Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 8 - The Roads Forged Through Painful Special Training Lead Down The Road of Becoming Official To a Conspiracy - Review / Thoughts

I can't believe it's been 8 weeks (almost 9 now) since Akibaranger first came to our screens, but is it finally showing signs of slowing down in terms of producing quality episodes?

That's the question I have been asking myself, as they certainly seem to be getting less enjoyable than before, and this episode is no exception. The thing that makes me (and others I assume) like the show so much is for all the crazy and silly things that happen, and the kind of things the Akibarangers themselves say and do.

You have the delusional Otaku Akagi who is just obsessed with Sentai, Yumeria who loves to cosplay and write doujinshi, and Mitsuki, the most serious member who likes martial arts (and to a lesser extent Anime and Sentai as well). Together the 3 of them have made for quite a hilarious trio, and for differing reasons they each have their own quality and charm that makes the episodes enjoyable.

Sadly though since bringing the element of Malshina and the delusions in to the real world, a lot of the comedy seems to be disappearing, and the character's personality seems to be shining through less. Yumeria and Akagi don't seem as crazy or deluded anymore, and Mitsuki, well, she is pretty much the same since she was mainly the most serious character anyway.

The problem is, when you have a parody series that is mainly supposed to be used for laughs, trying to drag a more serious element in to it is the last thing you want to do. I admit I was really interested to see how things would be once things entered the real world, but I hate the feeling that the characters are getting less chance to be their crazy selves, and instead are trying to play up the more serious angle too much.

Not that they are completely erased or the humour is gone entirely, that would be extremely misleading, it's just that compared to at the start it certainly is. As a result, the episode quality has unfortunately started to dip a bit, and in my honest opinion this episode was no better than average, something I am rather sorry to say considering how much enjoyment I have had overall from the series so far.

I would definitely like to see the character's personality play more of a role again, and also a few more Sentai cameos would be nice too. But I have far from given up on the series, and I still have hope things will improve again, so I still have to recommend the series and advise you stick out what could very well be just a minor blip along the road.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Opening Theme Out Now!

That's right, the opening theme of the newest Sentai series - Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger - has been released! 

Someone has uploaded the song to Youtube (that can be seen in the video below)











If you would like to own it on CD and / or support the release, you can order it from CDJapan

Hikonin Sentai Akiba Ranger

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 7 - Fly, Itassher, Break Past The Limits! - Review / Thoughts

While Akibaranger episode 7 was good, I must admit to having kind of mixed feelings. After last week's shocking reveal, I was looking forward to seeing what Malshina and her lackeys were going to be up to and how it would affect the real world.

While it did look promising for a while with her tricking the Akibarangers in to entering a delusion and then kidnapping Hakase, the end result was pretty disappointing, as was the villain of the week.

I mean, it was still enjoyable. Akagi alone would make this show watchable if I am honest, he is so damn funny and likeable that you can't help but enjoy watching him. I guess one thing that made it seem worse to me was that this week was also Yumeria's worst of the series, her particular role this week being my least favourite.

But it was still pretty cool seeing Malshina in the real world, and if this has been done to set up future episodes, then I have no problem with it. This episode was all pretty much about establishing Malshina's presence in the real world, while also explaining how she was created in the first place. Of course it was also nice since this has put the Akibarangers one step closer to achieving their goal of becoming an official Sentai team.

For what this episode was and for what it set out to do, it was perfectly fine and did a pretty good job. For me personally, I certainly enjoyed it to some extent, but with the lack of humour in this episode and not so much as a glimpse of a guest appearance from any of the previous Sentai members, I guess it just didn't live up to the hype I had built up in my mind (you could almost say it was my own delusion....ok, I will get my coat)

But yes, a decent enough episode that I am sure plenty of people will have enjoyed as much as the others, though I am hoping now things have been established we can see something special next time.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 6 - Take Flight Leader! The Painful Trap of Deluded Photography - Review / Thoughts

After the rather depressing tone at the end of the last episode, I was unsure what to expect from Akibaranger episode 6. This time it moved away from sadness though, although it certainly did get very interesting at the end.

Before I go in to that though, I have to give a mention to the appearance of Red Hawk from Jetman. Admittedly I haven't watched Jetman (yet anyway), but I do love the theme and the designs etc so was really glad to see him make an appeance. He came in near the end and gave Akagi the power to fly so that he could chase after and destroy this week's villain, who just happened to be flying away himself.

It just seemed really cool and awesome seeing Akagi soaring through the sky to destroy the monster, all the while the Jetman theme playing in the background.

On to the interesting point from the end, it seems like Malshina is now able to leave the world of delusions, and can now appear in reality as well. This is a really interesting development, as now it's not just the 3 making themselves look silly by entering in to these delusions, but instead could perhaps actually have to save the real world.

Obviously more will be explained in the next episode, but I thought that it was one heck of an ending, and has certainly got me excited for the next episode!

On a different note, it was pretty funny seeing Akagi getting all excited while visiting the studios where the Sentai series are filmed. As usual he was being a huge fanboy and getting really worked up even over just pieces of scenery that were used in a couple of the series. I really liked Yumeria in this episode too, I like the way she changes outfit and character each week as it's a good way to keep her fresh without becoming annoying.

Speaking of which, I am sure a lot of fans were annoyed by Akagi rushing in at the start and spoiling the Yuri scene which Yumeria was having filmed to give her inspiration haha.

But yes, this was another fine episode for Akibaranger, and the ending has certainly left me wanting more. I can't wait to see just what happens next!

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - Series Review

For those unaware, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger is the 35th Super Sentai series, and as such, was used as part of that celebration. To incorporate the old with the new, it was done in the excellent fashion of having the current team (Gokaiger) using and looking for the powers of the old Sentai teams, and even interacting with former members.

I absolutely loved the series, I might as well say that right now. I went in to it briefly in my about section at the top of the page, and to sum it up again, Gokaiger was the first Sentai series I ever watched, with no previous knowledge of Sentai other than it was what Power Rangers was always adapated from.

I actually thought about watching some Super Sentai for a while, but was never sure where to start. Then one day I asked that question on Twitter, and was recommended Gokaiger by someone there who told me how it was the absolute best way to get in to Sentai, and told me the basic premise of the show. I was certainly interested enough to give it a try, and so I went and started getting some episodes downloaded to watch.

I honestly had no idea what to expect, but the series blew me away in terms of quality. Having been used to the incredibly corny plots and acting from the Power Rangers cast for all those years in my youth, it was so refreshing to see that in a Sentai series, they don't just aim at young kids, they make it enjoyable for you regardless of age. That's one of the many great things about Gokaiger in particular - there really is something for everyone.

For the kids who watch the show, it has the typical Sentai story of the good guys fighting the villains and having all these amazing powers and mecha etc, and for the older audience, it's still enjoyable as it is far more mature than what most people would be used to from watching Power Rangers. I know so far this post has made it sound like I hate Power Rangers and want to run it down, but that's not my intention at all, it's just that Sentai outdoes it all the way.

I can easily picture a young kid watching this with his/her father or even grandfather, and the kid will love it for the reasons I listed above, and where this is a celebration of the 35 Super Sentai series, there are plenty of nods (and even episodes) focused on the older Super Sentai teams, so the father/grandfather could watch it and probably get a really nice feeling of nostalgia seeing the Sentai teams who they grew up with.

Even with that aside, I couldn't help but just fall in love with Gokaiger as a whole. I do love the fact they can transform in to the older teams and use their powers, the Ranger Keys are a nice idea (and probably pretty lucrative on the merchandising front haha) and the series itself has taught me a lot about past Super Sentai. Before I probably couldn't have told you more than a couple of the series names to be perfectly honest, but thanks to Gokaiger (and of course the awesome ED that runs down all the teams certainly helped) I know them all, even down to the suits.

The cast are brilliant, as are the characters. It's impossible not to like the leader - Captain Marvelous (aka Gokai Red) - and all the Gokaigers have a certain charm and charisma about them. They work brilliantly together and it really does show, and as for the characters themselves, where they all have differing personalities you are sure to take a liking to at least one of them. I do want to give a particular mention to Marvelous though, as he really is the strongest team leader I have ever seen. He has charisma oozing out of him and definitely has that "cool" factor too. I don't care if you're a kid or a grown man, I can guarantee that anyone who watches this series will wish they could be like Captain Marvelous.

I don't just want to make you think everything good is Marvelous though, as all the Gokaigers are brilliant. Everyone from the former princess Ahim to the silly Hakase are great in their own way, and can be really funny or play things for the emotion with no trouble. The villains are also quite good, though (without wanting to spoil anything) Basco is easily my favourite, and he is definitely one of the standout things in the series, with his rivalry with Captain Marvelous being very enjoyable and always leaving you wanting to see more as we find out more about the characters and their past.

I have wrote all this and I honestly don't even feel like I have scratched the surface, so my best advice is to just go and watch the series and see for yourself, as I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. I know a few people (myself included) who had never seen so much as 1 second of proper Sentai, but after watching Gokaiger became hooked.

This series is special, there is no other word for it. The heroes, the villains, the story and the references to the older series all make this special. Whether you are brand new to Super Sentai or a series veteran, there is something in Gokaiger for everyone to enjoy, and almost every episode was fantastic to the point where I could easily sit through an entire afternoon just watching episode after episode, because it really had that indescribable thing about it that made a connection somewhere deep inside.

Do yourself a favour and watch this series, it will be some of the best 25 minutes (per episode) you could possibly spend watching a show.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 5 - Our Pain ☆ Yellow Mama - Review / Thoughts

Although this wasn't as good as the previous episode (which would have been hard to live up to in all honesty), Akibaranger continues to be thoroughly enjoyable and also hilarious here in episode 5.

Though what started out as something funny and what appeared to be a comedic episode, by the end the tone had changed considerably, and to be honest I felt really bad for Yumeria. I am not going to go too much in to it because it would ruin the episode for anyone who is yet to watch it, but just be aware that it does shift a fair bit at the end.

Moving along, for the most part the episode was really funny. Akagi actually gets to go in to a girl's bedroom (Yumeria's), after she had announced that her mother would be coming over, and Akagi and Mitsuki go to her apartment to get things cleaned up. Akagi makes a big deal out of it and again says it's a pattern from the other Sentai series, with the mother coming to visit and trying to get their daughter to stop risking their lives and instead get married to someone. The two standout moments of the bedroom part being Akagi getting upset thinking about how his mother threw away his old Sentai toys without regard, and how only the day before she threw away a Dakimakura similar to the one he is hugging in the picture above.

Of course Yumeria's bedroom is full of Otaku stuff, and the other really funny part came when Akagi opening the door of a cupboard to hide things in, only to come face to face with Yumeria's Yaoi collection!

When Yumeria's mother does show up, Akagi's fears about her thoughts on the weird ways of Yumeria were soon put at ease when she shows up at the apartment in the same cosplay as Yumeria herself is wearing. We find out that in the past she was a famous cosplayer, and that Yumeria actually got a lot of her interests etc from being around her mother.

The villain of the week is the same one who was essentially trying to, erm, rape Akagi earlier in the series. Initially it's only Akagi and Mitsuki fighting him since Yumeria was celebrating her birthday with her mother somewhere else, but eventually she joins the battle too, though is quickly beaten pretty badly. As luck would have it though, her mother appears in the delusion, and borrowing the Moe morpher, becomes Akibayellow herself and actually does really well at fighting. At the end, she gives it back to Yumeria so she can finish things off, which of course she does.

As I said earlier, I won't go any further or else it would spoil the ending of the episode, but it was pretty sad. Actually, I guess bittersweet is a perfect term here for it.

The earlier parts of the episode did what Akibaranger does best, and that's present the crazy and silly Otaku ways of Akagi and the Akibarangers in a hilarious manner, and it really never does fail to make me laugh. Akagi himself is simply hilarious, and Yumeria is also funny, while at the same time very cute too.

There is a lot to like about Akibaranger, and this episode is certainly no exception. I am now curious as to what the next episode will hold, as admittedly the ending kind of surprised me since until that point pretty much everything in the series had / has been played for laughs. Overall another great episode though, and I highly recommend checking this series out if you haven't already.

Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger Episode 4 - A Forbidden Delusion Brings With It The Pain of Blue Corruption - Review / Thoughts

I might as well come right out and say it - Episode 4 of Akibaranger was brilliant and probably the best yet. It was really funny as always, plus it featured a lot of cosplaying, what more could a man ask for?

Really though, this was some great stuff. Since Aoyagi was going away somewhere for training (that was outside of Akihabara), she made it clear that in her absence she didn't want Akagi or Moegi having any delusions. When they tried to argue, she soon intimidated them in to agreeing.

Then both Moegi and Akagi spend their time trying to control their delusions. Whenever there is the slightest hint of suspicion or trouble, Akagi nearly deludes himself in to thinking that he is needed, but just manages to stop himself from having the full-on delusion that would involve him changing in to Akibared.

Meanwhile, poor Moegi decides that to take her mind off of having the delusions, she will spend the next couple of days giving in to her dirtier side (for lack of a better term). She enters a book store for a signing and waits in the queue. She has a Yaoi book with her, as does everyone else in the store, but she eventually has to run out of the store empty handed when she begins letting her fantasies / delusions take over.

She later also bumps in to a pervert in an alley, and for a moment thinks about possibly changing in to Akibayellow to fight him off. Then though she realises that she can't treat him as one of the Akibaranger enemies, and so just manages to run away. She bumps in to Akagi not long after, and they decide to spend some time together since they guess that keeping their delusions under control will be easier when they are not by themselves.

Then we get to see Akagi go cosplay shopping with Moegi, with her asking him his opinions on the various outfits she was trying on. It doesn't take long though before Akagi starts fantasising about Moegi wearing a lot of different cosplay outfits, including some really revealing ones. And of course, as you can see above, also some of the villains from the older Sentai series.

The whole thing is just really funny to be honest, and of course Moegi does look very nice in some of the cosplay she is wearing. There is still a bit more that happened (including the weekly monster fight), but I will leave that out for you to see for yourself if you decide to watch the episode.

It's hilarious watching poor Moegi and Akagi trying to stop themselves from going in to delusions, with Akagi even commenting on how unfair it was trying to stop an Otaku from being deluded. Akagi and Moegi were of course the two mainly featured characters in this episode, and they worked brilliantly together.

It also helps that they are my two favourite Akibarangers anyway, but I would be genuinely surprised if anyone didn't enjoy this regardless of who their favourite(s) is / are. This is probably my favourite episode so far, it was really funny and the cosplay segment was more than welcome in my book. If you like great shows, then Akibaranger is definitely a must watch.