Yes, KogumaSkyBlue is supposed to be SasoriOrange's partner. This episode hints pretty blatantly why this is the case.

Yeah, so, putting two and two together here, I'm gonna go ahead and say anywhere in the 18-24 range we're going to see this kid either become a Kyuranger during the big climax of them saving Earth or, after they do that, be like "Wait guys, I wanna be a Kyuranger too! Take me with you so I can help beat up Jark Matter!" before they leave.

We'll see though. If they're explicitly calling this an arc there's basically zero chance they're staying here until the end of the show, especially since they explicitly talk about liberating Earth first in the episode.

Ok, so I followed y'all's advice and came back after episode 5. And I… kinda wish I hadn’t! Cause I was instantly set off by some of these criticisms. And of course, me being me, I can’t just let them slide without some biting commentary! :lol

First, some speculation...

My guess is that Scorpio killed Champ’s creator and Stinger took the fall for it. Actually, the more I think about it, the more obvious that outcome seems. But who knows! I’m definitely more interested in Stinger’s story than anyone else’s.


Now, some disagreement...

Gee, it's almost like there have only been 5 episodes. But surely, if they haven't answered any lingering questions by now they never will. Cause, I mean, they only have, at minimum, 43 episodes left to address all this stuff. How will they ever find the time!?!?

Wait, didn’t you just say the following like, a page ago?

So… your solution to what you see as the show’s problems is for the creators to stop trying something new and revert to a more familiar status quo? When you just clearly implied that you didn’t want the show to be a “run-of-the-mill crappy Sentai show?” I... don't get you.

Why is that stupid? I admit it's kind of a throwaway joke, but I think we did see Stinger go through a pretty dramatic arc in the episode. We saw his change of heart play out in the episode, and that was effectively executed, even if at the end it was undercut by the reveal that he was a spy all along.

But think about how that reveal rounds out Commander Dragon Dumpling's character. His actions show he's willing to lie to and manipulate his subordinates -- to put them through the emotional wringer -- to achieve his objectives. I think that's pretty interesting, and it isn't the first sign of questionable morality from the big purple furry. His mission is clearly noble, but his methods are questionable. That complexity is unusual in Sentai, which rarely gives us heroes with shades of gray. Already, Kyuranger has given us two less-than-fully-heroic heroes in the Commander and Stinger, and that makes me pretty happy.

Ahhh, now we’re getting to the meat of your discontent. Could it be that you created a show in your head based on the promo materials, and Kyuranger isn’t aligning with your expectations?

I suspect you're letting your disappointment over discovering that Kyuranger isn't the show you expected blind you to all the good things it's doing. I mean, it's not flawless, there have been bumps in the road and things I'd change -- but props to everyone for trying something new and exciting. I think it's worked way more often than not.


Now, finally, for some agreement...

I still have a suspicion that the show will remain primarily on Earth after the Liberation arc, though I do think there will be away missions to other planets, or possibly solo journeys to other planets (i.e. Stinger goes in search of his brother with whoever the Koguma Sky Blue kid ends up being).

After all, Super Sentai heroes are, explicitly, the defenders of Earth. While it would be refreshing to see the heroes go off-world more often than not, I think the “defenders of Earth” is a key part of the show for Japanese audiences. As much as I want the show to take place primarily off-world, I think Japanese fans and kids would rebel if they didn’t hang out on Earth for at least half of the show.

I’ll be satisfied if there are just a few away missions scattered about, and I’d love to have my suspicions proven wrong.

I totally agree with all of this, especially the section I bolded!

I think part of my enjoyment of the show so far has been watching how the creators take well-worn Sentai tropes and twist them a bit. If one isn’t a fan of those tropes to begin with – or if one is not intimately familiar with all of the tropes being twisted, avoided, or otherwise subverted – I can maybe see how one would be less than enthused with Kyuranger at this point.

But guys. That doesn’t mean Kyuranger sucks. It means that it’s not your thing.

Yeah, having Scorpio be the killer and Stinger taking the fall would be the obvious and most likely route.

Now will they go the obvious route or not

I'm dropping this show.

I promised myself, after the first episode didn't exactly wow me, I would stick with it, until the full 9-person starting lineup came together. Then, I felt, I would have an idea of where the show is going. I still don't like what I'm seeing. Everyone is either an idiot, or grating, or both.

Also, way to keep with the space theme by... staying on earth for a while.

What? Who said that? I would've waited much, much longer. Because at this point people like me still have hope for this show.

Did I criticize the show for not explaining it? I just used our lack of knowledge on the origin of the Seiza Blasters to build up two scenarios and explain how easy it would’ve been for Stinger to have one without being a spy in both of them.

If having 5 core members while simultaneously featuring additional Rangers in both supporting and antagonistic roles from the start is more of a status quo to you then yes.

And that’s why it's stupid. Also because they had one, one Ranger who didn't want to join the team in the episode he was introduced and they magically resolved that issue in 2 episodes. That sucks. It feels way too early.

Yeah no, you're reading way too much into this. The joke is that he seems unprofessional and happy go lucky but is apparently a serious strategist who only hides his abilities for a reason we might or might not find out. Right now there's nothing I would call "complex" about him.

Nope. I never had any expectations for this to begin with, I just tried to make some sense of what I saw in the toy scans and of the rumors we heard, that's all.

Nice try Sherlock, but that's not it. I just don't like the show right now.

Given that Ryu Commander and Koguma Skyblue toys are scheduled for an April 1st release we might not have to wait super long. Of course, there is the chance of rescheduling so guess we will have to wait regardless.

So that's it for the planet hopping huh? The rest of the show is going to be constrained to Earth now? God I hate it when I'm right sometimes.

This episode was average. Hopefully now that the 9 rangers are introduced we can actually start developing the characters and plot and introduce villains that aren't going to suck.

It absolutely read as criticism to me, especially in light of your proposed alternate scenarios. It was certainly surrounded by criticism in all directions. Apologies if misread your intent.

I mean... even that description is pretty complex for a major Sentai character, especially in terms of more recent series.

Look, if you're going to watch and criticize this show, you need to meet it on its own terms. Sentai is, in many many many ways, not objectively good. Every single show contains a multitude of glaring flaws, and it's extremely easy to pick them apart if you're not sold on a particular show's chemistry (whether that's because you don't like the actors, the designs, the music, the fights, the SFX, or a combination of any number of other ephemeral elements). Like, for example, I passionately hate Magiranger. But do I think it's objectively worse than any other Sentai show? No, I just have an intensely negative emotional reaction to the entire cast. Similarly, I love Zyuohger -- is that because the show is better than most other Sentai? Emphatically no -- I just really love the cast's dynamics and the show's overall design aesthetic. (Caveat 1: Obviously, there are shows that are objectively better or worse than others, from a pure craft standpoint, but the difference in quality level is often and heavily exaggerated.)

The joy of Sentai, for me at least, is not often found in its unquestionably high level of quality. The joy is found in how the creators solve problems given their production limitations and time constraints, and how the writers employ certain omnipresent tropes and well-worn stories in subtly unique ways. In that way, Sentai is almost the definition of pulpy, "low" art. If you go into it expecting the creators to layer nuanced drama with multifaceted characters and never-before-seen plot twists every single episode, you're going to be disappointed. (Caveat 2: Obviously, that's not to say the shows never execute these things well, it's just rare to see them consistently employed over a whole series, especially in a show's first 20-ish episodes.)

If the show is not working for you, it's not working for you. But I doubt it's because it's so much more flawed than any other Sentai.

I notice you've moderated your tone a bit, going from "this sucks" to "I just don't like it." If my post contributed in any way to that, I call it a win. ;)