Considering my aforementioned record of being hesitant to accept any sort of new regular presence in this show, I'd imagine having a plot that plays out that exact sort of jealousy through three of those characters who have been around from the start was a nicely relatable way to ease me into accepting Tategami Li-Oh in a similar fashion.

I have to imagine it, though, because it's not like I remember thinking of the episode consciously on that level or anything. With an elevator pitch like "the Buddyroids go on strike; hijinks ensue", it's an episode that's so fun I doubt I even spent a second worrying about Li-Oh to begin with. It's another one where the base ideas are so strong it's almost like it'd take more effort to mess it up? It inherently reinforces the continued importance of the existing cast while also doing its job of shilling the hot new thing, and you even get that classic power-up form tension of taking away Powered Custom until a suitably dramatic moment, emphasizing the slightly older new toys in the process.

And really, with how funny the raw visual of the Buddyroids with all their sashes and banners is by itself, all of the rest almost feels like a bonus.

Yeah, it's... I think it's an episode that I'm enjoying more as I remember it? The turn in the story where Nick's like Li-Oh Needs Friends, I was sort of bristling against the shift away from the hilarious hijinks and boorish Busters in favor of, uh, paying more attention to the new toy. But I like that Li-Oh is the sort of third point in this story's triangle, and the tug of war over him is something that Nick nicely keys in on. (Nick is always the more empathetic and team-oriented Buddyroid!) It wasn't my favorite thing yesterday, but I think I like it better now.

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 37 - “BRIDE IN WHITE, BLIGHT IN BLACK”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters37a.png

So, I’m watching this episode, and I thought I sort of got what they’re doing with the two stories. They’re contrasting Escape’s devotion to her father, Messiah, with Yoko’s crush on her old teacher. (Not old old; much like Hiromu’s old teacher, this guy looks maybe five years older than her.) But then I discount that, because there’s no way they’re going to try and draw a parallel between the devotion a child has to a parent, with the romantic love that a woman might have for a man.

Except, uh, that’s exactly what they land on?

It’s one of my least favorite toku tropes, having a bunch of male characters suddenly try to Protect The Virtue of a younger female character, but I can sort of roll with it as long as the episode makes the joke more on the overprotective dudes than on the young girl. Which this episode manages for most of the run! …Right up until the end of the episode, which seems to draw a direct connection between One True Love and a daughter’s love for her papa. It’s gross? I can sort of see what they’re trying to say – love is infuriating and bottomless and it’s more than just thinking someone’s neat – but a) Yoko already understood that, because she always seem to view her old crush with the proper distance and perspective, and b) it’s incredibly weird to have Yoko conflate Escape’s devotion to Messiah with the romantic love that she has yet to feel in her young life. That’s super duper weird!

I genuinely don’t know why the production team thought it would be cool to conflate the love of a daughter with romantic love just in general. (I feel like this is all a lot cleaner if the Metaroid goes after families instead?) It’s such a strange unforced error, where multiple other possibilities for this episode could feel less gross. And I was so proud of this episode for so long! Yoko is never embarrassed by her old crush, because she sees it for the childish infatuation that it was! We didn’t have to watch her be a cartoonish flirt with a grown man! She’s good! And then the show is like These Two Types Of Love Are Similar In That They’re Both Love, and I wanted to scream at them about apples and oranges! These are two different metaphors and you cannot give them an equivalent value at the end without making me insane!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters37b.png

IT’S TIME FOR Dads!

Speaking of insane! As much as I was grossed out by the end of this episode, I genuinely loved Commander, Ryuji and Usada doing a My Three Dads thing and treating Hasegawa like a predator. I love these three suddenly going OUR LITTLE GIRL at Yoko throughout the episode, mostly because it’s always 100% clear that they’re all being ridiculous. (Hiromu has no time for Ryuji for pretty much the whole episode.) It’s a great gag, even as it sadly makes the end of the episode even creepier.

In case anyone missed it, Mr. Hasegawa was portrayed by Mr. Utopia Dopant himself, Teyu Gong.

And there is indeed a significant age gap between him and the actress playing Yoko. 12 years in fact. Though given what I?ve seen about Japanese values regarding relationships (specifically, age gaps between consenting people of legal age are actually encouraged, since an older partner is better able to protect their spouse), I?d argue the guys? reaction to the teacher is less protectiveness and more jealousy (Ryuji?s been with Yoko all her life, and it has been established that Hiromu and Jin knew her as a toddler) mixed wih fear of the baby of their bunch growing up.

As for the rest of the episode, we finally get some of the evolution the Messiah Cards were advertising, with the Metaloid of the week being the first female (at least, until she turns into Messiah) and Escape is able to use it to transform into a robot monster form, presumably done irl because they realised there was only so much the human actress could pull off, training or no, before suspension of disbelief got stretched too far. Plus it gives her a more elaborate fight than the one from last episode.

I skimmed back through this one a little bit, and noticed something that, as a well-established Kuuga fan, I can't help but call out, which is that this episode is directed by Katsuya Watanabe, and has a scene where Enter and Escape are framed on either side of sparks pouring down from the ceiling to highlight the intensity of the confrontation, which is pretty much directly out of episode 37 of Kuuga, also directed by Watanabe, which pulled much the same trick for a confrontation between Ichijou and Baruba at its end.

I mean, man, I loved Go-Busters already, so imagine how happy it makes me to now think there's a sly Kuuga homage in there on top of everything else. :p

I knew he looked familiar, but I didn't know from where, so thanks! It was only six months ago I was watching this guy in W, and I've already forgotten him. Sheesh!

Oh god, I hope you're wrong! I would much rather it just be them acting like her dad!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/kuuga/faceoff1.png

Ha ha, I was thinking about this scene as well during Mission 37 (iconic), but I didn't know it was the same director. Thanks so much for the info!

Now that I think about it, Jin joking about Ryuji's weakpoint killing him in Episode 21 might've been this, since he later revealed to Yoko that his own weakpoint is actually killing the real Jin. That joke was the catalyst for the whole Ryuji plot, so it's not like Jin's foreshadowing goofiness hasn't caused problems before. It's easier to joke about dark topics when you're not the subject of the joke, after all.

I can see a case for both of these arguments. Japanese culture does leave some nuance to relationships. Even though I also see Ryuji as a caring big bro to Yoko, adoptive/non-blood siblings can sometimes develop romantic feelings, like Kusaka did for Mari. Personally, I'd prefer Ryuji to stay as Yoko's big bro, Usada as her father, J as her uncle and Kurorin.... Wait, didn't he say Gobusters were just weapons to him in Episode 4? What's up with this guy getting all sentimental now?

For me, it was the Go-Onger nostalgia of seeing the place where they fought Shoukyaku Banki in the first episode!

Oh, and speaking of connections to Kamen Rider shows, I also find this episode's plot really amusing in retrospect, given that Ryuuji later ended up getting the last laugh when he became a Humagear and set Yoko up with her ideal spouse in Zero-One. :p

I mean, I'd assume that it's harder for him to keep Yoko at the same distance as Hiromu or Ryuji, mostly because he was helping to raise her? He indicates in this episode that he was a point of contact with her school -- meaning she actually got socialized outside of Usada and EMC technicians, phew -- which is a real guardian/parent role. I guess he feels a kind of protectiveness for his weapons? It's not unheard of!

I feel like I'll have to rewatch bits of Zi-O and Zero-One after this show's done for me. Thanks for the reminder!