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/

Toku 101: Samurai × Shinkenger II

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 II. Where I'll layout the summaries of episode 5 - 10 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!

PRS Ep. 5: A Fish Out of Water
While having breakfast, the Rangers learn that the Swordfish Zord has been sighted off the coast as the poisonous Nighlok Yamiror appears. While the others go after Yamiror, poisoned as a result, Kevin is sent to acquire the Zord by fishing for it. But after failed attempts to catch it, Kevin receives the aid of a fisherman before being contacted by Ji and being told that the others got poisoned and the Swordfish Zord is needed to cure them. As Jayden slows Yamiror down in spite of the pain from the poison, Kevin finally manages to fish the Zord out with the fisherman's help. After curing his teammates of Yamiror's poison before they change to use the Fire Smasher's 5-Disc Swordfish Cannon mode to defeat the Nighlok, Kevin summons the Swordfish Zord to battle the enlarged mega monster before having it combine with the Samurai Megazord to form the Swordfish Fencer Megazord to destroy Yamiror. As the Rangers spent a day at the beach, a mysterious figure who witnessed the Rangers' fight with Yamiror walks off into the night.

PRS Ep. 6: There Go the Brides
Dayu and the Moogers start kidnapping brides, so the Samurai Rangers use a fake wedding to try to trap her. After she doesn't show, they make Jayden and Mia pose as another couple at a wedding, which leads to Mia being kidnapped. However, Dayu noticed the trap and also kidnaps the "real" bride, whom turns out to be Emily in a disguise. After almost sending the Rangers into an ambush, the Rangers challenge Dayu to a battle in the nearby forest and quarry. After trying to destroy her however, a new Nighlok named Deker shows up, and Jayden catches his attention. After a sinister comment, Deker and Dayu return to the Netherworld.

PRS Ep. 7: I've Got a Spell on Blue
Nighlok Madimot, shows Master Xandred that he found and possessed the Red Rangers Tiger Zord and claims it as his pet. Madimot attacks in the forest and the samurai Rangers rush towards the Nighlok. Madimot fires a blast at Mike but Kevin gets in the way and takes the blast. Kevin becomes possessed and Madimot orders him to attack the others. Kevin fights Jayden and Jayden rushes towards Madimot but he is forced to get Mike, Emily, and Mia out of there. Madimot and Kevin attack a construction site and the Rangers arrive. Deker returns to his human form and watches the fight between Kevin and Jayden with the other Rangers commenting on Jayden's abilities. during the fight, Jayden frees Kevin from Madimot's control and the 5 then attack Madimot and destroy the Nighlok. Madimot returns enlarged and summons the Tiger Zord, the Rangers get into their zords and Jayden's Lion Foldingzord battles the tiger zord and frees it. With the megazord fused with the Tiger Zord. They finish Madimot once and for all.

PRS Ep. 8: Forest for the Trees
Jayden and Ji tell the others that the Tiger Zord, the Swordfish Zord, and the Beetle Zord can combine into the Samurai Battlewing, a bird-like Megazord and they try to find a fitting pilot for each support zord. Jayden keeps the Tiger Disc, Kevin keeps the Swordfish Disc, and the Beetle Disc is given to Mia, much to the dismay of Mike. Mike starts to train harder than usual, but he thinks he can't catch up to Jayden and Kevin's progress. Then, when the Rangers face a new Nighlok named Desperaino who uses the "loss of hope", Kevin attaches his Swordfish Disc onto the Hydro Bow to try to stop it. When Mia tries to attach the Beetle Disc onto her Sky Fan, the Nighlok knocks it away, and the disc is caught by Mike. Mike attaches the Beetle Disc onto his Forest Spear, but when Kevin and Mike try to launch attacks onto the Nighlok, the Forest Spear doesn't work and the Nighlok gets away. After the battle, Ji scolds Mike for acting so foolish and jeopardizing the team's mission. Subsequently, after locating Mike at an arcade, Ji leads him to a clearing and tries to teach him about harnessing the Forest Symbol. Then, after another encounter with the Nighlok, Mike destroys it. After a final offensive on the enlarged monster by employment of the Samurai Battlewing auxiliary Zord combination, the Rangers celebrate victory. Mia allows Mike to keep the Beetle disc. Mike creates a plant for Ji to symbolize their growing "friendship".

PRS Ep. 9: Test of the Leader
Master Xandred is troubled by how much Deker knows about his past and about the Seal that brought him to his defeat centuries ago. Furious, he called upon giant and standard Moogers to attack the city destroying everything. Bulk and Spike encounter the Moogers and tried to put up a fight but end up running for life instead. Spike is rescued by the Pink Ranger and begins to develop a crush on her. The 2 female Rangers battle the standard Moogers while the male trio take on the giant Moogers in the Samurai Battlewing. Later, a new Nighlok named Robtish appears in a form of a swordsman and challenges Jayden to a duel. The other Rangers follow on and are defeated by the Nighlok's power. When the Nighlok takes aim at the Red Ranger, Deker appears, announcing that Red Ranger is his opponent. The trio then fight in a triple threat match when the Nighlok end up losing and retreating back to the Sanzu river. Deker and Jayden continue to fight but Jayden is defeated and takes a minor blow. Mike calls for Ji to bring help so that Emily and Kevin can be brought back to the Shiba house. Back at the Shiba house, Jayden secretly leaves his comrades and goes on a journey alone in order to protect them.

PRS Ep. 10: Jayden's Challenge
Jayden leaves the Shiba House to keep the other Rangers out of danger. Meanwhile, Emily and Kevin start to feel better, and they worry about Jayden. Kevin tells the group that he had an idea of combining the Samurai Battlewing with the Megazord. Back in the Sanzu River junk, Octoroo says Master Xandred won't be happy when he finds out Jayden is still alive. Robtish replies he couldn't finish Jayden off because of a half-human and Dayu (who is also half-human) thinks it is Deker. Xandred awakens, angered by the fact Deker is helping the Rangers and sends his Moogers to fight Deker. This leads him into getting into a fight with Deker himself. Jayden wanders around the city at night and the next day, he finds a boy crying because he misses his father, who is currently at work. Jayden says he misses his father, who is presumed dead. Jayden creates a paper airplane for the boy like his father did with him, and soon, the other children playing around make airplanes as well. Jayden says in his mind it should always be monster-free, until Robtish and some more Moogers arrive. He fights them, and is soon helped out by the other Rangers. Jayden now believes he needs his team to succeed and when Robtish grows bigger, they destroy him with Kevin's new idea for the Battlewing Megazord.

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!

Well to start off this week, in these 6 Episodes of Samurai some of the plots change during its adaptation from the Shinkenger storyline. First of all in episode 5 a 'Fish Out of Water' the mysterious fisherman Kevin meets is just some random fisherman, instead of being a Shiba Clan Kuroko. The reason behind this is, unlike in last week's segment I had forgot to mention the removal of the Kuroko for its American adaptation, so to address it now. The Kuroko are mysterious nameless shadow guards that did several of the severant like work for the Shiba Clan. In Samurai they were removed most likely for the fact they barely had characters for just doing background work for the Shiba Clan, and the fact is their attire would just completely stand out in a modern american outlook on things, since they say the Nighlok used to attack Japan and now they're attack the US West Coast. Ironically thou since the Shiba Clan is supposed to have its own servants or so, they'd have guys dresses as Secret Service to be modern Kurokos rather than just relocating to Chinatown.

The next changes occur in 'There Go the Brides' one is a minor change due to probably the whole crossdressing issue that occured in the original Sentai footage. In the original footage Ryunosuke was actually the second Bride captured in the Rangers sting operation to rescue all the captured brides. Where in American instead of Kevin to put on the dress they got the beautifully cute Emily to take that spot. It's not a huge issue to complain about seeing Kevin's actor doesn't seem to know how to be funny or act, but that's an entire ongoing issue with that guy!

The final change is a huge game changer that has become an entire new possible plotline for the American adaptation completely all centered around Juzo now called Deker. Deker is played by Ranger Alumni Rick Medina (Wild Force Red: Cole Evans) who seems to actually do better in this role wielding Uramasa. Now what I'm about to say is major Spoiler Alert for those who've avoided Samurai nor watched Shinkenger completely, so don't get mad at me! In Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Juzo was only similar lost soul that Dayu found as her only companion where in Samurai they're comfirmed to be married by the early 20s. So just by knowing the plot change by hints in the show from 'There Go the Brides' and up, it's easy to notice the whole change in the second half of the series which is Super Samurai. Just those plot changes will have to wait for now...

As for these changes, the show begins to lag for the fact the American Actors don't seem to know how to act and it's just like they're reading off cards. The other thing is the horrible voices for several of the 'Nighlok' they somewhat just don't seem to fit the suits. Then you have these odd 'Bulk & Spike' segments; yea I said Bulk and Spike(Son of Skull, but more annoying and very hated); Anyways these segments seem to hurt the series too as their connection to the actual plot is minimal, they barely interact with the cast and just go on about trying to be samurais. This actually annoys me, while some of its comedic parts actually work when Bulk tries to get him and Spike to fight the Nighlok or just seemingly miss their chances to actually do something important.

My final thoughts thou are these still seem to stay close to the original Shinkenger plot for now with its minor changes neccessary for the adaptation. The voices like I said before still don't fit at times for the 'Nighlok' of the Episode, and the Rangers' acting/characters get worse. As their characters got worse people began to hate the show fast and stopped watching it, just cause either they believe themselves to be Shinkenger/Sentai purests or the fact the Rangers just suck. I for one think being a 'Sentai' purest is just bull, it's like saying you're almost a weeaboo or in kinder terms a radical Otaku. I mean just take what's giving to me as Power Rangers and just deal with it, cause seriously since Disney had Power Rangers we had some give and take seasons. Ninja Storm, Dino Thunder, and Mystic Force, were seasons I liked completely; SPD and Jungle Fury were mixed, while Operation Overdrive and RPM are my most hated. Now openly stating that I hated RPM is a whole different story, so to stay on track like I said with Disney it was very mixed. However during Saban's original run alot of the series were great with no issues until I look back at them, so to comeback after 7 years I wasn't expecting a homerun on a series or one so early in the episode airrings.

Just I feel like if any hate should have been appearing towards the show it should appear in these radius of episodes, cause my god I only truly enjoyed 3 of these 6 episodes(6, 7, 9). The reason for liking those selected episodes are because Deker had involvment that quickly explained and defined him as a character. Personally Deker is one of my favorite characters in Samurai, and is honestly one of the only real reasons I continue to watch the show when I'm not eyeballin' Emily or Mia. This season has alot of issues but can be over looked easily understanding Power Rangers is for kids, when Sentai is like generally a family show meant for all ages. Then understanding this explains why teenagers or grown adults quickly turn away from Power Rangers or go in search of this 'Mythical' series known as Super Sentai. As for now this has been Toku 101: Samurai × Shinkenger II 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.powerrangers.com/seasons-samurai.html
http://www.nick.com/
http://www.rangercentral.com/
http://www.tokutime.blogspot.com/
http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/shinken/contents/news/0028/