Don The Dragon Slayer? My thoughts on Gokaiger Episode 42-43

Spoiler alerts ahead, so read with caution.


So for weeks, rumors about Don have been circulating. We knew that in this episode, the Gokaigers would discover that Don was an amnesiac Dragon Slayer, Damaras and Basco would team-up, Marvelous would be executed, and Joe, Luka, Ahim, and Gai would be defeated. And Don would pull out all the stops to save them.

This episode had two big twists. One was that Basco turned on Damaras, revealing that he didn't kill Joe, Luka, Ahim, and Gai. Basco's unlikely assistance was what lead to Damaras's downfall.

The other twist was that Don being a dragon slayer was made up. I could tell Don crafted it himself, right after Don said that maybe if he ate gourmet food, it would jog his memory. You're pretty sly, Don.

I liked seeing how Don joined the team. Essentially they needed him because without him they are messy, can't eat healthy meals, and the ship would probably break, just like they had needed Ahim because she had a calming presence.

The all-green Gokaichange was really cool, and I liked seeing the team as Fiveman.

The mecha fight against Damaras was legendary.

I think Don finally has the confidence, that he's been gradually building throughout the whole series. also, he should wear that green version of Marvelous's jacket more often.

Don't You Forget About Me: My Thoughts on Gokaiger Episodes 39-41

I've been pretty busy this whole month with grad school applications and my final projects.

But here we go, my thoughts on the most recent episodes.

I love Megaranger, and I loved seeing Kenta again! It was a funny episode. And I loved how they used the Megaranger's powers. What's interesting is that most of the team hadn't even attended high school, and they each found something they liked about it. And I was happy to see Basco.

I really liked seeing how Domon matured so much. The timeranger episode was a fun episode to watch as well. I love how they used the powers, especially the matrix dodge. The best part was the end, when Domon saw the picture of Honami and his son, and it brought tears of joy to his eyes. I was happy they were able to get Honami's actress. Also, it looks like Domon's actor has barely even aged.

Man, Ahim can kick some ass if provoked. I liked seeing the change in her. The fight scenes in this episode were the best. I hope the rest of the team will be able to use the GokaiGalleonBuster as well as Ahim. A lot of the shippers went really nuts before the subs even came out. Sorry guys, nothing romantic happened. But we did learn why Ahim is important: she has a calming presence that they team needs. I also liked Ahim's reason for joining the team.

Once again, I'm sorry about the quality of these reviews. If any of you have applied to grad school, you know how tough the process is.

BIG SPOILER ALERT: My thoughts on Gokaiger episode 37-38

Okay, remember when everyone was complaining that "Walz Gil is spoiled." "Walz Gil is lame." "Walz Gil is annoying."

I was waiting for this to happen. No, not for him to die. For him to prove he wasn't the boss's son who was messing up the place.

And not only did he prove that he could pilot a mecha like a pro, but he proved he had a good heart.

First off, he was well aware of how everyone thought of him, he wasn't oblivious. This also showed that he actually lacks some confidence. He was so happy when Barizorg was the only one who believed in him (however, Barizorg is programmed to believe in him, but forget that). And I think he actually respected Barizorg. You never saw him (correct me if I'm wrong) freak out at Barizorg like he did at Damaras. So he was pretty miffed when he found out Barizorg was dead. So the reason he attempted, with all his might, to defeat the Gokaigers once and for all was because he lost someone dear to him. I'm kind of sad he's dead so soon.

And I'm kind of sad Barizorg is dead so soon. And I don't think he'll (or Sid) be coming back. Because they already did the thing where they hand him the flowers on set. I liked the final scene between Sid and Joe. And I liked the final battle as well. It was awesome, and heartwrenching at the same time.

The Gokaiger's ultimate power mecha is AWESOME!

Oh, and finally, I loved seeing the team fighting as extra heroes. Luka saying "Zuu Zuu" was infectious. Even Gai was doing it. I'm glad that the actors are having fun.

I'm baaaaaack

The last few weeks I've been swamped. But now, I'm back, and it's time for me to review the Gokaiger episodes that I've missed.

Episode 33

This episode followed a standard format used in pretty much every series: a member of the team loses the ability to transform. And the character that undergoes this is Gai, which is a great choice, because Gai always wanted to transform into a sentai hero! And of course, Gai learns that he can still be a hero without transforming, and who else but Ryou to teach him this lesson. My favorite part of this episode was the out-of-suit fight sequence that Ryou did. Keichi Wada's still got it! I would have liked to see the Gokaigers use the Dairangers individual powers when transformed, though. They had some pretty cool attacks. The worst part of the episode: it made me crave gyoza. Trader Joe's has the best gyoza... (starts to drool)

Episode 34

Yay! Luka episode. Luka hasn't had a solo focus episode in quite a while. Okay, I kind of knew what Luka's dream would be: to help the orphans. So apparently, all the street urchins she hung out with were orphaned by the Zangyack, so she does have a personal grudge. I thought Luka would use the money to by an orphanage or something, but no, she wants to buy something even cooler: THE UNIVERSE! How epic is that? I want to see Luka's friend Cain return towards the end. I kind of liked the chemistry between the two, and to me, they seem like a viable ship. This episode also showcased Mao Ichimichi's acting. She showed so much strength when she explained her dream, and when they showed more of her past. And this is the second time she had to play someone who wasn't herself, and she did a great job! Okay, the only downside of this episode was when they showed Luka meeting Marvelous and Joe for the first time. Remember when Marvelous and Joe met and they had an epic scene when they battled the Zangyack together, and Marvelous pulls off Joe's tracking collar using pure strength, and when they were lying on the ground together, and Marvelous hands Joe the ranger key? That was an amazing scene. The scene with Luka was a little too fast.

Marvelous: What's a pretty girl like you doing, stealing from the Zangyack? (Marvelous actually said this)

Luka: Never you mind!

Marvelous: Wow, you managed to break in just like us. Wanna join the team?

Luka: Hmm....

Joe: We're finding the greatest treasure in the universe.

Luka: Yeah, sure, whatever!

I would have liked to see the scene get the same justice as Joe's, and probably the same coverage as Doc and Ahim's scene are going to get (Ahim has a planet blowing up, I mean, come on!)

Episode 35-36

Did the gunman world the team travel to remind you of Zubat? Anyway, I liked seeing Sousuke (his actor, despite Go-onger being one of the weaker series, is still good). I liked seeing the engines, they were so cute. And for me, Gai having a fangasm over seeing a sentai hero, will never get old. I liked seeing Battle Fever J, and the team using their attack styles (each Battle Fever J team member represents a different country or world region, and so they each have elements of the culture, one of these being the dance style they use in the attack). Joe doing a tango was epic! I also liked when the team tried to get Machlcon by using their individual mecha. A lot of times, series will usually forgo showing the individual mecha by the second episode.  Oh, and anime fans, the guy who does the voice of Machlcon does the voice of Sanji on One Piece bringing Gokaiger full circle. All and all, it was an okay episode. Not my favorite tribute though.

And next week (I mean next week, I don't think Gokaiger's airing this week) a lot of really important stuff is gonna happen. A lot of stuff. Including the team (sans Joe, who's got his own plot to deal with) transforms into extra heroes finally using the ranger keys they obtained from Basco. And it will be one of the episodes that will just leave you stunned, breathless, just amazed. I love those episodes, don't you?

Sorry if this post isn't that great (by great, I mean there aren't a lot of original pictures due to the fact that taking all these screencaps are starting to clog my hard drive)

Thanks to henshingrid and henshination for these beautiful pictures!

You Can Do it, Doc! My Thoughts on Gokaiger Episode 32

This episode didn't blow me away, but it still was good.

I love how unique the Gokai Galleon Buster is to the series.

Also, I noticed that when Gokai Red puts his key in, it says "Red Charge." Maybe the rest of the team will have the ability to charge in Gokai Red's place.

I like the whole plot with Doc finding his confidence. Also, he's a pretty good soccer player.

And I liked seeing JAKQ again and Dynaman, even though they already unlocked their ultimate powers.

Same with Gekiranger.

Although they were Kakuranger for a few seconds.

Yay, we finally see them transform into Changeman---without Change Gryphon.

I liked seeing Gai fight injured. It was kind of silly seeing him drive his mecha with an arm sling, and it showed his persistence.

An important note: the next two weeks are going to be really busy for me. So expect episode reviews of 33-35 in two weeks.

One thing I can say about episode 33: Doesn't the monster of the week look like Bibidebi from Megaranger?

I Did Not See That Coming Part Deux: My Thoughts on Gokaiger Episode 31

Yeah, yeah, I know, it was a tribute episode, but for me, the true highlights were the fight scene and Basco's little secret.

Of course, Tamao Sato was great.

But, surprise, surprise, this hot human form is not Basco's real form:

This is. I was waiting for Basco to get a super form or an armored form, or a monster form, and this was it. And it looks so cool! I still hope we see Kei Hosogai in live action as well.

One of the best things about Basco's episodes, is that they always have a twist. And boy, was this a twist!

The Skateboarding Scientist: My thoughts on Gokaiger Episode 30

Okay, to start off, this was my favorite episode so far! It had a strong plot, some great fight scenes, some great character development, and of course was one of the most accurate tributes. Liveman is one of my favorite sentai series, so I was smiling throughout the whole episode.

To start things out, Kazuhiko Nishimura has, like Toshihide Wakamatsu has aged nicely. He still looks really young. Not only has he aged well, but he is freaking hot! He was hot on Liveman, and he's still really hot!

When I saw the promos, I was kind of upset that Luka wasn't going to appear with Joe when they encountered Joh. Instead, Ahim was there. Joh is the first Yellow Ranger solely to appear by himself, and I thought it would be awesome to see two yellow rangers together, for at least a second. But it doesn't really matter, at least for this episode.

Okay, now the review.

This scene in the lab is probably one of the best scenes. Kazuhiko was one of the stronger actors on Liveman, and after the series, he continued to act in Dramas. So his acting is at the top of his game. He starts out very cheerful, but gradually gets serious, when he tells Joe about his friends.

For those of you who think Joe is a boring, stoic character, he can express emotions, and he's good at it!

I loved seeing the Denjiman again.

And, I loved the Liveman fight scene. The Henshin sequence, down to the attacks were spot on. Believe it or not Doc and Ahim make a great Sai and Bison. Why? Because Green Sai and Black Bison were two people new to the team, who banded together, and were really protective over each other, much like Doc and Ahim.

Oh, and Joe using Cid's finishing move was the icing on the cake.

I loved seeing Super Live Robo, albeit it was only for a few seconds.

At the end of the episode, Barizorg seems to have a different presence, will he revert back to Cid?

Also, the cyborg process look friggin painful.

And there were a few references. Joh's skateboard was draped with stickers that said "Colon" "Land Lion" (Yellow Lion's mecha) and "Skate Attack!" And the three students releasing two butterflies is a reference to the Liveman theme song. 

Also, Joh has his own lab at Academia Island, which has now been rebuilt.

Jouji Nakata was pretty much bringing this episode back full circle. If you don't know, he is a voice actor, but also has done live-action work. He played Sir Cowler in Flashman and... Professor Bias, the main villain, in Liveman. And he voiced the monster of the week! He has one of the most frightening voices ever. Also, it kind of looks like the MOW has a brain in his helmet, or at least I think so. This could, but probably isn't, a reference to Bias's character's special relationship with brains. Okay, that sounded so creepy.

Although, Cid might not be able to come back, Joe now will fight for his soul, what he would want Joe to do, fight for the good, fight against the Zangyack.

I knew if they were going to do a Liveman tribute episode, they were going to involve Joe in some way, why? Because Joe's character arc has the same theme as Liveman: redemption, friendship, treachery. In Liveman, Yuusuke, Joh, and Megumi's former friends are now villains, and killed their two friends. They constantly grapple with the idea of their friends becoming good, especially Joh, and if they should fight them, much like Joe with Barizorg.

I was just so happy to see Joh, because he was my favorite Liveman! And he's still awesome as ever!

Was it just me, or did Joh mutter "shiiiiiiit...." under his breath when he saw the Zangyack attack an arena.