Thursday, September 20, 2012

Toku 101: Samurai × Shinkenger III

Hello and welcome to another edition of Toku 101 with me your columnist, Wheelchair21. On today's Toku 101, we'll be continuing on the topic of Samurai × Shinkenger III. Where I'll layout the summaries of episode 11 - 14 of Power Rangers Samurai then compair it to Shinkenger. Many of you who wish to read this will then either agree or disagree on my opinions compairing the two and on how I view them. So please turn away if you wish to spare yourselves now!


Episode 11: Unexpected Arrival
Returning after what seemed to be a false detection of a Nighlok attack on the Gap Sensor, the Rangers find an arrow with a note on it that says "See You Soon." With Jayden sensing something from before within the house, it starts to haunt him. Deciding to investigate the Gap Sensor, the team encounter a fish-seller whose hand writing matches the note. After the seller gives them the slip, Kevin and Mia go to find Jayden while Mike and Emily track down the fish seller. Kevin and Mia find Jayden confronting the Nighlok named Vulpes who is spying on Jayden to find out the Shiba sealing character. With his mirror medium destroyed, the Nighlok overwhelms the 3 with his magic as Mike and Emily arrive with the fish seller following. But even all 5 Rangers are no match for the Nighlok as they revert to normal. The fish seller arrives to their aid, transforming into the Gold Samurai Ranger. After taking out the Moogers in blinding speed, the Gold Ranger battles the Nighlok and destroys him. When the Nighlok revives, he overpowers the Battlewing Megazord until the Gold Ranger enters the fight in the Octozord to weaken the Nighlok so the Battlewing Megazord can land the deathblow. After the fight, Jayden reveals he already knows the fish seller as his childhood friend Antonio.


Episode 12: Room for One More
As Antonio heads to the samurai mansion, the others listen to Jayden and Mentor talk of young Antonio-- How Jayden gave him the Octozord, how Jayden threatened to quit his training if Ji tried to take back the Octozord, etc.-- Antonio makes an entrance, fancy, then gets embarrassed when his fish hook rips his pants. Antonio explains that after moving away when he was a kid, he trained himself to be a samurai and built his Samurai-Morpher from a trashed cellphone to communicate with Octozord through text-- because the Zords understand the Rangers who were born into the Samurai heritage. Ji, feeling that Antonio lacks discipline and true samurai training confiscates Antonio's morpher, which he later doesn't react too well to. Jayden agrees with Mentor despite Antonio begging Jayden with memories of childhood friendship. As the Rangers fight the Nighlok Steeleto (who vows to avenge Vulpes), they're powerless to destroy it. Steeleto retreats when he starts to dry up and the team start to consider bringing Antonio along. Antonio, down at the fishing pier, angrily talks with Octozord about regretting meeting the Rangers. Mike and Emily go to ask him to join and go to the mansion. There, Jayden is convinced to give Antonio back his morpher just in time for the next attack by Steeleto. When the Rangers arrive, Antonio struggling to get in to a heroic position, they begin fighting and Steeleto is overpowered when Jayden and Antonio tag-team it. Once Steeleto mega-sizes, Antonio combines the Octozord with the Samurai Megazord and defeats Steeleto. To celebrate, Antonio cooks fish barbecue and everyone appreciates Antonio's membership.


Episode 13: The Blue and the Gold
Ji and Antonio announce that Antonio is fixing the Claw Zord that was damaged in battle long ago and Ji hid it. Kevin doesn't fully accept Antonio as a "true Samurai" and thinks he's just goofing around. The monster of the day steals kids' toys to make them cry and Octoroo trying to find another way to open the Sanzu River through a well. Bulk and Spike are sleeping and their toy panda is stolen and all that is left is slime. Dayu visits Deker outside the Sanzu River but around it, he's still injured. Dayu wonders if Deker really does remember anything from his past. Antonio follows Kevin's morning routine to learn what makes him a true samurai. The two end up in the forest finding Octoroo but their morpher signals are blocked. Antonio and Kevin eventually overcome their differences and fight together to defeat the Nighloks.


Episode 14: Team Spirit
While the Rangers, minus Emily are decorating for Emily's birthday, Splitface a Nighlok, who steals spirits, attacks the city. Splitface, easily takes down Mike, Antonio, Mia, Jayden, Kevin, and Emily. The Nighlok then takes Emily's spirit, putting her in a sleep. Splitface mocks the Rangers, telling them they only have twenty-four hours to defeat him, or Emily and the other people, who he stole spirits from will be asleep forever. Splitface then tells them he is leaving and never returning. While back in the Shiba house, Emily wakes up and tells the other Rangers she is sorry for letting him get her and she feels empty before falling asleep once more. Mike goes crazy and goes back where they fought Splitface, calling him a coward and demanding he comes out to fight. Deker suddenly appears and tells the Rangers the only way to get to the Netherworld is to betray their human life and become Nighloks. Just as they are going to give themselves up, Antonio appears saying he knows how to save Emily and everyone else. The Rangers use their symbol power to activate the Claw Zord, and summon the Nighlok. Splitface can't use his special power, Body Swarm, for Antonio marked him. Antonio uses the Claw Zord, with the help of the Battle Wing to defeat Splitface and return the spirits. Later the Rangers celebrate Emily's birthday, as well as the Claw Zord's.


Now it's time for us to once again have Samurai × Shinkenger, where they'll clash for supremacy. Anyways let's get this show on the road!


Power Rangers Samurai's Antonio is the american verison of Genta, who is less annoying in general but has an addiction to always be talking about his Ranger Color. Antonio practically tells the world he's Samurai Gold, by his ongoing spurts of saying "It's Golden!" and etc. Another difference between Antonio and Genta is the fact Antonio is an actual fisherman who sells his fish, while Genta is just a plain sushi seller with a sushi cart. I also like to add in the fact, that Antonio also seems to at least be a better cook too since Genta sells sushi which is raw fish. So I mean, at least you're getting your money's worth!! One of their common similarities is the fact they shared the same backstory; just Genta's verison lead to alot of Yaoi Fan-Fics, and they are hated by their respected Blue Rangers. Now when I'm asked which one is better I usually side with Antonio, since his characterists are a lot better and the character's represention is as a man proving his worth to the team by fixing the zords and such. Just when we get to Super Samurai, I go back to Genta as Antino's involvement varies more pending on how the episodes are editted and re-written to be centered around the main five later on.


As for the episode plots in general, they're barely changed and altered as they're episodes to mostly introduce the Gold Ranger. Now in the Samurai line-up we did skip Shinkenger episodes, but they were all mostly filler leading up to these important character developing episodes. Just in America this is viewed as very rushed since they had just recieved the new Megazord form in the previous episode to Antonio's debut so it was questionable for the removal of 4 to 6 episodes. Luckily for Saban, it did work out as I and fans were enjoying this rushed rewrite. Espcially to how Antonio's invovlement seemed to prove a little better and more useful in my opinion. Some changes that did quickly occur was Antonio's Samuraizer wasn't the SushiChanger, he didn't create the Clawzord, and his Mega Mode helmet was the same as his normal one; All were justifable changes too, in my honest opinion.


Now while the Gold Ranger story didn't change too much, neither did the Gedoushu/Nighlok story change either. The only new features added was more hints of Dayu and Deker were once in an actual relationship, which wasn't in Shinkenger originally. Ironically thou I've continued to think this was Saban's way of getting to the Shinkenger fans, to be more pleased with the actual adaptation, rather than hating it. Yet as Samurai continued to succeed and gathering its fandom, people really still didn't care to watch it too much. Antonio became everyone's favorite, pulling a JDF, Emily and Mia were still only eye candy and people still want to destroy either Jayden or Kevin. I mean seriously Jayden's last name is Shiba, he sounds like a Weeaboo! And don't get me started on Kevin, again. Anyways during the rest of the season mostly all eyes would remain on mostly Antonio and the new plot changes Saban's team threw in to edit the story to fit their needs. As for now this has been Toku 101: Samurai × Shinkenger III and we'll see you next time!

Summaries were provide by Wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Power_Rangers_Samurai_episodes
Images provided by:
http://www.nick.com/
http://www.supersentai.com/

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