The Extraordinary Fan(boy)
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 363
Kobayashi IS a good writer, you can't deny that. There are lots of other good writers in Tokusatsu, but I have to admit that every single Sentai Kobayashi has written is in my top 10.
And I don't think I'm being subjective.
This, basically.
Now, i am a Fan of Kobayashi´s works and i am certainly baffled by some of the hate she has been getting for the last few years, though most of the time it seems to be a combination of people hating her because she is popular (after all, this is the internet) and some people not really digging her writing style and then confusing the word "taste" with "objective criticism".
That said, as much as i love her works i will be the first to admit that there are times when she is clearly putting her all into her writing, which leads to amazing shows, and then there are times when she is clearly not that much into it. It´s not like she is just going through the motions like some other writers do, but you can tell that there are times when her writing doesn´t have that "edge" that has made some of her previous shows so memorable.
That´s what i think is the only real problem with ToQger: personally i enjoy the show, i am not crazy about it but i certainly have fun watching it every week, and while i can say that there are a LOT of good elements and ideas within the show, none of them has that particular "edge" that keeps me invested in them.
Like many have said, the Shadow Line is probably one of the best parts of the show, and while i can see all that goodness in them, it is not really super-compelling. I certainly enjoy them, but it´s not like i can´t live without them.
Similarly, i really do enjoy the main cast, particularly the way in which they have grown up; Right for example, started as your usual goofy red who alwasy had his head in the clouds and managed to win by means of cheer optimism, but in later episodes you can see how he has become someone with a clear resolution and a determination to stop the Shadow Line.
He is the best example but you can clearly see how all the characters have grown up and that is something i have always enjoyed about Kobayashi´s writing... but as much as i enjoy the ToQgers as characters, they are certainly not the best characters that Kobayashi has written. They are not bad, they are just not "up there".
That is basically what i mean when i say that the show lacks an "edge": it certainly has good concepts and ideas in there, but while i can enjoy them i cannot get "passionate" about them, and hat is the only real fault i can give to the show since even when it is at its worst it is still fairly inoffensive and i simply cannot get mad at it, so while i would never call it the greatest Sentai, it certainly not the worst. That said, i can totally see how the simplistic nature of the show would be appealing to children, and that is what ultimately matters.
PS: Thinking about it, save for one or two exceptions, the mechas are pretty bland, though i can forgive that since Chou Chou ToQ Dai-Oh is just the best Mecha Name ever.