Goodbye, Space Pirates--for now: My Thoughts on the Final Episodes of Gokaiger

So sorry, for being gone for a long time! It's my last semester at college, and I'm waiting to hear from Grad Schools. I'm pretty busy. So here are the episodes I missed.

Christmas Fever J!

Who else to focus on in a Christmas episode but Luka? She's perfect for it. Luka is the kind of person who would love what Christmas is really about: presents! But, unfortunately, Santa doesn't give presents, or a sentai team's great power, to greedy children, or greedy pirates. So, Luka and the rest of the team prove themselves by saving Christmas. It was a heartwarming episode, with a great fight sequence. We get to see a Battle Fever Gokai Change/Dance fight, Gokai-Christmas, and an all Yellow Gokai-Change. All of them were amazing. Plus, there was a panda in this episode. Pandas make everything better. And so does Kenji Ohba. I also like how Luka sacrificed herself as part of a plan, which shows she can be selfless. Also, she made a beautiful MagiMother.

A Ninja New Year

When I saw the promos for this episode, I thought it would be new year themed, because it had an all-lion Gokai-Change, which I thought was a lion dance, a New Year's tradition. The episode was a clip show, which can be somewhat good, or bad. It was good, but it definitely wasn't my favorite. What can I say? I don't really like clip shows. The episode did have a reference to Kakuranger, with Ninjaman narrating what happened to him, while sitting on a stage. If you haven't watched Kakuranger, they have an old man wearing traditional Japanese clothing, sitting on a stage and narrating what's going on. He's pretty cool. The all-blue Gokai-change, and the all-lion Gokai-change was cool. I liked it when Marvelous, Joe, and Luka were trying to be on their best behavior, and dressed up. But, the best part was when Marvelous ruins Joe's cake, and Joe becomes catatonic and sits in the treasure chest. How many of you are pissed that Tsuruhime only made a five-second appearance?

Doc and Gai beat each other up and stuff

Probably one of the weaker episodes. I liked seeing the team use Sun Vulcan, but that was it. I would have liked to see the team use the Kakuranger's individual powers more. Ninja Yellow and Ninja Blue have some cool attacks.

Goodbye, Sally, you Cheeky Monkey

Really sad, heart-wrenching episode. I used to think that Sally was a bad influence on Basco, not the other way around. The rest of the team sans-Marvelous fighting against Basco was so cool! I loved them using the individual Dairanger powers. I liked the flashback sequences between Basco and Marvelous. It was pretty sweet seeing Basco taking care of Marvelous after he was injured. And by taking care, I mean helping him, and wrapping a bandage on him, not "taking care" of him by killing him. I also liked the scene between Marvelous and Joe in the crow's nest. Is it just me, or do some of the best scenes happen in the crow's nest?

Bye-Bye, Basco

The fight between Marvelous and Basco was the most amazing thing! That really blew me away. I actually cried a little when Basco died. Sometimes, you enjoy a character, whether a hero or a villain, so much that you become so accustomed to them. And when they die, you get a little sad. Sure, Basco was a jerk. But he was a fun villain. And he was an interesting character.

Cameos Galore!

What a cool episode. Takakyuki/Vul Eagle II, Sho/ChangeGryphon, Dai/Green Flash, Akira/Blue Mask, and Remi/Five Yellow all appeared. It was so cool seeing them. Sho's still hot, and Remi's still beautiful. I loved the look on the team's face when they discovered all of the great powers. And when they discovered the greatest treasure in the universe. And the individual change sequences and the fighting sequence was so cool! And Insarn had a pretty cool mecha. I was sad to see this sultry scientist go. But she put up a pretty good fight. But will the team sacrifice the greatest treasure in the universe.

Spoiler Alert!

They do. This episode had an amazing mecha fight sequence, and a lot of drama between the team. Plus, Goushi comes back. And so do some characters from the past, and from Gokaiger. I'm surprised the team destroyed the greatest treasure--especially Marvelous and Luka. Shows how much they have grown. Plus, they might find another great treasure. There has to be an even greater treasure. The final scene in this episode with Gai waving the flag reminded me of Les Mis.

So, before I saw the final episode, I had two theories on what was going to happen. One: They'd defeat the Akidos Gil once and for all, and then finally eat that curry they missed out on or Two: When Marvelous defeats Akidos Gil, he becomes corrupted or something and ends up taking over the Zangyack, setting the stage for the upcoming Super Hero Taisen movie. I guess my first theory was right!

Yay! Out of Helmet Shots!

The fights blew me away. They used every power imaginable in the fight against Akidos Gil! And I loved how they combined the powers of the different Sentai teams together in their attacks: Yellow Lion and Time Pink using their bazookas, Red Hawk and GaoYellow flying with their wings spread out, using an aerial attack, Ptera Ranger and AbareYellow teaming up, Goggle Pink and Five Yellow using their ribbons, Yellow Mask, Dyna Black, Ninja White, Shurikenger, and using ninja attacks, Red Racer, Go-on Blue, and Black Turbo using their speed, BoukenRed and TenmaRanger using their rods--no pun intended, the team using the Sentai with Super Modes! So cool! And that's not every power they used.

And I loved how the team just collapsed after the fight, happy that they won!

The team sans Marvelous and Gai giving it all against Dairando was awesome!

And the ending with them giving back their powers made me shed a tear. I loved seeing all the previous heroes--even if it was just for one second.

And of course, the team's going to find the second-greatest treasure in the universe. What? They weren't going to stay on Earth forever. They're pirates, after all!

Goodbye, Gokaiger-for now!

Expect a review of the series as a whole soon!

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!