Recap

100 years in the future, the Deboss Legion has returned! It’s up to the new Paragon Supreme (and her erstwhile assistant) to recruit the next generation of heroes!

Aqua’s Thoughts

Dino is as dino does, and even 100 years into the future — in which the world apparently will look exactly the way it does today, only with a cheap Photoshop filter — Kyoryuger is still anything you’d expect it to be, but even more than that anything you’d never even dream it to be. With its preposterous outset, 100 Years After is less a proper send-off of the show — because, seriously; how could you ever top that finale? — and more of a send-off to the cast and crew, whose enthusiasm truly  made Kyoryuger the completely mental delight we know and love. At just over an hour in length, 100 Years After feels like as much of a thrill ride as the series proper’s very best, gleefully throwing outrageous plot twists, slapstick wackiness and a brachiosaurus’ belly worth of camp in your face like it’s the end of days. For one more wild ride, Riku Sanjo and Koichi Sakamoto shift Kyoryuger‘s orgiastic nonsense into overdrive for an episode delivering an overload of positive emotions more varied than its colour palette.

Arguably the biggest plus 100 Years After can call its own is the rag-tag bunch of clowns it calls its cast. Given the verve with which Ryo Ryusei and co. play their original characters’ equally quirky descendants, I’m starting to think they actually had a hand in creating them — though the award for the most bafflingly hammy of them all has to go to Utchy’s descendant, a professional bowler (!) who dresses like a Whitesnake stagehand and acts like he just walked out of an Nudist Beach audition. Luckily, Candelira and Luckyero are there to provide some stability and their own interpretation of, err, guidance to the new team, serving as a great continuation of a fan favourite arc that lacked a bit of resolution in the original show. Even the original Kyoryugers get to show up for a spell, though the limited interactions with their descendants makes them about as useful as the Go-Busters were in that last crossover movie.

Aside from pulling open a fresh can of charismatic idiots to love, however, 100 Years Later especially excels at providing a bunch of shout-outs to the original continuity, ranging from an unexpected Love Touch reference (seven cinematic reboots in 100 years time? Better start hurrying if you want to break that record, Batman…) to an adorable appearance by Souji’s not-so-maybe-anymore love interest Rin no one would have dared to anticipate. Somewhat dissappointingly, though, this carryover fanservice also extends to Kyoryuger‘s few lesser points. The metaphysical technobabble about ‘bravery’ is too nonsensical even for this show, and apparently even in the future, the colour red makes you superior to anything and anyone in any way, even if you’re a useless dork like Dai. It’s a minor gripe, though, as by far the worst thing about this movie is that finishing it has made me plummet right back into post-Kyoryuger withdrawal. Luckily, our dino-loving friends will make one last appearance sometime this fall, in which they will inevitably team up with a bunch of train-hugging preschoolers no one cares about and hopefully completely outstage them in any concievable way.

Random observations

• Yayoi trying to look up the genealogy of Daigo and Amy’s descendants was both hilariously adorable and incredibly sad. Poor Yayoi, she deserves better. Not that you can do a lot better than Daigo…
• The mention that Nossan’s descendant actually being his niece Rika’s grandson seems to confirm that the poor guy remained a bachelor until his very last breath. If only Candellira hadn’t lost her memories…
• Meanwhile, Utchy somehow miraculously managed to start a family… Unless the invention of a method for human asexual reproduction is soon to be upon us, that is.
• Luckyero instinctively trying to make the bad guy grow is the ultimate proof why every show needs a Luckyero.
• All hail Chicken Jesus!

Zigg’s Thoughts

This extended epilogue to the much beloved series is sort of weird, in the sense that we don’t actually spend a huge amount of time with the Kyoryugers we’ve grown to know and love. Instead, in a twist typical of the show, we’re stuck with their descendants that are almost, but not quite, entirely unlike them. I resented this choice initially, but as the show goes on it becomes clear it’s a smart decision, allowing some clever and funny moments while retaining the core spirit of the TV show.

One reason I eventually came around was that although it’s sold as a flash forward, it’s pretty much an alternate universe story instead. The Future Kyoryugers are so blatantly ersatz versions of the ‘real’ team that we get big laughs out of how different they are . As ever, it’s definitely Utchy, or rather ‘Uppy’ who steals the show. His metamorphosis from humble Samurai warrior to unfathomably camp bowler/porn star is a real sight to behold and definitely gets the biggest laughs. Elsewhere, Dai is an interesting spin on the Daigo character although it’s tempered a little bit by the fact Ryo Ryusei isn’t as good when he’s not chewing the scenery down. Credit is also due for Yamato Kinjo’s superbly nebbish Nobuta, who manages to be weird and completely freaky without ever crossing the line into straight creepy.

As ever though, the real delight of the experience comes from the periphery, It’s terrific to see Candelia and Luckiero shoehorned into their new roles while retaining their blithe enthusiasm (and utter incompetence). The new, fantastically shit Deboss Legion are also standouts, and even though it’s instantly obvious who the real bad guy is (hint:the one without a recycled suit) they play their misfit villain roles to a tee, complete with a delighful ‘further adventures’ tease at the end. If there’s a criticism, it’s that the plot is alarmingly flimsy even by Kyoryuger standards, and while it’s fantastic to see the original team again, their presence does somewhat overshadow the Future Team. On the other hand, the entire point of this episode was as a sort of reunion special, so having them entirely absent would also be a bit of a rip-off.

All in all, it’s exactly what we want from a Kyoryuger bonus – a frothy, throwaway delight that gives our beloved cast plenty of opportunity to dress up in silly costumes and camp it up to their standard ludicrous extremes. The future aspect gives a cool spin to the whole affair, but at the end of the day it’s like going for a drink with some old friends. The world isn’t going to change, but you’re going to feel happy, and have a damn good time doing it.

Random Observations

• LOVE TOUCH WILL NEVER DIE
• Nice work throwing all non-core coloured rangers under the bus there.
• If Torin can pretty much come back from the dead as he pleases, why can’t he take care of this?
• Is Uppy’s accent meant to be English, or just weird?
• Souji and Rin finally getting together was a sweet and unexpected highlight.
• Dancing hero – Nobuta, who dances in the most awkward fashion imaginable.
• It’s not quite goodbye to the Kyoryu team, as we’ll see them once more in ToQger vs Kyoryuger. Yes, we are even willing to suffer through more trains for the love of dinosaurs.