Thanks!

I'm someone who typically vouches for the inherent silliness that comes with toku.

I've noticed in recent times that something used to be an issue exclusive to the Power Rangers fandom has spread to other Tokusatsu circles as well.

Essentially, the notion that toku should be made only with the adult audience in mind, and that any notion of childishness or comedy should be thrown out, lest the show in question be seen as garbage.

But more often than not, I've found that the more outlandish elements of the given toku show are actually its more fun and memorable bits, and Changerion here is certainly no exception to that rule. In short, Changerion is at its best when it's stupid.

So if you were at all expecting another bout of fun insanity due to the title of the episode, well, sorry to say but you're very much mistaken! This is instead an episode that takes it itself 90% seriously and as such ends up a very boring a frustrating slog to sit through. For real, this was the most I've disliked a Changerion episode in a long while.

The majority of it has to do with a romance I haven't felt more disdain for since Yomogi and Yume in Dynazenon. It's Gauzer and Eri again, and you can argue "love makes people do stupid things" all you want, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the very basis of the romance makes no sense to begin with, ontop of how it's just incredibly uninteresting to watch play out, especially with how it reduces two otherwise enjoyable characters to nothing but lust.

Is that to say that the entire episode is bad? No. I had a couple good laughs at points. But as the whole this episode was just unpleasant to me. Where I drew the line was when a scene is framed in a way suggesting the viewer is meant to sympathize with Gauzer, basically saying: "Gauzer might be an interdimensional evil out to subjugate and consume human life, but Eri hurt his feelings, and that's just as bad if not worse." You have no idea how tempted I was to just stop the episode right then and there.

And to cap off the crap, turns out this is the first part of a multi-parter, so it's not even like I get to escape any of this yet. Frikken wonderful.

A promising part 2 to this multi-parter.

Sure, the Eri and Gauzer romance is still in full swing, but the direction it went here, as well as it only being about half the episode, helped alot.

What will probably surprise no one is that the other half of the plot, detailing how the friendship between Hayami and Akira has grown over time was alot more appealing to me.

Yeah, there's the immediate, very obvious details about how while Hayami does still hold a bit of a grudge, he's doing his best to not let it get in the way of things and is for all intents and purposes past it, but other side of that is how Akira has really warmed to and grown to respect Hayami over time.

The friendship keychain might've been a spur of the moment dumb joke that Akira made, but the friendship between the two is genuine. If there's one thing that I can surprisingly always give Inoue credit for, it's that he always makes sure to have scenes where the characters who are supposed to be chummy with eachother are just out together doing mundane things.

Here in Changerion it's Akira and Hayami playing golf. In Kamen Rider Ghost it was the cast singing karaoke together. And of course, across all of his works is the various scenes of people eating together. It's these sorts of scenes that help to really sell the idea of people creating bonds, and the lack of them is a big reason why I had my doubts when it came to the supposed friendships of shows like Kamen Rider Build.

As for the the romance going on in the other half of the episode, while I am a bit cautious on how this is all gonna play out, I did like the idea presented here that Eri and Gauzer's' attraction is based almost entirely on lust, and that such an attraction really is only skin deep, with the two really having next to nothing in common and thus not being able to create a real connection with one another as a result. And while I get that it was supposed to be dramatic, Gauzer outright asking Eri why she's surprised about his behavior was some top tier lampshading.

In the end, I liked this episode, and it did restore my faith in where exactly this is all headed.

And now for something completely different.

I'll say it upfront, I absolutely loved this episode, and I think it might be my favorite one so far.

It's all about parodying classic tokusatsu cliches while simultaneously showcasing how there is no one-fits-all mold for a superhero show. Changerion is a very unconventional show, especially for the time, and they're proud of that fact.

From the monster of the week recognizing himself for what he is and being a toku fanboy, to the constant lampshades of how alot of cliches would come across as off-putting in real life, to just the overall great comedic timing and character humor throughout the episode, this was a blast.

And the best part of it all is that it never comes across as holier-than-thou. Changerion does still respect and have fun with the superhero stories that came before it, with the climax of the episode being an outright love letter to the Showa era, but it's also willing to acknowledge that part of what makes these shows great is just how many different directions you can take them.

Yeah, this one was a blast from start to finish. Loved it.

This one was okay.

The crooks from the insane kidnapping episode from earlier in the show coming back was fun, but other than that, this was kinda standard.

Not to say it was bad. The friendship between the DarkZide monster and the little girl was sweet enough for what it was, and the comedy was pretty solid, it's just that none of it was anything outstanding, ya know?

As such, it leaves me with not alot to comment on. Still, it was fun, and really, that's all I need.

If grossout humor is your thing, then boy do I have the episode for you!

The structure of this one was really odd, and that's not just because a plot important item is a giant ball of dung.

Like, in terms of series structure, I get why this one is a late episode, as it essentially signals how we're moving into Changerion's' endgame with the ever growing threat of the Dark Dimension taking over Earth.

But in a character sense, this felt like an episode that really should've happened about ten episodes earlier, as the idea that Akira is getting full of himself again with all the victories he's had, is something that really feels like he'd have grown past by now after all that he's been through.

Especially since Akira has already been humbled plenty of times before, and if the mysterious second warrior really is Hayami, then it makes the early episode where he became Changerion, as well as the episode we just had about his old grudge feel like total wastes. Hopefully Hayami eating the seeds is some sort of bait and switch, otherwise alot of character development goes out the window.

So yeah, combine all that with a majority of this episode's' humor being toilet-based, and I have some very mixed feelings on this one.

Yeah that's right. One of the most insane things I've ever seen in a TV show got a sequel episode.

Needless to say, as soon as I read that title, my body and mind were ready to experience another intense fever dream that only the insane mind known as Inoue could've possibly given me.

Which is why I don't know whether to be angry or impressed at this episode.

Because what followed is arguably the most mundane episode of Changerion in the entirety of the show's' run. No big subversion of expectations. No shenanigans that go into outlandish territory. Not even any sorts of utter craziness that are tough to describe.

No, no. This was all very straightforward and to the point, and to that end, I can't help but think it was entirely intentional. Because what better way to subvert the expectations of such a legendarily crazy episode than to have its sequel be the exact opposite, you know? But don't worry, this episode does infact feature mackerels!

So, incase you were wondering, yes, Hayami is The Blader(the 2nd warrior), but it's moreso that The Blader is an alternate persona born from Hayami eating the seeds of darkness, and I gotta say, the overly long explanation at the end of how exactly The Blader transformation and powers work was legit funny. I still have rather mixed feelings on the situation overall, but maybe Inoue will be able to make a cool story out of it regardless.

I'm not mad at this one, just disappointed.

Like, I get it, alot of the stuff in this episode is played for a joke, but as someone who takes this sort of thing seriously, it just kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

We've had alot of examples over the show about how Akira and Hayami's' friendship is genuine, even if unconventional, so I just really didn't jive how alot of this episode sort of flew in the face of that.

Sure, the premise of a fictional movie shoot becoming real is neat and all, but it doesn't exactly carry anything, especially since we've get a small glimpse of hidden depths to Hayami that go unexplored. The kiss at the end was surprisingly touching though, even if it was played for laughs.

Like, I think in the end what the episode ultimately guns for is that Akira will be there when the chips are down, but then, his very selfish motivations that pop up at the end also sort of contradict that. Sure, I suppose it's not out of character exactly, but it's also something that really undermines the genuine emotion that the climax could've had.

In the end I just sigh and move on.

That's right, the infamous manhole cover from Zi-O got its start here.

I think this is the first toku I've seen that not only acknowledges the existence of polygamy, but has its main character partake in it.

While the thing that kicks off the events of the episode is Akira getting hired to deliver an experimental drug to a laboratory, the main meat of the episode is a combo of a chase episode and showcasing just how far Akira's' womanizing goes.

And while there's certainly laughs to be had with just how over the top the entire scenario is, it's simultaneously a look into how Akira's' behavior affects those around him, and as a result the episode gives a surprisingly even-handed view of Akira having multiple girlfriends.

The key to it all is consent. Akira is honest with each girl he woos that he's dating multiple women. Some are fine with it, some aren't. Just as some see it as no big deal while others think it's immoral. The show doesn't take a definitive side, and to me that signals that it doesn't expect to the viewer to swing a certain way either. If you're fine with it great, if not, also valid.

And that sort of neutrality can be rather tough to pull off, especially in a more light-hearted context. So I gotta give credit where it's due. This isn't an amazing episode by any stretch, but it was certainly an interesting and decently fun one.

Just when I think this show can't possibly get any more wild, it does.

And just like the other notably insane episodes before it, I'm really not sure how I'd even go about describing this one.

Well for one thing, there is a ton of meta humor at play here, and not so much in the sense of fourth wall breaking, but moreso having fun with the very idea of Changerion as a TV show in which kids watch.

Yeah, that's a detail they drop here, by the way, that Changerion was apparently aimed at a child audience. Which, that in itself is crazy to me, because almost this entire show thrives on both meta and adult humor, meaning that kids are not gonna understand half of what Changerion is throwing at them.

There's also a major twist involved in this episode that I dare not spoil, because there is no way anyone will see it coming and it absolutely sent me as soon as I saw it play out before my very eyes. And in a funny contrast to that, Vins, who all show has been built up as one of the major villains? He's just casually defeated by Changerion without much fanfare.

This is yet another episode that showcases what I consider Changerion's' best aspect: It being a toku equivalent of a rollercoaster ride. Sure, being smart, thought provoking, "deep" and whatever that people usually go on about when talking about shows is great and all, but this? This show is just sheer fun, and I won't ever complain about that.

Man I love tokusatsu as a medium!