I've been breathing in the hype about this show for the last year or so, slowly letting my defenses down as I saw more and more of what looks to be the best sentai show since Cutey Honey: The Live. The fights look great, story is mildly original, and most importantly the style of the show is slick as hell. Just watch this clip from HJ.
That's what I'm talking about! I shuddered at the American casting choices of Power Rangers: Jungle Furry after I had fallen in love with the original Japanese cast. I'm no Japanophile, nor do I watch un-subbed anime or anything, but I can recognize good acting and good casting. Geki Rangers (PR: JF in Japan) had those things in spades, and it looks like Dragon Knight will as well! With an American cast! Woo hoo!
If you're not a sentai fan, than maybe you aren't feeling what I'm putting down. Tokusatsu shows like Power Rangers and Ultraman have a terrible stigma ([url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21WGSp1expE&fmt=18 ]deservedly[/url]) associated with them from America's first glimpse of the genre in the 90s.
Bandai / Saban removed any grown-up issues from PR and watered down any real drama from the original series, converting the cast of resurrected ancient warriors into shiny happy McKids who hung out at a juice bar after school. It had more in common with Saved by the Bell than the original series, and this continued in every incarnation thenceforth. There were your VR Troopers, SuperHuman Samurai Syber Squads, and Big Bad Beetle Borgs, but it was more of the same: converting foreign shows with substance into lowest common denominator toddler feed.
Hopefully this will spark an interest in American sentai shows aimed at an older demographic. As an adult, when I turn on the TV there's not much to watch but gangster drama and Law & Order clones. I want to see mixed martial arts in an ongoing story that has substance. I want Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight to be good, dammit!
Sentai - People in Multicolored suits in a team fighting evil with robots exclusive to Toei i.e. Power rangers in the US
Tokusatsu - Basically a special effects show with people in costumes fighting evil i.e. Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Cutey Honey, Garo also includes Sentai
Sentai means task force or unit, is what they call Power Rangers in Japan (Yes I know Japan made PR). Sentai is exclusive to Toei's franchise, Kamen Rider is Tokusatsu. No offense intended, just dont wanna see someone get ripped up by others over terminology.
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Sentai - People in Multicolored suits in a team fighting evil with robots exclusive to Toei i.e. Power rangers in the US
Tokusatsu - Basically a special effects show with people in costumes fighting evil i.e. Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Cutey Honey, Garo also includes Sentai
Sentai means task force or unit, is what they call Power Rangers in Japan (Yes I know Japan made PR). Sentai is exclusive to Toei's franchise, Kamen Rider is Tokusatsu. No offense intended, just dont wanna see someone get ripped up by others over terminology.
Damn, I was hoping you misspelled hentai :/
Can't wait.