-m-podcast 02 - ThatAnon-vs-fantasyleader transcript

-m-podcast 02 - ThatAnon-vs-fantasyleader
Transcript:

ThatAnon: Welcome to the second /m/ podcast with ThatAnon, I'm here with fantasyleader who's subtitled quite a few Sentai and one Kamen Rider series.

fantasyleader: Hi there!

ThatAnon: So fantasy, how did you start with Sentai and toku and where did that interest really grow?

fantasyleader: How it started was, my aunt who lives in Japan sent me recorded videos of sentai back in the 90s and she sent them over to the states via package and that's how I started watching them.

I started off by watching bits of Carranger, Ohranger, Megaranger and my first full series was Gingaman.

ThatAnon: Right, so you've worked with a few groups. How do you find those colaborative experiences working with different people? Do you enjoy it or do you find it difficult?

fantasyleader: How it all started was on the website Henshin Justice Unlimited I mentioned somewhere that I had spoken Japanese and as a result the fansub group HiNoTori found me, they asked me to join them and I accepted.

Yeah I do find it difficuly particularly with the translating of scripts, it's one thing to know Japanese and another thing to know English, but it's a whole other other level to translate the two languages.

ThatAnon: Yeah I can understand that. So you've worked on Amazon, Gingaman, Dairanger and just now you're working on GoGoV. Was there a particularly strong interest in any of the shows that affected the choice?

fantasyleader: Amazon not too much, though I still gave it my all. But yeah, Amazon was something I had to work on because HiNoTori had already started it and they wanted to finish it so they had me work on it before I could start anything else.

So I guess I was being a really nice guy and decided to go with it.

ThatAnon: Yeah

fantasyleader: Amazon's an okay show though.

ThatAnon: I always enjoyed the part in the series where he needs to get his compulsory bike. And you're watching... you sort of question Tachibana's mental health at this point where he's explaining to this Tarzan jungle man who can't even comprehend what a bike is, "you're going to ride this!" and... he's trying to run away, he's terrified of the bike and it's.. I'm not sure this is you're best plan, but Tachibana is damn sure he's going to ride that bike.

fantasyleader: Yeah. Dairanger, Gingaman and GoGoV are all important to me. Gingaman and GoGoV are technically my childhood so that was a big deal for me. Dairanger is just another big favourite of mine, like I saw bits of it as a kid but I never actually got to see the full thing until much later and when I did I enjoyed it very much.

ThatAnon: Well it does have the best suit design in all of Sentai probably.

fantasyleader: Maybe... I've got a few other favourites.

ThatAnon: There are a lot of good suits, but I still... Dairanger probably tops it for me. That was the main reason going into me actually buying the DVDs for Henshin Organisation and Hikari Senshi for them to be encoded, 'cause I liked the suit design so much that I just wanted to see the series done.

fantasyleader: They're very beautiful looking yeah.

ThatAnon: So what would you say are your favourite series and creators and what appeal do they hold for you?

fantasyleader: I've always been a Sentai fan so I've got several favourites in that franchise. I like, Gingaman, Dairanger, Abaranger, GoGoV, Liveman, Maskman, Flashman, Changeman, Megaranger, Carranger, Kakuranger... Okay I'll stop there.

ThatAnon: So what about actual creators that work on the show and stuff, do you have any particular favourites that you consistently enjoy their work?

fantasyleader: I do like Shigenori Takadera a lot. He's a producer of some of my favourite shows.

ThatAnon: Do you have a favourite aspect of Sentai? Like the suit desigs or the character ballance in a series, you know something that's most important for you in making any particular Sentai series work.

fantasyleader: What I like about Sentai are its villians. I think it has great villians in a lot of its seasons and I think that's something a lot of other toku franchises don't really do well in my opinion. I also love the nightmare fuelish stories that Sentai offers.

ThatAnon: Right, okay.

fantasyleader: Comedy is another big thing that I like about Sentai a lot.

ThatAnon: Right so, you're quite fond of the comedy ballance in Sentai?

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: So where does the comedy ballance sit for you, because I know you weren't a fan of Go-Onger for example?

fantasyleader: Yeah, I don't like Go-Onger. I feel like Sentai can be very crafty with its comedy. It can come up with a lot of strange ideas, actually do a lot of good building on them and actually have some very satisfactory results. And it's a big reason why I love Carranger so much.

Aside from what I've said you know the usual. I like a lot of its stories and characters in Sentai.

ThatAnon: So what shows would you most recommend?

fantasyleader: It's really dependant on person to person, but I've always been fond of the 90s Sentai and the late 80s Sentai for the most part.

ThatAnon: So just generally that time period as a block?

fantasyleader: Yeah, that's kinda like where the majority of my favourites are.

ThatAnon: Are there any that you feel are especially underappreciated and that you'd like to get more exposure?

fantasyleader: I think Maskman is pretty underappreciated. I also think that Carranger, GoGoV, Gaoranger and Abaranger are also pretty underappreciated.

ThatAnon: Okay, fair enough. So do you have any thoughts on Sentai today? I don't just mean Go-Busters I mean sort of modern Sentai in general over the past few years.

fantasyleader: I feel like, ever since starting with Go-Onger I think Sentai has been trying to imitate Kamen Rider it seems. So I don't feel like Sentai is really feeling as original as it was before, and I feel like Toei executives are really interefering lately. Like what Akibaranger said.

ThatAnon: Do you have any initial feelings towards Kyoryuger?

fantasyleader: Toei's been very quiet about Kyoryuger's story so it's very hard to say anything about it. But, the staff sounds promising. I'd like to see what Riku Sanjou will do with the series. With Sakamoto in charge of the action, I'm sure well get some pretty awesome stunt work

ThatAnon: He did all the Power Rangers coreography didn't he?

fantasyleader: He did, I particularly liked his work in Kamen Rider W.

ThatAnon: Yeah W was really inventive for it's action, and it did seem to have a point of doing something different each fight. Like just make sure it uses a different ability or just make sure there's one thing new in as many fights as it can.

fantasyleader: I'm not really a fan of wire action, but I feel Sakamoto has enough diversity to help make it awesome.

ThatAnon: Fair enough. So do you have any favourite anime or mech shows that you'd like to talk about?

fantasyleader: Yeah, I like Digimon, it's one of my favourites.

ThatAnon: Okay, and I know your favourite is Digimon Tamers which I actually pushed on you for a while.

fantasyleader: Uh my favourite was probably Xros Wars.

ThatAnon: Ah yeah, well obviously that came after Tamers.

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: What about any other more mech related shows, or are you not too big on them?

fantasyleader: So far I'm not really too big on them unfortunately. I'd have to see a little bit more.

ThatAnon: And your online name fantasyleader, did you have any reason for picking that?

fantasyleader: Yeah, fantasyleader I had that name a long time ago I just realised. Basically back then I really thought during high school I was the only one person that had any interest in anything that was a fantasy story in it. So I guess I just called myself fantasyleader because I was like, "I'm gonna be the guy who will bring the genre out into a new light in the future." was what I was kinda thinking.

ThatAnon: Okay okay, fair enough. So that's the end of the interview portion but  well just talk a bit for the rest of the podcast. So uh, well go with Go-Busters 'cause that's currently airing. I'm a little behind though I know you aren't the biggest fan of it, but what have been your thoughts on Go-Busters then, so far?

fantasyleader: So far, Go-Busters is sadly shaping up to be my least favourite Sentai so far.

ThatAnon: Your least favourite?

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: More so than Go-Onger?

fantasyleader: I think so actually.

ThatAnon: I see. So what was it breaking Go-Busters for you?

fantasyleader: So far I don't exactly find it bad I find it nothing. Just a complete waste of space.

ThatAnon: I see.

fantasyleader: I really don't think it's impressive at all.

ThatAnon: Okay, there's not really much I can say back to that. I mean, personally I quite enjoy it . I do really like the way they're ballancing the mech fights, and I've mentioned to you before that I really like the cast and I appreciate how blunt Hiromu is and some of the things they've tried with the cast. Like um, Blue there was the, I like the way they... the fight he had with Escape, where he actually had his weakpoint become almost like a power up and it was, I thought it was pretty awesome. But in terms of actual cast ballance as well, I do like the way they play off each other and that you have their buddyroids, which at the start of the series I was quite worried they'd be a bit too silly and childish for me because usually Sentai will have one character like that, I can take them in doses, but when you have that many, I was a bit worried. But in the actual series I feel they work well, 'cause they play of each of the characters exaggerated flaws and they're there to pull each of the main team back down, to keep them grounded and stop the team completely falling apart basically.

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: But no I do enjoy it, I personally do think it's been really good. Like, it's not my favourite but, it... it does rank for me. And I do appreciate, I've said to you before, one of my main interests in Sentai is the actual coreography and how that varies from series to series.  And one of the things I do really like with Go-Busters is that the fight coreography, especially for uh... uh Blue Buster has been quite technical. I've been surprised to see like, Blue Buster use an armbar in a couple of fights and things like that, and I do appreciate the originality to it.

fantasyleader: I do think that the action in Go-Busters is actually pretty good.

ThatAnon: Well, there's that for you at least then.

fantasyleader: And I think it's probably the only thing I think is actually good about the show personally.

ThatAnon: I see so you don't have any love for it's uh, it's break out character of J?

fantasyleader: I think J is okay actually. The other 5 I really don't like.

ThatAnon: So uh, what about... you're obviously a big fan of Gokaiger.

fantasyleader: Yeah I liked Gokaiger.

ThatAnon: So what was the, was it the cameos that mostly made it for you or was it the actual cast or, what was it...

fantasyleader: I think it was both of them. The cast was a lot of fun, I felt. My favourite was Gai Ikari, GokaiSilver.

ThatAnon: Yeah he uh, I always enjoyed his um, how much he enjoyed posing, like for everything.

fantasyleader: He was so much fun.

ThatAnon: I still remember the episode where they're talking about what they should do for food, and he stands up and just has to transfrom, just to say his idea. And it's like: "Yeah, this guy's awesome".

fantasyleader: Yeah, his actor was great and he really knew how to fight as well.

ThatAnon: Yeah, that was uh... he wasn't just a useless mascot.

fantasyleader: But yeah, the cast was fun. The overall world of Gokaiger was very interesting too, and all the cameos were a lot of fun.

ThatAnon: Yeah.

fantasyleader: It's a very interesting concept.

ThatAnon: Yeah, and I did um, I really liked the character ballance for Gokaiger. Like there was, everyone had very different relationships with each other and it was played on quite a lot. You had um, you had Green and Pink were obviously quite close because they felt the lesser of the group. And then you had Red, Blue and Yellow, all sort of being more, confident in their skills and they were sort of a seperate part of the group. But within that, you've got Green and Pink are both really close to Yellow, and then Blue and Red sort of had their own relationship that was quite strong and focused on throughout. I did think there was quite a lot of depth to the intercast interaction. Although more recently, although I've not watched uh, the big crossover film, but when it came to a lot of the later stuff and specials, it did kinda feel like it was always running on this idea of GokaiRed sacrificing everything for his crew and then like, not openly saying it but they would all know and give like a nod and a wink.

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: It was sort of, "hmm this idea's come up a lot recently".

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: And then what about, recent Kamen Rider? I know you've still been following that. I think it was uh, you did really enjoy W and then I can't remember your opinions on some of the more recent series. I think you liked about half of Fourze was it?

fantasyleader: Um, I was mixed on Fourze.

ThatAnon: Yeah.

fantasyleader: I thought it was okay, there were things I like about it and there were things I didn't like about it so it was kind of a middle Rider for me.

ThatAnon: I see. With I was, I took badly to it at first, like I didn't really like the tone, I found a lot of it obnoxious. But it was, for me something happened half way through where, I sort of no longer had a problem with that and I just really enjoyed the themes that they were trying to sell and what the series generally wanted to be about, of the unbreakable bonds of friendship which is generally something that gets me quite easily actually.

fantasyleader: Yeah, awesome.

ThatAnon: But uh you, you were a big fan of W as you said.

fantasyleader: Yeah I really liked W.

ThatAnon: So what was your favourite things with W?

fantasyleader: Uhhm, I think I, I think I just like how... how deep the characters could get. They felt very organic, like every decision that they made could have gone in so many different directions each episode.

ThatAnon: Right.

fantasyleader: Yeah, it's not up there with Kuuga and AgitΩ for me but W's characters are very memorable to me.

ThatAnon: So would you say you have Kuuga and AgitΩ as your top of Kamen Riders or?

fantasyleader: Yeah they're my top, uh W just comes right in 3rd place for me.

ThatAnon: Right. Well I can appreciate that, I uh, I greatly agree with having Kuuga and AgitΩ ranking very high. They're both... Kuuga and AgitΩ are quite different, 'cause Kuuga was that first series back where it was finding its feet and AgitΩ was sort of clipping on the heals of it. And they have a lot of thing in common that kinda faded out a bit come Ryuuki. And then, I feel like Kuuga and AgitΩ have a similar feel to them, and then Ryuuki up to 555 kinda has that same feel again, then Hibiki is its own thing, Kabuto was kind of going in a direction and then Den-O onwards it's been a bit more silly.

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: Though uh, the silliness, I mean a lot of them didn't get as silly as Den-O and that has been toned down in a few but yeah, W really liked it's cartoony style jokes as did OOO a bit and Fourze.

fantasyleader: Yeah.

ThatAnon: So do you have uh, are there any other toku series you're quite big on or have fond memories of? I know you're not big on GARO as we've discussed before, but what about some other lesser known toku series?

fantasyleader: I'm not big on what?

ThatAnon: GARO.

fantasyleader: Oh yeah, yeah GARO I tried to get into but it hasn't quite worked out sadly.

ThatAnon: Right, um but what about, are there any other toku series outside of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai that you're quite fond of?

fantasyleader: Aside from AkibaRanger I did like Daimajin Kanon a lot.

ThatAnon: Right. Is that just the new one or did you enjoy the old Kanon films as well?

fantasyleader: Um, I have not seen the old Kanon films yet but, but I really enjoyed the 2010 series a lot.

ThatAnon: Right, um, I've actually not watched it yet. I've got the old films sitting there because I plan to go through those first but what was it you liked about Daimajin Kanon then?

fantasyleader: Well what initially drew me to it was I found out that it was created by producer Shigenori Takatera.

ThatAnon: Right.

fantasyleader: And, well he made Gingaman and Kuuga and Hibiki so I'm just like, "Oh, I'm gonna check this out, definitely.

ThatAnon: Okay.

fantasyleader: It was written by Naruhisa Arakawa who's a writer I like a lot as well.

ThatAnon: Yeah.

fantasyleader: So I checked it out and initially it was actually qute a depressing show. I was like, "Why am I watching this it's so sad?"

ThatAnon: Right.

fantasyleader: But it was um, it was a very coming of age story. It's about like, how to cope with depression and how to get out of it. And by the end of the series I was feeling very happy. I don't know it's like, I guess I kinda want to say it's like the ulimate anti-depressant show I guess.

ThatAnon: Okay, fair enough.

fantasyleader: Great show.

ThatAnon: And what about uh, older tokusatsu. You've mentioned, you're not big on but you do like some of the older Metal Heroes shows.

fantasyleader: Yep I do.

ThatAnon: So which Metal Heroes would you say you enjoy most?

fantasyleader: Um, I'd say the ones that are up there are, Metalder, Spielban and Blue SWAT.

ThatAnon: Okay so, are 2 of those police themed ones or is it just Spielban is?

fantasyleader: What?

ThatAnon: I'm saying are 2 of those police themed ones or is it just Spielban that was?

fantasyleader: Um, I don't think any of them are police related exactly.

ThatAnon: Oh are they not, am I getting my Metal Heroes confused? The only one I can remember offhand from what you listed is Metalder, because the sort of Kikiader coloured one so I can always remember him.

fantasyleader: Uh-huh.

ThatAnon: So what was it about those series in particular that you most enjoyed?

fantasyleader: Um, I think, Metalder was a show that was kind of ahead of its time. It was one of the first tokusatsu shows that was ever really serialised with a continuous plot. So it was very interesting to see it, to see something like that.

ThatAnon: Right.

fantasyleader: And the budget was really huge for it.

ThatAnon: Ah okay yeah, and what about the other 2?

fantasyleader: Uhh... Spielban, like I think Spielban's a pretty decent show, it's very sci-fi like. Yeah it aired during like at the end of the whole sci-fi boom in Japan, so that was very interesting.

ThatAnon: Right.

fantasyleader: And I like the main characters a lot. They were a likeable bunch.

ThatAnon: Okay fair enough. Anything more to add?

fantasyleader: Uh, did you want me to talk about Blue SWAT at all?

ThatAnon: Uh, yeah you can do.

fantasyleader: Alright, um. Blue SWAT was, I guess like duing the early 90s you have the whole like, ????? in Japan. So it was interesting how Blue SWAT played off of using like um, government officials as like, being possessed by different aliens and trying to manipulate people that way.

ThatAnon: Yeah.

fantasyleader: And, the action it was pretty good to watch so, um, the 3 main characters were a lot of fun. So um, the 3 main characters were a lot of fun to watch too.

ThatAnon: Okay, um fair enough. So unless you have anything more to add I think that's us reached the end of the 2nd /m/ podcast. So fantasy thanks for coming on and sharing your thoughts.

fantasyleader: Yeah, this was fun.

ThatAnon: And we'll hope that we continue to see more uh, Sentai translations from you in the future.

fantasyleader: Alright, thank you.

ThatAnon: Thanks.