SLICE
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2010
- Messages
- 2,028
A few of you may recognize me as the guy who just can't get into Sentai that isn't Bioman or Liveman, and has more than a few bad things to say about Modern Rider. ....and RX. Mostly Decade. But also RX.
So you may wonder-or at least my vain egotistical mindself believes you should, what Toku *DO* I like.
...in which case this is not the thread for that. This is just me mindlessly gushing about Metalder because Metalder is a kickass show that blows most other Toku out of the water-even including its flaws. If you want a list of Toku I DO like, then you're just kinda creepy and I have to wonder what I've done to warrant that kind of attention.
Still, onto the point.
Metalder is an amazing goddamn show.
And this is odd to say, but I'm almost certain it's almost entirely because of it's budget.
For those who don't know, it's more or less a remake of Kikaida, but far more ambitious in scope and with an insane budget, even compared to now adays.
Right down to the main character being a humanoid machine that's half red and half blue, has an arm based finishing move, and drives around in a silly motorcycle with a side car.
You could rename him Kikaida X and no one would question it.
What are some things I dislike? This is fair and easy to get out of the way.
When it comes right down to it, the villain's goals, and how he's going about them, are pretty vague-and the villain himself is kinda stock. That is, the Big Bad, God Neros. How he gathered his army, how he's trying to topple the world-all of that is just kinda implied at best.
The hero himself, for the first 8 episodes, should have just staid in his super hero form-because, and I don't know if it's the actor's fault or if it's the actor being REALLY good, but his human alter ego is as wooden as a board with exactly one expression at all times. His vocal range isn't great either-though he improves after the first 8 episodes.
And speaking of the hero-he, himself, looks kinda stupid to me, design wise-and his vehicles even more so. This is one of my least favorite toku hero costumes, as it's just a very ugly mess of stuff.
His supporting, human, cast is either just useless (a motorcyclist who showed up in episode 16) or the Stock Love Interest Who Can't REally Do Anything But Be In Danger (....the girl.) and they number a total of...2. Metalder knows two people, and it took him almost half of his show to meet the second.
Well he knows a bit more than two....but to get to them, we have to go to what is GOOD about the show.
Which is damn near everything else.
The special effects are top notch for the time, the fighting is very well done with very few 'cheats' like in Kamen Rider Black, where they just do the stock footage of the Rider kick every episode, then an insert shot of Black's foot touching the monster.
Here, if Metalder does a big ole jump kick, you get to see him leap into the air and do the kick. There is a very sparring amount of stock footage used, in general, which keeps everything moving along and feeling fresh.
And on the other side of the chasm...
The villain(s).
Oh my God do they make the show.
From episode 1, you get to see almost every single villain that's hanging around Japan at that moment in time. Not as random cameos or little sneak peeks-as out and out full on characters, getting involved in the conflicts and throwing around their personalities.
Almost the entire show is driven, not by the big bad, not by Metalder-but by these guys. Their dreams, their ideals, their differences, and their determination.
The show has MANY different kinds of villains. Four armies total, with four leaders. Each army is made up of a different kind of villain.
They are the Heavy Weapons Army (These guys are walking tanks and helicopters, very big and bulky but also bringing the fire power) the Armored Army (Human/cyborg fighters that generally rely on melee weapons) the Robot Army (generally less bulky than the Heavy Weapons guys, with a lot of versatility and the ability to have a ton of crap up their sleeves and come back from almost any defeat) and the Monster Army (people turned into creatures with a wide assortment of bizarre and insane powers and abilities)
They are all filled with characters-all of them diverse.
There's the monster that just wants to be promoted so he can retire to a happy life with his love-a slave girl he grew fond of and protects, that he wants to raise a family with. He's in a number of episodes, building him up subtly and then putting him in the foreground, before Metalder cuts him down. ...which leads into the slave girl gaining a monster form purely to exact revenge on Metalder-until Metalder realizes she's pregnant and helps her escape. ...then her son shows up later....
Or the robot sniper who has grown tired of the way things are done in the army and wants to escape for a better life.
Or the human who realized how important his life was after Metalder spared him, and decided to become a monk to atone for his sins.
Or I could keep going.
And that's just the ones who get a clue-my personal favorite is the robot who has a nightmare about Metalder killing GodNeros, and decides to sacrifice himself to ensure this never happens, leading to one of the most badass finishers I've ever seen in a toku.
The villains are what makes this show. The villains are what drive it forward and advance it.
They are a unique entity in this series, unlike anything I've seen in any other series.
The show is both episodic, and with a very heavy continuity running under it-unless a character died, he will be back-and even if he did die, some one may yet want to avenge him.
In short-why aren't there more shows like this?
So you may wonder-or at least my vain egotistical mindself believes you should, what Toku *DO* I like.
...in which case this is not the thread for that. This is just me mindlessly gushing about Metalder because Metalder is a kickass show that blows most other Toku out of the water-even including its flaws. If you want a list of Toku I DO like, then you're just kinda creepy and I have to wonder what I've done to warrant that kind of attention.
Still, onto the point.
Metalder is an amazing goddamn show.
And this is odd to say, but I'm almost certain it's almost entirely because of it's budget.
For those who don't know, it's more or less a remake of Kikaida, but far more ambitious in scope and with an insane budget, even compared to now adays.
Right down to the main character being a humanoid machine that's half red and half blue, has an arm based finishing move, and drives around in a silly motorcycle with a side car.
You could rename him Kikaida X and no one would question it.
What are some things I dislike? This is fair and easy to get out of the way.
When it comes right down to it, the villain's goals, and how he's going about them, are pretty vague-and the villain himself is kinda stock. That is, the Big Bad, God Neros. How he gathered his army, how he's trying to topple the world-all of that is just kinda implied at best.
The hero himself, for the first 8 episodes, should have just staid in his super hero form-because, and I don't know if it's the actor's fault or if it's the actor being REALLY good, but his human alter ego is as wooden as a board with exactly one expression at all times. His vocal range isn't great either-though he improves after the first 8 episodes.
And speaking of the hero-he, himself, looks kinda stupid to me, design wise-and his vehicles even more so. This is one of my least favorite toku hero costumes, as it's just a very ugly mess of stuff.
His supporting, human, cast is either just useless (a motorcyclist who showed up in episode 16) or the Stock Love Interest Who Can't REally Do Anything But Be In Danger (....the girl.) and they number a total of...2. Metalder knows two people, and it took him almost half of his show to meet the second.
Well he knows a bit more than two....but to get to them, we have to go to what is GOOD about the show.
Which is damn near everything else.
The special effects are top notch for the time, the fighting is very well done with very few 'cheats' like in Kamen Rider Black, where they just do the stock footage of the Rider kick every episode, then an insert shot of Black's foot touching the monster.
Here, if Metalder does a big ole jump kick, you get to see him leap into the air and do the kick. There is a very sparring amount of stock footage used, in general, which keeps everything moving along and feeling fresh.
And on the other side of the chasm...
The villain(s).
Oh my God do they make the show.
From episode 1, you get to see almost every single villain that's hanging around Japan at that moment in time. Not as random cameos or little sneak peeks-as out and out full on characters, getting involved in the conflicts and throwing around their personalities.
Almost the entire show is driven, not by the big bad, not by Metalder-but by these guys. Their dreams, their ideals, their differences, and their determination.
The show has MANY different kinds of villains. Four armies total, with four leaders. Each army is made up of a different kind of villain.
They are the Heavy Weapons Army (These guys are walking tanks and helicopters, very big and bulky but also bringing the fire power) the Armored Army (Human/cyborg fighters that generally rely on melee weapons) the Robot Army (generally less bulky than the Heavy Weapons guys, with a lot of versatility and the ability to have a ton of crap up their sleeves and come back from almost any defeat) and the Monster Army (people turned into creatures with a wide assortment of bizarre and insane powers and abilities)
They are all filled with characters-all of them diverse.
There's the monster that just wants to be promoted so he can retire to a happy life with his love-a slave girl he grew fond of and protects, that he wants to raise a family with. He's in a number of episodes, building him up subtly and then putting him in the foreground, before Metalder cuts him down. ...which leads into the slave girl gaining a monster form purely to exact revenge on Metalder-until Metalder realizes she's pregnant and helps her escape. ...then her son shows up later....
Or the robot sniper who has grown tired of the way things are done in the army and wants to escape for a better life.
Or the human who realized how important his life was after Metalder spared him, and decided to become a monk to atone for his sins.
Or I could keep going.
And that's just the ones who get a clue-my personal favorite is the robot who has a nightmare about Metalder killing GodNeros, and decides to sacrifice himself to ensure this never happens, leading to one of the most badass finishers I've ever seen in a toku.
The villains are what makes this show. The villains are what drive it forward and advance it.
They are a unique entity in this series, unlike anything I've seen in any other series.
The show is both episodic, and with a very heavy continuity running under it-unless a character died, he will be back-and even if he did die, some one may yet want to avenge him.
In short-why aren't there more shows like this?
