Review: Ressha Sentai Toqger

Please, keep it behind the line, which we started. Ride up neatly: next station Ressha Sentai ToQger!

Big kids

 

Well, there are times that the leit motif of the Super sentai are either very generic or too subtle, but this one carries a raw where this is not true. The theme of mechas, and costumes until this year were very clear; but I never expected to find something so clear as in ToQger. Trains, trains in everywhere, which is not at all new (GoGoV had a robot made of trains transporting other vehicles), but did not expect me that it spoils so much as in this series. Add to that the theme or idea that drives these trains is the imagination, or as they say in the series: IMAGINATION!

And this makes, between trains of colours of the Rainbow, of imagination and stuff, this series is clearly a children's series. Because it is, it doesn't deceive anybody... until some time. I explain the plot before talking about more things. A group of beings of darkness are spreading throughout the land, swallowing whole cities and subjecting their residents to succumb to negative emotions that the monsters need to do this and maintain their existence, it is the Shadow Line. To stop them, the guardians of the imagination from Rainbow Line, choose five young people full of imagination, enough to stop the shadow monsters and the darkness, the ToQger. Thanks to their imagination, they can transform their trains into weapons, get strength to defeat their enemies and leave victorious. Thus, many episodes are devoted to dealing with people suffering the attack of monsters, or people who have lost or also has lots of imagination, especially children that strangely do not feel many problems to talk or to relate with our heroes. But there is also another thing... they don't remember their past, which are only friends, so your trip is in addition to a fight a return, a homecoming, a journey into knowing who they really are.

And who I'm talking about? As the five heroes are the following, five young people in his homecoming, headed Right, which is ToQ1; brave and full of imagination, sure that while he is with his friends, he can do everything; and he has a bottomless stomach. In fact, is that it is who drives his friends, no who leads them indeed, even he doesn't consider himself the leader of the group, instead in any situation who better understands a specific circumstance, not someone permanent; he is the leader. This is brought into question by Tokatti, the ToQ2, with their glasses, always about to fall, full of complexes, try to always being helpfull to his friends, which led him to be somewhat scandalous when it is carried by the nerves but often have good ideas. Another reason why he is nervous, it is cast by his colleague group, Mio, which is the Toq3; a motherly figure, or rather the big sister more of all of them and those who are helpless, and I say sister because things do not interest her as romantic love, but is that she listens and helps everyone, and she has big conrcerns against those who provoke her. The only one to know that Tokatti feel something for my of them all is Hikari, ToQ4, a great lover of the mystery and person who prefers watching to attract attention in general, becoming cold, but very intelligent. But in general, the reckless are Right and Kagura, ToQ5, that her imagination can be a super strong girl, a ninja, or whoever she wants, although not always keeps both feet on the ground long enough. But you may have noticed that I not name them by their colors, if not by their numbers, but this is because they can change their costumes and weapons, as the switch or walk a line to change direction (trains, remember?). The only one that we will not see to do this is the sixth member of the team: Akira Nijino, ToQ6, but also before he called Zaram, a Shadow Monster carrier of rain (forcing people to stay at home) of the Shadow Line, but after he saw a rainbow, he decided to protect them forever... as anonimous operator. But the ToQger trust him the power to transform for he could help them. Akira is very funny, it's brutally funny because it takes everything seriously, not human things, that escape him though he knows others very well, and he is a big fan of cats.

But our heroes are not alone, they have the help of the Conductor, an eccentric man who explains the rules of their trains and to be ToQger, although it doesn't seem to have anything out of the ordinary... except for his constant humor and his puppet... Ticket, who speaks with a different voice (the voice of Inuyasha, Ranma, and Ussop) and is the voice in the speakers and equipment all that have the ToQger, but always seems to see the negative side of things and he shouts a lot. But it is a damn puppet monkey-shaped. Speaking of which, there is also a robot very emotional called Wagon, which is the hostess of the Rainbow Line. Later we know the President, Chief of all, able to imagine many things... and whose face we do not know by his rabbit mask. All very rare...

Good, and the bad guys, are interesting. His basic troops, Kuros, with their axes/Tommy guns and their costumes between 1920s and Wild West, that all the bad guys have that look that I have called Steam Gothik. That's cool enough and sticks with it be beings of darkness. Shadow Monsters also have this, shaped after objects and use their powers and attacks to make people a source of darkness that they need. The heads of the bad guys supervised this, but only two are worried about this more than anything, in addition to conquer Earth; Baron Nero and Marquise Morc, loyal until death to the cause and to the emperor. But it is not what they think their peers, Madame Noir is more worried about marrying her daughter Glitter with the Emperor, for when plans go wrong, I gave up his aspirations in seeking to recover what was lost or revenge. Glitter, a monstrous girl, whose interior is however quite human, and who is in love with tragically (and aware of these problems, I think) of someone who is not who should marry, General Schwarz. General Schwarz doesn't believe in the power of darkness and he preferes military force, so he has different aspirations, that is willing to give up all or use any means, when these plans are however, truncated follows well willing to use anything also by revenge, and another thing. Then there is who sees them doing this, amazing determination and sacrifice that those who oppose him are willing to do, or rather the feelings that inspire them, as love and hope. We are talking about Z, the Emperor of darkness (Zed), which ironically obsessed with lights and shines, he sees in the most appealing light in Right, and he is willing to consume it to stop being only a solitary being between darkness, he moves so boring in his castle with his courtiers. The truth is that you except two of that bad guys, the rest of them has a personality and a trip on their plots.

The series is a journey, for all, and also for the spectators. I don't want to burst nothing, but I will only say that the trip itself, although in Rails, is more like a roller coaster than a straight and accurate line. The series is also short, with 47 episodes (the rule is 50) and several films (I've seen 2, a third is not available yet and I will lack even the crossing with his followers) and two special episodes (one fool for DVD and another length of crossing with a Kamen Rider). I recognize that you can throw back, but once you start it just wanting to see how they overcome adversity, and loose more than one tear in a few moments.

Soon more things on behalf of your friend and neighbour Cyber Mario, but before I leave you with its opening and its ending.