Sean Akizuki's Fantasy Critic

Before Haim Saban had the greenlight from Toei to produce VR Troopers -- there was the 1980s Jikuu Senshi Spielban . Sure, the late Soga Machiko may always be remembered as Witch Bandora in Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger . However, I think some people may have noticed that Despera was used as Desponda (who had Andrea Harmon for the U.S. footage). Blink and one may miss that some of Desponda's footage involves Machiko's face instead of Harmon. I only knew it when I was in college. VR Troopers was a strange mix -- it used Chojinki Metalder footage along with Spielban in the first season. It was later I noticed that Ucchu Keiji Shaider footage was used. It was that time I was still ignorant about international marketing and felt Toei should sue. I learned it was a contractual agreement. Dislike Power Rangers or any American adaptations all I want -- those shows can't be bootleg! Yes, that's why I've heckled a group of people who call Power Rangers BOOTLEG because no matter ho...

Well, I'm finally done with Spielban and it's one of those days when Metal Hero was still around. After the success of Juspion -- we have Spielban as its successor. It was trying to modify some stuff from the Space Sheriff series while being its own continuity. One good example is how Diana (and later Helen) were given their own transformation suits in order to assist the hero in his tasks. They were trying to do whatever they could to stop Wahrer or Waller (take your pick) from taking over the Earth's water supply. I wanted to give my thoughts on the Waller Empire and WTF really happened. What wasn't too surprising was that Waller-Sama was nothing more than an imagined concept. It's almost like the Org Master from Gaoranger -- a figurehead that never existed and was used by the actual ruler as some kind of manipulation tool. Pandora herself created the concept of Waller to control her followers one way or another -- though her own cruelty would cause them ...

Ah yes -- it's time for another random watch (from me) from an entry of the now defunct Metal Hero series. I just saw the rather bloody Girls in Trouble movie of the Space Squad movies. I remembered I discovered how VR Troopers or what I love to call as VR TRIPPERS was based on Metalder and Spielban. So I decided to watch Spielban subbed by Metallic Fan Subs  in order to find out how Hiroshi Watari was in fact -- that much of a legend during the 80s. He started out as Sharivan in the Space Sheriff Trilogy and ended up as a totally different character in Sharivan. The villains too are more complex with this one. Dr. Bio is actually Spielban's father but he doesn't know it yet or that Hellvira is actually Helen -- his sister. Well, Girls in Trouble did have its own version of Hellvira but I'm yet to see the original Hellvira -- not the one that Toei decided to create a modernized version that worked well in the Girls in Trouble movie. I admit, I've been spoiled lo...