Recap: Popular idol singer Meeko returns to see Daigo, but she brings an unwelcome guest with her…

Zigg‘s Thoughts: Given it’s been on a pretty great streak over the past few weeks, it was sort of inevitable Kyoryuger would have to trip up at some point, and this is probably about the most gentle letdown we could have expected. It’s not a bad episode at all, simply a little rote and by the numbers. There’s plenty to enjoy, but you can’t escape the lingering air of ‘contractual obligation’ that’s lingering over it.

To be fair, not all of this is Kyoryuger‘s fault. I have to imagine that we’d be considerably more into this had we seen the Gaburincho of Music movie this episode is 100% tied into. If I were a cynic, I might even say that it’s almost an extended advert for an imminent DVD release. If I were a cynic. In any case, while it’s not exactly hard to work out what happened in the movie – the trailers/credits revealed a bunch of it – it does mean we don’t get the built in thrill that comes from seeing Meeko and (the awesome looking) D back in the story.

As it is, the plotline which unfolds is pretty pedestrian – Meeko turns evil, but THE POWER OF LOVE/FRIENDSHIP/BRAVERY frees her and then they team up to destroy giant D by singing. OK, maybe that last part is unconventional, but then this is Kyoryuger – magical music is pretty much par for the course. The  one part of this which could have been fun/interesting is Yayoi and Amy’s mutual jealousy of Meeko,, but the expected hijinks never really materialise. We get a few funny scenes at the start but then it’s mostly dropped, which is a shame considering the show’s record of making hay out of wacky sitcom scenarios.

The real baffling part about this episode though is why they chose to use this moment as the one to unite all the Kyoryugers on screen. It seems like a waste to burn such a huge, awesome moment on what’s essentially a bit of throwaway filler. Granted, there’s enough flash and craziness to still make it very cool, but ‘team unites’ moments like these are normally saved for the resolution of a major story arc. Without the stakes to back it up, there’s a very slight but noticeable sense of anticlimax, and that’s a shame. A solid episode then, but very much a missed opportunity.

Random Observations

• Torin gets added to the credits in the traditionally half-assed way
• The fact that Tobaspino is just a reskinned Gabutyra should be painfully obvious to even the most unobservant viewer.
• Meeko’s magic song is pretty lame to be honest. In the battle of the idols, I’ll go with Candelia.
• It’s sort of jarring seeing Yayoi in anything other than her uniform.
• Dancing heroes of the week – The entire first grade class, who must have some of the coolest teachers around.
• The trailer at the end of the episode reveals the forthcoming Kyoryuger vs Go-Busters will feature not only the two titular teams, but also the other two dinosaur themed sentai – 1992’s Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (famously the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers) and 2002’s Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger (Power Rangers Dino Thunder). The fact that the Go-Busters appear to be afterthoughts in their own movie has not gone unnoticed.