Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Kinda like ninjas, but not
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What did you think of Shinkenger?

☆☆☆☆☆ Lord
53
71%
☆☆☆☆ Retainer
15
20%
☆☆☆ Michelin approved
4
5%
☆☆ Kuroko
1
1%
☆ Gedoushuu
2
3%
 
Total votes: 75
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takenoko
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Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by takenoko »

Great writing. Good themes. Memorable characters. Wonderful around. Perfect example of a 5.

See images from Shinkenger
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by DekaBreak »

The OP theme ends with the correct description of the show. APPARE!

Above what you mentioned above, great actors too.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by Knight of L-sama »

Is there a 6 of out 5 (Neko-tono!) :lol:

I think part of why Shinkenger works so well is not only the elements that takenoko mentioned but that all the individual elements were made to gel really well. Everything meshes together really well in addition to being solid standalone examples. And this applies not only to the big things, but the little things as well. Takeru playing with his origami in an unguarded moment, the Kuroko in general and so many others.

Where I think Shinkenger truly, spectacularly shines though is as an example of how to incorporate the theme into the series to enhance the story. It helps that the theme for that year (Samura/Jidai Geki) is a veritable gold mine of dramatic narrative conventions, but it was still done well and was very effective in heightening the drama when needed and were incorporated seamlessly into the overall setting.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by takenoko »

So a lot of people like samurais. I think a lot of people like Ninninger. Sooo... let's make unfair comparisons to Ninninger. Why doesn't Ninninger work as well?
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by dualvision1984 »

Excellent story plus a great plot twist, a typical Kobayashi Yasuko style of writing. Great characters. No dull moments or episodes. Paved the way with Decade to make the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai crossover possible. 5 out of 5 for me :mrgreen:
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by dualvision1984 »

takenoko wrote:So a lot of people like samurais. I think a lot of people like Ninninger. Sooo... let's make unfair comparisons to Ninninger. Why doesn't Ninninger work as well?

Probably because we're still on the early stages or 1st quarter of the series. To tell you the truth, I like the story of Ninninger as well. Shimoyama san's approach on this series is kind of different especially to the enemy because he is introducing enemy commanders one by one. With the enemies of the previous Super Sentai teams, all of them are almost complete. They are just introducing a single or two enemy commanders in the middle of the series to make it look like the tide will turn in favor of the enemy forces. With Ninninger, viewers/fans will left wondering who will be the next commander that will be released by Kyuuemon. It gives us the question in mind, "Will the next commander/captain be more ruthless than the previous ones?"

Let's give the show to unfold its secrets to us viewers as the story progress.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by CrazyBlaze »

Everything just comes together perfectly in this season. My biggest complaint would proably have to be the final mech is a mess but thats more of a sentai over all issue. The characters were all on point and were all diverse enough to stand out. The suits were amazing, the story was great, the roll call is honestly one of my favorites and proably one of the best in Sentai. The music is top notch and is always serving the story and never over shadowing it. It hits the perfect blend of heavy story telling and comedy which is something I find many shows have trouble with at first (Drive and Ninninger being two huge examples).
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by ViRGE »

I never could get into the whole vassal/lord thing. And to this day I still don't get what Juuzou was all about.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by VerusMaya II »

Shinkenger never bored me. Each character was balanced and had a history that they drew on repeatedly, not just in their focus episodes. The drama / plot scaled well and came to a climatic point that actually felt like something was at stake because it was an emotional / nonmaterial cost (status and friendship) as opposed to the usual sentai "oh no the whole world is gonna be destroyed" climax.

Definitely a 5.


As for why Ninninger isn't quite the same... I think it's because we don't really feel any threat, though the characters being the way they are don't help either. We know the Sealing Shuriken is the deus ex machina but we're not quite sure what it can do yet, so that's sort of on the backburner. And the heroes feel disconnected - are they ever really in any danger? Do they feel like they're in danger? It seems like one big joke, with the way Takaharu prances around shouting how hot things are. Sentai doesn't need to be completely grimdark to work, in fact some of the best ones are the ones that balance comedy and plot progression, but I feel like you can't completely discard gravitas either.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by Knight of L-sama »

takenoko wrote:So a lot of people like samurais. I think a lot of people like Ninninger. Sooo... let's make unfair comparisons to Ninninger. Why doesn't Ninninger work as well?
Because Takaharu is loudly, incessantly annoying and is never seriously called on it. Sure Fuuka tells him to knock it off every so often but it has no real effect and the others just... ignore him. Which does not make for a good team dynamic. Even the most competent ones, Yakumo and Kasumi are there for other reasons to a greater or lesser extent. Yakumo wants to become the Last Ninja more to validate his choices in studying magic while Kasumi, much as I like her is, as someone in the thread for the most recent episode said, seems to be running a sociology experiment on her cousins than seriously becoming the Last Ninja.

The Shinkengers on the other hand, by this time were starting to feel like they were coming together as a team. (Just checking the episodes, 17 was Genta's intro which changed things up and shifted the dynamic). They had trouble at the beginning, Ryuunosuke being a bit too over-eager and loud, Chiaki not really wanting to be there and Takeru being rather stand-offish but they were slowly being addressed. While everyone else came to grip with the facts that Ryuunosuke was loud and hammy on occasion, he had learned to keep a lid on it for the most part and the rest of the team engaged it (even if only rolling their eyes and shaking their heads) rather than ignoring it completely like the Ninningers do. (One of my favourite scenes is from episode 13 when Ryuunosuke docks Dai Tenku to the monster of the week while Mako just shakes her head and holds her face in her hands)

With the sixth ranger (who was just being introduced in Shinkenger at this point) the fact that he had a previous connection to Takeru giving him a place on the team yet not being a traditional retainer giving him an outsiders perspective. While Kinji is a complete outsider and four of the team treat him much the same way as they do Takaharu.

ViRGE wrote:I never could get into the whole vassal/lord thing. And to this day I still don't get what Juuzou was all about.
Both of them are very period piece tropes. For all that it is set in the modern day, the initial set-up of the Lord and vassals is straight out of stuff set during the Muromachi and Tokugama (or Edo) periods. Juuzo on the other hand ties into the idea of the Shura or Ashura. Beings (not necessarily humans) who are so good at fighting that it becomes all they live for and turn into creatures of pure violence and destruction.

To give Ninninger the benefit of the doubt, we're only about a third of the way through and some of the twists that elevated Shinkenger from good to great didn't really pay off until the last ten episodes or so. But given that it was more compelling at this point already, Ninninger is fighting an uphill battle.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by MagusKaiser »

I honestly enjoyed the shinkenger, the characters were all unique and well worth remembering and I thoroughly enjoyed all the plot twists in the story
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by Blackcondorguy »

So a lot of people like samurais. I think a lot of people like Ninninger. Sooo... let's make unfair comparisons to Ninninger. Why doesn't Ninninger work as well?


As I said in another topic, I think the main flaw in Ninninger so far is that it doesn't have many original ideas that makes it shine on its own, while Shinkenger had a lot of those. While watching Ninninger, I often end up thinking "seen it in this or that other series, done better". The Yokai are basically what they did in Kakuranger, not used as well. But besides that, even for someone who would not have seen as many series as I have, I think Ninninger has weak characters that are either walking clichés or underused, or both, and a storyline that has a hard time keeping you interested. So it's mostly a matter of writing. And, you can dislike her recent work all you want, but Kobayashi definitely can write.

Sure, Ninninger can always turn out better then expected. There's Kyuuemon's story that could really pay off. But will it be worth enduring all those lame single episodes? I doubt it.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by xPrimexTimex »

10/5 for me. Shinkenger was my 2nd Sentai and omg it was amazing. The characters were great, the villains were great as well and the suits/fights were very visually appealing. The Juuzou/Takeru rivalry was great to watch and the reversal toward the end of the series was unexpected and executed perfectly. What really drives me into the show is the fact that you can relate every Shinkenger on some level. Takeru wants to save everybody while not letting his comrades get hurt because of him. He also holds back because he has a secret and knows how huge it is if it got out, and that's something we can all relate to. Kotoha does her best but feels its not enough and that she is holding the other Shinkengers back. Despite that she never gives up and is strong even though she might not look it. Ryuunosuke is the dedicated and passionate person of the group and his loyalty never wavers. He's skilled and strong, but he's also awkward and silly. Chiaki is the life of the group. He can make everyone laugh and be the light when things seem dark. Mako is kind and sweet, she's very perceptive and can read people/situations very quickly. In a way, she reminds me of Kasumi. Lastly, Genta is us. Genta is not a samurai by default, but he works to become one and help Takeru in his battle with the Gedoshuu. Genta is what we would be if we were in that world. He's the Gai before Gai was a thing.

Shinkenger v Ninninger - The characters are what make Shinkenger such a good show and what is holding Ninninger back. The Shinkenger characters worked very well together and each were individuals that you cared for. The Ninningers don't have a lot going for them. Kasumi is the best then Yakumo, but after that it's a very steep fall to the next best character. The lack of characterization astounds me, not to mention how annoying/irritating Takaharu was/is. They don't have depth at all. For example, they all want to be the Last Ninja. Takaharu and Kinji have the clearest reasons as to why they want to be the Last Ninja, but the rest don't. Like, why does Nagi want to be the Last Ninja? Just to have another "license"? That's not a good reason. On that point, we don't know much about Nagi!!

I see actual people/characters in Shinkenger, I don't see that in Ninninger.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by Catastrophe »

Great show. Fantastic OP. The twist with the main Lord being a cover was great as well, and was hinted at before it was revealed in an earlier episode.
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Re: Ratings Poll: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

Post by ponkan »

the show that gives my faith back to the Super Sentai franchise after three straight mediocre releases (sorry geki fans, it doesn't really worked out on me. :mrgreen: ) thus, the only sentai in the preceding tvn polls that i graded 5.

aside from the clusterfreak mecha, you cannot spot any negativities in this show, and the mindnumbing twist in the last 3/4 of the series determines it's awesomeness, this is definitely Kobayashi's Magnum Opus. period.
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