Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

[areaseven]

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (獣電戦隊キョウリュウジャー)

TV Asahi/Toei Co. Ltd., 2013

To be exploited by Saban Brands in at least three years...

Directed by Koichi Sakamoto (Veteran Power Rangers stunt coordinator)

Written by Riku Sanjo (Kamen Rider W, MD Geist)

Running Time: 25 minutes per episode

Rated TV-PG for martial arts violence.

"Brave In!"

"Gaburincho! Gabutyra!"

"Kyoryu Change! Fire!"

Cast

Ryo Ryusei as Daigo "King" Kiryu/Kyoryu Red

Syuusuke Saito as Ian Yorkland/Kyoryu Black

Yamato Kinjo as Nobuharu Udo/Kyoryu Blue

Akihisa Shiono as Souji Rippukan/Kyoryu Green

Ayuri Konno as Amy Yuuzuki/Kyoryu Pink

Toshiyuki Morikawa (Naraku in Inuyasha, Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children) as Torin (voice)

Takayuki Sugo (Heat Guy J, Capt. Okita in Space Battleship Yamato 2199) as Chaos (voice)

Haruka Tomatsu (Mileina in Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Kinuho in A Certain Specific Railgun) as Canderrilla (voice)

Satoshi Tsuruoka as Dogold (voice)

Yu Mizushima (Sho/Guyver I in Guyver: Out of Control, Isamu in Hyakujuu-oh Golion) as Aigallon (voice)

Ai Orikasa (Ryoko in Tenchi Muyo!, Quatre in Gundam Wing) as Luckyuro (voice)

Shigeru Chiba (Sasuke in Ranma ½, Gil Berg in Dangaioh) as the Narrator and Gaburevolver voice

"Vamola Mucho!"

Brave 1: "Let's Go! The Red King" (でたァーッ！　まっかなキング)

Millions of years after the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Deboss Army resurface and wreak havoc on civilization to prepare for the awakening of their creator, Dark Species Deboss. Standing in their way are the Kyoryugers, five brave youths gifted with the powers of the Zyudenryu ("Electric Beast Dragons") - the dinosaurs that defeated the Deboss Army during the Ice age.

Lowdown

After snoozing off on Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters last year, I had nearly lost faith in Super Sentai until Hikounin Sentai Akibaranger kept me entertained for a short while. Then I read that Toei was going back to basics with the Super Sentai series this year, after Go-Busters' no-nonsense approach proved to be a ratings disappointment. And so to rejuvenate toy sales, they returned to a tried-and-true motif: dinosaurs. After all, Zyuranger created the Power Rangers franchise.

Despite having 90% of the episode focused just on the Red guy, Kyoryuger brings back everything we love about Super Sentai: loud costumes, flashy fight choreography, cheesy special effects and a lighthearted atmosphere. And, like the traditional Super Sentai show, Kyoryuger has a sense of goofiness in it; in this case, its use of samba and dancing while our heroes transform.

Oh yeah, what about those wonderful toys? The Gaburevolver looks like a Nerf Maverick on steroids with the nifty gimmick of combining with the Gaburicalibur sword to form a more powerful cannon that's cooler than the Go-Busters' weapons. The use of dinosaur "batteries" is also an interesting gimmick that may rival those of Go-Onger, Shinkenger and Gokaiger.

In short, Kyoryuger is not in the running for best Super Sentai series of all-time, but it's guaranteed to keep kids and long-time fans entertained this year.

Rating: B

Next time, on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 2: "Gaburincho! Snapping Combination" (ガブリンチョ！　カミツキがったい)

Time for some giant robot action.

Links

TV Asahi's Official Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Homepage

Toei's Official Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Homepage

References

JEFusion

Edited August 6, 2014 by areaseven

[areaseven]

And now for some toy demos:

Gaburu Cannon DX Set

Zyuden Mobuckle

[areaseven]

More toy demos. Here's the DX Kyoryuzin.

[Hikuro]

The music is the most annoying thing I've heard since 0_o oh god I can't even remember! The transformation music in there and the ending theme is enough to make me stay away from this series just so I don't gotta hear that stuff.

[anime52k8]

More toy demos. Here's the DX Kyoryuzin.

Not even remotely close to being as awesome as Daizyujin. Just saying.

[areaseven]

Not even remotely close to being as awesome as Daizyujin. Just saying.

No dinosaur-based mecha will ever be on the same level as Daizyuzin. Kyoryuzin is not bad, but given the current trend of Super Sentai robots, expect a bunch of clusterf*ck combinations.

[areaseven]

On this week's episode of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 2: "Gaburincho! Snapping Combination" (ガブリンチョ！　カミツキがったい)

Special Guest: Ayumi Kinoshita (Jasmine/Deka Yellow in Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger) as Yuko Fukui.

As Daigo, Nobuharu and Amy get to know each other, the Deboss Army stage another attack with a Debo Monster fueled by the despair of humans.

In this episode, we learn the limitation of the Zyudenchi Beast Batteries: like ordinary batteries, they run out of juice. At the same time, the Kyoryugers introduce a new feature of the Gaburevolver: Armed On mode - which adds armor and a special weapon to the user's right arm. And finally, we get to see how two batteries make a deadly combo attack when used simultaneously in the Gaburevolver.

The main focus of this episode is on Nobuharu, who spends his time taking care of his sister Yuko and her daughter Rika. However, he cannot bring himself to reveal his identity as Kyoryu Blue to his loved ones, as Yuko blames Kyoryu Blue for a prior Deboss Army attack that left Rika injured. Also, we learn that Amy is a socalite who always has a butler by her side, but is capable of defending herself with her martial arts skills.

As for Kyoryuzin, wow... that's a rather lengthy combination sequence, considering that Gabutyra has to access the other batteries first. The cockpit is similar to that of Geki Touja of Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger, where the Kyoryugers execute martial arts moves to control the giant robot. I'll pass on the DX toy, but I might pick up the Minipla kit when it hits stores.

Next time, on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 3: "Get Mad! The Slashing Brave" (あれるぜ！　ざんげきのブレイブ)

This time, it's all about Green.

Edited August 6, 2014 by areaseven

[areaseven]

On this week's episode of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 3: "Get Mad! The Slashing Brave" (あれるぜ！　ざんげきのブレイブ)

Special Guest: Junichi Haruta (Kanpei/Goggle Black in Dai Sentai Goggle-V, Ryu/Dyna Black in Kagaku Sentai Dynaman) as Genryu Rippukan

Souji is the quiet but highly skilled swordsman among the Kyoryugers, but his father is not pleased with his unorthodox swordplay, as the family has practiced their kenjutsu since the Sengoku period. Meanwhile, the Deboss Army's latest monster is out to lock every athlete in his cages and siphon out their anger and frustration.

As Kermit the Frog once said: "It's not easy being green." This episode is proof of that statement, given the uneasy father-son relationship between Souji and Genryu. When this tension also causes a rift between Souji and the Kyoryugers, Daigo and Amy have a talk with his father to find a solution.

Oh yeah, we got a lot of martial arts action here to keep everyone entertained. At the same time, we're introduced to two new dinosaurs that form into DeinoChaser, the Kyoryugers' motorcycle, as well as Kyoryu Green's dinosaur Zakutor, which alternates with Dricera as Kyoryuzin's left arm for bladed attacks.

Next time, on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 4: "Fire! The Gaburevolver of Courage" (うちぬけ！ゆうきのガブリボルバー)

Always bet on Black.

Edited August 6, 2014 by areaseven

[areaseven]

Peaugh reviews the DX Kyoryuger toys:

[areaseven]

And here's Peaugh's review of the DX Kyoryujin:

[areaseven]

On this week's episode of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:


Brave 4: "Fire! The Gaburevolver of Courage" (うちぬけ！ゆうきのガブリボルバー)
Special Guest: Kenji Ebisawa (Gunpei Ishihara/Go-on Black in Engine Sentai Go-onger) as Shiro Mifune

A Deboss Monster shows up to steal valuables in town, but when Ian rushes to battle it, an incident in his past causes him to crack and lead to further problems within the team.

And so begins the story of the team's antihero, who has a traumatic past and will go all out to confront it while being at odds with the leader. Ian has a little bit of Gai Yuki/Black Condor (Jetman), being a womanizer and the loner of the group. And even after officially becoming a Kyoryuger, he sarcastically vows to kill Daigo once this war is over.

This week's episode also brings in the common troupe of introducing a new toy that nearly kills the team at first, but eventually becomes an invaluable weapon in the end. In this case, it's the Kentrospiker, the Zyudenchi battery that combines the Kyoryugers' weapons into a powerful spear. And to top things off is Kyoryuzin's latest combination: the gunslinging Kyoryuzin Western. Yee-haw!

Next time, on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 5: "Boom! The Cavities of Ankydon" (ドゴォーン！ムシバのアンキドン)

Better call the dentist.

Edited August 6, 2014 by areaseven

[areaseven]

On this week's episode of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:


Brave 5: "Boom! The Cavities of Ankydon" (ドゴォーン！ムシバのアンキドン)

Now that the Kyoryugers are a full-fledged Super Sentai, their teamwork is put to the test when a Debo Monster causes innocent victims to develop nasty cavities. Then throughout all the ruckus, a new dinosaur appears and goes on a rampage with a serious toothache.

Well, here's the most oddball episode so far. First, we have a monster that gives cavities to everyone. Then we have an old white guy parading around as a ghost. All this aside, this episode focuses on the tension between Black and Green, as Ian's rebellious nature pisses off Souji and he ends up fighting with a toothache due to his gung-ho attitude.

Even more oddball is the merchandise displayed this week. Collect Gashapon points to get your own Gabutyra sleeping bag!

We learn that there are 23 Zyudenchi batteries so far, and that the first 10 represent the original protectors of Earth. We are also introduced to Ankydon, which is #7 of the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, it turns out that the main cause of its rampage is not a toothache, but a new Debo Monster controlling it.

Next time, on Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger:

Brave 6: "Stop! Sing Canderrilla" (ストップ！うたうキャンデリラ)

The Kyoryugers must do whatever it takes to free Ankydon from the Debo Monster's control, but what is the Deboss Army doing in the meantime?

Edited August 6, 2014 by areaseven