It wasn't until I actually started watching this episode that it dawned on me just how special it is. We're accustomed to the (almost) yearly Sentai Returns movie, so a post-series production isn't all that odd for Sentai. However the Returns movies are for the whole cast and are basically just an extension of the show itself; Sentai doesn't regularly make bona fide spin-off movies in the way that Kamen Rider does. So a spin-off movie starring a face villain (Yodonna) is going surprisingly off the beaten path for conservative Toei. Girls in Trouble would probably be the most comparable production here, but even that was less a spin-off and more a companion piece to a multi-franchise crossover movie. So we're in new territory here, as evidenced by the parental warning at the start of the movie.
Anyhow, I write pretty often about how much I enjoy a good face villain, so giving a whole movie/series to Yodonna is pretty much everything I could ever ask for. Our no-nonsense Yodomheim general got done dirty at the end of Kiramager - both in regards to the character and her character arc - so it's great to get her back to wrap that up. Killing Kakihara obviously isn't going to work in the end - this series isn't exactly hiding the fact that it's setting up Yodonna to at least slightly redeem herself - but thus far it's a fun journey. In the meantime, the characters of Yodonna and Kakihara play off of each other quite nicely; they have a shared mean streak while still contrasting nicely with optimism versus cynicism (and worldliness vs. naivety). So kudos to whoever came up with the idea of pairing up Yodonna with a side character like this.
For being a spin-off of a superhero show, I have to say I'm enjoying the relatively low stakes of this series. The fate of the Earth (or the universe) doesn't hang in the balance, and there isn't some kind of all-powerful big-bad to vanquish. Technically there aren't even any super-heroics involved; no one is transforming, and Yodonna has to fight within the limits of Kakihara's human body. This is basically just a Japanese cop/gangster drama within the framework of Kiramager, and thus far it's working quite well. After raising supoerpowered hell for half a series, Yodonna has to deal with the common folk for a while. With that said, I'm sure a big part of the reason this setting is being used is also due to budgets (minimal CGI, no need for otherworldly sets, etc), so this may be one of those cases where being constrained is helping the writers think outside of the box.
Finally, I completely cracked up at the point where Kakihara used the Kiramager ED dance as an attack. That came entirely out of left field and it was hilariously stupid. Not only is it an absurd way to attack someone, but the repeated cuts between the smiling Kakihara and glaring Yodonna put it over the top. It doesn't hurt either that the Kiramager ED is pretty catchy to begin with.
Yodonna and Kakihara's actresses really stepped up for this episode as well. While there was still plenty of stunt double use (which Yodonna's hair makes easier to do), there are also a number of cuts where each actress is clearly doing her own stunts. Since Yodonna doesn't have a transformed fighting mode to hide her face, she was used a bit sparingly in fights in Kiramager. So it's fun to see her actress really cut loose in an extended series of fights. The guy playing the club host can also really move! Between his use of front, side, and back flips, he was flipping awesome.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable first episode. We got some good character moments, some fan service, a few cameos, and a lot of great stunt fighting. So I'm looking forward to the next one.
As an aside, this episode also earned its parental warning. I'd say it's less explicit than Girls In Trouble, but that was still a pretty nasty throat slash, and a cafe full of maids to fight makes for plenty of skin. (And Sakamoto somehow got a completely gratuitous girl-on-girl kiss in there, as well)
Other observations:
- After finding out earlier this week that Kurantula's suit actor was in fact a suit actress, it's extra noticeable in this episode that Datula is an altogether different suit actor. He's far taller than Kurantula (who was roughly a Yodonna in height) and that's very much a man's jaw. That's still the same voice actor, however.
- One day soon Jewel is going to have to figure out why Kakihara wants to be alone with him...
- Maid cafes always look so creepy/pathetic in Toku. Are they that lame in real life as well?
- Was the text on the parental warning card in English for the original Japanese release? Or did the release group repaint it here?
- Kakihara fights dirty!
takenoko wrote: ↑Tue Aug 10, 2021 11:07 pm
I like that Kakihara still has a nasty side even though she's reformed or whatever
It certainly makes for a more interesting character than a flat goodie-goodie.
/me pauses video to check. Why yes, this was directed by Sakamoto Koichi
If the violence doesn't clue you in, the leg shots will.
That said, this is Sakamoto in his element; the dude just has a flair for stunt fighting that none of Toei's other Toku directors can quite match.
The scene with Mizuki, Yodonna, and the stunt double all dressed as maids and switching between shots must have been fun to shoot
I had the same thought. With all of the cuts I'm sure it took a while to film. But the final cut of the fight looked fantastic.
Anyone surprised that the cop guy is evil?
Not in the slightest. By the time he was acting surprised that Stinger found the gang's business spot, it was clear that he was in on it.
How many episdoes of this are we going to get?
Has Toei seriously not stated how many episodes there will be? I was expecting this to be a movie, so I'm already surprised that it's episodic. But at a minimum I would have expected Toei to list how many episodes there will be.
Given that she only just learned the first emotion in her quest, I'm thinking this may be a 3 or 4 part series. When is episode 2 due, anyhow?
The weirdest credit here is the guy who plays the gang that gets offed at the beginning. That guy is a Jackie Chan impersonator
Well, that explains why it looked like it was Jackie Chan getting offed at the beginning. Clearly it wasn't just a coincidence.
takenoko wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 1:16 am
Were her teeth messed up in Episode 0 or something?
She was perhaps a smidge buck-toothed in episode 0. It was less obvious in this movie (though her lower teeth are still clearly out of alignment on the couple of occasions you can see them)
Rider Cure Man wrote: ↑Sat Aug 21, 2021 1:42 am
They should have just called it the Sexy Room or something, calling the Special Room makes it sound like your gonna get murdered
Truth in advertising. If they had said it was the sexy room and didn't deliver on the sexy, that would be fraud. But by calling it the special room, customers are getting exactly what it says on the label.