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Sentai translates to "squad". Spiderman is a solo hero, and therefore is not Sentai or Super Sentai. Being a partial influence on the watered down Power Rangers doesn't change that, no matter how many videos you link to by people who don't know that Sentai is a group, not a solo hero.
Spider-Man 78 does have similar tropes to the Super Sentai series. Wrist-worn devices enabling transformation, the X Cross organization bad guys, etc. Tohei definitely was playing in the Sentai pool trappings-wise. Then you have the whole “every episode has a bad guy become giant and therefore need to be battled by a giant robot” thing. Something that wasn’t true of the previous Sentai series, but was pretty much true of the Power Rangers.

You’re looking at Sentai=Squadron and ignoring nearly every other aspect of the related series in question. Tohei created the Spider-Man show as a 1-man Sentai show using all the trappings of those shows, and continued the evolution with Power Rangers picking up the formulas of all the previous shows.

Saying it’s not in the “Super Sentai” genre may be technically correct, but it, nonetheless, definitely has a place in the evolution of the genre.

Although I do think “Spiderman was the first Power Ranger” is a bit click-baity of those articles.
 
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I'm not ignoring anything about the show. There are other solo hero shows that have those tropes as well. All the live action shows (called Tokusatsu) all share some of the same tropes. It still doesn't make them Super Sentai shows.

So Toei (the company behind the Japanese Spiderman, not Tohei), has a list of all their Super Sentai shows here. Their Spiderman show is nowhere on that list. It doesn't look like they consider it to be Super Sentai either.
 
I mean, this just seems like a really weird hill to die on, but I did some cursory research and the history isn't at all obscvre, nor is the place of the Japanese Spider-man within that history

In 1975 Himitsu Sentai Goranger premiered, the first "Sentai "series. It features the atypical 5-man band, but lacks any giant robots or enormous monsters.
The follow-up, J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai, appears in 1977, following the same formula, but is significantly less successful and is cancelled halfway through it's intended run-time.

These first two "Sentai" series are significant for two reasons:

First, they were considered not their own genre, but part of the "tokusatsu" genre of TV. According to the Wikipedia entry, tokusatsu is the term "for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects. Tokusatsu entertainment often deals with science fiction, fantasy or horror, but films and television shows in other genres can sometimes count as tokusatsu as well".

Second, these were not, and are not, considered "Super Sentai" shows, for reasons I'll note in a moment.

ITs then that the Toei company's licensing deal with MArvel led to the creation of the Japanese Spider-man show. This was another tokusatsu show that borrowed several elements from the earlierSentai series and added some new ones, including most significantly, the giant robot that can be summoned by Japanese Spider-man to fightmonsters that would themselves grow giant in the final act, Leopardon.

Following the success of Japanese Spider-man, Toie acquired the rights to another Marvel character, Captain America, and originally intended to do another show in this format, altering the character to "Captain Japan". However, for reasons not revealed, they decided instead to revise their concepts to become Battle Fever J, which took elements from the two Sentai series and combined them with elements from the Spider-man show, most significantly throwing a giant robot into the mix. It is the addition of the giant robots that garnered the term "Super" to be added to the Sentai designation, and this became the first "Super Sentai" show.

So, in conclusion. two things are apparent:

1) No, Japanese Spider-man is not a "Super Sentai" show, but it does belong to the same genre of show, that being tokusatsu

and

2) yes, Japanese Spider-man directly inspired and contributed to the creation of the Super Sentai series, which continued on until it's introduction to America as Power Rangers.
 
In 1975 Himitsu Sentai Goranger premiered, the first "Sentai "series. It features the atypical 5-man band, but lacks any giant robots or enormous monsters.
The follow-up, J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai, appears in 1977, following the same formula, but is significantly less successful and is cancelled halfway through it's intended run-time.

I've never seen Dengkitai. I did see Goranger a few times when I was a kid. I'd agree they don't really come across as Super Sentai. Toei considers both of those shows as Super Sentai, according to the list on their site. So there seems to be a discrepancy by them on that (although I've seen other sites also list them as Super Sentai, even if they don't seem to fit the criteria)

1) No, Japanese Spider-man is not a "Super Sentai" show, but it does belong to the same genre of show, that being tokusatsu

Which I did point out in my last post (because all the live action shows, Super Sentai or not, are considered Tokusatsu)

yes, Japanese Spider-man directly inspired and contributed to the creation of the Super Sentai series, which continued on until it's introduction to America as Power Rangers.

Which I didn't dispute. I pointed out that just because it had similarities to the Super Sentai doesn't mean it's part of it.
 
Watching the recently available season 5 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. I'm not really a DC kinda guy, but I love this show. I am afraid they might have peaked with season 4, where they absolutely hit it out of the park, but it's early yet, so I'm hoping season 5 picks up. This is basically the kind of supers campaign I want to run / play.
 
Watching the recently available season 5 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. I'm not really a DC kinda guy, but I love this show. I am afraid they might have peaked with season 4, where they absolutely hit it out of the park, but it's early yet, so I'm hoping season 5 picks up. This is basically the kind of supers campaign I want to run / play.

The last season was hit or miss, but I enjoyed it. I think only 3 characters are in the comics (I'm not counting Constantine, since he was listed as a guest star most of the season). I wish they'd go with some more obscure characters instead of creating new ones. There are so many characters that never get used anymore in the comics
 
Constantine is great; I'm so glad they brought him over after his show didn't take off.

He's one of my favorite characters on the show. I honestly never read any of the comics, so I knew very little about them before his show (and the Justice League Dark comic). I'd love to see them add some more obscure characters to the show.
 
I mean, this just seems like a really weird hill to die on, but I did some cursory research and the history isn't at all obscvre, nor is the place of the Japanese Spider-man within that history

In 1975 Himitsu Sentai Goranger premiered, the first "Sentai "series. It features the atypical 5-man band, but lacks any giant robots or enormous monsters.
The follow-up, J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai, appears in 1977, following the same formula, but is significantly less successful and is cancelled halfway through it's intended run-time.

These first two "Sentai" series are significant for two reasons:

First, they were considered not their own genre, but part of the "tokusatsu" genre of TV. According to the Wikipedia entry, tokusatsu is the term "for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of special effects. Tokusatsu entertainment often deals with science fiction, fantasy or horror, but films and television shows in other genres can sometimes count as tokusatsu as well".

Second, these were not, and are not, considered "Super Sentai" shows, for reasons I'll note in a moment.

ITs then that the Toei company's licensing deal with MArvel led to the creation of the Japanese Spider-man show. This was another tokusatsu show that borrowed several elements from the earlierSentai series and added some new ones, including most significantly, the giant robot that can be summoned by Japanese Spider-man to fightmonsters that would themselves grow giant in the final act, Leopardon.

Following the success of Japanese Spider-man, Toie acquired the rights to another Marvel character, Captain America, and originally intended to do another show in this format, altering the character to "Captain Japan". However, for reasons not revealed, they decided instead to revise their concepts to become Battle Fever J, which took elements from the two Sentai series and combined them with elements from the Spider-man show, most significantly throwing a giant robot into the mix. It is the addition of the giant robots that garnered the term "Super" to be added to the Sentai designation, and this became the first "Super Sentai" show.

So, in conclusion. two things are apparent:

1) No, Japanese Spider-man is not a "Super Sentai" show, but it does belong to the same genre of show, that being tokusatsu

and

2) yes, Japanese Spider-man directly inspired and contributed to the creation of the Super Sentai series, which continued on until it's introduction to America as Power Rangers.
Aside from all that, IIRC, Super Sentai is specifically the series of shows that include Goranger and whatnot. People use the term like it’s a genre, but it’s a brand.
 
Watching the recently available season 5 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. I'm not really a DC kinda guy, but I love this show. I am afraid they might have peaked with season 4, where they absolutely hit it out of the park, but it's early yet, so I'm hoping season 5 picks up. This is basically the kind of supers campaign I want to run / play.
I'm still feeling a little burned by Arrow. It was the first of these DC live action TV shows, and while it started strong, it ran out of steam after probably the second season. After a while it felt exactly like what you would have expected from a superhero show on the CW.
 
I'm still feeling a little burned by Arrow. It was the first of these DC live action TV shows, and while it started strong, it ran out of steam after probably the second season. After a while it felt exactly like what you would have expected from a superhero show on the CW.
I've been wondering whether to give ARROW, SUPERGIRL, or THE FLASH a shot, but I'm not really into DC comics, so they'd definitely need to be strong shows on their own. LEGENDS is awesome, and I was really surprised at how much I liked GOTHAM.
 
I'd say maybe give the first season or two of the Flash a shot. After that, it gets a bit more melodramatic for some. Arrow starts of darker than the comics imho, and becomes more of a superhero show after The Flash debuts. While they do riff on stories from the comics, I don't think you really need to know them in the earlier seasons. Later seasons tap into more history (especially The Flash, and of course, the crossover events)
 
Watching John Wayne & Kirk Douglas in The War Wagon. Haven't seen it in some time, and it's free to watch on my Flex player
 
I watched The Droving, another folk horror film. It was alright. Felt like it could have used some more horror to go with the folk. The ending was nifty, though.
 
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Watched the two episode BBC mini series adaption of Agatha Christie's Pale Horse.

I kinda just wish they hadn't called it that. You see, The Pale Horse is my favourite novel by Agatha Christie. And this "adaption" has about as much to do with the book as the film Lawnmower Man has to do with the Stephen King short story.

Which is a shame, because all the elements suggest that this mini series was really good. Good actors, good dialogue, beautiful cinematography, a decent plot that isn't tooooooo farfetched. But the entire time I was just disappointed by the fact that it was not, in fact, Agatha Christie's Pale Horse. And note that it is not simply called "The Pale Horse" it is actually titled "Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse", like "Bram Stoker's Dracula", which seems more that a little underhanded, and probably annoys me more than it should.

If you've never read the book, I probably recommend it, because it's probably good.

But then, I'd give a stronger recommendation to just read the book, and having done so, avoid this series.
 
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So... Netflix Canada just dumped pretty much all of Studio Ghibli's portfolio in the last couple of days. I gotta say, this is going to keep me busy for a while...

I heard good things about Howl's Moving Castle.

Howl's is my third favourite, after Spirited Away and Mononoke. It's not very faithful to the book, but it's a beautiful story in it's own right
 
Was trying to watch Donnie Yen's The Monkey King, but I wasn't getting into it like I thought I would. I also started Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan, which is better but I'm having a hard time taking John Cusak seriously as a Roman General
 
Was trying to watch Donnie Yen's The Monkey King, but I wasn't getting into it like I thought I would. I also started Dragon Blade with Jackie Chan, which is better but I'm having a hard time taking John Cusak seriously as a Roman General

I really like John Cusak but I'd have a hard time with that as well. I'd be waiting for some kid on a bicycle to ride up and demand his $2. :grin:
 
Finally got around to see Spirited Away after all this time.
Like most Studio Ghibli stuff it was fascinating to watch, and something to appreciate more afterwards.
I quite liked it, and will definately give it a repeat viewing at some stage.

Now I think I'll return to Killing Eve and Gotham for a while...
 
Watched The Void, an impressive low budget but slickly crafted truly Lovecraft meets The Thing horror film with a solid cast, impressive practical monster and gore effects. Beyond The Thing this film feels very early Carpenter and that's a good thing. A gem for horror fans, it is on Prime.

 
Finally got around to see Spirited Away after all this time.
Like most Studio Ghibli stuff it was fascinating to watch, and something to appreciate more afterwards.
I quite liked it, and will definately give it a repeat viewing at some stage.


I saw it three times in the theatre when it was first released stateside. Can't say how many times since. At least once every three years
 
Watched The Void, an impressive low budget but slickly crafted truly Lovecraft meets The Thing horror film with a solid cast, impressive practical monster and gore effects. Beyond The Thing this film feels very early Carpenter and that's a good thing. A gem for horror fans, it is on Prime.




Yeah, it reminded me of Carpenter's Prince of Darkness especially
 
So... Netflix Canada just dumped pretty much all of Studio Ghibli's portfolio in the last couple of days. I gotta say, this is going to keep me busy for a while...

I heard good things about Howl's Moving Castle.
It's very good; I can't recommend Ghibli highly enough - they've made a lot of really classy films.

A while ago I did a summary of Ghibli's output, along with my faves here.
 
It's very good; I can't recommend Ghibli highly enough - they've made a lot of really classy films.

A while ago I did a summary of Ghibli's output, along with my faves here.
I like Ghibli films, I find Miyazaki's over ecological preaching a bit much from time to time, but ALL the films are very watchable.

And speaking of, I finished Howl's, and I rather liked it. It was sweet and cute.
 
It's very good; I can't recommend Ghibli highly enough - they've made a lot of really classy films.

A while ago I did a summary of Ghibli's output, along with my faves here.

Speaking of Ghibli, just finished watching Takahata's Princess Kaguya and while my expectations were high it far exceeded them.

I think Takahata is often overlooked in the West when it comes to Hiyazaki but I think he can actually top the master when it comes to emotional impact (Grave of Fireflies, Pom Poko).

His films are just a touch more melancholy than Hiyazaki and this film, sadly considered a disappointment at the box office in Japan, is a stone cold masterpiece. Honestly, I don't think I've been this moved by a film in a long while. That we're blessed enough to have two animators of this caliber within one generation is amazing.

 
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Just finished watching season two of Sword Art Online. The harem trope was still a bit silly and fanservicey - especially as the main character is supposed to have an actual, serious love interest - but at least they toned the not-sister down a bit towards the end. I thought the Yuuki story arc was better than the Death Gun arc, but overall the first season was better.
 
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I think Takahata is often overlooked in the West when it comes to Hiyazaki but I think he can actually top the master when it comes to emotional impact (Grave of Fireflies, Pom Poko).
I have a soft spot for Only Yesterday - it's quite low key but it's a solid character development piece.

It's quite impressive how Takahata gets emotional depth into animated films. Not many other animated pieces pull that off - Iron Giant is the only recent one I can think of, and you have to go back to Bambi and Dumbo to see it in Disney's works. The Lion King was a good film but it still doesn't come anywhere near the emotional depth of Takahata's work, even viewed in translation.
 
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For those of an otaku persuasion, do you have any recommendations for Yakuza films?
 
For those of an otaku persuasion, do you have any recommendations for Yakuza films?

I'm a huge Japanese film fan, what era of yakuza film are you interested in? They really become established as a genre in the 60s although there are a few proto-films in the 50s. If you want a few from each decade I could do that too.
 
I'm a huge Japanese film fan, what era of yakuza film are you interested in? They really become established as a genre in the 60s although there are a few proto-films in the 50s. If you want a few from each decade I could do that too.
Good question - I'm doing some prep for a PbP game set in the same 'verse as the S&V game here, but set in a mega city - sort of cyberpunk Peaky Blinders or Turtle's Progress. Really, I'm looking for stuff that might lend itself to being cribbed for adventure ideas, ideas for factions or NPCs and such.
 
I just recently watched Shinoda's Pigs and Battleships which is a terrific film about a group of yakuza fighting over a pig farm and scraps scam in a unnamed-but-likely post-war Okinawa.

Terrific sense of a crowded urban enviornment, the underworld and the intersecting interests of Chinese, yakuza, American navy, brothel-owners and sex workers, etc.

The next obvious pick would be Fukasaku's brilliant yakuza epic Battles Without Honour and Humanity 73-75.' The original 5-film series is amazing, insanely kinetic and violent. All about battling yakuza factions, police and betrayals within the families. Fukasaku is best known in the West for Battle Royale but his yakuza films are his greatest achievement.
 
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