Avataro Sentai DonBrothers Episode 2- "Big Peach, Small Peach!" Discussion
 

An ordinary officer worker finds an extraordinary new ability.

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It really speaks to how densely packed Inoue's scripts for this show are that recapping the premiere took 40 seconds.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm way into it. This episode makes it a point to familiarize us with all the heroes who aren't Haruka, and what really struck me is how the second the focus turned to a new character, I was instantly drawn into their whole world exactly as much as I was with Haruka last week. Every single time it happened. I'm not sure this episode even has the best rhythm, on paper. It's like this disconnected series of vignettes, broadly anchored by a recurring one relating to Tarou's workplace, while also further touching on Haruka's downward spiral, and none of it is all that connected, but like, the script *refuses* to let me feel it. It's just way too interesting!

Any one of these people feels like they could carry a show on their own, and with how this Sentai is making an effort to keep them apart, I suppose that's the whole point. Everyone has their own lives, and their own problems, and it'll be more interesting for them to come smashing together after establishing all that first. This show has a bright future ahead of it, and I can tell, because its present is already glowing. Inoue has a reputation for writing characters who act in very extreme ways, and that is proving to be a perfect match for the insanity of the world Donbrothers is portraying. You only need a brief couple scenes and a small handful of lines of dialogue to get a grasp on each character, because even the most minor actions are positively dripping with personality. Like, I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved Tarou abruptly pulling that closing door back open at the start. Mostly because if I start telling you about that, I might not get to how much I loved the way he plays rock paper scissors. Or all the other little touches that made all the other characters stand out so delightfully.

Plus, the writing has so much going on, that there's also a very solid monster of the week plot in here with a solid moral about not getting caught up in vanity and all that. Yes, one of the other things that was great about Tarou here was how he never hesitated to tell Sanae she looks like exactly the age she is. It's a plot that further cements the whole "can't tell a lie" character trait established last time, and it's good for that, but there's something I love about how this episode goes on to frame it. He's just kind of above flattery, and that's kind of cool? The sheer innocence with which he speaks the truth. Even when Sanae looks younger, it doesn't change his response, because he sees right through that for what she is. Sanae is a 68 year old woman, and Tarou doesn't see anything wrong with that.

It's a super nice story with an uplifting ending, and when the episode got to that ending, it was all the better because of how stylishly Donbrothers is put together. I absolutely adore how the ending theme this year is being used like a punctuation mark on the end of every episode. I thought for a second it might only be a thing for the premiere, so I'm glad to be wrong about that. Doing it this way is super slick, and also means the episodes get that extra minute to tie things up more thoroughly, which seems like a very, very good thing to have when Inoue is going this crazy with how much happens in a given episode.

I mean, man, I haven't even touched on the action or anything in this whole post yet. It's fun! Kiji Brother and Inu Brother look bad, I know, but I still swear that's part of the charm. This is a series where anything can happen. Don Momotaro even gets a stock footage version of his festival routine, just so they can have that be a thing whenever they want, which is awesome. If a cartoon dog fights evil in live-action, I just don't see why it matters how high quality the computer effects are at that point? Is believability really what we're looking for here? It's an idea that's new and crazy, regardless of how it turns out, and it's definitely feeling like that mentality is the raw essence of Donbrothers as a series.

I have a better understanding of how Avatar Changes work now, thanks to Kijibrother becoming Ryusoul Pink. While Takada portrays Kijibrother whenever he's not being CGI, there's also a suit actress for most of his Avatar Changes, hence the skirt. Which means, just like suddenly having bird legs, the Avatar Changes grant not just the suit, but also the physical proportions and traits of the character inside that suit, similar to Jumanji or Free Guy. So hypothetically, Kijibrother could've used Asuna's super strength in addition to the suit's powers. This makes so much more sense than Gokaiger and fits with the video game motif.

We also see that the Avatarou Gears have multiple copies, with Inubrother and Kijibrother using Ryusoulger simultaneously. Looks like Kaito might even be supplying them. What's weird though is that Kishiryuking dropped a regular Gear, but Resshaking dropped an Avatarou Gear. However, Kaito is shown with the Avatarou versions of both Gears at the end of this episode. This seems inconsistent, but maybe there's something we're not seeing yet.

Saruhara and Inuzuka are introduced in this episode, but they fulfill the same purpose that Kijino did previously, to make the world seem larger but saving their stories for later.

This episode shows what Kijino's life is like, which is both good in that he's happily married and bad in that his boss at work is mean and doesn't give him the respect he deserves. I think Kijino is a really easy guy to like. He seems to view being a superhero as more of an opportunity than a curse, as he uses that same power to protect his wife Miho. This makes him better adjusted for the task of saving people, as he does it here without needing a pair of magic pink glasses to prompt him in to action. When Kijino tries to dismiss the disappearance of the truck that was about to them as a miracle, Miho corrects him that it was the power of love. She didn't see what happened, but she's totally correct. Kijino saved his loved one with his own power. That's what gets him through his oppressive workplace, cause he gets to come back home to her everyday. And now I remember that Inoue is writing this and like, duh, of course it's a great scene. He's great at writing romance stuff.

There's also a story about the futility of fighting something beyond your control. Even if Kito hides her identity (poorly), it doesn't change that her reputation is damaged. Even if Tarou's boss Sanae makes herself look younger by sapping people's life energy, it doesn't change how old she is on the inside. They need to confront their realities honestly, not deny them. That's the only way to move forward. Eventually, you have to do something.

I was a little worried at first, about how making the mecha fights CGI every week would work. But this one reminded me a lot of the train fights from a certain other peach hero show, which I enjoyed. It's a cool idea, to give each MOTW their own style to match the Sentai power they're borrowing. However, I would like to see some different mecha debut soon, as I don't think Don Zenkai Oh can continue to carry the fights on its own and I want the other Rangers to get a part of the action. I mean real mecha, not whatever that Don Momotarou Alter thing is supposed to be. Its whole gimmick is being small and fighting unpredictably, which is useful, but it hasn't done anything that makes it seem like a necessary addition to his powers.

Donbrothers continues to be a fresh and enjoyable show and this episode was even better than the first!

I honestly wish this episode focused a little more on Kijino. His plot of being a normal guy in a fantastic world is one that I really want to see more of. Kinda wish we could've spent more of this episode about him rather than Tarou's inability to lie and establishing the monster's motives.

Oh well. That aside, I do enjoy experiencing things from Haruka's point of view, and the sheer confusion that translates from her to us.

Speaking of confusion. The fuck is going on?

Oof, feel like I've got the beginning of a headache after that episode. Even more than the first episode it felt like trying to follow the plot of a dream. I'll give it a few more episodes, but I think 22 Inoue's mind might be too powerful for me to handle. Not saying it's bad, far from it in fact. This seems to be building to something really interesting. I just might need to watch it from the sidelines

Time for Donbrothers Ep 2! Let's get this party started!

-We get to met our other two Donbrothers, albeit briefly! An intelligent and eccentric traveling poet, and a runaway fugitive.....Man, this cast is downright strange, isn't it? If I didn't know who Donbros's writer was, I feel like I wouldve immediately recongized it being Inoue after Shinichi's scene, he really feels like a character written by him, yknow?

-We get more on Tsuyoshi! His life......sucks, not really a better way to describe it. But not everything is awful for him, as he's recently married! It's sweet, yknow, the connections we create making even the seemingly dullest life shine. I remember alot of ppl wondering if there was going to be somekind of twist with his wife, like he's utterly devoted to a woman who hates him, so presently surprised that they are very much in love and are very cute!

-Haruka!!!!! God, working customer service sucks ass, but it must be a 100x worse being someone people recognize (for all the wrong reasons!). Do love her psyching herself up to fight by reminding herself she's an author of a hero manga lol. Her standing up to Sonoi, however brief it was, was also great, can't wait for the day she can properly beat his ass!


-Taro! He's involved with the MOTW,(which is themed after my beloved ToQgers) with his honesty sending his boss on a youth-seeking rampage. Once again, I'm wondering if his "cannot lie" trait just a fun personality quirk or a hint at something deeper. Either way, Taro's words at the end are very sweet.

-........Don Momotaro is really strong, isn't he. Like he was fighting both of the BrainPerson guys and the ToQger monster at once, no trouble at all?! Dude didn't even need Zenkaiser Black's help in summoning the mech! It makes you wonder why Jin's so sure he needs allies, dude seems pretty good at doing his job by himself?


-Another goregous mech fight, with the monster taking the form of a Kuraliner! (Man I miss ToQger's train fights so much. I should go rewatch some of it again) The Alter.......very strange, but like, in a fun way? DonMomo falling limp to the ground made laugh a good bit too.

- A sort of status quo has been established? Instead of focusing on the 5 as a whole, it seems we'll be jumping in and out the daily lives of our main 5, each with their own stories/side characters. These events will definitely mix and bleed into each other, but it'll be awhile before the 5 will learn of each others' identities as the other Donbrothers.

I honestly love that setup? I do love the "we're a team! we're having wacky slice of life adventures together when we're not fighting!" Sentai's got, but like...I've only seen a few Sentai, but a weakness I see with this format is that some characters definitely feel like exist to fill out the structure of the team, and can't stand on their own as individual characters? (Have a bunch of silly reckless idiots on your team? You'll definitely need a Team Mom to rein them in! Feel like things are too buddy-buddy around here? Throw an Aloof Loner in here for flavor!, etc etc etc) With this setup, Donbros can hopefully avoid this pitfall, since everyone's the protagonist of their own little side story!

Overall, good episode! Just gave more questions than answers, but it's all so fun and exciting that I don't really mind!

Wow this show is really good!

It definitely has a lot going on but I'm already seeing the setup of each character having something in their life to resolve and grow through. The voiceover storytelling is actually pretty novel and I found the best jokes to be the small ones.

I would not be surprised to find out that Inoue has very little to do with the mech fights outside of and now there's a fight here with the way scenes transition so abruptly into and out of them.

The combination of the Momotaro folk story and futuristic game-world is intriguing. In the folk story, Momotaro is exceedingly strong (this is referenced to Den-O's Momotaros referring to himself as overpowered) and only fallible because of his child-like demeanor (shown here as his truth telling and somewhat reckless fighting). It's very similar to Sun Wukong from Journey to the West.

While I liked Zenkaiger as an anniversary series, I'm honestly thankful to be back with human characters.

Yeah, honestly - this show is really good so far? Like - I'm happy something like this can exist nowadays? I very much enjoy watching it, it's so off the rails and fun, but not stupid. It's not what you would expect, yet also what you always loved.

Its like - a festival?!

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I'll admit to Kiji and Inu following the "It's so bad, that it's good!" logic with regards to the CGI, but the issue with Sanae was easily avoidable and shows issues with compulsive honesty cause if you're legitimately too honest, you might end up causing more problems. Granted, there is something to be said about seeing through the illusion and realizing that she's still 68 and that she shouldn't place too much stock in looks, but by constantly saying the same answer with no variation or encouraging words, Tarou was ultimately facilitating Sanae's actions as Resshaki cause every mention of "68" sent her into an even deeper spiral. To be fair, Tarou might not have known that she was going to become Resshaki and even solved matters towards the end by defeating ResshaKing and giving encouraging words to Sanae, but the horrors of the battle could've been mitigated at the least by flexing the response to the age question in the first place!

Going even further with the battle, what's the point of even absorbing people? Resshaki is a train, and trains need people inside? Sanae's distorted mindset believes that other people will make her younger?

I do believe that the various parts are starting to reach more cohesion, though it still suffers from repetitiveness. How can a series have this many cliches in only two episodes!?

Don ZenkaiOh is starting to overstay its welcome. I accept the design, but I'm not seeing any real differences in the battles and they aren't really giving me anything different. Tarou knowing about Zyuran and not questioning his sudden appearances at this stage is fine cause they clearly aren't going to address that quickly if at all.

Also, came across something I'd like some clarification on. The idea that many of the recurring villains are based on Toei Heroes from the '70s: Chojin Barom One (Sonoi), Seigi no Shinboru Condorman (Sononi), The Kagestar (Sonoza).

Resshaki isn't any old train, it's a steam locomotive! They need to burn combustible materials in order to create the steam that powers the train. In this case, she's using young women as her combustible material to further her de-aging. Pretty simple stuff.

Really? Besides, the only thing that came back from last week was Haruka's hunt for Taro, and even then it dragged in a new character (Sonoza) and gave us more clues about Jin (he seemingly knows where Taro's going to be......before he gets there?). Maybe by Ep 8 or so, I'll grow weary of the "narrowly missed meeting Taro" gag, but for now it's still pretty fun to me.

I believe it's a simple reference to how the villains from ToQger were always trying to kidnap people to steal their life/emotions/etc.

From a cursory glance I kinda see it, the helmets for the Donbrothers three definitely use design aspects from the 70's ones.

So, first of all, I love how the show cheats with Inu and Kiji by shoving the helmets right up into the camera so they don't have to render the CGI models. It's completely unsubtle but charming.

I wasn't really worried that this episode would be less weird, but I'm still relieved to see that it's par for the course. I assume that Haruka will, eventually, realize who Momoi is and stop pledging allegiance to literally every other character, but I'm willing to let the show run with this bit for as long as it can. I like that we're slowly assembling the rest of the cast, it's a nice way to give everyone a chance to develop on their own instead of trying to juggle them all at once.

I know we'll never get it, but I would love to spend an episode going into the lives of Momoi's entrance crew. What do they do in their down time? How did they get this job? How many of them are liberal arts majors who couldn't find any other work?

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I love how unhappy so many of these characters are.

Not, like, sad, but unhappy. As a base state. (Sorry, I watched some Fourze stuff earlier tonight.) A lot of shows will have characters that are melodramatically sad, or despondent over a recent development. That's drama, and it's fairly typical. What Inoue does, that I find interesting, is conceive of a character -- and a world -- that starts at Unfulfilled. It's not some bizarre alteration to the natural order of things, or some prelude event which altered the trajectory of human behavior. It's just, like, the world sucks, and it's normal to be sort of bummed out while still going about your day.

If there's a secret sauce to this show's addictiveness, I think that's it. It's easy to look to the bonkers set pieces (THAT FINISHING MOVE) or the recurring gags (I want Haruka to beg for help from every new villain, forever) as what's made this show so watchable, but I think that's the less important part. High-energy is easy, honestly? In tokusatsu? It's easy to shout and yell and have your attractive cast flail their arms.

But it only works long-term if you're invested in the characters, and that only happens if they seem real. Real people are sad a lot, man. They exist in a world that's indifferent to their struggle, and the only hope they have is create a little space to be themselves, along with people of similar interests. (Hello, TokuNation.) Letting Haruka be disappointed in her inexplicable fall from grace, or having Kiji rely on the one good thing in his life so he can weather the relentless shitstorm of his working life, that all feels like real people to me.

And it's a show about real people, all the way through. It's about how the world doesn't care about us, so we better care about each other. It's about how easy it is to miss what we have in favor of what we don't. It's about being honest with ourselves, and with each other, so we can find some help to get through our days. To find some weird joy.

It's an Inoue specialty, that mix of omnipresent unhappiness and hidden, almost stolen happiness. The hours of hardship, to make the minutes of delight that much sweeter.

Good episode.

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Ah! Die's choice of photos reminded me that I forgot to talk about AR Kaito this week, since we got a bit more of him and all.

Ever since the press-conference, I was wondering what kind of angle Inoue would take with this character, to differentiate him from regular Kaito. And the keyword here is.....! Languid, almost to a degree that feels wholly indifferent about everything? Like someone who has accepted the way things are, and doesn't struggle against it. I think its a really nice contrast that doesn't have to dip into "oooooo he's evil now or whatever!" to feel interesting. It also makes for a fun foil to Haruka, our girl on a mission wants to get out of her dreary situation ASAP. Excited to get any future moments at Donbura with these two.

(........Also rude to pull the "full-power non-stop, what're you saying?" bit in Episode 2 of all things, I'm still grappling with the fact that there's not a Zenkaiger episode at the end of week to look forward to! /j)

I literally did not even know this dude starred in last year's Sentai until the very last scene of this episode. Thought it was just some guy!

Bit of a funfact: not only is Kaito from last year, the entire cafe set is a slightly remodeled set from last year too! The sundae Haruka gave to the customer is also a reused prop from last year! Knowing Inoue, it's all stuff that probably(?) doesn't matter right now, but it's really fun to point it out when you realize it.

(Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger is a gift from the heavens, go watch it sometime if you like full-power non-stop silliness lol)

i'm sorry

i only like sentai shows about unhappy people who are struggling against an indifferent universe

they need to be at least this dysfunctional for me to ride

For a normal person, perhaps, but apparently Tarou just can't tell a lie, even a white lie. I can see it his way though, that lying about how old someone looks to flatter them can have a harmful effect, as it enables them to continue to define their worth from something as superficial as their age, which is a condition that nobody except maybe Amatsu Gai can fight against. It's not healthy for someone on the cusp of late-life to still be stuck on their mid-life crisis. Sometimes, the truth hurts to hear, but some people need to hear it and I think the short term problem of Resshaki going on a rampage would have eventually become far worse if Tarou had (if he could have) allowed her to believe she was anything less than the 68 year-old he knew. If you lose yourself in the past, the future will escape you.

Have faith! Shinkenger spared an episode to appreciate their kuroko, after all. Considering how Tarou's thing is the value of bonds, no matter how small, I think it's possible that his entrance crew could get similar treatment, but focusing more on their individual talents than as a group. Don Momotarou is already a bad*ss on his own, but the spectacle that comes from the people parading him in to battle just makes it so much cooler and sells the idea that his fights are like a festival!