Recap: After having been kicked from the team by Tessai, Daigo tries to prove his worth.

Aqua’s thoughts: Tessai’s training arc was a bit of a mess, and the conclusion is no different. In the end, the Kyoryugers learn that stronger feelings and bravery will power up their punches, but was that not their shtick from the very beginning? Two weeks ago, when the snide kung-fu master drove our heroes into a corner by taking away their biggest strength, I expected them to try and find a creative way around that. Yet instead, they managed to surmount Tessai’s obstacles by relying on these biggest strength even harder, whereas Daigo was in fact punished for not having any weaknesses. Him being dismissed from the team reeked a bit like an argument in favour of archetypes and against being a jack of all traits. If relying on your one talent can help you solve every problem you are in, should you feel ashamed for having more than one?

Naturally, this was not the writers’ intention, so I basically expected Tessai’s dismissal of Daigo’s skill as some kind of test. I guess it was, but… What exactly was he testing? He did not try to teach Daigo that he can’t be cocky despite being basically perfect, nor did he try to expose some hidden depths. In the end, Daigo admits that he does fear something, and therefore is not perfect, but this once again invokes the notion that the Kyoryugers were not really brave to begin with. The idea that because Daigo lacks a glaring weakness, he cannot become any stronger is a valid one, but Tessai never even taught the other Kyoryugers to work around their weaknesses in the first place. It remains a bit vague to me what exactly our heroes were lacking here, and what they eventually learnt. In that regard, this training arc failed to deliver.

Despite the overall confusing development, this episode was still greatly enjoyable, a feat that can be entirely attributed to the characters. Sure, Daigo may be nominally perfect, but his perfection never gets in the way of decent characterization or logical plot progression. He is simply impossible to dislike, with his childlike enthusiasm and cocky swag, and is in many ways the very distillation of all recent Red Rangers. Tessai, on the other hand, is a likeable jerk, and his hardheaded, somewhat nonsensical obsession with discipline makes for an endearing trait. He’s not a jerk because he has to look cool, he’s a jerk because he just is, which is something I can get behind. The fact that Kyoryuger can get away with mediocre plots time after time again, because of its fun characters, colourful action and charming jokes shows that Sentai is rare in that it does not really need to have a plot to be enjoyable for 52 episodes straight.

Random Observations

• One of the kids in the ending credits is called Yuuto Sakurai. Someone’s dad sure liked Kamen Rider Den-O.
• Speaking of toku shows of yore, Tessai is played by Masayuki Deai, the fashion disaster who previously played BoukenSilver in GoGo Sentai Boukenger and the Trigger Dopant in Kamen Rider W A to Z: The Gaia Memories of Fate.
• And then there is this.

Zigg’s Thoughts: This is a pretty strong go-home episode in this two parter, as it delivers on a bunch of the potential of the first half and manages to chuck in some solid surprises as well. Yes, Daigo’s battle inside the mind is sort of cliched but it’s executed well and it’s nice to see the show wrestling with some slightly more serious characterisation, even if it only skims the surface. ‘The Power of Friendship compels you!’ is the stock moral that Sentai shows always end on, but hey, it could have been an awful lot worse quite frankly.

One thing I do like is that the show doesn’t need Utchy to fail for Daigo to return to being the leader – instead Utchy openly proclaims that only King can lead them and gets to be a (admittedly very dumb) badass in taking on the Deboss on his own. Likewise, Tessai is handled well, his strictness never quite reaching bullying levels and his ridiculous hippy fisherman disguise showing he was looking after them all along. It’s a good conclusion to his little arc, showing how he had their best interests at heart while still maintaining his jerkish facade. I look forward to seeing more of him.

Great fights in this episode too, with the now-iconic running explosions shot getting an airing and a ridiculously dumb new form in the shape of Kyoryuzin Kung-Fu. The effect is slightly spoiled by how obviously flexible his arm is, and the finisher is lame (he just hits them with the ball) but it’s worth it alone for the brilliant CG shot of hundreds of training Kyoryuzins. As ever, Kyoryuger finds ways to delightfully play to its strengths and cover its weaknesses. My only concern is that with the show only at episode 18 we may soon begin to run a little dry on plot. Still, full steam ahead for now.

Random Observations

• Ramirez!
• I’d totally watch a Saturday morning cartoon show called The Amazing Adventures of Tessai and Ramirez.
• What do hammers and morningstars have to do with kung-fu?
• Dancing hero of the week – the clearly much older girl dancing with her little brother