Kobayashi: What? I wrote a good number of episodes for an anime about robots running on huge AA batteries fighting aliens? No way, really? And one of the weapons was a sentient robot boar that doubled as a minigun? :lolol

My three years of junior high/high school French are finally paying off! In that I sort of can figure out what Enter's saying via context clues and my not-completely-scoured memory! C'est bon!

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 14 - “CA VA? RESCUE OPERATION”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters14a.png

After last episode’s quirky exploration of the individual relationships between the Busters and their Buddyroids, this one… mostly isn’t that. We pivot pretty quickly from a comedic goof-off into a tense and dramatic thriller, one that’s more about the brotherly protectiveness Ryuji and Hiromu feel towards Yoko, as well as Yoko’s strengths as a little sister.

Like, a ton of what made this one work for me was the rescue operation (like in the title!) that has Hiromu and Ryuji stealthily taking out the Bugglars, vaulting onto ledges, hiding out on doorframes, and eventually using a bit of Enter-adjacent subterfuge to fake out the Tubaroid enough to power-up Yoko. (Also, uh… first episode with no actual Enter appearances? I think?) It’s nominally about how the mission of rescuing a teammate overlaps with the need to protect a little sister, but the pure action of it all is so goddamn fun that I sort of don’t care a lot about what it’s trying to tell me about the characters. And I like what it’s telling me about the characters! I like that Ryuji gets very wistful about Yoko becoming her own woman! I like that Hiromu has grown enough as a person to at least recognize that he shit all over Yoko’s hard work, and now regrets it! But the rescue portion of the episode includes the Busters flinging a chocolate wafer directly into Yoko’s mouth, at which point she springs up like a Popeye cartoon to dropkick the Tubaroid, and you can’t create an emotional context that is cooler than that!

It all ends up being not just a rousing conclusion to last episode’s battle and this episode’s capture, but a very sweet look at Yoko’s unique sentimentality within the Buster trio. Fittingly, for the Buster who not only remembered Hiromu’s promise but also silently resented him for 13 years because of it, Yoko is the one Buster who cares enough about the Buddyroids to make them feel as human as the rest of the team. She gives them a birthday of their own, and then works hard to make the celebration matter. (As we all expected, Hiromu’s suggestion of Nick’s perfect day is both hilariously half-assed, and also maybe technically perfect? Unclear!) She’s the emotional component that helps make the six of them feel less like accidental co-workers and more like a family, which is a nice thing for this two-parter to eventually be about.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters14b.png

IT’S TIME FOR Beet Buster!

Buuuuuuut I imagine the thing most people took away from this episode is the debut of Beet Buster, yet another Sentai guy I vaguely remember from a random Taisen film. (The Ex-Aid one? For a scene?) He’s a beetle-themed Buster, and he and his Buddyroid partner definitely seem to have escaped from hyperspace. I imagine we’ll be learning a lot more about the two of them shortly, but on first glance I’m looking forward to their integration into the cast. Beet has a slightly flippant demeanor, which is unique for the team (Ryuji, but way less), and I like the wacky friction between him and his Buddyroid. I don’t love the helmet, if only because Beet Buster looks like about 15 different Kamen Riders, and that ain’t what I’m here for!

So yeah, I watched these two episodes on the same day the first time around, which is an unusual experience for me (I’m a “one episode a day” guy, with at least two exceptions a day). In all honestly, I can recall the two Tubaloids, but not how they dealt with the second one.

And we meet our Sixth Hero*, the term Toei uses for a new character in Sentai who a) is a new character to the cast introduced solely to be a new member, b) has their own transformation device and robot and c) has some kind of variation on the gimmick of the main team. And the one here is voiced by Hiroya Matsumoto, who I may have mentioned is Sentai’s answer to Kaido a couple of times (though in terms of appearances, he’s more proactive).

Next time… I’ve only ever watched these two episodes as an extra long director’s cut, so I’ll be sharing my thoughts once you get to 16.

*disclaimer: not necessarily the sixth character on the team. As the fact this one is the fourth indicates.

Tubaroid Ver 2 is defeated by Hiromu figuring out that its attacks were only effective because the previous Tubaroid's hits primed them. With replaced Morphin Braces (and Yoko, who was never affected), Tubaroid Ver 2's attacks were as weak as the first one's. After that, It's Time For Special Buster pretty much finishes him off.

The 2nd Megazord is defeated by CB-02 creating a counter-frequency to the Tuba attack, and then Go-BusterOh finishes it off.

It's a really good monster plot!

This particular bit of character development is probably my favorite thing in the episode, of course. But beyond that, this is just a well-placed two-part story all around, marking the clear end of a chapter with that extended length and a plot that makes room to emphasize just how much the dynamic of the heroes has been built up throughout that first quarter... just in time for two new guys to show up, naturally.

My second favorite thing in this episode is probably just that those new beetle-themed heroes make their debut up on a tree, which is brilliant. It's like if Ryuuji's first scene in the show was him eating a banana or something, gotta love it.

...Just like you gotta love the sweet beetle crest on Beet Buster's helmet. Even in Super Sentai, there's no such thing as too much beetle crest! :p

Please don't tell anyone I said this, but one of the things I don't like about it is that the beetle crest is maybe too subtle. I think the glasses sort of overpower it, and that feels wrong to me.

I cannot stress how excited I am for your next write up.

Now I sort of hope Beet Buster doesn't show up again until Mission 28 or whatever. No one but Commander saw them, so no one's going to ask why they aren't around...

Hiroya Matsumoto appearing as Jin was quite the surprise back in 2012. It wasn't anything new since the first official tsuika senshi of the series, Burai aka Dragonranger (The Tommy/MMPR Green Ranger counterpart of Zyuranger), did it first by having Shiro Izumi who played Yuma/Change Pegasus in the 1985 show Changeman play him, but nonetheless a pleasant surprise.

Hiroya Matsumoto formerly played Tsubasa Ozu/Magi Yellow in the 2005 show Magiranger, the fourth child of the Ozu family and aspiring boxer who wields the power of lightning (the Magirangers were the third team to be a whole team of siblings, the previous teams being 1990's Fiveman and 1999's GogoV).

This is great! I don't know who "Jin" is!

I am sorry. Please ignore..

It's fine! I am sure the context will be clear to me soon enough! And I appreciate the trivia!

No, I feel like a total ass and I'm sorry.

Please don't feel bad! I didn't know what you were talking about, so you haven't ruined anything for me! We're good!

Okay, I'm good. I thought my mind was playing tricks and thought I spoiled things for you. Sorry about that.

It's cool! I always love the enthusiasm and participation!

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 15 - “THE GOLDEN BUSTER AND THE SILVER BUDDY”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters15a.png

What a romp these two are. It’s Yuuto and Deneb from Den-O all over again, you know? We’re in a show that’s warm and goofy and occasionally maudlin, and then here comes this wacky double-act to show you how insane things can actually get within this dynamic. These two make our previous cast of uniquely surly superheroes and overly-protective robots seem like stock character types pulled from the shelf. Jin! J! What a goddamn treat!

It’s hard to talk about this episode in ways that aren’t just enjoying the comedic energy of every single Jin/J scene – J doesn’t know he isn’t the lead character! Jin swaggers like we didn’t all just see him childishly snap at J for talking over him! – but I will try. (One of my favorite gags in the episode is actually just about Jin, not even featuring him. As the team is trying to discern whether it’s the real Jin or a plot by Enter, Hiromu confidently declares it to be a fake Jin because he’s too goofy, to which Ryuji instantly goes No, That Part’s Correct.) There’s a lesson in here about perfection being boring, which is a subtle way of priming us for a Buster duo that is resolutely not the kind that’s going to slot into the hierarchy of our series to date, while also saying that it’s more fun when something has room to surprise you. Like Jin and J heisting the Enetron for themselves at the end of the episode! (I assume they’re actually using it to steal the Megazord that Messiah’s building, but we’ll likely find out for sure next time.)

Just the existence of Jin and J makes a huge impact on the rest of the cast, though, as it proves that the scientists who disappeared 13 years ago did survive in hyperspace… maybe including the Busters’ parents? It’s a step towards their goal, regardless of whatever Jin’s up to, and I appreciated that. As much as this episode is THE BEET BUSTER AND STAG BUSTER SHOW (Jin even declares this his show!!! Canonically!!!), there’s still plenty of movement on the core plotline of the series, which is a nice bonus. Ryuji’s looped in on this story through Jin, and the other Busters are looped in through Jin's backstory. It’s not just screwing around!

I mean, it’s mostly screwing around, and I’m not even a little bit mad about that. Jin and J are iconic, just on their first full appearance, and I get why they brought these dudes back in that Taisen scene I half-remember. Jin’s energy is boastful and oblivious, while J’s is theatrically serious and constantly off-center; they are the perfect buddy act. Sorry, Go-Busters! It’s Jin’s show now!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters15b.png

BOOST UP FOR Vacuumroid!

I loved this guy. He’s my favorite Metaroid to date, and he continues a very fun thread that started with Tubaroid last time: he’s just trying to do his job, you guys. Villains who view a run-in with the heroes as something more akin to having to take a phone call in the middle of typing a report… I think that’s the best. It’s the funniest way to approach a rote conflict, to mix it up occasionally with some bored clock-puncher of an evil robot. He’s just here to suck up Enetron, not fight a group of supersoldiers, so just let him wrap this up and he’ll be going. Best Metaroid! Elevated an already terrific episode into the stratosphere!

I haven't been commenting much because my memories of individual episodes is uhhhhhh a little hazy, but am dropping in to say that Jin and J even all this time later are some of my favourite rangers. The vibe they bring to the show, the energy they bounce off each other, and being gold/silver beetle bros, and being more than just the comedy duo. Love them. (Helps that their Power Rangers equivalents, Nate and Steel, are equally lovely but in a different way. You always win with these suits!)

I have my Beet Buster / Grid Battleforce Gold figure stood alone, because neither Figuarts nor Lightning Collection ever made it to the Silver guy. It's probably what Jin would say he wants, even if secretly he wants his buddy.

I cannot imagine having a Beet Buster figure without a Stag Buster figure standing slightly in front of him. Just feels wrong!

One of the things I most remember about the experience of watching Go-Busters originally was that it took me quite a bit of time to truly come around to liking Jin and J. I don't think I ever outright disliked them, mind you, but in 14 episodes, I had become so attached to the existing dynamics of the main cast that anybody coming in to shake that up just struck me as unnecessary at best. The sheer glee with which this one emphasizes how different things are with these guys around didn't help me at the time... but then, that's kind of exactly why it's such a strong episode, now isn't it?

I mean, the whole point of this anecdote is simply that this episode gave me pause to actively consider how invested I was in the series, not that it was making some misstep by choosing to characterize its additional heroes the way it did, because like, it *so* was not, and that only became clearer and clearer to me the longer they were around.

I can't tell you how much I love that this episode's moral is that making something ruthlessly efficient and reliable is maybe not necessarily better than taking a chance and making something original. This is a show that knows it could easily do Mission 13 and 14 for another eight months, but wouldn't you rather get out on this limb with them instead and see if it's more fun?

What a ludicrously confident production team. No wonder they created Jin!

It's a very Hell Brothers (Kickhopper and Punchhopper) or Revi and Vice kind of deal. You can't just have one of the two.

Yeah, like, this isn't a Yuuto/Deneb thing, where Deneb's only ever an additional suit for Zeronos -- J is the second half of the duo. I guess that's why Bandai never made either one in Figuarts?

The core 3 act like serious professional agents, even Yoko to a lesser extent, so the loud goofy duo of Jin and J dominate the stage with their physical comedy. A neat detail about their suits is how the torso design is mirrored. Asymmetry = Imperfection, so we can see how Jin puts his philosophy in to everything he designs and that despite his narcissism, he's willing to express his flaws in a visual way what can also be considered aesthetically appealing. Whereas J is humorously oblivious to his flaws and thinks of himself as the best thing ever. Yep, this is totally another winning human-Buddyroid partnership. You referred to Nick as "Accel Momotaros" before, but the latter part is actually much more fitting for J.

Fun Fact: This is the first episode of the show that I watched. I was suffering from some kind of Sentai fatigue since Gokaiger ended and the debut of Beetbuster and Stagbuster made me curious to see what Gobusters was about. So I have pretty fond memories of this 2-parter and I love that the Director's Cut gave me a new way to enjoy it the second time.

Fun Fact Part 2: I didn't even realize these guys were officially Sixths until the Twokai Unit from the Twokaizer VS Gokaiger special confirmed it. I mean, the team ratio is pretty weird, right? Jin and J are 2/5 of the whole team!

I remember the first thing Soujikiloid did was politely ask the resident to move from the area he's cleaning.

Personally, I prefer most of the Gobusters characters to their BM counterparts, except I prefer Shaw to Kurorin.

I think this Sixth Ranger Anxiety is something people can relate to, regardless of the season. The sudden appearance of a new main character brings chaos (literally Bun Violet's catchphrase) to the narrative and there's no certainty whether the new status quo will be better or worse than the old one. My first Sentai was Go-Onger and I remember being surprised how hostile the Wings were, but eventually they started to respect the Go-Ongers and now I love the style they brought to the show. In Gobusters' case, at least their name makes sense now. :p

Dude, no way! J is clearly Kintaros!

I'd say he's probably closest to Sieg minus the "retainers" bit.

Either way, he's the series MPV in my opinion and I'm so happy that you're up to his debut.

I really enjoyed the first part, but I can tell I've barely scratched the surface of this dynamic and ridiculous partnership. On to Mission 16!

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 16 - “THE MAN FROM HYPERSPACE”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/sen...busters16a.png

Jin’s got a point, which is a fun way to tell his story. He’s theatrically abrasive and prone to bouts of grandiose nonsense, which rightfully rankles the dedicated and hard-working Go-Busters. But he’s also a guy who got kidnapped to hyperspace for 13 years due to someone else’s sacrifice, and his only prayer of extracting himself from that prison for good is a group of weird kids (and one weird adult) that treat him like he just morphed into Exposition Buster. It’s not great! It’s not a super great scenario for Jin!

But he’s a hero, because he’s still going to play the terrible hand the universe dealt him. (Imagine extricating yourself from hyperspace and having to pin your hopes to Hiromu. Dude does not make a great first impression! Or a rousing second impression! Third through six impressions are nothing to write home about, either!) He’s very much Not Here To Make Friends as an archetype, but he recognizes that only all five Busters together can put an end to the Vagras, so that’s what he’ll do.

Beyond the continuing delightful insanity of J and Jin (just… the whole J interrogation scene!!!) (!!!!!!!!!!), the heart of this episode is the ambivalence of the main Busters to finding out what Jin knows about the fate of their parents. While they’re hoping for good news, they’re terrified to possibly learn that there’s nothing left to rescue. After an episode of dodging the question, we get an answer in the end, and that answer is… maybe? Jin wasn’t with the main group, and he never saw anyone in the past 13 years… but maybe they’re still alive? It’s an answer that’d feel like a cop-out on nearly any other show, but for some reason it just worked for me here. It’s them all believing in the best outcome, and continuing to work as though it’s confirmed. It’s choosing optimism over pessimism, as an organizing principle for large-scale heroics. The Go-Busters keep working, as long as there’s a chance. Hard to be unhappy with a solution as charming as that, you know?

BOOST UP FOR J!

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THIS GUY! Everything about him in this episode is like a cartoon character, but in the best way possible. Jin apparently just leaves him to wander the city hungry? J doesn’t know anything outside of facts about himself, because he’s a proud egotist? He pops out of a metal cabinet like he teleported there? He’s a consistently hilarious presence that somehow renders Jin’s flamboyant aggravation into something passing for normal human behavior; J’s single-minded idiocy makes Jin’s outrageous demeanor feel grounded by comparison. It’s a stellar episode for the Super Buddyroid!

THAT'S MY DUDE. :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock: :rock:
:lolol
If they ever decide to English dub this I want Dan Castellaneta to voice J in a very robotic Homer Simpson voice. :lolol
I don't care how expensive he is to hire. :lolol

Tree juice! The juice from a tree! Like a beetle drinks!

A balanced meal in the Go-Busters universe: Meat, bananas, lettuce, and tree sap.

That is quite the extreme keto diet if there ever was one. *Scratches head*

So I said that I’d give my two cents only when you’d done 15 and 16…

Regarding the two new guys… I wasn’t exactly sure what to think. In a show where I was struggling to find anyone likeable on the side of good, the new guys being assholes wasn’t the easiest sell. But after a while, I turned around to considering Jin and J the second and third best characters in the show, mostly due to their fairly unique “bickering roommates” dynamic standing out compared to the other three partnerships.

And I haven’t talked much about the toys here, so here’s a discussion in the form of our new weapon for the two 6th Rangers, the Drivlade.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uaakdui5...megGIT_uqNZlb4

I’ll mention that the two new guys’ toys were both voice activated, a feature Bandai rarely uses because the microphone in the toy has issues picking up sound (either that, or they’re not great sellers regardless). But with this, there is a bit more functionality with the finisher sounds and the vehicle launching sounds, which are the closest the VA comes to managing emotion while speaking English. The latter I’m calling attention to because Go-Busters is the one post-Dekaranger Sentai with no way to summon the mechs using the main Morpher (which is an odd choice for a throwback in a show all about advanced technology, to say the least).

Next time, I’ll continue this Ted talk by discussing the new guys” mechs.

I thought their steering wheel swords were neat, but I think I mostly just liked the visual of them bending and folding their swords as they slowly docked inside their Buster Machines. It felt real Voltron to me, you know?

Jin: "I didn't ask to be sacrificed!"

also Jin: (sacrifices himself to missiles)

Sounds about right. So even Jin couldn't completely return from Hyperspace, since transporting biomass is problematic for anybody who hasn't received the Gobuster program. This means Hiromu's deduction about him being a fake was technically correct, as the 27 year-old Jin we know is a hardlight projection from J's marker system, not the real Jin in Hyperspace. However, it's proof that he's alive, a miracle that gives hope for the lives of Gobusters' families.

The scene at the end with Hiromu's Christmas music box playing is especially memorable for me and probably the most melancholic version of Jingle Bells you'll hear. It's a memory of despair, but like the song itself, it's also a symbol of hope and the promise made 13 years ago, that renews Hiromu's drive to keep fighting until he can bring his parents home.

He acts drunk when he demands Enertron but sobers when he gets it. His full name is Beet Jueki Stag, as the Buddyroid for both Beetbuster and Stagbuster. I love this eccentric guy for sure. He wouldn't know much considering how he's lived in Hyperspace his whole life, but also he's a proud egotist, yeah, so he already knows everything important to him anyway.

I'm sure there's a way to make that meal work. Maybe as pancake topping? I'd eat it.

Ha ha, sure, but I think Jin's point about Hiromu's dad deciding the best course of action for everyone is maybe something you'd feel a little conflicted about after spending 13 years trapped in hyperspace with only J for company. I think it's less about the actual sacrifice -- Jin's fine throwing himself at missiles (even though that's merely a brief inconvenience, not a demise), and he probably recognizes the necessity of stopping Messiah 13 years ago -- and more that Jin didn't have a say in the matter. Jin thinks a lot of himself, after all!

One of the many reasons that, in spite of my aforementioned reluctance to accept them, Jin and J were smart additions to the show, is that Jin in particular tends to bounce off the existing cast in interesting ways. Him and Hiromu are a particularly fun pairing for me because it's like the most water and oil possible combination of two people in this show? Hiromu is generally serious to a fault, with his major shtick being how blunt and direct he is in a conversation, and then you've got Jin showing up, generally being a complete goofball who frequently talks in such a roundabout manner his actual meaning might as well be subtext. Just about the only personality trait they really share is a high opinion of themselves, which is itself the least helpful common ground possible. It's great. Love how Jin deliberately (and easily) riles up Hiromu in this one.

Oh, and since it's clear how Jin and J came from hyperspace now, I'll throw in a mention of a touch I love about Beet and Stag Buster's transformations, which is how J is always shown basically Casting Off his parts Kabuto style to become Jin's suit, further emphasizing how J is that all-important marker, the same way as him calling in their Buster Machines.

It's a subtle enough visual that I actually completely failed to clock the significance for a good while watching the show originally, so when I finally noticed it, it felt like that much more impressive a touch as a result.

I did not notice that! Thanks for the heads-up!

TOKUMEI SENTAI GO-BUSTERS MISSION 17 - “AND THEY CALLED IT GO-BUSTER BEET!”

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Am I nuts, or did they not debut the Beet and J Buster Machines last episode? In a fairly low-key battle sequence? The entire back half of this episode is devoted to BC-04 and SJ-05, to a degree that felt a little like previous episodes had put the cart in front of the horse by using the vehicles in a more rushed and unimpressive fashion. (Even this episode, they’re just siphoning Enetron with their Buster Machines like it’s their raison d'?tre!) Everything about their appearance and usage here is BIGGER and more captivating, but it feels like someone getting a grand entrance after they’ve been here for a while.

I don’t know that I cared a lot about it? There’s some real interesting stuff this episode is doing with its narrative, but a lot of the second half of this one for me felt like a toy commercial. It’s fun to watch, but it wasn’t what landed most with me this time out.

The meat of this one for me is the continued storyline of Jin trying to turn the Busters into a team that can actually win against Messiah. With someone like Hiromu, that’s fairly easy to accomplish: just kick his ass hard enough, and he’ll turn that defeat into fuel for the most fiery success you’ve ever seen. With Ryuji, it’s a little tougher. Ryuji’s already level-headed, intensely dedicated, highly-trained, and generally aware of his shortcomings enough to be able to compensate for them in battle. (Give or take a few overheated rampages that almost kill his teammates.) The improvement for Ryuji doesn’t lie within his skills or his focus, it lies within his motivation.

Ryuji never wanted to be here, which is firmly established by now. He’s putting in the time because he knows what’ll happen to the world if he doesn’t, and because he knows how hard Hiromu and Yoko are fighting to save their families. He cares for his siblings, and he'd do anything to keep them safe and happy. But Ryuji’s story isn't the tragic losses his siblings felt, it's just Wrong Place Wrong Time, telescoped out 13 years. His skin in the game is his feelings for other people, and guilt, and obligation, and a half-dozen other feelings that aren’t strong enough to prevent an interdimensional apocalypse or rout the Vagras once and for all. Jin immediately identifies Ryuji’s problem as being one of helpfulness, rather than hopefulness. Ryuji has to want something for himself in this fight, or he’ll only hold back the rest of the team, who all have strong reasons to fight.

I like that it just ends up being Ryuji fighting for a future where he’ll be free to pursue his dream of being an engineer. It’s not a massive If Fighting Is A Sin-style proclamation, but it’s refreshingly direct and previously established. Ryuji put his life on hold 13 years ago, just like Jin had to, and Jin recognizes a guy who wants that life back someday. Doing a story where Jin once again has to give Ryuji what sounds like a horrible lesson (Jin is basically saying that Ryuji’s selflessness is worth less than Hiromu and Yoko’s selfishness) that turns out to be a way for Ryuji to look past his politeness to find a deeper strength? That’s some excellent Go-Busters storytelling.

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IT’S TIME FOR Kurorin!

Of all the little aggravations that Jin and Juice (I love that, best pun, no idea if it's on purpose) introduce into the military precision of the Go-Busters organization, my favorite this time out was how Jin and the Commander have a history, and Jin will never ever ever let anyone within earshot forget it. It’s a consistently funny joke, Jin boisterously chatting with that kid from work, Kurorin, and then cutting back to Commander’s pained and embarrassed expression. Always cracked me up.

So here we are, at the debut of our 6th Ranger mech, Buster Heracles. I forgot what I was going to say, and I’m contractually bound by the spoiler clause not to share any videos of the toy, so I’ll just mention that I saw the Hasbro version of BC-04 (or as it was renamed, the Beast-X Wrecker Zord) for a while after Beast Morpheus ran its course.

Also, our Metaloid and accompanying Megazord is based on a fork. I like the design, but the motif is fairly lame and this is where I noticed the repetitive “steal energy” plots I complained about a while back, so there’s some points against it.