Ressha Sentai ToQger

[areaseven]

Ressha Sentai ToQger (烈車戦隊トッキュウジャー)
TV Asahi/Toei Company Ltd., 2014-2015
To be exploited by Saban Brands within the next three years...
Directed by Shojiro Nakazawa (Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger) and Katsuya Watanabe (Engine Sentai Go-onger, Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger)
Written by Yasuko Kobayashi (Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters)
Running Time: 25 minutes per episode.
Not Rated (Suggested TV-PG). Contains sci-fi violence and mild language.

"ToQ Change!"

Cast
Jun Shishon as Right/ToQ 1-go (Red)
Jin Hiramaki as Tokatti/ToQ 2-go (Blue)
Riria as Mio/ToQ 3-go (Yellow)
Ryusei Yokohama as Hikari/ToQ 4-go (Green)
Ai Moritaka as Kagura/ToQ 5-go (Pink)
Tsutomu Sekine as the Conductor
Kappei Yamaguchi (Ranma ½, InuYasha) as Ticket and ToQger equipment (voice)
Yui Horie (Naru in Love Hina, Hitomi in Dead or Alive 3-5) as Wagon (voice)
Jun Fukuyama (Luca in Macross Frontier, Lelouch in Code Geass) as Baron Nero (voice)
Aya Hisakawa (Ami/Sailor Mercury in Sailor Moon, Skuld in Ah! My Goddess) as Madame Noa (voice)
Haruhiko Jo (Japanese dub actor for Geoffrey Rush and Tim Curry) as General Schwartz (voice)
Noriko Hidaka (Noriko in Gunbuster, Jean in Nadia of the Mysterious Seas) as Miss Glitta (voice)

Synopsis
Imagination is the key to all happiness, and this is generated by all children. But when the Shadow Line threatens to remove all Imagination on Earth and replace it with Darkness, five childhood friends join together as the ToQgers to protect the planet and keep Imagination running.

"The Victorious Imagination! Ressha Sentai ToQger!"

Lowdown
Japan has a long love for trains. After all, they built the Shinkansen, the first high-speed locomotive. The train theme is no stranger to the Super Sentai series, as it's been used as a secondary motif for Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive and Mahou Sentai Magiranger, but this year's title is all about trains.

Ressha Sentai ToQger is all laughs - not only because of its slapstick comedy, but its laughably bad designs. There are so many ways to make train-themed designs, so why did Toei approve such horrible-looking costumes? It looks like they simply hot-glued toy railroad tracks on spandex outfits. And that giant robot they have. I don't care if it's part of an interchangeable toy gimmick, but ToQ Oh is the single worst giant robot design in Super Sentai history. The baddies look cool, though.

Without a doubt, ToQger is a fun series to watch, but the ghastly costume designs will keep most Super Sentai fans from watching it.

Rating: C-

Links
Toei's Official Ressha Sentai ToQger Homepage
TV Asahi's Official Ressha Sentai ToQger Homepage

References
JEFusion Edited March 8, 2016 by areaseven

[areaseven]

Just look at this train wreck.

[David Hingtgen]

I'm a *huge* train fan---but that sucks.

[azrael]

Gawd, those are horrible looking suits.

Makes me want to go back and watch Kamen Rider Den-O.

[renegadeleader1]

I've seen knockoff Thomas the Tank Engine combiner robots from China that look better than that turd.

[Dangard Ace]

Watched the first episode Tuesday. Not watching this one at all.

[Sandman]

I didn't think it was that bad. The costumes will grow on you. Every year people complain about the costumes at the beginning but grow to like them or at least tolerate them. The color switching is an interesting idea. Nothing like seeing a male pink ranger. Lol.

[areaseven]

I didn't think it was that bad. The costumes will grow on you. Every year people complain about the costumes at the beginning but grow to like them or at least tolerate them. The color switching is an interesting idea. Nothing like seeing a male pink ranger. Lol.

The thing is that people in the past complained about the costumes based on the pre-production line art, and they were proven wrong by the time the first episode aired. I remember back in 2003, fans did not like the concept art for Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, but come 2004, the costumes for that series became everyone's favorites. ToQger just proved the fans right about the costume design, and I just don't see how it will grow on longtime Super Sentai fans.

Also, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger did the male Pinks better.

[Sandman]

For the whole 2 secs you saw them. I seriously had to freeze frame the video to actually see them.

I'm a longtime Sentai fan and I don't mind the costumes. I don't think it'll be much of an issue with people. People hated the gingaman costumes well beyond preproduction and into the series.

[areaseven]

For the whole 2 secs you saw them. I seriously had to freeze frame the video to actually see them.

I'm a longtime Sentai fan and I don't mind the costumes. I don't think it'll be much of an issue with people. People hated the gingaman costumes well beyond preproduction and into the series.

Ah yes, the infamous "Charlie Brown" suits. I remember people commenting mostly on the black zig-zag stripe, but not so much on the overall hate on the design. At least those outfits grew on fans and became regarded as a favorite among them.

On the other hand, the ToQger costumes really have no design emphasis. They look more the typical mooks rather than an actual Super Sentai group. The only upside to them is mass-production in different colors to quickly demonstrate the interchangeability of the ToQ Changers and Resshas. I'm sure the upcoming super mode will be an improvement, but not by much.

Edited March 1, 2014 by areaseven

[Hikuro]

don't like trains, and I don't like the suites and I don't like the robots, good god that's a horrible design! Looks like another year of sentai for me gone buh-bye.

[areaseven]

for me, Super Sentai died when the Akibarangers died.

[areaseven]

And This Sums Up Ressha Sentai ToQger

[CrazyDude]

OMG.

[Dangard Ace]

and that may be the only reason ever to buy that toy.

[areaseven]

It's still the ugliest Super Sentai robot, but at least it's an improvement over the DX version.

The new definition of clusterf*ck.

Edited April 21, 2014 by areaseven