Prehistoric Animals had Six to Eight legs

(photo credit: Power Rangers NOW)

Previously, I wrote about the T-Rex Battle Zord and approach taken with the Power Rangers movie merchandises. Today I will be talking about the one thing I'm not happy about the movie: the robot designs.

(photo credit: Power Rangers NOW)

(photo credit: Power Rangers NOW)

The mecha design was revealed in their toy version online a little before the T-Rex was released in stores. Along with it, fans got to see the mastodon, triceratops, saber-toothed tiger, and pterodactyl. I definitely dig the design because it is Transformers-like and they actually look like real-life machines.

(photo credit: Comic Book)

The toys already give a good amount of details of the robots, but the poster that was exclusively shown on Comic Book two days ago show greater details. The poster features the zords covered in mists and rushing forward, with the Saber-Toothed Tiger in the front and most explicitly shown. The curvy parts and blue glows add a nice futuristic look to the refined tiger from the '90s show. I personally have a thing for glows, so it gives me the badass fierce chills.

But what I don't like are the mastodon and tricera. I mean, just look at them!

 (photo credit: Power Rangers NOW)

(photo credit: Power Rangers NOW)

If I remember correctly, both animals only have four legs. So what's wrong with them? Are they supposed to be some sort of mixture of a spider and mastodon, and another composed of a beetle and a tricera? Honestly, it makes them look a bit ugly.

Nonetheless, the zords have a unique design approach aimed at an older audience. They look like they are actually made of metal and strong enough by themselves without even combining. And one simple design preference should not be a factor to not look forward to the upcoming movie.

So that concludes my article entries for this blog. This and the previous articles were short but were something I really wanted to talk about.

This class gave me the opportunity to write a blog for a class, which was awesome for me because I had been barely writing my actual blog because of school. Under a topic that I have passion for, it allowed me to further improve my organizational skill and new writing skills I learned from Writing for Mass Media.

I guess that's all there is for me to say.

Good bye!

The bigger, the better

(photo credit: Den of Geek!)

If someone asks you "what movies do they have now?" and you answer Doctor Strange or Moana, tell yourself to be smart enough to ignore the current movies and talk about March 2017 movies because Lionsgate's Power Rangers is on its way. I'd be greater if you even mention the robots that will appear.

The upcoming movie revolves around five teenagers in high school who discover the Power Coins, the source that provides them with super powers, by chance at a quarry and are chosen to save the world from Rita Repulsa's threat. But the kids must first deal with their daily-life issues and bond together as a team.

The movie was announced in 2014 to be released in 2016, but got postponed to Mar. 24, 2017. As much as I was worried about the release because of the prolonged production, my worries faded as good information was revealed gradually one year ago, including the cast, suits, and robots.

The robot designs were revealed just last month online through their toy versions. One of the dinosaur-themed robots, the T-Rex Battle Zord, was released in stores just this month.

(photo credit: Toysrus.com)

The T-Rex is sold for $39.99 and is about 21 inches in length, which is bigger than the size of an average Power Rangers robot toy. No wonder the price! This gigantic mechanical dinosaur can even combine with four other mechas, which are estimated to be sold for $19.99, to form the all mighty Megazord.

Who would have thought a toy targeted for a young audience above the age of four would be so big? I really like the approach toy company Bandai Co., Ltd. is making with the movie merchandises because a big size is something that definitely appeals to an adult audience too, which is part of the main audience of the movie.

To be honest, as a fan, I thought we would be getting more legitimate collector items for the movie other than the Toys"R"Us exclusive action figures in the picture below, but if this is the case I'm happy buying the kids toys. And since Christmas is around the corner, now is time to spend all the money on those morphenomenal items.

(photo credit: Tokunation)

By now you may think that I am very excited about the robots as well as the other toys. That's not a lie, but I do have one issue: the design of some of the other mechas!

That will be covered in the next and final article for this blog....

New Advertising from Japanese Super Heroes

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Secret Trick Virtual Operations

(photo credit: Bandai Official Channel on YouTube)

The range of creativity YouTube enables for its audience is mass. Music videos, online commercials, skits, you name them. Corporates are no stranger to making those contents as the video streaming website has become a major social media platform .

Actor Ukyo Matsumoto explains how to play Ganbarizing.

(photo credit: Bandai Official Channel on Youtube)

Toy company Bandai is no exception with their newly launched video series named Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Secret Trick Virtual Operations. The 10-minute video series features super heroes from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid transforming with a step by step explanation of their transformation device. The videos also have the actors demonstrate the company’s arcade game Ganbarizing as the actors themselves, rather than the characters they portray.

The “simulation” not only requires the heroes to check their suits’ power status once transformed, but also in reality, is an eye-opening form of advertisement for the following five reasons.

(photo credit: Bandai Official Channel on Youtube)

1. It demonstrates how the toy works. The fictional device used for transforming is also the toy sold at stores, so the younger audience will see how to play with it and their “want” to buy the product will be stimulated.
2. Income will generate from displayed advertisements. Advertise, promote, and getting money from doing so? Talk about making money.
3. The video borrows footage involving CGI from the show. This most likely reduces the budget to be spent to create new media content.
4. It gives actors from the show an appearance outside of TV. The actors are basically reenacting a scene from the show, just in a different way, and demonstrate how to play Ganbarizing. The more appearances, the more money for the tough survivors in the citing industry.
5. Each episode is in conjunction with the TV show’s storyline. For the older audience, it renders them to watch and follow even the slightest detail of the show.

For a brand recognized nationwide in Japan like Kamen Rider, YouTube sure has enabled the franchise to expand its audience on the Internet and create more. This certainly is a specialty the TV show and Bandai have because of the solid audience they have established for over decades. In an era where the Internet is valued by corporates, it can be said that an idea like this YouTube series is marvelous and an example corporates from any country and field may want to follow.

A short article, but something I definitely wanted to talk about.

See ya again next month!

Yoshi Sudarso; His life as a Power Ranger

(Photo credit: Neo-Saban Power Rangers on YouTube)

“Koda, as I have decided, is 99,872 years old. So he was frozen technically, not a hundred thousand years,” are the words of Yoshi Sudarso, who portrays the ancient caveman Koda, a.k.a the Blue Dino Charge Ranger, on “Power Rangers Dino Charge.”

Isn’t it great when an actor makes such headcanon of his character? It’s even better when that love comes from himself being a Power Rangers fan.

So today I’m wiring about Yoshi and his involvement with Power Rangers that led him to have experiences he probably would’ve never thought about.

(Photo credit: @Yoshistunts on Twitter)

Yoshi is an actor and stuntman who appeared on various films and Youtube videos, such as “The Maze Runner” and Super Power Beat Down series by batinthesun.

His passion for stunts is rooted in his athletic background growing up. He played various sports such as badminton and track, but eventually discovered flipping and thought it suited him better than other physical activities. With his friends’ suggestions, he began his career in stunts and worked distinct avenues including movies, skits, and live events on stage.  

(Photo credit Den of Geek)

While pulling off his stuntman actions, Yoshi had also been auditioning to become an actual Power Rangers on Television since 2010. The franchise finally welcomed him to be part of the Ranger family in 2014, when he obtained the role to play Koda.

Also a fan of Super Sentai, the Japanese Television franchise in which Power Rangers gets its costume design and fighting footage from, Yoshi watched the Japanese counterpart of his show “Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger” before auditioning, during the audition, and after getting the role.

Ever since the role landed on the geeky actor, Yoshi made contributions to the show a regular Power Rangers actor would not. He had the rest of the Dino Charge cast watch Kyoryuger, suggested an idea for the show’s transformation sequence, and pointed out the mistakes of the props the staff made with his knowledge on Kyoryuger. He also actively posts behind-the-scene photos and stories on his social media accounts and shares his interests in both the American and Japanese technicolor superheroes with fans.

(Photo credit: @Yoshistunts on Twitter)

(Photo credit: @Yoshistunts on Twitter)

(Photo credit: DryedMangoez.com)

But being a Blue Ranger was only the beginning of his dream-come-true ranger journey. He was able to meet Yamato Kinjo, the actor who played Yoshi’s Japanese counterpart in “Kyoryuger.” Furthermore, Yoshi got in touch with Toei, the company that owns Super Sentai, and met the cast of the 2015 Super Sentai season “Shuriken Sentai Ninninger” and made a cameo appearance on the Japanese show.

(Photo credit: @PeterSAdrian on Twitter) 

(Photo credit: Morphin' Legacy)

To his surprise, “Ninninger” was the season to be adapted in America as “Power Rangers Ninja Steel,” and his younger brother Peter Sudarso was casted as Preston, the Blue Ninja Steel Ranger. Peter’s role was kept as a secret to Yoshi until the cast revelation was made at Power Morphicon 2016, a Power Rangers exclusive convention held every two years. A video of Yoshi hugging Peter in tears at the convention quickly became viral among fans online.

“Power Rangers Dino Supercharge” is about to reach its finale this month. That means the beloved Blue Ranger will leave the TV screen soon, but at the same time this enables fans to get ready to watch for Ninja Steel and see the color Blue passing on to Peter.

So that is it for today.

See you on the next article!

Dynoprisms/Energems

Ever have that moment when you’re watching a SIFI TV show that has some unique items appearing? It sucks when you want them because they may not be available at stores. That’s a feeling Power Rangers fans can relate to, especially if they are big on the current season “Power Rangers Dino Supercharge.”

Surprisingly, there is a talented individual who makes the beautiful gems in the picture above. Plastic Geek is the name; he, or she but let’s go with “he,” is an independent professional artist who situates himself in Wisconsin.

The set of five energems, which appear on the show that grant rangers their powers, are made as “Dynoprisms” and released for $35 each as a second edition from Plastic Geek. The prisms are still available upon pre-orders on his website for a limited amount.

There are currently 10 gems available on the artist’s online store: red, black, blue, green, pink, gold, graphite, purple, aqua, and silver. Recently the dark energem and a cracked red energem were added to the list. Check out his online shop for more information at plasticgeek.com.

I ordered my red, black, blue, green, and pink dynoprisms last December and got them this March. Waiting for 3 months was such a pain, but finally getting my hands on those bad boys was truly sensational and worth the $175 I paid.

The Dynoprisms are hand-casted resin materials. Each of them is dyed with a ranger’s representative color, and applied on it is high-quality Japanese  hobby paint. A strong rare earth magnet is also embedded to be attached to a necklace accessory that may be released in the future.

(Photo credit: powerrangers.com)

(Photo credit: RangerBoard)

These 2nd version gems were made after the show premiered in February 2015, so they are more show accurate than version 1. The difference in its appearance and size are obvious when seen together.

 

The Plastic Geek himself stated that the brightness of the gems varies depending on the dying condition, but they nonetheless look gorgeous. The translucent appearance gives them a high-end look, and each prism shines beautifully when shed with light in the dark.

The gems aren’t just nice to look at, but also has some play value thanks to the magnets inside them. The magnetism of those rare earth magnets are quite strong, so I display the on my lamp and they stand just fine. Perhaps they could also be attached to a ball chain for now for those who want to wear them for fun, even in the public (which I wouldn’t recommend if you want to take good care of them). Whether a necklace will be made is not known for now, but one user has said that the version 1 necklace is attachable to this edition.

It’s more of an item to look at than to play with so there isn't not much to it, but I am satisfied with my purchase. They are definitely worth possessing, and the transparent technicolor appearance is certainly fun to look at. Yes, each gem is over $30 but considering that it's handmade, embedded with a magnet, and how beautiful it looks, there isn't much reason to regret buying. Not to mention, this is the second edition, so those who missed out on the first version should be happy with a more screen-accurate sculpture.

And this concludes my blog entry for this month. See you again next month!

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid

(photo credit: Power Rangers Wiki)

Power Rangers may be known by non-fans a group of animal or sometimes ninja -looking superheroes with spandex fighting rubber monsters to save the day with a low budget. But what they may not know is that show is based on a Japanese TV series called Super Sentai in which Power Rangers gets its footage and costumes from. And the company that owns the franchise also owns the Kamen Rider series, another superhero series that is a little more than spandex.

(photo credit: Kamen Rider Wiki)

(photo credit: TV Tropes)

(photo credit: Kamen Sentai)

Kamen Rider aired its first season in 1971 and became an extremely popular TV show in Japan. The concept is a human who gets an operation to become a cyborg by evil forces but harnesses the power for good. The hero is known as “Kamen Rider” who wears a “kamen,” which means ”mask” in the Japanese language, and rides a motorcycle.

Kamen Riders used to have a quite simple design with spandex and a few armors until the series reached the year 2000, with the riders having a more armor-like design with a wide range of motifs. This includes: grasshoppers, vampire, Wizards, and even cars despite of the word “rider.”

(photo credit: JEFusion)

This year, the franchise celebrates its 45th anniversary with a rider nobody could have possibly imagined its debut: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. The show just started on Oct. 2, and three episodes have aired so far.

(photo credit: TV Tropes)

1. The Rider is a doctor. Protagonist Emu Hojo is a novice Doctor who's just too climbs but truly cares about his patients. He’s the kind who injures himself three times on the first episode but shows the most care to patients with his kind personality.

2. The doctor is a gamer. Know as the genius gamer “M,” Emu has won numerous gaming competitions in the past. In fact, he was chosen to become Ex-Aid due to his high level gaming skills (whether that makes sense or not). Once he's into the virtual world, his kindhearted personality becomes passionate and aggressive.

1. 
   
   

(photo credit: Henshin Sokuhou)

3. Video games grant the hero super powers. What’s hilarious is that Japan’s plan to obliterate the computer virus known as Bugster Virus to protect humans is using a freakin’ video game. Each Kamen Rider on the show has his own unique Rider Gashat, a device where the power is stored, and inserts it into the Gamer Driver to change into Kamen Rider. Ex-Aid in particular uses the Mighty Action X Gashat, a pink Gashat that is based on a new action game Mighty Action X that appears on the show. Other Kamen RIders posses Gahsats based on RPGs, shooting games, and more kinds that will appear in future episodes.

(photo credit: Henshin Sokuhou)

(photo credit: Henshin Sokuhou)

4. Level up! Just like how characters increase their levels in games, so does Ex-Aid and the other riders. At the chubby level 1, Ex-Aid utilizes the items scattered throughout the game area and conducts an “operation” to separate his patient from the Bugster Virus. When he levels up to 2, he is in full fighting mode to defeat the “boss” of the operation.

(photo credit: Henshin Sokuhou)

5. Doctors fight each other . The story focuses on “true heroes” that save people from computer viruses that started appearing five years ago, while the Doctor riders fight against each other for their own beliefs about being a doctor. As a matter of fact, the doctors start fighting against each other on episode 2. As of now, that’s all that is revealed is the rider battle and that the hospital Emu works at has ties with a video game company GENM which provided the doctors with their transformation devices.

So there you go, a little insight into Superheroes from the other side of the globe. If you are accustomed to the American rangers, this must be quite shocking in some ways, but believe it or not, fans are already used to Kamen Rider’s unexpectable ideas that actually make them who they are. I will leave the link to the theme song to Kamen Rider Ex-Aid because it’s so dang catchy.

So until I come back, good bye!

Red Hurricane

It’s that moment when you had no plan to buy it but you end up sacrificing your wallet. It was the last one on the shelf. I had no choice.

So here’s my mini review of the Red Wind Ranger from the 6.5 Legacy Collection, released in August, 2016 for $19.99. To be blunt, I didn’t expect much from this action figure because of the price, but the price turned out be one of the factors making this bad boy a great toy.

Included are the Red Wind Ranger, one megazord piece, and two weapons (ninja sword).

First thing’s first though, let's talk about the figure itself. The appearance of the body is very human-like. Not too thin or thick. The proportion is perfect.

The contours of the body are very smooth too, so certain poses, like bending the stomach, looks natural, rather than connected joints looking fragment.

(photo credit: www.powerrangers.com)

There is just enough detail to resemble the actual charter from the show. Sure, not the most detailed figure, especially the vaguely molded hawk symbol on the forehead, because of the price. But this shows that not all details from the actual thing aren’t necessarily needed to make an action figure look very nice. I guess this is also due to the fact that the human-like proportion does its job of covering the lack of details. The paint job on the accessories too are minimal, but is just enough to, like I said, look decent. Especially after playing with high-end figures, I always had a tendency to be picky about details, but perhaps I should stop.

Oh yeah, not necessarily about the details, but I really want to point out how on-point the helmet is. It looks just like the one from the show, no matter what angle you look at it from. Whether it’s a cheap or expensive action figure, there are many that fail to look accurate. It doesn’t give me an awkward “uh, this looks wrong….” moment. Congrats to Bandai for their great work.

With such natural body shape and enough details, the poses it can recreate are great and fun to look at. After all, action figures are meant to make poses. Articulation combining with great proportion makes a figure even better. Also, not many action figures of this price range, at least from my experience, don't move this much articulation. I just wish I had the necessary tools to take better pictures. Who knew I’d be writing a blog for class...

Now let’s talk about the price. Considering that Bandai plans to release every ranger from every season, $19.99 is relatively affordable because most seasons consist of 5 core power rangers. 5 for $120-ish with good possibility, not bad at all.

Nonetheless, some fans may still buy only their favorite rangers rather than full teams, so including a megazord (the robot the superheroes have on the show) piece for each ranger is good and makes collecting the figures fun. What’s a huge plus is that the megazord  that builds up by purchasing all core rangers of the same team too is an actual action figure rather than just a statue. The articulation isn’t as good as the Rangers, but still moves quite a bit for a bonus feature. A poseable megazord action figure isn’t something that exists a lot in the Power Rangers field.

So there you go, the Legacy Red Wind Ranger action figure. Cheap price, great poseability, enough details, and a megazord piece. I totally underestimated this product. The more I play with it, the more I dig it. Because many high quality action figures cost so much, it’s great to get something like this with just a $20 bill and a few coins. Will I buy this again? Definitely, if I'm not broke.