Recap

Confronted by the idea that being ToQgers means they cannot search for their hometown, Kagura has doubts about her role with the team.

Zigg’s Thoughts

The ‘team member thinks about leaving’ episode is a pretty standard staple in Super Sentai (and indeed in any ongoing team-based story) but ToQger commits a major blunder by positioning one this early in the story. We barely know these people, and Kagura even less so than some of the others, and yet we’re suddenly meant to be invested in her possibly leaving the team. It’s baffling to me why this is the third episode instead of say the tenth or eleventh. And that’s just the start of the problems.

Once again the premise is mechanically sound, but let down by risible characterisation and an overall lack of bite. Right from the beginning the issues are apparent as Right and Kagura have what the show wants to be an emotional talk in the train car. Instead, it just falls completely flat, Right coming across as a simplistic, self centred jerk and Kagura as a crybaby. In fact, Kagura’s portrayal in this episode does nothing to change my deeply sceptical opinion of her. She’s mopey and listless and Ai Moritaka’s performance is nowhere near good enough to sell this as genuine sorrow or angst. She’s also defeated ridiculously easily by the Monster of the Week and generally made to look weak and ineffectual. Yes, you can argue the show attempts to turn her into a badass at the end, but it’s so out-of-character with what’s gone before it feels very hollow. It’s also worth pointing out she still needs a pep talk from Right to win.

It’s not like this episode has anything else fantastic to make it stand out either. The other ToQgers remain frustratingly vague presences, aside from Right’s omnipresent clean cut good boy persona, and the Conductor/Ticket combo is as annoying as ever. To his credit,  Tsutomu Sekine does his best to sell the character with a neat performance and some amusing physical comedy, but he’s still just so far away from the quirky overseer they seem to think they have it’s frustrating. The action remains fairly mediocre, the script isn’t particularly witty or insightful, the premise still leaves me somewhat wanting….is there anything I’ve forgotten?

God damn it. I hope this show gets better soon.

Random Observations

• One thing I will say is that the monster this week looked SUPER AWESOME and his creepy schtick was sort of cool. In addition, the hints at infighting in the Shadow Line are intriguing. Can the villains salvage my interest in the show?
• When Right and Kagura exit the pool they’re totally dry aside from their helmets.
• The colour switch IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FINISHING ATTACK makes no sense. If I were a betting man, I’d say it was inserted to hastily correct a continuity error between the two shots.
• I will say I found Wagon taking selfies pretty amusing, if only to hear Yui Horie go full Minorin on us.