Recap: It’s Tanabata, but the Deboss are determined to screw up everyone’s special wishes

Aqua’s thoughts: Has anyone been keeping track of the number of times Daigo was able to save the rest of the team because he is literally perfect? I mean, I love the guy, but his crazy tendency to be spared from pretty much every other Deboss scheme that checks his companions out is starting to get rather tiring. Even in the face of his biggest weakness he does not stop smiling. When the man who abandoned him shows up for the first time in ten years, only to disappear again five seconds after, you cannot help but feel sorry for our red hero. Too bad he does not seem to need any pity.

Nevertheless, Daigo’s apparent perfection fits the show’s silly nature and target audience, and watching him do the rounds is entertaining enough to not become frustrating. Kyoryuger remains a delightful show where awesomeness and wacky antics go hand in hand. The Deboss come up with another crazily dressed henchman — the costume design this year is exceptionally good — and conjure up another eeeeeeeevil plan to ruin Christmas Tanabata. The Kyoryugers’ wishes backfire on them, and it’s up to Daigo, who has no wishes because as mentioned before he is literally perfect, to stop them. While the team’s wishes were a bit uncharacteristically materialistic (Why doesn’t Souji wish to get along better with his dad? Why doesn’t Utchy wish for a chance to avenge his lord?), the funniest moments in the episode hail from said backfiring, with a star guest appearance from Ramirez randomly popping up to deliver a crate of Belgian Ice Cream. Bluh?

Of course we cannot forget about what is most likely the most important event of the episode: the sudden reappearance of Daigo’s dad. Given the fact that he is able to fight and defeat the Monster of the Week using Brave energy, I am guessing that he is the last one of the legendary Kyoryuger and the partner of Bragigas. Speaking of legendary Kyoryugers, it looks like we will meet KyoryuViolet and his buddy Plezuon next week! Wait, who even gives a darn about that when there are SPACE DINOSAURS?

Random Observations

• By the way, Belgium is not particularly well known for ice cream. You should probably go to Italy for that. “Belgique glace” is complete nonsense as well. Then again, would you want it any other way?
• I do love how Utchy refers to ice cream as “ice candy”.
• They are seriously going to show us that entire movie in the previews, aren’t they? The thing will most likely only be 30 minutes long and it won’t be another month before it actually comes out.
• Evil rangers in dino-themed Sentai with flute weapons seem to be a common thing now.

Zigg’s Thoughts: This was the first time in quite a while that I detected the slight air of filler surrounding a Kyoryuger episode, but to the show’s credit it powers on through regardless, surfing on a wave of silliness and throwing us a few tidbits of plot here and there. I think it’s probably the comedown of the sugar filled rush of last week that makes this episode a little bit lacking, especially since it revolves around a similarly ridiculous monster.

The whole Tanabata thing is an interesting dash of exotic flavour for us watching in the west at least. I sort of feel they missed an opportunity by not using the characters wishes to reveal aspects of their character – sure, it would have been something of a cliched plot, but it’s a chance for cheap character development and Sentai normally never passes those up. The flipside is we get some pretty good cheap jokes, especially from Utchy. Ramirez’s completely out-of-nowhere cameo is the highlight of the episode and continues his pattern of making everything better.

The big plot hook that the episode hangs on is of course the return of Daigo’s dad. That he would return is no surprise of course, since we’re not exactly dealing in a super twisty plot here. I’m surprised that he’ shown up this early however, and in such an unambiguous form. My bet would have been that the plotline would have been teased throughout the length of the show and that he would appeared in a masked or concealed for first, much like the White wizard has appeared in Wizard. Given this surprise, I’m inclined to agree with Aqua, although I’m not sure that he’ll be the master of Bragigas. My bet is a Ranger, but perhaps a more peripheral one.

I’d like to have seen more emotional conflict from Daigo – he’s pretty much over the moon about seeing his dad while not worrying a jot about the decade or so he’s been away. Granted, it fits his optimistic personality but it’s hardly good fodder for character development. As cruel as it sounds I’m sort of looking forward to seeing how they break him, which has to happen at some point. If it doesn’t, his personality will stay in stasis forever and that’s not interesting to me.

It’s a weird, transitional episode of Kyoryuger then, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Kyoryuger couldn’t keep cruising on silly comedy episodes forever, and any steps towards establishing a new plot thread is encouraging. And even though it wasn’t a vintage episode, there was still more than enough to keep me amply amused. We’ll see if that continues to be the case in the weeks to come, as Kyoryuger works to deepen its characters and weave compelling plOH MY GOD DINOSAURS IN SPACE.

Random Observations:

• Anytime another Toku show mentions Tanabata I’m reminded of Altair, Vega and Deneb
• When the team morph, the explosion is clearly stock footage as it takes place in a quarry.
• Dancing heroes of the week – the 38 year old couple for publically humiliating themselves on TV without even the excuse of kids.
• Seriously, DINOSAURS IN SPACE.