode too. It's actually a really good ep to come right before the introduction of ShinkenGold since he's a Shinkenger that created his own powers, which can be viewed as an exemplary alternative to becoming a Kuroko. It's not like *anyone* can make up their own powers as an alternative to mojikara though, which is why the Kuroko exist. Helping the townspeople outside of when the town's actually being attacked is probably just another way they try to help without having powers. Why they continue to wear the masks though is anyone's guess. Giving better than receiving perhaps so anonymity is best?

- What exactly do the Kabuto, Kajiki and Tora Disks do for the Rekka Daizantou? There doesn't seem to be a difference which one they use to get Gun Mode.

I'm not sure what the difference is either although I think there might be a slight elemental difference. Like during the Richard Brown episode, Ryuu used the Kajiki Disc against the Gedoushuu because it was fire based and Kajiki I guess is a stronger water disc than Ryuu Origami. I have no idea what Tora's element would be, but Kabuto's seemed like it enhanced Takeru's fire. Not sure on that, but that's just the impression I got from it.

 

[Nanami Tenkawa]

Why can't Juzou fight off the Shinkengers by now?

good idea Kageki-san! Juuzou boredom will be gone and have picking a fight against Takeru in samurai one on one. n_n

 

[Wonderwall]

Shinken 16 comments:

- Is it just me or do all the Chiaki episodes repeat the same thing over and over? Chiaki is rebellious, learns his lesson, then reverts back to his old self in time for the next focus ep.

lol you sure do have a lot of time to be typing 12874834738 comments after every episode :laugh: but yeah, I totally agree with what your saying about Chiaki and it is kind of getting old. But whatever, gold next ep. :buttrock:

 

[Kivat]

Thing is that's Chiaki's character, and I'm not using that as an excuse, it's that Chiaki's character is so laid back you can't expect him to be mended, and be the perfect katana for the whole season. He's going to have a dull blade sometimes. He still has that bad habbit of getting too comfortable, but I know he'll grow out of it soon.

 

[Blade Dancer]

Woah, sweet sig, Kivat! Ragna does good work. :thumbs:

 

[Yilei]

Thing is that's Chiaki's character, and I'm not using that as an excuse, it's that Chiaki's character is so laid back you can't expect him to be mended, and be the perfect katana for the whole season. He's going to have a dull blade sometimes. He still has that bad habbit of getting too comfortable, but I know he'll grow out of it soon.

Agreed.

Personally, I think it'd be kind of lame and boring if he fell in line with everyone else too quickly too. As annoying as people think focusing on Chiaki so much might be, at the same time it'd go against his character's personality to just lose himself and go with the whole group completely. I like the fact that he tries to keep his identity and stays true to himself. It'd seem like a weaker plotline to me if the rebellious one gave up their personal identity too quickly.

For Chiaki too, it's not really so much that he's rebellious so much as he likes to actually think and be independent and have his own mind. In the first episode even when Kotoha was falling in line with calling Takeru "tono" and kind of following Ryuunosuke's example, he was saying that she was brainwashed. The problem with being an independent thinker though is that you're not always going to agree with everyone else and there'll be times that you'll fight with your friends because you have a different opinion. And again, for all the struggles and all, it's mostly Chiaki trying to find a balance between his independence and working with the group. It's not easy to do that.

At the same time, it also seems to add a bit of realism because really, how many people in the world are really lemmings and will completely give up their identity IN A DAY just to fit in with their friends? People usually find posers like that annoying too.

 

[Black Fang]

lol you sure do have a lot of time to be typing 12874834738 comments after every episode :laugh:

I type them as I watch, actually.

You could view it that way, but it's not *just* that. As was mentioned just a few pages ago, the main point of showing the Kuroko was showing the alternative to being a Shinkenger because the Kuroko are also people that want to help save people, but can't fight because they can't use mojikara. Takeru and Mako actually literally state this in the episode too.

Since when did Mojikara become a prerequisite to be a samurai? Is it not an art exclusive to the Shiba house and no one else?

It's actually a really good ep to come right before the introduction of ShinkenGold since he's a Shinkenger that created his own powers, which can be viewed as an exemplary alternative to becoming a Kuroko. It's not like *anyone* can make up their own powers as an alternative to mojikara though, which is why the Kuroko exist.

If the show is being set up so that all samurai as a rule study a "show-exclusive gimmick" and Gold is the only exception, that would be lame. Different techniques used by different groups make the show more interesting. I find this idea of the Kuroko being an alternative to the path of bushido quite flawed.

Helping the townspeople outside of when the town's actually being attacked is probably just another way they try to help without having powers. Why they continue to wear the masks though is anyone's guess. Giving better than receiving perhaps so anonymity is best?

You know what would have been the simplest, most logical thing to do? Just leave the Kurokos as servants of the Shiba house who guard the samurai and perform daily errands. None of this "heroes in their own way" sillyness. Helping everyday folk do their business is notable, but is not heroic.

And the one Kuroko in ep. 7 went around in regular street clothes. Why was he the exception?

 

[Yilei]

I type them as I watch, actually.



Since when did Mojikara become a prerequisite to be a samurai? Is it not an art exclusive to the Shiba house and no one else?



If the show is being set up so that all samurai as a rule study a "show-exclusive gimmick" and Gold is the only exception, that would be lame. Different techniques used by different groups make the show more interesting. I find this idea of the Kuroko being an alternative to the path of bushido quite flawed.



You know what would have been the simplest, most logical thing to do? Just leave the Kurokos as servants of the Shiba house who guard the samurai and perform daily errands. None of this "heroes in their own way" sillyness. Helping everyday folk do their business is notable, but is not heroic.

And the one Kuroko in ep. 7 went around in regular street clothes. Why was he the exception?

Mojikara isn't a prerequisite to becoming a samurai. It's a prerequisite to becoming a SHINKENGER and fighting the Gedoushuu. The Shinkenger are just a samurai based sentai group. In theory if all they do is use mojikara, they don't necessarily have to follow samurai traditions, but for whatever reason it's passed on that way. Not I nor the show EVER once said it was a prerequisite to being a samurai. I don't know WHERE you even get this idea that Samurai = Shinkenger. Shinkenger are samurai, but not all samurai are Shinkenger.

Look at it this way, the Gedoushuu are a type of enemy that couldn't be fought with regular swords and spears like other people. Because of that, SPECIALISTS are necessary, and the specialists use mojikara. Since the Gedoushuu supposedly in this story are like youkai in Japanese mythology, the Shinkengers existence isn't much different from calling a Buddhist priest or an Onmyouji for an exorcism. A lot of more traditional exorcism practices also sometimes use certain kinds of scripts and writing, so maybe we can think of the Shinkengers like Samurai Onmyouji (albeit, that is a stretch; just trying to find a way to explain this).

Maybe you find it silly for the Kuroko to be going around town helping people, but for people who like to help others, doing anything they can is enough and even if it is mundane, it feels like the right thing to do and helps them to feel useful and like they're doing *something*. Plus it adds a layer of depth to the Kuroko. If you were in a position where you were completely HELPLESS and couldn't do anything to affect the world and save the people around you just because you lacked one thing (in this case mojikara), then doing small tasks around town makes you feel like you are doing something to make other people's lives better in the face of crises and death caused by weird monsters that pop out of nooks and crannies. The Kuroko for the most part probably don't help people around town because it's part of their job. They do it because they want to because it makes them feel less helpless.

The Kuroko in ep 7 in regular street clothes was a FORMER Kuroko. He quit.

 

[Luffy]

Shinken 16 comments:

- The Gedoushu aren't really doing anything as of late. The samurai are even treating them less like significant threats and more like mere pests. Gingaman was more formulaic than Shinken was at this point (actually no, by now Ginga introduced the Ginga no Hikari arc) but even there Kobayashi didn't seem to hit so blatent a plateau of inactivity. Why was Fuwa Juuzou placed on the shelf so soon instead of continuing the arc??

Really save for Juuzou the Gedoushu as a whole have'nt done anything this entire series save for that one ep where they singled out Red. Every ep the MOTW shows up they say "oh well if it is'nt so and so how bout go cause some havoc in the human world". I can under understand Doukoku not going out and doing anything but why is'nt Dayu going out doing anything. Shes had one ep so far.

I know alot of people here don't like Go-onger but, really by this point the Ministers had already clashed swords with the Go-onger more than once and had made more serious attempts than the Gedoushu had up to this point.