Another weekly TV post
Sep. 27th, 2025 01:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alchemicinkThis week: my favorite Gozyuger returns 🥳
Plus, Zeztz completes his first mission; the Ultraman Omega crew does some science; and we meet all the school weirdos in Hana Kimi
Zeztz (episode 3)
Another fun episode to wrap up this introductory arc. I finally feel like I understand the premise now (thanks to realizing in this episode that things in the dream can happen irl too, and not all the Rider action will be dream only).
I'm liking Baku as the protagonist so far. I love how earnest he is in wanting to help, but still trying to get the hang of everything. That scene where he holds the motorcycle helmet after waking up and you can see how shaken he is really got me. Who hasn't woken up from a bad dream at least once feeling exactly like that?
Actually, I'm liking almost all of the main cast so far. Nox is really intriguing. I wanna know what his deal is! And, as I mentioned last week, I definitely like Fujimi and Nagumo a lot already. (There wasn't enough Nagumo in this episode but that was understandable given the plot.) And Baku's sister (whose name I've already forgotten... sigh) seems pretty cool too. Even if she doesn't seem very relevant to the plot right now.
But I still don't understand Nem's whole deal, and I'm not sold on her yet. It's still very early though, so maybe she'll grow on me. Either way, I'm excited to see what exciting dreams/terrible nightmares will play out next.
Gozyuger (episode 31)
This episode was so good!!
I mean, I am biased because Ryuugi is my favorite. But seriously, like last week, it didn't feel too stuffed with subplots. It was just the Gozyugers at Ryuugi's family's hospital, battling a No One and trying to get their teammate back. Also, Rei was there too. But his subplot is finally intersecting with the others, so it felt important for him to be there.
But anyway: Ryuugi! It was so interesting to see him at the hospital, looking sad and defeated instead of his usual weirdo self. It's almost like he's punishing himself, so he went back to being under his father's thumb, even though he hated growing up like that. I loved that Hoeru and Rikuo went to confront him about it, and it's clear that he just doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. Which is why it's so satisfying when he finds his resolve again amidst trying to save his father, even if they don't have a good relationship. He's choosing to do things himself. His wish earlier in the season (to allow Tegasword to fix the world) felt the flimsiest one of the group to me, so I like that he figures out that his real wish is to help people. (This is not exactly how he phrases it, but it's essentially what he means.)
Additionally, I'm really interested in what will happen next now that Rikuo's connection to Rei has been revealed, we've learned why Rei feels like his life was ruined, and Sumino is about to figure out he's the one who kidnapped her sister. It's gonna be a wild ride!
I posted some more detailed rambles about this episode earlier this week here
Hana Kimi (2007 drama) (episode 1)
🎵~Ikenai taiyouuuu~🎵
Sorry, I just love the opening song so much 😂 anyway, I decided to do a rewatch of this drama (even though I already rewatched it last year lol)
This is the 2007 live action Japanese adaptation of the Hana Kimi manga, though I believe there are several differences between the two versions. But I can't tell you what exactly because I haven't read the manga since high school (and I never actually finished it)
The story is the typical girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy trope that was quite popular around this time. Mizuki wants to meet a high-jumper she likes (Sano) and he happens to go to an all-boys school. A very weird all-boys school, by the way. This is a very over the top comedy!
I do enjoy this series a lot, but I always have such a hard time getting through episode 1. Firstly, there's a lot of exposition to explain how the school works and introduce the insanely large cast. It's a bit tedious when you've seen it all before. (And probably tedious if you haven't either.) But secondly, there's a lot of secondhand embarrassment that I have to cringe through too. Mizuki's obsession with Sano feels so awkward to watch here at the beginning of the series. Especially because he's particularly cold here, and this first episode doesn't explain WHY she's so obsessed. Plus, watching Mizuki adjusting to everyone at the school can be a struggle to sit through too.
But I remember that things definitely get better after this first episode, so I just had to stick it out. Luckily, I'm a fan of over the top gags, so the humor hits for me. (Oscar still makes me cackle every time he pops up. The guy who sees ghosts always lurking around is funny too.) But my favorite part of this drama is actually Nakatsu (played by Ikuta Toma). He's a lot of fun, but he's also sorta like the heart of the series. I know I'm gonna enjoy his journey again on this rewatch.
Also, I forgot how queer this show is (for 2007) so that's neat too
Ultraman Omega (episode 12)
I liked this episode enough to watch it twice, but it didn't hit for me the way the past couple of episodes have. I'm not 100 percent sure why, but I just don't feel satisfied by the end of the episode. Like we needed another scene or something? Idk
Anyway, what I wanna talk about is what I did enjoy!
The focus on Kosei in this episode was great, especially building on how he was in last week's episode. He thought he'd figured out his life, but then screwed up, and so then he wasn't so sure anymore. Chatting with that lady (who was never named so I'm sure she'll show up again) really helped Kosei get his head back on straight. This two-parter has been a very nice Kosei character study, and I appreciate that. (It was good for Ayu-nee too, but she doesn't get as much screentime. But what we did see of her was great. She even earned the respect of the defense guy!)
Secondly, I really liked that many characters were doing science in this episode! That's something I always enjoyed about Arc, so it's nice to see it in this series now too. It's not the whole focus of the episode, but I liked seeing Kosei and the mystery lady collect samples, and then see Ayu-nee work in the lab. I'm always enthusiastically supportive of shows that show people -- especially young people -- how science is done!
Also, lastly, the insert song was a banger! I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the full version hopefully being on YouTube soon. It's called "Unbreakable" and it's another collab with Ash and Mindaryn (who also do the ending song together)
Next week is the usual in-canon recap episode, marking them reaching the halfway point of the series. But I'm excited because they're finally gonna tell Ayu-nee everything! It's about time!!
Plus, Zeztz completes his first mission; the Ultraman Omega crew does some science; and we meet all the school weirdos in Hana Kimi
Zeztz (episode 3)
Another fun episode to wrap up this introductory arc. I finally feel like I understand the premise now (thanks to realizing in this episode that things in the dream can happen irl too, and not all the Rider action will be dream only).
I'm liking Baku as the protagonist so far. I love how earnest he is in wanting to help, but still trying to get the hang of everything. That scene where he holds the motorcycle helmet after waking up and you can see how shaken he is really got me. Who hasn't woken up from a bad dream at least once feeling exactly like that?
Actually, I'm liking almost all of the main cast so far. Nox is really intriguing. I wanna know what his deal is! And, as I mentioned last week, I definitely like Fujimi and Nagumo a lot already. (There wasn't enough Nagumo in this episode but that was understandable given the plot.) And Baku's sister (whose name I've already forgotten... sigh) seems pretty cool too. Even if she doesn't seem very relevant to the plot right now.
But I still don't understand Nem's whole deal, and I'm not sold on her yet. It's still very early though, so maybe she'll grow on me. Either way, I'm excited to see what exciting dreams/terrible nightmares will play out next.
Gozyuger (episode 31)
This episode was so good!!
I mean, I am biased because Ryuugi is my favorite. But seriously, like last week, it didn't feel too stuffed with subplots. It was just the Gozyugers at Ryuugi's family's hospital, battling a No One and trying to get their teammate back. Also, Rei was there too. But his subplot is finally intersecting with the others, so it felt important for him to be there.
But anyway: Ryuugi! It was so interesting to see him at the hospital, looking sad and defeated instead of his usual weirdo self. It's almost like he's punishing himself, so he went back to being under his father's thumb, even though he hated growing up like that. I loved that Hoeru and Rikuo went to confront him about it, and it's clear that he just doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. Which is why it's so satisfying when he finds his resolve again amidst trying to save his father, even if they don't have a good relationship. He's choosing to do things himself. His wish earlier in the season (to allow Tegasword to fix the world) felt the flimsiest one of the group to me, so I like that he figures out that his real wish is to help people. (This is not exactly how he phrases it, but it's essentially what he means.)
Additionally, I'm really interested in what will happen next now that Rikuo's connection to Rei has been revealed, we've learned why Rei feels like his life was ruined, and Sumino is about to figure out he's the one who kidnapped her sister. It's gonna be a wild ride!
I posted some more detailed rambles about this episode earlier this week here
Hana Kimi (2007 drama) (episode 1)
🎵~Ikenai taiyouuuu~🎵
Sorry, I just love the opening song so much 😂 anyway, I decided to do a rewatch of this drama (even though I already rewatched it last year lol)
This is the 2007 live action Japanese adaptation of the Hana Kimi manga, though I believe there are several differences between the two versions. But I can't tell you what exactly because I haven't read the manga since high school (and I never actually finished it)
The story is the typical girl-pretending-to-be-a-boy trope that was quite popular around this time. Mizuki wants to meet a high-jumper she likes (Sano) and he happens to go to an all-boys school. A very weird all-boys school, by the way. This is a very over the top comedy!
I do enjoy this series a lot, but I always have such a hard time getting through episode 1. Firstly, there's a lot of exposition to explain how the school works and introduce the insanely large cast. It's a bit tedious when you've seen it all before. (And probably tedious if you haven't either.) But secondly, there's a lot of secondhand embarrassment that I have to cringe through too. Mizuki's obsession with Sano feels so awkward to watch here at the beginning of the series. Especially because he's particularly cold here, and this first episode doesn't explain WHY she's so obsessed. Plus, watching Mizuki adjusting to everyone at the school can be a struggle to sit through too.
But I remember that things definitely get better after this first episode, so I just had to stick it out. Luckily, I'm a fan of over the top gags, so the humor hits for me. (Oscar still makes me cackle every time he pops up. The guy who sees ghosts always lurking around is funny too.) But my favorite part of this drama is actually Nakatsu (played by Ikuta Toma). He's a lot of fun, but he's also sorta like the heart of the series. I know I'm gonna enjoy his journey again on this rewatch.
Also, I forgot how queer this show is (for 2007) so that's neat too
Ultraman Omega (episode 12)
I liked this episode enough to watch it twice, but it didn't hit for me the way the past couple of episodes have. I'm not 100 percent sure why, but I just don't feel satisfied by the end of the episode. Like we needed another scene or something? Idk
Anyway, what I wanna talk about is what I did enjoy!
The focus on Kosei in this episode was great, especially building on how he was in last week's episode. He thought he'd figured out his life, but then screwed up, and so then he wasn't so sure anymore. Chatting with that lady (who was never named so I'm sure she'll show up again) really helped Kosei get his head back on straight. This two-parter has been a very nice Kosei character study, and I appreciate that. (It was good for Ayu-nee too, but she doesn't get as much screentime. But what we did see of her was great. She even earned the respect of the defense guy!)
Secondly, I really liked that many characters were doing science in this episode! That's something I always enjoyed about Arc, so it's nice to see it in this series now too. It's not the whole focus of the episode, but I liked seeing Kosei and the mystery lady collect samples, and then see Ayu-nee work in the lab. I'm always enthusiastically supportive of shows that show people -- especially young people -- how science is done!
Also, lastly, the insert song was a banger! I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to the full version hopefully being on YouTube soon. It's called "Unbreakable" and it's another collab with Ash and Mindaryn (who also do the ending song together)
Next week is the usual in-canon recap episode, marking them reaching the halfway point of the series. But I'm excited because they're finally gonna tell Ayu-nee everything! It's about time!!
