(Where Wraithstrike Watches) The Toku Thread

[Wraithstrike]

It blends nicely with this one, however...


I admit, it's a cute story, with more of the Giga Plot, and an environmental message tacked on. But I can't bring myself to hate this episode.

 

[cypsiman2]

I have to agree, this was a nice episode and the fact that it resumes the Giga Plan plot is something I appreciate.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Episode 27 moves the plot along, shows a bit of what Liveman have sacrificed, but is a far cry from a good episode.



Episode 28 is far better. Giga Volt, like most of the designs for Brainbeasts, is fairly stupid looking. But it has been specifically designed to kick Liverobo's ass. The plot is building up steam. And Bison Liner is one of the coolest mecha the series has had to date.



Episode 29: Bison Liner. Sai Fire. Live Boxer. All very good additions to the arsenal, though the reveal of Tetsuya and Junichi being related to Takuji and Mari is not that surprising.



Episode 30 is an almost perfect capstone to the Giga Volt arc. The only issues I have are Yuusuke's ability to conjure Livebraces, and the fact that Doctor Dorothee knew that Bison Liner needed more power that quickly. And I've seen a lot of hate for Junichi and Tetsuya, but I like them. Their story made sense, for the most part.

 

[cypsiman2]

I don't know about hate, I'd say there's more antipathy towards Tetsuya and Junichi then anything else. Personally I didn't like Tetsuya at first due to him being an incredible jackass and constantly getting himself into more trouble than he could handle, but he got better pretty quickly all told.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Liveman 31: Mama: The Parasitic Monster’s Cry!

I was warned about this episode. I had been told that there was an episode with a male pregnancy. And while I still consider that to be something that belongs in the world of fanfiction, I think they treated the subject with just enough respect. I'm also kind of impressed that they had the nerve to consider abortion an option, even before the baby began whispering to Junichi. Have to admit, I cried a bit when Vega-baby died.


Episode 32: Kemp, The riddle of blood and roses.

The general creepiness of the brainbeast attacking kids aside, this was a pretty potent episode. I do like that Kemp decides to upgrade without blood at the end, but I'm puzzled by it. Is he trying to prove a point to Yuusuke, or did he have a sudden moment of clarity where he considers exactly how evil it is to extract a person's blood without permission?



Episode 33 and 34: Do your best Tecchan-Robo and The Love That Crosses from the Future to the Past

Episode 33 is just silly, in a heartwarming way. But it adds nothing to the overall story. 34 is good, but even The Doctor can't untangle all the paradoxes Jou and Miku created.



Episode 35 and 36: Yuusuke and Kemp's Promise and the Scrimmage of Friendship

35 is amazing, brilliant and full of strong writing. 36 is not. All that needs be said on the subject.



Episode 37 and 38: Kemp's 16 year-old Fear Beast transformation and Mobile Weapon of Destruction Mazenda.

Not once do they explain how being underwater in a transformative oyster shell is supposed to make Kemp more powerful. We're supposed to take it at face value. And Megumi's plan is ridiculous. She's supposed to be the smartest of the original Liveman Trio, and "Make him fall in love with me" is her best plan? However, the Fear Beast form is genuinely terrifying.

Mazenda's many new upgrades are both frightening and comical. A double elbow gun? A ballistic kneecap? Is this a Super Sentai Villain or a Crimson Chin villain? Though I must commend her on her ability to reload all her weapons from a single SMG clip. That's some seriously impressive ammo storage. And the terror of being chased around by a mobile weapons platform is handled really well, even if the terror is an act.

 

[cypsiman2]

Regarding episode 31: This and one other episode are pretty much the only ones that Junichi gets remembered for. I never thought it was a bad one, just really weird.

Regarding episode 38: I disliked the reveal that Yusuke was just pretending to be scared, it retroactively sapped all the drama and tension out of the scenes of him being pursued by Mazenda. His plan was good, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather his fear had been genuine since one wrong move would still have resulted in him being very dead.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Well, here's the thing: Since the chase is taking place on Academia Island, Yuusuke has homefield advantage. While Mazenda went to Academia as well, she didn't spend the extra two years the Yuusuke did while he develop the Red Falcon suit and the JetFalcon. He knows that terrain.

He's also cataloging every new addition to her arsenal, because she's kind enough to name each one. That way, he can better prepare a defense against them.

 

[cypsiman2]

That is all true. I think in the end I might have unfairly prejudged the episode due to it being very similar to an episode of Magiranger that I really liked.

 

[Wraithstrike]

Here's the End Run. Aside from episode 40, this was a great build up to a letdown of a finisher...







Final Series Review Forthcoming...

 

[cypsiman2]

I largely agree on the ending; there were a lot of interesting ideas, and I really liked the part where Dr. Bias was so senile that Gush convinced him the explosions were fireworks, but the execution was lackluster at the moment where it all mattered most.