Megaforce Observations

Peter · 10/31/14, 12:22 PM

So. Today I finished a rewatch of the first half of Megaforce

Its has been interesting watching from the very start to the very finish. It gives you some new perspectives, being able to compare everything so closely. I'm just proud of myself that I actually managed to sit through it, this time. When I bought the Megaforce DVD collections six months ago, I couldn't rewatch it, I just couldn't bring myself to sit through it. And, okay, this time I had to use "mute" and the fast-forward option quite liberally ... but the point is, I made it.

Anyway. Some observations.

- it's worrying how long goes by (from "RoboKnight" all the way through to "End Game") that Troy's dreams are just totally forgotten about, and not even mentioned at all. It's like, this was the very first thing the audience saw.

- Gosei is frighteningly uncaring towards his kids. He never offers advice, or chimes in to help (even when they really, really need assistance), other than dispensing toys. It was particularly jarring in "Rico the Robot" (which was a pretty stupid episode anyway) when the kids adopt Rico. Is Gosei's primary concern that it could be a trap, that the kids could be in danger, or the moral/ethical dilemmas of whether someone literally programmed to do evil can be reformed? None of the above. His first thought is, "Hmm, we can learn how to defeat Metal Alice from him." Cold, dude.

- it's absurd how likeable and interesting RoboKnight is, compared to everybody else.

- I feel really bad for the citizens of the PRU, over the course of 2013 and 2014. Let's see. The year begins, and they have to deal with an alien invasion (now, this isn't such a huge deal, since they've been coping with these things since the early 90s). But once the aliens are beaten ... the toxic mutants pop up. And once they die, now we have a race of homicidal robots to deal with. And once they're dead, it's a second alien invasion. They've been through a heck of a lot, these last few years.

- Admiral Malkor is a maniacal butterfly. I'm not sure why I never noticed this. Quick, make a list of all the ways a butterfly is threatening.

- the toxic mutants arc is the weakest story arc, by a country mile. I often wondered why they were so forgettable, and there's hard numbers to this. Their story arc was pretty important, in terms of the toys (we meet RoboKnight, RoboKnight's zords, the ultra-power power-up, and the Gosei Command Jet during their arc), so I don't think you could skip it. But they are around for 7 episodes (from "RoboKnight" to "Gosei Ultimate"), and only appear in 5 (they're missing in "Prince Takes Knight" and "Ultra Power", both of which feature only Vrak and insect-themed monsters). That's one of the season's major antagonists ... and they're around for five episodes.

- it's also frankly astonishing how little we learn about any of these characters in 20 episodes.

10/31/14, 12:22 PM	#1
Peter Putty Patroller Join Date: 04/24/13 Posts: 11	Megaforce Observations So. Today I finished a rewatch of the first half of Megaforce Its has been interesting watching from the very start to the very finish. It gives you some new perspectives, being able to compare everything so closely. I'm just proud of myself that I actually managed to sit through it, this time. When I bought the Megaforce DVD collections six months ago, I couldn't rewatch it, I just couldn't bring myself to sit through it. And, okay, this time I had to use "mute" and the fast-forward option quite liberally ... but the point is, I made it. Anyway. Some observations. - it's worrying how long goes by (from "RoboKnight" all the way through to "End Game") that Troy's dreams are just totally forgotten about, and not even mentioned at all. It's like, this was the very first thing the audience saw. - Gosei is frighteningly uncaring towards his kids. He never offers advice, or chimes in to help (even when they really, really need assistance), other than dispensing toys. It was particularly jarring in "Rico the Robot" (which was a pretty stupid episode anyway) when the kids adopt Rico. Is Gosei's primary concern that it could be a trap, that the kids could be in danger, or the moral/ethical dilemmas of whether someone literally programmed to do evil can be reformed? None of the above. His first thought is, "Hmm, we can learn how to defeat Metal Alice from him." Cold, dude. - it's absurd how likeable and interesting RoboKnight is, compared to everybody else. - I feel really bad for the citizens of the PRU, over the course of 2013 and 2014. Let's see. The year begins, and they have to deal with an alien invasion (now, this isn't such a huge deal, since they've been coping with these things since the early 90s). But once the aliens are beaten ... the toxic mutants pop up. And once they die, now we have a race of homicidal robots to deal with. And once they're dead, it's a second alien invasion. They've been through a heck of a lot, these last few years. - Admiral Malkor is a maniacal butterfly. I'm not sure why I never noticed this. Quick, make a list of all the ways a butterfly is threatening. - the toxic mutants arc is the weakest story arc, by a country mile. I often wondered why they were so forgettable, and there's hard numbers to this. Their story arc was pretty important, in terms of the toys (we meet RoboKnight, RoboKnight's zords, the ultra-power power-up, and the Gosei Command Jet during their arc), so I don't think you could skip it. But they are around for 7 episodes (from "RoboKnight" to "Gosei Ultimate"), and only appear in 5 (they're missing in "Prince Takes Knight" and "Ultra Power", both of which feature only Vrak and insect-themed monsters). That's one of the season's major antagonists ... and they're around for five episodes. - it's also frankly astonishing how little we learn about any of these characters in 20 episodes.