Garo Makai Retsuden Talkback

[Toku Prime]

So OverTime have released the first episode. Rekka encounters a gravekeeper who tends to a forest in which unknown Makai Knights (i.e. those that never earned a title) are buried. His grandaughter has gone missing and the departed knights are rising from their graves. Featuring some very brief cameos from that useless comic relief guy with the massive "do you think he's compensating for something?" brush and tokusatsu's very own Troy McClure ("you may recognise him from such toku as..."), Kanji Tsuda.

Oh and that Garo idol unit are back again during the end credits. Whodathunk?

Did it have actual Horrors? And did they actually give Ryuga and Rian a personality?

Yeah once Amemiya was finally at the wheel for those characters, they only face normal Horrors with no mention of the other kind. The Garo suit is an actual suit for close ups, though long shots occasionally switch to a CGI one if they're doing something really complicated like having a flying creature pick him up and air-juggle him. MotW start out CGI but in the second half they start bringing in some actual practical ones, although of course the generic Horror footsoldiers appear throughout as suits.

Ryuga is closer to the personality of most other knights (i.e. he stands around looking stony-faced and we all pretend that he's "stoic"). None of the other knights from his first series return, though we do get another knight who is better. There's a new Makai Priest who's kind of a dick though he gets a bit better after the big bad kicks his ass a few times. Speaking of which, the big bad is played by ONORE DEKEIDO himself, and the guy does a way better job here than he did in Rider. He's totally chewing the scenery, but he's the best thing about the series and he singlehandedly makes it more fun than Garo had been for aaages.

 

[Zensrive]

Masahirio Inoue as Zinga lights up the scenes whenever he appears. He's clearly one of the best Toku villains in ages along with The old dude from W, Horror Girl, DJ Sagara, Enter, and Kyuuemon.

I haven't watched Makai Retsuden though. Still need to finish Gold Storm

 

[scikaiju]

Seen the first episode, and i kinda like it.While it didn't expand Rekka's character all that much, outside she seems a bit nicer to her old partner and smiles a little more, I did like how it expanded the Garo world a bit with the Forest Grave for the untitled Knights and the backstory behind it. Although I did expect a twist with the grandfather character just not the one we got. But considering the concept of the episode it made sense.

 

[Zensrive]

I like the first episode. I wonder if we'll ever get explanations for Ryuga's friends Takeru and Ageru to be "unavailable"

 

[Dr Kain]

So who is the focus of the second episode?

 

[Toku Prime]

So who is the focus of the second episode?

I haven't watched it yet but it looks like a prequel / origin story for the villains of the Goldstorm series, so Decade's back again.

 

[xiiliea]

2nd episode is about how Jinga and Amily first met. It was pretty awesome, I loved it, especially when seeing their personalities before they turned into Horrors.

Also, the next episode title is 無頼漢 処方箋 which means Scoundrel Prescription which doesn't make any sense. But in Japanese, it's read Buraikan Shohousen. Does that mean Burai will be back next episode (Yami wo Terasu Mono / The One Who Shines in the Darkness)?

 

[lazycoconut]

I like the first episode. I wonder if we'll ever get explanations for Ryuga's friends Takeru and Ageru to be "unavailable"

They could still appear in the show, maybe. I vaguely recall Amemiya saying in an interview about GOLD STORM that he would not rule out them returning

 

[Toku Prime]

Decade manages to be a magnificent bastard as always, but in that fun to watch way rather than a "oh I hate him" kinda way. Sadly he didn't transform though. I think the actress who played Amiri was really impressive too. She didn't make much of an impression in goldstorm but she gets to play the character in a completely different way that really worked. Also, having Gonza the butler introducing a story from the Ryuuga continuity is a bit odd.

[hide]2nd episode is about how Jinga and Amily first met. It was pretty awesome, I loved it, especially when seeing their personalities before they turned into Horrors.[/hide]

Well I was trying to phrase it in a way that didn't give away spoilers about goldstorm lol.

 

[Herman the Tosser]

Also, having Gonza the butler introducing a story from the Ryuuga continuity is a bit odd.

Zaruba would have made a lot more sense as a "Host" for this season. Unless Gonza is actually immortal and is still alive while elsewhere in Japan Ryuuga is slaying horrors while Rian is in Kantai training new priests.

I wouldn't mind more Zinga stories. He's a bit of a dick, even before he became a horror, but I liked him here.

The only problem I had with the episode was the earthquake text stuff on the screen throughout, but that simply can't be helped.

The mystery about what;s happening wekk-to-week is a little frustrating, but it's also cool to have potential surprises.

Although right now it appears to be all standalone episodes, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the season will end with a multi-part Raiga story, unless they're still going to do a movie with him.