Tokosou Exceedraft finally had its fansubs (and well, sadly Toei's official Youtube doesn't have subs). I finished Tokkei Winspector and Tokyuu Shirei Solbrain which were directly connected. This show was supposedly its own continuity UNTIL the finale. Commander Masaki returns for the three-part finale with a rather weird plot. A mixture of history and fantasy in the sink created a weird series. Yes, we're talking about Exceedraft.
Granted, I've seen Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive first. I watched that show without thinking about Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue. However, Exceedraft ends up with that concept because of the turbo-charged powers in their metallic suits. Lightspeed is a metaphor in Lightspeed Rescue. Exceedraft tries to take it literally though they'd perish if they were dealing with the villains of either GoGoFive or Lightspeed Rescue. The show mixes sci-fi together with some supernatural. The first two series did it. However, the finale for the two series ended up dealing with more or less "regular" foes. Winspector dealt with the villain from the first episode. Solbrain had an overarching villain in Ryuichi Takaoka - a troll who knew how to make their lives difficult.
The show starts off with sci-fi technology and literally doing lightspeed rescues when applicable. As the show progresses, the supernatural element starts to kick in more with the sci-fi. David Akiba, an alien, must deal with his renegade brother Carlos Togo. Neither Winspector nor Solbrain got that far in that aspect. In fact, some religious references develop along the way. Was it a desperate attempt by Toei Ltd. to grab attention? Some of these get offensive to me IMHO. Though, part of me still thinks it's a daring direction. It might be offensive since religion can be a very sensitive topic.
Midseason happens to be what I'd call a daring move. A new villain known as Iwao Daimon (and Yuji Abe does a HELL of a job, pun intended, and I want to call him Iwao DEMON). A new plot enters when Daimon is actually the Devil in human form. The subs say Satan while the actual audio is Akuma. Yes, Akuma means the Devil and is a fitting name for Gouki in the Street Fighter series. Daimon manipulates people into heavy sin and intends that God (Kami in Japanese) destroy the world. Daimon intends to take over the world, destroy humanity, and has targeted the Exceedraft team. I feel this guy practically can steal the scene from Grand Witch Grandienne or Queen Bansheera in just a few episodes. The guy starts off as subtle but gets personal in later episodes.
The midseason upgrade was all linked to the plot. Unlike Choriki Sentai Ohranger that just kept selling toys - Exceedraft had a good reason to change the suits. Just think about it that the Devil himself has appeared to harass your group. This also reminds me of how Hikari Sentai Maskman had to replace their Shotbomber with the Jet Cannon. Some new weapon isn't introduced just to sell toys - it's also to defeat the enemy. I miss it when Bandai merchandise was this well-promoted. Exceedraft started to introduce the new suits because the Devil himself came into the equation. I even wanted to call the Daimon Concern, DEMON Concern. It's run by the Devil after all.
Episodes do get scarier with Demon focused as the main antagonist. Just imagine the Devil in human form. A reference to the Book of Revelation is made in regards to Demon's appearance. Carlos Togo's downfall comes from Devil worship. A mysterious girl named Mika starts to warn that sin has accumulated and judgment day is coming. It's all that Daimon wants. As Akuma, Daimon wants Kami to destroy the world. I find it weird how Toei Ltd. has taken ideas from ADULT movies into a child's show. A good example is how Robocop wasn't made for children yet both Kido Keiji Jiban and Tokosou Janperson (both inspired by the same character) are made FOR KIDS. Janperson even shocks me more because the violence exceeded the Robocop TV Series that came a year later. Daimon seems to be a combination of several Hollywood depictions of Satan himself.
What was also amazing was that Exceedraft aired in the same year as Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. Exceedraft started on February 2, 1992, and ended on January 24, 1993. Zyuranger started on February 21, 1992, and ended on February 12, 1993. I felt that both series were intentionally copying from each other. Zyuranger's Greater-Scope Villain and Bigger Bad is called Dai SATAN. Daizyujin vs. Dai Satan is practically God vs. Devil. Exceedraft has the idea too and mankind getting caught in the middle. Both series even had a scary doomsday finale. Yes, Zyuranger's finale was rather too scary and it's not just people disappearing in parks. Instead, Dai Satan's return not only resurrects Prince Kai but also sets the world to an apocalyptic event.
Interestingly enough, GoGoFive eventually gave another doomsday finale. GoGoFive is practically throwing back to the Rescue Police series. I even wanted Hiroshi Miyauchi to guest star in the series. I wanted more Metal Hero alumni to show up to back up the Tatsumi siblings. I felt that Miyauchi should've been Commissioner Kenji Inui. Instead, Miyauchi may have had other stuff. Other Metal Hero alumni could've guest-starrred. Maybe, make Masaru Yamashita a friend of Goro Tatsumi or have Shigeki Kagemaru appear as a former comrade of Daimon Tatsumi.
I feel Exceedraft can be a weird series. It was exciting but it got weird with some random stuff. Yup, I think the Devil showing up in human form felt out of place. Daimon may mean "gentle" but it's hiding the fact he's indeed the Devil in disguise. Some sensitive stuff somehow gets past the censors huh? The dialogue between Captain Hayato and the Devil can be offensive to some. Though granted, one might need to remember this is fiction. There's really a lot of strong stuff. I still suggest checking this out if one wants to get a rather weird series.
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